DIALOGUE
Morel
Rich and MacMillan Beth of courtesy Photo Beth MacMillan and Rich Morel
Todd and Liz McDowell and their family Photo courtesy of Todd and Liz McDowell
see her be more comfortable and confident in “front of the room”
settings, videos, etc. Plus, she has become a much better golfer.
Beth: In short, no. I think this role is where he was always
meant to be. I think he enjoys the challenge of it and as a result he
has high career satisfaction.
Mandy: I think it has taught him a lot about different areas
of the business and given him more perspective, but I don’t think
it’s changed him. I think that part of what made him so strong as
a superintendent were his people management skills, his focus on
promoting his department’s work and his ability to inform while
navigating challenging subjects with members. Now as a club
manager, I think he has a greater platform to use those skills and
it’s certainly a role I always saw him playing.
Amy: Paul has always been the calm one; he rarely gets
stressed. But the pandemic has affected us all, and deeply. We are
dealing with a lot of unknowns, and that extends to his members.
He is very committed to his work and in delivering exceptional
service to his members. Navigating the ever-changing rules and
regulations brings a new level of stress and frustration, certainly
to all club managers. On a positive side, the situation has, like in
many industries, opened our eyes to new ways of doing things and
forced innovation in service models with virtual offerings. Paul
has championed this approach and with his team, they have been
at the forefront of change in the industry.
What is the biggest complaint you hear from your
spouse/partner about their job?
Minnie: I would not say it is a complaint, however, he has
mentioned that sometimes decision fatigue can creep in and
he knows it’s time to take a step back. Easier said than done,
of course.
Todd: It is not really Liz’s style to complain too much, but I
would say it is the time away from the family. From my perspective,
one of the areas I have seen that has been harder for her is being
a female non-golfer in the golf industry. Like many industries, the
golf industry has a history of being very tight knit and promoting
up from within the “golf world.” At times, this has been daunting
for Liz, but I think she has done a nice job of tearing down both
gender and experiential stereotypes. Ultimately running a club
(golf or otherwise) is no different than running any organization
and a strong cross-functional business background along with
leadership skills will transcend any industry. Like all industries,
there are still strides to be made on the gender front, but I think
progress is happening and it is nice to see the role Liz is playing in
that change in the golf industry.
Beth: In his current role, I would say he is satisfied with
what he is doing. Previously, it may have been in regards to board
politics or trivial member complaints.
Mandy: Phil has been with Granite Golf Club for 20 years
and he is known for saying it’s his second favourite place on earth.
Each spring, we go for a walk on the course and he gets right down
on the ground to rub and smell the grass. He has such a love and
respect for the property that I think he can’t understand how
anyone could ever feel anything less about playing golf there.
Amy: The provincial rules and regulations around operations
during the pandemic have changed frequently, can be interpreted
differently and are not applied consistently. This creates frustration
for everyone, including staff and members.
10 § The Canadian Society of Club Managers § www.cscm.org
/www.cscm.org
