144 Chapter 4During a SWOT analysis, a club is its own critic. Besides providing perspectiveand understanding of <strong>the</strong> club’s position, a SWOT analysis supports and helpscreate a clear strategic plan—again, ei<strong>the</strong>r for <strong>the</strong> club as an entity (grand strategy)or departmentally (which should align with <strong>the</strong> grand strategy).A SWOT analysis should be performed for <strong>the</strong> club as a whole and for eachdepartment within <strong>the</strong> club at least one time each year. It can be an extremely valuableexercise, if it is carried out in a frank and honest manner. On <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r hand, if itis handled in a political manner, <strong>the</strong> exercise can become a useless waste of time.Using <strong>the</strong> <strong>Strategic</strong> Plan to Allocate CapitalThroughout <strong>the</strong> budgeting process, <strong>the</strong> strategic plan should play a major part asa reference tool for prioritizing needs and distributing capital. Capital requestsshould be made with <strong>the</strong> club’s strategic plan in mind.For example, suppose that <strong>the</strong> Golf Course Committee and Golf OperationsCommittee have supported a proposal by <strong>the</strong> GM/COO, <strong>the</strong> golf course superintendent,and <strong>the</strong> director of golf to begin hand-mowing greens instead of tri-plexinggreens, to begin tri-plexing fairways instead of gang mowing fairways, and tobegin gang mowing <strong>the</strong> rough instead of flail mowing <strong>the</strong> rough. In <strong>the</strong> proposal,<strong>the</strong> economic impact of <strong>the</strong> mowing changes has been stated in terms of operations(increased labor) and capital expenses (purchasing hand-mowers and gas cartswith trailer combinations for transport).Since this is an expensive proposition, it’s likely that this proposal would beturned down at many clubs—unless it dovetailed with <strong>the</strong> club’s strategic vision.In this case, <strong>the</strong> club had a strategic initiative to improve <strong>the</strong> condition of <strong>the</strong> club’sgolf course by 25 percent within two years. Therefore, <strong>the</strong> club’s board of governorsapproved <strong>the</strong> proposal as consistent with <strong>the</strong> club’s strategic plan. In thiscase, everyone involved—<strong>the</strong> GM/COO, <strong>the</strong> golf course superintendent, <strong>the</strong> directorof golf, <strong>the</strong> Golf Course Committee members, <strong>the</strong> Golf Operations Committeemembers, and <strong>the</strong> club’s board—kept <strong>the</strong> club’s strategic goal for <strong>the</strong> golf course inmind, and so time was not wasted on a proposal that had nothing to do with <strong>the</strong>club’s strategic vision, and <strong>the</strong> proposal was approved with no difficulty. <strong>Club</strong>sthat use <strong>the</strong> strategic plan to allocate capital do not waste money on projects thathave nothing to do with advancing <strong>the</strong> club’s strategic vision.Key Termsaction plan—<strong>the</strong> realization or practical application of <strong>the</strong> strategic planningeffort. It is how <strong>the</strong> club will enact its strategies.differentiation—a strategy which focuses on uniqueness and price.focused differentiation—a strategy that emphasizes uniqueness and price for anarrow market.focused low-cost leadership—a strategy that emphasizes high sales at low cost toa narrow target market.
<strong>Leading</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Strategic</strong> <strong>Planning</strong> <strong>Process</strong> 145innovating strategy—a strategy in which a club develops new products or servicesthat are not present at <strong>the</strong> club or at competing clubs.low-cost leadership—a strategy which focuses on high sales at a low cost.mission—a statement of <strong>the</strong> club’s broadest and highest goals and objectives.revolution strategy—a strategy which changes <strong>the</strong> fundamental and acceptedway <strong>the</strong> club conducts business.strategic implementation analysis—process of examining a club’s efforts to ensurethat operations efforts are driven by strategic initiatives.superiority—a strategy that endeavors to exploit a competitor club’s weaknessesor to emphasize its own noncompetitive strength.SWOT analysis—a tool that evaluates a club’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities,and threats.vision—<strong>the</strong> purpose of a club and <strong>the</strong> statement for its direction and what it wants<strong>the</strong> destination to be.Review Questions1. What are some of <strong>the</strong> benefits and challenges of strategic planning for clubs?2. What are typical elements of <strong>the</strong> strategic planning process?3. How is a club’s vision put toge<strong>the</strong>r?4. How is a club’s mission statement created and used?5. Why should clubs create goals and objectives?6. What is a situation or SWOT analysis?7. What are some general strategic approaches that clubs can choose from?8. What are three basic types of budgets that clubs must create and follow?9. Why is an action plan important for a club?10. What are some issues that club managers should be aware of when implementing<strong>the</strong>ir club’s strategy?Internet SitesFor more information, visit <strong>the</strong> following Internet sites. Remember that Internetaddresses can change without notice. If <strong>the</strong> site is no longer <strong>the</strong>re, use a browserto look for additional sites.Fast Track <strong>Strategic</strong> <strong>Planning</strong>www.rsmmcgladrey.com/Industries/Private-<strong>Club</strong>s/<strong>Strategic</strong>-<strong>Planning</strong>/McMahon Groupwww.mcmahongroup.comThe Hospitality Resource Group:Private <strong>Club</strong> Divisionwww.<strong>the</strong>hospitalityresourcegroup.com/club_strategy.htm