The Malone Golf Club is a 36-hole semi-private golf facility located in northern New York, just 10 miles from the Canadian border and an hour north of Lake Placid, New York - the site of the 1980 Olympic Games. We have about 430 active golf members, a full roster of corporate outings and tournaments, and we host many social and food and beverage events in our clubhouse.
My role as the PGA of America General Manager is to ensure a satisfactory experience for all of our members and guests while positively influencing the bottom line. I constantly coordinate with department heads and our customer-facing service staff to make sure we are achieving operational and service goals. Monitoring and evaluating our services and our facility is part of my daily routine. Another important task is to connect with our members and our guests. Understanding their expectations gives us the chance to set operational and service goals to meet and exceed their expectations.
My parents operated the food and beverage service at the golf club in my hometown - Tupper Lake, New York. I practically grew up there and was introduced to the game at a fairly young age. I decided in middle school that I wanted to be a PGA of America Member, and I never gave another career choice a thought. The Head Professional at the time was Brent Smith, PGA. He was the first PGA of America Member from whom I was able to take lessons and learn about the game and the business. He played a huge role in my development on and off the course.
I did my first internship at the Malone Golf Club in 2011 working for Derek Sprague, PGA. At the time he was the Secretary of the PGA of America and eventually went on to serve as the Association’s President. Derek is amazing. His attention to detail, knowledge of the golf industry and business in general and emphasis on a positive customer experience is something that I try to emulate every day.
In addition, the Kline family of Sittler Golf in Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania (pictured at top) was very influential in the development of my passion for teaching and merchandising. Learning from all of these PGA Members and many others along the way helped shape who I am today.
The goal-setting process will usually start at the end of each golf season and will progress until we get close to opening in the spring. This process involves each department head, as well as our Board of Directors. We will set financial goals, operational goals and capital improvement goals. An important part of the planning process is deciding which metrics will be indicators of success. These goals are monitored constantly and adjusted as necessary. Ultimately, achieving operational and service goals helps us develop our capital goals.
Golf has definitely gotten younger. Since the pandemic, I would say that there are noticeably more juniors and young adults involved in the game. It gives the golf industry an opportunity to capitalize on this trend and capture the attention and interest of these new or lapsed golfers. At least at our club, an emphasis has been placed on the social aspect of golf, so we have expanded our social event calendar to include live music events, which have been a success.
I have tried to talk to as many GMs as I can to pick their brains and bounce ideas off of one another. I have also started working on the PGA Specialized program. Ultimately, leaning on the Board of Directors and understanding their expectations, as well as those of our members and guests, has helped me to be a more effective PGA of America General Manager. The most exciting part is that there is something new to learn every day!
Be ready to play an active role in every department. Being able to work with your course superintendent, your golf operations team and the food and beverage team is crucial - and each department deserves your attention. Understanding how the entire operation comes together for a total guest experience is one of the first steps in establishing operational goals and benchmarks for your specific facility. A big piece of advice that I can offer young, aspiring GMs is to train and develop your staff. The staff is by far the biggest asset any facility has, and knowing that each department is staffed with individuals who are proud of their work and share the same service-driven passion for providing an experience will elevate any operation.
Scott Delair, a SUNY Delhi Graduate, is the PGA of America General Manager at Malone (NY) Golf Club.
