LaFrenere: Schaumburg Golf Club is a recently renovated upscale municipal 27-hole facility in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. We recently received the award as one of the 50 best courses in the United States and #4 in Illinois, as voted on by GolfPass users. It's quite an honor for our facility, as our staff does a wonderful job in customer service and golf course maintenance while hosting over 70,000 rounds annually.
As the PGA of America Executive Director of the Schaumburg Park District, I oversee the golf facility, as well as the entire municipality. Our diverse portfolio includes three fitness facilities, three outdoor pools, an indoor waterpark, a tennis facility, a sports fieldhouse, playgrounds, parks and trails. I am responsible for administering an overall budget of $60 million and managing 90 full-time staff and over 600 part-time staff in peak season. Our facilities host over two million guests yearly at weekly recreation classes, large athletic tournaments, cultural arts performances, preschool, before and after school care and much more. I'm fortunate to have an outstanding operational team that lets me focus on setting the vision for our future through constant improvement and positive customer service.
LaFrenere: In the early 80s, I started as one of two cart attendants at Moon Lake Golf Course, working in a pole barn pro shop/golf operations building. Ironically, my boss at the time, PGA Member Jim Karras, would also be the person to hire me for my first full-time golf operations manager job at that same facility. Moon Lake has since gone through a facelift and is now a municipal facility called Bridges of Poplar Creek.
I could not have asked for a better PGA and life mentor. Jim constantly brainstormed for better ways to operate and improve our customer service. He also set the tone for hard work while making our "work" fun. He went on to manage the golf operations for Illinois's first Del Webb facility and now works for Pulte. His upward advancement while maintaining his PGA membership made an impression on me. As I ascended to positions in my career that oversaw more than golf operations, my main objective was to inspire and let others know that there are many career paths for golf professionals.
Other PGA of America Golf Professionals like Dennis Johnson and Larry Dornish also became my mentors for different reasons. Dennis reinforced the notion that it is okay to ask hard questions, especially when no one else seemed willing. Larry has one of the most coveted jobs in the industry at Muirfield Village Golf Club. But that didn't stop him from wanting to improve his skills; he was always looking for ways to improve his facility operationally and customer service-wise. These men also set the bar for professionalism and empathy in all my interactions. In addition, Dean Bostrom, my boss for over 20 years, showed me the importance of preparation, hard work and a willingness to listen to all sides before making decisions, and Scott Triphahn was a board member who believed in my capacity to do more.
LaFrenere: I'm a big fan of Stephen Covey, especially his habit of "beginning with the end in mind." Thinking about the big picture first and having a clear idea of the ideal outcomes has always been the foundation of my leadership style. It is important to me when making small and large decisions to have a vision of what the finished project might look like and be able to communicate that vision to others. This operating philosophy has helped me build successful teams functioning cohesively with shared goals.
This is why I like the balanced scorecard method of setting goals and objectives, as it focuses on four core areas: customer satisfaction, operational excellence, financial sustainability and employee growth and development. Knowing the end goal helps us focus on critical areas and keep improving in each area, ensuring our organization is balanced and moving forward. This last area of employee growth and development has become even more critical as employee retention and engagement should be a focus for all operators.
Peter Drucker once said, "You can't manage what you can't measure." We update our goals and objectives quarterly and provide updates to our commissioners at that time. Of course, we still need to measure key performance metrics like revenue per round, cost of goods sold, labor ratios, etc., monthly as well.
LaFrenere: First and foremost, golf is back and better than ever! I'm proud to be in the golf industry, which has adapted over the years. Every situation has a silver lining, and while none of us want to relive the pandemic, it sure gave a positive jolt to our industry. Fortunately, we have welcomed "new" golfers of all types by adding to, modifying and changing our operations. Schaumburg Golf Club has had indoor simulators for quite a few years, and we just added Toptracer Range mobile to our learning center, as well. Our goal is to keep up with options that give every type of golfer a chance to play at our facility. When we remodeled, one of the most important changes was the addition of "life" tees. We wanted to make sure we had tee boxes that were friendly to beginners, as well as those who were a little more experienced in age.
The other trend is the importance of culture in our organization. We hire and need numerous part-time workers - cart attendants, rangers, lifeguards, day camp counselors and seasonal maintenance staff. The market for any type of employee has changed dramatically in the past few years, especially with the advent of virtual work. As an employer, we realize that word of mouth is our most powerful recruiting tool. We need to ensure our current employees are paid a fair wage and that we provide resources for them to do their jobs. Beyond that, we must offer auxiliary benefits and experiences that differentiate us from other employers. Complimentary fitness memberships and food events go a long way, although making sure we are correctly acknowledging hard work and acting on employee suggestions and feedback have proven to be more effective when trying to create a positive culture.
LaFrenere: As I have grown and advanced, one of the biggest things I've learned is the importance of being a good leader. My mission is to lead by putting others first and foremost. I achieve this by serving my team, colleagues and the broader community. Through the power of positive relationships, I foster a culture of collaboration, empathy and growth, driving positive change in my professional and personal spheres.
I am committed to:
LaFrenere: Focus on continuing to educate and build your knowledge base, and network in your community as much as possible. Golf operations budgets are similar to other operational budgets. Labor ratios, cost of goods sold and supply and demand of tee sheets apply to other areas, such as food and beverage and recreational sports facilities like tennis, ice, pickleball, etc. The more you learn the concepts and realize they transition to other operations, the more your skill set translates as well.
As PGA of America Golf Professionals, our sphere of influence is huge at the club. Use your positive people skills to increase your network and influence outside of the club as well. Joining the local Chamber of Commerce in my early days was a huge help to my sphere of influence, and it assisted with the opportunity for career growth. Networking with local business people on a deeper level led them to understand that I wasn't just the "golf" person. I was a business person who happened to be in the business of golf.
Tony LaFrenere, the 2022 Illinois PGA Section Executive of the Year is the Executive Director of the Schaumburg Park District which owns and operates the Schaumburg (Illinois) Golf Club.