Local Knowledge

GOLF GENIUS TM TOURNAMENT HANDICAP OPTIONS

There are many different handicapping options available to Golf Genius TM users when setting up a tournament. The options available will depend on the format, competition, and balls being used. Golf Genius TM currently features 19 handicapping options for tournaments.

Along with all of these Playing Handicap™ options, tournament administrators will also be able to enter the handicap allowance (percentage of Playing Handicap) to be used. In addition, the system allows users to manage more advanced handicapping options (e.g., max handicap, decimal handicaps, etc.) in the tournament setup.

To learn more about the Golf Genius TM handicapping options, click here. For a refresher on setting up a tournament format, including Stroke Play, Skins, Match Play, and much more, click here.

INCREASE REVENUE, GROW CLUB BRAND BY HOSTING TGA FUN GOLF EVENT

The TGA launched the Fun Golf Series in 2015 to engage a broader spectrum of its membership with an annual schedule of one-day events that provide a casual, enjoyable day on the golf course for players of all ages and handicap ranges.

The Fun Golf Series has been a big hit with TGA Members and their guests, and each year more and more golfers sign up to participate in these laid-back outings. It’s easy to see why these events have continued to grow in popularity with serious and recreational players alike because one, they have a good time and two, they get to travel and play great courses they may not otherwise get to experience.

Hosting Fun Golf Play Days can help TGA Member Clubs generate additional revenue through green fees, cart fees, range balls, food and beverage, and merchandise sales. It’s a great opportunity for clubs and courses to attract new players and build recognition, to showcase the facility in a positive light, make personal connections, and much more.

If you’re interested in learning more about hosting a Fun Golf Play Day, please contact Brian Fry, Manager of Outreach/TGA Foundation, by phone at (214) 468-8942 or by email at [email protected].

CELEBRATING WOMEN’S GOLF DAY

Women’s Golf Day, an international initiative to get more women interested in golf while encouraging and uplifting those who already play, is moving to a weeklong event in 2023 – May 30 to June 6 – enabling more venues and more people to get involved.

Established in 2016, Women’s Golf Day is a collaborative effort headed by a dedicated team, golf management companies, retailers and organizations all working together to engage, empower and support girls and women through golf. The goal of the weeklong event is to provide a simple and accessible platform in which to build a foundation and create a network to support the continuation of golf for women no matter what skill level or interest while engaging them in a charitable cause with global impact from a local level.

Typically, Women’s Golf Day events are four hours long and feature two hours of golf, followed by two hours of socializing. It is designed to be a fun and non-intimidating environment where women and girls of all ages can either take a lesson, engage in a practice session, or play nine holes with others who are playing for the first time or have been playing for years. The events are also intended to motivate former golfers to “dust off their clubs” and come back to the sport. After golf, participants are encouraged to get together to celebrate and build connections over drinks and food.

To learn more about Women’s Golf Day, click here.

IMPROVING THE ONBOARDING PROCESS [CMAA]

Maximize Your Employees’ Output By Upping Your Game During The Onboarding Process

A poor onboarding process is a primary cause of employee turnover, according to a CareerBuilder survey, and that turnover can cost a company between 100 to 300 percent of the employee’s salary in total.

“Onboarding” is defined as all the processes and activities that integrate new hires into a company or organization, according to the Society for Human Resource Management, or SHRM. In the best-case scenario, it should include a new-hire process as well as structured ways to help new employees learn about the organization’s culture, vision, mission, and values. However, more than one-third of employers don’t have an onboarding process in place, the CareerBuilder survey found.

Clubs are beefing up their human resources (HR) initiatives and the staff to accommodate those initiatives. With those resources comes the ability to start or expand a club’s onboarding process. The key is to understand that onboarding is a long-term process and doesn’t stop after an employee’s first week, says Boris Gradina, MCM, CCE, General Manager at Maryland Golf & Country Clubs in Bel Air, MD.

“Orientation is an event, and onboarding is the process. And then, you also have the touch points that continue afterward, which are super important,” says Gradina. “You may be done with the orientation and think you’re done with the onboarding, but you cannot assume that everything you said or everything they heard or everything they’ve seen really clicked.”

In a feature story for Club Management Association of America’s digital magazine, author Jennifer McNally takes a closer look at some of the processes and activities clubs around the nation have implemented that help integrate new employees into the organization and set them up for success from day one.

To read more about Improving the Onboarding Process, click here.