DIRECTOR OF GOLF AND MEMBER SERVICES PROFILE: STOWE MOUNTAIN CLUB & STOWE COUNTRY CLUB STOWE, VT THE DIRECTOR OF GOLF AND MEMBER SERVICES OPPORTUNITY AT STOWE MOUNTAIN CLUB & STOWE COUNTRY CLUB The Director of Golf and Member Services (DOGMS) position at Stowe Mountain Club (SMC) and Stowe Country Club (SCC) is an exciting opportunity to join an amazing boutique private club nestled in a large scale, corporate owned resort community with a wide array of amenities and member services. SMC is looking for a dynamic golf professional who is passionate and energized to provide engaged golf operations leadership to this well organized, progressive community. The ideal Director of Golf and Member Services is someone with a true and sincere hospitality gene and who recognizes the special uniqueness of community found at Stowe Mountain Club. The confluence of members/residents, staff and guests and the natural environment of the resort and its mountain landscape has formed a distinctive and captivating setting where genuine care and concern for all parties is clear. This role requires a truly engaged golf and member operations leader---someone who recognizes that all members deserve equal time, focus and opportunity, and who can effectively vision our golf program s future, and work with key volunteer and staff contributors to ensure consistent execution. Being the strong and active face of golf and member services at SCC/SMC must be part of his/her natural style, and being a true people person with outstanding communication skills will make him/her highly successful. A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF STOWE MOUNTAIN CLUB & STOWE COUNTRY CLUB Located in the charming town of Stowe in Northern Vermont, approximately four hours north of Boston and two hours south of Montreal, in the Green Mountains, SMC portrays a breathtaking setting and reverberates a multigenerational affinity with region for families from the greater New England region. Officially opened in the fall of 2004, this award winning private mountain community features 36-holes of Championship Golf including the majestic Bob Cupp designed Stowe Mountain Club course, 5-star member amenities, 5-star resort amenities and breathtaking views and the rustic charm of Stowe Country Club located below the mountain in Stowe village. SMC is a Signature Sanctuary at the Bronze level with Audubon International. SMC and Stowe, in general, are regarded as veritable playgrounds for outdoors activities with a full complement of winter sports as well as amazing hiking, mountain biking, zip lining and fishing among a plethora of summer pursuits. Stowe Mountain Lodge, the centerpiece of Spruce Peak at Stowe, is a $400 million alpine village in planning and development stages for the past 16 years. As part of this new community, guests of Stowe Mountain Lodge will enjoy world-class service, 312 guest rooms, a 21,000-square-foot spa and wellness center, ski-in/ski-out access to over 100 legendary trails, an 18-hole mountain golf course designed by Bob Cupp, and a heated outdoor pool. As part of Spruce Peak Village, Stowe Mountain Lodge offers guests high-end boutiques, restaurants and limitless on-mountain recreational options. The lodge offers
farm-to-table cuisine in Solstice restaurant and Hourglass bar. In addition, 34 fractionally-owned condominium units are available for vacation home ownership in the Lodge s Front Four Private Residence Club. While there is a wide array of amenities at Stowe Mountain, golf is featured piece during summer months with two very unique 18-hole courses. The Stowe Mountain Club is highly regarded for its natural beauty as the most breathtaking course in Vermont and features an award winning club located in the flourishing development of Spruce Peak at Stowe. Available only to Club Members, their guests and guests of Stowe Mountain Lodge, the Bob Cupp masterpiece features views of Vermont s Green Mountain National Forest and the sprawling valley below. You will certainly be smitten by the amazing vistas, but Stowe Mountain Club also packs a punch for the player in all of us. World Class conditions and a blending of elevation changes with risk-reward shot making make Stowe Mountain Club an experience that will demand your best effort. In a dramatic juxtaposition, you will find the historic Stowe Country Club (SCC) nestled in the valley below and just minutes from the Village of Stowe. The William Mitchell course has recently enjoyed a renaissance after more than 50 years as a northern Vermont local staple. With beautiful rolling terrain, impeccable conditions and a clubhouse nestled in a turn of the century farmhouse, Stowe Country Club is dripping with classic charm. Kirkwood s restaurant is a true local haunt and named after local golf legend Joe Kirkwood. It oozes nostalgia, but with a contemporary twist as Stowe Mountain Club s award winning culinary team has melded classic grilled faire with their own modern comfort food flair. Stowe Country Club also benefits from a wonderfully convenient location offering a multitude of activities for the entire family as well as Stowe s amazing boutique shopping scene. Needless to say, Stowe Country Club exudes an authentic Vermont experience that should not be missed. The Country Club enjoys a large range and practice area encompassing more than 60 acres featuring our Golf Channel Academy teaching school. Also, both Golf Shops provide an array of merchandise and golf support services. STOWE MOUNTAIN CLUB FACTS 237 member families with more than 400 children under the age 18. There are more than 400 residences on the mountain campus ranging from condominium lodge spaces to single family mountain homes, with approvals for more than 100 additional. Overall Club budget of approximately $11M There are several levels of membership available to residents: Legacy, Platinum and Gold with Full, Winter, Summer and House dues options. Current Legacy initation fees are $150,000. There are approximately 20,000 rounds of golf played annually (May through mid-october the two courses. There are twelve members on the Advisory Board of Governors. Amenities include SMC Clubhouse and course, SCC Clubhouse and course, Full service Golf Channel Instruction Academy, Alpine Clubhouse with ski-in/ski-out privileges, Children s Hideout, indoor golf simulator, 21,000 square foot healing spa with a full complement of pool, fitness, health and wellness programming and equipment, two tennis courts STOWE MOUNTAIN CLUB WEBSITE: www.stowemountainclub.com STOWE MOUNTAIN LODGE: www.stowemountainlodge.com SPRUCE PEAK DEVELOPER WEBSITE: www.sprucepeak.com
DIRECTOR OF GOLF AND MEMBER SERVICES POSITION OVERVIEW The Director of Golf and Member Services (DOGMS) must be an exceptional servant leader and manager who recognizes and respects the contributions of staff on all levels in addition to providing information, recommendations, and leadership to the GM, Board, and Ownership Group. The DOGMS reports directly to the GM. During the spring and summer, approximately April 1 through October 15, he/she will lead and manage the Golf Operations Department to ensure a superb golfing experience for players and groups, and attractive, well-maintained golf shops and operational support areas, and is responsible for all day-to-day functions and activities/programming of the golf courses and golf shops. This position, though overseeing operations at both facilities, will be based at Stowe Country Club. SCC realizes approx. 15,000 of the 20,000 annual combined rounds during the golf season and is the hub of golf play and lesson programming. SCC is a semi-private daily fee facility with member privileges for Stowe Mountain Club members as well as annual seasonal membership privileges for SCC only patrons. Daily fee patrons may access the tee sheet through a number of marketing avenues including the Stowe Mountain Lodge and competitor resort/hotel booking widgets and Golf Now among others. The selected individual shall have a strong acumen for utilizing these tools to drive green fee and merchandising revenue through Stowe Country Club. He or she will also have an astute understanding of an extremely affluent membership component to drive experience at Stowe Mountain Club. SMC is an exclusive semi-private facility available only to SMC members and lodge guests at Stowe Mountain Lodge. Full and summer dues members enjoy unlimited access to the course and grounds whereas other classifications require a reduced daily member fee. Lodge guests must pay the Lodge rate currently set at $270 per player. SMC realizes 5,000 rounds per annum or approx. 33 rounds per day during the season. It is truly a breathtaking property experienced by a select few. Generally, he or she will directly manage the Golf Operations Department at Stowe Country Club, rely on a strong assistant to manage operations at Stowe Mountain Club as well as work closely and collaboratively with the golf course superintendent at SCC and Director of Agronomy who oversees grounds operations for the umbrella club to assess playing conditions and ensure consistent, quality conditions. During winter months, approximately October 15 through March 31, the DOGMS will lead the member services teams including Club Concierge, Ski Valet and Parking Valet at the Alpine Clubhouse on Spruce Peak as the premier private ski-in/ski-out club in the Eastern United States. He/she must ensure a superb alpine experience for an extremely avid ski and winter sports membership as well as maintain an impeccably well-maintained clubhouse and amenities package at the 5-star Alpine Clubhouse. In general, the position will promote an exceptional member and guest golf and alpine experience and provide consistently creative services and programs for members of all abilities and their guests. The DOGMS is expected to be a strategic leader of the membership experience at Stowe Mountain Club and therefore a person who recognizes the importance of his/her leadership and face role, and possessive of exceptional personal interactive skills, integrity, strong communication abilities and overall golf acumen. Additionally, important is to work closely with the GM and other key senior staff leaders at the club to ensure a highly collaborative and cooperative culture, and one that consistently promotes a strong training and continued developmental approach. The DOGMS should foster a culture of continuing education for himself/herself and for the development of future golf professionals and staff, recognizing the need to be a great mentor and trainer of the team, and for setting the necessary tone at the top of the Golf and Membership Operations Departments. The DOGMS must consistently demonstrate sincere and engaged visibility with members and staff, a genuine love of golf, the member experience and the relentless pursuit of excellence.
The DOGMS s direct reports at present include: the Assistant Golf Professionals, Outside Operations Supervisor, Starter, Counter Staff, Outside Operations Staff, Ski Valet Supervisor, Parking Valet Supervisor and Club Concierge team. Critical success factors and Qualifications for the new Director of Golf and Member Services include: The ideal candidate will be a PGA Class A Director of Golf or Head Golf Professional with a minimum of five years of progressive experience at clubs known for a quality golf experience. An individual with impeccable character and a high Golf IQ The ability to listen to input from several sources; to extract appropriate thoughts, inputs, and ideas and to sincerely engage with each source, even when having to say no to a request A confident, resourceful, high-energy leader, who recognizes the value of innovative, creative golf programming and the need to grow the game A student of the game with a proven ability to produce an exceptional golf experience for players of all levels Someone with the ability to learn, understand and embrace the alpine environment and its outdoor amenities A program builder with demonstrated success in growing the game of golf as well as someone who can learn to understand and promote winter activities A natural and intuitive leader who has a verifiable record of an exceptionally high degree of member engagement---in the golf shop, on the range, in the clubhouse and on the course on a consistent basis. This should be rooted out of a true and sincere desire to develop and maintain strong, positive member relationships Passionate about driving value and member satisfaction, while also understanding golf s and alpine s role in the Stowe Mountain Club financial/membership equation Experienced in successfully managing a golf shop merchandising program Experienced in consistently providing outstanding member service, both inside and out of the golf shop, and to have a team who are held accountable and to a similarly high standard A strong relationship builder with a history of collaboration with their Course Superintendent and General Manager An individual with strong financial acumen, experienced in budget management and forecasting, as well as driving top line revenue growth A verifiable record of managing/leading a well-regarded instructional program and ability to maintain our Golf Channel Academy programming An active listener with excellent communication skills A well organized, detail-focused observer of standards of delivery Ability to create a strong identity for the Stowe Mountain Club and Stowe Country Club professional staffs and develop an effective plan to attract and retain talent Ability to effectively communicate with all staff, not just in the golf operation, recognizing the one club, one team philosophy Ensuring that all members within the Club look at him or her as our DOGMS; not viewed as being partial or showing favoritism to any one group Ensure there is a clear understanding of the data necessary to ensure a good member experience, how/why business decisions are made, and evaluate the use and benefits of current and future technological enhancements to improve delivery of high touch member moments To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
INITIAL FOCUS While all typical competencies are important, our need is for a DOGMS who will immediately focus on and address: Evaluate all aspects of the golf experience and create and implement an enhancement plan Evaluate direct reports and outside staff and create a development plan, in addition to ensuring that a robust talent acquisition and retention program is created and executed Assess effectiveness of merchandising program and make necessary improvements Evaluate quality control, purchasing and inventory management systems and make recommendations to GM for improvements Review and refine, or develop, standard operating procedures Review budget for the remainder of the fiscal year Assimilate and collaborate quickly with fellow Department Heads and ensure a consistently high level of communications between both yourself and your team with all other operational departments; again, clearly supportive of a one club, one team philosophy that is created by the initial tone to be emulated by others Create and maintain a regular staff communication program to ensure that all golf operations team members are fully educated, on the same page and empowered to confidently handle delegated situations Assist the Membership Director in the promotion of new member leads and provide a supporting role in assisting with prospective members and orientation of new members EDUCATIONAL AND CERTIFICATION QUALIFICATIONS Preferably, a bachelor s degree in golf management, hold a minimum of a Class A card and be a current registered member of the PGA. Further, a verifiable commitment to continuing education with the PGA. SALARY AND BENEFITS Salary is open and commensurate with qualifications and experience. SMC offers an excellent bonus and benefit package including PGA membership and attendance at the annual PGA Show. INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO APPLY Please remit your resume and cover letter to Smlhr@destinationhotels.com. Preparing a thoughtful letter of interest and alignment, clearly articulating your fit with the profile and the above noted expectations and requirements is necessary. Your letter should be addressed to Stowe Mountain Club Director of Golf and Member Services Search Team, and clearly articulate why you want to be considered for this position at this stage of your career and why SMC and Northern Vermont will likely be a fit to you, your family and the community if selected. Expressions of interest in this manner should be conveyed to us no later than Friday, February 23 rd. Interviews occur in March with the successful candidate in place in Spring 2018 prior to the start of the season tentatively scheduled for Friday, May 4, 2018.