May 12, 2023
Dear Geneva National Members,
The summer season has arrived, and I am excited to watch this year’s dynamic events calendar come to life, including an ambitious number of golf competitions, a creative array of social gatherings, and a highly anticipated celebrity charity match.
Listening Session Summary
As always, we want to hear from our membership, and I had the opportunity to do so in a formal setting during last week’s fully subscribed Member listening session. Many great questions arose about our Club culture, and I committed to the group that I would follow up with the broader Membership on a number of these topics, as outlined below.
- Dogs -- Dogs can come to the Club and watch from the scoreboard area; however, they are not permitted on the Dance Floor or in areas where there is food service including the Member Tap veranda and the Paloma Cantina.
- Smoking – Please continue to refrain from smoking on the veranda or while seated at the bar or bar rail facing the lake. We also ask that you dispose of cigarettes and cigars in the appropriate receptacles.
- Member Discounts – Discounts on select items – including happy hour offerings, the Hunt Club’s exclusive Member menu, and Pro Shop merchandise – are only available when charged to your Member account. (This policy takes effect May 15, 2023.)
- Brush/Tree Clean Up – Due to off-season pruning and April’s tornado, we expect our internal efforts to clean up heavily forested areas to take an additional 60-90 days. Part of this process includes eliminating undergrowth, as this enhances airflow and creates a better growing environment for the turfgrass.
- Golf Guest Policy – In an effort to prioritize Member access to tee times, we will no longer allow Members to bring guests to play between 8am-12pm on Fridays and Saturdays. The Director of Golf and Head Professional may occasionally make exceptions.
- Dress Code – At this time, a formal dress code is not being published and Club leadership will be given discretion to determine when attire is not appropriate. Of late, we’ve seen many transitions regarding golf fashion – e.g., no-collar designs, athleisure attire, golf dresses, hoodies, and loudmouth-patterned polos – and we need more time to evaluate what is deemed acceptable.
- Pace of Play -- In general, my assessment is that the Geneva National Member’s course runs a commendable pace of play compared to other private golf clubs with which I am in communication. However, pace of play during Member tournaments has been lagging by an average 30 minutes. Four hours is our target, and the Golf staff may elect to enforce pace-of-play timing with the rules of golf during tournament play. Director of Golf Steve Loomis and his team are also embarking on an improved pace-of-play approach for the resort golfers.
Overall, we are aware that we have a healthy and vibrant membership which translates to a high level of activity. As such, we will continue to study the timing and usage of our facilities and make adjustments as needed to meet and exceed Member expectations. As always, we welcome your feedback as that is key to our pursuit toward continual improvement.
Facility Upgrades
In addition to addressing your most recent questions, I’d like to make you aware of some exciting Club updates, including a host of facility upgrades, several of which will be unveiled this spring.
- GN Clubhouse Kitchen - Next week we will embark on the final and most disruptive phase of the $200,000 Member Tap Room kitchen renovation. This phase will require us to unhook some equipment and thus limit the Member menu to pizza from Monday, May 15 to Friday, May 19. During this time, primary dining will be served temporarily from the new outdoor Paloma Cantina. We also plan to enhance the al fresco dining experience by removing the outdoor pizza oven and grill to create additional seating with the added benefit of more open views. A plant wall divider will be added this summer to ensure privacy on the Member side.
- Chairs, Chairs, Chairs – Soon you will be lounging in decorative-yet-functional new chairs at the Paloma Cantina, turf smokehouse, and Member Tap Room. (Yes, we will be retiring the white cushions!) All chairs have been ordered and will be placed as soon as they’re delivered.
- Paloma Cantina Special Dates – Please join us this Wednesday, May 17 from 5pm-7pm for the formal dedication of the Paloma Cantina which pays homage to Paloma’s founder, Garth Chambers, and his wife, Pamela. It is their dream of a multi-faceted golf resort and Club that we enjoy each day. We will cheer the new dining location with live music by Wire and Nail, complimentary beer and cocktails, and a special Tex Mex style nacho and rice bowl bar. Also of note, the Cantina will host Ladies’ Nights on Wednesdays starting at 5pm and live music by Big Al Wetzel on Thursdays all summer long. Mark your calendars!
- Ladies Locker Room – Ladies, your locker room is scheduled to reopen for the Memorial Day holiday weekend! We believe you will be thrilled with the results, including Kohler fixtures, spa-like showers, and an infrared sauna.
- On-Course Restrooms – Again, thank you for your patience during the spring renovation of the on-course restrooms, which are due to be completed on or around June 5.
- New Tees – Our Grounds team has been hard at work creating many new forward tees on Trevino, two new tee boxes on Palmer 8, and a new forward tee on Player 5 (forthcoming this season). Please help us celebrate this talented team with a divot filling party, Thursday, May 25 on Palmer 8’s new tee. Try out the new tee with a closest-to-the-pin competition and enjoy complimentary food and drink while rubbing elbows with our hard-working Grounds crew.
- New Bridge – Similar in appearance to the bridge installed on Player 1, a new bridge has been ordered for Player 18 to enhance the on-course aesthetic.
- Arnold Palmer Design Visit – The Arnold Palmer Design team will be on-site this spring to finalize plans for a mid-October renovation of the greens on 1, 6, and 14. We believe we can enhance playability and enjoyment of our Signature course through some modernization of these greens.
- GN Outfitters Store – Over the past two weeks, we’ve temporarily transformed the Simulator Studio into a seasonal lifestyle concept store featuring performance wear, leather goods and other fashionable and functional items by such brands as lululemon, tasc, Straight Down, Peter Millar and Greyson. Pop-up shop offerings will continue to evolve as we learn more about the tastes of our Members and guests. This space will be turned back to a Simulator Studio in late October.
- Online Lifestyle Shop – Supplemental to this retail space, GN will soon launch an online lifestyle shop that will be available year-round to Members.
- Cottage Renovations – Four of the six Cottages will be fully renovated before Memorial Day and the new sleek interiors can be seen by clicking here. No doubt, storage is a premium at GN, and we appreciate your patience with the semi-trailer in the parking lot which has functioned as storage space during this project.
Staffing for Service
Please join me in welcoming to the Club the many new interns and seasonal staff who start arriving this week. We have worked diligently to recruit talented and hospitable individuals to serve our Membership and resort guests and are particularly busy at present training and coaching these new staffers to provide friendly and timely service. Should you have concerns with staff interactions or feedback regarding service levels, please contact me directly so I may address any shortcomings with leadership. Additionally, I continue to ask all our Members to be positive ambassadors, knowing that many of our staff are early in their careers. The environment we create at the Club is paramount to the well-being of all stakeholders.
Beauty vs. The Beast
We are just a few weeks out from the June 5 Beauty vs. The Beast celebrity match between social media star Paige Spiranac and two-time major champion John Daly, and the excitement is building! Already 60 Members have volunteered to donate their time to assist the Club in executing this monumental event on our Gary Player Signature course. We are truly humbled by this outpouring of support for the Special Operations Warrior Fund (SOWF) and John Daly Heart of a Lion Foundation, the event’s charity beneficiaries.
Leading up to the match (and all season long), we request that Members take pride in your home courses and fill your divots. I found myself fixing a lot of fresh ball marks recently as I played behind the day’s play on the Member course. Please, take the time to fix the turf so that we may all enjoy stellar course conditions throughout the season.
You are an incredible membership – so supportive, enthusiastic, caring and fun! Combine this group of spectacular individuals with our vast array of events and offerings, and we are bound to have an incredible 2023 season! I am honored to be a part of this unique Club and community and look forward to seeing you make memories here with the Member’s Club.
Cheers,
Glen Murray, Chief Operating Officer
Geneva National Member’s Club | Destination Geneva National
gmurray@palomaresorts.com | 262.245.7087
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