Friday, February 22, 2019

Country Club Strategic Planning Guide

By Martha Johnson


Country clubs are exciting places to relax and have fun with members, friends as well as family. To meet this goal for its members, a detailed country club strategic planning activity is necessary. While the process of developing a plan is almost similar in all situations, there are unique elements that need to be considered in this case.

Have a reality check to determine your present situation. This is a thorough self-assessment that should bring together management and all stakeholders who depend on the organization for action. The aim of this assessment is to determine your fidelity to the mission set, your membership, availability of resources and how you compare to other clubs around. This exercise should be done with utmost honesty so that your plan is based on a realistic foundation.

The participation of stakeholders in your organization is crucial in the success of plans made. Clubs have owners and members but they interact with suppliers, workers, guests and neighbors, among other parties. By collecting the views of these partners, you will create an environment where everyone feels welcome and a partner. Once you propose changes, it will be easier to implement them because they will be embraced.

Focus on your vision for the club. Strategic planning is about enhancing the image and performance of an organization beyond making it competitive for the future. All your plans should focus on solving existing challenges and offering a competitive package to your members. The vision should involve all elements including the ground, partners and regulators. Do not forget where you have come from because shifting the base drastically could cause problems.

The plans made will require a lot of resources. Identify where these resources will come from. It is easy to make plans and wish that you were the best entity in the industry. However, these plans must be funded. Do not burden your members with the aim of turning around the facility to the extent that they run. The plans you make must be realistic and that can be funded.

There are surrounding situations that will have an impact on the success of your plans. The environment around where you draw your membership is changing. New people with different expectations are settling in. Government and regulatory expectations are also changing. Find the best way to accommodate them. You must also expect changes in future that will have an impact on your operations. This is informed by the fact that you do not live in an island.

Implementation of the plans made will be more taxing than developing them. People are always resistant to change. It therefore requires a lot of resources to make these changes. People also take time to accept and feel comfortable about the changes. Be prepared for this resistance but it should not be a reason to return to the old way of doing things.

The plan must consider the unique elements in your organization. Set out to serve these unique needs and make the membership offer the most competitive in the region. The participation of every party is crucial in the success of any plans that you make. The plan must be time bound and adequately funded. There should be room for adjustments since the ground is always different from what you envisaged.




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