Close the Knowledge Gaps

Meet your employees where they are

Dave Hodgson

Vice President of sales

Club Core.

It was Sunday, May 15, and I was excited to travel south to Sarasota Fl – one of my favourite places in Florida – flying through Detroit Mich.

After checking my bags, I headed towards security and noticed one of the TSA employees looking at their phone while adjusting the post and rope stanchions, clearly looking at his cell for reference.

Curious I asked what he was up to. He replied “I’ve only been on the job a few weeks, my phone let me know it’s time to adjust the lines because of increased traffic – the layouts are on my phone”

This confirmed what I suspected. The security company used micro-learning or learn-in-flow of work to train and educate staff., This young gent was clearly happy to be self-sufficient in the task and have the information at his finger tips when he needed it. Imagine the delays if he had to wait for a manager to come and let him know it was time or worse, if he was expected to have memorized it back in orientation?



Micro-learning is the delivery of condensed content for learners to study at their convenience.


So how can this apply to the club industry?

Before we get there, and for those of you who are Gen-X and later like me, let’s take a quick walk down the evolutionary road of learning. according to Josh Bersin.

We’ve seen training and education go from projector learning in the ’70s and ’80s, to the PC era of scaled learning with no ability to track Then, in the ’90s, we moved to LMS systems where e-learning was born. Google facilitated this change to an experience where learners were able to search for content By 2007, mobile apps such as YouTube and X/Twitter captured learner’s attention, with staff gravitating to short videos to fulfil their learning needs.

More recently, educators have leaned towards micro-learning to meet the expectations of the modern learner. Platforms were created with features that integrate, manage, curate and organize bite-sized multi-media content such as videos. articles and podcast. We may not love where we are at, and we certainly can’t replace the value of in-person support and team building, but we also can’t deny where 46 per cent of our workforce comes from – and that is Gen-Z and Millennials!

Micro-learning is the delivery of condensed content for learners to study at their convenience.

Further defined its:

– Two minutes or less, generally Topic or problem based
– Video and/or text
– Indexed and searchable
– Content is rated for quality and utility

Like many of you reading this, the golf, club or hospitality industry has pretty much been my entire life since age 11, and so being an operator \viii always be a part of my DNA.

While my role may differ now from day-to-day operations, my mind always seeks solutions and innovations. At the most recent NGCOA and CMAC conferences in Vancouver, many sessions were focused on current staffing challenges. Although it’s a little scary to think about, Gallup tells us that in all sectors of our workforce, on average, 17 per cent of our staff are actively disengaged. This means they genuinely don’t care about our member and guest experience, or the success of our business.

We owe it to our teams to evaluate ways to improve employee engagement, by meeting them where they are, with experiences that will resonate. Like any other industry, it’s important to foster an environment that encourages employees to learn and grow, that is fully transparent and embraces diversity. Using current trends in education and training \viii ensure employees are set up for success, increase engagement and reduce potential turnover.

Statistics Canada recently indicated a record high of one million job vacancies. With the high cost of turnover (up to one ­third of the annual cost of an employee), and an increased demand for part-time work, clubs need to consider different techniques like micro-learning. Candidates are interviewing us, not the other way around. According to Forbes, investing in your employees will improve productivity, attract new talent and contribute to the bottom line.

There’s no better time to implement micro-learning into your training initiatives.

Consider adding these and more to your toolbox:

– Golf cart safety
– How to change a pin hole or rake a bunker
– Properly loading the Cafe Express
– How to do a roll-up
– Standards of service for specific tasks or roles
– How to sell a gift card with your POS
– How to do a split bill with your POS
– How to set up for a banquet – formal and casual options
– How to set up the driving range – how to pick the driving range – safely!
– How to make and garnish our Caesar salad
– How to reset the credit card machine
– How about orientation videos for board and committee members – there’s only 60 or so of them, right?
– Access to guest policies and critical phone numbers for services

The list goes on and on, and the ,vin is: take the time now to add content so it \ill be available when recruiting and onboarding are busiest. Allow your new employees to feel independent and capable, while saving time for you and your managers.

Learning shouldn’t end after orientation. Many aspects of your club departments change daily, and allowing employees to learn in the flow of work equips them with tools to adapt to ever­changing requirements.

Who knows, maybe the next time you’re at the club, you might see firsthand “learning in the flow” – a young range attendant watching a video on how to properly stack the golf pyramid or a maintenance team member reviewing on their phone the perfect technique to finish the bunker edges. ·they might even use their device to check that off their list of duties for the day, seamlessly letting the superintendent know that part of the golf course duties for the day are complete!

Dave Hodgson is the vice president of sales at Club Core.



CSCM Partners with Club Core for Industry Best Practices Library.

Club Core Inc. (Club Core) and the Canadian Society of Club Managers (CSCM) are pleased to announce their new strategic partnership to create and manage a best practices library of relevant documents exclusively for members of the CSCM. The CSCM’s mission is to develop, promote and support the profession of club management by providing networking and educational opportunities for our members. This new partnership firmly supports the networking cornerstone of the CSCM membership offering, by providing a mechanism where members can learn and support each other.

The three-year agreement, which began on May 1, 2021, sees Club Core recognized as a gold corporate partner of the CSCM. The CSCM’s Corporate Partner program recognizes industry partners that share the values of the CSCM and offer members support as leaders in the club management profession in Canada.

“Early in 2021, in consultation with the membership, CSCM’s Board of Directors finalized a 2021-2023 Strategic Framework. Membership value was one of the four key priorities with access to documented best practices being one of the four identified action items. CSCM has been looking to develop such a Library for a while now, and we are simply delighted to be working with Club Core on this very important initiative”, remarked Kim Iwamoto, CCM, CCE, CPA, CGA, CSCM President.

“CSCM has been looking to develop such a Library for a while now, and we are simply delighted to be working with Club Core on this very important initiative”, remarked Kim Iwamoto, CCM, CCE, CPA, CGA, CSCM President.

Club Core is a Canadian software platform offering training and HR content designed exclusively for clubs. Club Core’s team of experts will be responsible for ensuring the quality of the Library content and access to the Library will be available to CSCM members only. In addition, Club Core will offer CSCM member clubs a discount on setup fees, if they wish to work with Club Core at their own club.

“Club Core is excited to develop this new strategic partnership with the CSCM,” remarked Mike Sandrock, President of Club Core. “Club Core’s software is focused on providing a better member experience through enhanced engagement, and we hope to do the same for the CSCM’s members. Developing a Library with best practice documents from club professionals across the country will provide the CSCM members with an invaluable resource.”

“Ensuring we continue to develop and support our member value proposition is critical to the longevity of the CSCM. We are very much looking forward to delivering on this work together with Club Core,” declared Suzanne Godbehere, CSCM Chief Executive Officer.

Further details on the Library will be provided to CSCM members in the coming weeks.

About Club Core Inc.
Club Core is an all-inclusive solution enabling golf and private club managers to build a better experience for members, staff, and customers. The digital engagement platform offers a powerful combination of software, content, services, and a mobile-friendly club app to engage members, train staff, improve communications and manage operations more efficiently. Designed uniquely for the club industry and configured to each club’s unique organization and member structure, Club Core ensures every member and guest has an always-on, positive club experience.

Visit Club Core at www.clubcore.ca, or connect on LinkedIn.

About The Canadian Society of Club Managers
Established in 1957, CSCM is the national professional society representing the club management profession in Canada. Of our approximately 600 members, over 70% are from golf clubs, and the remainder from a variety of city, recreation, fitness, curling and other types of clubs.

The Society’s members hold position titles that include General Manager, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer as well as Assistant Manager, Clubhouse Manager, Controller and Food and Beverage Manager. 

Read how MCO GolfNorth Scores Staffing
Wins With Move to Club Core​


Ultimately, Club Core pays for itself. My managers are using it to create great opportunities that we weren’t even expecting

Mike Turner

VP Operations

Read More

Ready to take your club experience to the next level?

Club Core is the only club software that helps General Managers take charge of member engagement, staff communication, training and board relations – without adding hours to an already busy day.


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GolfNorth Takes Their Golf Experience to the Next Level with Club Core.

golfnorth-logo

Club Core, a developer of software and content designed exclusively for clubs, and GolfNorth, the largest operator of public and semi-private golf courses in Canada, announced today that they have completed a commercial agreement that will further improve the golf experience at GolfNorth properties.

GolfNorth operates thirty-one golf clubs in Ontario as well as one in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and one in British Columbia. Their slogan brings the company’s mission into clear focus, ‘GolfNorth is all about golfers serving golfers’.

In making the announcement, Club Core President, Mike Sandrock states, “The leadership team at GolfNorth is invested in building a culture and golf experience that’s unparalleled. They recognize the importance of an industry-leading staff training program alongside communication and efficient operations.”

Club Core promotes the fact that their platform is tailored to a club’s ‘organizational DNA’, meaning GolfNorth can connect each club, staff member and player in its roster to targeted content and tools, delivered through a mobile-friendly interface. The ultimate objective is to bolster the end user experience and company-wide culture.

“We are integrating Club Core to upgrade our staff knowledge level and overall service quality which will positively affect our member and guest experience,” explains GolfNorth Vice President of Business Development, Mike Turner.

GolfNorth COO, Mike Garside elaborates on their choice of Club Core, stating,

“This is a huge upgrade over the solutions we were previously using, and it covers so many key areas of club operation. The communication function is valuable to any organization but having Club Core tailor it to our specific needs is powerful.” He adds, “Having the ability to train staff online with HR and skills building content that is specific to the golf industry was a real win. We simply had no capacity for this previously and needed a more efficient way to manage 33 properties.”

Beyond staff training programs for the entire breadth of club responsibilities, the Club Core platform and mobile app enables member engagement, digitized documentation, mobile forms, HR management and direct messaging.

“We’re excited to have our technology contribute to Golf North’s continued success as an innovative leader in the Canadian golf industry.”

About Club Core Inc.
Club Core is an all-inclusive solution enabling golf and private club managers to build a better experience for members, staff, and customers. The digital engagement platform offers a powerful combination of software, content, services, and a mobile-friendly club app to engage members, train staff, improve communications and manage operations more efficiently. Designed uniquely for the club industry and configured to each club’s unique organization and member structure, Club Core ensures every member and guest has an always-on, positive club experience.

Visit Club Core at www.clubcore.ca, or connect on LinkedIn.

Ready to take your club experience to the next level?

Club Core is the only club software that helps General Managers take charge of member engagement, staff communication, training and board relations – without adding hours to an already busy day.


Improve Your Club Experience


Linkedin


Twitter


Youtube


Facebook

Club Core and AEC Safety Solutions Partnership Advances Workplace Safety Management for Clubs.

Club Core, a developer of software and content designed exclusively for clubs, and AEC Safety Solutions have partnered to leverage the power of the Club Core platform for health and safety training, digital form submissions, promotion of new policies and program analysis within the club sector. AEC Safety Solutions uses Club Core exclusively for their workplace safety program delivery.

A Health and Safety Excellence Program through WSIB is now available on the Club Core platform for clubs to administer in-house and managed by AEC’s experienced team. The program digitizes workplace health and safety management to reduce liability risk and create a safer work environment.

Club Core President, Mike Sandrock, states, “Anyone at a club who is involved with trying to manage workplace health and safety requirements experiences the overwhelming paperwork that must be maintained. With our new program, club managers can move past workplace health binders, files and forms to digitized health and safety. Everything they need is online and at their fingertips.”

“The major obstacle facing companies today related to efficient, successful safety programs is a lack of consistent documentation. Proper documentation is an essential source of due diligence for workplace safety and without a platform or program management service, managers will consistently struggle to stay current.,” says AE Safety Solutions President, Tyler Scott.

Club Core’s platform is well suited to health and safety management as it includes an online training system, communication tools and form automation, all critical elements of a workplace safety program delivery platform. The functionality is a complement to the Club Core’s central applications for that range from staff communication and training, to Human Resource management.

Sandrock adds, “AEC has managed the safety programs for well over 1,000 projects, ranging in size from small organizations to large corporations. We are extremely pleased to be able to partner with such a reputable company and to provide this type of service to our member clubs.”

 

For clubs operating in Ontario, they are offering an exclusive program to lower the net cost of Club Core. Clubs that leverage the program will have their health and safety managed by AEC Safety Solutions with an upgrade to the WSIB’s new Health and Safety Excellence Program and a financial incentive with a net rebate to use towards Club Core.

“Whether the motivation is to reduce the risk of hazards or a recognition badge from WSIB to show staff and members your commitment to an upgraded health and safety culture, clubs that take advantage of this exclusive pricing for program management and use the rebate to lower the cost of their Club Core subscription are in a win-win situation,” concludes Scott.

 

About Club Core Inc.
Club Core is an all-inclusive solution enabling golf and private club managers to build a better experience for members, staff, and customers. The digital engagement platform offers a powerful combination of software, content, services, and a mobile-friendly club app to engage members, train staff, improve communications and manage operations more efficiently. Designed uniquely for the club industry and configured to each club’s unique organization and member structure, Club Core ensures every member and guest has an always-on, positive club experience.

Visit Club Core at www.clubcore.ca, or connect on LinkedIn.

Ready to take your club experience to the next level?

Club Core is the only club software that helps General Managers take charge of member engagement, staff communication, training and board relations – without adding hours to an already busy day.


Improve Your Club Experience


Linkedin


Twitter


Youtube


Facebook