EXCELLENCE: What does it mean?

Commentary by Jack Dillon

When you see that word, what does it mean to you?  What business or businesses hit your mind when you read the word excellence?  As we enter the heart of the golf season, it is time to look at where you are, how your people are doing, and how close your club might be to being identified as excellent?  As it relates to a golf property, what would you says the excellence traits are?  What blows you away when you play other clubs during the year.  Having golfers call their experience at your club excellent is a great watershed moment.  It shows the hard work, patience, trials, errors, and tries are working.  And if they can’t quite get you that review yet, let’s make sure the club and your people are on the path to excellence.  What must you do to have that word show up on the lips and reviews of your guests?  Here are 5 thoughts:

1. Let’s make sure you have a strong outside team, tending to the golf course.  Good to great conditions will help you soar.  Poor conditions, no matter how great the service standards, will never get you a winning score
2. After the golf course conditions, hiring a strong team is a must.  Not everyone on the team need be an Aplayer, but they all must want to serve well, and they all need to be able to serve well together
3. On going training and reminding is essential to having a team that serves well, but also a team that will stay because you care, not only about training them, but helping them grow
4. Talking to guests daily is not just a nice thing to do, it is a part of strong service standards.  Get out of the chair and you and your team talk to your guests every day,being certain to thank people personally for their loyalty
5. Share meals with your team.  I have learned over my career that regularly sharing a meal (not donuts) with your team can create true esprit de corps.  This in time can be a real part of your climb toward excellence.

No matter where you are today, you can create a better experience, a better golf club.  Even if you are far away from the title of this post, you can either get their or get darn close based on your push, your inner strength.  As you work to build a better business, be more concerned about your people, your guests, and conditions over your Yelp ratings.  Treating all people within your property well is the #1 ingredient to having that place we can excellent.  No matter where you are today, know you can get there if you want.

Jack Dillon is the author of the highfives post.  Jack is a speaker, a mentor, and a business leader.  He understands the  golf property, the women customer, and operations, including the golf shop.  You can reach Jack at 407-973-6136.  Jack lives in Orlando.