Michael Sizemore, the 2003 Northern California PGA Section Merchandiser of the Year for Resort Facilities and Guinness World Record Holder for most holes played in 24 hours by a foursome (243), is a Quarter Century PGA Member and the PGA of America Director of Golf at The Club at ArrowCreek in Reno, Nevada.
Michael Sizemore on the importance of creating a wellness program to fit the heart of your facility:
So much attention, and rightly fully so, is focused on juniors and the young professionals who are, in many cases, our newest members. But we have to remember that Baby Boomers have the highest concentration of wealth of any generation in American history, and they are spending disproportionately on health and wellness. It used to be that 15-20 years ago, golf fitness meant having a 1,500-square-foot gym at the side of the clubhouse with some weights and treadmills. Now you need to have movement studios for group fitness classes and yoga, and recovery rooms like places for saunas, steam rooms, ice plunges, and stretching. It’s a conduit for socialization and it ties to golf and overall club usage, and the group we’re serving wants to spend money on this area of their lifestyle. It’s like the pool from the movie “Cocoon”, the beacon that attracts people and helps make everyone feel young again.
Michael Sizemore on the business impact of creating a wellness program to fit the heart of your facility:
Something I learned from Dr. Gary Gray at the Gray Institute is that people get less encouragement as they get older, so I try to be very encouraging and talk to my members like athletes. In one case, we had a member, a man in his 70s with a severe leg injury. The use of encouragement sparked his desire and really got him into his recovery. He’d come see me three days a week, he learned how to get up and down off the ground again without using his hands, which improved his overall mobility and balance. Now he’s on the golf course, hitting the ball 250 yards off the tee and playing a lot. This is a member who was going to pause his membership or quit the club. Now he’s one of many older players here who are reenergized, playing more and reconnecting socially with other members. From a business perspective, this is incredibly powerful. I love working with younger players, too, but there’s such a reward to working with older players who were thinking about giving up the game. The most powerful student-coach experience is when your students become more positive and excited based on the work they’ve put in, and can see themselves as a new version of their older selves. Once the body starts to move better, it makes them more active in club events and more connected they are to the club. And here in Reno, an area that loves its outdoors, that’s music to everyone’s ears.
If you would like to email the author of this Best Practice directly, please email mike.sizemore@theclubac.com.
