Club Thinking Partners is in the final stages of a Governance Review for a high-end, private member-owned country club in New England. We were engaged to assess the Club’s current governance structure and how it relates to the management of the Club. The Board is seeking direction on defining the responsibilities of the Board and committees and outlining the segregation of the duties of management vs. the Board. The work product for this project is a Board Policy Manual with customized policies, charters, and guidelines. During this project, we also conducted a review of the Club’s current by-laws and developed recommendations for the Board’s consideration to submit to their legal representatives for further review and refinement. Throughout this process, we met individually and in group settings with Board and Committee Chairpersons.

Club Thinking Partners recently concluded an Operational Review for a private, member-owned country club in the mid-Atlantic. The scope of this project was to review specific areas of food & beverage, golf operations, and the onboarding of new members. Our process for this Review involved customized audits of each of these areas of the business as well as individual and group meetings with key staff and Board and committee members. The work product was a report summarizing our findings with recommendations for improvement based on industry expertise, trends, and best practices. Dan Denehy presented the final report to the Board.

Club Thinking Partners is currently engaged by a high-end, privately owned country club in Massachusetts. In addition to conducting the searches for key positions across the business, we provide management guidance to the ownership and management team on all areas of the business: club management, food & beverage, golf operations, membership marketing, catering sales, and lodging. Club Thinking Partners team members visit the Club at least twice a month and are key contributors to the annual operating budget, membership marketing plans, and catering sales plans.

Club Thinking Partners is providing executive search and management advisory services, strategy, and coaching for key management team positions for a new investor club start-up. The work product includes but is not limited to: A Business Plan; development of Membership Documents, initial policies, and rules & regulations; a Membership Marketing Plan; and initial three year operating pro forma and resulting budgets by department and quarters; staffing and organizational structure recommendations; and input on various design charrettes and critical decisions around layout, furniture, fixtures, and equipment specifically to support the social and sports programs as appropriate. Additionally, we participate in an advisory role to support the Club’s decision-making specific to technology infrastructure and legal documents pertaining to membership and corporate structure.

Club Thinking Partners is working with a high-end private club to convert ownership of the golf pro shop from the golf professional back to the Club.  The key elements of this project include a comprehensive analysis and review of the golf retail operation (performance and internal controls) and inventory valuation to develop recommendations and a schedule for transition of ownership. Club Thinking Partners will also provide oversight to ensure a seamless and smooth transition that does not negatively impact the member and guest experience.