Bobby was only six years old when as a skinny youngster he won a six-hole tournament at East Lake against Alexa Stirling, East Lake’s first champion.

“Golf is the closest game to the game we call life. You get bad breaks from good shots; you get good breaks from bad shots – but you have to play the ball as it lies."

Golf has been played for over 500 years. Google its origins, and you’ll find it even predates the piano's invention. This means that some early club board debated the first of many inane issues not long after, such as, “Fergus McDonald always plays too slow!” Perhaps we should have a committee study this?”

We all know this is a big issue, and understanding it is critical to managing a club well. At a conference of the largest management companies, we recently heard a brilliant and entertaining speaker, Anna Liotta, masterfully illuminate the differences in each generation and how to work better with each. She should be an expert - Liotta is one of 19 children.

Taking time to socialize while exploring new hobbies and interests is one of the main appeals of joining a country or golf club. When choosing the club that’s right for you, it’s important to consider the range of activities and events it offers.

Golf courses are “living and breathing creatures,” it’s often said. But unlike humans and other beings, golf courses can live forever if properly nurtured.

There are some club Boards that have mastered great governance and deliver remarkable results. Yet there are others that fail miserably, creating more problems than they solve.

After considering the many others, we chose and use the Entrepreneurial Operating System at Bobby Jones Links. It’s powerful way of working on, and in, your business.

Only 45% of the over 14,000 golf facilities in the U.S. are “profitable.” Put another way, 55% are not.

Recently, Ray Cronin of Club Benchmarking released an eye-opening white paper to the industry on the importance of forward-looking capital plans, strong balance sheets, and the indisputable fact that private clubs compete on value, not price.

A well run pro shop should earn at least a 30% gross profit.

Member retention always plays second fiddle to new membership sales. But it shouldn’t. It is just as important.

Bobby Jones Links and leadership partners have overseen the development of at least $330 million of new golf course and clubhouse construction.

A successful membership plan also has attractive plans as members age and their ability to pay decreases.

Without a dynamic pricing model, you are leaving money on the table.

Bobby Jones Links’ associates are encouraged to live by our core purpose, we make a difference. This means, as a company, at every level we are empowered to fix issues or solve problems without needing permission. Even frontline associates are empowered to solve what traditionally they think only a manager is allowed to solve.

We have some big news! In 2030, the golf world will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of Bobby Jones’ Grand Slam win by playing at Merion again.

Years ago we adopted the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) as a management tool. That was one of the best decisions we ever made.

There’s always a raging debate about the best movie ever made. Note, we did not say golf movie. The best movie, period.

If you have entertained hiring a premier club management company, we’re sure you have heard this, particularly when it relates to buying power. Which leads to one of the questions prospective clients frequently ask us, “Can you really save us money on our purchases?”

The great statistician and consultant W. Edwards Deming notably said “In God We Trust. All Others Bring Data.” Deming was a champion of using data and measurement to properly understand and quantify current performance against a standard. He benchmarked.

From 1916 to 1930, from Merion as a boy to Merion as a man, Bobby Jones set the golf world ablaze, playing in 52 tournaments, winning 23 of them, while more than half the time he was in high school or college.

There is a famous saying erroneously attributed to Mark Twain that says there are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics.

Our motto is Where History and Innovation Play. Not only was Bobby Jones one of the greatest golfers of all time, after he sank the Grand Slam winning putt on the 11th hole at Merion Golf Club, he became a serial entrepreneur and inventor. So, how well have we done to follow in his footsteps?

Food and beverage is the hardest department to manage at a club. Period. End of Story.

When we changed from Mosaic Clubs to Bobby Jones Links, we spent tens of thousands of dollars and countless days being trained by Ritz Carlton and Chick-Fil-A experts on how to create a customer service culture that was remarkable and sustainable.

This business of managing and owning a successful and profitable club today is a tough one.

Golf, and golf and country clubs, are not going away. The rumors of their demise are wrong. Golf has been played for over 500 years. Google its origins and you’ll find in predates the invention of the piano. It’s a big business. Do you know there are more than 14,000 golf courses in the United States, more than McDonalds or Starbucks? Or that golf raises almost $4 billion for charity each year, more than the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL, combined?

Poor boards create more problems than they solve. Here’s what to look for.

All great boards of directors have certain qualities

Professional club management began when Robert H. Dedman Sr. created ClubCorp in the 1950’s. Dedman was famous for saying, “The club business is nobody's business because it's nobody's business.” This rings just as true today as it did then.

Clubs are a business. That may sound self-evident, but many clubs, particularly many great private clubs, still don’t approach them as one.

Golf, and golf and country clubs, are not going away. All this talk about golf’s demise is wrong.

Some of our young members and customers recently provided us with some very interesting feedback about how we can do better.

For nearly 100 years, the country club was the center of the social universe for many Americans. It was where business was done, generations grew up, families had fun, and members dined regularly.