TROON HONORS FACILITIES AND ASSOCIATES FOR OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES
“Best of the Best” Recognized During the 2014 Troon Leadership Conference
Scottsdale, Ariz. – Troon,® the leader in upscale golf course management, development and marketing is pleased to recognize the following facilities and individuals for outstanding performance in 2013. Winners were announced at the 2014 Troon Leadership Conference, which recently took place in Scottsdale, Ariz., January 14-16 at Talking Stick Resort. Congratulations to the following award winners:
“FACILITY OF THE YEAR”
Royal Golf Club, Bahrain
Royal Golf Club recorded top box scores in all categories of the 2013 Owner Survey and turned around its Member Survey Net Promoter Score from a negative 49 percent to a positive 42 percent. The facility was able to reduce substantial costs and improve its GOP by implementing Troon standards. The facility also recorded solid Guest Satisfaction Scores in 2013, introducing impactful programs including Troon Rewards, Troon Executive Card and Troon Values Your Time. Finalists for the award included Princeville Makai Golf Club in Hawaii, Troon North Golf Club in Arizona, Yocha Dehe Golf Club in California, and St. James Plantation in North Carolina.
“GENERAL MANAGER OF THE YEAR”
Garrett Wallace, The Gallery, Arizona
Garrett Wallace is known as a leader who truly cares about the people on his team and inspires others to give their best. He has been instrumental in developing the skills of others and is a committed supporter of Troon’s programs. The Gallery received all top box scores in its Owner Survey, garnering the praise of going above and beyond their expectations. The Gallery increased revenue in 2013 and also saw considerable improvements in Associate Survey Scores. Finalists for the award included Alan Deck at St. James Plantation in North Carolina, Alex Nakajima at Princeville Makai Golf Club in Hawaii, Kevin DeDonato at Stockton Seaview Hotel & Golf Club in New Jersey and Rusty Seymour at Yocha Dehe Golf Club in California.
“ASSOCIATE OF THE YEAR”
Erin Long, Silverado Resort and Spa, California
Erin Long is simply passionate about what she does. Her desire to improve the experiences of guests and members is visible in her constant smile, positive attitude and continued improvement. Her enthusiasm empowers those around her as she works as though she owns the business. The vendors she works with praise her dedication and commitment as retail sells at Silverado dramatically increased in 2013. This year’s finalists also included Tina Policarpo at Lake of Isles in Connecticut, Nicolas Nicklaus at Prestige Golfshire in India, Michael Garner Colonial Golf & Country Club in Florida, and Michael Poindexter at BallenIsles Country Club in Florida.
“SUPERINTENDENT OF THE YEAR”
Conrad Broussard, St. James Plantation, North Carolina
Conrad is a respected leader whose friendly demeanor wins everyone over, while at the same time he is intensely focused on his work and making those around him better. He has a great can-do attitude and will always find a way to get the job done – and getting it done with less. Conrad also has the highest respect of the ownership, management and associates across the board. Finalists also included Pietro Binaghi, Rick Menard, Clinton Southern and Todd Storm.
“MOST IMPROVED FACILITY OF THE YEAR”
Troon North Golf Club, Arizona
This award is given only to properties demonstrating a true “success story” and Troon North Golf Club saw major improvements from prior year, based on its hardworking team. Troon North saw a 13 percent improvement in its Associate Opinion Survey, which was by far the best improvement in the company. It also experienced a substantial increase in revenues on several fronts, including its food and beverage, retail and golf department. Troon North also ranks No. 1 in the company in Team Troon referrals and is a consistent supporter of all of Troon’s programs. Finalists for this year also included Entrada at Snow Canyon in Utah, Lumine Golf Resort in Spain and Marin Country Club in California.
“FACILITY NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR”
The Gallery Golf Club, Arizona
This award acknowledges the incredible hard work of a property that has been a part of the Troon family for less than 18 months. The Gallery has successfully rolled out new Troon programs like Troon Rewards, Troon Card, Troon Values Your Time and TroonFIT and has also been active in the Troon Cup. The leadership team at The Gallery is always pushing the envelope and has seen great success, taking its Member Net Promoter Score from 3.27 percent to 90 percent with top box scores in its Owner Survey as well. Other finalists this year were The Club at Cordillera in Colorado, Knollwood Golf & Country Club in Michigan and Royal Golf Club in Bahrain.
“TURNAROUND FACILITY OF THE YEAR”
The Club at Cordillera, Colorado
The Club at Cordillera saw great success in a very challenging year. The team grew the membership base from literally no members after re-launching the club less than a year ago, bringing back previous members and selling an impressive number of new memberships. Cordillera saw a solid first year in its Associate Opinion Survey, an amazing effort considering most of the associates were new to Troon. What the team at Cordillera achieved in 2013 was truly amazing.
“FOOD & BEVERAGE PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR”
Tom Meade, The Gallery Golf Club, Arizona
Tom Meade completely embraced the change in direction that Troon brought to The Gallery these first 18 months and through his leadership has transformed the food and beverage operation. It is now the centerpiece of The Gallery lifestyle and the key to the continued turnaround of the club. Through Tom’s leadership, the food and beverage department grew revenues over prior year and increased profitability by 50 percent. His influence played a major role in the club seeing Member Satisfaction Scores at an all-time high.
“GOLF PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR”
Joe Williams, Indian Wells Golf Resort, California
Joe Williams is known for his loyalty, supportive nature and motivational attitude. He has done a tremendous job supporting Troon programs at Indian Wells and personalizing them to promote the brand and make them a true success. His golf operations are one of the largest in Troon’s portfolio, with 85,000 rounds per year and his retail shop is a tremendous success as well. This year’s list of nominees also included Jeff Brinegar, David Knox, and Jim Larkin.
“SALES LEADER OF THE YEAR”
Laddie Hunter, The Golf Club at Lansdowne, Virginia
Said best by one member of the club, “The most important characteristic Laddie brings to bear is his ability to make members feel important.” Laddie has performed at an extremely high level on the sales front in 2013, generating impressive membership sales numbers over prior year. His caring attitude and genuine concern for the membership, truly sets Laddie apart. Nominees this year also included, Jeff Bier at The Gallery in Arizona, Joelle Creamer at Manchester Country Club in New Hampshire, Cameron Ellis at Whirlwind Golf Club in Arizona and Suzanne Morgan at The Golf Club at Cordillera in Colorado.
“PROPERTY SUPPORT ASSOCIATE OF THE YEAR”
Megan Clay, Corporate Office, Arizona
This award is to recognize the corporate person who goes above and beyond the normal day-to-day requirements and shines above all others. Megan Clay is truly one of the best we have working for Troon and despite her workload and responsibilities, she never lets anyone down. She is professional, loyal, dependable, fun, trustworthy and makes everyone around her better. She always accepts personal accountability for not only her work, but the overall results of her function and the company as a whole. Other finalists this year were Carlos Acosta, Cassie Combs and Kristen Goulet.
“W.I.T.S” (WALK IN THEIR SHOES) AWARD
Ryan Ott, Sequoyah National Golf Club, North Carolina
This year’s winner had to overcome diversity while building a huge sales and marketing campaign. Ryan Ott is a hands-on person who takes great pride in his work. While running the golf operations at Sequoyah National, he has stayed extremely involved in the community and with the accompanying resort. In 2013, the second green on the golf course slid into a ravine after receiving six inches of rain. This meant that Ryan had to operate the course the entire year with only 17 holes and still exceeded prior year revenues. Finalists this year also included Mike Henritze at The Golf Club at Cordillera in Colorado, John Price at Toka Sticks in Arizona and Carl Rygg at Costa Baja Golf Club in Mexico.
“AWARD OF EXCELLENCE”
Calle Carlsson, Lumine Golf Club, Spain
This award is set aside for someone who did something extraordinary in the year, which fits Calle Carlsson perfectly. At Lumine Golf Club, Calle’s team increased rounds by 13.5 percent and grew total green fees by 27 percent. Through Calle’s leadership, the club successfully hosted three large events, International Golf and Travel Market, PGA of Europe Four Ball Championship and the European Tour Q School. Through a concentrated PR program, the club was also featured 87 times in golf publications throughout Europe, with a reach of 247 million.
“TROON AMBASSADOR AWARD”
Mark Chapleski, Corporate Office, Middle East
Mark Chapleski has been incredibly successful in Dubai and continues to grow the Troon Brand in that market. Under his guidance, the region has grown to the most successful in the international division. All this after joining Troon in 1999 and taking an immediate assignment in Japan for four years before ending up in the Middle East. Mark is always “waiving the Troon flag” and works diligently to grow the brand.
TROON “ROCK STARS”
Several evaluation surveys revealed the following top performers in areas of leadership, member and guest satisfaction, and overall performance.
Associate Satisfaction (Overall – Domestic): Whirlwind Golf Club at Wild Horse Pass, Arizona
Associate Satisfaction (Overall – International): Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, United Arab Emirates
Associate Satisfaction (NPS): Savannah Quarters Country Club, Georgia
Guest Satisfaction (Overall): Yocha Dehe Golf Club, California
Guest Satisfaction (NPS): The Els Club, United Arab Emirates
Member Satisfaction (Overall): Fieldstone Golf Club, Delaware
Member Satisfaction (NPS): Marin Country Club, California
Troon Rewards Signups/Capture (Domestic): Stockton Seaview Hotel & Golf Club, New Jersey
Troon Rewards Signups/Capture (International): Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, United Arab Emirates
Top Line Sales Improvement: Troon North Golf Club, Arizona
Membership Sales (Semi-Private): The Golf Club at Lansdowne, Virginia
Membership Sales (Troon Privé): Troon Country Club, Arizona
Public Relations (Troon Golf): Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club, Arizona
Public Relations (Troon Privé): BallenIsles Country Club, Florida
Public Relations (International): Lumine Golf Club, Spain
Grow The Game: Indian Wells Golf Resort, California
TroonFIT (Facility): Lake of Isles, Connecticut
TroonFIT (Individual): Carlos Beltran, CostaBaja Golf Club, Mexico
Owner Satisfaction (All 5s and 10 Promoter) – Classic Club, California; Colonial Country Club, Florida; Giants Ridge Golf & Ski Resort, Minnesota; Lofoten Golf Links, Norway; Poston Butte Golf Club, Arizona; The Boulders, Arizona; The Rawls Course at Texas Tech, Texas; Whirlwind Golf Club at Wild Horse Pass, Arizona.
“Congratulations to this year’s winners and thank you for consistently going above and beyond to deliver the Troon Experience,” stated John Easterbrook, Troon’s executive vice president, operations. “Acknowledging these award winners is crucial to what we do as we pride ourselves on having the industry’s best and brightest on our team, and these awards confirm just that!”
About Troon
Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., Troon is the world’s largest golf management company also specializing in homeowner association management, private residence clubs, estate management and associated hospitality venues. The company oversees operations at Troon Golf® (daily-fee & resort) and Troon Privé (private) properties located in 32 states and 27 countries. Additionally, 48 Troon facilities enjoy a Top 100 ranking by national or international publications. Troon properties include Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii; Sewailo Golf Club, Tucson, Ariz.; Manchester Country Club, Bedford, N.H.; The Grove, London, England; and Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort, El Jadida, Morocco.
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Media contacts:
Brett Brooks
Troon
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