The balancing act of maximizing green fee revenue and managing member expectations is very tricky. On one hand, you need to ensure that your membership is happy and feel they have access to the golf course, and on the other hand you need to watch the bottom line and ensure you are maximizing revenues.

For the last 3 years, Monaghan Golf Group has invested in a professional development program for our senior management staff. I call this program an investment because that is exactly what it is - an investment in our talent. Having well-developed employees is one of the cornerstones of a successful business.

The Fraserview pro shop crew and I gathered for our annual year-end staff party on Sunday night. It was there that I learned of Arnold Palmer's passing. I remember how frail he looked during his tournament, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, earlier this year. So, while it wasn't a complete shock, it was certainly blindsiding.

With so many moving parts and so many people (staff and customers) moving them, it's incredibly easy for the elements of your golf operation to fall victim to a lack of attention to detail. As the manager, as hard as you might want to try, it's literally impossible for you to oversee and control every element of the operation at all times. But, what you can do is build a foundation for your staff to mold around.

Too many people who work in the service business are truly not thinking about the people they deal with on a daily basis. They are living in the humdrum monotony of collecting their pay check. A business with employees with this mentality will get by, but will never reach its maximum potential. A simple “hello” with a smile can go a long way to a customer.

The golf industry has changed dramatically over the past 50 years. Private golf courses were predominant for the first 50-60 years of golf in North America. Golf professionals were the proprietors at the local golf course and sold their services and inventory to a membership who had few options in the marketplace.