Guru Collective

What separates a good GM from a truly great one?

This upcoming Tuesday, June 2nd, we're sitting down live with Vic Aliprando, Senior Vice President of TPC Operations, for our next GIG Member Q&A Call.

Vic has spent over two decades at the highest level of the golf industry, from Head Professional to GM to leading operations across the entire TPC Network, and he's bringing all of it to this conversation.

We'll be digging into leadership, service culture, the thinking behind TPC's Go Further initiative, and the advice Vic wishes more golf industry operators and leaders had heard earlier in their careers.

This is the kind of conversation that reminds you why you got into this industry.

Join us live on YouTube this Tuesday at 11:00 AM Pacific / 2:00 PM Eastern.

https://www.youtube.com/live/BeOGH7dEKyw?si=RCul_ucCAD78_qsM

Two operators. Two hot topics. Zero fluff.

Tomorrow, James Cronk sits down with Scot Wellman (VP of Sales & Marketing, Landscapes Golf Management) and Slade King (COO, Play Golf Calgary) to tackle two of the biggest challenges facing golf operators right now:

⚙️ Technology that actually drives revenue — not just reduces headaches
💳 Pre-paid tee times — do they work, how do you roll them out, and how do you get your golfers on board?

These aren't theorists. They're operators running real facilities and making these strategies work today.

If you own or manage a golf facility and you're thinking about either of these topics — this call is for you.

🗓️ TOMORROW - Tuesday, April 28
🕙 11:00 AM Pacific / 2:00 PM Eastern
▶️ Live on YouTube | On demand for GIG Members in the GIG Library shortly after

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/live/bSFz_oogNaw?si=Xu9UX326CMcWolBS

Here's something that might flip how you think about your private club's F&B operation:

92% of private clubs are "losing money" in food and beverage. And the data shows that the clubs losing the most are actually the financially strongest in the industry.
Not a typo. Not survivorship bias. This is from 15 years of benchmarking data across 1,200+ private clubs.

So what's actually happening?

Most private clubs are operating under a false assumption: that F&B should operate like a restaurant. They price aggressively to hit margin targets. Members eat out elsewhere. Satisfaction drops. The whole experience feels transactional instead like the exclusive amenity it should be.

But here's the thing, we're not saying ignore everything restaurants do. They nail operational excellence, consistency, presentation, and cost discipline. Those are table stakes. The difference is why they do it.

Restaurants optimize for profit because that's their business model. Private clubs optimize for member experience because that's ours. Same rigor. Different objective.

The clubs winning the strategy game? They treat F&B exactly like they treat the golf course which is as a member amenity funded by dues, not a profit center.

If your board is obsessed with "breaking even" or "making money" in F&B, you're likely competing on price and losing on experience. The clubs that strategically subsidize F&B, while maintaining operational excellence, don't have weaker financials. They have stronger balance sheets, higher initiation fees, more members, and significantly better member satisfaction.

Your F&B financial outcome isn't a measure of operational efficiency. It's a choice about what kind of club you're building and how much member value you're willing to invest in.

The question isn't: "How do we stop losing money in F&B?" Instead it's: "How much are we willing to invest in this amenity, executed at restaurant-quality standards, to strengthen member loyalty and perceived value?"

The data is pretty clear on which question leads to better clubs.

Team Planner is LIVE in North America! 🔥

As the exclusive North American distributor of The Toolbox, we're excited to share that Team Planner is now available to golf facilities across Canada and the United States.

Built with turf care teams in mind, Team Planner is a fully interactive jobs board that helps superintendents and their managers assign tasks, plan the week ahead, and keep every crew member informed and on task, all in one place.

Here's the kicker: some clubs are paying thousands of dollars per year for similar functionality through standalone platforms. Team Planner is included at no extra charge with every subscription to The Toolbox.

Here's what Team Planner brings to your operation:

✅ Assign daily tasks to your crew
✅ Plan your week and add daily notes
✅ Display Team Planner in your maintenance facility for real-time updates
✅ Keep your whole team aligned and accountable
✅ Generate reports to track progress and where labor is deployed

If your turf care department is looking for a smarter, simpler way to manage daily operations and team communication, this is it.

📩 DM us or reach out directly to find out how The Toolbox and Team Planner can work for your club.

What if you could use 40% less water, 60% less fertilizer, and 90% fewer pesticides on your golf course while improving playing conditions? That's not a theory. That's what Parker Cohn, the "Soil Surgeon," is doing at facilities across North America. In our latest GIG Podcast episode, Parker breaks down the science of regenerative soil health, shares a jaw-dropping water conservation case study, and explains why for many of you the conversation with your water utility cannot wait. This one is worth sharing with your whole team. Listen now on the inside of GIG or wherever you get your favorite podcasts.