Private Club Radio Show
Welcome to the Private Club Radio Show, the industry's weekly source for education, news, trends, and other current developments in the world of private clubs.
Hosted by the talented entertainer and industry expert, Denny Corby,
the podcast offers a unique perspective on the private club industry, featuring expert guests, product spotlights, predictions, and more.
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Private Club Radio Show
408: Think Big, Dive Deep, and Keep Members Happy w/ Ed Ronan
In episode 408, Ed Ronan shares his one-of-a-kind approach to leadership that’s equal parts creativity, strategy, and adventure. Over 35 years, Ed has redefined what a private club can be. Adding zip lines, mountain bike trails, and even custom woodworking projects to enhance the member experience.
But it’s not just about big ideas.
Ed dives into how he’s built an unbeatable club culture through strategic staff retreats, team development, and a relentless focus on innovation. He explains why asking “what if?” is critical for growth, how he balances bold moves with sound financial decisions, and why investing in your people is the smartest move a club can make.
From scuba dives to staff bonding to making members feel at home, this episode is packed with humor, inspiration, and actionable insights for anyone in club management—or leadership in general.
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Hey everybody, welcome to the Private Club Radio Show where we give you the scoop on all things private golf and country clubs, from mastering leadership and management, food and beverage excellence, member engagement secrets, board governance and everything in between, all while keeping it fun and light. Whether you're a club veteran just getting your feet wet or somewhere in the middle, you are in the right place. I'm your host, denny Corby. Welcome to the show. In this episode I am diving deep pun intended with a friend of mine, friend of the industry, mr Ed Ronan, ccm CCE, the big brain behind Bretton Woods Recreation Center, right outside of DC, and we talk about everything his club, his very unique club. We're talking about 35 years of private club leadership, innovation and really how he keeps his staff thriving while balancing a crazy life that allows him over 200 scuba dives a year is bonkers because when he's not running his 285 acre big club he's logging hundreds of hours, hundreds of scuba dives, or even building custom furniture and signs and things in his wood shop. He's got his priorities laid to perfection. When I asked him if he wanted to be on the show, he said would I? He said would I ever? But really this genuinely is a great episode, a great chat. I mean. We talk about how to build loyalty and culture with your members, with your team, and Ed's very big on his team with culture and team building and getting his team together and doing retreats and making sure that they're staying educated and they're learning and they're growing and, at the same token, making sure, you know, keeping the members happy and really embracing innovation. And Ed and his club they do a lot of unique out-of-the-box things and it's because they have the fun what-if conversations and they just don't keep it at that. They allow themselves to go a little bit more creative with it, go down that rabbit hole and think, oh, what if? What if? Oh, yeah, what if this, what if that? And then when they do come to an idea, they actually try to find a way to make it work instead of making it not work, especially when it gets the club excited and it helps the club grow and everybody grows, because when one grows we all grow. But if you know Ed, you're probably going to learn some new things. If you don't know Ed, you are going to want to learn more about him. Such a nice, genuine dude homie friend.
Speaker 1:Real quick, before we get to the episode I'm going to be releasing the Club Entertainment Guide soon, putting the final touches on it as we speak. If you would like early access to it, send me an email. Subject line entertainment guide or guide to hello at privateclubradiocom and I will make sure you get one of the early copy releases sent right to you. Big thanks to some of our show partners golf life navigators, concert golf partners and the tennis member vetting, as well as myself, the Denny Corby experience. There's excitement, there's mystery. Also, there's magic. It's a full evening full of fun for your members and their friends. Maybe, if you allow them to bring guests to this event, which is a really fun event, and if you do bring me in, you should allow guests at all times. Private club radio listeners. Let's welcome to the show. Mr ed ronan, were you always like this? Like this style, this personality, like? Was it so like? How did you somewhat?
Speaker 2:how'd you get to this place, though, like was it so somewhat adventurous? How'd you?
Speaker 1:get to this place, though, like you're in such a unique place.
Speaker 2:So I'm at a place now that probably going to. Where am I now? In Washington DC, bretton Woods. 12 seasons ago, awesome right, I worked 13 years on Long Island at a little bit of a Jewish club on the North shore and built it. So now, denny, that was literally work and then work and then work. We had it was a Guggenheim estate that we developed into a private golf club. So one of our first projects was the golf course, then the mansion, so we had 15 hotel rooms.
Speaker 2:So I went to the board and my kids were teenagers young 11, 10, 12, whatever. Hey, they're going to come up for the summer. Well, the board's like, oh, that could be okay. And their line today is they came to New York for the summer and watched dad work, because it could be three months. We would go do some cool things. We would go to NASCAR races, we would go to Six Flags. Every year we would do some baseball. I had a really good friend with tickets, so we would do some stuff, but it was mainly work, work, work.
Speaker 2:High school and went to one of my board members I don't know vice president or something, said hey, listen, I'm going to take him out west. He was born in Vail, colorado. The boys and I are going to Colorado, then the family is going to catch up in Montana we're doing a dude ranch. He's like that sounds like a busy week. I said, well, it's kind of a busy two weeks. And you would have thought I was like quitting my job. You would have thought I was like quitting my job Two weeks. You know, this is the summer. And I was like it's kind of when kids graduate high school, sir, like it's his high school graduation. There's only going to be one of these. And that's how I rolled there for a long time.
Speaker 2:When I got to this club that's owned by the International Monetary Fund crazy interview process. I was at IMF World Headquarters in a boardroom Yadda yadda. Crazy interview process. I was at IMF World Headquarters in a boardroom, fast forward, and it was four interviews. It was kind of like I wasn't all that. So, denny, it's called you've been there, obviously, but it's called Bretton Woods Recreation Center. And a guy from CMA called me about it and I was like Ron, he's not even there anymore. I said I've been in golf my whole career. Like I mean, this is my 35th year as a GM, this year is. So I was like, yeah, and he said, no, it just seems like an interesting property Because I've always done construction and different deals.
Speaker 2:My deal in New York I owned a management company and had the contract with a town, so it was a different, you know, not normal. So I kind of looked into it and you know let's appreciate this because you're a year or two younger it was back in the day of there was no such thing as Zoom in 2013. My sons helped me get set up with Skype and I 'd never Skyped before and literally I live in the sticks of North Carolina, like I was on 60 acres like woods, right, and we tested it the night before and I remember it Well, my son's like, oh, dad, you get some red socks stuff, like I'm from Boston. So there was some paraphernalia. I tried to make my office very professional, whatever. A minute in I don't know if it was a minute their screen goes my view of them and I kind of had researched who would be in the boardroom and my brain was like, oh, I wonder if that's Denny or whatever. My screen starts spinning around like I've lost connectivity. I said, oh, wait a minute, I might need to reconnect. No, no, no quite, we see you. Just fine, we can, don't worry about it, we see you. So now my brain's like wow, man, this is a little stressful. So I'm staring at things spinning and then my picture goes out. So I had a third and they're very scripted people 30 minute interview. I email them, thanks, you know, under stressful conditions, you, you know, best of luck with your search. Yeah, it was trying times and like, and they were in another interview, I think, and he was like quite to the contrary, you will hear from us tomorrow. So it's an interesting journey.
Speaker 2:But my first summer I started in May. My first summer, my club president from France, who I could barely understand, was like Mr Ronan, where will holiday take you this summer? I said well, ma'am, it'll be at Bretton Woods. You know, I just started a month ago. She was like oh no, family is very important with us. And I was like what do you mean? Like right? I said oh, ok, and booked a week at the beach, my first season there. No one cared and it's kind of morphed from there. Christmas 12 years ago she said to me when will you be going home for Christmas? I was like you know, family's important. I was like oh yes, ma'am, first year, denny, I left December 15th which was like, wow, right, two weeks and it's gone from the 15th to the 10th to the 8th to the. I left November 11th this year. No one cares, but I have a tremendous team Fast forward.
Speaker 2:I have all new department heads tremendous, talented, dedicated, loyal people and have built a lot of trust. Right Like, I have tremendous trust with my board, which is not a member-owned club board. Right Like it's almost like a professional group of people. I make them a lot of money. We talk strategy. We're talking about a seven-year plan right now. We talk about how we're funding everything. You know we made 12% net profit last year, which no one really does that in golf, but that million two on about 10 or 12 million I'm putting right back into the property. So it's been an interesting run.
Speaker 2:And in 21, it was 20 or 21, I was done. Right Like, I had on a board agenda set and I do the whole agenda different you a whole different model, like the last item I knew where to put it succession planning and all my board meetings since February, since you came to Bretton Woods in February of 20, you remember that Valentine's Day I've never been back inside the IMF. I used to be there two, three, four times a month, twice a week for meetings. All my board meetings are Zoom. So I had succession planning and said guys, you know, we had a good run.
Speaker 2:Covid has been really brutal. It's just been really hard and I think we're still in a good space. And I'm thinking another year and it was like a funeral and no one knew what to say. How much holiday do you want? They kind of worked on me. The president finally came. My staff too was like oh no, this is the worst thing possible. So when I'm away, the staff works a little harder. It's not like, oh, where's Ed? I don't know, they'll be like Ed's in South Africa right now. It's not like, oh, where's Ed? I don't know, they'll be like Ed's in South Africa right now. There's no hiding it and it just works right.
Speaker 2:And when I got divorced seven years ago it'll be eight this summer I needed another hobby. Yeah, I needed another hobby and I just started diving man and it's morphed from. I probably have 400 in the last three years Like so a crazy amount of diving. What In 2023, I horribly missed my. My goal was 200 dives, 200 hours underwater, basically an hour dive. I only made 193. So, and the year before I came up in the 80s. This year I'll be close to 100. I'm in the 90s right now. I don't know how much I'll dive in Isla Mujeres when I go there. So that's crazy right.
Speaker 1:That's bonkers, that's so cool.
Speaker 2:So add into the equation. You know I've always lived 360 miles from the club. I'm in North Carolina today. Well, I bought this property. It was an illegal marijuana grow operation that had been seized so it was trashed. The shop I've sent you a picture of my shop was just a tore apart metal building, no electricity in it, and now I have a wood shop, the house. We thought we would burn down when I first bought it, but it turned out to be structurally good, so it's brand new floors, walls, ceilings, windows, electric plumbing, heating. Over a seven year, six year period I've rebuilt the house. So it's been an interesting journey, and rebuilt is like. I'm the chief tile installer. It's a wall-to-wall tile floor. I thought that would be cool. I installed it. The kids and I have done all the carpet. We do a lot of carpentry with my shop, so it's an interesting place to escape, to Escape, work, whatever. I have plenty of Wi-Fi. I have Wi-Fi all over the property which keeps you connected.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you also make stuff for the club too, right? Yeah, I've made Like some cool pieces.
Speaker 2:Six or seven. Well, we've gotten into desks Like I'm sitting at a. I'm sitting, not standing, today, at my desk, but it's a. We do a lot of L-shaped, solid inch and a half, two inch thick wood this one's walnut my sons are engineers. They have hydraulic legs so you push a button, it goes from a desk to a standing desk. So those are in most of the offices. I have a full CNC shop. So we've made all the.
Speaker 2:We're transitioning from wood signs because we're very nature at the club, but woods are wood from a maintenance and just longevity sustainability standpoint doesn't work. So we've been doing a lot of plastic signage. Rebuilt entryways with rock walls and three quarter inch, three quarter thick inch HDPE engraved signage is what one of my other projects I do while I'm home. Like while I'm home now I'm going to build two podiums for the club. Like we want some good solid oak podiums. Sounds like something to do. So, yeah, a little bit for work, but we do some cabinetry. Like there's not enough hours in the day. So it's a good hobby, though it's a good way to just. I was in there at 6 am this morning cutting and figuring and I'm building five tables right now for a condo for someone.
Speaker 1:Oddly enough, they're down in Isla Mujeres. No.
Speaker 2:No, they're in Sanibel Island, a place that was destroyed with a hurricane.
Speaker 1:Good thing you did not send those desks out.
Speaker 2:No, we were there in August and drywall was hung, not finished, and it has flooded twice with those last two hurricanes, so it's delayed a little bit. Maybe around conference, tampa, february 2025, maybe it'll be ready, so not a high priority there what I?
Speaker 1:I got a question for you. I've I've noticed with like you and other people in different clubs and different things what does it mean when somebody has? And I'm asking you, and I'm reason why I'm asking you, this too is you've you like drink the juice hard in terms of, like the management world? You know ccm, cce, abc, you got all the all oh boy but but so um.
Speaker 1:So when it comes to like you know, you'll see a, a club, someone's general manager sometimes it's general manager and coo, ceo and GM. What does it mean when they have those extra little things on?
Speaker 2:I would probably be a COO. I'm not a big title guy but as the GM COO named the position, I just replaced my chef. It's been the fifth or sixth time I've done this, but with a rock star, but it was my process. I ended up using a search firm, a culinary search firm. Not many people know that specializes and we made the decision, like me and my leadership team that are going to work with this guy. It wasn't a committee or it didn't have to go sit with six board members. He may have spoken to a board member, probably not. I think I'd have him to have him speak to my life coach, like they'll interview some of my senior candidates and hear what they pick up, but which we might not.
Speaker 2:I think that's different. You know, denny, it's just all governance right, like it kind of comes down to whatever title you want. But if you've got to ask, I'd rather ask forgiveness and just do it right Than permission. But they don't. But when deep down inside they don't want to be making these decisions or this or that, you'll let us take the hard decisions and when we fail, we fail. It's not like, hey, look at how great, but as long as we win more than we fail and learn from it, then they stay away from you. If you make a lot of failures and people start complaining to the powers to be, then they're going to get more involved. If your financial statements don't look good like if you can't make money, they're going to start getting involved, and that's not a good thing. Financial statements don't look good Like if you can't make money, you probably don't. They don't want like, they don't understand they don't. They're going to start getting involved and that's not a good thing.
Speaker 2:So my thing with my leadership team is you keep the members away from me. Keep the members happy. I'll keep the board. And committees are at an all-time low at my club, like, we probably have 1.3 committees, two pool committee meetings a year, two tennis committee meetings, maybe eight golf, but they're not. There's a clear document. This is what we need from you. Give me some ideas. You're not involved, you have no money. Say so again, that kind of works. And the board no one would ever go to my leadership team with complaints from a board level. Say that Members sure, not all the time, but of course they're going to. Members complain nonstop. Yeah, but again, fix it. Yeah, but don't just. You know, if it's a repetitive complaint, they don't want it to get to me because I'm going to be like what the you know? Fix the change what you're doing, you know.
Speaker 2:So we're huge on innovation. I mean, you were there kind of in the winter. I mean, yeah, during COVID, after you left, after you ruined our economy February 20, when you were at my club. You know that summer we built our third zip line, a second archery range and a mountain bike trail. Like what the Like, who would have done that? We also embarked, in the fall of 20, on a new clubhouse and it turned out.
Speaker 2:Boy with what happened with the supply. We got lucky. You know. We had money. We were going to do it. None of my board was like, oh, I don't know if this is the right time, the world's coming to an money. We were going to do it. None of my board was like, oh, I don't know if this is the right time, the world's coming to an end. We were ready to go. We got a permit, boom. So we built from like October of 20 and opened it in August of 21, which turned out to be an unbelievable time. It was a little more painful than that because it was nine months of permitting Before we could get started. There was a lot of pre-work that was done, but no once we got started. It's only a 5,000-square-foot building.
Speaker 1:It's nothing huge, but it's down at where tennis and soccer and fitness, so smaller clubhouse.
Speaker 2:But again, if you can keep them out of your way, which I think as a COO, that's what you have to do. I mean, if you're dealing with, if you've got to go ask the board, I don't know, I haven't asked an operational question Well, how could they give me advice? I mean in a nice way, not in a logical way that they really can't. I mean I had one member in my first year or so here was like and it's obvious he said it aboard me. I have a very respectful board. It's obvious you've forgotten more about running a business like this than we will ever learn. But most members would never bring themselves to say that to you. But mine's a little different. They're all economists so they know they couldn't run a business per se.
Speaker 1:You talk about your staff a lot and you do have a really cool like you do retreats with your staff. You spend money on them, you invest in them as individuals, as a whole, as a group. Did you always do that? Was it? You've always maybe wanted to? And then when you got to this position, like this club, and they were all about it like how was the progression with that? Like were they already doing it before you got there? Did you have to fight to get it?
Speaker 2:No, very interesting, Great question. So I got here and you know, once you're older you just go a little slower too, right? Like back in the day I would have come in and changed, fixed everything. Now there's no rush, right? So my first season I literally I told the board I'll find out where all the bathrooms are, I'll find my way around. It's a pretty big property. But again, just kind of take notes and observe, because if you run in and they're like you know, denny, why are you doing this wrong? It's like you're an idiot. I had plenty of idiots working for me. But again, I remember one time in a leadership meeting saying, and they all looked at me, I said it's obvious to me, this place has been screwed up for a while, so there's no rush, but we will fix this. And I said, let me tell you one phrase that is going to come up in this room and you'll learn to never say again is it's always been done that way, right? So we started off on a good foot.
Speaker 2:So one of the first things I kind of spent a lot of time with the staff, spent a lot of time with some of my board members and, you know, thinking more strategically or just the business. There were like four. The staff had an opinion, the leadership team thought something, the board had another idea. So I thought, whoa, whoa, whoa. So in my first year I went to my president. I was like, listen, we have got to get some synergy. And we did a retreat then, just with the board, and my board has only met at my club in 12 seasons 2.5 times, maybe three at the most, because we always met at the IMF. I did an all-day retreat. If there's any old people that watch this, jack Sullivan, who's with KKNW, might be retired by now. But Jack came in and we really organized and put together mission, vision and values. That still hangs in my office. It hangs in the club room. We teach it. We just modified it on one of my leadership retreats.
Speaker 2:So what also came up in our retreat? I said one thing that's interesting is in reviewing our financials you have zero in development, like in staff training and anything. You know nothing. And lo and behold, danny, I'm not making this up. I think that weekend Kevin McDonald, who's now a lifelong friend, 11, 12 years ago, called me and said, hey, I'm going to be in. I'd met him at a KKNW summit, at the PGA show or something. That year I heard about his program. I attended like a webinar, you know, zoom or whatever, and since then he's been, you know, on staff per se. He's been at the club a number of times.
Speaker 2:I then started sounded hokey at the time, but all my leadership meetings ended with a win of the week. So you know, there's like business, business, how's it all relate? And then go around the room what did you? What's your best thing that happened to you this week? Which at first people like what? But it ended up being. At first it had to be. Oh, we had the most covers in the restaurant and then, as we got a little tighter, it was, oh well, my son's baseball team, so it became personal. Then I started doing monthly dinners with 10 to 15, however big the team was then which again, we would do top golf, we would do bowling, we've done any kind of activity, or just a dinner. But again it gets the superintendent with the restaurant manager talking about the weather, whatever.
Speaker 2:And then, once I started doing leadership retreats, I choose Orlando because airfare is cheap. The housing, denny. We get like 13 bedroom houses. Oh, you remember Gutenplan came a couple of years ago to one of them three or four years ago now. So, like this year, I have two 13 bedroom houses in the same neighborhood. You can't buy hotel rooms and we're there for you know we do some cool stuff that we'll do. A travel day, a free day, go do whatever you want. Some will play golf, some drive to Tampa, go to a casino, some might go to the theme parks. Then we have two full days.
Speaker 2:I just talked to Sarah Mueller today. Sarah Mueller was with me last year. I have your girlfriend, passion Graham. I'm very excited. Passion's doing like two sessions. Jody with Jody Cunningham, kk and w? Uh, you know her, she's kind of on her own hr.
Speaker 2:I don't know kevin mcdawn, I'm like overbooked with who I could use. I've been three. And jackie carpenter I had the? Uh, the who was that the mastermind? And the? Uh monk, a few. I don't know a great list.
Speaker 2:But what comes out out from that? There is some nuts and bolts. Like two years ago we redid my mission state Like we'll work on actual business stuff but more importantly we try to help them develop. But what that has really done is again the bonding and trust and like the accountability between each other has gotten much stronger as far as culture and it's probably. We're doing budgets right now. It's probably. You know it's an investment. It might be 50 grand, I'm not, you know it's somewhere. It's not a little one. By the time you pay some speakers and you have meals. And last year we did like really pretty cool go-kart racing. We're going to an Axe bar, I think. This year like different stuff, right, so that I think, from a culture and gist.
Speaker 2:And last year was interesting, when Sarah was talking we were talking about emotional intelligence and I looked around the room we were talking about developing people and when she finished I said Sarah, wow, what a topic you just brought up. I said I'm really proud that there's 21 people here today. Seven of these people have been promoted to current positions. So that has bought, or I don't know bought. That has created, you know, like a lot of loyalty and they've learned together. You know what I'm saying. And we just promoted two more from within because staffing the mid-level management right now is very hard to attract. You see the job openings and whatnot. And we're like fully staffed because my staff brings staff, like even one of the cooks brought me a mechanic recently, you know, for the grounds Game recognize game and when people see and know, it's like, oh okay, they okay, yeah, come on, come on, so that has helped.
Speaker 2:It's not an exact science and I'm in a place where, I mean, the minimum wage is 1715 this year. We're expecting it goes up every year. We're expecting it to be 1780 in 2025. It's not set yet, but it's a crazy number. When I'm paying, I have a staff of 300 and all the lifeguards, the camp counselors, you know all those kids. You know we're paying waiters like $20. So we have a dishwasher at $20 an hour, which is crazy, but he comes to work. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:Consistently with a smile on his face. Well, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:Consistently with a smile on his face. Well, my best dishwasher just got recruited from a line cook and she's probably a 50 year old woman who will outwork you and I, honestly, all day. So I don't know, man, it's not, it's just a little people. It just takes people to have good people, I guess.
Speaker 1:And the board now sees the value in what you're spending on all that. They don't really fight you on it, or? Or is it still a battle Cause? I mean really like let's just even call it 50. That's, all things considered. That's not bad for professional development.
Speaker 2:So, but do you think there's a line item that? So mine again, I have a different governance model. I show them my people would die Like. My board doesn't get full financials. They don't have time to go through. My financials are 45 pages, my budget's 108 pages. The finance committee doesn't see that. They don't need to see every nuts and bolts. So that's just that's baked into leadership development, education and seminars, which is obviously a big number.
Speaker 2:I mean every single department head. I mean I just came. I'm a different animal, but I just came back from CMAE in London, club Managers Association of Europe. I have a great affiliation with them. I spoke when they were over in the States last time. They'll be in New York in. We should get you then. They'll be in New York in September 2025 for their international CMAE's international, and I came back and worked like a week or two maybe man. And then I just came back from BMI International where we were in Switzerland, cma sponsored, you know, event. So my assistant GM will do a conference and a BMI Phil's six years in eight years working for me.
Speaker 1:Phil has not left yet man. He's holding on like a he will be certified brother.
Speaker 2:He'll be certified this year. He'll be certified this year.
Speaker 1:He's my AGM now, yeah.
Speaker 2:So you have to invest. All my pros I'll be at the PGA show this year too and CMA, so it's like, if you can invest in them and believe in them, I don't. They hang around man, they really they kind of do. Andy, my chef, my HR, goes to the HR Summit. Sherm, my CFO goes to HFTP, my chef goes to the Chef Summit. So it's cost money, but it's the right thing to do and you just have to make. In my brain it's the cost of doing business. When you start cutting those things out, oh yeah, you can save money. We can't afford it this year, oh, really.
Speaker 1:So I think if you build it in, let me go have a.
Speaker 2:You got to believe in them and try to help them however you can. They have unlimited access to coaching. Like I, buy a package of coaching so they can use Kevin and Shelly as much as they want. As little you know, and it's hard Not coach, you know it's not for everyone. I've done hundreds of hours with them in my tenure here 100,000 hours with them, probably, honestly.
Speaker 1:You mentioned coach. Do you also have a separate life coach?
Speaker 2:I have. How many coaches? Do you have Three or four Scuba coach? Okay, so here's. I know scuba people everywhere. But here's a cool, here's an interesting. So here's how we treat, here's how we roll a little bit.
Speaker 2:So in February of 20, I decided to visit no March, wait a minute, let me get my months straight. When was COVID March? I went to Florida early March, had a girlfriend there. She's gone now and left. In May we closed the club.
Speaker 2:But literally I made one call when the world was ending on first off, on March 16th, which was the Monday I'm pretty sure my pro of 48 years died. But it was unrelated, it was just cancer Bad week. Then we had to close the golf course and never have a memorial service because it just it was a world. I made like one phone call. I was like my president, listen, these guys have gotten us to this point, as in my staff 49 people on staff I said I think what's fair, because this is going to last a couple of weeks. What did I know right? I said if they have full time, they get-time and if they've been working 37 hours a week, I want to pay them 37 hours a week. And man, that was probably a game changer, because we bought loyalty. I mean, we paid people, however you want to view it.
Speaker 2:And then we had a weekly time. Oh, you came to a town hall. Okay, so here's how. Here's how it happened. You know, I can hold a town, I can talk an hour for anything right Week one, week two, week three, week two. I said, okay, guys, listen here's. Here's because every time people are on Zoom, I said you need to turn the TV off, denny. I don't own a TV in either of my houses. A little crazy. But during COVID, I said just turn off the news. And I said furthermore, here's our new thing is, what we're going to do is, every week, I'm going to talk to every single person in the company 10 minutes, 20 minutes. If it needs to be an hour, I don't know. It is what it is. We're going to connect and you're going to tell me what you're doing to improve yourself during this time.
Speaker 2:Guys, I'm riding a bike 25 miles a day. I'm in Florida, the weather's beautiful, like, do something, get outside. You know, it went pretty well, but I'd always be like what's that noise in the background? It's freaking CNN. I'm like I would do yourself a favor, they don't know any more about COVID than you and I Turn it off Like and so what are you? You doing?
Speaker 2:I had people get some certifications and then I'm feeling guilty. Week three, four, I think by April. So yeah, I'm in the late April. I got signed up for this crazy 90 hours of zoom. I'm a certified life coach during that period of time. So I went back to him, said, listen, I'm gonna become a certified life coach, what are you doing? So it was a cool time.
Speaker 2:And then let me tell you when the state because we were closed for 43 days when the state said we could open golf, it was like 5 pm, we can open tomorrow, guess. When we opened 7 am Because we had already worked through plans, we knew we had to call people in. The good Lord willing, I had brand new golf carts delivered. Then I'd worked on it at the PGA show and they came like May 3rd. They were delayed. I was freaking out, it all lined up. And then those guys I had friends who had to call the assistant pros and be like, hey, we're reopening, oh, I'll be back next week, like they have no loyalty. So that really started, I would say our trajectory on culture. That gave it a huge infusion. It really really did.
Speaker 1:So the pandemic helped in an odd way.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because financial, you know just, and we're on 285 acres. Now I'm coming out of the pandemic. I have my third zip line. I have a mountain bike trail, I have two hiking trails. We're on the Potomac River and in 2017, we had never used the woods in 50 years and I'm like no, look, you're on a beautiful piece of property. So today we have kayaking, canoes, tubing and stand-up paddle boards on the Potomac River, because we're right across from Trump National, we have a huge piece of the river, we have a full-blown corporate team-building campus with high ropes, low ropes full staff.
Speaker 2:So I do team building and then schools wanted to start coming. We're like what they wanted the kids to be outdoors and we made it like COVID free. We had groups that never saw, other groups that had the same counselor. Like I have a very creative staff that thinks outside the box and today, this year, we're up in school programming where we can bring it's not like a normal club, like we'll have a group of kids 30 to 150 come, say, on a Thursday afternoon lunch, do all afternoon programming, ziplining, archery, whatever they're doing, dinner sleep in the woods with a little fire. Then we have sharp chaperones. Get up in the morning, we breakfast activities, lunch and go home and that's like 180 bucks a kid. So that like it spends okay. So it's a different animal, but it's because we look at things differently, right no, that's that's.
Speaker 1:Or at least you started to. Yes, it was it. That's. It's really neat. I was just uh, I think it's the episode I released today with Brett Curley. I like where is Brett now? So he's at Charlotte City Club and it sounds like Charlotte City Club is having a similar thing, where he was talking about how they're just starting to explore different options. They might not do it, but he goes we're at least having the conversations they're having the what if we did this?
Speaker 1:what if we did that? And just having fun with it and just like, oh, if an idea comes, great or like whatever, but just at least having those, those fire stars open to it and not just knocking it down, going, yeah, and what if we did do that? Oh, and how would that look? And just kind of starting to map it out and then, if it has some legs, great. If not, you go to the next, like, oh, what if we did that? Uh, so it's just neat that that's interesting. Yeah, so him in the club, uh, he, he talks about in the in the episode, but like just some stuff they don't have to check it out we did this, what if we did that?
Speaker 1:um, so it's just, it's just cool. I think one of it was like they might look to go to be for profit, like what if we went to be? Like just what if we did that, what if? Yeah, so just really cool conversations.
Speaker 2:It's neat you need to do a lot of food and beverage volume to make money. You do. Now I can help them. Do they better? Book some banquets. It's called, but time will tell. City clubs are tough man. I've never done one so I'm not a very well versed. I think city and yacht clubs out of the club world are like wow, like just some challenging models in my simple brain.
Speaker 1:What's. What's the one club manager say to me? Uh, someone about yacht club people being the cheap, like yacht club members being like the cheapest members, and I was like why he goes what's cheaper than wind, like that's, and I was like why he goes what's cheaper than wind, like that's.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't know that, Plus the governance with the Commodore on the past, I don't know, I've only heard a few things that always cracked me up, and this is our Commodore.
Speaker 1:I'm like, oh, your eminence, like what do you want me to say?
Speaker 2:The vice Commodore? No, that governance, your eminence, like what do you want me to say? The vice commodore? No, that governance is a little interesting. Leave it at that. Yeah, exactly, salute.
Speaker 2:No, you know what's crazy, denny, if you come to my yacht, okay, there's like a reciprocal thing of yacht clubs. Say, if you're in Cape Cod, where there's more than one, where there's more than one, when you come to my club, the protocol at many yacht clubs, when you sit down your flag and maybe it's only officers, I don't know at all but if on your table isn't your club flag, like out of a thank you, respect something, oh, it's like a faux pas. I'm like what? No, no, no, some clubs are uptight.
Speaker 2:I told a story to my staff the other day when I was on Long Island. We had a pretty good. There's a Guggenheim mansion, so very formal, but Guggenheim and a lot of clubs do this, especially city. If I was the member, I would get a menu and you're my guest. You get a menu with no prices, just because it's respectful. You don't have to worry. Oh, my God, this one night, of course, my staff did it backwards and gave the members no price and the guest's price. You would have thought the world was coming to an end. I heard about this for like six months.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, sometimes it's just casuals, okay too. Yeah, you know I, speaking of pricing, I hate when clubs do events and there's the member price and then the non-member price. I don't know why that irritates me so much and it's more. Yeah, so it'll be like member, you know, like 50 bucks and it's like non-member 55 or like 60. It's like just make it all the same price, like I understand.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we would, no, we would I hate that. No, ours is the same.
Speaker 1:Like I understood it, but I'm like just make it the same, just make it the same.
Speaker 2:Maybe they don't want that many guests, though, and they're discouraging them. I don't know If it's too crowded. It's an age-old problem. We do events. You didn't see my pool, but we have a pretty big pool complex, three pools. Memorial Day, 4th of July, labor.
Speaker 1:Day, do one of your zip lines go into the pool?
Speaker 2:No, but two of them. One ends and leaves from there, not in the pool, but we can have 1,000, 1,200. Those are ridiculous days. We have a DJ and we have carnival games and inflatables and beer tastings.
Speaker 1:Is this like a common weekend? Is this like a regular weekend?
Speaker 2:No, no, no, Just those holidays Memorial, Labor Day, fourth of July but yeah, people come unglued. Why are there guests here? Because there's always guests here, sir, we have 17% of the people at the pool are guests. That's just how we roll and it's okay. One lady this year I was like just don't come on these holidays if it's this painful, like it's three days a year, like in a nice way. Yeah, I know what you mean. You do a lot on culture. How many people have you spoke to?
Speaker 1:on, probably too much, which is why now I'm like oh, then you start talking about culture.
Speaker 2:I'm like she said all right, but it's important to it. No, it really is, because there's people like it has to.
Speaker 1:It has to be difficult to be in a position where you can't do anything about it. Or can you Meaning like you know if you're a hopefully a good manager at a club, but like you're bored, you just can't get buy-in. Like that has to be in a stinky, stinky position.
Speaker 2:But then maybe you're at the wrong place. If you don't have money, my worst positions because I've been in management companies or I've managed a lot of different clubs when you don't have money to do anything new, if you can't do capital, if you're having a hard time paying the dues you got to go, because I mean paying your bills, like if there's not enough to get by, is the worst, because then you're scrutinizing schedules and oh, he can't work overtime, like it's a really, really hard thing. Or if your governance is that your treasurer is going to look every week at payroll and be like, why did Johnny work 10 extra hours? You know that's a tough deal.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there's like this one business guy follow someone, like he was like man, you don't have a $100 problem, you got a $1,000 problem. It was something like so, it's like the same thing, though it's like you know, if it's not Okay, you have a bigger issue than someone going 10 hours.
Speaker 2:No, if you're worried, yeah, if you're looking that closely, not the place for me.
Speaker 1:No, then, and there's something to be said, you know, for picking the right club and making sure that, like you are, I think you know some people just want to work somewhere and and and not even club management. But you know, club man like you can make it any anything, you know you you might want to you might want to like, oh like, I want to be at that club.
Speaker 1:It's like are you the right fit for it? Though you might want to like, oh like, I want to be at that club. It's like are you the?
Speaker 2:right fit for it, though you might want to be there, but like, are you really the best fit? Fit is a thousand percent. So I had an unusual transition from Long Island. So I was at a Jewish club for 13 years and I negotiated a change like a transition. You know it was just time I saw the boardroom changing. So I actually worked with an interim. They paid me for nine months and I was beat up man I mean the whole New York speed and lifestyle. So I came here. I wanted to take like six months off and my other house had a wood shop so I was building some stuff nothing like mine here.
Speaker 2:But then I'd be upstairs, you know, scrolling through lists and you know it was almost at the beginning of when just send an email like, and I'm an old school guy, right, like I'm gonna call you denny and be like hey, I sent you my resume but I'll never get. One time I was on a call and, uh, my son was up in his room or something. You know this is 12 years ago. It was like 150,000 and you know they seemed very interested and I had a few questions and one of them was like how many people, how many GMs have you had in the last five years? Like how long have they been lasting? This place was like four.
Speaker 2:I was like, well, you know, I just kind of talked my way out of it and my son's like 20-something and is like you just turned down a job like that. I'm like, oh yeah. And Denny, I think sometimes you go to a club with the name. It's the club. Oh my God, the governance there. I have friends that have been through that. You know you pay the price to get that on your resume too sometimes. So Bretton Woods, no one knows about, nor do I care. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:As long as the members are happy and things are moving forward and you're making a fit no 100%, that's important percent.
Speaker 2:That's important. I'm looking forward to the East. I'll be texting you nonstop from East Limbo Headers. No, send me a few links or something that would be very interesting to see.
Speaker 1:I appreciate you coming on, Ed. Thank you so much for taking time out of your wildly busy, unique schedule to sip some tea with me.
Speaker 2:It's great to catch up, brother. Hope to see you soon.
Speaker 1:Catch you underwater.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, Isla Mujeres baby.
Speaker 1:All right, let me just do that. Hope you all enjoyed that. I know I did Just a reminder. If you would like early access to the Club Entertainment Guide, shoot me an email subject line entertainmentguide2hello at privateclubradiocom. If you are enjoying the episode, give it a rating and a review. Cost nothing means the world and helps the channel tremendously. When you help the channel, you're helping me. When you're helping me, you are helping my dogs have a better life. I'm your host, denny Corby. That's this episode. Until next time, catch y'all on the flippity flip.
