Beyond The Baselines

By: Ed Shanaphy
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  • Summary

  • Management Consultancy from Experts in the Country Club Industry
    Content owned by SBW Associates, Inc
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Economics Exercise & Fitness Hygiene & Healthy Living Management Tennis
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Episodes
  • Young Gun To Aronimink’s Legendary PGA Teaching Pro

    Young Gun To Aronimink’s Legendary PGA Teaching Pro
    Sep 25 2024
    Young John Bierkan would bike through the parking lot at the club where his father was teaching golf most childhood mornings at 6am. These halcyon Pennsylvania mornings might have seen his siblings resetting the blackout curtains, but not John. Golf was in his blood and his early mornings as a junior golfer saw John always at the club - every day and all day. And, from those early days and moonlit mornings while breathing in the freshly cut fairways, Bierkan knew he wanted to, just like his father, teach golf. John has become one of the leading golf instructors in the country. From his early days at Doral through his time at Quail Valley and Old Marsh, John started out on a trajectory that took him to some of the most prestigious golf and country clubs in the nation. As one of the leading Directors of Golf Instruction in the country, John has a learned and objective viewpoint from over 20 years of experience. His views of golf, golf and country clubs, and the differences among different parts of the country in which he has worked are valuable to all of us in the private members club and hospitality businesses.
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    32 mins
  • Writing And The Washington Post: How A Tennis Director Used Journalism Skills To Build A Program

    Writing And The Washington Post: How A Tennis Director Used Journalism Skills To Build A Program
    Jun 4 2024
    Taylor Newman left college for two careers. Her love of writing led her to her daily, first shift - a beat journalist covering the DC Metro sports teams for the sports desk at the Washington Post. Ben Bradlee would have been proud of her commitment up there with Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein in terms of hours. For when Taylor had filed her sports reports, she would move to her second, eight-hour shift at Chevy Chase Club, where she was serving as an Assistant Professional. Finally, weighing up her options, Taylor chose the hospitality, private members club, and tennis career - and she has never looked back. In fact, she has used her writing skills to build one of the biggest cardio tennis programs in all the nation. Through communicating with members, Taylor and present BeyondTheBaselines.com Vice President Britney Sanders, took over a quiet cardio tennis program. Changing the headlines of the program and using writing and lines of communication, the two women built a program that has led to fifteen cardio courts each week. "Cardio is not just about running a good clinic, it's about knowing the personalities and levels of all the players to help make it succeed." Newman is a consummate professional: checking the court booking sheet at 10pm every night for the next day to avoid any surprises or pitfalls, picking up balls after each and every cardio class outside the fences, and mentoring her assistants on a daily basis both on the court and in terms of hospitality, off the court. Just as she would have been at The Post covering sports, Taylor is on duty twenty-four hours, always being out there ready to communicate, learn and grow. The Washington Post lost a treasure to tennis. Here's Taylor Newman on the Beyond The Baselines podcast.
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    Less than 1 minute
  • All In The Family

    All In The Family
    Apr 1 2024
    Hospitality runs in the family. Alexandria LaRocca, Director of Member Engagement at The Beach Point Club in Mamaroneck, New York, and Matt Assumma, who served at Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, join the podcast. And, they’ve known each other for years, and we mean for years, since they were kids. Alexandria and Matt are both offspring of well-known and highly regarded club managers, having grown up in the industry. Their respective backgrounds highlight how important both human resources and hospitality are in the private members club industry. Ocean Reef Club And Gaining Membership Through Visitation Matt spent eight years at one of the leading clubs in the country, Ocean Reef. He notes how he worked his way up through the ranks from banqueting and ended up working in the membership department, where he would flag visitors who may have visited the club more than twice in five years, but who had not expressed an interest in gaining membership. Membership plays such an important role at any club through events, such as outings and member guests, but for a iconic club on the tip of Key Largo, perhaps new members can be even more significant. Ocean Reef, although a private club, can be seen as a destination with both a conference center and an inn on property. Matt notes the friction that can be caused between hosting events, attracting new members and the tradition of a small, fishing village which was the dream of its founder and present-day members, according to Assuma. Member Communications LaRocca notes that although email is very strong, different messages require different timings and different avenues of communication. Tennis, food and beverage, and timing of delivery all affect how communications are received by her elite and private membership at Beach Point Club. She realizes that with the numerous clubs in the area, a director of membership really is forced to know the entire brand – not just the activities at the club – but the brand that is the club’s identity. That identity separates the club from its many competitors, especially in the Westchester/Fairfield county areas of New York and Connecticut. The Pros and Cons of Living On Property Assumma lived on campus at Ocean Reef for a year before he, for the first time in his life, commuted from a property off campus during his time in the industry. Housing can attract great talent, especially since many may be on J1 or H2B visas, states LaRocca. But, there are times when living on property can be difficult. Your thought process may be that you can never be “off duty” or a member might find you late at night as they might need their clubs for an early-morning flight, as has happened to Assumma. In looking back at their respective careers, it's clear that perhaps the hardest job one might have in the private members club arena is running a dining room. With that said, both these individuals started doing that as teenagers working with their fathers, and food and beverage is clearly a life-long love as well as a wonderful way to learn the club industry from the inside out.
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    46 mins

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