Springfield Golf & Country Club
Springfield, VA
Director of Golf
ABOUT SPRINGFIELD GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB
Springfield, VA | Founded in 1960, Springfield Golf & Country Club (SGCC) is a private member-owned, full-service country club. Located in Springfield, Virginia, just 20 minutes south of Washington, DC in Fairfax County. The Club prides itself on offering a friendly, family-oriented environment for the membership to enjoy with a multitude of the finest amenities available for a truly memorable experience. Situated on 157 acres of rolling and wooded land, the Club has been host to numerous USGA and VSGA qualifying events. Each year the Club hosts the Bobby Bowers Memorial Junior Golf Tournament which was created to honor Springfield’s first Head Golf Professional who was well-known for his work with junior golfers. The Championship is recognized as a major national junior golf event and gets national and international participation. The course is considered to be one of Northern Virginia’s finest conditioned golf courses.
Club amenities include an 18-hole championship golf course designed by renowned architect Ed Alt, a driving range, a short game practice facility, a golf pro shop, state-of-the-art tennis and fitness facilities and a 40,000+ square foot clubhouse. The clubhouse provides an inviting restaurant, patio dining overlooking the golf course, bar and lounge, private dining room, boardroom, and a grand ballroom that seats 225 for large corporate events and weddings with majestic views of the golf course. The Club has made substantial capital investments in recent years and it shows.
The championship 18-hole golf course is a certified Audubon Sanctuary and has an abundance of local wildlife. SGCC is a certified Operation 36 Training Facility and implements this teaching program with juniors as young as three years old up to adults. There is a variety of leagues and tournaments for both competitive and recreational golfers, and the staff puts on social events that help new golfers get comfortable on the course in a fun way. The practice facilities include a chipping area, putting green, and driving range.
The Racquet Sports program boasts a full slate of tennis clinics, pickleball clinics, tournaments, and socials. SGCC fields several teams for the Northern Virginia Tennis League and the Interclub League of Northern Virginia. There are three indoor courts, two clay courts, and four outdoor hard courts. There is one indoor court and one outdoor court with permanent pickleball lines. All outdoor courts are lit for evening play and the professional staff offers private and small group lessons. The Racquet Sports Program is vibrant and offers year-round competitive and social experiences from beginning to competitive players.
The Fitness Center includes a full gym and a fitness studio. Most fitness classes are included with membership. Classes are currently offered both in-person and in a hybrid format. Some of the most popular classes are yoga, spin, and boot camp. During the summer, the Club offers fun, seasonal classes like water aerobics and poolside yoga. Social life thrives year-round at SGCC. Staple events include the fall and winter Wine Dinner series, Comedy Night, Trivia Night, the Family Halloween Festival with trick or treating for kids and a wine and candy pairing for adults, summer picnics, movie nights, and our live summer music series. Just belonging to the Club is a social activity in and of itself.
The Pool is open seasonally from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The junior swim team is hugely popular and home to record-settings swimmers as well as those just there for the pep rallies, dance parties, and friendships. Water Aerobics is a popular activity among the adult crowd and meets five days a week in season. The Snack Bar features burgers, wraps, and salad as well as fun foods like funnel cake fries.
Springfield Golf & Country Club’s gross dollar volume exceeds $9.2m with dues of $4.3m. Annual Food and Beverage volume exceeds $3.2m and is expected to grow. There are currently 720 memberships, and the average age of the membership is 55. Annual golf rounds exceed 35,000. The current full initiation fee is $36,000 and full dues are $9,240. There are 9 Board members and 15 standing committees. The Club has 67 FTE staff members and employs over 160 in season. The Club is open 12 months per year.
For more information on Springfield Golf & Country Club, please visit their website at http://www.sgccva.org/.
THE OPPORTUNITY
Springfield Golf and Country Club is seeking a Director of Golf (Director) who demonstrates impeccable leadership skills, energetically promotes team member growth and engagement, and consistently delivers an exceptional Member experience. The Director will be a high-energy individual who embraces the latest technology and advances in the club industry today to accelerate Springfield Golf and Country Club to be a club that is recognized as being on the cutting edge. This individual will oversee the performance of all golf operations and related services at the member-owned Springfield Golf and Country Club. The position will promote an exceptional “golf experience” and provide excellent services, tournaments, and programs for all members, their families, and guests. Additionally, the Director of Golf will pride himself or herself on developing and mentoring future leaders in the golf industry.
POSITION OVERVIEW
The Director of Golf (Director) at Springfield Golf and Country Club is truly the “golf ambassador” of the Club. He or she must embody the highest levels of integrity, professionalism, and diplomacy, and be a highly active, engaged, and visible presence with both members and staff. He or she will be a “go-to” individual who takes ownership of the operation and be a very visible and engaged senior manager. The ideal candidate is a true visionary for Springfield Golf and Country Club’s golf operations and beyond. This person will be expected to be an “out of the box thinker” who embraces being a leader of the golf facility. They will be expected to build a legacy of developing and mentoring their staff to create a culture where young aspiring professionals will want to be driven to work for the Club. While building relationships with every constituency within the membership, the Director is someone who needs to have his or her finger on the pulse of all operations.
The Director must be an exceptional leader who recognizes and respects the contributions of volunteer members and staff of all levels. The Director must be capable of both guiding and holding members and staff accountable for achieving and maintaining high standards. He or she will directly manage all areas of the golf operation and work closely with the Golf Course Superintendent and other department heads while reporting to the General Manager/COO. The position will promote an exceptional golf experience and provide creative services and programs for all members and guests. The Director is expected to be a strategic leader of the golf experience at Springfield Golf and Country Club and therefore a person of intellect, vision, planning, and business acumen.
Applications for this role are encouraged to be done as soon as possible as the Committee intends to have Candidate selections by late December, with the first interviews expected in early February 2024 and the second interviews a short time later. The new candidate should assume his/her role in mid-March 2024.
INITIAL PRIORITIES OF THE NEW DIRECTOR OF GOLF
A strong accomplished PGA professional with a proven track record of providing premier services in a dynamic exclusive membership environment.
A proven track record in player and program development working with all levels of playing abilities and diverse skill levels to grow the game. The ability to enhance and grow the current instruction program is vital.
A strong team leader focused on two-way communication with all team members.
A highly visible and interactive individual committed to engaging members at every opportunity to develop high levels of member satisfaction.
A careful evaluation of all aspects of the golf operation and team at Springfield to elevate the standards of the day-to-day operations.
A team builder who has a history of attracting, developing, motivating, and retaining a high-performance team of professionals to propel the operation forward. Experience in similar club environments where traditions and respect, both personally and with the Club, are intrinsically rooted.
To reiterate, fostering a culture of solidarity and teamwork throughout the team and the club at large is very important to the staff and membership. Significant to this expectation is the ability to lead a team of friendly, engaging, competent, and passionate staff who are sincere about serving the club’s members.
QUALIFICATIONS
Candidate Qualifications
A verifiable record of working closely and successfully in a private club, with an active Board and committees, while providing visionary leadership and partnership with the General Manager/COO.
A verifiably unblemished career track that demonstrates a record of tenure and commitment to previous employers, where career moves were for enhancement of skills and experiences as opposed to unplanned career changes.
Ability to sustain a culture of quality and service at the highest levels with the industry member-owned and led clubs today.
Knowledgeable in best practices in top-performing and high member satisfaction operations across the country.
This professional should have a high level of golf playing ability or playing enjoyment as measured by the top clubs in the country today. Along with the ability to enjoy engaging on the golf course with the membership from time to time.
Verifiable ability to attract, hire, develop, and lead a high-performing team of professionals while setting and maintaining standards of performance appropriate to the culture of SGCC.
Exceptionally strong communication skills with members and staff, creating an open exchange environment to move the golf operations forward in a consistently positive, passionate manner.
Educational and Certification Qualifications
Preferred Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration or Golf Management, but not required.
In lieu of the degree, substantial golf professional and private club experience will be considered.
A PGA/LPGA certification with a minimum of 5 – 7 years of Head Professional or Director of Golf experience in a like or similar type of facility is required. The candidate must be a charismatic professional who truly enjoys the club environment, with a track record of progressive leadership and golf management experience.
NOTE: Those current 1st or Lead Assistant Professionals at well-recognized clubs with verifiable records of achievement will be strongly considered for this role.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
Salary is open and commensurate with qualifications and experience. The Club offers an excellent bonus and benefit package including Professional Dues and Education expenses for PGA members.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
All applications MUST be submitted through the PGA of America's Career Services Department as described below.
Resume deadline is December 15, 2023 at 11:59 pm Eastern Time
Combine your cover letter, resume, references, and any supporting documents into one (1) PDF document with the following file naming convention: Last Name, First Name, Springfield Golf & Country Club, Director of Golf
Please address all correspondence to - Mr. Steve Lawson, CCM, General Manager/COO
Greg Stenzel, PGA is the lead consultant for this search, please contact him with any questions.
Email: gstenzel@pgahq.com
The employer does not wish to be contacted at this time
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