By STEVE [email protected]
G ENEVA — The past few years have not beenkind to golf clubs. Courses — public and privatealike — have been closing as they struggle to
compete in an age when the sport is struggling toattract new participants.
Geneva Country Club was not immune. The oldest contin-uously operational nine-hole course in the country — it wasformed in 1890 — suffered from some of the same ailmentsas others: declining membership and too much debt.
However, instead of putting up a for-sale sign on somevery valuable lakefront real estate, the 4147 W. Lake Roadfacility changed its model, creating a for-profit, mostly mem-ber-owned club that set the club onto a path of prosperityand growth.
And, they continue to build on that momentum today,said John Rossi, director of golf, who has been at GenevaCC for roughly 20 years.
Rossi credited club member Tom Tierney with putting theconversion of the club from nonprofit to for-profit in actionback in 2009.
“He had this vision and did all the work to get the processstarted,” Rossi said. “He did all of the research and had thevision to create a shareholder program.”
“We are on a good trajectory,” agreed Chris Jennings, theclub’s president. “We were able to eliminate the debt andbegin growing again.”
Indeed, the club has doubled its membership from about60-70 before reorganization to about 160 today, Rossi noted,and they continue to aggressively seek new members withsome of the most competitive membership dues in theregion.
GCC’s turnaround has not gone unnoticed.“Other clubs have wanted to know how we did it,” Rossi
said. “We have become a model.”The club isn’t standing pat when it comes to building the
business, Rossi added, noting it has arrangements withGeneva hotels, including nearby Belhurst, to build up week-day golfing, an important component to a successful course.They also have a weekday seniors league that featuresabout 30 members teeing off at 9 a.m.
While the business model has changed, one thing thathasn’t is the quality of the golf course.
Rossi and Jennings call it among the best in the FingerLakes, one that competes favorably with many of MonroeCounty’s best. They credit greens superintendent EricBirkmeier — who, among other stops, spent 19 years atPenfield Country Club — for creating what Rossi calls a“spectacular” course.
GCC also features a pro shop with the best brands in thebusiness, he added.
While the club is now built for growth, it is always striv-ing to improve its restaurant/clubhouse experience.
If you love the food at Geneva’s Club 86 or Bagels andCakes — both are owned by Bill and Lori Legott — you’re
sure to like Baejl’s. The Legotts lease the restaurant fromGCC, which gets the club out of the food and entertainmentbusiness and allows them to concentrate on growing the golfproduct.
Sarah and Alex Legott run the restaurant. They host anumber of private parties, everything from wedding recep-tions to corporate events.
“They’re doing more and more,” Jennings said.The Legotts and the club have invested heavily in club-
house improvements to enhance the restaurant and eventexperience, Jennings added.
As for dining at the restaurant, you’ll either need to be aclub member or a social club member, Rossi said; he indicat-ed that growing the social club membership is a priority.Doing so gives you access to some great dining offerings andsome fun people, he said, noting they have 60 social mem-berships.
Rossi is proud that Geneva Country Club has been able toturn things around, saying that the business is an impor-tant component of the community.
“We’re a fun, family-oriented place,” he said, pointing tothe club’s junior golf program, along with the manyfundraising tournaments held there.
The Geneva Rotary holds its meetings there too, Rossinoted.
Among those who enjoy the family feel of Geneva CountryClub is Marty Brown of Geneva, a member for over adecade. A native of Connecticut, he’s the husband of Cornellprofessor Susan Brown, the former director of theAgricultural Experiment Station in Geneva.
The club was a great way for Marty, who traveled oftenbefore he retired, to meet people — and, of course, get onthe links.
“I enjoy golf and I enjoy the people,” he said during a visitto the club last week.
As for the course: “It’s always in excellent shape,” Brownexclaimed.
That includes the summer of 2016, Brown added, whencourses around the region were parched from one of worstdroughts on record.
The club is fortunate to be able to draw water fromSeneca Lake, Rossi said, and it features a “state-of-the-artirrigation system.”
Thursday, April 13, 201710A
BUSINESS OF THE WEEK Brendon Burchard:“We all have a life story and a message that can inspireothers to live a better life or run a better business.Why not use that storyand message to serve others and grow a real business doing it?”
I am lucky to be part of a smallgroup of homeowners called “lakers.”It’s reasonable to assume that a lakerowns lakefront property, but simplyowning lake property is not sufficientjustification to be designated as alaker. This is a title you must earn,and during my third year on CayugaLake, I was provided the opportunityto earn my stripes.
In 1997, the lake level rose at leastthree feet and the rolling breakersquickly turned our dock into a batter-ing ram. My wife and I waded in tograpple with the dock and return it toshore. We were in chest-deep waterwhen Ann accidentally stepped off aconcrete ledge, and her waders quick-ly filled with ice-cold water. The goodnews is that we were able to securethe dock and prevent any furtherdamage. Oops, I forgot to mentionthat I pulled Ann out of the bone-chilling water,and she left along trail ofwet clothesacross theroad and upour frontsteps.
Since thatexperience, Itake preven-tative meas-ures each fallin anticipa-tion of whatcan occur inApril. I’m nowrecognized asa true “laker,”and the les-sons I’velearnedhelped medeal with many unexpected eventsthroughout my life.
Are you prepared for an unexpectedbump in your career? We can’t predictwhen the next “flood” or “power out-age” will occur, but we do know it willhappen again. I can’t predict thetwists and turns your career willtake, but there’s an extremely highprobability something unexpected isgoing to happen. Take it from a laker,it’s better to be prepared.
1. Take a personal inventory ofwhat you need to do now to enhanceand expand your skills. Instead of liv-ing in fear that your skills willbecome obsolete, look at this as anopportunity to grow and look for jobsthat are a better fit for yourstrengths.
2. Don’t assume your currentemployer will be around forever.Whoever imagined Macy’s, Sears,Penny’s and many other large retail-ers would be closing hundreds ofstores in 2017? Pay attention andmake sure your current employer ismaking the necessary changes tocompete. Whether you work for asmall employer or a larger institu-tion, the same principles apply.Change is fast and furious, so keepan eye on what’s ahead and ensureyou have the necessary skills to com-pete in tomorrow’s job market.
3. Continue to develop a networkthat can help you move forward. Ifyou’re waiting for someone to knockon your door with a better job offer,you’re going to be disappointed. Takea minute right now and describethree people who can help you find abetter and more stable career. If youhave trouble identifying one or twopeople who are in a position to helpyou, then you’ve got some work to do.
4. Start planning for retirement 20years in advance of your optimisticretirement date. My dad worked forthe same employer for 37 years, andhis pension was his one and onlyplan. He didn’t have a Plan B. Thingshave changed, and you can’t assumeyour pension will be enough. Not onlydo you need to save money to supple-ment your pension, but you also needto think about employment beyondthe age of 65. This may not sounddesirable, but it may become neces-sary if you haven’t saved a largeenough nest egg for your retirement.
Procrastination isn’t an acceptableoption when it comes to your future.Replacing my dock was a short-terminconvenience. Planning for yourretirement is only possible if you planfor the unexpected. There is no pointin dwelling on what you should havedone. Look forward and think aboutwhat you can do to be prepared forwhat’s ahead.
Bill Kaminski is president of StoneAssociates Training. He is an HR con-sultant with 35 years of experience inthe employment field, teaching man-agers the art of hiring great employ-ees. Bill is also an adjunct instructorat Keuka College. You can contact Billwith questions, suggestions or com-ments at [email protected].
Be prepared,‘stuff’ will
happen
Get a Job
By BillKaminski
Submitted photo
Members of Geneva’s senior league enjoy a meal afterplaying a round.
Geneva Country Clubretools for growth
Historic club puts itself onpath for prosperity
Business
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GGGG eeee nnnn eeee vvvv aaaa CCCC oooo uuuu nnnn tttt rrrr yyyy CCCC llll uuuu bbbbSpencer Tulis photos / Finger Lakes Times
Geneva Country Club has doubled its membership from about 60 to 70 before reorganization to about 160, saidJohn Rossi (above left), director of golf. Rossi believes GCC is among the best courses in the Finger Lakes and com-petes favorably with many of Monroe County’s best. Rossi is pictured with Eric Birkmeie, greens superintendent.
