Hudson National Golf Club

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

Leadership, Mentoring & Team Culture

• Talent Development: Serve as an active mentor to Assistant Professionals, preparing them for their own future Head Professional or Director of Golf roles. Create a learning environment that prioritizes professional growth, PGM education, and networking.

• Cultural Architect: Foster a cohesive, positive, and high-performance team culture across all sub-departments (Golf Shop, Outside Services, Caddies, Practice Facility, and Instruction). Lead by example with a "servant leadership" mentality.

• Performance Management: Conduct regular performance reviews, set clear goals, and provide real-time feedback to staff. Ensure the team is motivated, disciplined, and aligned with the Club’s service standards.

Experience & Hospitality

• Service Excellence: Cultivate a culture of anticipatory service among all golf staff (Bag Drop, Golf Shop, Starter/Ranger). Ensure staff are trained to recognize members by name and anticipate preferences before they are voiced.

• The "Host Professional": Maintain high visibility in the operation. Act as the ultimate host for members and their guests, ensuring every arrival feels welcomed and every departure feels appreciated.

• Lodging Integration: Manage the unique "Stay and Play" logistics for members utilizing the Club’s cottages and overnight rooms. Ensure a seamless, boutique Relais & Châteaux-level experience regarding tee times, bag handling, and concierge support.

Instruction, Playing & Engagement

• Active Member Engagement: Foster community and connection by actively playing golf with a wide variety of the membership. Use "playing with the Pro" as a key engagement tool to build relationships and assess the member experience firsthand.

• Support Elite Instruction: Oversee and collaborate with a premier instructional team, which includes a Golf Digest Top 30 Director of Instruction and a Head of Teaching and Performance (with European and Korn Ferry Tour playing experience).

• Program Integration: Facilitate the success of this high-performance team by ensuring their clinics, schools, and individual instruction are seamlessly integrated into the daily golf operation.

Club Stature & Strategic Relations

• Curate and Host Panelist Visits: Actively manage relationships with industry course raters and panelists. Serve as the primary host for these visits, curating their itinerary to ensure they experience the course conditions, F&B, and service standards at their peak.

• Brand Ambassadorship: Safeguard and enhance the Club's standing in national rankings (e.g., Golf Digest Top 100) by ensuring influential visitors receive the full "Hudson National Experience."

Tournament & Retail Operations

• Championship Operations: Execute a world-class member tournament calendar and serve as the operational lead for hosting external championships (e.g., MGA events).

• Merchandising: Own the "Hudson National" brand, curating a merchandise mix that appeals to an affluent membership while meeting financial targets.

Financial & Business Administration

• Strategic Collaboration: Collaborate with the GM/COO and Golf Course Superintendent on course access, pace of play policies, and calendar planning to ensure alignment between course conditions and member usage.

• Budget Management: Develop and manage the annual operating and capital budgets for Golf Operations. Monitor financial performance in real-time, adjusting strategies to meet or exceed revenue goals and expense targets.

• Merchandise Financials: Oversee Open-to-Buy (OTB) plans, manage Cost of Goods Sold (COGS), and ensure inventory turnover rates align with industry best practices for a high-end private club.

• Forecasting & Reporting: Provide accurate forecasting for guest fees, cart fees, and retail revenue. Submit timely variance reports to the GM/COO.

• Operational Compliance & Controls: Ensure all business practices comply with Club policies and industry best practices. Maintain rigorous accounting controls over payroll, POS systems, cash handling, and cash equivalents to ensure audit readiness and financial integrity.

Key Skills:

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: The ability to partner effectively with the GM/COO, Director of Agronomy, and all department heads on long-term planning and daily logistics.

• Presence: The ability to command a room with personality, professionalism, and gravitas.

• Detail Obsession: The inability to walk past a piece of litter or a crooked display without fixing it.

• Financial Mastery: Experienced business acumen, including the management of annual budgets, monthly P&L statements, payroll, and expense controls.

• Retail Strategy: The ability to manage Open-to-Buy plans and inventory turn rates to ensure profitability and member satisfaction.

• Technical Proficiency: Strong computer skills with the ability to utilize golf-specific software (e.g., Golf Genius, ClubEssential).

• Marketing & Promotion: Excellent marketing skills to promote member events, the instructional program, and the "Hudson National" brand.

• "Relais & Châteaux" Mindset: A specific skill set in boutique luxury—managing the member and guest experience with a focus on anticipation rather than just reaction.

• Diplomacy: Works to always say "yes", but also has the ability to say "no" to a member's request or enforce policy in a way that makes the member feel heard and respected.

• Rules Official: Comprehensive knowledge of the USGA Rules of Golf to adjudicate effectively during championships and member events.

• Playing Ability: Possesses a respectable playing ability to credibly represent the Club in Section events and enjoy competitive rounds with low-handicap members, while also making higher handicap members feel just as important.

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

Including, but not limited to, the following:

• Leadership: Proven track record of recruiting, training, and mentoring assistant professionals and outside staff.

• Experience: Minimum 7-10 years of progressive experience, preferably at Top 100 or high-end private facilities.

• Certification: PGA of America Class A Member in good standing.

• Play: High-level playing ability (ability to represent the Club in Section events and play confidently with low-handicap members).

• Education: Bachelor's degree or higher preferred.