Facility Managers Manual

FAC I L I T Y M A N AG E R S M A N UA L
By Rod Heckelman January 2010
Compliments of the Tennis Industry Association
W H AT
THEY'RE
SAYING
About the Facility Manager's Manual
Rod Heckelman is a club insider. He understands and identifies overarching issues and principles of club management while sharing practical insights for dealing with day-to-day problems. Well worth reading.
Alan Schwartz, Chairman, TCA Holdings LLC (Formed in 2006 as part of a reorganization of Tennis Corporation of America (TCA), Midtown Athletic Clubs and Proactive Partners)
"The TIA's Facility Manager's Manual is relevant and practical for day-to-day operations for any successful tennis facility. Key areas of personnel and program management are covered in detail."
Ajay Pant, National Tennis Director, Midtown Athletic Clubs PTR & USPTA Master Professional
"The Facility Manager's Manual is a FANTASTIC guide to help you run and grow your tennis business in the most effective way. It will give you a better perspective on how to be more consistent at your job, and that is the trademark of a good manager.
Jorge Andrew, Director of Operations, Lexington County Tennis Complex, Lexington, SC PTR & USPTA Master Professional
The Facility Managers Manual is a mustread for every manager, whether theyre new to managing or have been there, done that. It gives you a comprehensive look at being a successful manager in the industry. On every page, there are gold nuggets of information that you can implement to make you successful and your organization more dynamic and effective. I wish this manual had been available 10 years ago when I became a facility manager. I probably would have hair today.
Mike Woody, Executive Director, Midland Community Tennis Center, Midland, MI Voted Best Tennis Town In America for 2009 USPTA/PTR
Whether youre just beginning your career as a club manager/director or if youve been in the industry for decades, the Facility Manager's Manual is so comprehensive and easy to understand that youll surely benefit. Rod Heckelman has done an excellent job of applying basic management principles to our business. This should become mandatory reading for anyone running a tennis facility in this increasingly competitive marketplace. It is yet another excellent example of how the TIA delivers exceptional value to their constituents and the industry.
Ron Rosenbaum, Sr. Vice President, Marketing & Communications Club Managers Association of America
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FOREWORD/ABOUT THE AUTHOR INTRODUCTION MANAGERS FIRST GOALS
........................................4 ........................................5 STARTING FROM SCRATCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 SALES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 FRONT DESK IMPACT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
THE MANAGERS GUIDELINES
CONSISTENCY, THE TRADEMARK OF GOOD MANAGEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 HIRING, FIRING AND REVIEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 CONTRACTS, THE LEGAL LANGUAGE OF HIRING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 MANAGING RULES AND REGULATIONS OF A FACILITY . . . . . . . . . . 26
COMMUNICATION SKILLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 MOTIVATING THE STAFF. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 OWNERS, INPUT AND IMPACT . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 THE PERSONALITY OF MANAGEMENT. . . . . . . 34 Maps, Blueprints and Other Useless Tools
CUSTOMER SERVICE
MAKING A FIRST IMPRESSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 SERVICE OR STROKES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 CONFRONTATION AND MEDIATION . . . . . . . . . 41 BONDING WITH THE MEMBERS . . . . . . . . . . . 43
THE FACILITIES DEPARTMENTS
KNOWING THE MONEY FLOW . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 FITNESS FACTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 THE CYCLE OF TENNIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 HEALTHCARE CENTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 FOOD AND BEVERAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
SWIMMERS AND POOLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 THE CLUB GARDENER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 FACILITY ENGINEERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 THE CHILDCARE CENTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 PRO SHOP PROTOCOL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
MANAGING FROM TOP TO BOTTOM
DETAILS, DETAILS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 GRAPHS, CHARTS & MAPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 SAFETY AND INSURANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 SOCIAL FUN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 ENERGY CRUNCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 ITS IN THE WATER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 COURT TRICKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 GUESTS WHO? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 IN-HOUSE PUBLISHING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 WHEN WE ALL WIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
BECOMING A GEEK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 SECURITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 MANAGING COMPETITIVE TEAMS . . . . . . . . . 83 REMODELING CHALLENGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 LOOKING GOOD DURING A RECESSION . . . 87 GOING GREEN AND MAKING GREEN . . . . . . 89 The Energy You Use The Water You Use The Products You Use Locker Rooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
FOREWORD/ABOUT THE AUTHOR
FOREWORD
A To o l t o G r o w Y o u r B u s i n e s s
In this ever-changing landscape that is the tennis industry, Rod Heckelman has put together a manual that all tennis facility managers will find useful. Drawing on his vast experience, Rod covers all the topics that a manager or tennis director needs know about to effectively, efficientlyand profitablyrun a tennis facility. Rod started this guide years ago as a way he could pass on his knowledge and help his fellow facility managers grow their businesses and grow tennis overall. Importantly, like the tennis business itself, this manual is a living, changeable thing: Rod constantly updates and adds to it. The digital edition here also will be updated regularly by Rod to reflect changing conditions, ideas and methods. Racquet Sports Industry magazine first started excerpting chapters of the Facility Managers Manual in 2006. But we soon realized that Rods manual fits perfectly with the Tennis Industry Associations mission to promote the growth and economic vitality of tennis. Now, thanks to the TIA, the complete manual is available all at once, so that all managers and directors can reap the benefits. We hope that you find the Facility Managers Manual useful in promoting and increasing your business. Please refer to it frequently, print out chapters that are important and relevant, and pass along to your colleagues the informationand the web linkfor this all-important business tool. We are grateful to Rod for making this available, and we also look forward to hearing your comments, too. Peter Francesconi Editorial Director Racquet Sports Industry Jolyn de Boer Executive Director Tennis Industry Association
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rod Heckelmans career started in 1966 the summer after his junior year in high school when he began his five-year role as a teacher at John Gardiner's Tennis Ranch in Carmel Valley, Calif. Later he opened as the resident pro for Gardiner's Tennis Ranch on Camelback in Scottsdale, Ariz. At 20 years of age, he was one of the youngest pros to be the Head Pro at what some considered one of the top tennis resorts in the world. In 1976 he made his way back to his home state of California, where he took over as Head Pro/Tennis Director at the Mt. Tam Racquet Club in Larkspur. He added the title and responsibilities of General Manager in 1982. Under his guidance, in 2002 the Mt. Tam Racquet Club received the first Green Power award ever given to a tennis club, for the installation of one of the countrys largest solar photovoltaic systems, the use of ozone in the swimming pools and capitalizing on a co-generation heating system. 4
FACI LIT Y MANAGERS MAN UAL
Rod Heckelman/Tennis Industry Association Copyright 2009, Rod Heckelman Updated: January 2010
Rod published an instructional manual in 1992 for tennis teachers to use with their students called Down Your Alley. More recently, his Facility Managers Manual has been excerpted in Racquet Sports Industry magazine and is now available digitally through the Tennis Industry Association for managers and clubs to use as a model for operating their businesses. Rod continues to expand his knowledge on all aspects of the tennis business, and he is a frequent presenter at industry events throughout the country. Many thanks to Karin Hernandez of Karin Designs Inc. (karindesigns@comcast.net, 561-998-8866) for the digital version of the Facility Managers Manual. Tennis Industry Association (843) 686-3036, toll-free (866) 686-3036, info@tennisindustry.org Visit TennisIndustry.org or GrowingTennis.com
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Experience is irreplaceable. Its only after years and years of experiencing situations, that a manager becomes more comfortable in making decisions and directing others. What makes their job challenging is the fact that many managers are required to think on their feet and quickly interpret the right direction to take. They are required to make many dynamic decisions that will affect their staff and their membership. No matter how much training and education a manager may have had, he will never know exactly what issues will arise, and how he will need to address those issues. Reading this manual will help a manager react with the proper instincts and insight. This industry is one of the fastest growing fields in the service industry. This rapid growth results in constant change that requires new approaches to the method in which we operate. These changes are mostly global and move the industry in a general direction. Managers are trained to work with these changes and adapt their business to perform at these new levels. At the same time, the nature of the industry requires us to be aware of the unique demands of the club we manage. It is this dynamic, the global transitions of the industry and the specific individual demands of our clubs, that test the adaptive skills of a manager. As a manager adapts and adjusts his technique to perform best with that individual facility and its membership, he gains valuable experience and confidence that will help map his/her future. Most big ticket purchases consumers make, are items they need, especially products that are accompanied with a monthly fee. We should never forget that people choose to be part of our industry. It is their option to join a club, not a requirement. We are responsible for creating a venue that makes that choice of being a member an enjoyable option that is fruitful and rewarding. With the aid of this manual, a manager can come as close as possible to experiencing the day-today issues and events that take place in a club. Many of these issues and events are at best manageable and not always resolvable. Its this insight of READING THIS managing that will MANUAL WILL HELP help you grow in your job and A MANAGER REACT eventually has you WITH THE PROPER evolve in your skills INSTINCTS AND along with the growth INSIGHT. of your club.
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Rod Heckelman/Tennis Industry Association
MANAGERS FIRST GOALS
MANAGERS
If youre a new manager at a new club, you are both lucky and challenged. Heres your chance to mold the club into the facility of your.dreams. At the same time, you could be saddled with quite an uphill battle. In this rapid growing industry, clubs often are launched with hopes that the expansion of the industry will provide the momentum for success. Eventually the club may do well, but those beginning years can be a struggle that can make or break a new manager. You need to attack those first few years with a plan that will give you direction and purpose. Where do you start? As the saying goes, its always best to start at the beginning, and the beginning of any club is the membership. This is the time to structure the membership to meet both the needs of the consumer and the club. What types of memberships do you want to offer? This may be largely determined by your ability to monitor usage. You could have limited usage memberships based on which facilities the member may or may not use, or memberships based on the times they use the club. Being able to fill in the slow times at your facility with a discounted membership will require a system than can monitor usage. You can offer single and family memberships, and even scale the family membership based upon the number of people in that family. Corporate memberships are also an option, along with special senior memberships. Again the types of membership you create depend on the market; just make sure that your contractual agreement with your members gives you this flexibility. Once you have structured choices for buyers, what are your initiation fees and dues going to be? Usually, the initiation fees are used as a negotiable number during sales and promotions. The dues are standard for everyone, and should be the income factor that can be adjusted down the road to meet increased overhead. Again, make sure that your contract with the members allows these future adjustments to take place.
FIRST
GOALS
Starting From Scratch
Most facilities have non-transferable memberships. Transferable memberships are usually associated with member-owned clubs. Whatever type of membership you have, you will need a system to control the termination, selling or transferring of memberships. Study other clubs that are similar to how your club is structured and research what systems they use so that you can model after a successful program. Whats most important is to establish early on an understanding of how a member is going to join or eventually leave your club. Will you have transfer fees, and how much will they be? Will you be able to alter these fees down the road? Once the club has established a system, it will be very difficult to change, so get it right from the get-go. You should also address the functionality of the membership. Can a member deactivate or freeze their membership? If so, how much notification must they give and for how long can they deactivate? What if someone is transferred through their work to another area, do they still have to pay dues? What if they get sick and cant use the club? Should they only be allowed to deactivate if that illness affects their income? These are all good questions you need an answer right away, and many new clubs are not prepared for these issues. How about your guest policy? If you are hoping to get greater exposure to the club, you may want a more liberal policy that will allow more guests to frequent your facility. Will you have free guest privileges for your members? If so, how many? This may depend on the amount of non-member traffic you are hoping to create. The psychology behind how private or how public you make your facility requires some insight and research. In some higher income areas, you may discover, the more private you make your facility, the more demand you can create. Give it away free, and it may not seem to have as much value.
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many of the employees. That training will likely include the use of a defibrillator. After the employees agreement is put in place, take the time to establish a training manual for every department of the facility. Every question, every situation, and all pertinent information should be part of that manual. A brief review of what a manual should include would be:
ISSION HIP LUB (M C E H T MBERS F BS ME IEW O U V L R C E E V 1. AN O OF THE CLUB, TH NS TO THE CLUB) E IO DIRECT PURPOS HOURS, , E R U (DRESS T C STRU MENTS E IR U Q RE CT) S AND CONDU E RULE , E O Y F O L IN P L 2. EM PAYROL USAGE, NTIRE CODES, R THE E O F S R BE USED, NE NUM ERVICES S S (PHO T R C O A T F N RS 3. CO NUMBE T) PHONE PORTAN STAFF, E AR IM ADDRES AT SES TH AND
What will your operating hours be? The more rural the location of a club, the more likely early morning openings will be valued and late nights less important. Will many of your members have to deal with a commute? That will play a role in your decisions when to open and when to close. Usually you will need to be prepared to alter your hours as the club expands and demand changes. Extending your hours is an easy answer to produce more facility availability. Dont forget to publish your holiday hours well enough in advance so that your members dont get caught off guard. As you put together your staff, you will discover that there will be quite a few part time employees. There will also be a number of those who will want to qualify as independent contractors. Read your local state laws to find out what the criteria is for someone to be considered an independent contractor. You dont want to pay fines and fees for paying someone illegally. Its always a wise move to put together an employment agreement that helps define their requirements and privileges. The club business attracts a lot of employees because of the benefits that a club can provide. How many hours does an employee need to work to qualify for use of the club? Will that usage include their friends and family? How much vacation time and sick leave are you going to allow? Will you provide health benefits? On what holidays do you pay overtime? How will you handle a leave of absence due to pregnancy, jury duty, family care or military requirements? This can all be established in the employees agreement. To make sure that these issues are addressed, create a calendar for your annual or semi-annual reviews. Remember that most states will require the posting of state laws concerning employment. That posting must be visible to all the employees. There are also many states now that will require the managers of a club to have yearly testing concerning sexual harassment and training for CPR for
UB, THE CL IN E R A THINGS L, ETC., WH E R E ( ECTRIC A S L E E R , U G D 4. PROCE SHOWING PLUMBIN IONS.) S AT GR APH TO SITU ID ESPOND R O IRST A T HOW N OF F IO T A C D (LO IRE AN SPONSE BERS, F M NCY RE U E E N G R E E EXIT TH PHON 5. EM OPERLY GENCY R R P E O M T E W KITS, MS, HO R ALAR E L K IN SPR R G) ANSWE BUILDIN OW TO H ( TO OR N STIONS RMATIO E O U F Q N I D AL AR 6. GENER S, WHO TO FORW USE THE N IO N OR OW TO QUEST TO OPE EADS, H W H O T H N , E M TEM DEPART NE SYS OR PHO R E T U COMP B) HE CLU CLOSE T
If your club is providing many specialized services, such as a pro shop, salon, massage and therapy center, or food service, you will want to consider what would work best for those who will be responsible for that service and the club. Some clubs will contract these services out and eliminate a certain amount of micromanagement. There are several advantages to renting out or leasing these services besides the reduction of management. You will not have to worry about loss due to theft or inventory overhead. You will also reduce your payroll and all of the expenses
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that go along with that liability. If one operation fails, you can simply replace it with a new tenant, although frequent turnover is not good. As far as the income goes, if the contractor is successful, thats usually good for everyone. Perhaps your contract should tie their performance to the rent or commission. With so many departments and employees, you may need to establish a chain of command. Your policies that have been established should guide the club, but in your absence, who makes the call? And after that person, who makes the call? You cut down on a tremendous amount of bickering and confusion when the entire staff knows whos in charge at any one time. Because the hours of clubs are so long, it may be best to set up a group of managers. This will provide coverage 24/7. Some clubs are open more than one hundred hours a week, and you cant expect yourself, or for that matter, one other person to always be available to answer questions or address problems.
With your complete program in place, look at its ability to adapt and grow. Have you established programs that can handle growth and expansion? Maybe down the road you will need to have interaction with city or county people and your changes may need approval to fit into the general plan of the community. Someday, you may open up other facilities. Can your system facilitate that expansion? The manager oversees operations, but also guides the club through the future. He has to see the potential and limitations of every decision he makes. Short of using a crystal ball, take the time to study and interact with other managers that have gone down this road. Absorb their experience and try to use it to help map your clubs direction. It doesnt matter if you have been in the business a year or fifty years, there is always a great deal to learn about an industry that is in transition and growth at an alarming rate. What may work today, may not work tomorrow.
SALES
Membership sales are at the top of the list of a managers proficiency requirements; sales are the lifeblood of a club. Sales are not only what defines the growth and income of the club, but also neutralizes the natural attrition that takes place. A good sales program requires an in-depth evaluation. Begin that evaluation by surveying your market. The practice in many industries is to research and analyze what the consumer is demanding. Those statistics can be pretty much straight forward. Do they need cars, appliances, or other commodities? In the service industry, you need to discover what the consumers preferences are. They might like Mexican food, but do they want a high end restaurant or a fast food product? To better understand how to evaluate this type of marketing, imagine someone turning on the T.V. to watch the Olympics. Now imagine that they only want to watch the swimming. What the networks provide today is general access to the Olympics, but someday, with better technology, they will be able to provide a specific event all the time. Thats how the health and fitness industry currently operates. To be able to market your club, you need to understand this unique characteristic and apply your sales strategy to fit this demand. Your club provides a service that includes particular activities and amenities. Who in your community would be attracted to these features? How are you going to reach that market? The obvious answer is advertising. But advertising can include a wide spectrum which would include every type of medium. It's important to understand which medium will not only reach your potential member, but will best portray the image you are trying to paint. Advertise in a cheap magazine or publication, and that's who you will attract. Spend the money to advertise in a higher quality publication, and that's the potential client
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you will attract. So the first question you need to ask about your advertising is who you are trying to reach through that particular medium. Again, take a good look at what your facility is offers. Are you focused on families, singles, older or younger people? Does your location favor a certain type of clientele? If you are located in the suburbs and offer tennis, fitness, an outdoor pool and childcare, you are going to naturally attract families. Advertise in the school publications or through the grocery stores. On the other hand, if youre located in a shopping mall, you may tend to attract a different crowd, like the working person or singles. You have a budget for advertising. You must be able to target that advertising to make it effective. Many managers make the mistake of placing advertising in the media because of discounts that are offered. The magazine or newspaper sales person may offer half off if you run twelve ads for the whole year. Publications in general will often tempt you to get your business by promising more positive press about your club or facility. This is their leverage, and they know how to use it. It may be a fair exchange, but it also may be a waste of money. Once again, if it's not reaching the right people or sending the right message, does it matter what it cost? For a moment, lets return to the subject of marketing. The feasibility study that should have been done before the facility opened, will have guided you and the investors to the appropriate type of facility for that market. This is why it is not only important to find out what medium will work best for your advertisement, but also what message you are trying to send. If you are a high end club, do you want to produce an ad in black and white? Do you want to send a message that you are always having a sale? Is the ad designed well enough to send your message and not overwhelm the casual reader with details and information? There is a real art in advertising that you should use that says on one hand, "We welcome you to join our club," but at the same time, "We are a private facility that wants to cater to only the few of you." Again, if the message is cheap, then you will be perceived as cheap. Look at the difference in advertising by the car companies. The high end cars present their message with a slick, clean and comfortable luxurious design and features. Lower price cars will focus on quality, trying to reach the buyer that is looking for an affordable product they offers good value. Marketing is actually very
obvious; just look at yourself as an example. Ask yourself why you make decisions to purchase certain products. Understand this, and you can transfer that mentality to your own business. The next thing to consider is timing. When is the best time to advertise? The rule of thumb is to go with the flow. If sales are slow, there is often a reason for this, and that reason may just be part of the normal economic cycle. In August, people take their vacations and travel; theyre not likely to be putting money into a club. But only a short time later, their children are starting school and their lives are about to take a dramatic change. That change may include joining a club. Spend your money in the early part of August and it's wasted, spend it at the end of August and early September and you are more likely to get more bang for your buck. The same is true at the end of the year. There is a window in December where people could be shopping for memberships as a gift, or they may be gearing up for their New Year's resolutions. But there are also a few days in that same time zone where you would be throwing your money away. The other time of the year that is always transitional for buyers is in the late spring. As they head toward summer, they may be looking for a facility that will meet their fair weather needs. Be on the lookout for micro trends that take place in your specific area and for your specific club. As an example, if you have a facility that caters to indoor recreation, it may not be the time of year that pushes your memberships, but rather the weather conditions. Possibly there is a local event that potential members need to gear up for, the USTA league for tennis, a marathon, or a social event that will attract a great deal of attention. All of these actions could serve as an opportunity to provide special memberships when the demand is there. Once you have your marketing and advertising programs on track, you better have a sales staff that is prepared to capitalize. Most buyers will make their decision on their first visit to your club. Will you have someone there that will be able to process that sale, or will they be referred to someone else they may
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not see for days? Do you have a trained sales staff? Trained meaning that they understand how to properly read a potential member and how to properly deliver their message. In our business, the best sales people are the ones who know about the industry because of their own involvement. They enjoy playing tennis, or love to workout, and always, always, enjoy interacting with others. They need to believe in the product they are trying to sell, not because they have been told to, but because they really do believe in the club. This enthusiasm will come across in their interaction with the buyer. Instead of a person buying a membership, they are now joining a club and are part of this new community. How you intend to pay your sales people will largely depend on the economics of the facility. The one fact will always be true, the higher the commission, the stronger the effort. If you expect your day-to-day crew at the front desk to make sales part of their routine without any benefits, you are not looking at a strong sales program. Most facilities will offer a sales package. The design of that sales package depends upon what you want to give away. Some clubs will provide packages that will help stimulate usage of the facility through coupons or gift certificates. Others either will simply discount the initiation fee or provide free dues as in incentive. Every market is different and can change from year to year. One benchmark is the economy. Analyze the economy to help you determine how much you need to give away in order to stimulate sales. To help that analysis, watch and study how other products similar to yours, say cars sales, computer sales, or just retail stores, are trying to help their promotions. Since the service industry offers a discretionary product, they are impacted by the same economic factors that affect other consumer products. One of the best barometers you can use to analyze sales is the real estate market. The hotter the real estate market is, the more turnover there will be in the local population. Take note and take advantage; contact and establish a good relationship with your local real
estate agents. Provide the sales people with tours of your facility or even events designed for the agents. You might even consider offering a commission or guest passes that they can provide to their buyers and in turn both help your business and their ability to close a sale. A sure fire way to reach potential members is through organizations that already exist in your community. Churches, schools, community services, are all good sources for contacts. Every time there is a fund raiser, you should take part in it. Donate memberships to hospitals trying to raise money, schools trying raise funds, or even other charities that have established themselves in your community. This will not only build your bottom line for dues, but will also be rightfully perceived as a quality service to your community. Donate space in your club for events and fund raisers. This may bring in business for your food concession and at the same time create exposure of your club to the community. When you do have events, make sure that you get the publicity you deserve. The more ink you can get in the local press, the better off you will be. Every time your name gets out there, you have created an opportunity to be known. Along those lines, make sure that the signs for your facility also help tell the passer by who you are and what you do. A quality sign A QUALITY SIGN in the front of your club can speak IN THE FRONT OF volumes over the years. Instead of YOUR CLUB CAN just your name, how about symbols or a clock that will always be noticed SPEAK VOLUMES by the local traffic. OVER THE YEARS. If you were to sum up the ideal sales program, it would be the ability to project your message to the customer. It may be through the press, through radio, through community services, or even on the hat or shirt of someone who has played an event at your club. It all contributes to a quality sales program.
F R O N T D ES K I M PAC T
Its been a long day at work and you are looking forward to a night out enjoying a good meal with friends. You enter the restaurant and the host greets you like he has known you forever. He asks how youre doing, and assures you that you can now sit down, relax and enjoy the rest of the evening. That small gesture has established the quality of the rest of the evening. This should also be true of your club. The first impression your club makes on your members and their guest is at the Front Desk. If you have hired and trained
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the right people to work at your Front Desk, a member will always feel comfortable and welcome entering your club. Notice that it is important to first hire the right people. Dont let yourself think that training will ever overcome personality. In this day and age where computers have impacted the development of a persons social skills, it can be more difficult to find people that have an outgoing personality and enjoy interacting with others. Too often, clubs feel that the Front Desk staff is at the low end of the pay spectrum; this should not be the case. In the same thinking, clubs will often hire a team with the belief that if they have a leader with the right stuff, that leader will create the level of service and hospitality needed at the Front Desk. This is just not the case, anyone you place in that position has to meet the basic criteria of being comfortable and capable of friendly interaction with others. There are three major personality traits you should look for in these people. First, they are the type of person that naturally will greet others first. They are the first to say hello, welcome, or how are you, when they come upon another person. Second, they make eye contact. Lastly, theyre happy people. To augment this last point, it is the managers job to create an environment that is pleasurable to work in. Keep the coverage and the schedule set up so that it does not produce stress or a sense of urgency. This is very important in order to create an atmosphere that members enjoy walking into. Too often the Front Desk staff is directed toward their security awareness or their efficiency of checking in the members and their guest. This approach can create a very sterile automatic welcome. When members join a club, they want to feel that the club is part of their life and that belonging to your club does not make them a customer, but rather a welcomed member that you truly enjoy seeing and having as a part of the daily routine. If you like, you can rename your Front Desk to the Welcome Center, or the Reception Area, or whatever name you might feel sends the right message. Many clubs equip their Front Desk with software that provides personal information, including the photo IDs. Thats very helpful, but the most important information that the Front Desk person needs to know is their first name. You cant expect the Front Desk staff to remember every members first name, but you can make that a challenge for them and of course provide that information to the staff as the member checks in. One easy way to help the Front Desk person familiarize themselves with the members is to ask them to learn
why the member is entering the club and how they intend to use the club. Some members may find this intrusive, but casual conversation and keen awareness will help the staff to gradually learn these facts. Why is this important? Remember that one of the main reasons people join clubs is to meet others. For whatever reason, often they feel that their social environment needs to be expanded, clubs offer that venue. A friendly Front Desk staff that can address the incoming member by first name and with a smile will go a long way in helping fill those members needs. Besides your Front Desk staff, your physical entry itself will also have a large impact on the members entering the club. Turnstiles and gates may be a necessary evil for some clubs, but the message here is not a welcoming one. If you can, design the Front Desk to be placed directly in the path of the entering members. This design will also make it easier for the Front Desk staff to have direct eye contact with those entering the facility. One of the mistakes made in the design of the Front Desk is putting the monitor for your entry computer in a location that requires the Front Desk person to look too far down instead of forward. The monitor should be an aide and not an obstruction. Another function that is helpful in the design of the Front Desk is to have a system where large groups of guests can be checked in at a second terminal so that there is no bottleneck at the entry. Often, the guest will need to fill out a guest card and this can take some time. Keeping the flow of traffic is very important at clubs because of the nature of functions and activities that take place at clubs. Members are trying to get to a class on time, or to their court time or just simply because they have limited time to work out. This brings up one of the stickier issues that take place at many clubs. Because the nature of a club is to be comfortable and create a real sense of belonging with the members, getting the members to check in can be a task. A long time member will not likely understand that they need to check in appropriately every time they enter the club. They often develop a sense of privilege and entitlement. They enter into the club and breeze right by the Front Desk as if they own the place and are offended if anyone should ask them to check in. Many of these people can be dealt with by adding a card swiping system to the Front Desk. You can make it even easier for them by assigning cards that can be attached to the key chain or equipment. The cards have a bar code that automatically registers the member. For the few that are still difficult to deal with, do your best to learn their first names and try to address them as soon as they enter. On the flip side, your staff doesnt need to tolerate
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Please Sign In
THE FRONT DESK IS A POINT OF INFORMATION.
IT
IS THE
LOCATION WHERE ANYONE CAN GO AND GET ANSWERS.
a person who is abusive or threatening. A member who refuses to respond to the Front Desks greeting, or will not check in, is not a member that appreciates the privacy of the club and is not worthy of a membership. A manager should not hesitate to have this persons membership revoked. To help you check in a guest, create a system that is very efficient. Because guests, like members, are trying to make their way to a court time or class, they are often in a hurry. No matter how many people you staff at your front desk, or as efficient your software is, it will occasionally be difficult for you to process a guest as fast as needed. Sometimes its best just to provide a sign-in card that the guest can fill out as they enter the club. The front desk will also be the point of sales for many items, including memberships. Do you really want a new member standing at the front desk when they are inquiring about or purchasing a membership? It would be okay to sell tennis balls or gift certificates, but issues concerning memberships are best handled away from the front desk, preferably in a private area where the customer feels comfortable asking detailed questions and the staff person can give them their undivided attention.
To help process charges at the front desk, remember to install a credit card system. These systems require a direct phone line. The ultimate design and location for a front desk would also include two attributes. The first would be easy access to the lost and found area, and the second would be easy access to the laundry or towel area. Having this easy access allows the front desk person to stay within the vicinity of the front desk and in some operations provides an opportunity to cut back on staff when the club is not as busy. Finally, the front desk is a point of information. It is the location where anyone can go and get answers. Make sure that all those answers are readily available and easy to acquire. If you can, engineer as many of the switches that run the lights, fans, and other mechanical functions of the club to be able to operate from the front desk. The more you can make the front desk the master point of operations, the more efficiently the entire club will run.
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THE
MANAGERS
GUIDELINES
C o n s i s t e n c y, t h e Tr a d e m a r k o f G o o d M a n a g e m e n t
Any employee who views their employer favorably will often use the words, consistent, or reliable. Not only employees, members also appreciate having a manager that performs their job without unpleasant surprises. When an employee gets up in the morning and heads off to work, or when a member comes to their club, they feel much more secure knowing that the atmosphere of that facility is overseen by a manager who provides a day-to-day comfortable, consistent and reliable atmosphere. Consistency in management is more than just having the same working hours, dressing the same way or behaving the same way, it deals mostly with the manner in which decisions are made. Does the manager treat every member the same way? Does the manager interact with employees the same way? The nature of this industry creates long term relationships between managers and their employees and members. Many clubs have members that go back 40 or 50 years. The same could be said about the employees. Employees get to go to work and also enjoy their favorite recreation. Who would ever want to leave that type of job? With these long term relationships, there is a day-to-day challenge of being consistent with the rules of the club and being sensitive to these long term relationships. Quality managers strive to make everyone feel that they are special and deserve a thoughtful review of any situation. In many other industries, the decisions are based on rules that are written down in black and white, but in the club industry, managers are often forced to make subjective decisions.
The very nature of having to make subjective decisions challenges the ability of a manager to be consistent in their approach to operations. With close evaluation, a quality manager can make these decisions while adjusting from member to member, or employee to employee, and still maintain a since of consistency. Its an art that requires daily self evaluation. It starts with having an approach that has a common thread. The first common thread would be use common sense and fairness with everyone. Theres a vast difference between preferential treatment and making an exception based on fairness and common sense. If a manager provides a service or an opportunity to someone simply because they favor them, they can count on having that decision come back to haunt them. To make an exception for a member or an employee because it is the right thing to do, will be easy to back up some day. Of course there are legal boundaries that must be taken into account, and creating a new precedent is another consideration, but in the final analysis, a manager must be able to say it was the right thing to do. There are managers who strongly believe that providing perks to special members or in essence creating VIPs among their membership will help embrace those customers and elevate the status of the club. This is along the lines of a restaurateur that provides a free bottle of wine to someone he/she feels is worthy of special treatment. Again, in a business with short term relationships, this shows savvy, but in the long term picture, this can be seen as discriminatory and can create animosity.
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Its a fine line that separates discriminatory actions and special treatment that duly rewards those who deserve it. Here is a set of questions that often come up. Test your consistency: A life time member has recently downgraded from a family membership to a single membership but has overlooked the fact that his children will return each summer and want to use the Club. Your rules prohibit members from doing this, what do you do? Acknowledge that because he has been a long time member, you will provide him with a house guest pass that can be used for all three months instead of the normal one month limit. Tell him that he can just temporarily go back to a family membership and pay the appropriate fees for that membership through the summer. Reverse his downgrade and have him return to a family membership. Your neighbor calls you and asks if he could get a membership. He informs you that he knows because of his vacation, he missed the sales package you were offering last month, but hoped you could extend that discount to him. You allow him to get the sales package and inform your staff that you made the exception because he was out of town for the last three weeks and couldnt capitalize on the sales package. You tell him just to wait a few months for the next sales package. You sell him the membership at the current rate, but provide discounts in other areas to compensate for the increased price. A new member calls and informs you that he has suddenly been transferred to another state by his company. He has only been a member for three months and has asked if he could get a refund for his initiation fee. Your policy is to give refunds up to one month after they join. You inform him of your policy and help him find a new club where he is moving to. You tell him that you will be glad to keep his membership frozen so that if someday he returns he will not have to pay the initiation fee again. You prorate a refund based on a years usage.
One of your members children has just turned 25 years of age and is no longer part of the family membership per your contractual agreement with your members. This member rarely uses the club, but this only child has been using it regularly. You use the opportunity to create a new membership for what appears to be a growing trend in your market. You offer a job opportunity at the facility which in turn will allow usage. You extend usage to this person because they are still living at home and have yet to find employment that could support the cost of a membership. A long time employee has just informed you that they are in need of a long vacation to recharge their batteries. They have two weeks vacation coming to them, but they would like to extend their leave to six weeks. You could fill their job in their absence, and it would be better for operational continuity to hire a new person. Because they have been such a great employee, you will hire someone on a temporary basis until they return. You will need to hire someone to learn their job and take over in their absence, but will hire them back and give them an opportunity to create a new position. You provide them with a leave of absence and just fill in the blanks with your current staff. Your standard policy is to review your employees twice a year and at that time assess whether a pay raise is appropriate. You have a couple of employees that work seasonally, but perform their job exceptionally well. Giving them raises may be seen as unfair by others who labor through an entire year. You give them a pay raise and hope that this is seen by others as a reward for any employee that does their job well. You give them a bonus at the end of their seasonal work period so as to encourage them to return. You give them a raise that will go into effect the next time they come to work for you.
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Your policy is not to hire any of your members children. This policy is there so that if at any time you need to dismiss this employee, you will not have to deal with anyone but this employee. One of the owners informs you that his child will be home for the summer and would love to work at the facility. You hire them and make it clear to everyone that they are working under the same rules and requirements of any employee. You inform the owner that your policy of not hiring members children is extended to him, because in essence, they have a membership and the same issues could occur. You disregard policy and hire them just like you would anyone else; its business as usual.
These questions clearly illustrate how often the answers are not just black and white. This means being consistent as a manager may require some interpretation of the rules and the ability to make those interpretations in a common fashion. The ability to balance these responses so that you are both fair, and responsive to the loyalty of your members, will be tested by the support of the members and your employees. Youre getting paid to manage, and these are challenges that will determine whether you warrant your salary.
HIRING, FIRING AND REVIEWS

Finding the perfect employee fit is a managers most interesting and challenging task. Its a commitment that must be taken seriously, and to be successful, like most tasks, you need a game plan. Start by understanding the position you are trying to fill. Ask these simple questions, what would be the optimum characteristics that would enable a person in that position to perform most efficiently for your organization? Is it a position that needs consistency? Is it a position that will require the employee to evolve? How much of an impact does that position have on your business? Answer these questions first, and you answer the question of what type of person will be best for the job. The method in which you advertise for this future employee can vary, but finding qualified people will require you to go beyond normal advertising methods. If the employment market is limited, the really good ones are few and far between. Advertisements through the normal media will often result in getting responses from the last pickings. Because the fitness industry is still growing rapidly, qualified people can be hard to come by. For this reason, it is important to always be on the lookout for future employees. Often just from your day-to-day interaction in your community you will come across people that make an impression on you. Get their name and stay in contact because these may just be your best option. When you start to hire, make sure you are making the decision based on the needs of the Club, not your needs. There are a lot of people that can interview very well, and as a consequence, be very impressive. At the end of that interview you may be very taken by an individual. This should not be the criteria for hiring, but is often a real trap that results in an eventual problem. While interviewing, try to work toward having that person ask questions of you. You will find that you can learn a great deal more about someone from the questions they ask than you can from just the questions they answer. You may need to evaluate and speculate on the potential of an interviewee. In the long run, it can be beneficial to hire a person that you feel you can mold into the employee you desire. This is a judgment call, but can be very rewarding and longer lasting. Hiring an extremely qualified person is great, but can also be shortlived if the job is not challenging enough or does not have much growth and advancement opportunity. Another mistake managers make is hiring people who are too supportive and not challenging enough. Surrounding yourself with yes people can prove to be disastrous. Hire people that are comfortable questioning your decisions. These people will not only help keep you from making mistakes, but will also learn their roles better and may spur new ideas.
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It is very important that you want to make sure that the information you gather when you hire someone is as comprehensive as possible. You also want to make sure that you are covering all the legal questions that may arise in the hiring of an employee. Your employee application should cover everything and anything. Here is an excellent example of a complete and thorough application.
Applicant Information Applicant Name _______________________________________________________ Home Phone ________________________________________________________ Other ____________________________________________________________ Email Address _____________________________________________________ Current Address: Number and street ________________________________________________ City ___________________________ State & Zip ______________________ How were you referred to Company?:________________________________ Employment Positions Position(s) applying for:____________________________________________________________________________ Are you applying for: Temporary work such as summer or holiday work? [ ] Y or [ ] N Regular part-time work? [ ] Y or [ ] N Regular full-time work? [ ] Y or [ ] N What days and hours are you available for work?______________________________________________________ If applying for temporary work, when will you be available? _____________________________________________ If hired, on what date can you start working? ___ / ___ / ___ Can you work on the weekends? [ ] Y or [ ] N Can you work evenings? [ ] Y or [ ] N Are you available to work overtime? [ ] Y or [ ] N Salary desired: $_________________________________________________________________________________ Personal Information: Have you ever applied to / worked for Company before? [ ] Y or [ ] N If yes, please explain (include date): ________________________________________________________________ Do you have any friends, relatives, or acquaintances working for Company? [ ] Y or [ ] N If yes, state name & relationship: ___________________________________________________________________ If hired, would you have transportation to/from work? [ ] Y or [ ] N Are you over the age of 18? (If under 18, hire is subject to verification of minimum legal age.) [ ] Y or [ ] N legal right to work in the United States? [ ] Y or [ ] If hired, would you be able to present evidence of your U.S. Citizenship or proof of your N
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If hired, are you willing to submit to and pass a controlled substance test? [ ] Y or [ ] N Are you able to perform the essential functions of the job for which you are applying, either with / without reasonable accommodation? [ ] Y or [ ] N If no, describe the functions that cannot be performed _______________________________________________________________________________________________
(Note: Company complies with the ADA and consider reasonable accommodation measures that may be necessary for eligible applicants/employees to perform essential functions. It is possible that a hire may be tested on skill/agility and may be subject to a medical examination conducted by a medical professional.) THE MANAGERS GUIDELINES
Have you ever been convicted of a criminal offense (felony or misdemeanor)? [ ] Y or [ ] N If yes, please describe the crime - state nature of the crime(s), when and where convicted and disposition of the case.___________________________________________________________________________________________
(Note: No applicant will be denied employment solely on the grounds of conviction of a criminal offense. The date of the offense, the nature of the offense, including any significant details that affect the description of the event, and the surrounding circumstances and the relevance of the offense to the position(s) applied for may, however, be considered.)
Education, Training and Experience High School: School name: ________________________________ School address:________________________________ School city, state, zip:___________________________________________________________________________ Number of years completed: _____________________ Did you graduate? [ ] Y or [ ] N Degree / diploma earned: ________________________ College / University: School name: ________________________________ School address:________________________________ School city, state, zip:___________________________________________________________________________ Number of years completed: _____________________ Did you graduate? [ ] Y or [ ] N Degree / diploma earned: ________________________ Vocational School: School name: ________________________________ School address:________________________________ School city, state, zip:___________________________________________________________________________ Number of years completed: _____________________ Did you graduate? [ ] Y or [ ] N Degree / diploma earned: ________________________ Military: Branch: ______________________________________________________________________________________ Rank in Military:_________________________________ Total Years of Service: ___________________________ Skills/duties: ___________________________________ Related details:_________________________________
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Do you speak, write or understand any foreign languages? [ ] Y or [ ] N If yes, describe which languages(s) and how fluent of a speaker you consider yourself to be. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Do you have any other experience, training, qualifications, or skills which you feel should be brought to our attention, in the case that they make you especially suited for working with us? [ ] Y or [ ] N If yes, please explain ____________________________________________________________________________ Employment History Are you currently employed? [ ] Y or [ ] N If you are currently employed, may we contact your current employer? [ ] Y or [ ] N Below, please describe past and present employment positions, dating back five years. Please account for all periods of unemployment. Even if you have attached a resume, this section must be completed. Name of Employer:______________________________________________________________________________ Name of Supervisor:_____________________________________________________________________________ Telephone Number:______________________________________________________________________________ Business Type: _________________________________ Address:_______________________________________ City, state, zip:___________________________________ Length of Employment (Include Dates): _____________________________________________________________ Position & Duties:________________________________________________________________________________ Reason for Leaving: ______________________________________________________________________________ May we contact this employer for references? [ ] Y or [ ] N Name of Employer:______________________________________________________________________________ Name of Supervisor:_____________________________________________________________________________ Telephone Number:______________________________________________________________________________ Business Type: _________________________________ Address:_______________________________________ City, state, zip:___________________________________ Length of Employment (Include Dates): _____________________________________________________________ Position & Duties:________________________________________________________________________________ Reason for Leaving: ______________________________________________________________________________ May we contact this employer for references? [ ] Y or [ ] N Name of Employer:______________________________________________________________________________ Name of Supervisor:_____________________________________________________________________________ Telephone Number:______________________________________________________________________________ Business Type: _________________________________ Address:_______________________________________ City, state, zip:___________________________________ Length of Employment (Include Dates): _____________________________________________________________ Position & Duties:________________________________________________________________________________ Reason for Leaving: ______________________________________________________________________________ May we contact this employer for references? [ ] Y or [ ] N
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References List below three persons who have knowledge of your work performance within the last four years. Name - First, Last: _______________________________________________________________________________ Telephone Number:______________________________________________________________________________ Address:_______________________________________ City, state, zip:___________________________________ Occupation: ____________________________________________________________________________________ Number of Years Acquainted: ______________________________________________________________________ Name - First, Last: _______________________________________________________________________________ Telephone Number:______________________________________________________________________________ Address:_______________________________________ City, state, zip:___________________________________ Occupation: ____________________________________________________________________________________ Number of Years Acquainted: ______________________________________________________________________ Name - First, Last: _______________________________________________________________________________ Telephone Number:______________________________________________________________________________ Address:_______________________________________ City, state, zip:___________________________________ Occupation: ____________________________________________________________________________________ Number of Years Acquainted: ______________________________________________________________________ Please Read and Initial Each Paragraph, then Sign Below I certify that I have not purposely withheld any information that might adversely affect my chances for hiring. I attest to the fact that the answers given by me are true & correct to the best of my knowledge and ability. I understand that any omission (including any misstatement) of material fact on this application or on any document used to secure can be grounds for rejection of application or, if I am employed by this company, terms for my immediate expulsion from the company. I understand that if I am employed, my employment is not definite and can be terminated at any time either with or without prior notice, and by either me or the company. I permit the company to examine my references, record of employment, education record, and any other information I have provided. I authorize the references I have listed to disclose any information related to my work record and my professional experiences with them, without giving me prior notice of such disclosure. In addition, I release the company, my former employers & all other persons, corporations, partnerships & associations from any & all claims, demands or liabilities arising out of or in any way related to such examination or revelation.
Applicant's Signature:______________________________________________________ Date:__________________
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Once hired, the training begins. Training is again as individual as there are facilities. You basically have three inputs, your manuals, your hands-on training, and your evaluations or reviews, all of which require a lot of paper work. Keeping records and noting the progress an employee makes is very important. You may know what you want accomplished, but do they? Never assume and never avoid. When issues arise, approach them directly and without apprehension. Its one thing to be prepared, but its another to avoid. Address the new employee straight up and without emotion. In the long run they will come to appreciate that fact that you are honest and up front. A good employee wants to perform well. Your job as manager is to help them accomplish that goal. Another benefit of keeping records is that it gives you information about how to better train future employees for that position. Your records will help evolve and keep your training procedure flexible. In an industry that takes pride in evolving, this game plan will prove to be very helpful. How often you review your employees is up to you and again largely determined by the nature of the facility. Employees look forward to reviews in that they often see these as potential moments that may incur a raise. With that in mind, avoid steering your interviews to reflect any change in their salary. Reviews should always include a time for the employee to ask questions of you. Once again, being asked questions can often lead to better information. The idea behind most reviews is to go over their performance and inquire about their goals. Their questions may end up giving you ideas about their goals. If they have concerns about how something is operating in the facility, this may be the perfect opportunity to have them address that very issue as part of their growth in their job. Keep an open mind; youre a manager not a despot.
The employee will hopefully become a trusted person that shows real interest in bettering themselves and their performance. When that is not the case, reviews will become very important. When you let a person go you need the backup of proper and complete documentation. Make sure you know the state laws that govern termination. Proper notification and documentation can save you from ugly legal issues. Once again, when you have an employee that is not performing, review all of the issues carefully, and then act on it directly. Dont beat around the bush; get the job done efficiently to avoid any uncomfortable interaction. Dragging out the dismissal of an employee is harmful to everyone involved. One of the issues of this industry that plays a role in releasing an employee is the relationship an employee can develop with members. Your staff will often become very close to your membership and many personal relationships will naturally develop. Its not easy letting an employee go that many of your members may like. Facilities are like fish bowls, everything that takes place is very transparent and public. This is all the more reason that you need to handle these decisions discretely and quickly. The longer you drag out these decisions, the more the rumor mill goes into motion. Your decision may not be popular, but being a manager is not about being popular, its about being responsible for how the facility operates. Finally, creating trust and honesty with your employees is both an act of performance and of communication. Let your employees know when they perform well and dont hesitate to express your appreciation of their input. False glorification is not helpful, and it lends to a dishonest relationship. Being consistent in your approach and your philosophy as a manager will make you much more approachable.
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CONTRACTS, THE LEGAL LANGUAGE OF HIRING

Start with this basic question; what is a contract. By definition it is an agreement between two or more people to do something, especially one formally set forth in writing and enforceable by law. The latter part of the sentence is what usually grabs most peoples attention, but in the club industry, it is the first part of the statement that should be most recognized and observed. Employers and employees in the club industry cannot just simply co-exist; they need to work in agreement in order to create a positive product. Any business that focuses on service and customer relations, needs a positive environment for growth and long-term stability. Healthy growth will translate to a more profitable business. corporation. People can often try to pass on contracts to include others, be specific and this can be avoided. Time frames are a must for contracts. As mentioned, this industry is conducive to rapid growth and change. By having times frames, three years, five years, or such, in the contract, any radical changes in the business can be more effectively accommodated. Every state has their laws and you should know them. Yes, there are federal laws and standards, but each state has its own set of rules that you need to know. This can easily be obtained via the internet or by approaching your states Chamber of Commerce. There are other industry organizations that can help and they will probably require a membership fee, but this may be money well spent as they are often able to keep you updated year-to-year legal changes.
Just like a marriage, when things go wrong, AVOID trying to sustain a relationship simply DOCUMENTATION The exception will make the rule. Be because there is a contract, can be THAT LEAVES consistent with your documentation, make devastating to this type of business. So ROOM FOR one exception for one person and that may before any contract is formulated, make INTERPRETATION. come back to haunt you. Phrasing double; triple sure that you have an accord contracts to be flexible can also result in with anyone you are about to hire. Dont those contracts being ambiguous. Avoid hesitate developing a trial period, or documentation that leaves room for honeymoon, to make sure that there is a interpretation. Be concise and to the point; simple and solid understanding of everyones goals and intentions. easy to read. When you finally agree with on a long term relationship, leave room for either party to depart gracefully and with Although a handshake and your word is always a nice respect. Just as there is a community of clubs and gesture when procuring an employee, here are two facilities, there is also a community of members or sample contracts that will prove to be a nice addition perspective members. Keeping good relationships with over time. These contracts are designed to be simple former employees is a positive step towards keeping and easy to understand. They are generic in nature, but good relationships within that community. Your if these two samples do not meet your individual needs, reputation is based largely on word of mouth; understand I would recommend visiting the internet, where there are this when putting together contracts, agreements and the many more sample contracts and agreements free for possibility that they may need to be dissolved some day. usage. You could extrapolate from each of those samples to meet your individual needs. If you are Updates and changes are normal in any concerned about covering all legal issues, contractual relationship. Make sure that you have I would recommend contacting these dated and signed by all parties. Insert youre your an attorney who specializes contracts an understanding that changes or transitions are in this field. going to happen. Especially in this industry, which is constantly evolving and changing, it is wise to leave the doors of negotiation open to handle any alterations. Clearly identify the parties involved in the contract. This may sound obvious, but too often contracts are fouled by transitions in the main characters. What was once a single person becomes a group, organization or
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Club XYZ Employee Agreement

(Put date of last update here)
EMPLOYEE INFORMATION Welcome to the XYZ Club. You have come to work for the most successful and comprehensive Tennis and Health Club facility in (Location of Club). We rely on you not only to maintain the Clubs current status, but also to assist us in making it better. If you address every member with respect and make an effort to help them, you will be fulfilling your role in making XYZ a great club. We believe that employment relationships are both personal and voluntary. Accordingly, employment at the XYZ has no specified duration, and either you or the XYZ Club may terminate the employment relationship whenever either of us believes it is desirable to do so. While we hope our relationship will be long and mutually beneficial, it must be emphasized that our relationship is At-Will (Optional and conditions varies from state to state). This means you or XYZ Club may end the relationship for any reason at any time, with or without cause or advance notice (Some states will require written notice). While the XYZ Club maintains various personnel policies and benefits programs which may be revised from time to time, this policy of employment at will may NOT be changed, except by a separate written agreement signed by you and the President of XYZ Club. It is also understood that XYZ Club will hire, manage and release any personnel without any discrimination concerning race creed or color. All decisions concerning any individual will be based on their qualifications, the need for services and performance. XYZ Club will operate within the laws pertaining to sexual harassment in the work place. We will address any issues promptly and secure any documentation necessary for records. All incidents will be handled in a confidential manner. We encourage all employees to report any incident that occurs with other employees, independent contractors, or members, to the General Manager, (Name), or the current Manager of the Day. XYZ Club and you, an employee, hereby agree to the following conditions of employment. (All of the below conditions can be altered to fit your conditions, but these will provide some starting guidelines.) 1. Sick leave will be allocated after six months of employment, part or full time, and will be for any two days during the calendar year. Sick leave cannot be accumulated into the next year nor can it be used after termination or resignation. 2. Overtime is not applicable because of assigned shifts. Time and a half will be paid for employees working on Club defined legal holidays. 3. Performance will be reviewed semi-annually. 4. Work place injuries must be reported and documented within 24 hours. Report work place injuries to the Operations Manager. 5. Employees who fail to clock in and do not have those hours verified by a Manager before the end of a pay period will have to wait until the next pay period for those hours to be verified and added to the next pay check. 6. Loss of paycheck will result in a $10 fee after the first occurrence. 7. Employees must park in the back parking lot; keys are available to all employees. Duplication of any keys is forbidden. 22
8. When on duty, employees are restricted from performing services other than for XYZ Club. Selling non-club merchandise is strictly forbidden on the premises. 9. All charges at the Club are due and payable upon receipt of your statement from the Club. We reserve the right to deduct your Club charges from your paycheck if your balance is past due. Dress Code The Club will provide you with proper attire and a nametag (Optional). A clean and neat appearance is required at all times. Our dress code is designed to be informal, yet distinctive so that anyone entering the Club will instantly know who is in charge. Please wear your XYZ issued uniform and nametag at all times. Attendance You are expected to be at work 15 minutes before your shift begins. If you have a conflict or illness, it is your responsibility to notify a manager and find a replacement. A monthly schedule will be posted in the Employee Communications binder. (1) No visitors. (This may sound strict; you can alter in respect to their job.) This is a workplace just like any other office. (2) Operations Manual. The white binder labeled "Operations Manual' should contain all the information you need to deal with any problem that may arise. You are responsible for knowing its contents. If you don't know the answer to an inquiry, check the book don't "wing" an answer. If you can't find the answer, write down the members name, number and question so that one of the managers may call them back. (3) Messages. It is important to take clear messages. Include date and time and your name. Make sure all messages get properly passed on. (4) Membership Cards. (Mainly for Front Desk personnel). You are responsible for everyone who enters the Club. We require all members to check in upon entering the Club. If they don't have a membership card, make them one. Check-ins are important for security reasons, and for tracking Club usage in order to provide better staffing. Even if you know who they are, get the member name or number and check them in. (5) Membership Inquiries. Be as helpful as you can, but refer all inquiries to a Manager. Leave a note. (6) Staff Meetings. Attendance is required. Clock in upon arrival. If you can't attend, contact your manager to schedule a catch-up session. (7) Communications Notebook. (Again, a Front Desk requirement, this may not be suitable for other positions) Sign in, date and time, at the beginning of your shift. You are responsible for all notices and for being familiar with anything that has happened since your last shift. If you have questions, comments or problems during your shift, this is the place to record them. This is the vehicle to provide continuity between personnel. Use it to stay informed!
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If you take an active interest in the people and events going on in the Club, you will find this to be a rewarding and fun place to work. We encourage you to use the facilities to your full advantage during your off duty hours. (This too is an option and the below rules can be altered to meet your needs, but these perks can make for a nice compensation for some employees or staff). Rules on Club Usage for Employees 1. Employees are eligible to use the Club facilities if he/she works a minimum of 12 hours per week. 2. Employees cannot use facilities when on duty. 3. Employees are to use facilities only during times when member demand is low, and must give first priority to a Member. Employees must vacate all Club apparatus, courts, etc. if a Member is waiting. 4. Guests may come only with the employee and only when there is available space. Guests may not use Club facilities when employee is on duty. 5. Employees may use facilities only during operating hours. 6. Employees must be in proper attire at all times. 7. Food and refreshments available at the bar/lounge can be purchased at full cost. No eating at the front desk. Holiday Pay XYZ pays time and a half for work performed on select Holidays only: Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. Termination Violations of the above guidelines are grounds for termination at the Clubs sole discretion. Generally, a Warning may be given for infractions which will be signed by the Employee. Any Employee receiving three Warnings will be terminated without severance pay. Agreement: I have read the above guidelines and conditions of Employment and agree to be bound by them.
____________________________ Name
______________ Date
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Club XYZ Independent Contractor Agreement

(Put date of last update here)
We believe that employment relationships are both personal and voluntary. Employment, as used in this agreement, is used in a generic sense as it applies to Independent Contractors. Employment at the XYZ Club has no specified duration, and either you or the XYZ Club may terminate the employment relationship whenever either of us believes it is desirable to do so. While we hope our relationship will be long and mutually beneficial, it must be emphasized that our relationship is At-Will (Optional). This means you or XYZ Club may end the relationship for any reason at any time, with or without cause or advance notice. While the XYZ Club maintains various personnel policies and programs which may be revised from time to time, this policy of employment at will may NOT be changed, except by a separate written agreement signed by you and the President of XYZ Club. It is also understood that XYZ Club will hire, manage and release any personnel without any discrimination concerning race creed or color. All decisions concerning any individual will be based on their qualifications, the need for services and performance. XYZ will operate within the laws pertaining to sexual harassment in the work place. We will address any issues promptly and secure any documentation necessary for records. All incidents will be handled in a confidential manner. We encourage all employees to report any incident that occurs with other employees, independent contractors, or members, to the General Manager. XYZ Club and you, an Independent Contractor, hereby agree to the following conditions of employment: 1. Use of the club is permitted as defined in the Independent Contractors Manual. Use of the club is allowed only during operating hours. Usage is extended only to the employee and significant other and is only available to Independent Contractors at the discretion of the General Manager. 2. Attire and appearance must meet with management approval. Proper attire that identifies the Independent Contractors must be worn at all times. 3. Independent Contractors must park in the back parking lot (Or your club's designated parking area); keys are available to all Independent Contractors. Duplication of any keys is forbidden. 4. When on duty, Independent Contractors are restricted from performing services other than for XYZ Club. Selling non-club merchandise or soliciting off-site services is strictly forbidden. 5. All independent contractors are responsible for scheduling their own programs or events. 6. The independent contractor must submit a bill to the club that is dated and describes the work or services before payment will be made. 7. XYZ Club is not responsible for the collection of unpaid bills that accrue through our billing and will be reversed upon termination of a member. Independent Contractor Name: ___________________________________________
Independent Contractor Signature:___________________________________________ Date: ____________________
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M A N A G I N G R U L E S A N D R E G U L AT I O N S O F A FA C I L I T Y
For any group of people to co-exist, there needs to be a set of rules and regulations to serve as guidelines. It will be the managers responsibility to help create these rules, educate the members and employees about these rules and then oversee the application of these rules. Every facility will have a general group of rules that are universal for most clubs in the industry. These rules usually are the foundation of helping people co-exist in a set space. They provide the understanding of sharing an area and sharing time used in that area. As an example, if you have a lap pool, you will need guidelines to help members share those lanes. If you have tennis courts, there will be rules governing the use of these courts by members and their guests. Seems like a simple task until you expand your usage to accommodate more members. For your swim department, you may start off with simply sharing lanes, then advance to circle swimming and maybe then taking it one more step to dividing the lanes into different levels to accommodate the various speeds and abilities of swimmers. This progression would be easy with a monitor, but in the absence of a monitor, you will need a set of rules that will allow the members to selfadministrate. Another example may evolve in the use of your tennis courts. When there is little demand, players can enjoy unlimited singles play. As demand increases, they will need to play doubles and eventually limit their playing time. This would result in a set of rules that are flexible enough on any given day to alter as the demand changes. Once again, these adjustments to demand would be easily handled with supervision, but in the absence of supervision, a set of rules are needed. Most rules and regulations for a facility are based on common sense. There are also a set of rules that will apply to different areas of the facility that are mandated by a higher authority. As an example, most of the rules that are used for pools or food services are created and mandated by the government. This makes the institution of these rules and the administrating of these rules very defined. But other rules that fall under the category of common sense will be challenged. Asking members to shower before using the pool, or to 26
wear a swim cap while swimming, are good examples. Establishing an age limit for children to use the spa, having restrictions on junior tennis players concerning their court usage, or defining what proper tennis attire is, are more examples of rules that are subjective and more difficult to enforce. Because so many rules emanate from a subjective decision, it is important for a manager to develop a program that includes a complete understanding of the rules. What might appear as common sense to one person may seem irrational to someone else. One member may see the placement of water restrictors on the shower heads as a green statement and a common sense step towards saving water, another may see this as a compromise in the quality of service and may argue that the restrictors cause some people to take longer showers in order to properly rinse their hair. The club may establish a rule that sleeveless shirts are inappropriate tennis attire, but members could point out that this has become a popular fashion on the tour and should be acceptable attire at the club. In the end, even a rational explanation of any rule may not hold up, and instead of a member being satisfied with a managers thorough explanation, the conversation can result in a debate where no one wins. To help avoid these confrontations, try following these simple steps in the development and administration of the rules and regulations of your facility. 1. Make sure all rules are properly posted and are made clear to all members. Along with that information, make a point of refreshing your members concerning the rules on a regular basis through a newsletter or special posters/flyers. The more educated your members become, the more likely they will accept these standards. Find time that is suitable to properly inform any new member of the facilitys rules and regulations. Dont allow the excitement of signing up a new member bypass the need to fully explain all of the rules. At the same time, it can be poor timing to bury a new member in a mountain of rules when they first join the facility.
2. Develop your rules through a review by all your employees and members. Rules are less likely to be challenged when members are aware that the rules evolved from a majority of thinking. Make sure the process of creating a new rule or altering an existing rule is public. If members know that they had an opportunity to have input, but chose not to, its less likely they will challenge any new or changed rules down the road. 3. Avoid creating new rules or changing existing rules due to a few bad apples. In other words, avoid knee jerk reactions to any incident. This not only can work against the majority of members, but can result in over legislate your membership. Also, when the squeaky wheel realizes they can push your buttons to favor their agenda, they will be knocking on your door more often. 4. Make the rules easy to follow and wellwritten. Simple is better when it comes to the wording of a rule. 5. Review your rules on a regular basis, especially if they have recently been challenged. Times change, trends change, and with that the use of any facility may need to be altered. 6. See how other facilities that are similar to yours operate. You may not need to reinvent the wheel. Somewhere, someplace, other facilities have run into similar situations and have already found a solution that you can adopt. Take the time to attend seminars or conventions, or read up on these issues to stay in touch with the rest of the industry. 7. When enforcing these rules, be diplomatic but not wavering. Understand that there may be those who did not know they were breaking a rule, but let them know exactly where you stand. If you confuse being diplomatic with being too accommodating, you can open up a door for negotiations. Once that door is open, it can be very difficult to close. Remember that making exceptions to a rule will always come back to haunt you. 8. Once you have reviewed a problem and determined that a member has violated a rule, do not hesitate in addressing the problem. The longer you wait, the more difficult it
will be to handle. In most instances when a rule is violated, another member has been compromised. The longer you wait to resolve the issue, the longer that member will feel slighted and not represented. 9. It is important to establish levels of enforcement with your staff. Most rules can be enforced by any employee, but some rules need to be enforced by higher levels of authority. As an example, a front desk employee could remind a member that they need to check in their guest before using the facility, but they may not have enough information to provide the member with the rules of deactivating a membership. The best way to determine this level of enforcement is to determine the level of information an employee has at their disposal. Without the proper information and understanding, it is difficult for anyone to enforce any rule. 10. Make sure the punishment meets the crime. Do you need to give a warning first, and should the warning be in writing or just verbal? Be consistent in your response when you do reprimand someone. 11. Finally, make a point of complimenting and rewarding when possible, those who do follow the rules.
Facilities will also need a set of rules and regulations concerning the staff. These guidelines should be detailed in the hiring of the employee and should be signed and approved by that employee before they are hired. Much like with the facilities guidelines for the members, create these rules with complete management input, review these rules regularly and address the violations promptly. The most important rules and regulations will be established as part of the members contract or agreement with the facility. Keep these contracts simple and to the point. Lengthy contracts that try to include every rule from A to Z, are not only timeconsuming during the actual process of joining, but can look intimidating to a potential new member. The information on a contract should include these understandings.
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1. The basic membership agreement which clearly states that all members are subject to the rules and regulations of the club. It will also state that management has the right to make reasonable changes to those rules and regulations. This establishes the rights of both the members and management in relationship to the administration of the rules and regulations. 2. The types of memberships, describing their privileges and limitations. Here you can include the restrictions concerning age, the areas that are available to any type of membership and the times that the club is available to certain types of memberships. You can also include the right of the club to create new types of memberships. 3. Membership fees and dues should be explained along with a statement that the club has the rights to change those fees when needed. 4. Include how the billing process works and state how the member must stay current on the payment of such dues or risk the loss of the use of the club and/or membership. This is where you would also state any penalties or late fees. You can also include method of payment, such as credit card, or use of an automatic debit system. 5. Point out any transitions a membership might
take, i.e. deactivation, upgrades or downgrades. 6. Include the cancellation and termination policies. 7. Review the clubs rules and regulations concerning the termination, suspension or refunds of all memberships. 8. Its very important to include on the contract the waiver of responsibility concerning losses and injuries. Your insurance companies should review this section of the contract. Its wise to have legal counsel review your contracts. Remember that these contracts are not valid if they are not signed and dated. At the end of the day, no manager wants to feel that they had to police the facility. This is also true with the entire staff. This not only makes the job more difficult, but it distracts from the more pleasurable experience everyone hopes to enjoy when using the facility. The manager that takes the proper steps in developing, educating and finally supervising the rules and regulations will help the members coexist and also provide for a more copasetic relationship between the staff and the members.
C O M M U N I C AT I O N S K I L LS
Communication is the glue that holds your facility together. The larger the facility the more important and potentially complicated the lines of communication. There is nothing more frustrating to a member than to inquire at the front desk about a program and have a response, I dont know anything about that. When someone calls the club and has a question about an event or class, can your staff answer every question? Is it possible for them to answer every question? Realistically, they are limitations on the information a front desk person can obtain and retain, but that does not mean that they cannot answer every question. Whats wrong with, Let me look into that to make sure I have the right information, and Ill get back to you within a few minutes. With this reply, the member feels that they received the proper service and know they will have the answers they need quickly. How can you make sure this employee will be able to retrieve that information? Lets start by reviewing how you disperse the bulk of your information. With most facilities this all begins with a monthly newsletter. The information for the newsletter is put together a few weeks ahead of time and is usually produced from what you have gathered from your staff. Establish a monthly time line to make sure this information gets to you on time so that you have enough time to send it back to the source and confirm the data. With all of your information and communication, make sure you have a second,
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maybe even a third person proof your work. This is the only sure way that you can protect yourself from errors or misinformation. After the newsletter, the next form of communication should be an in-house staff letter. This is produced to help create more insight to the club newsletter. Since you want the members to read the newsletter, you have to make sure that the information is clear and simplified. They are not likely to read drawn out stories or reports that are general and wordy. The staff newsletter can be used to fill in the blanks. Besides adding more details about the club events, the staff newsletter can provide a bridge for your departments to exchange information. The last form of publication would be flyers. Flyers are not just for informing your membership, they are also great for announcing special events and situations that are occurring at the club. Just remember, too many flyers and they become a blur. Keep the flyers posted in a common location that will become habit for your employees or your members to review. Disperse the flyers and posters in special areas only for special events. Your electronic forms of communication will include e-mail and voice mail. One caution about these forms of communication, dont depend on them being received or sent with complete reliability. Both systems are subject to failure or down time for various reasons. Make a point when using this style of communication to ask for verification that the message has been received. If you are going to use e-mail as a means of announcing a special event or notifying either your staff or membership about an event, dont overdo it. Too much use of either can end up becoming too common place and eventually ineffective. E-mail is a great way to establish weekly or monthly updates to your departments or to any special group. If you have the ability to send voice mail to a group, this is also a good method of announcing a special event or information you would like to get out quickly. Once again, e-mail and voice mail are only effective if they are used regularly by the employees. For many facilities, there is still a need for the written memo. Having a daily log at the front desk is a necessity. Any and every point of information is recorded in that log. This allows every employee starting their shift
to catch up on the current information. It also helps to have every new shift start a few minutes earlier so that they will have time to talk directly to the person who is leaving. As much as many employees want to clock out and get out of there, they need to realize the importance of person to person communication. The daily log helps and the personal contact closes the deal. You will find that you may need several daily logs, one for each department. This is especially true with the maintenance department and the cleaning people. How often have you seen something that needs to be addressed and were unable to take care of; thats when you need a maintenance log so that every task can be addressed as quickly as possible? Your ability to immediately reach your maintenance crew will also be enhanced with the addition of a good radio or phone system. Too many emergencies come up in facilities that need attention right away, and with many large facilities, those people you need can be hard to find. Good communication is an art form. It starts with the mind set that good communication begins through your message, but is only complete if the recipient understands the message. Too often your complete understanding of a topic will have you abbreviating the information. It may be clear as a bell to you, but it can be confusing to others who do not have the experience. The reason this is such a concern is that many employees will confirm a message in fear that you may think that they do not have the ability to understand the task. This is somewhat like the worker you have from another country who is just learning the language, he or she will often just yes, just to sound like they are able to understand you. Its common in many businesses and a good manager needs to stay on top of this issue. Without being too inquisitive, try to get into the habit of verifying information with your employees to make sure that you are on the same wave length. To help make sure your message is understood and eventually executed; avoid clustering a bunch of information on top of an initial request. As an example, one of your employees wants to point out a problem with an area of the club, and while he is going over this project you begin to point out several more issues you would like to have addressed. Stick to the topic, dont stray and cloud up the issues. Not only will you likely confuse the employee, but he may be reluctant to bring anything to your attention again for fear you will pile on a bunch of projects. It would be best to note those things you want done, state that when done with
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his project that you would like to review other issues, and then schedule that in a more organized atmosphere where the employee is more receptive and prepared. Another important aspect of good communication is making sure you have the facts. The nature of the club industry has members and employees interacting constantly. When situations arise, information meanders through the club and the facts can often be lost. Although you may want to keep any rumors from being part of your operation, in a club atmosphere it is unavoidable. For that
reason, research every piece of information you receive. Rule of thumb; if you didnt hear it from the source, then its not fact. The reverse will also be true. As a manager, you will be quoted quite frequently. Many people will quote people in authority so that their statements have more weight. For this reason, when it comes to important subjects, keep a record of what you said. Learn to listen first, and respond second when anyone comes to you with a problem or a request. Get ALL of the facts.
M OT I VAT I N G T H E S TA F F
How often have you heard, If I had a pill that could create motivation I could become a millionaire? To give you an idea how important understanding and creating motivation is, every year corporations in the service industry spend more on motivational speakers and seminars than on health insurance for their employees. Why the investment? Its obvious that with motivation comes productivity, improvement and enhanced results, all qualities that we seek. What is also obvious is that with so much investment, theres yet to be an answer, or answers. Managers will use many different ways to motivate their staff. The fact is they have to. People are different and require various approaches to being motivated. Some employees are motivated more from positive support, while others unfortunately need a harsh reminder of their obligations and responsibilities. This two-prong approach is not well accepted in many industries. We would like to believe that most, if not all, could be motivated through positive reinforcement. There is a reason for this. A study of many successful people shows that many of them achieve their success due to their fear of failing. This is often introduced early in their upbringing, and becomes a way of life. This doesnt necessarily mean they are flawed people; in fact, many of them are very accomplished and functional in the work place. The fact is, some will run faster when chased by the lion, than they would if they needed to catch the rabbit for dinner. If youre not hungry, you cant fake it. There are a lot of athletes out there that wouldnt hesitate to tell you that their fear of losing was far greater than their desire to win. 30
When a manager recognizes this, he/she will realize that /mapping out a general overall motivational program for their employees will fail, and they are better served engineering a program that will cater to each individual person. That program will likely be a blend of both approaches, with some employees needing 70% positive reinforcement and a 30% kick in the rear end. With this in mind, what constitutes positive reinforcement or negative motivation? Pick and choose your moments to say positive things about your employees. Daily perks become diluted and meaningless. Make sure the comments are statistically correct and accurate. For instance, youve asked an employee to take on a task and they did a great job. They may realize that they were successful, but may not have recognized what created that success. If you can pinpoint what they did that helped create that successful result, it will be very helpful and will likely make it easier for them to reproduce that successful result in their next assignment. Maybe the most common form of successful motivation is through example. A manager can establish that example by demonstrating efficiency, a record of being on time and not missing appointments, and displaying character that is consistent in both attitude and actions. Some managers portray a sense of
entitlement and will be late for meetings, miss appointments and generally display an inconsistent pattern of work, which may be mimicked by the staff. When it comes to rewarding your employees, dont kid yourself; you can provide all the emotional support possible, but in the end, they will prefer financial rewards. They cant pay their bills with your compliments. A balance of the two is your optimum method of motivating your staff. As much as you will work toward motivating your staff and keeping them focused on their performance, you should also appreciate the fact that few employees can stay on course 24/7. Its the nature of most people, probably yourself included, to lose interest for a while, or just get tired of the same routine. If you make this a reality of your management, you will not be disappointed or frustrated by the
occasional need to refocus some of your employees. As you review your staff, just design into your schedule with each employee a time to sit down with them and re energize and direct their efforts. Some will need a booster every few months, others every few years, its actually one of the main reasons managers exist. As mentioned earlier, everyone responds differently to being motivated, thats a fundamental concept for effective managers. Finally, every manager would like to keep their employees happy and motivated - goes without saying - but also keep this in mind: happy workers make for a happy club, hyped up workers make for a hyped up club, and overly controlled workers make for an uncontrollable club. Defining the difference between these three approaches is what will determine your success as a manager and ultimately the attitude of your staff.
OW N E R S , I N P U T A N D I M PAC T
For managers, operating a club means running an income producing business. It makes no difference if its a non-profit business, or one with the goal of making money, there will be financial responsibilities. For this reason, a managers relationship with the owners will largely be determined by the businesss fiscal outlook. Managers need to accept the fact that at the end of the day, the owners, stockholders or board of directors, will measure the success of their investment by the profit and loss statement. The reality is that the P & L report will determine most of the decisions made by those at the top; decisions that will need to be executed by the manager. There are several different types of ownerships in our industry, each with its own dynamics. There are privately owned facilities, chains or franchises, membership owned and finally, non-profit organizations. Let's review each of these types separately from the standpoint of how a manager will work with the owners in decision-making and how finances are handled. A privately owned business will usually have a single person as acting president. If the club is owned by a group of investors, they may operate as a corporation with a board of directors. From that board of directors they will determine the officers, including the 31
acting president. It is important to note that with some operations this job may shift from person to person over the years. That transition will effect operations. As a manager you will need to be flexible to adapt to those changes and be able to forecast when those changes might incur. Most changes will depend on the success of the business. Standard procedure dictates that if the business is doing well, few, if any changes will occur. On the other hand, if the business is financially suffering, or the overall operation of the club is dysfunctional, you are likely to see a change in the board of directors, which in turn could result in a change of presidency. If a privately owned business has a group of shareholders with one person holding a majority of ownership, (more than 50%), then changes are much less likely, even in a failing business. This is the downside to such an arrangement. The upside is that there are fewer changes in the direction of the business and the goals of management are more likely to be met. There is also a greater opportunity to develop a relationship with the owner(s) in charge and as a result, more consistency in policies and decisions. In the end, the left hand will know what the right hand is doing, and members will appreciate this consistency. There will be very few times that members will go over the managers head in hopes of getting a different response.
In most of these operations there is a budget that provides the guideline for the financial policy of the club. The numbers that evolve from that budget will determine how much is to be spent on the day-to-day operation and how much can be spent on improvements. This is mostly determined by what the owners expect as a return on their investment. A good manager must understand this at all times. If you are not aware of what your owners are expecting to make on their investments, you can not operate the facility with balance. Spend too much in trying to satisfy the members and you could be in trouble. The responsibility of the manager is to make sure that the owners demands are met and at the same time, making sure that the members voices are heard. The final execution of this balance is best passed on to the president of the facility. He/she in turn will pass this information on to the board of directors. It is the responsibility of the board of directors to be the voice to all of the investors. This process of passing on information and recommendations is not just protocol or common sense; this is also the most efficient way to communicate. When there is a single entity that owns the facility, financial planning and spending can be much different. How money is allocated for expenses with this type of club is better understood by this analogy. Much like a family, when someone in the family that is not one of the sources of income wants to spend on something, it is scrutinized and reviewed to see if this spending is worthy, needed, or fiscally responsible. When the person responsible for the income on the family wants to spend, it usually happens quickly and without review. It is, therefore, prudent for a manager to continue to have input and suggestions on how money is best spent. With a proper relationship with the owner, you will have a say, but more importantly, be the go-to person that is in touch with the desires of the membership and the needs of the club. If money is allocated poorly by the owner, it is ultimately also the responsibility of the manager as well. An owner expects a manager to have his hands on the pulse of the business. At the same time, when these decisions seem practical, facilitate the desires of the owner and expedite their execution as quickly as possible. Operations that are part of a franchise work very similar to the privately owned facilities, except with one very large difference. Most changes are universal, and by nature take more time. These universal
changes are less likely to be influenced by the managers of the facilities. Instead of being able to deal directly with the powers that be, most communication is indirect. These managers can try to influence a companys direction, but the process can take much more time and they will have to deal with several layers of administration and decision makers. Although there are more steps needed to interact with ownership, the process of providing factual input and representation of the membership is still very important. Even though a facility may be part of a larger organization, they often have to deal with the micro economy of their community and the possible need to adapt to those unique financial characteristics. As an example, a facility located in a rural area may have a completely different cliental than one located in a city. There may be more needs for family functions and activities that are geared to a more extensive family population. On the other hand, the city facility will see more activity in the day time, and possibly more single memberships. Properly run large chains recognize this and adapt their programs so that each manager can meet the needs of their local demand. Managers can fare much better in this environment of multi-facilities if they use the strengths that are inherent to multi-facility operation. For instance, this is a great opportunity to exchange ideas and bounce both solutions and problems off other managers within the entire operation. Much can be learned from others who have a similar responsibility of having to deal with the day-to-day issues of managing people. The managers can also aide each other in the search for new employees. Finding the right person for a certain position, especially a part time position, is difficult for single standing facilities. A group of facilities can share an employee, essentially making them a full time person, making them more likely to stay with the company. Purchasing power is enhanced through a chain of facilities. Not only for commonly needed products, but also for services such as payroll, insurance and banking. All of these factors can make for a strong opportunity for a manager to capitalize on being part of a large company that operates multiple facilities.
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If you are involved with a multi-facility operation, maintain a good relationship with all of the other managers and their assistants. Because there is more upward mobility in the administrative structure, it is possible that any one of these people will someday be someone you may have to answer to. The nature of corporations can result in changes from time to time. Takeovers and buyouts are common, so it is imperative that managers position themselves for that possibility. To do this, make sure you are needed. Always delegating your job out to others may sound efficient and help create some freedom for yourself, but it also may put you in a position of being obsolete when any transition occurs. Stay in the loop of being the go-to person and having the knowledge to be able to handle all aspects of the operation. Maybe the most common type of facility in the tennis world is the member owned club. Years ago, member owned clubs were statistically the most prevalent. Because the industry grew rapidly in the last forty years, the possibility of making a profit promoted privately owned clubs and franchises. This is important to note. Why? The fact that the political dynamics of member owned facilities kept them from expanding when the industry expanded still exist today in most membership owned clubs. This method of operating is still likely to make it difficult for a manager to create change and progress. This can result in very frustrating times for many managers. You need to patient and understanding concerning any decisions that are to be made by the members. You need to remember that every members feels that it is their club and that they have a say. Getting everyone to move in the same direction takes time and effort. On top of that, you are usually working with a group of people that are temporary in their position, and in most cases volunteering their time. A rule of thumb about volunteers is that they usually assume that responsibility so that they can promote their own agendas. All of this is just the nature of the business that you will need to work with and diplomatically supervise. On the flip side, there is also a strong base of tradition and loyalty. There is usually a great amount of club pride that is generated by the membership. That club pride can carry over into caring for a quality manager. If the manager is able to work in this environment successfully for a long period of time, they will eventually become part of the institution. At that point, there is great job security. 33
One of the two secrets to the success of a manager in a private club is, first, recruit members to help run programs, activities, and social events and have input in making decisions. Having a committee make a decision about member rules is a much safer route to take. Secondly, stay available to all of the departments of the club. If the membership owned club provides golf, tennis, fitness, swimming or more, the manager needs everyone to feel that his/her attention is being distributed equally to all groups. If one sector of the club feels neglected, the first action members from that group will take is to organize and seek out a change in management as a solution. Remember that your bias may be interpreted solely by your participation and personal interest, not necessarily by the decisions you make while running the facility. The last type of facility managers will operate are non-profit businesses. The non-profit facility is in many ways like the membership owned club. There may not be a profit in the design of the finances of the facility, but there still is a budget and drive to be cost effective. These facilities are also often run by a group or board of directors that may not be directly involved with each facility, but oversee the entire operation. These facilities are often owned by cities/government, or by organizations like the YMCA or Jewish Community Centers. Operating these types of facilities is much like running a church; it will be the bond the manager makes with the community that will be most important. It is important to know who are your customers, or potential customers. Are you working with a community of older people, families; in the city or suburbs? If you understand these markets, it will help determine the type of programs you will need to develop. This knowledge will be a powerful tool when communicating with the board of directors that oversee your facility. Because you are dealing with the general public, it will be important to play by the rules. You need to be conservative in your approach to change and decisions. The operation will need to have strict guidelines that a manager must maintain. Essentially, you will need to be politically correct in every direction you take. Because these operations are tax exempt, they are more scrutinized by the general public and are expected to meet the needs of the community in a fair and open manner. Unlike any other type of operation, these facilities can be influenced by the general public, or non-

member. There funding and in turn their purpose, can be dictated by the tax payer. With this in mind, your public relations need to reach out to everyone. If a manager neglects this responsibility, he/she will be subject to scrutiny from people that they have never interacted with or even have knowledge of. This is all the more reason the manager needs to stay in touch with the community in general, and not just the members. In the end, the input of the owners/directors, no matter what type of organization, is very important to the facility and manager. Every owner or director has his own style of overseeing an operation. Some owners prefer to use just the accounting reports to evaluate the progress of the business. Their interaction with the manager is only through these numbers. Other owners maintain a relationship with their business by interacting only with their management. They try to make their impact invisible to the members and the rest of the employees. The owners/directors that get very involved and like to be part of the day-to-day operation can result in two possibilities. For some managers this can be very complicated and can sometimes cause a breakdown in the chain of command. Managers may find that their own agenda gets disrupted by the sudden actions of their boss. Information can be lost concerning projects in progress. Assigning work for the employees can become chaotic and lose direction. Micro managing by an owner/director is both disruptive and disheartening to a manager. For the owners/directors to be involved effectively they will need to learn to create cooperation that will require constant communication and the ability to exchange ideas and thoughts daily. This
communication and exchange is a 24/7 process. As an example, the financial advisor to the facility points out to the owner that the last quarter membership drive shows that there is a decrease of about 20% less sold than the same quarter a year before. As a manager you investigate and find out that the rate of attrition this year is only 5% in comparison to that same quarter, and in fact, the total number of members is up. Improper communication between the manager and owner could make the next board meeting very uncomfortable and other owners would quickly lose confidence in these people.
If the input of the owners/directors is successful the result can be very productive. The exchange in ideas can result in a more in-depth review of these ideas. As a result of this review, creative ideas that have been well thought can emerge. The more often the decision makers of the club are asked to rethink or evaluate their ideas, the more likely the poor ideas will be dismissed and the quality ideas will be improved. The productive owner/director can also provide relieve for the manager. Vacations and time off can be afforded knowing that the progress of the facility will stay on target. Ultimately, for this harmony between owner/director and manager to exist they must have mutual respect for each other. Disagreement and acceptance of each others opinions, ideas and performance, have to be played on the field of openness and honesty. This relationship will ultimately result in a healthier atmosphere that will create consistency and job security for any manager.
THE PERSONALITY OF MANAGEMENT

People choose to play tennis and they choose to join a club or an association to enhance their tennis experience. With so many recreational options available to the public, we need to work hard to get our share of the market. Fortunately, we are now recognized as part of the health and fitness industry, which affiliates us with one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy. The result of all this is that the game of tennis has had great growth in recent years and, in turn, the demand for properly trained managers has increased. 34
Because of these new demands, more and more colleges are providing schooling in health, fitness and recreational management and many of these students have turned to tennis facilities to follow their career. They soon discover that they not only need a fair knowledge of the game, but also a better understanding of the dynamics that are unique to the tennis club industry. Those dynamics include a very competitive atmosphere in addition to an extensive social program. These two traits make the tennis club a much
different animal to manage than that of facilities that are strictly health and fitness facilities. Although the tennis community takes pride in evolving from a history of sportsmanship and etiquette, the current league and competitive game has fostered a much more aggressive player. Todays tennis club manager will be faced with the task of trying to legislate an active competitive program while maintaining a civil relationship among members. Conflicts and confrontations regarding court time and league politics will need to be diplomatically resolved. The manager will need to have a degree of understanding of the rules concerning leagues and the protocols of match play. In addition, tournaments, leagues and special events are all run on a specific schedule that needs quality organization for them to be successful. Attendance is very important, so members are constantly being recruited. A poorly attended event means a failing event and a waste of appropriated money. If the personality of the management is adept at getting members to socially and comfortably interact, they will help increase attendance and contribute to the success of these events. Because tennis is a family sport, many of the events schedules are geared to address everyone in the family. Junior events are not only important, but are very demanding of both the pro staff and management. Whenever a parent gets involved with their own childrens activities, the level of importance is instantly elevated. On some occasions, tennis pros or tennis directors may have challenges they can't solve and a manager has to be ready to assist and support their roles. The ability to do so will gain respect from that sector of the club. All considered, the demand on the managers ability to interact with the membership becomes crucial. Their demeanor, their decision making ability, their knowledge of the membership, and most important, their knowledge of human character is very important. All the psychology and social behavior classes in the world will not prepare a person for what a tennis club demands. The unpredictable behavior of someone under the stress of competition or the emotional impact of a social atmosphere will create new 35
challenges daily. Members on-court and off-court demeanor can be very contrary, making it difficult to have a continuous perspective about someones conduct. The manager will often be asked to legislate and oversee human behavior. Once theres a conflict that entails different points of view or different opinions, the manager will need to diplomatically settle or negotiate a middle ground. The more polarized the issue, the more committed the parties and the more challenging the task. Finding the happy medium will require a personality of patience, understanding and humbleness. For some this comes naturally, for others it needs to be learned, and for still others, this quality may just not be in their character. The social skills needed to be competent in this industry are key. You have to like people and interacting with people in every circumstance. Just how much these particular traits can be learned is questionable. In an age of computer technology, many social skills have been neglected. Students are graduating from colleges with all the knowledge of the industry, but often not the instincts and personality needed to be a quality club manager. The fact is, it may take many years to learn these skills, and for some it may never happen. For those that fail, the social skills needed may just not be part of their character. For others it may be just a matter of exposure before they can mature into being able to interact with others naturally. Review these four characteristics and see if you have the personality to manage. 1. Engineering Communication Most managers fail to realize how they develop methods to engineer their communication. Its easy to fall into the trap of hearing what you want to hear and saying what you feel others want to hear. Stressful times can cause you to avoid conversations and interaction, knowing that they may lead to an uncomfortable dialog. This not only takes place with the members but also with the employees. Doors of information shut down and your knowledge of the facility become narrower. As uncomfortable as it may be, a manager can not have a personality that seeks to avoid awkward issues. They need to be willing to enter into a conversation knowing that it will lead to complaints, hidden issues and maybe a repeated request that cant be met. Asking certain member about their match or workout may lead to their agenda of issues, but its part of the job. If you stop listening to members, they will eventually stop

coming to you for answers. This could lead to a loss of very valuable information that may help you do your job better. 2. Delegating the Right Job for the Right Person Supervising your staff means delegating responsibilities and assigning jobs. The art of knowing who can do what best takes time to learn and a managers intuition will be needed. There will be certain people that can do some jobs well and others who cant handle certain assignments. In the tennis department, you may find one pro that works well with adults and another that works well with juniors. This will be the same throughout the facility. Maybe one of your janitorial people does well in keeping the locker rooms clean, while others are more adept at keeping the office in order. Some employees are better managed by saying less, while others may need step-by-step guidance through a project. In the end, delegating jobs and responsibilities is not about telling others what to do; it is about assigning the right job for the right person. A good manager will be able to see this characteristic in his/her staff and make the right decisions. 3. Taking Responsibility for Failure Managers have the last say. You know the line, The buck stops here. This responsibility is both a privilege and a challenge. As much as management empowers a person to have responsibility, it can also trap a person into believing that such privilege goes hand-in-hand with being right. Every day you are surrounded by employees that are looking for you to guide them through their daily challenges. When issues arise, they will come to you for answers. For that reason, many of these same people are inclined to provide praise and gratitude for this guidance. Therein lies the trap. Being a daily problem solver, the one who should always have the answers, can unknowingly lead you into a position of false security, especially if many of those actions are commonly followed by success and accolades.
On one hand, you want to project yourself as confident and positive in your decisions. This portrayal helps create a secure environment for your staff. They want their manager to be a person who will make decisions that they can stand behind. Managers that portray themselves as doubtful or wishy-washy, create an insecure environment for the entire staff. If you have done your homework and know your work, you should be able to make decisions that are based on a history of knowledge. If a staff person should approach you asking you a question on how to handle an urgent issue, you should be able to thoughtfully respond and take action. They dont want to see a knee jerk reaction. They want to see a reaction thats based on experience and understanding. With these calm and positive reactions, your staff will soon learn to trust your management skills. It is also important to stand behind your employees, your front guard, when they do make key decisions. This is essential to building respect. As you become more and more confident in your management skills, you need to stay vigilant and not fall in love with your successes. To err is human and you need to remember that. This management philosophy also helps eliminate much of the pressure a manager is exposed to. When your response to a member is I tried to do what was best and it just didnt go right, that doesnt give them something to argue about. But on the other hand, if your response is, Its what I felt was the right thing to do, you could be in for a long discussion, especially if your decision proved to be a failure. Again, when you are surrounded by people who expect you to be right and solve all the problems, and at the same time are giving you a great deal of praise, it can be easy to believe that you really do have all the answers. One way to avoid this trap: try to surround yourself with qualified people who are not afraid to challenge your decisions. You dont need people who are argumentative - that could become a real headache - but you do want people who feel comfortable and knowledgeable enough to critique your moves. This is also facilitated by developing a method of management that invites these
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opinions. You will certainly never get anyone to challenge your decisions if those challenges are met with a harsh response. Part of being open-minded about your work is learning to ask for help and advice. Lead your employees to make good decisions by asking informative questions. Even if you feel very confident about your decisions, take the time to ask your employees what they think about your plans. Make them feel their input has value and they will be more likely to give you input. If you expect this style of management to flourish, you will learn that it is important to keep some of your personal values separate from your place of work. Whether it is political, religious or just strong opinions about non-work related issues, making those values public can result in putting up a wall between you and some of your employees. You may not have intended this to happen, but some employees will shy away from bringing up issues that may have some close ties to values that you have expressed an opinion on in the past. You certainly dont want to become too dogmatic and maintaining a tactful approach will be challenging. In the real world of management, you will have some good days and some bad days, in fact, you may have some very bad days. The pressures that come from these moments are very likely to cause a meltdown. The atmosphere of a club is supposed to be comfortable, if a manager exudes frustration and anxiety, it can get passed on to the employees and members. Its at that moment you need to know when to back away and give yourself a time out. When things are not going well, sometimes the worst thing you can do is to try harder. Its much like the advice given when taking a math test. If you come to a problem you cant solve after your best effort, move on to the next problem and try to establish a pattern of success again. Once you have regained your confidence and composure, it may be easier to go back and resolve the earlier task that had overwhelmed you. Sometimes it just takes time for some issues to work themselves out. After all, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.
In the long run, the managers that last the longest are those who accept their shortcomings along with their successes. This will create a durable manager who doesnt hesitate addressing the ugly issues that can often be part of the club world. When your job includes trying to get several hundred members, a number of employees and maybe a few investors, to coexist, you will be faced with many decisions that will not sit well with some. The old expression that you cant please everyone all the time is so very true in the club industry. If you allow yourself to feel obligated to meet that demand, you will soon paint yourself into a corner that you may not be able to escape. Leave yourself room for error, and there will always be a humble path that you can take. 4. Being in control Lastly, if you think that moving into management is going to give you more control, you will be disappointed. The fact is, when you only manage yourself you are in full control, but when you have to manage others, and in some cases many others, you will have much less control. If you are a control freak, you are going to run into problems. In truth, management is more guidance and the facilitating of others than it is the controlling of others. The sooner you realize that many events come and go on their own, the more flexible you will become and the better you will be able to adjust to changes. As much as you would like to plan out your day, expect your schedule to be interrupted and altered. Thats just the nature of managing in this industry, and in some ways can be an enjoyable aspect of the job. Every day is new day with new unexpected challenges. Learn to embrace this nature of the industry and go with the flow. You may discover that accepting the fact that you are not in control is actually more relaxing and easier to live with.
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CUSTOMER
A father enters the mens locker room with his five year-old daughter. He has come to the club on his own and is not comfortable having her go to the womens locker room on her own. At the same time, several men using the locker room are also not comfortable being naked in front of this young child. One of the gentlemen charges out of the locker room scantily dressed demanding that the club staff have this man and his daughter removed from the locker room immediately. Not a comfortable situation for anyone. What happens in the next few minutes is indicative of how important it is to approach a problem properly. Lets review three of the possible scenarios: First your employee reacts to the complaint by immediately going into the locker room and addressing the father. He demands that he not bring his daughter into that area and he and his daughter will have to leave. The father, like most parents, reacts defensively by accusing the club for not providing adequate services for families and proposes that if he is forced to be separated from his daughter and something happens to her, he will hold the club responsible. Sound familiar. Okay, second scenario. The employee tries to pacify the offended member by pleading the fathers case or expounding on the many tasks a parent has and ends up getting an earful right at the front desk. He then capitulates to the member who has complained and goes into the locker room to try to appease the father with the daughter. He gently and diplomatically explains to the father how such action can be misinterpreted and misunderstood by other members. He explains how some members may not feel comfortable in such a setting. The father then responds basically the same as the scenario before, except not quite as angrily. Nice try, but same results, with the only difference being that now both of the members are unhappy. 38
SERVICE
Finally, the third scenario. Because the employee has been prepared properly through instruction and situational training, he responds to the complaining member, Ill take care of that right away, thank you for bringing it to our attention. He then goes into the locker room and approaches the father by asking him, Can we help you out here. We have a woman on staff that would be more than happy to escort your daughter in the womens locker room, and just so you know, you are more than welcome to approach us at the front desk if you are ever in need of this service in the future. He might even add if applicable, we also have a unisex bathroom out by the pool that you are welcome to use. The father hesitates then responds, Okay great, Ill bring her out to meet your female employee. Fairy tale ending, maybe, but a good example illustrating how important the approach is to an awkward situation. Most issues evolve from one of three sources: Member dissatisfaction with an employee, conflict with other members, or disagreement with operating procedures. Lets start with the first problem. Employees will make mistakes. They will be late for classes, say the wrong thing at the wrong time, or just err by not knowing what to do. Train all you want, there will always be slip-ups. Never start off responding to the customer by agreeing that the employee has made a mistake. You may think you are endearing yourself to the customer by taking their side, but you are also indirectly telling them that you have failed in managing your employee, and that it will probably happen again. Reprimanding the employee at that moment is also not the right reaction. The member will lose trust in the employee and the employee will lose trust in you. Think about it. What does the customer want? He wants resolution. Act on their complaint and take charge. Lets get this resolved right away, is a good answer when possible, or Im going to confer with (name of employee) to prevent this from happening again. Its
Making a First Impression
CUSTOMER SERVICE

important to use the name of the employee and begin to bridge the gap that this riff might have created. You dont need to make excuses, or drag out the situation with a lengthy story trying to buddy up to the member, just get on it and resolve what you can.
reacts too quickly to a squeaky wheel will eventually find himself under another one. The basic idea that you cant please them all, is a nice premise, but lets take it one more step. Instead of you cant please them all, how about, Ive looked into it and have found what works best for most. Think about that answer. How can a member When two members collide, it can get ugly argue with that? It says it all. It says that you have quickly. If you take sides you will only researched the issue, you have taken charge, be launching a prolonged argument. and you are doing what is best for most A MANAGER THAT Trying to find out who is wrong or right is members, most of the time. To answer, you REACTS TOO QUICKLY a waste of time and again will prolong cant please everyone, is a clich and TO A SQUEAKY the argument and continue to create an dismissive. You can even add, Now that you WHEEL WILL uncomfortable environment for anyone have brought that to my attention, Im going to EVENTUALLY FIND present. Step in and take charge. Lets look into again. Having committed yourself, HIMSELF UNDER see what we can do to make this work remember that you need to follow up with a ANOTHER ONE. for both of you. Or, Lets find out what letter, e-mail or further personal interaction to relay your findings. we can do that will make both of you happy. If you can, separate the Earlier, I suggested situational training. It is members as soon as possible. There is often no winner extremely helpful to educate and train your employees or loser in these situations, so the best out is to get the through quizzes or tests, and to recreate incidents that can situation calmed down and let the club get back to take place. This will not only create a more lasting impact operation as usual. When its all said and done, document what happened, and see if further similar on your employees, but it can also make the meetings conflicts can be avoided. Also, avoid any aftermath more fun and interactive. Be open to suggestions by the comments or gossip. Clubs are like fish bowls, everything staff and possible better responses that they have mastered. When training an employee to say the right becomes public eventually. thing, you need to discover their individual method of communicating and not force them to mimic you. A The most frequent complaints will be concerning natural response is ultimately much more effective. the clubs policies and rules. The temperature of the pool or steam room is too cold or too hot, the music is Our jobs as managers are far reaching and very too loud or not the right type, there should be more complex. We have a choice of making our jobs simpler by supervision in some area of the club. The list goes on. training staff to make the initial proper response. They say Most club rules have evolved through the years and reflect that first impressions last forever; so do first responses. the daily interaction of the membership. A manager that
CUSTOMER SERVICE
SERVICE OR STROKES
You at the store for a tube of toothpaste and as you check out the cashier asks you, did you find everything okay? You answer, Well, I did have a problem finding the cold medicine. Oh, really, she responds, Ill look into that. As you leave, she asks, do you need help on the way out? At this point youre almost tempted to answer yes, even though youve only bought a small tube of toothpaste. Welcome to the automated world of customer service. Its one of the downfalls of a corporate run industry. Training becomes automatic and not intuitive. 39
The message starts at the top and by the time it has filtered down to the employee who is actually interacting with the customer, it has been washed down to a series of redundant responses. What happened to that great motivational beginning that was initiated at management level? Maybe its not the message thats being lost, but the purpose behind the message. The club industry is a different animal than most service industries. You are going to be interacting with the same people for day after day, hopefully for years. You cant afford to burn too many bridges and make too
many avoidable mistakes. This is why so many managers in this industry fail after only three or four years. They build up a catalogue of members that have lost faith in their ability to do their job. Through the years you can recover from some of these mistakes and shortcomings, but the best policy to adopt, is a policy of developing an honest and sincere interaction with the membership. That means you need to drop the corporate automated lines and listen and talk to people in the good old fashion way. As a friend. Hopefully youve gone into the club industry because it was attractive to you from the beginning. You like working and dealing with people in this environment. If this is not the case, youve got real problems. Youve got to like people and enjoy their company, and maybe more importantly, youve got to want them to feel good about you. When someone is angry with you, it should feel uncomfortable, no matter what the cause. The reverse is also true, if someone feels good about what you have done as a manager, you should feel pleased. Its not a weakness to have feelings like this, its an important part of your character that makes you more responsive to people, and as a consequence, perfect for the service industry. Were not talking about being overly sensitive, we are talking about being in touch with what is taking place around you. When you truly care about your members, theyre no longer customers, they are fellow members. Theyre not a source of income, but a source of information and energy that you want to interact with to better the clubs atmosphere. Ever hear the expression, "That guy is great club member? What does that mean? It means he is putting something back into the club that you value. It also means that you can facilitate and enjoy helping him accomplish that feat. It is the combination of your management skills and the input of your membership that will shape the character of your club. What can you do to enhance this process? First, as I mentioned, create an honest rapport with the members. This means get rid of the line the customers always right. Thats a slogan that just wont work in the club world. If the customer is always right, how do you answer someone who feels the pool temperature should be 84 degrees and someone else thinks it should be 80 degrees? Or someone who would
like the music louder in the workout area while others would like it quieter. That fact is, you are trying to get several hundred people to coexist, and its impossible for the customer to always be right. What is true is that the customer has a point of view you are willing to listen to and that you will find out what works best for the majority. Second, hire the smile person, not the super efficient person. Surround yourself with a staff that enjoys being at work and naturally enjoys dealing with others, even when those others are not always the nicest in the world. Its not that you dont want to have an efficient person, or a reliable person, its just that the quality that you want at the top of the list for hiring, is the personality. In an age of computers and faceless conversations, it will be a task to find these people, but theyre out there and you will be more likely to discover them when you have the same characteristics. As a manager, you may find it hard to pass on to your employees the mood you are trying to achieve in your club through a manual or the written word. Try having seminar type meetings that will allow your staff to express themselves and have input. Seasonal get-togethers are great, and special unexpected bonuses will be very well received. Use your business credit card to gather mileage and pass that on to your deserving employees. Getting quality employees to work for you is the first step, keeping them happy is your job after that. Third, send the message to your employees and your members that your goal is to continue to look for ways to improve your operation. When issues arise, let them know that you are trying to find solutions that will work for everyone. Members dont want to hear a rehearsed answer, they want to get on with their day and enjoy the use of the club. They dont need to hear your opinions or a long dissertation about how things should be or why they are the way they are. No lectures, just quick and smooth resolutions. So once again, what is service in this industry? To sum it up, its the development of an honest relationship with your members and your staff. It is demonstrating that you are consistent in your actions, but open to suggestions and change. Finally, that you can be yourself, and provide an environment that allows your members to realize that the greatest value of their membership is belonging to your club.
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C O N F R O N TAT I O N A N D M E D I AT I O N
Every month you meet with your membership committee to review requests and concerns that have been submitted by the membership. These meetings have been taking place for a number of years and youve noticed an obvious pattern. It appears that almost all of the complaints and suggestions deal with how the members interact with each other. Its the same issues every month, personal hygiene, use of cell phones, sharing space with others, circumstances that would normally be avoided with common courtesy. This makes sense. After all, what clubs provide is a common place for hundreds, sometimes thousands of people to congregate. This is a very unique environment that will prove to be a great challenge for any manager. Trying to get so many people to coexist in an environment of high energy and, in some instances, including competitive activities, is an ongoing task. You can put up as many signs as you want, post reminders in your newsletters, and provide an ongoing educational program to help enforce the rules of the club, but, in the end, you will still find yourself facing numerous violations and having to resolve confrontations. Unfortunately, this hostility can spill over onto your staff and what was originally an issue between members, becomes an issue between a member and an employee. The reason: its more likely that a member will vent their frustration and concerns on an employee, than towards another member. Managers will need to constantly assist their staff in learning how to handle an angry member. Teach them to listen first, follow with questions showing interest and concern, and then finish by responding with an honest appreciation in the members concerns. Teach them this response, and you will have trained them to handle most issues and most complaints. Lets first look at a list of common complaints, why they take place, and some potential solutions. Each facility will have its own physical layout that will foster certain issues, but common to most facilities is the issue of hygiene. Members will not pick up after themselves, they will fail to shower before using the pools, they will leave band aides lying around, use the club towels inappropriately, and most common, just display unsavory personal hygiene. Why? Thats actually a pretty simple question to answer. It probably falls under the same category as those who still litter, spit on sidewalk, drive recklessly and generally behave selfishly. Its unlikely that you have a no selfish behavior clause in your membership contract, so you and your staff will have to deal with these people. On occasion your discipline with these people will work, but most often it will be short lived. Trying to manage the personal character of your members is not going to happen. The sooner you come to terms with that, the more likely you will be able to address these people over the long haul. To better equip yourself with this long term project, make a list of these common issues and how you can best address them. This will help both you and your staff react to these situations, and to come to terms with the understanding that there is often no resolution, just a need for constant supervision. At the top of the list will be personal hygiene. This will include everything from those who display outwardly physical offensive actions, to those who simply are out of touch with respecting the environment they share with others. As an example, everyday you have someone who discards band aides in the showers, or spits on the courts when they are playing. Since the normal method of communication through signs or newsletters has had no impact, you will need to approach these people directly. Follow these steps: be sure you introduce yourself first and create a personal connection. Try to find a private location to interact with the member. Be careful that youre not too diplomatic and end up hiding the message, and at the same time, you dont need to accuse or reprimand the member harshly. Hello, my name is , I am the here at the Club and I noticed that when you play, you often spit on the court. We would appreciate if you didnt do that as it is offensive to others. The key words in this approach are I noticed, not I heard from others, or someone told me. Also the expression We would appreciate, as compared to I would appreciate, so that you are representing the entire staff and members in this request. At this point, be ready to start listening, because you will either get an instant capitulation or the beginning of a not-so-subtle defense. Let them vent, and when they are ready to listen, simply remind them that this is the policy that is appropriate for everyone. Avoid apologizing for your policy, as in, Im sorry, but this is our
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policy, or I know this is uncomfortable for you to adjust to, but. This will only open the door for more unnecessary conversation. Always remember, when it comes to enforcing the rules, use police procedure: state it, dont defend it, and then move on.
The next area of conflict has to deal with sharing space. This is an even more difficult area to manage, because it can often be interpreted as a difference of opinion, rather than a conflict in club usage. As an example, your policy states that cell phones are off limits around the outdoor pool. A member has an emergency and needs to call home right away, other members complain and you have to intervene. This is going to be a no win situation. Your hope is that you can address the person who used the phone in a way Another healthy step towards keeping a pleasant that comes across as being informative and atmosphere at the facility is to try to reward sympathetic. You also want to make sure that the positive or proper behavior. Employees should thank member who complained feels that members when they show proper etiquette you have responded to their request. and behavior. Newsletters should point out Once again, handle these situations in the positive trends that are taking place. private as much as possible. Congratulation Members, last month we TRY TO REWARD turned in over 200 pounds of recycled bottles POSITIVE OR Heres another example. You have a and cans for recycling, or We appreciate that PROPER BEHAVIOR. member who constantly uses members are being responsible and returning inappropriate language. He feels that towels to the Front Desk, notices like these he should be able to express himself as will help get members on board. he wants and that others should not be so nosy. Again, a no win situation. One way to help avoid conflict and Hopefully you can convey to this member that he has confrontation is to continue to change with the the right to communicate as he pleases, but must times. There are many good qualities to tradition, but if it remember that what he voices too loudly can be means bucking the industries trends and essentially the offensive to others. This is just one of many examples desire of the majority of your membership, you may need of where one member has their rights, and another to rethink your policies. This is a fluid industry in a changing member also has their rights. Theres no right or wrong, world. Rules and standards sometimes need to change just the need for you to intervene and keep the peace with the times. For that reason it is important to stay among some members. Mediating conflict will be an flexible and be able to adapt. It wasnt that long ago that ongoing job that will only be deemed successful only white tennis clothes could be worn at many tennis because you are willing to do it, not because you have clubs. Now the new trends that are promoted by the made a decision on who is right and who is wrong. The industry, including sleeveless shirts, longer pants, black more you can demonstrate that you are willing to act on shoes, are all common place. A good manager will learn to these conflicts, the more the members appreciate that go with the flow and take on the tricky task of maintaining fact that you are trying to make the club a better place good standards for the facility while adjusting to a new trend for everyone. favored by the majority of members. Such action will help avoid confrontations and easier for your staff to enforce. There are a number of conflicts that can be remedied through design and not intervention. For The conflicts and constant need to mediate instance, you have a problem with members not confrontations are the issues that can wear a manager showering before using the pool. Perhaps you can install down. Remind yourself that your willingness to be a shower nearer the pool to help induce this habit. involved makes you a successful manager.
Look into routing new paths in your facility that will help members get to other locations without being a distraction to someone else. Barriers, sound boards, adding doors, can all help keep the members directed properly. Placing trash receptacles in the proper locations may seem obvious, but you would be surprised how often facilities miss the mark. Tennis courts will often be equipped with trash containers on the net post, but the fact is that many facilities, by design, have the members setting up to play their match at the back of the courts, which means that will likely be the place where ball cans and lids will be left. Providing enough hangers, hooks or shelves will help eliminate members leaving their personal belongings all over the place.
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BONDING WITH THE MEMBERS

If you were to ask most members their opinion of the manager of their club their answer would largely be based on their personal interaction with that manager. The manager's performance and his impact on the club would also influence their opinion, but surprisingly, in this industry, a good rapport with the members is the easiest way to bond with them. Take, for example, someone who has a bad experience at the club, or something breaks that keeps them from using the club as they had planned. If they approach a manager as if they were an adversary, they likely will feel more comfortable venting their complaint. If they are friendly with the manager, two things will take place, first they will be more comfortable approaching that manager and secondly, they will probably engage in more of a conversation than an angry accusation. The larger the facility, the more difficult it is for the manager to stay in touch with the membership, so you need to engineer a complete package to achieve that goal. You have basically four forms of communication at your disposal; first, person to person, second, person to group, third, inAVOID BURYING house media, and fourth, YOURSELF IN A through your employees. BACK OFFICE AND In person to person it is very important to make yourself accessible. Avoid burying yourself in a back office and out of sight. If you can, design your office to be both visible and accessible to the members at all times. If you can position your point of operation so that members pass by you anytime they enter the club, this is a great way to display the fact that you are approachable and prepared to take the time to talk with them at the drop of a hat. Put yourself in the member's position. Again, not like other businesses, the club business involves a great deal of interaction and personal contact. In other businesses, they don't need to ask the manager how to find an item in the store, or what part would work best in their house, members come to the club to enjoy their time and receive great service; if that is compromised, they want an answer, and for that matter, they want an answer right away. If
OUT OF SIGHT.
they feel they can't get that answer from one of your employees, they will carry those feelings back home and maybe even to other members. If they can reach you right away, you have the opportunity to bring those issues to a resolution. When an employee offers a disgruntled member the option of venting their complaint through a note or a suggestion box, it should be the last resort, not the first. The best situation would be one where the member never needs to write down any complaint or concern, but rather get a satisfactory answer right there on the spot. Becoming acquainted with your members through person to group communication is very efficient. Establishing a committee of members that you can meet on a regular basis will provide several benefits. First, once again you will create a great rapport with these people, and second, these people can serve as support for decisions about the direction the club takes. It's important, however, not to create too many committees. One central committee will avoid contradictions between members and make it clear to your membership who makes the decisions. Take charge of your committees through organization and not power. To do that, be punctual, consistent and have an agenda that directs the meeting. This will also help avoid members wanting to use the committee for their own personal agenda. Make it clear that these meetings are to help the club move forward and develop policies that work for the majority. Report on those meetings through a newsletter or mailing. Show the membership that these meetings have impact and that they are always productive. Well-organized meetings will evolve into discussions concerning the bigger picture and not individual issues. Reaching your membership through the media is usually done through newsletters, mailers or e-mails. All of these methods are effective but can be more impacting if they are professionally personalized. Too often the message is lost by using a low standard of writing or publishing. Always think of your membership as intelligent people who want to see well-written material on a well produced document. Mis-spelling, poor punctuation or just poor writing will be reflect on
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the author and can cause you to lose respect. Find someone, if not a couple of people that can proof and edit anything you publish. Don't send out the message until it is perfect. Also find someone who knows how to produce a quality appearance for your message. The clubs that have newsletters that looks like an eighth grader made them, not only come across as second class, but also are an insult to the reader your customer/member. This media goes beyond the newsletter and includes any correspondence. Letters to members, to the media, or to employees, should always look professional. In this day and age, the personal computer is capable of accomplishing this task, and the public knows this, so use it. E-mails have recently become very popular, in fact, maybe too popular. This may be a very proficient way to deliver a message, but overuse by a manager can dilute the message. With all the spam permeating the Internet, it is important to find a way that your messages can be readily identified. Proper logo use and recognition can be added to your occasional e-mails. Another area that is often overdone in clubs is flyers and notices. Multiple bulletin boards and excessive flyers can also dilute the message. Clubs that post too many flyers will eventually numb the members to their importance. If you want to have impact through this type of media, keep it clean and organized. Have only one bulletin center located in an area. Have a format for your flyers that is consistent but at the same time can be personalized to display your message. There is a fine line between advertising and notifying your membership. Advertising can turn off your member and in turn, the message is lost.
It takes an artful manager to train his employees in how to best send his message. The manager must make sure that the message is one of information and not rules. Passing in information such as, (Name of Manager) would like to get your feedback on the new court surfaces, or (Name of Manager) has looked into that new type of cleaning system for the pool and is going to provide a report in a coming newsletter, creates the impression that your staff is passing on your thoughts. What you dont want are comments such as, (Name of Manager) said that everyone has to shower before using the pool, or (Name of Manager) said that you cannot reserve a court two days in a row, this type of information takes the authority away from the employee and actually requires you as manager to have more presence. To avoid having to manage 24/7, you need to empower your staff by allowing them to have the final say. Lastly, never pass up an opportunity to meet someone. Get out of your office and take a number walks about the club. Take the time to attend events at the club and watch your members perform their sports. When members see you have interest in what they are doing, the message is clear that you care and enjoy interacting. Bonding with your members may be the easiest task a manager has. Take advantage of your daily presence and your natural inclination to be sociable.
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TH E FACI LITI ES DEPARTM ENTS

Knowing the Money Flow
Each month like clockwork, the billing for the membership is run. Your very reliable bookkeeper tallies the numbers, makes sure that all of the deactivations and reactivations are set, runs a report on the dues, follows through with the automatic payments, and then runs the statements. Your members receive their bills right on time and your receivables come in on schedule to cover your costs. All is good until one day your bookkeeper gets snowed in at some remote place in the world and will not be able to return for over a week. Because your bookkeeper has been historically so reliable and efficient, you N EVER FORGET, YOU essentially have never taken ARE RESPONSIBLE the time to learn, or maybe FOR ANY have just forgotten how to MISAPPROPRIATION run, the statements. This is OF FUNDS AND a nightmare, but one thats MONEY. been on the horizon for some time; it just hadnt popped up yet. If a manager cant keep track of the clubs bookkeeping, and more important, at least be able to fill in on the essentials, he is in trouble. Lets go back and look at how this problem evolved. Most software that runs any part of the bookkeeping department is software that will evolve. Initially you may have learned how to operate these programs, but given time, they will change and, of course, over time you will also tend to forget a few of the steps. To prevent this problem from happening again will require two simple, yet challenging, steps. First, about once every three months, sit down with your bookkeeper and run the bills or payroll, so you can get a feeling of how the process actually works. Set up a manual for these procedures that takes you through the process step by step. If you think that the company that provides the software will be able to assist you, you may find this to be an unreal expectation. Many help lines for software companies are difficult to reach, and when you do reach them, they may have a hard time helping you with your specific data base. As I mentioned, most bookkeeping concerning the membership is in a state of flux. Members are constantly changing their memberships for one reason or another. Your bookkeeper is altering memberships and keeping track so that the next billing will be accurate. Upgrades, downgrades, freezes or deactivations, termination of memberships, automatic payments. You name it, these all have to be reconciled before the billing can be run. Most bookkeepers have this filed away properly or programmed into the software, and you will need to access this information and be able to process it for the billing. Although most facilities will use a payroll company, there are still a number of preparatory steps needed. New employees have to have their individual information input, payroll raises and terminations must be processed, and a basic review of the time cards may be necessary. It may look easy at first, but wait until you have to deal with an employee who has forgotten to clock out properly, or your time clock malfunctioned. Remember that most states have a law that will require you to provide the pay for your employees within five days of end of the pay period. The book work involved with employees goes far beyond just payroll. Most facilities will have working agreements and forms that the new employee must fill out. Collecting this information is crucial and legally very important. Severe fines and employee lawsuits can result from improper hiring and firing procedures. If you depend on your bookkeeper to keep track of all this, you may be a little too trusting. Never forget, you are responsible for any misappropriation of funds and money. Fraud is always a concern. Here are a few facts about fraud you
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should keep in mind. First, the most common detection of fraud, (40%), comes from a tip, not from your own detection. Second, private company misappropriations are detected by accident more often than by internal or external audits. Third, check tampering and billing schemes are the most common methods of misappropriation. Lastly, Surprise audits and job rotation are the most effective anti-fraud controls in reducing the size of loss. It is great to have an honest staff and be a trusting manager, it is even greater to put in place a system that never needs trust as a final measure. Another large part of understanding your accounting is being able to accurately keep track of your payables and receivables. Again, most facilities will use software for processing the payables. Keep yourself familiar enough with this software that you will be able to pay bills. Just like your personal checkbook, you must keep your balance accurate.
Keeping track of the receivables is all about having a good relationship with your bank. You may be using a direct deposit system, often referred to as a drop box, and the records should be handed off to you as soon as possible for you to record. When the bank calls you and asks if you know who might have made a payment for $320 and goes by the name of Susan, would you be able to find that answer? Its all about the data and knowing how to access it. When you are on top of your bookkeeping, you will have a very good understanding of your companys Profit and Loss reports, your Fiscal Budgeting, and any other financial reports you may need. Having that ability can make a manager look really good in the eyes of someone whose concern is mainly about the return on their investment.
F I T N ESS FAC TS
Unlike some functions of a club, when a fitness instructor fails to show, it can be disastrous. Suddenly you have forty people standing in your lobby wanting something to happen and happen quickly. At this moment, there are no real solutions. Do your best at apologizing and let your members know that you are going to look into a solution for this problem. Short of having a backup teacher, or a video tape for the class to watch, the only real solution lies in hiring the right people, and that starts with the person that is in charge of that department. Because the fitness industry is growing in leaps and bounds, there are fewer qualified instructors. If you think about it, its a very physically challenging way to have to make a living. How many classes can a person teach in one day? The result is you will end up having about one teacher for every five classes you provide. So if you have 80 classes per week, that means you will have about 16 teachers to keep track of. On top of that, most of these teachers are specialized and will only be able to teach a certain type of fitness class. You will have experts for yoga or stretch classes, the Pilates teacher, teachers that work with certain types of land aerobics, and maybe one or two others for your aqua classes. What does this all mean? Simply that you will need a high octane fitness class director that is going to be able to ride herd on this group and to find substitutes when needed. This individual should be connected to the fitness world in your community. Since most fitness instructors work at several facilities, your fitness director will need to be in touch with that network. If your fitness director is also a teacher they will have personal contact with many of the other teachers. Also if they are teaching, then they will have personal contact with the members and be in a position to receive direct feedback. This is very important, because that direct feedback will be what you will use to decide what classes your membership wants. The fitness director should also try to come up with a system of substitution that really works. Punishing the teachers for not showing or properly assigning a substitute, rarely works. Since the demand for good teachers is very high, the director is not in a position to mandate any appropriate punishment. The long term answer is to create a system that facilitates, but not compensates for the occasional attendance issues. To create this system, start by analyzing what happens during these incidents. Sue is scheduled to work a class
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at 8:30 Monday morning, but late Sunday she finds out that she has to attend a meeting that she cant miss. She calls Bill, Diane and Cathy who are all on the substitution list on Sunday and leaves a messages for all of them asking if they can substitute for her and also to call back to confirm this change. She e-mails and leaves a phone message to notify the Fitness Director of the change. Sounds good so far, except for one problem, there is a series of assumptions made in this process. Because the regular instructor has taken most of the appropriate steps, except that of getting a confirmation, they will most likely not show for the class. Its Sunday and its a last minute call, so getting confirmation may be problematic. The solution, short of having someone always on hand that could teach the class, or having one of the students attend the class, try doing what they do EDUCATE YOUR in the schools. When a MEMBERS THAT teacher is unable to show, FITNESS the school provides a INSTRUCTORS substitute, with the SUBSTITUTIONS MAY understanding that the TAKE PLACE ON substitute will OCCASION. teach a generic version of the class. The mistake most facilities make is they create an expectation with the members that they will always be able to provide the same quality class no matter who shows up. This unrealistic expectation not only becomes a disappointment for the members, but also becomes a real headache for the Fitness Director. Real solutions sometimes require realistic answers. Educate your members through your media that these substitutions may take place on occasion. Your goal is to provide as consistent a class schedule as possible, but the reality is that it is impossible to do so. Once your members realize this, the pressure is off and the focus can be directed towards the consistency of the classes and
seeking of quality instructors that have an appreciation of good attendance. The pressure is off the Fitness Director and their focus can be directed to the more important issue of creating new classes and new programs. Some members can be introduced to new programs, but most look for familiar classes or similar classes so that they can feel comfortable attending those new classes. You want to track attendance, but you dont want to be too quick to use attendance as criteria for cancelling a class until you have given it a chance. Some classes may only have six or eight attendees, but that might be the only thing that these members attend in you facility. Measure the cost to the income and give it a few months before making any final decisions about keeping or cutting a class. In the fitness industry, change is very important. The reason is very simple. To keep attending these classes, students need motivation. The teacher is the person to provide that motivation, but after that it is the entertainment value of a new class. A new class will often be more challenging which can also prove to be more motivating. The truth is, the industry continues to find, not only more creative and challenging programs, but more efficient and healthier programs. Every year a new technique or method of exercise is developed that is more beneficial for the student. As the baby boom generation ages, more stretch and yoga classes populate, while impact aerobic classes alter to be less damaging to the aging body. This has been the trend for the last decade, and it doesnt look like things are going to change in the near future. Just as some weight lifters transitioned from free weights to high tech machinery, so fitness classes will make the same transition. More and more high tech input will be part of the future. What you can count on in the tech industry is rapid change, so it stands to reason, that as tech moves more and more into the fitness industry, change will be part of the program. You will also see this demand for change in your gym. Remember when your gym consisted of just a few free weights and a Universal machine with six or so stations? That was 30 plus years ago, now they have a new type of treadmill, bicycle or aerobics machine every year. In this area of fitness it is very important to differentiate fad from trend. If you get caught up with keeping up the Joneses, latest fitness machines, you may make decisions you will regret. Instead of buying
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what the industry tells you is most popular, study your membership and find out what their needs are. Dont equate spending money with improvement in this area. There are many systems out there that provide a very comfortable circuit training workout and will work best with your membership. There will always be members that would like you to upgrade as often as possible, but there is also a silent majority that are probably very happy with having a familiar routine that will not require a new learning curve. It will help you to make these decisions by attending some of the industry shows that display the new equipment. Even though most of the people there are trying to sell you their goods, they can give you valuable input and can educate you on the equipment trends in the industry. This is especially true in the aerobic equipment where the technology is advancing rapidly. As you consider purchasing or leasing new equipment, take into consideration how much space you have to work with. Some very fancy new machines may sound attractive, but often include more working parts and in turn take up a good deal more space. You will also want to calculate how many new machines will fit your clubs needs. If you feel that this new equipment will be very popular, you certainly dont want to purchase too few and cause a bottleneck for these new machines. Remember, it can take up to two months to receive new equipment, which can be a long time in the eyes of a demanding membership. If you are not 100% sure of what type of machine would work best, most companies are willing to place a demo machine in your facility so that what essentially will happen is that the membership will make the choice. You will also have the input of your personal trainers. Use their connections and their feedback to learn as much as possible about what equipment would be best suited for your club. Every club establishes a different relationship with their personal trainers. Realize that these people often work several locations, and when possible will even work out of the home of their clients, so relying on them for a steady income through rent or commission may not be a wise direction to take. If you facility is large enough and you have a large membership, you may be able to employ personal trainers full time, or at least hire a person to head that department. This person can then
oversee the scheduling and the collection of rent or commission. This person can also monitor the certification of the trainers and make sure they all have proper credentials and insurance coverage. Insurance is crucial if they are on the premises as independent contractors. It is suggested that you also have someone, maybe the head of that department, be in charge of making sure the equipment is always in working operation and safe for the members at all time. The Out of Order sign is not uncommon in a gym, but when it stays posted for more than a few days, members will loose trust in your operation. Parts and repairman can be hard to get a hold of on short notice. Put together a plan that can inventory parts that frequently fail, or even have a back-up machine that you could bring in at a moments notice. Your members will be very impressed by that quality of service. Establish a good relationship with the repairman so that he will always put you on the top of his list when responding to emergencies. Most important, dont wait until the last moment to replace a group of machines. Not only are your pouring money into repairs, but you are exposing yourself to more and more down times for these machines. Look at it this way, each machine can occupy the attention of 64 members if they use it a half hour every other day and youre open 16 hours a day. What is your income from those 64 members? So with that in mind, what is a machine worth or not worth when its not working. If you are not acquainted with the fitness industry, you will be taken back by the turnover in membership. Why does this happen? First of all, hopefully you have put into place many of the positive qualities mentioned in this chapter, and you have limited turnover as much as possible. Beyond that, it is the nature of the industry due to three elements. First, people join fitness facilities usually to find a place that will help them meet their fitness goals. For many, meeting their fitness goals requires a change in lifestyle. Thats not a task that meets with a very high percentage of success. This is not a negative statement, but rather a realistic evaluation. Second, members may find that a club may not be the answer they are looking for in reference to their fitness goals. They came into the club, took a look around and saw what they liked and bought the membership right then and there. A few months later, they realize their personal schedule, the clubs
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classes, or the equipment just doesnt fit their lifestyle. Lastly, they may not be able to use the club for various reasons such as bad health, job, travel. Any number of things can come up, and since the initiation fees are usually not that high, terminating a membership, even for a short period of time, is financially practical. In other clubs, like tennis or golf, a few months off is nothing compared to the large initiation fees that the member would have to give up. If you have input in the design of your gym and fitness area, here are some very important considerations. Review the lighting, is it going to be compatible with all the functions and classes that will be held in that area. Can the lighting be reduced for the yoga or stretch classes? Will you want to use indirect lighting that is not as offensive to someone lying on their back, or will radiate heat on someone who is performing a hard workout? Is the music set up for the optimum acoustics for the room? When there is an instructor that needs to be heard, can their voice penetrate through the music or work with the sound system? The flooring is very important. The flooring needs to be designed to work best for the classes and also be easy to clean. You may have to clean a room several times a day to make sure that it is capable of handling several
types of classes. Is the flooring too hard or too soft? If you have an AC system, or a heating system, can it be adjusted well enough or quickly enough to meet the needs of various classes. For instance, a spin class will want a very cool and highly ventilated room, whereas a yoga class will want a warmer, quiet room. Do you have a system that could allow both of those classes to coexist? Finally, does your facility have rooms that can accommodate different size classes? Maybe larger rooms can be partitioned to create a more intimate setting. Possibly you will need to move classes around as they grow and expand. Designing for attendance is a requirement due to the frequency of changes in fitness classes. If you have put together a complete fitness program you will note that growth seems inevitable. You can even consider guest programs for additional income or potential new members. The fitness industry may be very challenging, but it is also very enjoyable by virtue of how rapidly it changes. This is a business that you have to go to school every day. The good news is that youll not only enjoy attending this school, but it will also probably be a healthy path to travel.
T H E C YC L E O F T E N N I S
While hanging out with your old tennis cronies at the club, one of them asks, whatever happened to those great Calcuttas we used to have, or those great social get-togethers we had on Friday nights? You try to convince them that the interest in those programs is just not the same, but all they remember is good time. The only thing that stays the same these days is the fact that everything must continue to change. A number of years ago, tennis changed dramatically when NTRP ratings were instituted and leagues became the accepted format of play. Like it or not, this was a double-edged sword. On one hand it created a great deal of new interest in the sport and a new stimulant for competition. On the other hand, it segregated the levels of players and dominated the schedule for most serious tennis players. With leagues, players were required to play at a certain time, at certain locations, and with certain people. The organization helped guide many players into the game, but the requirements also burnt out a number of players and really put a dent in club social events. Now players get their fill of the sport from an entirely new source governed by a group outside the club. They also no longer found themselves competing with the same club members week after week in the same venue. Now they played against other club players and at different venues every week. This was a lot more attractive and put an end to many of the clubs in-house activities and events. Years passed, and low and behold, even the leagues began to have the same issues. People found themselves stuck in that same old rut of having to play the same people over and over again, but with a new added responsibility: they had to play at certain times and at certain places without options.
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Like so many aspects of our lives, things go in cycles. Now many players are looking for more recreational and social events. Theyre tired of dealing with the politics of leagues and the year to year effort to recruit in order to be competitive. For a while, the governing body, the USTA watched as their tournament agendas shrank and their league programs grew in leaps and bounds. The worm has turned, and the USTA no longer can draw from that same interest; the responsibility has returned back to the clubs and their tennis pros. Members are longing for more events that will give them freedom of choice and provide a social venue. Sure, there are still many diehard fans of league play, and there always will be. And there are many players who still enjoy tournaments that provide for individual play. The difference now is that we also have a whole new group of players interested in the complete package: a little tournament play, some league play and traditional fun tennis. In this era, we will need to continue to reinvent our activities for tennis. Start with the tournaments. What was it players liked and disliked about the tournament play? If they were club tournaments, the most common complaint is having to play the same people over and over again. Usually the same people would end up winning the same events every year. This is the same problem a club ladder runs into, at first they have a lot of action, then after a while they settle in and few challenges take place. Given enough time, the ladders, like the club championships die out. One solution is to try new formats that create more match play, i.e., double eliminations, feed in draws, compass draws. Another is to have a graduating tournament program. Start the tournaments at the lower levels and let the final four move up into the next level the following week. With ladders, have them start and end over a six-month period of time. This will allow a whole new group to try to achieve the number one position each year. Have a reward for the person who finishes at the top of the ladder. There are many ways to create more interest in tournament play, but the number one focus is to run a smooth, properly scheduled event. Players understand that at times they must wait for a court to be available, but an excessive amount of delay can put a damper on the event. Also, be consistent with the rules; never put the enforcement of the rules in the hands of
players. The key to making the rules of a tournament work is developing a style of enforcing those rules with diplomacy and tact. Too often tournament directors become enforcers instead of informers. The new league programs have taken on a life of their own. Its safe to say that they have become the number one issue for the club pro. The highly competitive nature of the program and the fact that teams can ultimately become national champions, have caused a tremendously aggressive environment. This is somewhat new to tennis, since the game has always been mostly based on individual achievement. Team sports by nature almost always evolve into a game of recruitment. It doesnt matter whether its the NBA, College Football, or a USTA league, much of the competition takes place before the players get on the court. Add the element of ratings and you have the recipe for a very hostile program. One solution to put an end to the aggravation of league play is for the club to clearly define its goals. If you go into the season and expect to be competitive, your format must allow the captains to be able to succeed. If you have made this decision, you have made a decision that will create a very competitive environment that you should be prepared for and realize the demands. On the other hand, it may be the decision of the club to provide a program that will focus on participation and the enjoyment of the league. If this is the agenda, be prepared to field questions concerning their inability to be competitive. In the end, club managers will discover that there truly is one way to make leagues work perfectly and if you are fortunate, 90% of the players will have an enjoyable experience. This is just the nature of team play. Someones got to win and someones got to lose, and unfortunately in team play, there will always be someone that will have to sit on the bench. Captaining by a member of a team has always been a thankless job. Managers need to work handand-hand with their tennis pro that is in charge of league play to be able to help the captains perform their task. Scheduling courts, readiness of the courts and organizing the players is so much of an emotional challenge for the captain that without a very cooperative club manager and pro, they can quickly become frustrated. The captains are already under the pressure of a very competitive environment and it wont take much for small issues to
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become big issues and fun of a match is quickly abrogated. League play may not seem that important to a manager, but to the players it is very important. Keep that in mind when interacting with any league issue.
Fortunately, there is a new movement in tennis that is a pleasure to see develop. In recent years more and more players are looking for social tennis events. These events are much like what was popular years ago, but without the structure and formatting that required attendance and participation. Players look forward to drop-in activities that are only slightly competitive. These activities also toward cross over levels of play. More age mixers and gender mixers are returning, along with family events, again, all based on a more casual approach to attendance. For these new functions to be successful you will need a highly-developed format for communication. Newsletters, flyers, e-mails and the like will help, but in the end it will be the personal contact that will sell the program. As much as the pro staff and front desk people will try to get out the word, you may, by virtue of the size of your club, need to develop a tennis committee. The positive aspect of this is, if you have a committee of seven, and each of them invites ten members to an event, you have seventy attending. These committees also engender loyalty to your club. Once a member has taken part in a clubs committee, they feel part of that clubs success and direction for many years to come.
Another direction that clubs are starting to take is developing more interest in teaching the game. Most players are aware that in order for their game to progress, they need to practice. In turn, for their practice to be productive, they need direction, which inevitably will come from instruction and coaching. Putting together large group instruction and seminar type programs can both inform your membership in a very efficient manner, and also bring your members together under a common interest. Offering monthly free clinics, free introductory lessons to new members and free coaching for your teams is a great public relations step for the pro staff and rekindles an interest in the sport. Tennis is a very challenging sport to learn and can be very difficult to break into as a beginner. Activities I N RECENT YEARS designed to help these MORE AND MORE players get into the game are programs that will PLAYERS ARE ultimately grow your LOOKING FOR membership and attract SOCIAL TENNIS new members to your EVENTS. club. It may end up being just common sense to develop learning seminars and clinics for beginners, but it takes it another step to also create playing venues and opportunities for these new members to find others their same level to play the game. The tennis world is constantly trying to find venues that will entice more participation, both from players and spectators. Ask yourself this question about your members, do they like to play, watch, or a combination of the two? You need to know the answer to this question if you intend to interact with your tennis members. You will constantly be approached by others who would like you to use your energy to assist them in building an event. Its in everyones interest that any event that is initiated is successful. For that to take place, your pro staff needs to be in touch with what your membership is looking for. Just remember these two suggestions: what worked years ago may not work today and, what works for other clubs may not fit yours. Always look for new directions and find your own path.
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H E A LT H C A R E C E N T E R
If you were asked to describe your facility, what would your answer be? If you ran a golf club, or a tennis club, that would be an easy answer, but what if it were a multipurpose club? Would it be a fitness club, or a health club or maybe a recreational center? If you provided a healthcare center, you could call your facility a complete fitness and health club. You could call it a Wellness Center or Therapy Center, and it wouldnt matter. What matters is that it will help you provide a higher level of service. The addition of a healthcare center is more than just an additional amenity; it can take your club to the next level. The health center will round out the service you would like to provide your membership. If someone has joined your club with the purpose of becoming healthier, something like massage therapy or acupuncture may be the little extra needed to help them reach their goals. Think about what makes a person join a club. They are seeking an environment that will assist them in becoming healthier, looking better or becoming a better athlete. If they have been put on the sidelines with an injury, your health center may be able to provide physical therapy and a road to recovery. If its about looks, maybe a spa can provide that service. No matter what the reason, arent you better off as a club when you can provide these services so that your current member does not have to go elsewhere to obtain this? If you decide to provide these services, you need to be aware of the requirements needed to properly present this department. This is another area of this industry where you will have to make a choice of whether to have these people work for you as independent contractors or as employees. Keep in mind, it doesnt take much for a massage therapist to pick up their table and move their business to their home, so high rent or commissions may not fly. The customer will always be far more loyal to the person they are working with than they will be to the club. It may be in your best interest just to subcontract out this entire department for a fee or commission and let the hiring, firing and transitions rest on the shoulders of another person. Most of the work done in this department will require a quiet area that is easily accessible. Realize that you will have a number of people visiting the physical therapist that will be physically challenged. Disabled access and all of the other issues involved with working with this group need to be addressed. IF you will be providing massage, you will likely want this area to be close to the locker rooms so that the clients can change into comfortable attire for a massage without having to parade through the club. When these clients are exiting the spa, it is suggested that they also can exit this area privately. If appearance is important to these people, then their privacy is important. If you have several rooms in use, it will be important to find ways that they can coexist. A person doing massage may have issues with someone doing cosmetic work. The smells and sounds may not work in the same environment. You would be surprised how often people will complain about smells and odors that can affect their health. From a standpoint of equipment, you will need the basics of having massage tables, storage for oils, towels and sheets. As you set up this center, you will need to establish a booking system. There are various reservation systems and many will work in conjunction with the software you use to run your facility. The most difficult part about booking through the front desk is keeping a schedule that is practical. Often the therapist only will have a few appointments for an entire day. They may find it impractical to stay on sight for that entire time. This can make it difficult for someone to book a drop in massage or a last minute appointment. Keep the lines of communication open at all times and make sure that the staff that works in the health department informs the front desk when and where they will be at all times. If they want to be on call, they will have to make sure that they are readily available. Because you are hiring people who will be working with a members anatomy, you better make sure either you or they are properly insured. You also will need to run a thorough background check on these people. You will discover that those who work in this industry often are very successful because of their ability to interact with their clientele. Much like a hair salon, they are often very successful because they develop this
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special rapport with their clients. A manager can capitalize on this quality and use these people to help recruit new members. Someone may attend your club initially for physical therapy, but they can comfortably be persuaded into purchasing a membership. Theres no better person to persuade them than the health center staff. Offer compensation for that referral, and you will see returns.
Of all the departments that a club may develop, the health care center may provide the most esoteric environment. The people that work in this field are often very sensitive and responsive to others. They feel that their work provides a special approach that can touch someone in a very personal and emotional way. This is an important characteristic to understand, because from that understanding you will learn a different more tactful method of managing. The effort will be rewarding for both your members and the club.
FOOD AND BEVERAGE

If you mention anything about the food and beverage business to most club managers and you can immediately see their discomfort. There are a few facilities large enough and located well enough to support a successful food and beverage operation. This is especially true with private clubs that are not open to the public. For this reason, many private facilities are subsidized by the members through a monthly surcharge. The rest of the clubs, especially rural clubs, struggle to support the food and beverage portion of the club. Maybe its just a snack bar, or a weekend service, but its an important amenity for a club to provide to the members in order to offer a complete package. Clubs that choose not to support any food or beverage are relegated to snack machines that do not meet members needs. Without some nutritional services, the club members experience is limited. Besides providing an opportunity for the members to use the club for longer periods, the food area is often the best place for a social gathering to take place. Most club snack bars, cafes or restaurants are the location where members can relax with their friends or their families. Some clubs will even offer outdoor picnic areas to enhance that venue. These areas can also serve as locations for parties. A creative manager will also seek out areas of the club to host other events, events that will bring in more revenue for the bar/restaurant. Temporarily converting a basketball court, spin room, or even tennis court into a party area, can open the door to hosting larger and more frequent parties. When we talk about food and beverage, we often talk about the cost of the operation. If you have never experienced the job of running a food service, you may not be very aware of the overhead involved. The food and beverage service has five basic areas of cost. These areas are labor, equipment and storage, spoilage, cost of goods and management. Labor cost is always a challenge, since it is a reflection of the volume of business, and with most facilities, the volume fluctuates. At times there can be a demand for more help and, unfortunately, there are times when the business is slow and you have staff standing around. You may need three people on hand during the lunch hour, but from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., only one person is needed. A good manager will try to find ways of keeping everyone busy, or he will have to find help that can work short shifts during the high traffic times. What the consumer seldom appreciates or understands is the labor cost in the preparation of food. If a sandwich cost $10 dollars, the ingredients may only cost $2, but the total labor was around $5. This cost often becomes an issue at clubs when members are hosting small activities, like league matches. The member is often able to purchase snacks at a lower cost from a deli for such an event. The idea of having the
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club provide the same service at a greater expense doesnt compute for many members. You will hear the member say, Why should I pay $10 for food for the tennis round robin, when I can go to the store and buy the same for only $6. Theres no solution to this problem. If you mandate that the members use the club facilities, there will be resentment and unhappy members. Hopefully, the relationship the members develop with your bar/restaurant service through proper PR and quality service will persuade the member to pay a few more dollars to use your clubs food service. What the member often misses in the equation is that they are providing the labor when they bring in outside food. In many restaurants, the labor is often subsidized through tips. This will not be the case in all clubs. Members feel that since they pay dues, they have already subsidized the staff, so tips are rare and minimal. This means that you will need to pay more to maintain quality help. When you first set up the bar/restaurant, you will have hopefully installed the right equipment to handle the demand. What you need to also consider is the cost of keeping this equipment operational. Everything from servicing the emergency fire equipment, to taking care of the dish washer, is an ongoing expense. Since much of the equipment will be leased, i.e., a soda fountain, dishwashers, specialized product displays, the equipment provider will have someone who regularly services these items. This is one of the reasons leasing is more beneficial that buying. All of your refrigerators, ovens, and stoves are constantly in need of maintenance and cleaning. Because deliveries are based on supply and demand, storage space will often be needed for the many paper goods and accessories needed to run the day-to-day operation. Storing products cost money and take up space; make sure you calculate that into your cost of operation. Part of storage is spoilage. This is another unseen cost that is not well appreciated by the customer. A wellrun operation will order supplies as accurately as possible to avoid waste and spoilage. If you could measure this spoilage by percentage, the industry considers 10 to 15% spoilage as acceptable. To be added to this percentage is overage, or what is cut away from a product to make it acceptable for consumption. As an example, you get a
head of lettuce and usually discard a few of the outer leafs or you serve a sandwich and, for presentation, provide garnishes. The largest expense is provisions. If you have a seasoned chef, or the right contacts, you will have your goods delivered by a wholesaler. This is the real benefit of having a proper operating license. Most deliveries are scheduled on a regular basis with a common inventory re-stocking that has evolved from the menu. For special events and an increase or decrease in business, the chef will slightly alter these orders. The last part of your operating overhead is management. Usually the manager will also be either your head bartender or your chef. He or she is in charge of the operation. They will oversee ordering and inventory, decide on the menu, hire and fire personnel, take care of scheduling and bookkeeping and also monitor the cleanliness of the operation. Keeping a kitchen clean is no small task. Everybody plays a role in making this a full-time priority. Cleanliness and timeliness are integral of food service. Nothing hurts the image of a restaurant more than having slow service, especially in clubs, where members are on the move to meet a class, get to a court, or just get on with their errands. When hiring a manager, you should consider these two issues: first, what quality of food and service are they capable of providing, and second, how adept are they at promoting and selling their product. In most cases, you will not find those two qualities in the same person. There is a reason for this, and its easy to understand if you have ever worked in this business. Ordering, preparing and presenting food is a full time job, you dont have much time to interact with the members. There will be times, like parties or special events, where the chef will be able to get out of the kitchen and mingle, but really good chefs that are also managers, will be successful because they can adjust the business as they see demand change. If you feel you need more business in your bar/restaurant through promotional activities, you may need to hire a pro or have someone else in the club operation take on that task. Many facilities rely heavily on booking parties and events. This may end up being the source of income for your restaurant/bar that allows it to produce a profit.
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As for the bar, how you operate will depend on the license you are able to acquire. If you are fortunate to have a full liquor license, this will provide an opportunity for a complete menu of drinks. You can enhance sales by creating specialty drinks that pertain to the events and sports you offer at the club. Each state will have different laws that you need to be aware of. These laws are very important to follow. Most of your bartenders will need special state certified training that pertains to serving alcohol. You will need to know whether juniors are allowed to be at the bar or even in an area that serves alcohol. Again, these laws vary dramatically from state to state, and if not observed, can cost you your operating license. Good luck finding quality software that will integrate the Club with your bar/restaurant operation. If youre lucky, the software you use for the Club will have a module that can handle the transactions of a restaurant. These transactions would include
inputting orders and the ability to charge the members account. Some software will even describe in detail what the member ordered and that information will appear on their bill. You will want to use a charge system like this to avoid using cash and to minimize members inquiries concerning their charges. Finally, you need to discover the right niche for your bar/restaurant business. Before you cut back on services to lower your overhead, do some research to find out what your market is. Do you have a number of people that are looking for take-out lunches? Are there students coming to the club after school looking for snacks? Is there a market for private parties? People have to eat. Thats a fact. Youve got the membership that can provide the business, all you need to do is find out what they are looking for and provide that service. Do that and you have the right recipe for a successful food service and hopefully an appreciative membership that will become loyal and steady customers.
SWI M M ERS AN D POOLS

How come the pool is so cold? How come the pool doesnt have restricted times just for adults? How come the pool doesnt provide more time for classes? How come the pool is too warm for lap swimmers? How come the pool uses so much chlorine? How come the club doesnt make it a rule that everyone must shower before going swimming? How come the pool doesnt open up earlier in the morning? You might call the pool business in clubs, the How come business. There is a reason for this. Swimmers and those who use the pool have chosen that recreation for specific and important reasons. Pools are the perfect venue for those who are rehabilitating from injuries or in need of therapeutic programs. At the same time, lap swimmers, seem almost addicted to a regiment that they need to keep. Swimming is one of the best forms of exercise there is. Once a person discovers this, they soon become an avid swimmer thats hooked on the sport. Managers need to realize how passionate these members are about their swimming, and work towards providing a venue that will accommodate it. Youll find out how passionate these members are when your pool goes down for a brief amount of time due to equipment problems or for general maintenance. The How Comers will be at your door and in your ear like no one else. Understand there are good reasons for their concern. Many of these people are in pain, they need the spa or the pool to help control or manage that pain. The weightlessness water creates can provide the only form of exercise for some people. Anyone who has ever had a serious injury, especially if they are an active person, knows how important it is to maintain a consistent and steady recovery program. Once again, the
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pool may be the only source of exercise, and very likely prescribed by a doctor or a physical therapist. For those who enjoy lap swimming, keeping a regiment is also very important. Most swimmers are working on both form and endurance. Any endurance athlete needs to work out daily and, with swimming, unlike running, this is possible. Theres one other facet of swimming that managers need to take in account. Unlike many other forms of exercise, swimming can act like a calming therapy. Its sort of a cross between yoga, distance running or walking, and isolation therapy. For some people, that time spent in the pool can be just the ticket to balancing out their lives. Theres no competition involved, the noise of the world goes away, and metabolism gets an opportunity to be elevated in a smooth and natural way. You take this away from a stressed-out person and youre going to hear about it. So now that we have established the importance of the pools, lets focus on how that amenity can be presented and maintained. First and foremost, always remember that any body of water poses a potential danger. As a rule of thumb, you cant be safe enough in the design and maintenance of your pools. Its not just the drowning; its also the risk of slipping and falling. This risk is higher due to the fact that often the pool or spa is the choice of exercise for the elderly or disabled. Every surface should be tested for being too slippery. Every step should have completely functional hand rails. The lighting inside and outside the pool should be kept up to par at all times. The signs should be complete and very specific so that every member knows the rules and regulations. Dont wait for your local health department to tell you what you need to do, know the local laws and requirements so that you operation is up to code. With children playing and running about, you want to make sure that your facility provides a safe environment even when there is no lifeguard on duty. Speaking of lifeguards, there is only one type of lifeguard: one that is completely certified and has the training to be professional and attentive at all times. Nothing can be more tragic than the loss of life from drowning. Six people drown in U.S. pools every day. In fact, 19% of drowning deaths involving children occur in public pools with certified lifeguards present. Keep this in
mind when you are hiring those who are going to take on this responsibility. Now that you have a safe and well designed pool area, address the equipment that is going to keep your pool up and running 24/7. In general, there are many systems that can run a pool. The system is the filters, circulation motors and heaters that you will be using. The choice of these systems will be determined by the size of the pool and the amount of usage. The first priority will be creating optimum circulation for the size of the pool. The more water you can run through the filters, the cleaner you will be able to keep the pool. Keep in mind that you are limited by the design of the pipes and location of the skimmers and drains. For instance, you may want to add horse power to your circulation motor, but if the piping is too small, the reverse of what you trying to accomplish will take place. Too much power can create too much pressure on the filters and they will not work efficiently. Whether you use sand filters or cartridge filters, the pressure of the filters must be kept constant. If the pressure does get too high, it is often because the filters need cleaning or backwashing. Backwashing consists of running of the system in reverse to clean out the filters and wash the waste into the sewer. The flow will also affect the heating of the water. Your pool service should be able to recommend the heater that will provide the proper amount of BTUs for the quantity of water in the pool. Note that larger heaters will usually be more energy efficient. Again, if the circulation is good, which, by the way, may be monitored by a flow meter, and then the heaters will have enough water passing through them to be effective.
With most commercial pools, the amount of usage can vary from hour to hour. For that reason, most facilities will install automated chemical control systems. These systems feed your basic chemicals, chlorine and acid, into the pool as the monitor detects demand. You may need to supplement these systems with occasional manual feeding. You will also need to manually add other chemicals that stabilize water hardness and alkalinity. If you have a pool that has been built with plaster or cement, the hardness of the water can literally pull the material right out of the walls of the pool and deteriorate the surface. For this reason, and others concerning wear and tear, many facilities are re-surfacing their pools with fiberglass. This surface can last for up to 30 years.
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Finally, you will be visited at least once a year by your local health department. Dont panic, they are there to help you do your job, not criticize you or try to give you a hard time. Here is a short list of what they will be looking for: 1. The chemical balance of the pool. 2. The accuracy of the flow meter. 3. The suction and function of the skimmers (make sure your weirs, the flapper that keeps the bad stuff from going back out into the pool, are in place 4. All of your signs, depth markers, and rules are properly posted. 5. You lifeguard equipment, back board, lifesavers, health kits, and grab bars are in place. Your staff or your pool service should be able to keep your pool chemically balanced, but you will need cleaning tools to keep the debris out of the pool. Your skimmers and drains will capture most of this material, but vacuuming the pool regularly, or using an automated pool cleaner during the night will be helpful. This is especially true if you use lane lines, because the lines can adversely affect the function of the skimmers. Outdoor pools are subject to a great deal of debris brought in from the wind. Make it a habit to have your staff skim the surface as often as possible. In addition to regular maintenance and cleaning, stay on top of alternative cleaning and purification methods. You may discover that the addition of an ozone system, or chlorine free system, will not only help the look of the water, but will be received by the members with open arms. Most members do not care for overly chlorinated pools, or just pools that have too much chemicals. To make sure that you can run a tight ship and to keep down time to a minimum, keep backup parts on hand. If something breaks every few years, keep an extra part in the closet. Because many of the pool parts are also plumbing parts, supplies can take a while to get to your repair man. In some states, companies are taxed on their inventory, so they dont keep any, meaning it can take weeks to get the parts you need. Also, since chlorine and acid, the two main chemicals you are adding to the pool, are toxic, you will not be able to keep a large inventory at your facility, and so make sure your supplier is reliable. 6. That the equipment, like the railing, steps, and lighting, is safe and secured. 7. That there are no hazardous materials or unsafe areas that can cause tripping or slipping. 8. That your pool testing is done regularly, such as three times a day and also recorded. 9. That the general cleanliness of the pool and the area around the pool is up to clean, safe and non-toxic. Every state and county have different rules and regulations governing public pools, and you need to stay on top of these laws, not only to prevent being shut down, but also to operate safely. To be able to overcome the How Comes of your facility, listen to them. People who swim everyday will be the people who know what you need to do. They know the result they want. Its up to you to find out how to provide it. Although their requests may vary, the fact is, getting the pool to always be clean and ready to use, is the principal challenge.
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TH E CLU B GAR DEN ER

One beautiful morning you come to the club and in your voice mail there is a message from a member, Youve got a geyser in the back of your club. Great help, but where the heck is it, and whos going to fix it. If you have a layout of your irrigation plans, and have a capable gardener, you can have that problem taken care of by the afternoon. If you dont have someone like that, and cant fix it yourself, youre going to have a wake-up geyser for your neighbor for a few days to come. The landscaping and gardens that surround your club just dont come from nature; they are the product of good planning and good daily maintenance. If the Front Desk is the first impression you make on someone entering the club, then your exterior appearance will be that which makes the first visual impression on those entering the club as well as everyone who drives past. Some facilities are fortunate to have a piece of property that provides an opportunity for a landscape architect to create a wonderful ambience. Dont miss this opportunity. The proper seasonal plants and flowers send a wonderful message to anyone entering the facility. It tells those entering that this is a place that is attended to daily and a message that the owners care about the appearance and the impression they make on those visiting the facility. Depending on your location, designing for the seasons can be a challenge. If the array can be changed seasonally, it is a wonderful look that many of your members will actually look forward to. The fall can provide color and a subtle message of the holidays that are approaching. The spring can show the coming of the good weather and the launching of a fresh start. These messages that you are providing through your landscaping can be mirrored in the operation of the club. If you were having a holiday party, the plants and flowers could be the first presentation of that event. A Welcome New Members Party, could be announced via a new set of plants or flowers in the front of the club. Theres much more to landscaping than meets the eye. A good gardener will take into consideration many characteristics that are individual to the facility. Does the landscaping work with or against the traffic of the members? People will always take the shortest route to get from their car to the front door, dont fight it. Are the bushes and trees manageable? Its great to have growth, but if the planting grows too much, it may grow out of reach for maintenance. Take advantage of the fact that some bushes and shrubs are great for curbing sound and noise pollution. They can also work as great natural wind breakers to protect areas of the club, like the outdoor tennis courts or pool. Another natural advantage plants can provide is shade. This doesnt only have to be shade for people, but shade to protect parts of the facility. You may want to cut down on the amount of sun that hits some of the windows and causes those areas behind those windows to become very hot. Along with all the benefits that the landscaping can bring your facility, there are a number of concerns. Tall trees can bring on three separate issues. First, they can shed leaves, sap or bark that will create a mess and can damage parked cars. They can really become an issue if they surround the tennis courts or outdoor pool. There is also the issue of roots. Roots can spread, ruining tennis courts, decks, sidewalks and more. Remember, when you plant that cute little tree, you have to take into consideration that its going to grow; the question is, how much. Will your plants attract bugs or animals? Some plants produce berries and fruit that are attractive to both insects and animals. Other plants make for a perfect nesting area for birds, and although birds are nice to have around, you may not want an over protective mother black bird attacking your members as they come into the club. With plants that bear nuts, some birds will gather these nuts and then drop them on a hard surface to crack them open; that hard surface may be your tennis courts. A couple other considerations that are often overlooked when planting is the attention your irrigation system will require and the effect these plants will have on erosion of the grounds. Managers should not have to be weather forecasters. Your layout should take into consideration droughts and heavy rains. Plan and plant for the worst so that you can avoid any dramatic setbacks caused by bad weather conditions.
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An automatic sprinkler system is very important and will require proper planning before laying it out. Will you need a drip system, sprayers, or will you need to hand water? Which system will be the most effective and efficient, and which system will need the least amount of maintenance? Remember that these systems are usually required to have a back flow check yearly. This test guarantees that water in your irrigation lines does not back up into lines that provide your drinking water. Approved local plumbers can install your backflow device and send the confirmation to your local water department. Your gardener should be able to help guide you through your soil needs and fertilizing requirements, just remember to use indigenous plants to help guarantee their survival. Planting anything at your facility and watching it die will send a
message to your membership that you are inattentive so you need to make sure what you put in the ground will grow. For some clubs there will also be interior plants and micro gardens. It is surprising what a positive impact a beautiful and well placed flower treatment can make in your front lobby. A touch of color and a few decorative plants throughout the club will make the facility so much more friendly and comfortable. Often these projects are taken on by someone other than your gardener. There are businesses that provide this type of service to facilities. It may cost a few dollars, but it is well worth it to have a club that looks attractive. If all goes well, you should have beautiful setting that is easy to maintain and comfortably coexists with the day-to-day operation of the facility.
FAC I L I T Y E N G I N E E R S
Nothing will bring down a facility faster than developing a reputation of not being clean. Call them janitors or domestic engineers, or whatever you want to call them, but there is one thing for sure, they better be reliable and proficient or you will hear about it. If they are quality workers, like so many areas of the club, their success will result in occasional praise and compliments; thats when you know the job is really getting done. You have two choices in acquiring this service. You can contact local cleaning services that specialize in doing this type of work, or you can hire staff to work directly for you. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. With a service, they are responsible for making sure that you will always have the cleaning attended to. You will not have to worry about attendance, employee benefits or fluctuating payroll. When taking this direction, you will be looking for a very professional approach to your cleaning needs. You also will not have to worry about inventory and equipment, like vacuum cleaners, mops, brooms and the like. That all sounds quite good, so what is the down side? Ironically, the down side sounds pretty much like the benefits you are getting. You are likely to have different people coming and going from these companies. Although you may have the same representative from these companies for quite some time, historically, their employees will move on and find better paying jobs, or in essence, cutting out the middle man. This transition results in several issues, including retraining, security, and familiarity. Obviously, if you have the same people working for you for a number of years, they are familiar both to you and to your members. Remember, this is a club business, if you are successful; you are going to make your members feel like the club is their home, which is why they appreciate a familiar face working at their club. Heres a reason to hire your own people that is often overlooked: what about the occasional mishap, spontaneous party, or unforeseen accident. This is the real world when you are dealing with a facility full of people using it 24/7. Stuff happens, and when it does, will you have the people and, for that matter, the equipment to deal with it? Will you be able to call your service and ask them
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to be there immediately to help you? And, concerning the equipment, how often will you need a vacuum cleaner or a mop during the day? What if you run out of toilet paper or soap, will the service company be able to help you right at that moment? If you choose to hire your own staff, here are few tips. First, hire a staff that can work well together, which includes both the social aspect and a common language. Too often the job of keeping the club clean overlaps and these employees get territorial, gaps will develop. The job of cleaning does not work well with a time clock. A bathroom is easily finished and clean or isnt. If there is a great deal of work to be done, you want to have an employee whose schedule is flexible enough to finish the job, or you want that employee to feel comfortable enough to pass it onto a co-worker. The same could be true about larger projects. Some cleaning projects may only need one person to do the job, but for whatever reason, there may be a need to have several people to do the work. Perhaps its the clean up after a large party. Your cleaning staff again should feel comfortable enough to call for help and if some reason they dont work well together, that can be a problem. As much as you would like your cleaning staff to disappear into the wood work, when it comes to clubs, thats just not going to happen. For that reason, try to hire people who can pleasantly interact with your membership. This is so important to the overall mentality of the club. If something is dirty or needs cleaning, a member will likely point that out to a nearby cleaning person. You are going to want that employee to respond gracefully, not negatively. Because so many people are using the same space, this is a very common occurrence, and to think that your managers or other staff people are always going to be on hand at the point of impact is just not realistic.
Heres a good tip for handling cleaning supplies and inventory. Contract a local sales person who provides these materials and create a program that allows him to work with your cleaning crew to balance the flow of your inventory. You dont want to run out of any product, but at the same time, you dont want to over purchase. Storage for these materials should be both accessible and organized for your cleaning staff. Speaking of accessible, many clubs make the mistake of placing their trash bins in locations that require your cleaning staff to haul dirty materials across the facility. There is also the issue of smell. Make sure that your trash receptacles stay clean inside the club, and that the trash bins outside the club are located downwind of any outdoor activity. Take all of this into consideration when you provide recycle bins. Members will appreciate this effort to recycle, but often they will use these bins for trash, either by accident, or because they are too lazy to take the extra step. Whatever the reason, you will need your cleaning people to stay on top of this project. If you want to monitor your cleaning people, you may want to establish a check list. As they perform their daily chores, they can check off their actions on a list. This will assist them so that they dont miss anything in their rounds, and it will give you a way to monitor their efficiency. You will find that it will not be enough to just check this list; you will have to follow through with making sure that they have actually performed the task. Take care of these people. They are important and have to work in some very difficult situations and with some very toxic materials. Make sure that they use the proper protective equipment, masks, goggles, etc. and that they review OSHA regulations. This department, along with your maintenance department, will suffer the highest number of injuries and health problems in your business. Limit these incidents as much as possible.
THE CHILDCARE CENTER

A young couple who have been members for a number of years, even met at your club and upgraded into a family membership, has just informed you that regretfully must leave your club and join another. What happened? They just had their first child and needed a facility that has services for the very young ones. There are many rural clubs that are experiencing this transition. As a result, clubs that made it through the early years of marriage with many couples, find themselves on the outside looking in on this new trend and watching their membership shrink. If you have defined your club to be viewed upon as family friendly, you may need to make some changes, the first being the development of a childcare center.
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If you want to become a family club, or are already a family club, the quality of your family membership will be defined by your Childcare center. This area of the industry is a very challenging division. There is no one more demanding than a new young parent. I they are serious about raising their children; they will be very serious about where and with whom their children stay. Lets start with where their children are going to stay. The optimum location for a childcare center is to have it located as near to the front entrance of the club as possible. The first thing a parent needs to be able to do is drop off their child so they can head to a class or to the courts. If possible, its perceived as a great asset if the children have access to an outside play area. Being stuck inside all the time can get to be hard on both the children and those watching the children. An even more optimum scenario is to have the childcare center broken up so that some of the children can take naps, and at the same time still be supervised. Be careful of two issues, locating the childcare center so close that the noise is a problem for the entrance area, or locating so that the children staying there have a view of other activities. Once a child can see their parent, theyre not going want to stay in that area for very long. With a good location you can now address the physical needs of the childcare center. If possible, have a bathroom in that area, with a door that doesnt lock. Make sure all of the handles are out of reach of small children. All of the electrical outlets and the cupboards need child proofing. Anything mounting on the walls needs to be secured to withstand the effects of an earthquake or any other type of disaster. Doors must be installed that will not slam shut due to the wind. Both heat and cooling system should be installed so that they will not blow directly onto the children. All of the toys must be safe to use, not only by a child on their own, but in interaction with others. The corners of tables, chairs and any furniture should be rounded and void of any
sharp corners that would be dangerous to children. The flooring should also be soft, but at the same time easy to clean. Carpet is a good example of a material that can be soft, but very difficult to keep clean. Remember, children can be very messy when they eat, and not everything goes into the mouth. You will also need a small refrigerator to keep foods fresh. Parents will often deliver their children along with a small snack and those snacks are often perishable. Maybe tops on the list will be a First Aid kit, fire extinguisher, and emergency alarm system. Note that your First Aid kit mush meet OSHA requirements and should stay stocked at all times. The fire extinguisher must be serviced every year and the alarm system should be accompanied with a manual that describes what those in the Childcare Center need to do in case of an emergency. If there is a fire, where to they go? How do they rendezvous with their parents? How can they call 911 in case of an emergency? Can they call out from the phone in the Childcare Center? Along the lines of an emergency, a childcare system needs to have a very accurate and monitored system of checking in and checking out the children. The parent needs to sign in their child, properly recording the time of checking in and the time they check out. You never want a stranger picking up a child unless the parent who dropped off their child is there to release them. Those supervising the children need to know where that parent is in the facility. The supervisors also need to be made aware of any individual needs a child has. Are they restricted from certain foods? Do they take any special medicines? Do they have any allergic reactions? As you can see, there are many very important questions to be answered when operating a Childcare Center. For that reason it can be a very wise decision to install a camera recording system. This is as much for the monitoring of the employees as it is for
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monitoring the children. If a parent should ever make any accusations about how their child was treated, you would have visual backup. Realize that it may not be an incident between your employee and a child; it could be between some of the children staying there, or even by another visiting member. Establish a set of policies that you can live with. Often clubs bend over backwards to meet the needs of a few parents, and in turn sacrifice the overall quality provided by the Childcare. As an example, a member brings in a nine-week old child and in an effort to make the new mother happy and give her some time off, the employee in the Center offers to take care of the infant. The next thing you know, four more children come in and your employee is saddled with having to give all her attention to the nineweek old and little to the others. A good set of policies and rules will take the judgment out of those decisions. Here is a list that will serve as a good start: 1. Establish an age and time limit, i.e., At least three months and older, or more specific, Daily Time limit is three months-12 months: 1 1/2 hours max. 2. 1 year and older: 2 1/2 hours max. 3. Parents must return to Childcare on time. 4. Fees are set based on 1/2 hour integrals. 5. Parents must provide the diapers and wipes. 6. Parents must provide extra cloths if in diaper or toilet training. 7. Parents must provide a healthy snack and beverage, (children cannot share with others). 8. Do not bring peanut products, balloons, toy weapons, gum or candy. 9. Parents cannot bring children who are ill.
Of all the employees that you are going to hiring for your facility, there MAKE IT A HABIT is no one that needs to be more TO USING scrutinized than those you hire for SERVICES LIKE the Childcare Center. These are M EGANSLAW.COM the people that are going to take TO RESEARCH care and be responsible for your FURTHER. members most precious part of their life. Take the time to review the employees history in detail as far back as possible. Also, take the time to interview their former employees and if possible, some of the parents that they have provided service for in the past. At least three years of history should be available. Make it a habit to using services like MegansLaw.com to research further. Most states will have this information freely available for your review. You can never be too thorough. You will discover that usually this is an older person who has already experienced the process of raising a child. Young people may be more available, but often not as suited to display the patients and understanding needed. For this reason, it is advisable to hire someone to be in charge of the Childcare Center. This will allow an immediate go-to person for the parents if issues arise. Remember that Childcare is transitional. Often issues that seem difficult, go away in few years. There are those few children that always find it difficult to be separated from their parents; you Childcare Center cannot be the perfect place for every child to stay. Hopefully, with the right environment and the right employees, parents will appreciate this accommodation and you will quickly discover that this will become one of your strongest recommendations that your club will receive.
P R O S H O P P R OTO CO L
The two main factors that impact sales in a pro shop are, first the demand for the products the pro shop sales, and second is the quantity of people that frequent the shop. In the global market, the general demand for tennis products is the direct result of the popularity and the growth of the game, but in the case of pro shops, the popularity of tennis in any given community can vary as a result of the efforts of the local tennis leaders. Tennis directors, tennis pros and tennis enthusiast in a community can be directly responsible for the local enthusiasm and, in turn, the demand on tennis products. Because of this, it is very important that pro shop owners get directly involved with these people. Historically, pro shops that have done well have made it a point to be active in local tennis events, activities and community tournaments. Sponsorship or direct help in servicing these events will all help bond with the
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participants of these events. This will also help generate exposure that is more personal and relevant than what is usually provided through general advertisement. Because most clients of pro shops are repeat business, developing a two-way sense of loyalty is very important. Interacting with local events both helps develop this loyalty and creates a greater sense of familiarity between customer and the pro shop. Smart pro shops create the three Rs, recognize, recall and results. Translated this means that when a customer comes into a shop they are able to recognize instantly that persons name and needs. Second they can recall what that customers level of play is and why they have come to the pro shop. Lastly the stay in touch with the results that the player has had in either league or tournament play. This familiar relationship between the pro shop and the customer is what sets it apart from being just another sporting goods store. A quality shop will answer the phone by stating, This is your pro shop (name of shop), what are your tennis needs today. This type of bonding also leads to many referrals, which in small communities is very important. This importance in enhanced by the fact that many tennis players feel their equipment is part of the success of their game. How their rackets are strung, the proper attire needed for the weather, and even the encouragement they receive at their pro shop develops a personal relationship that is special. Those who have a passion for the game, be it competitive, recreational or for the fitness, will have that passion fed and nurtured at a quality pro shop. This can make for very demanding clients, but it can also make for a very loyal and repetitive consumer that is very valuable to a small pro shop. This close relationship also impacts the inventory a pro shop maintains. If you know who your clients are and in turn what they demand, you can more properly streamline your inventory. Being able to keep your inventory limited is important for a small business, especially for pro shops where space is usually an issue. When a pro shop can produce a rapid turnover with a limited inventory, both the owners and the sales people benefit.
The second factor that impacts sales and profits is referred to as the traffic that visits the store. There are four main reasons a pro shop will have great traffic. First is location. Most pro shops are located in clubs, and are considered part of the club. Even in many private clubs, the pro shop will remain open to the public to help increase attendance. The obvious fact is, the number of members the club has, will determine the exposure the pro shop will have, so the only remaining variable, is what percentage of the membership visits the pro shop. Many of todays clubs are multi-sport oriented. Along with their tennis package, they provide swimming, fitness, health centers and spas. A well operated pro shop will then create an inventory to service any of those other sports and recreations. They will use this versatility to increase foot traffic and hopefully introduce their tennis products to the non-tennis player. This leads to the second reason a quality pro shop will have an increase in customer traffic; creative merchandising. If you already have tennis players visiting the pro shop for a junior tennis racket, maybe they also will need a pair of goggles for their children that are using the pool? If someone has come in to buy a pair of sunglasses to address a bright day on the tennis courts, maybe they also need sun block? On the flip side, if a fitness person comes in to buy new clothing for their work outs that helps keep them warm when they leave the facility, maybe they might be interested in buying a tennis warm-up suit? The more ways you can create reasons for a person to come into the pro shop, they more exposure you give your entire inventory. Holidays and special events create the third reason for increased traffic. Take it one step further than just blending in with the theme of the holiday; help the buyer by creating gift ideas. If they are shopping for a racket, add a can of tennis balls, a lesson with the local instructor, or even help book a court time for them down the road. If there is a big tennis event, dont just advertise that you are going to provide overnight stringing for the participants, include pick-up and drop-off services; after all, if a pizza place can provide that service, you certainly could do the same for a brief period of time.
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Valentines Day, Mothers and Fathers Day are perfect opportunity to market your pro shop by having an event at the club that features those days. The fourth method of creating traffic can be provided by connecting the pro shop to the sales of the club. There is no better prospective consumer than a new member. Many times they will need new equipment to break into the game or enhance their current tennis experience. For shops not directly associated with a club, they can offer discounts to new members at any local club. By being part of that beginning experience a new member has at a club, the pro shop will forever be remembered as an important part of that transition. Remember, that with the expansion of so many new multi-sport facilities, there are not just new members to the club, but in many cases new players to the game that were already a part of the clubs other sports. With tennis growing through Cardio Tennis programs and Quick Start programs, more and more people are migrating over to the game. Lastly, there is a new type of traffic that a pro shop can become part of, which is the electronic traffic that has been rapidly growing for the last 20 years. Pro shops need to reach beyond having a web-site, they need to become part of the internet rather than compete with it. An aggressive approach would be to put in the pro shop a computer kiosk that members could use to access the internet and make orders allowing the pro shop to be part of that transaction. Offering special discounts, secured delivery and a convenient computer for easy access is a
benefit pro shops can capitalize on that other larger retail stores are not able to do. If you have a web-site, add links to other locations on the internet for your customers to visit and shop for items. Today, web sites designed through Google provide a service called Google Adwords which enhances your web site by providing direct links to other businesses associated with your products. You can also add links that will accommodate tennis players who need information on tournaments, tennis events and the various internet information centers that provide current updates and news about the game. Not only can they access the USTA, but also the ITF, Davis Cup competition, and the many instructional sites that have developed in recent years. Take it a step further and provide information about the products you carry by directly linking to Wilson, Babolat, or any other main distributor of rackets, so that visitors to your pro shop can get expert information on how a racket performs. An aggressive approach to sales would be to develop your own DVD that would explain which rackets or strings would be best for your style of play. This would help handle the occasional moments when your small sales staff is too busy to properly attend to several customers. Pro shops have historically been the candy store to tennis players. They are unique and an important part of the growth of the game. A club without a pro shop is like a car dealership without a show room, or fine restaurant without a bar. They help personalize the industry and create an atmosphere special for the game of tennis, pampering the players with individual attention on a first name basis.
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M A N AG I N G F R O M TO P TO B OT TO M
Details, Details
You remodel a large portion of your club at great expense and feel very proud of your accomplishments. A number of members point out what an improvement it has made. Overall, the response is business as usual and life at the club goes on. Then one day you replace your weighing scale in the womens locker room, and its as if you had discovered a cure to a major decease. Almost overnight the attitude of the club, especially from the women, has been lifted. Compliments and accolades are abounding and it only took a few dollars. You just spent very few bucks in the big scheme of things and have had a large impact your membership. This is a perfect illustration of how the members perceive the quality and character of their club. Its all too often the little things that make the difference. The reason is that these little things are not little things to the members. Being able to accurately measure your weight might be the most important part of a members day. Theyve been working out, trying for months to get in shape, that scale is their only way of measuring their success or failure. Life is full of surprises. What will the traffic be like, what will the work day conjure up, or what will the children bring home from school? Theres so much that they just dont have control over, and it can be very exasperating. When they come to the club, they dont want that same experience, they want that scale to work the right way every day, no exceptions. If you look closely at your facility, you will notice a number of areas and functions that fall into this category. Try as you may, you will never find a way to keep many of these factors under control every day. Your best approach is to just accept the fact that your club will have a number of functions that are vulnerable to change and erratic behavior. Make a list of these areas, and create an agenda that will allow the monitoring of these areas. Heres a list that might work for you, or at least get you started in the right direction. We might as well start with the scales. Take the time to check that they are adjusted correctly every day. Scales can get moved around when cleaning and can lose their accuracy. Speaking of accuracy, how many clocks do you have in your club? With classes and court times you need to keep everything synchronized. This is especially important to members because many of them will take off their watches when working out, playing or swimming. They become completely dependent of the clocks in your building. It can be very disruptive if someone is playing on the tennis courts where the clocks are off by several minutes, and you have designated court times. One thing that is constantly subject to member scrutiny is the room temperatures. If a yoga room is too cold or a spin cycle room too warm, you will get an ear full from the members using that space. As much as you would like to lock down the thermostats, its not uncommon to have employees and even members try to adjust them. Theres also the possibility that the AC or heating system may have mechanical issues and that need to be addressed. Even more important than the temperature of the rooms is the temperature of the pools, Jacuzzi, steam room or shower water. Any variation in the temperature of these amenities and members will take notice. Even a single degree can be detected by an experienced swimmer. Dont take their comments lightly; the pool temperature is important to serious swimmers or those who are using the pool for rehabilitation. Speaking of water, do you have a way to monitor the water pressure for your facility? When you are filling the pool, does the pressure drop in the showers? Members are acutely aware of this pressure, and with water conservation being everyones concern, you need to let your members know that you are on top of it. Some will say that you should lower the water pressure
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in showers to save water, while others, especially those with long hair, will tell you that it is wasteful not to have good water pressure because it will take so much longer to wash the shampoo out of their hair. Whatever resolution you come to, you will want to keep things consistent and stable. Stabilizing functions at the club is always important when there are different opinions as to what is best for the club. This will come up in the area of music, not only in the volume, but also in the type of music played. It will take some effort to find what works best for everyone, and to make sure that effort is not wasted, monitor the music daily so that the issue doesnt come up again. On the subject of ambience, review your lighting daily. Are the lights staying on too long? Have you adjusted the timers for seasonal time changes? This is an area that is also important for safety. A bulb that has gone out and has not been replaced for a few days can be a liability if it is located in a traffic area. Lights burn out, and they never give you a warning when. Only a daily checkup will keep you abreast of this. If you have a facility that has different sports available to members, many of those sports use equipment that needs daily monitoring. The height of the nets on the tennis courts, the lane lines in the pool, or maybe the equipment used by some of the fitness classes, all need to be kept up to snuff so that the members are able to enjoy the sport or class on a consistent basis.
Finally, there are a number of products that you provide your members for their daily use. They count on these products being available 24/7. Are the water dispensers filled and cups available? If you provide coffee, do you have the cream, sugar and decaf always supplied? Are all the soap, towel and paper supplies kept filled? Are the chairs around the pool stacked properly and kept clean? Are the tennis court scorecards available for use? There is literally a myriad of items that require inventory awareness and regulating. This is why you need to not only have a list, but look towards expanding that list as your club evolves. Finally, a trademark of a manager that pays attention to details is one that makes a point of never being late to meetings or appointments. When a person is late, or constantly has to change the agenda, it portrays a person who puts their needs before those they interact with. It also results in a loss of an agenda, or a personal discipline, that helps overlook the day-to-day needs of the facility. Keeping a schedule goes hand-and-hand with the ability to stay on top of the details of the facility. You will know when you have a handle on the details of your club. Those will be the days when you hear nothing from the membership. Thats how the details work within a club. They may be the most important aspects of a club operation, but essentially go unnoticed until they are a problem. Do yourself a favor and create a walkthrough list to help you remember those things that you dont want to hear about.
GRAPHS, CHARTS & MAPS

Youre at dinner with friends and enjoying a wonderful evening out when suddenly the waiter approaches you and informs you that you have an urgent call. Its from your Front Desk manager who has been trying to reach you because of a broken pipe that is flooding the facility. Your evening is shot, and so are the next few days trying to recover from the damage done. Could all of this have been prevented? Maybe the maintenance staff needs to be on-hand 24/7? Maybe they were on hand, but a plumber was needed. Maybe the managers need to know how to fix anything that goes wrong. Or maybe, you need to reevaluate your method of managing. Thats a sour pill to swallow, but even the best of managers can come up short on the subject of maintenance. We can have the best personnel and the best contacts in the industry, but without a proper emergency response procedure in place, we will fall prey to the unexpected. The fact is, even with a great emergency plan, you will still have issues. There is a solution. Start by creating a complete maintenance information center. If you dont think you need this, ask yourself this question, If a maintenance person on staff were to leave suddenly, how much
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information would go with him? If the answer is any at all, then you need a maintenance information center.
CREATE A COMPLETE
Essentially the maintenance MAINTENANCE information center is allINFORMATION encompassing. All of the manuals, charts, CENTER. and specialty tools are in this location. Start putting this department together with copies of all the manuals. Note that you want to make copies, keep the originals in If you have a number of employees the main office. Every piece of machinery, equipment working in your maintenance department, you will or appliance has a manual. Usually, these manuals are need to create a system to control inventory of the locked away and unavailable to your maintenance crew. tools and equipment. Nothing is more frustrating than Set up the files in the order of a combination of not having the right tool for the right job. If you have a alphabetical and usage. As an example, your freezer growing club, or a very large club, over the years you will goes on the fritz; it would be filed under F for freezer find it both cost and time efficient to buy the equipment and also under R for restaurant. It is important to rather than rent or hire someone to perform a task. Carpet make sure that the manuals are available in all the cleaners, tile cleaners, special steam cleaners, court languages that are used by your employees. cleaners, paint sprayers and many gardening tools can often become part of your inventory so that you can take The next most helpful thing in case of an care of many projects on your own. If you are going to emergency, is the implementation of charts. spend the money to invest in these items, you need to Charting your club can be broken down into three spend the time to make sure they are always kept in good sections. One chart would cover the electrical. Large working condition and properly stored. buildings can have many different panel boxes housing breakers for different sections of the building. Knowing Speaking of storing, you need to do the same with which breaker covers which switch and which plug is not the information that is collected when items are only helpful but also can be a life saver. Tag the breakers repaired. Every time something breaks and is repaired, a so that any employee knows what breaker affects what record should be kept of how that action was performed. area of the club. You must be specific; there is no room If you take the time to analyze this data, you would notice for error. They sell systems that can help you trace the that usually the same things break around the facility. It outlets and switches to the proper breakers. could be the handles on the showers, certain parts on the exercise equipment, or the sprinklers in the gardens. The Now chart your plumbing. There are probably many more usage you have, the more likely certain things will valves that operate within your water system. If a shower break. Besides making sure you have plenty of breaks, do you have a valve that would allow you to turn replacement parts, write down the steps taken to repair off that shower, or the shower area? If a main pipe were these items so that anyone in the maintenance to break, would your staff know how to turn off the water department can fix them. This will also provide a record to the entire facility? How about the fire sprinkler that may lead to some changes in your operation, or at system? Do they know where the alarms are, and the least changes in how a certain item functions. valves that need to be turned off once the fire is put out? Plumbing also includes what is going out of your club. If This approach means more paper work for a a toilet overflows, does everybody know how to turn it manager, but in the end, its either more paper off? If you get a sewage backup, will the staff know who work or more interrupted late evenings or nights. to call and then be able to direct the emergency Mitigate the paper load by using a computer spread plumbers to the right locations, such as the clean outs. sheet to track this data.
The other chart of importance would be one that clearly demonstrates how your ventilation systems function. Where is the A/C hooked up and where does the duct work run? A large building can have several units on top of the building that are dedicated to various rooms. Map out which unit covers which space along with the seasonal servicing these units need.
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SAFETY AND INSURANCE

Safety and your insurance coverage go hand and hand. They are connected by your performance and your ability to prevent accidents. In fact, prevention is the real quest in the recreation, health and fitness industries. Dont wait for someone to tell you about a potential problem. See it before it happens. Your insurance company will provide you with a free tour of your club and point out potential problems. OSHA provides, and in some instances cases mandates, your business to follow safety protocols for your business. At the end of the day, your trained eyes will create the safest environment for your members and employees. Many managers will tour their facility daily and also have their staff do the same. Here are few good tips to make that tour effective and more observant: 1. Map the tour, or follow a pattern that is consistent so that you can become attuned to what is normal and what is out of place. 2. Keep a list of past problems so your awareness of these issues is in the forefront of your thoughts. 3. Make a note of weather conditions, wind, snow, ice, and as best as you can, try to forecast problems and prepare for them. 4. Perspective is important. You see things from your standpoint, how would a tall person or small person be affected? How would a very light person or heavy person be affected? 5. If something could possibly go wrong it will. No matter what the odds, never take a risk. If something has gone wrong once, then make a change right away. 6. When something dangerous is reported to you, it becomes reality. Once its on record, you are liable. How quickly and accurately you respond will be very important if any insurance issues come up. Also, a prompt diligent response shows the member that you are concerned and serious about what took place. You dont want to react either emotionally or nonchalantly, these reactions can be misinterpreted and spin off into further complications. Start by getting as much information as fast as you can. Any time between an incident and the reporting of that incident can dilute the information. Make sure your information is documented and if possible supported by more people. All clubs should have on hand an accident or incident report form that can be filled out immediately by everyone involved. Lets review three separate incidents to better understand the complications that can occur with accidents and the response of your insurance company. A member comes to visit the club and has brought her dog along. You have signs posted that state clearly that you do not allow pets on the premises. She wants to grab something from her locker quickly, so ties her dog up to a post out in front and runs inside. In the meantime, an elderly gentleman exits the facility and with his poor eyesight does not see the leash and trips over it causing him to bump his head. An eyewitness goes immediately to the front desk and reports the incident. Your front desk person calls 911, and rushes to the scene. He quickly gathers the names of everyone involved, including the person who owned the dog and was about to leave. Fortunately, the elder gentleman is not severely hurt, but the legal implications from this point on could get ugly. First of all, the degree of the injury is not relevant to you. That will be determined by a group of people that you will have no influence on. A month passes and you get a call from a lawyer representing the injured person. Whether it is a call or a letter, your response is should be limited to your accident report, and you should notify your insurance company of a potential claim. At that point you may or may not find yourself in a lawsuit, but thats why you have insurance. Fortunately, because your employee responded properly, you are in good shape. You also had the foresight to post a sign concerning pets on the premises that exempts you from any responsibility. Because the employee called 911 immediately, he both showed responsibility and concern about the member. He also shifted the care of that senior from the club to the emergency people. Because you have an eyewitness documented account, you have yourself covered. The problem is now in the hands of the insurance company
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and the owner of the dog. This example shows the importance of foreseeing a problem and posting the sign about dogs. You have on record a great employee response to the incident, and most importantly, you have immediate and accurate records of what really took place. A member slips and fall in the shower on what she claims is a very slippery gel. You have installed slip proof tiles and grab bars for safety. Once again you response is perfect, both quick and accurate. Later you get a call from this person who claims that the showers are improperly cleaned and you are responsible for the accident. Once again, a report is sent to your insurance agent just in case. You also obtain a record of your janitorial services and their schedule. Even though the gel probably came from the user of the shower just before the incident, you need this information to show the injured party that you are diligent about your cleaning procedures. You can follow up by sending a letter showing the times that your janitors clean the showers and the chemicals they use, but thats as much as you can do. Youve engineered the showers to be as safe as possible with the slip proof tile and grab bars, and your cleaning procedure can be backed up. If the member has further concerns, they will be addressed by your insurance company. A member enters the Jacuzzi and cuts his finger on a screw that has become dislodged holding an underwater light fixture. He has a very serious cut and goes to the emergency room for attention. After receiving ten stitches, he is released and sent home. Your employee made out an accident report, and you were quick to make sure that all of the light fixtures are not only properly installed, but you have retrofitted all of the fixtures with new screws that have a softer edge. You call up the member the next day and inform him that you have reported this to your insurance company and that they will be contacting him in the near future. A month goes by, and he has not received any compensation from the insurance company to compensate him for missing time at work or for his medical cost. This is an important juncture; most insurance companies will drag their feet when it comes to getting out the checks for claims. They may be quick to respond to your needs, but in this case, this gentleman is not their costumer and probably has his own insurance company. You need to step in right away and put
pressure on your agent to handle this quickly before it blows up into a larger problem. The lesson learned? Never assume that the insurance companies will respond promptly. Stay on top of the case until it is fully resolved. All insurance companies will ask you to review your coverage each year. This is a great time to shop for better prices. Often companies will provide a lower rate, and then with time, slowly raise your rates. This is especially true in workmens compensation, where the rates are more negotiable than most managers realize. Keep track of your performance rating and the how your employees are classified. These two measurements will largely determine your rates. Look for companies that specialize in covering the health and fitness industry. They often can provide a better package because they are more capable of securing an underwriter by marketing a larger group of applicants. The insurance companies for liability, health or workmens compensation, are very profitable, but also very competitive. Take advantage of this competitive market and always keep an eye out for a good deal with good coverage. Most companies will require you to have your members and their guests, sign waivers before using the club. A waiver of responsibility can help but remember, you can not waive negligence. No matter what a member or guest signs, you will be responsible if it was an event that you could have prevented, especially if you have been warned about the possibility of this event, or have a history of this event taking place. One more area concerning the safety of your club is having in place a proper emergency plan. How many times a year does your club lose power? Electrical outages are very common in some areas where there is severe weather. Do you have proper emergency lighting in place? How often do you check the system to make sure it works? Do your employees know what to do if the electricity goes out? Does this outage affect any of your appliances, machinery, or time clocks? Should you evacuate the facility, or just wait until the power comes back on? Do you have enough back-up batteries and flashlights? What if there is an emergency that would require the evacuation of the building such as a fire or an earthquake? Do have an alarm system that would notify everyone in the facility? Would your employees know how to properly evacuate the facility? These are questions you need to have answers to before anything happens. The safety of your members and employees is all about proper preparation and addressing future concerns before they happen.
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SOCIAL FUN
At the top of the list of why a person will join a club is to seek out a new social environment. Other than schools, churches or community organizations, clubs are a great way to meet new friends. Meeting others used to be a mission of the single population, but in this world of internet communication and neighborhoods that lack integration, families are more and more taking to clubs to seek new friends. There is also the motivation of finding someone that has the same interests as you. It could be a sport, a fitness class or swimming program that will connect you to another person in your community. The clubs that realize this will offer a varied social program to entice new members. This bait is usually very effective with newcomers to the community. How often have you heard an inquiry by a potential member about what sort of programs you provide for either the children or the adults? Ive just moved here from Kansas, and I was wondering what sort of programs you have for juniors, or we belonged to a club back home that had social gettogethers every Friday night for 3.0 tennis players. Do you have that at this club? What will your answer be? How will your sales person respond to those questions? In this high-tech, fast food and fast service era, this may not be an issue, but on the other hand, maybe this is a niche that you can make your issue. Many clubs hire a social director or host whose job is to help members mingle and attend events. These people need to be more than just bubbly extraverts. They need to be very creative and in touch with the latest trends. Although there are a number of events that are timeless, with most clubs they will find that they will need to continue to either evolve the existing programs or start new programs that will attract attendance. Think of your social events being much like the programming on television. Some shows last several years, but most, even though popular in their beginning stages, lose their drawing power. Its the nature of people to want their entertainment to evolve, much like their own lives. So either you will end up hiring a new social director every few years, or you will be lucky enough to find someone that can keep reinventing events. An alternative route is to have a social committee. The advantage here is that you can avoid a salary, get a fresh look every few years, and have the people of the committee helping recruit for attendance. Another advantage is that these people are also members, and therefore, directly in contact with the interest of the general membership. They hear daily what your membership is looking for in the social events. Its not hard to put this group together. The very nature of the person will be attracted to the announcement that you intend to put together a social committee. Be careful. There is one concern with organizing a group. You can easily attract someone who has their own personal agenda. They have joined the group solely to create a program that they would like to see and that they are interested in. A smart manager will direct the group toward programs that will appeal to the general membership, and make sure that any money spent is spent on broad appeal events. Its also not a good idea to have an elected group. This can result in campaigning and politics, which you just dont need in your club. Set a number of people you will have on you committee and let the extras be placed on a
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waiting list. Since it is a good idea to rotate people to help maintain change, the extras will soon see their chance. For that matter, if you happen to have someone who has done a remarkable job, leave the door open to allow them an opportunity to stay on. Your democratic approach is based on what works best for the general membership. The programs that most often work are programs that are new and entertaining, or on the flip side, traditional events tied in with the seasons or part of the Clubs yearly calendar. Keep an open mind and a creative mind when working with these programs. You would be surprised how often some events end up being popular when least expected. Much of the popularity will be based on the timing of the event. You need to have a community calendar so that you can avoid scheduling in competition with other local events or holidays. Start with the obvious; put together a program that allows members to celebrate the traditional family events, birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, bar mitzvahs, or family reunions. From there branch out to activities for organizations such as real estate groups, local community organizations, business meetings and even political gatherings. There are usually a number of dance organizations in every community, everything from Square Dancing to Swing Dance. These are great groups to work with because they will do much of the planning and organizing and will attract non-members to your facility. The possibilities are endless and the themes can always vary depending on the groups agendas and motives. New member parties are always well received. They are great ways to get those who just joined the club to meet your long time members. Dont forget the children, you can offer magic shows, circus type events and dances and mixers that work for different age groups. With children, there are always new trends and a hot new interest; let the kids help you discover those ideas and find a way to celebrate them.
If you have a team sport, you can plan parties to celebrate their performance. This type of party doesnt need to be restricted to your club; you can reach out to community programs, like baseball and soccer leagues to host their seasonal parties. These parties dont necessarily have to be based on performance or competition, but can be simply an opportunity to gather people together who have the same interest. Have your aerobic people or lap swimmers organize luncheons or dinners through their instructors. Speaking of luncheons or dinners, dont forget how effective fund raisers are, or charities. If you have the facility, you can host all sorts of these events and not only be sending a quality message to everyone involved, but also again create great exposure of your club to the public. Not all social events have to be based on a large scale. Many smaller less well attended weekly or monthly events can create bonding between your members and your club. Try adding weekly hikes, bridge or card playing groups, painting classes, language classes and even lectures to your social agenda. Not all events have to be held in-house. Ski trips, vacation packages or group outings to sporting events are often easy to organize with the help of interested members. These social programs enhance the total package you provide. Keep track of the attendance of all these events so that you can gather these same people together again for the next event. Knowing your members interests is important for you as you design your activity schedule. As your club grows and you discover more activities that interest your members, you in turn will also discover activities that attract new members. If these events evolve and grow, you naturally reach out to your community and create some of the best advertisement possible. Instead of paying for media advertisements, run an event that not only attracts interest, but also entertains your members and provides free publicity. As a manager, this move can make you look awfully smart.
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ENERGY CRUNCH
Youre about to calculate the budget for the coming year. As you plug in the numbers, you review the payroll, insurance, supplies, taxes, all of them about the same as last year, you come to the category of utilities. Having watched your energy cost skyrocket in the last decade, this number is the most difficult to forecast. All it would take is a cold snap or an international incident, and your energy bill is out of control. The cost of energy has had an extreme impact on the club industry. This industry needs a lot of energy in order to exist. We need energy for lighting, heating and cooling to accommodate the very long hours that we operate. Take away any of these services and a club cannot operate. Many clubs have found that the need for energy is so important that they have installed large backup generators in case they lose power. The key to surviving these increased expenses is to address the future now. If you find yourself reacting to a sudden increase in your energy rates, you are too late. If you think you can wait out any temporary energy spike, you are hopeful. And finally, if you think that the trend will reverse, you are going to be out of business. Increasing energy costs is a reality, the only question is the rate of increase. So what can facilities do to address this issue? Lets start with the basics of designing your current facility to be as energy efficient as possible. Here is a list of steps you can take that are relatively inexpensive and will create immediate returns. 1. 2. Insulate all hot water pipes. Make sure all doors and windows are properly insulated. Where applicable, replace windows with double pane glass. Put in motion sensitive switches for closets, infrequently used bathrooms or isolated rooms to automatically turn off lights. Use timers on lights when possible, i.e., parking lights, tennis court lights, pool lights. Install pool covers and hot tub covers. Use energy efficient appliances and printers or computers with programmed sleep systems that kick in when not in use. 7. 8. 9. Adjust ventilation systems for seasonal changes. Install drip systems instead of sprinkler systems. Install instant hot water systems instead of water tanks that heat the water 24/7.
10. Install solar system for the outdoor pools. 11. Use energy saving light bulbs. 12. Install automatic door closers to avoid doors staying open and allowing either cold or hot air to escape. 13. Use recycled paper goods. 14. Have proper recycling areas for members to use. 15. Avoid Styrofoam products. 16. Use Green products for all of your janitorial needs. Be careful about cutting cost in these areas. You dont want members to perceive you as being cheap, but rather intelligent and concerned about an important topic that concerns everyone. Promote and sell your actions to your membership. If you are introducing an energy saving step, announce it to the membership to promote the change as a healthy way of improving the club. On a larger scale there are a number of projects that facilities can look into in order to hedge against energy cost. When taking on these projects, you will need to do a great deal of research, research that will include many complicated reports from your energy supplier. Understanding therms, kilowatt usage and meter readings will require the help of an expert. In most cases your local energy provider can help you. Take advantage of these free services. After an extensive review of your current cost, you will be able to assess what changes are profitable and what changes will not really save you money. As an example, you need to change the heater for your pool and look into the idea of upgrading to a larger heater. At first, the numbers tell you that the larger heater will require more natural gas usage, but after evaluating the numbers, you realize that the larger heater will be more efficient and capable of doing a better job working fewer hours. More water can flow through the system making it more efficient. This will also benefit your pool filtering by increasing the circulation.
3.
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5. 6.
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In almost every case, when you look into ways of saving energy, the initial cost will need to be measured against the long term savings. If you are able to install a solar system on the roof of your building, you would have an initial expense that would calculate against the savings over the coming years. If the payback is within a reasonable time, say six to eight years, this would be a good investment, because it would also
hedge against the inevitable future increases in the cost of energy. When you evaluate this segment of our industry, its a natural fit to have an energy efficient and environmentally conscious facility. It all comes under the umbrella of healthier living and a healthier lifestyle.
I T S I N T H E WAT E R
You get a call Monday morning from a member who asks if you had added any new chemicals to the pool lately. The member claims that after using the pool their skin was very itchy and their doctor tells them that they had an allergic reaction to the chemicals in the pool. Their assumption from this prognosis is that you have done something wrong, since they have been using the pool for some time and never had this experience before. At this point, if you dont know the facts behind what has actually taken place; you are likely to be pushed into a very uncomfortable corner. It may be time to do a little studying to know what is really going on. Whether you are addressing the pool, the domestic water the facility uses, or the drinking water provided for the members, the quality of the product is very impacting on your members. Recent studies and improved technology has made for many improvements in the quality of the water. Lets start with how the pool or Jacuzzi has been impacted. The days of manually adding chemicals are far gone. Most public pools have systems that are constantly testing the water and automatically added chemicals as they are needed. Your staff will simply need to keep the supply of these chemicals available through barrels or other large containers. This process will also allow you to transfer these chemicals in a much safer method. The last thing you want is your staff pouring or transferring these chemicals manually. If they are delivered to you and stored in containers then they simply need to be hooked up to the system and ready to be fed into the circulation system for the pool. Another advantage of having the automatic testers is that they can handle the sudden decrease or increase in usage. If you have an outdoor pool and you get a really hot day, you could suddenly have a great number of people using your facility. That increase demand will require more chemicals and you certainly dont want to add those chemicals manually why members are using the pool. So if your system is automated, how did this person get a rash? The greatest contaminates to a pool are cosmetics and perfumes. Although you may ask of your members to shower before using the pool, if a member entered into the pool wearing a lot of makeup or perfume, its possible, especially in a small body of water like the Jacuzzi, these contaminates can combine with the chemicals in your water to create chloramines, thats the stuff you smell and thats the kind of stuff that can give a person a rash. How often have you heard people say, AI can really smell the chlorine from the pool?@ The fact is, that chlorine in odorless and tasteless. What creates that smell is the chlorine reacting to an organic chemical and creating chloramines. Another unknown fact is that when you shower you can absorb chemicals, such as chlorine. If you really want to be called a complete health club, it would be wise to install a water softener that would filter all the water used by the club. Not only will your members appreciate this, but you will be saving money on the maintenance of the plumbing of the club. There will be less chemical build-up and if you have any areas of the club that heats the water, such as the water heaters or a boiler for a steam room, there will be less build-up of chemicals in those holding tanks. Once again, because you are running a health club, you want to make sure that you have plenty of water fountains and water dispensers available. Keep in mind that many members will use their water bottles, so make sure your fountains have special fixtures
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that can accommodate filling a water bottle. For your dispensers, instead of having a company delivery your bottled water, look into buying your own purifying system. In the long run it will save you money, and you may find that you can produce a better quality product. Lastly, be weary of providing water in containers. You see this a lot around tennis courts or remote areas of a club. These can be easily tampered with and the results
can be disastrous. It only takes one person to contaminate these buckets and you are left with a nightmare problem. Water is an important element in your club. In this day and age of health conscience people, it is often at the top of the list of quality service you want available to your membership.
COURT TRICKS
Keeping your courts playable and in their best playing condition should be a very high priority for a manager. Equate this to the groundskeeper at a golf course. The manager of a golf course works very closely with his groundskeeper to make sure his golf members feel that the course is kept in good condition and they are getting their moneys worth. A poor putting green, a chopped up fairway, or a tee area full of debris, tells the golfer that the course is not well managed. Note the phrase, not well managed. The golfer is not going to complain about the job the maintenance crew is doing, but rather about the manager who is ultimately responsible for the appearance and playability of the course. At first glance, all quality courts look the same. The nets and the lines are unchanging from court to court. But take a closer look, study the court from all angles. Does the net have any holes, does it drag on the court at the bottom, and is it tight across the top and pulled tight to the net post? Is the height of the net correct? Are there any dings, slippery spots, or chipped paint that can be repaired? Does the net post have a trash can or a scorecard holder in the right place? Do the fences have holes that will allow balls to escape or go under the fence? Are the wind breakers tight or do they billow in the wind? Does the water fountain work properly and is the seating clean and comfortable for the players? Is there shade for the players on hot days? Is there a gate available for the players to use if they should hit a ball over the fence and does that gate work properly? Bottom line, theres more to a court than first meets the eye. Keeping all these details up to snuff on a daily basis will require a check list. Due to the fact that there are so many different types of courts, your check list will differ from club to club. Clay courts have a life of their own. Books have been written about the upkeep and maintenance of composite courts. Take the time to read this material so that you are completely informed. Since all courts require watering, make sure you are in compliance with the local environmental laws concerning drainage. Many underground watering systems will require chemical treatment to keep the lines flowing and unclogged. This run off may be determined to be toxic waste and in violation of environmental laws. For the most part, hard courts are the standard in the industry, with the relatively new addition of soft hard courts. Soft hard courts are constructed using rubber or other soft materials making it easier on the body. Try to make sure that your staff realizes that drying the courts after a rain is not only for the players use, but also helps maintain the quality of the courts. Standing water is bad for a court. The weight of the water and the residual debris that collect at these points will gradually wear away the surface.
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One mistake often made when drying hard courts is using a roll dry in a random pattern. Since almost all hard courts are built to slope slightly, educate your staff to roll dry downhill and not against the tilt of the courts. When cleaning hard courts, the same pattern should be followed, start the cleaning process from the top and wash downhill. Be careful not to use too much water pressure. You want good water pressure in order to move the dirt, but you dont want the power of the hose to tear up the court. There are many speeds that the surface of a court can play. The more abrasive courts, which are designed that way by the amount of sand added to the surfacing, will slow play down, but can be hard on the body. The soft surfaces can accomplish the same effect, but without the abrasive surface. Another concern about abrasive slow surfaces is they can wear faster. Some believe that if you surface the court to be more abrasive, it will last longer before becoming too fast and in need of resurfacing. What really happens, is that the areas where play takes place more often, will wear sooner and make play uneven. If you are not sure what areas of a court wear faster, just observe the wear at Wimbledon, usually right behind the baseline and just inside the service line. As far as choosing the surface that is best for your facility, the best answer will come from references. References from other clubs and their members, and the references from the company that is doing the work are your best source of information. A couple of more tips about maintaining good courts include: 1. Keep nets tight, but not so tight that they put pressure on the post and the mechanical equipment used to elevate the net. A net that is lose and has a rippled top, will wear on the bottom as it moves back and forth and will crack or tear at the top from the buckling. Repair divots and dings in the court as soon as possible. You will not be able to match the color of the paint perfectly, but with time these patches will blend in. Keep your members from using colored rubber sole shoes that can mark the courts. Make sure leaves and other debris are removed as soon as possible so that they do not get ground into the court or leave a stain.
Here are a few tips on how to quickly repair court problems. If youve got a net with a hole in it and cant replace the net for lack of time or because you dont have a back-up net, all you would need is a little extra net material to weave the hole shut or weave the net to the top of the main line. What if the net strap breaks? You could take the buckle latch at the bottom of the strap and hook it onto the lower portion of the net itself to pull it down enough and create the right height of 36 inches in the middle. What about those annoying cracks that appear in cold weather? Better do something before the rain comes and amplifies the problems. If you dont have any patch material on hand, try mixing some sand with colored tile grout, add a little water and force it down into the crack. Clean off the surface and let it dry and you will have a temporary fix. Remember that most cracks cannot be permanently repaired by any cheap fix. Even the mesh coverings that are used when your courts are resurfaced will not likely hold up more that a couple of seasons. The only real fix is to put down an overlay that is thick enough to handle the movement of the natural contraction and expansion that most courts experience. If you have lighted courts, remember that it is important to have even lighting that covers the entire court. Its not the amount of light you have, but rather the ability to spread the lighting consistently across the court that allows a player to see the ball in flight. Metal halide is preferred, but note that these bulbs will lose their efficiency over time and may need to be replaced before they actually burn out. You may have a choice of direct versus indirect lighting. Much of that choice will depend on how high the lights are mounted. With todays technology, a lighting specialist will come in and give you a very good idea of what lighting will work best for your facility. This is true for both outdoor and indoor facilities. These light technicians can create a statistical simulation of what would work best under your existing facility. Keeping the courts playable and also keeping up their appearance is not only going to affect the image of the club, but also will defer the wear and tear that naturally occurs to courts. Having a schedule that keeps your courts clean is an important maintenance item. In the end, your members will appreciate this consistency.
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GUESTS WHO?
Guest issues at clubs are at the top of the list with most managers. A good manager will balance the demand for space and the number of guests allowed; too many guests and the dues paying members will be offended. Space and usage is what a club sells; give it away free, and you devalue the membership. On the flip side, guests are potential members. Allowing someone to enjoy the use of your club may be just the ticket to turning them into a member. Members also enjoy having the privilege of having guests and want to show off their club to friends or family. Guests are a great way for members to demonstrate pride in their club. So the manager is caught in the middle, trying to balance these two worlds that both have merit. It would seem logical that the first step in addressing this issue is to define that delicate balance. That definition is determined by a simple equation of exposure and desired growth versus the members needs and satisfaction. If you are looking to increase membership, that means you have space. You can fill that space with controlled guest usage. That usage can also serve as an additional source of income: open classes to nonmember use, or sell space such as court time or party rental space. Remember to keep this program under control. You want to convey to the guest, as well as the members, that this is a privilege with a defined limit. You also may need to wean down this guest usage. What people get free can be hard to charge for someday. On the other hand, if your club is doing well and space is limited, find methods to control guest usage. Almost every club has some sort of guest program, mostly due to demand of the members. You may find that having special guest times or guest days is easier to manage, or limited guest privileges for both members and guests. Special guest passes can be sold to help monitor the flow of guests. What is most important is to have a system in place that helps you maintain a comfortable and welcoming club without necessitating a policing problem. Despite the amount of documentation and information you pass on to your membership, there will be a number of members that are unaware of your guest policy. Many members perceive their dues payment as a ticket to full use of the club for themselves, and occasionally, their friends. Sure, there are those who are trying to get a free meal, but never let your welcoming front desk staff appear to have denial of usage as the norm. Treat every member and their guest as a reference and a potential member. Good management will learn to discern between those that are trying to get around the rules and those who are just lazy or ignorant about the guest policy. From the guest point of view, they are often caught in the middle. They've just been invited to a club and are looking forward to an enjoyable experience. They're not aware of any rules and assume that their appearance is acceptable. A discourteous welcome can catch them off guard and leave them with a very poor and lasting impression of your facility. One way of solving this problem is to track your guests and occasionally send out flyers reminding them of what your facility has to offer along with your guest polices. Of course there are those who have a sense of entitlement. The idea of having to check in to your club just doesnt fit in with their world. They are used to wanting something and getting it. What makes these people most difficult is that they are not likely to change or accept any rules a club has. On top of that, they create an atmosphere of mistrust with your staff. Its important not to let this minority influence the attitude and policy of your hospitality staff. Interview and talk with the guests. Get to know them and why they are visiting. This is both a great way to develop rapport and to become aware of someone who might abuse the use of your club. You may be surprised to find out how little the guest understands the clubs privacy policy. To help train your membership to be more diligent about checking in their guest, here is a list of tips that you might use: 1. Make the system for checking in painless and flexible. Clubs run on schedules, i.e., court times, classes, events. People are often in a hurry and don't have the time to go through a lengthy check-in system. Provide guest coupons every month to your members through the billing or newsletter.
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Create special guest days or times that are scheduled during slow operating times. Special events that allow nonmember to participate are a great way to recruit new members and provide a free opportunity for the member to bring their friends or family. Reward members for properly checking in their guests. A penalty fee can also work, but tends to leave room for arguments with the billing department. Because so often members dont take the time to understand the quest policies, when they are penalized, they feel offended. Get in the habit of giving a warning that is phrased more along the lines of helping the member become educated on the policies.
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Fill the need for the member so that they dont have to bring a guest. Take note how many times the member brings in a guest. Is it because they have not found a compatible member within the club to play with? Help them find that member.
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At the end of the day, maybe the best way to have your members appreciate your guest policy is to have a club that is operated and run efficiently. Members tend not to dirty a clean house when they visit; the same could be said about guest issues. If the process of checking in a guest is based on a pleasant welcome and an painless process, the experience is beneficial for everyone.
IN-HOUSE PUBLISHING
Creating income for your business is great, but cutting overhead and also improving quality is even better its permanent. This phenomenon can be easily accomplished when you change from depending on someone else to provide your written communications. Does this experience sound familiar? Every month you send out a newsletter, possibly along with your billing, and then, due to circumstances beyond your control, the printing company informs you that they will be delayed a few days; you will have to wait before you can send out this package of material to your members. As a consequence, your membership will not only be getting their billing late and paying you later, but information crucial to the coming months events will be delayed affecting participation and attendance. Although this may have taken place out of your control, it was actually preventable with the implementation of in-house publishing. The computer world has made great advances in publishing and printing technology allowing most clubs to create and produce their own material. This transition will give you control of several aspects of this department. Not only will you be able to avoid late billing, but you will also be able to print the exact number of publications you need. If, at the last second you discover you need several hundred more flyers, push of a button and your extra copies are ready. Perhaps there was a change in your event schedule. Again, with the push of a few buttons, you can make that correction in your publication. Your event schedule is only as good as it is accurate. The advantages of in-house publications are many, so how do you make this transition? Start with the software that you will need to create your written material. There is no single best desktop publishing software program. There are, however, specific programs that are better suited for certain tasks than others. Instead of asking "which is best QuarkXPress or InDesign, or [fill in the blank with whatever desktop publishing software all your friends are recommending]?" ask "what do I need to be able to do the job?" Then find out what software is best for accomplishing those critical tasks. The next question is, how do you learn to use this software? Desktop publishing software doesn't work in the same way as word processing software. It's different from graphics software. From setting up a basic document to complicated arrangements of text and graphics, learn how to use desktop publishing software by following this step-by-step plan.
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Start by learning the language of desktop publishing. Become familiar with the tool box, text framing, and how to cut and paste text and photos. Take the time to read the manuals, (a task that is always resisted by most people), or view a video. If you know somewhere they teach a class, or someone who can teach you, it can make the learning much simpler. Finally, use the software and play around with the program and learn by trial and error. Its important to know that many desk top publishing programs require a great deal of computer memory and graphic demands that many computers are not equipped for. Most club operations like to produce photos for either their flyers or their newsletters. Acquire a good program that can edit your photos and images. Image editors, also called paint programs or photo editors, work with bitmap images. Bitmap graphics tools are needed for working with photos, scans, or other "realistic" images. Although illustration programs can export images in bitmap formats, paint programs are still usually superior for final output of images for the Web or for many special effects on photos. Some examples of quality software that produce this type of product are Adobe Photoshop, Corel Photo-Paint and Jasc Paint Shop Pro. If you have a computer with the right parameters for running the software, i.e., memory, hard drive capacity and a quality video card, you are on your way. Photos are a wonderful asset to any publication. Members enjoy and often feel very proud of having their picture in the newsletter, especially if that picture is accompanying any recent accomplishment. For this reason alone, purchase a
reliable camera that you can use to quickly download photos onto your computer and then to your publications. The last piece to the puzzle you will need is a quality printer. Before to you go out and buy this equipment, consider leasing. With the technology changing so quickly, it may be best not to marry yourself to a printer that can be out of date in only a few years. A lease will allow the option of upgrading and changing as your business grows or matures. You will be surprised to discover that you can reasonably lease a very high quality, high capacity printer. In fact, if you were to add up the cost of the software, the necessary upgrades to your computers, the lease of the printer, the cost of the paper, and finally the investment of your time, you will discover a substantial savings from that of having someone outside publish your material. Add that to the convenience of being able to instantly produce your newsletters, brochures, business cards, greeting cards, posters, packaging, letterhead, booklets, and other typical desktop publishing projects, and you have created quite a profitable and efficient process in your business. There is one more benefit that every manager should consider. By becoming your clubs editor and publisher, youve put another notch in your belt as your importance to club operations has been raised a few levels. In that same trend of thought, you can free yourself from being dependent on an outside source, and can train one of your staff people to perform this function in your absence. All in all, its a winning idea.
WHEN WE ALL WIN

Nothing is more satisfying for teaching pros than to receive public accolades for their achievements. Getting the credit for successful results in a tournament, either for the pro or for their students, is a wonderful moment. These successes will stimulate demand for their teaching and create a winning attitude in the entire club. Any club manager enjoys these times, but it is only one part of the picture that can make for a quality club pro. From the standpoint of the manager, he hopes to have a pro that emphasizes the big picture. That would be when the pro is successful in developing a program that leads to both his/her success and the success of the club. When interviewing, teaching pros often will highlight their playing careers and the quality of their teaching. True, they are both important, but they are not likely in themselves to generate more business or income for the club. What many teaching pros fail to realize is that becoming more popular may not translate
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to becoming a more successful club pro. The key words here are Club Pro. Certain teaching pros have learned that their stability and longevity are really based upon the success of the club they are working for. There are several characteristics a club pro can excel in that will make a positive impact on the facility. If they are running a good program, they will attract new players to the game resulting in more members. Too often you see teaching pros work toward creating a greater number of loyal students, and not enough time is put in to turning those students into members. When a student becomes bonded with the pro, they should in turn become attached to the club, not because of their relationship with the pro, but rather because having a membership enhances the impact of the lessons. A complete program should include practice times and partners, an association with competitive programs and access to meeting others to enjoy the sport. The likelihood of a pro keeping a student interested in lessons is the offshoot of their interest in improving. The interest in improving is an offshoot of having more reasons to improve from the experience of competition and play. In the end, the quality club pro will end up selling memberships and helping the club to grow and at the same time providing a more complete package for the student. This is where every wins. Once the student has seen the benefits of becoming a member, the next task is being able to retain that member. Ask this question of a former player, why did you quit playing or leave a certain club? The answer in most cases is, I couldnt find others to play with, or along the same lines, I couldnt find enough competition, or I just got bored and couldnt find the time. Arent these areas supposed to be the responsibility of the club pro? Member retention lies squarely on the shoulders of the teaching pro. Again, too many club pros see maintaining a full teaching schedule a priority over anything else. These are the pros that last two or three years and then find themselves short on support from both the members and management.
Should the pro be compensated for the efforts made to create a full package for the members? If a club can, it will, but often the pro must make the first move. If they take the time to create quality programs, good management will recognize this and appropriately reward them. Short of that, the members may create the support needed and force the management to reward the teaching pro. If a pro starts off at a club expecting to be paid first and perform second, there is often a barrier built between the management and that pro, especially if the teaching pro has no track record at any prior jobs of performing in this fashion. Giving without getting is difficult, but usually rewarding in the long run. Teaching pros should always remember this about creating and running programs, unless the manager has a good understanding of the game, they may not recognize the benefits of programming. Putting together a tournament, running a team tennis night, or having a social tennis event may cost money, a pro needs to show through examples that the money spent is worthwhile in order to attract new members and keep your current members. It can be a difficult sell for a club pro to charge the club money for their services and add more expenses on the hopes of creating member satisfaction and retention. Keep this in mind during your negotiations. Another attribute good club pros have is the ability to have fun with their membership. More that just playing with the members, taking the time to talk with them about their competitive matches, watching their competitive matches and offering free advise when its appropriate. If the club has social events, dances, or parties, the pro will make sure that they are seen by most. Taking the time to schmooze with the members is very rewarding and makes the time spent at the club more enjoyable. This also becomes valuable when the pro needs to promote any event or program. Getting members to attend any activity will require more than just newsletters and flyers, but sometimes personal contact by the teaching pro is needed to help persuade a member to take part in a program.
This relationship can also foster some valuable responsibilities. When issues arise or arguments among
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members, the teaching pro that has interacted with the members, can use his familiarity to handle these issues more diplomatically. This will take pressure off the management. Take on enough of these situations, and members will likely come to the teaching first to vent their frustration, instead of the management or other staff members. Reach this level and you have truly become a quality club pro. Add these characteristics to a club pro, along with their willingness to voluntarily help with maintenance issues around the club, like picking up trash around the club with they see it, or even point out other maintenance issues that have yet to be noticed by others, and you will have an environment where everyone wins. The teaching pro is a valuable part of the club and can be a primary reason for the club to move in a positive direction.
When issues arise or arguments among members, the teaching pro that has interacted with the members, can use his familiarity to handle these issues more diplomatically. This will take pressure off the management. Take on enough of these situations, and members will likely come to the teaching first to vent their frustration, instead of the management or other staff members. Reach this level and you have truly become a quality club pro. Add these characteristics to a club pro, along with their willingness to voluntarily help with maintenance issues around the club, like picking up trash around the club with they see it, or even point out other maintenance issues that have yet to be noticed by others, and you will have an environment where everyone wins. The teaching pro is a valuable part of the club and can be a primary reason for the club to move in a positive direction.
BECOMING A GEEK
When you look at a computer do you see it as a window for improvement or as another task to overcome? That's a very important question to ask yourself. As a manager, your computer and your entire software system will be the most important tools for organizing your job and your facility. How much of a computer geek do you need to become to run your facility? After all, there is an army of people in the industry that can work with any computer system. The answer to this question will be found the day you come to work and your system is down. Suddenly you can't use your computer to access your e-mail or the information needed to call someone to fix the problem. You call up for support from a software company and get put on hold for eternity, or the automatic phone attendant tells you to go on line and get the answers. The problem with that is that you cant even use the computer to go on line. That will be the same day you discover that you don't ever want to be dependent on someone else when it comes to your computer system. Relax. The task is not that daunting. There are a number of ways to acquire a solid understanding of computers and software. You can buy a number of different software programs. Just take a tour of the internet and you will discover everything from "Computer's for Dummies", to online classes. Dont be afraid to just jump in and begin to play with different programs. The more you experience, the faster you will learn. What's important is to understand is the basic terms and phrases used in the computer industry. What is a hard drive, memory, RAM, virtual memory, bytes? You need to become comfortable with and understand all these terms. Computers usually need to be upgraded every few years, mostly due to the demands of complex software programs and the speed and memory required to run them. For that reason you will need to keep in touch with industry improvements in computer hardware. There is no better source than tech magazines and articles on the web. Review this information regularly to stay abreast of the improvements. With a good understanding of hardware, direct your attention towards the software that is going to support your managing role. There are several club software systems in the industry. Here are few guidelines that will help you make the right decision. First, and without question, the most important is the support system your software vendor offers. Are they able to answer the phone right away, or are you going to have to wait valuable hours for a response. Is the software user
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friendly, which basically means that it has been with the capacity to provide fundamentals you can learn programmed to be used by any of your employees? quickly or become much more complex if you should so Have graphics, key punches and help information been desire. When the time comes that you need analysis of designed to be clear and easily understood? Is the a department or a better understanding of reports, this software right for your business? Is it priced right for the software will come in handy. It can be used to support size of your facility? Is it overkill with too much capacity demonstrations at meetings. Showing a co-worker or or bells and whistles you will never need? On the flip owner a simple breakdown of the numbers is very side, will you likely grow out of the system? Talk to as important. Being able to tweak those numbers to many people as you can that have been using this provide several different looks of the same report is the software and get their feedback. Remember to go flexibility you may need to help explain to others what beyond the references the software you are trying to accomplish. company has given you. Ask them for names of customers who have cancelled The third type of software you will want YOUR COMPUTER with them and get their input. to master is a quality word processing WILL BE THE MOST system. This will lay the foundation for all IMPORTANT TOOL Find other clubs that have similar of your written work, letters, memos, reports, FOR ORGANIZING services and functions. Does the bulletins, flyers, and just about any YOUR JOB AND system have the ability to identify and track documentation you intend to produce. From YOUR FACILITY. members? Does it do inventory or handle this you may also expand to programs that your food and beverage service? Does it can produce flyers, newsletters and work well with your bookkeeping brochures. department? How efficient is it in producing the reports you like to have? Can it handle payroll? Maybe not all of With a good understanding of the hardware you these questions are a concern to you, but they may be are using and a comfortable relationship with the down the road, so be prepared. software you have implemented, you can review the infrastructure that is going to tie together all of One of the most important pieces of software will the departments in your facility. The network is what be the one which you use to organize your allows you to communicate with others in the club and management center. Microsoft outlook may be just the also allows all of the departments to share information ticket. Here you can manage all of your e-mails, tasks and software and peripherals. Instead of each computer and calendar. This is a wonderful tool that will start and station needing a printer, they can all connect with a run your day. The management of a club can be very main printer to produce documents. This networking will hectic and often spontaneous. You start off hoping to emanate from a central computer, or server. The server stick to a certain schedule and then boom, a pipe breaks, holds all of the information for everyone to access and is someone falls and hurts themselves, an employee fails to where backups are run daily. Along with the daily show for work, or you have some drop in that demands backups, there are also disk backups that should be all of your attention. Having an organizer will give you created and stored off-site. There are even companies that flexibility to work through these days. Appointments that will automatically backup your information for the can be kept, and your response time to calls or messages safety and security of storing this information off-site. will stay current. A manager that shows the ability to be prompt in returning calls, e-mails or is always on time for The server will be protected by either a fire wall or his appointments will lead his staff through example. If network hub to prevent anyone from the outside you can demonstrate command over your schedule, you getting into your information. Having this information can in turn ask that of your staff. Organizational software secure and protected is the most important part of will be very helpful in facilitating that goal. having a quality networking system. In addition, the server, like all the computers, should have an emergency You may also want to learn about software that backup battery that will give you ample time to either manages numbers or organizes departments and operate or shut down the system when there is an inventories. Microsoft Excel is great for these electrical outage. By properly shutting down the system functions. Again, it is relatively straight forward software you are preventing data loss.
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Along with the security you have provided for the server, you will want to have a good anti-virus program, properly installed and kept up to date, at each and every computer. This is especially true with any station where the users need to go onto the internet for information. As much possible, keep your staff from using your system to access the internet for personal reasons, but be realistic and understand that this will take place, and because of that, you need to protect yourself from hackers and viruses. If you havent hired someone to be on staff that has a good education in the computer industry, it is recommended that you find a company or person that you can rely on when you need help. The computer industry has grown so rapidly that specialization has begun to develop. There are those who strictly work with networks, or those who work with programming and so on, so finding someone who has a good feel for your
entire system may be difficult. If you get a support person who sounds like he is speaking a foreign language, dont be intimidated into letting him work his magic without your understanding and approval. Find a tech guy who can not only take care of your issues, but can communicate with you well enough to keep you informed and at ease with what he is trying to accomplish. Computers are just machines. They do what we tell them to do. When things go wrong people are quick to blame something or someone else for the problem. Its easy to get frustrated, so take a step back, take a deep breath, and approach computer problems one step at a time. You will be surprised how often it will be something very simple that was just overlooked because of the anxiety of the moment. Step one; make sure its plugged in, and then go from there.
SECURITY
Most clubs dont want to admit that they are a prime target for crime. Think about this situation. There are few times people are separated from their valuables. One of those times is when they use a Club. Thieves know this and take advantage of it. To add to a thiefs temptation, few clubs hire people strictly for security. The very nature of a club is to be welcoming and inviting to anyone that walks in the front door. Remember, not every crook looks like a crook; they could be, and probably do look just like anyone else. Heres a story that came up a few years ago that sums up the dilemma of most clubs. Every Friday for several weeks, this club is experiencing thefts from the locker room. At first fingers are pointed at other members, especially juniors, and then at employees, especially those cleaning the club. This is not a pretty picture, but what makes it worse, the situation is being handled in disbelief due to the fact that this is a high end club. Recognizing a pattern, the manager starts to go on the lookout for this thief on Fridays. Fridays are hot spots because this is often payroll day and there is a higher likelihood that people will have cash in their wallet. His vigilance pays off and he notices a character coming in the back of the club through a service door. He calls 911; the police come and, after a brief search, find this unwanted person. Even though hes not a member, and because he has nothing on him, the police can only ask him to leave. They tell the manager that if he wants to have any action taken, he would have to catch him again and file charges for trespassing. Therein lies the frustration in securing your club. If you cant keep someone out, its not likely that you are going to have any say about punishing them for entering your club. Again, thieves know this, and make sure that they are never caught with the goods. So what can you do? The answer is to either put in place a system that will keep them from ever entering the facility, which can be nearly impossible, or to put in a surveillance system that can deter thieves and, possibly, help you prosecute them. Since you will not be able to mount cameras in the locker room or bathrooms, you will need to place these cameras in locations that identify people coming and going. To add to that security, have a taping system that you can use to recall what the
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cameras were recording. Many of these systems can be monitored via the internet right from your home computer. Short of that, it is recommended that your front desk has the ability to view these cameras. Also at the top of the list for security is the Childcare Center. Putting it simply, you cant have enough security when it comes to this area of the club. Dont let increased accessibility for members end up being a risk for your Childcare Center. Make sure door knobs are out of reach of the children, and that at no time can a stranger or, even a friend of an employee, be able to gain access. The only people that need to be in that area are employees and parents. To help secure your locker rooms, emphasize to your members that they should never leave their valuables in their lockers. There is no locker made that cant be broken into by a determined thief. Posting signs that warn members that you are not responsible for stolen
items helps notify the members without alarming them. The same is true about the cars in the parking lot; make sure that your members do not leave their personal items in their car that will allow a passer by to see them. Thieves will not take the time to break into a car unless they can see something of value. People should put valuables in the trunk of the car where they are out of sight. The experience of having to deal with a member that has just been robbed is a very unpleasant one. Having to explain to them that you are not responsible for their stolen items is also not very pleasant. In the end you will have a very unhappy member who will likely be left with a very bad taste in the mouth about the security of your club. Your best solution is to make sure your entire staff appreciates the importance of properly checking in members and their guest when they enter the club. Every member. Continue to remind members that the privacy and security of their club requires everyones cooperation.
MANAGING COMPETITIVE TEAM

It could be tennis, swimming, triathlons, or any other sport where there is team competition; managers need to define the proper amount of support for teams and treat them equally, regardless of success. Why is this balance so important? It can be very difficult for a manager to maintain a proper perspective if he puts too much emphasis on team results. On the flip side, not supporting the Clubs representatives can make a manager appear out of touch or nonresponsive to members achievements. In tennis, the issue of team support has become front page news over the last ten years. With the U.S.T.A. league programs, almost every tennis club has been forced to adjust their court usage and their tennis calendar to meet these new demands. Part of the demand is a new political atmosphere that has emanated from this highly competitive league program. With players ratings at stake and intense competition with local clubs, the emotional levels are much higher than any league activity that has ever existed. The prospect of winning enough to move on to a national title has captured the attention of the players, teaching pros, and managers. Its safe to say that in most tennis clubs, league play has become the number one topic of conversation, and concern, among everyone involved. Lets examine the pitfalls that come with being too involved. First, its easy to begin to bend or break the rules to favor a team you emotionally are bonded to. A manager may be inclined to bolster a teams roster by recruiting and providing discounts on initiation fees or even waiving monthly dues. Its a small step to rationalize the need for another good player for a tennis team, or to add someone who can really burn it up on the last leg of a team medley for the swimming squad. Once involved in the race to create a winner, it doesnt take much to coordinate more dedicated space and time to be allocated for practice or extra coaching. A managers subtle influence can easily shift the schedule of a club. With team tennis players getting more court time and swimmers getting more pool time, before you know it, other members are being squeezed out. This is an easy trap to fall into. If one of the facilities teams has success, it often brings attention, which can easily be interpreted as positive publicity or press. Suddenly, your club has attracted attention from other clubs, and often it is coming from those clubs that you compete with, not just in those sports, but also for those memberships. The members from those clubs will be attracted to your success, and naturally want to be part of that success. The very nature of competitive people is that
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they tend to seek out greater challenges, and what greater challenge is there than trying to be part of a winning team. It all sounds great except for one problem; its a very short sighted manager who believes winning will make his club more attractive. Years later, you end up having a program that often uses the comment, remember when. Keep in mind that the sports you provide are recreational, not professional. The real measure of your success will be the number of dues paying members that participate, and the enjoyment they have playing on these teams. These are the factors that will result in member retention. If a manager believes that the attraction and retention to the facility is based on winning, you better hope you have a winning streak like the UCLA Bruins basketball team, or youre in trouble. In addition, some programs, like the U.S.T.A. league program, have policies that require a season winning team to be disbanded, and mandate that the players must play at a higher level for the next two years. Youll quickly discover that those members that were attracted to your club because of your titles, will show little loyalty and quickly move on to another venue that will appeal to their new criteria and once again challenge their competitive nature. Another problem with over emphasizing team play: what happens after you win? Whats next? You may have created a monster that you wont be able to control. Youve put all that energy and effort in to winning and from this point on, anything short of being the best will seem like failure. In essence, you need to be careful about raising the bar too high and creating unrealistic expectations. When a manager bonds himself to the results of his team, he/she may get a kick out of a winning season, but they also may just get the boot after following up with a number of losing seasons. How often have you seen head coaches, which in many ways is how a club manager is perceived when they get too involved with a team, create a dominate team for a few years, only to lose their job because they are not able to maintain that level of performance. On the other side of the coin, a manager that completely ignores the progress and results of the clubs teams, will never bond with the members. This is something that you just cant fake. When asked about how your teams did over the weekend, you better know. You may not have attended the events, but you should be aware of the outcome.
A good manager will take to time to occasionally watch some of the events, and more importantly, take to time to ask the members about how they did and how they felt about their performance. When engaging members, listening should be put at the top of the list of things to do. Telling stories about your past experiences or the past successes of your clubs teams, is good for small talk, but can be seen as self indulging and after a while the same old stories can be quite boring. A manager can be the perfect backboard for members who enjoy talking about their team experience. Enhance this experience by having after match parties or celebrations. Organize a season ending event that celebrates your members participation. These social gatherings are not only popular, but allow the many different levels of players to interact and share their experiences. In this day and age of ratings, getting different levels of players talking tennis is a rare but important event. A manager can also show support for the clubs teams by having the teaching staff find ways to organize and schedule practice sessions. When the staff organizes these activities it helps promote their business and allows the manager to observe from the sidelines. From the sidelines, decisions can be made arbitrarily about how much of the facility can be used for practice or for the competitive events. With so much of league and team play requiring volunteers, its a good idea to have seminars and meetings for these people. Team captains, for instance, always need training and support to help them organize and run an entire season. This will insure that everyone is on the same page, and once again, will help demonstrate that management supports these activities, without bias or favoritism. Creating committees and groups from your membership is a very democratic and diplomatic way of handling team competition. Not only will you get their feedback, but because political decisions are emanating from a group of members and not just management, you will have their support. At the end of the day, a manager hopes to have healthy participation in all of the programs that foster competitive team play. Good participation represents success and will result in an increased volume of business for all departments. This will be the measurement of a managers success in supervising the competitive team play of any facility.
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REMODELING CHALLENGES
If an upgrade is on the agenda, then this also is a good opportunity to try to forecast the future demands of the club. Will four showers be enough? Maybe the current demand is for four showers, but six showers, or even eight would open up the door to more growth in the club. Your research shows that your clubs focus will change down the road to more fitness and less tennis, as a consequence; maybe more day lockers will be needed. You hope someday to add a pool, so possibly the remodeling could include a shower system for the members to use more readily before entering the pool. As with a replacement, an upgrade needs to be fully researched. Does this sound familiar? You announce REMODELING WILL Look into other facilities and talk to other that you are about to undertake the PUT A WRENCH IN managers that have experienced this remodeling of the locker rooms and the THE SYSTEM FOR transition. Their insight is invaluable and for same people that have been complaining EVERYONE. more pertinent than the contractor or about the quality of the locker rooms are architect that you may use. You may get the first people to complain about the information like, In retrospect, we should disruption the modeling will cause. The fact have installed grab bars on every shower is, if you think that your membership is and not just the disabled shower, or The soap going to receive any remodeling with open arms, you are dispensers should have been tiled into the walls instead mistaken. Members look at their club as a place of of put in afterwards. tranquility and consistency. They want to be able to just go down to their facility and do their thing. Remodeling Now that you have determined how you want the will put a wrench in the system for everyone. project to go, time to review the financial ramifications. First realize that the cost of remodeling So how is this process handled? First the decision to should always be determined by using the worse case remodel is usually based on the need to upgrade the scenario. If they say it will cost $200 a square foot, make facility. There is a difference between an upgrade that it $300 a square foot. If they say that a certain part will repairs an existing part of the facility and an upgrade that cost $1,000, budget it to cost $1,500. This equation will alter the function of the facility. With replacement should also be used for measuring the time a project will always review all the options you have. This is a great time take. The reasons are simple, in construction there are to take advantage of upgrading to a better system or model. many unforeseen issues, weather may impact your work, Future thinking is important. Will there be increased supplies may not be available, permits can be held up, demand? Will there be more advanced materials available and of course theres always breakage and workers that in the future that you can capitalize on? As an example, fail to show. All of this contributes to the extra time and you are about to replace all of your lockers, will there be an extra cost of remodeling. increase or decrease in the number of members that would like day lockers? Will there be more members wanting Get at least three bids on any job. Again use your large lockers instead of small ones? Will there be more sources and references to learn as much about the need for keyless lockers, or better secured lockers? Is this a contractor as possible before the work begins. The same good opportunity to buy lockers in a color that would take can be said about finding the right equipment. Get at into consideration any other future remodeling in the locker least three bids and shop using all of your connections. room? The industry is constantly changing and new These connections may include your members, the products are always either available and more on the internet, or again, other managers of other facilities that horizon. If you know what you are going to need for the have gone down this path. future, then shopping for the right product will be simpler. Remodeling is always a challenge and is never looked upon as a welcomed venture. The irony is that the decision to remodel is usually based on the need for improvement and the potential of enhancing the facility. These expectations should be welcomed, but in this industry, any disruption, no matter what the outcome, will likely upset the tranquility of the club. The best approach as a manager is to look at remodeling the same way you look at having to run a marathon, it doesnt do much good worrying about it, just start running once you know which way to go.
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One important rule to build by is that you get what you pay for. There is always a deal out there somewhere, but in the end the quality of the final product will be reflected in the quality of those who did the work and the products they used. Cutting corners will come back to haunt you. If architects and plans are needed, they will need approval and permits. This can take time, but is a necessary step. You may find some frustration in this phase of the project so prepare yourself to be patient and diplomatic. This is a phase of the project that cannot be hurried. City officials are responsible to many people and politics and bureaucracy can be time consuming to wade through. In the end you will find that you get what you want when you listen more and demand less. Before you start the project take on these few steps. First, map out the project, or in essence, try to imagine yourself going through the remodeling. Picture the events that are about to take place so that you might head off any complications. Second, put together a complete informational approach for your members. Notify them as far in advance as possible. Use sign, flyers, newsletters, e-mails and probably the most impacting, your Front Desk people to inform the membership about what will be taking place, where it will be taking place, when it will be taking place and how it will impact their usage of the club. Even more important, make sure your entire staff completely understands the impact of the project. You do not want to have a single person on your staff sounding uninformed about the project. They need to be able to answer all the members questions 24/7. The communication doesnt stop there. Once the project begins you will need to have daily updates posted and daily meetings with those doing the work. Continue to anticipate future needs to help keep the construction on schedule. You will need to have inspections done on certain phases of the project, make sure these inspectors are lined up ahead of time. These inspectors can be booked weeks ahead of time, and you could find your
project coming to a complete halt until they can come and approve that phase of the work. The manager will either be in charge of running the project, or will be working with a construction manager. Either way, you will need a plan to help you when the project gets underway. Since most projects seldom stay on schedule and budget, keep a weekly planner to track these variables. This will help in your communication with your staff and your members. Members are curious people, its their club, they will want to know about everything, and they may end up asking the same questions over and over so be prepared with accurate answers. You need to get yourself and your staff prepared for this redundant questioning. Its much like having a cast on your leg after an accident, everybody and anybody you interact with is going to ask you what happened. At first this will be fine, but after the 1,000 time, it can be a little tough. Your members will also want to ask the workers questions, you cant help that from happening. Thats when you need to post a sign explaining that phase of the project. Most people in construction not only dislike being interrupted, but it also can be very dangerous being distracted. Keeping the project safe is all about a proper setup in the morning and proper breaking down at the end of the day. Make sure that you have completed stabilized and reinforced all the temporary barriers. If there is going to be dust or any other type of material that might disperse during the construction, secure that area so that members or your staff are not exposed to these chemicals. Watch for tools or wires being left out in the open. These can potentially be dangerous for children walking by or possible tripping hazards. At the end of the working day, the facility may need to get right back into the swing of things, try to make the construction project look like it can be folded up and safely put to sleep for the night or the weekend. If a project needs to run into the evening, or needs to take place at night, make sure that the supplies needed will be accessible. There are not going to be many hardware stores or supply places open at 2 am in the morning.
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After you have gone through the entire experience of the remodeling there is a strong tendency to relax and take some time off. This is not a good idea. Most projects have to be molded into the operation after they are completed. Unforeseen issues pop up and they will need your full attention. Things that worked before, now dont work and some things that never worked are now needed to work. The ramifications of this are never known until they surface.
You may also want to celebrate the finalizing of the project with your membership. This is just as good a reason as any to have a party, so take advantage of the moment. After all, your members have had to endure this project, they deserve a little reward. Add a little publicity to the event and some P.R. around the community and you will have fully capitalized on your renovations. Having a ribbon cutting ceremony is a great a more lasting memory so that the next time your members are asked how much money you reinvest in your club, they will be quick to answer.
LOOKI NG GOOD DU R I NG A R ECESSION

When we make money, we can spend money. We make improvements, we add events and activities, we give raises; its all one big happy family. When revenues decline, the story changes quickly. Suddenly were faced with cutbacks and stressful economic decisions. Turning the bus around is hard enough, but doing it without attracting negative publicity is even more difficult. Because most employees and members know when the economy is in stress, they are on the lookout for any cuts or scaling back. This is why its so important to be creative and careful about any actions that might send the wrong message. These times call for more creative management. You need new ideas, followed by actions that send a positive message to both members and staff. The irony is that in this economy, many clubs and health facilities can do quite well. As jobs disappear, members will have more time on their hands and are likely to use that time enjoying their favorite recreation. Their choice to recreate may also be a necessity to help reduce the stress brought on by financial woes. This is all the more reason to keep an upbeat attitude about how your business is doing. Who wants to visit their club and hear more news about how bad times are, or be affiliated with a business that appears to be failing? So even though you may be struggling, put on a good face and try a more positive approach. Start by getting the most bang for your buck. When spending to upgrade your facility, make those purchases and changes count. Maybe its a new weighing scale, a new clock, or a new thermometer out by the tennis courts. Make small and visible changes, and instead of just replacing an item with what you had before, change to a new style or look. Make that replacement more noticeable. If youre going to upgrade some equipment, publicize that change. Let your members know when you spend money. If you have any televisions, for a few extra dollars you can add a new sports channel or tennis channel. When you do, remember to announce it and make it a special bonus for the members. For those changes you do make around the facility that are not visible to the member, put up a flier and add that information to your newsletter to capitalize on this money spent. There are also a number of ways to create changes that wont cost you a cent. These can also be used to catch the eye of the member and have them believing that you are still continuing to improve and upgrade your facility. Why not a new entrance mat with your logo, or new shower products in your locker rooms at no cost? Many suppliers of these products will spring for the bill to make these changes in order for you to buy their products. Almost any large company will try to promote their products to help announce that they have become available at your facility; take advantage of these promotions. How about having your monthly bills pay for new employee perks? Obtain a credit card for the business that awards mileage and use that mileage as bonuses for your staff. Youre going to have to pay those bills anyway; might as well get something back. Another way of altering a service from being an expense to becoming free is to get involved with non-profit organizations. Donate memberships, space or services that are under utilized. Make these donations to schools, charities or other nonprofit organizations for free publicity and exposure. This could cut back on your advertising budget while still helping maintain great exposure in the community.
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This is a great time to go green and start a paperless newsletter, calendar or billing program. You eliminate the expense of the printing, paper and mailing, while making a positive environmental statement to your members. During these times it is important to back your image with your performance. Now more than ever, make sure that repairs happen as quickly as possible. Putting off any repair is never good practice, but during these times it can inadvertently send the message that you are on a tight budget. This not only pertains to the major functions of the facility, such as a Jacuzzi or steam room, but to the smaller items, the pressure on the water fountains or the stirrups on the exercise bikes that dont quite hold. So often its the little things that can get the attention of the member and send the wrong message. To help ensure that you get prompt service from outside contractors, take the time to write a letter or an e-mail to those who perform well. Mention how much you appreciate their ability to respond and act quickly on your needs. This will get their attention in a positive way and help put you on the top of the list when emergencies pop up.
Find ways to pass on discounts to your staff. Like your business, many other industries are reaching out to increase their client base. Possibly you can acquire discounted car insurance for your staff on a group basis. Maybe a discount at the local theater or a restaurant can be passed on to your staff. Call in experts on mortgages or financial advice for your staff. There are many in that line of work that are hungry to address a large audience with their expertise. Look at the possibility of expanding a service you use to provide the same for your staff. Your tree trimming service or your carpet cleaning service is probably experiencing the same financial issues you are and might be receptive to adding a little extra to your contract. They might be willing to throw in this extra service that you could direct towards your employees. None of these ideas will cost you a penny, but will improve the quality of the working environment at your facility.
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The last thing you want to do is nickel and dime your members to recoup TO PASS ON loses or cover expenses. Although it DISCOUNTS TO may have been unavoidable in the airline YOUR STAFF. industry, the negative publicity they received when they began to charge for baggage and cut back on their food service was very harmful. The message was very clear, We are financially hurting and the customer will have to pay the price. In our industry we need to remember that joining a health and fitness center is still When you have to cut back on a service, find ways an option to most people. We also need to remember that you might alter that service so that it can be that people do not like being affiliated with a facility that more cost-efficient. Combine two classes to make one projects an image of failing or suffering financially. Keep class. Replace the free morning coffee with a high-end your head up and talk a positive game, even if you are product, like Peetes or Starbucks, that a member would struggling. If you are asked how your business is doing not mind paying a small sum to purchase. Look for ways you say, Its tough times, but the challenge is interesting to alter a program or a service, rather than eliminate it, and keeps us on our toes, be honest and you may be able to keep your expense cuts under the compassionate, but avoid any negative statement that radar. can diminish the pleasant atmosphere a club should maintain. These tough times will pass, its your choice; Dont forget about the staff. They too need to feel you can be the one that complains or the one that looks that the business is moving in a positive direction. Its all for solutions and answers. very nice to add a few more compliments concerning their performance, but if theyre not getting raises, you will need to invent other methods of reward. You might try giving them greater discounts for the services you run at the facility, such as the restaurant, massage, lessons of any kind. In the process you will increase the volume of business in departments that may have been adversely impacted by the recession.
FIND
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GOING GREEN AND MAKING GREEN

How could anyone object to making a change that would help improve our environment? One objection might be the cost incurred by a business that takes on this task. So lets try asking the same question with a twist, How could anyone object to making a change that would help improve the environment and save them money? Phrasing it that way should get a positive response. In the last decade, being Green has created a window of opportunity to build a business. With these opportunities came bold, and in some cases, untested ideas. In theory they may have sounded good, but once you ran the numbers, they may not have panned out. As a result, this created doubt and hesitation resulting in businesses avoiding these changes. Now that the Green Movement has some history, the real numbers are in, and our industry can weed out what worked and what did not work financially. So lets start looking at the real upside and downside of the industry and how it can be implemented at our facilities. Start with the focus of most conservation; Energy. THE ENERGY YOU USE Solar Power Upside: A Photovoltaic system that can produce 150 kilowatts can pay for itself in 7 to 9 years. Not only is there plenty of sun exposure at most clubs (seldom do clubs locate in dark obscure locations), but you may be able to get a substantial rebate from your energy provider or the government. Add to that the tax benefits and depreciation and your club could see a payback in 9 years or less. Heres where the numbers become interesting. With a two-way meter its easy to follow the amount of energy coming or going, but the fact is, its not about the money you make, but mainly about insuring yourself against increased expenses. After the unit has been paid off, it is all positive savings for nearly 20 years. The fact is, with energy costs capable of escalating rapidly, these systems provide a hedge against that possibility. Downside: If you havent enough sun exposure, or enough space to locate this type of facility, it will not be worth your while. There is also the expense and cost of keeping the unit operating and clean. If a transformer goes down, it can be weeks before a technician can attend to it, taking any profits right out of the equation. Upside: For outdoor pools a solar system will capitalize on the sunny months of the year, which is usually when the pool is open. The savings can be enormous if you are using natural gas to heat your pool. Downside: It is seasonal, and the amount of space needed can be very extensive. Many solar systems by themselves are inadequate and will need the assistance of an in-house heater for the pools to be comfortable for most members. Co-generation Systems Upside: Co-generation systems run on low-cost natural gas. A co-generation system is simply a large V-8 engine that is encased to capture and use the heat that the engine produces, hence the name co-generation. Downside: In one word; Maintenance. Just like a car, they can break down and, without notice, your facility is out of hot water. The parts and the repairmen are hard to come by, so the downtime can be very long. Tankless Hot Water Upside: Instant hot water system is a great way to eliminate the cost of storing hot water in large tanks when there is no demand. Downside: The demand for hot water may be so great at times, especially if you are using many washing machines for your towels and have a large number of showers, that the flow of the water in the facility may be negatively impacted. Members may experience changes in the water pressure when they are showering. This addresses common energy saving systems, but to really be Green you need to address the entire club. With a fair amount of review, almost every department in a facility can be impacted. Maybe the most impacting will be how you provide water for your members; what they drink, shower with or swim in.
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THE WATER YOU USE Adding an ozone system to help keep the pools clean and healthy will be well received by most members. This will result in about a 40% reduction in chlorine usage, and the savings should pay for the ozone unit in less than a year. In addition, for indoor pools this can be an effective way to help eliminate the smell of chemicals that are reacting in the water to the organics. (Remember that chlorine is odorless and tasteless; its only when it reacts to organics that chloramines are created that have odor). Most health departments will require the continual use of chemicals, including chlorine even if you should go to an ozone system. How about your water supply? The addition of a water softener or a system that can remove chemicals from the incoming water to the facility will also be well received by the members and will also eliminate many plumbing problems that are the result of a build-up of debris that negatively impacts the pipes and boilers used at your facility. You can take going Green outside the building. Look into the cost of the water and labor of washing your tennis courts. After a brief analysis, you may find it less expensive to buy a floor-cleaning machine that uses two gallons of water to clean a court instead of the hundreds of gallons a power hose uses. In this current economy, there are a number of companies recycling and selling this type of floor or surface cleaning equipment at phenomenally low prices. Drought-resistant planting is another step in saving water, but it also saves on labor. There is far less gardening with most drought-resistant landscapes; once planted they require little maintenance. When it comes to saving water, most facilities get hammered by the amount of water used in their showers. Adding flow resistors in all of the showers is a start, but getting members to take shorter showers can be very helpful. Remember that when there is a shortage of water in your area, members will more frequently use your facilitys locker rooms to shower. If that is the case, you might want to add timers or alarms to your showers. Along with proper water resistors in all the showers, also replace and retrofit your toilets to use less H2O. Now is the time to prepare for the eventual increase in the cost of water.
THE PRODUCTS YOU USE Many of the existing companies that provide cleaning supplies have developed a new line that is environmentally friendly. If your current provider is not, then take your business to another source. You will find that the new environmentally friendly products have also been priced to be more economically friendly. In addition, because these new products are less toxic, they can be bought in larger quantities and stored more safely. They can also be handled by your employees more safely and allow you to buy a concentrated product that your employees can dilute. This concentrated product can be purchased for substantially less money. There is virtually no downside to moving towards Green products to help keep your facility clean. The argument that they are not potent enough to really keep your facility sanitary is no longer an issue as these products have made tremendous progress in recent years. Great progress has been made in the ability to replace styrofoam and plastic products with paper products. These new recycled paper products can be used in restaurants and for your drinking fountains. Look into local businesses that are willing to pick up this material for free and, in some cases, even offer refunds. How much money are you paying for paper used to produce newsletters, flyers and your statements? With a few easy steps and the harnessing of the technology available, much of this can become paperless. Do your billing over the Internet and provide electronic billboards to replace posters and flyers. This will not only save money, but will make you look sharp and provide a more current information center. It only takes a moment to update your electronic billboards and keep members current on events or changes.
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The only negative to going paperless is that there is still a contingency of people out there that are not comfortable with new technology and will have a hard time keeping up with current events if they do not have a paper in hand. You may lose these members if they begin to lose touch with the club.
Take time to tour your facility and look for every little step that will help in going green and possibly save you money. It might be the retrofitting of the light bulbs or the installation of motion-sensitive light switches to many rooms that are frequented only occasionally by members or employees, such as storage rooms, closets or remote bathrooms. You never know until you do a complete review. In the end, these are all good steps for the environment, but they are also good steps that will impact your bottom line.
LOCKER ROOMS
Give a tour to a potential member, and no matter include enough showers and lockers so that they can what their recreational interest in your club will get to the club, get in their workout, clean up and be, much of their judgment of your facility will be head to work or home. Add to the fact that more facilities based on the appearance of the locker rooms. are opening their doors earlier and earlier to accommodate They know that at some point in time they will likely have and attract members who prefer exercise before going to a need to use the locker room. Maybe its just to store work, and the need to use a locker has increased. items, take a shower or even have a place to relax, that space will be used and almost always with a sense of For traditionalists, locker rooms were for private privacy. Maybe this is the reason that locker rooms tend conversation and post- recreation relaxation. Golf to represent the true quality of a club. They are the club members have always enjoyed this environment, and designated area of privacy and exclusiveness of a facility. often take refuge in these locations to review their golf At the same time, its also where a game and wrap up their day. Men still enjoy member must share space with the other that sense of gathering in a location that is members in the most intimate of their own at the end of a workout, swim or CLEAN IS NOT moments. A manager must keep the tennis match. Today, women need locker ENOUGH, BECAUSE uniqueness of these conditions in mind in rooms and a well equipped vanity area to CLEAN AND both design and operation of the locker use before they leave the club. They take HEALTHY IS rooms. Failure to do so can prevent even great pride and feel it very important that EXPECTED. the best equipped multi-functional facility these amenities will provide the perfect from achieving a high standard. launching point for them to properly prepare for their next public encounter. In recent years, locker rooms have changed due to the expansion of the programs Given these very important traditional traits and offered at facilities. Clubs that once only offered swim new demands, the quality of locker rooms needs and tennis now are multi-fitness clubs and, consequently, to be taken very seriously and attended to with the need to expand their locker rooms. Tennis players utmost respect and importance by any manager. historically seldom needed locker room facilities. They Start with the appearance and ambience of the rooms. used their tennis bags that carried just about everything Clean is not enough, because clean and healthy is they needed to and from the courts. It used to be just expected. Functionality is not enough; this too is the swimmers who felt the need to shower off the expected. Proper supplies are also not enough; common chemicals that lingered from use of the pools; now those sense tells you this. What is essential is having proper who attend exercise classes, cycle spin and even yoga flow and comfort. Understanding flow, or what some have created a new demand for locker rooms. refer to as feng shui, is what will allow many people to use an intimate space comfortably and cooperatively. If The fact is, the fitness member is much more in need you are not sure that you are providing this service, just of a well equipped locker room; one that would ask yourself these questions:
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Can members enter and exit the locker rooms comfortably without feeling crowded or awkward even when carrying large tennis bags? If you can design a zigzag entrance or exit without doors, you help avoid the awkwardness of a door opening or closing on someone else and also improve circulation. Can members use the showers and that space without feeling uncomfortable? Do they have a sense of privacy provided by shower doors or curtains? Can they open and close the doors without banging in to each other? Are the floors sanitary enough, or is the surface material functional enough, to create both comfort for the feet and be kept clean enough for common traffic? Is there enough space to sit while at the counters to dry hair, apply cosmetics, or just to review your appearance? Are there enough seats to provide comfortable use of all the lockers? Is there proper ventilation or heating that gives the member a feeling of comfort after a shower? Is there enough water pressure in the showers so that a person doesnt feel they have to waste water when rinsing out their hair? Is the lighting appropriate in the vanity area for someone who wants to properly apply cosmetics? Are your signs clearly and properly posted explaining the rules and regulations of using the locker rooms? Since most members are using the locker rooms at the end of their visit to the facility, do you have enough clocks posted that are always keeping good time? Remember that most members are headed from the locker room to another location and are often on a schedule. Many, due to the type of work-out they are having, will not be wearing a watch; hence the need for well-posted clocks.
13. Have you assigned the lockers to members so that they spread out the usage of those visiting? 14. Do your day lockers provide ample space for usage and are not intrusive on those who are paying for larger permanent lockers? 15. Do you have in place air filters or systems that can collect dust at all times? Are they quiet? 16. Are there enough sinks, toilets and showers to handle the increased usage at the end of large classes? It should be remembered that the lockers can produce revenue. Many clubs rent lockers by the month or year and in some cases, even charge day locker fees. There is also a trend to have different size lockers for those who have different needs. A well designed and managed locker room is more likely to create better revenue; this includes the design of the locker as well. The locks you decide to design into your system can vary, but it is recommended you use a system that remains part of the locker and has the feature of changing combinations, which will accommodate transitions to new renters. There are three features the design of a locker should have. First, how secure are they? Can they be easily pried open or broken into? Second, have they been engineered for proper ventilation? Lockers can get a life of their own if you cant keep them well ventilated. Third, there is a great deal of moisture in a locker room, humidity from the showers, wet bathing suits and sweaty athletes, so rust can be a big concern. Never buy lockers that can rust or easily build up mildew. We mentioned security, and this is a big issue that many clubs and facilities just pretend is not a problem. Think about this, there are only a few times in a day that a person is separated from their valuable personal belongings; one is at home and the other is in a locker room. Clubs cant place security cameras in locker rooms and it is probably financially impractical for most clubs to have a security guard on the premises at all times. For those reasons, thieves see these locations as a great opportunity. They can come to a club and be given a tour by a female employee and then while reviewing
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10. Most members when showering will need to remove their glasses and, in turn, will have impaired vision, so are those areas of use safely equipped with proper handles, grab bars and non-skid flooring? 11. Can the member readily dispose of club towels so they dont end up on the floor or benches? 12. When the weather turns cold and rainy, will there be space for hanging large jackets and coats for those who do not have lockers or have lockers that are too small.
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the mens locker room on their own, quickly spot someone just leaving to use the club and within seconds take their personal belongings. Its a bigger problem than the industry likes to admit, but it can be addressed if the Front Desk staff does their job and quality lockers are purchased that cannot be easily opened. Day lockers, by nature, can be both a security issue and a maintenance issue. Many have do-it-yourself codes or day keys, which are a problem if the number is forgotten or if the key is lost. Make sure you have posted signs that are very visible, informing the members that you are not responsible for any lost or stolen items. Its also not a bad idea via newsletter or flyers to post a statement telling members that the best security for their valuables is locking them in the trunk of their car. This next subject is not under the category of security, but closely related. Its maybe the most awkward and sticky subject that can arise with locker rooms. It is the never ending argument about gender usage with children. If you are fortunate enough, you have designed into your club family locker rooms. These rooms allow a family to use the club and share the same locker room. There are some limitations with these family locker rooms, but they accommodate that very real concern that parents have about leaving their young children unattended. At what age is it inappropriate for a young child to be in the locker room of the other gender? Is it four, five, or six? And what if that child has personal issues or disabilities? This is a question that you will never find an answer to. Every parent has their own parameters and personal safety guidelines. There are a few solutions. One is to always have on staff at least one female and one male that, if needed, could escort a young child to the appropriate locker room. The other is to engineer in a curtain or section of the locker room that could provide private usage. In the end, you may find yourself wrestling with this problem through the years with very little satisfactory results. The day a 60 plus women comes up to you and insists that a certain five year old boy not be allowed into the womens locker room, and then, only seconds later, the mother of that child addresses you demanding that you do not implement a rule that forces her to be separated from her child; thats the day you will appreciate your diplomatic management skills. In general, locker room usage will raise many issues. Once again, it is an area where privacy and
space are constantly challenged. If you are a facility that has either a sauna or a steam room, you can expect some conflicts. Personal hygiene, or lack of, will be at the top of the list. Training members to be courteous enough to use towels to sit on, or not to use personal products like aerosols, deodorants, cosmetics, creams, hair products, the list goes on, will be an ongoing task. There is a simple reason that this is a problem; members are also regular people, and regular people will always perceive their personal needs as a priority. Any rule or guideline that a facility mandates will be challenged by a person who can rationalize their needs. The steam room is not hot enough for them, so they pour water on the thermostat to increase the heat, even though doing so will cause the system to shut down in about ten minutes. The application of creams will help keep their skin healthier, even though it might to an irritant to others. The use of a perfume may make some feel they smell better, but might impact the next occupants allergies. Much like the issue with young children using the locker rooms, you will have a never- ending task of trying to manage a large group of people using the same space. The towels you go through in any club is another no-win scenario. Try as you may, there will always be a certain number of towels that will walk out of the building. There have been clubs that thought they could solve this problem if they provided higher quality towels with logos and equipped them with sensors that would go off if the towel left the building. The end result was that the cost of the towels and sensors, along with the additional cost of washing these towels, was twice the cost of the loss of towels they were experiencing in the past. If you ask someone in the hotel industry, they will tell you that they have been experiencing this for some time. Their solution was to add the cost of losing towels to the cost the rooms. This may be the answer for facilities that provide towel service. Some facilities can staff well enough to force members to check out and check back in towels; again, the cost of operation may outweigh the loss of the towels. The cost of operation is part of your game plan with locker rooms. This is not just toilet paper, paper towels and soap, it can also be hair gel, suntan lotion, Qtips or whatever you feel you want to provide free for your members. With many clubs that operate more to the public, these free items are limited and seldom will you see accessories such as razors, hair combs and articles that potentially might be shared. There is a
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hygiene issue here that is difficult to manage, even with that blue disinfectant liquid. Finally, lets review maintenance and janitorial services. Remember that dues-paying members cannot tolerate excessive down time. For a shower to be broken for more than a day is not acceptable. It is one thing to close down for upgrades; its another to close because you did not keep up with the maintenance of an area, or because you do not have back-up parts. Once any piece of equipment breaks, buy two not one. When you have someone come in to fix a plumbing or electrical problem, or do any repair work, make sure you educate yourself and your maintenance crew on how to fix it yourself next time around. You would be surprised how easy it is to repair broken faucets or handles on your own. For the janitorial crew, dont believe a checklist will solve any inefficiency problems. There is only one sure-fire method of making sure that the locker rooms are clean 24/7/365. Check the area yourself and stay close to your members that have high standards of cleanliness. Everyone has a different budget, but even with a tight budget you can address a messy locker room. There is a big difference in a messy locker room and an unclean locker room. Messy locker rooms can happen
after a few quick minutes if visited by a large group of kids. Having someone do a walk-through on a religious schedule can help keep up the appearance. To have a clean locker room, requires a combination of real labor, good eyes and good standards. You will need to do a walk-through with the cleaning people and show them what your standards of cleanliness are. Having a large janitorial staff that can keep up the locker rooms is a wonderful luxury, but it always comes down to making sure that no matter how many people you have working for you, you stay on top of their work. Heres a great tip that will overcome any list or communication issues. Get your lockers into a pristine appearance and then take a series of photos of the entire area. Post these photos exclusively for your janitorial staff so they can use them as a reference to your standards. These photos will not only set the guidelines, but will also help in case there are substitutions or transitions with the employees. The shower stalls, the toilet areas, the vanity areas and the locker or changing room areas are all areas that are going to be used by your membership in the most intimate ways. This makes it personal and, in turn, very important. Make it a habit to remind your staff of this, and occasionally yourself.
The End
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FAC I L I T Y M A N AG E R S M A N UA L

By Rod Heckelman January 2010

Compliments of the Tennis Industry Association

About the Facility Manager's Manual

THE MANAGERS GUIDELINES

THE FACILITIES DEPARTMENTS

MANAGING FROM TOP TO BOTTOM

FOREWORD/ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

MANAGERS FIRST GOALS

Starting From Scratch

MANAGERS FIRST GOALS

MANAGERS FIRST GOALS

MANAGERS FIRST GOALS

MANAGERS FIRST GOALS

MANAGERS FIRST GOALS

MANAGERS FIRST GOALS

LOCATION WHERE ANYONE CAN GO AND GET ANSWERS.

THE MANAGERS GUIDELINES

THE MANAGERS GUIDELINES

HIRING, FIRING AND REVIEWS

THE MANAGERS GUIDELINES

THE MANAGERS GUIDELINES

Applicant's Signature:______________________________________________________ Date:__________________

THE MANAGERS GUIDELINES

CONTRACTS, THE LEGAL LANGUAGE OF HIRING

THE MANAGERS GUIDELINES

Club XYZ Employee Agreement

THE MANAGERS GUIDELINES

Club XYZ Independent Contractor Agreement

THE MANAGERS GUIDELINES

Independent Contractor Signature:___________________________________________ Date: ____________________

THE MANAGERS GUIDELINES

THE MANAGERS GUIDELINES

THE MANAGERS GUIDELINES

THE MANAGERS GUIDELINES

THE MANAGERS GUIDELINES

THE MANAGERS GUIDELINES

THE MANAGERS GUIDELINES

THE MANAGERS GUIDELINES