By Greg Ellison

Board liaison sources fresh  candidate to take reins as advisory group chairperson

(Sept. 24, 2020) Following the recent resignation of two Ocean Pines Golf Committee members, the board of directors’ liaison to the committee, Frank Daly, is on the verge of nominating a new chairperson and said he is encouraged by recent efforts to improve course conditions.

Daly has taken the lead to find a replacement for former Golf Committee Chairman Larry Davies, who joined member Olga Novy in leaving the group, with OPA bylaws entrusting appointment oversight to board President Larry Perrone.

“I’ve been checking around and getting recommendations on who would be a good chair for the committee,” Daly said. “I have a certain criteria in my own mind to recommend to Larry.”

Daly highlighted a trio of measures applied to the chairperson selection process, starting with the capability to oversee a committee comprised of individuals with diverse interests.

“The second thing I wanted is somebody who had a basic understating of the sport itself,” he said.

Lastly, Daly said he wanted a candidate who comprehended the variety of courses in terms of accessibility and amenities.

“You have public courses, semi-private courses and private courses,” he said. “We would … fit into the semi-private [variety] in that we have members, which a lot of public courses don’t have.”

Formulating the proper approach to appeal to members and attract visitors is crucial, Daly said.

“I wanted somebody that understood the different levels of service [and] … cost that are involved in membership,” he said. “The different levels of cost for maintaining the facility and the course.”

A solid understanding of concerns and interests of the Ocean Pines community also would be crucial, Daly said.

Daly has already located an ideal nominee, he believes.

“I, in fact, have an individual I am going to be recommending to the [golf] committee and the board,” he said.

Daly said after discussing with Perrone the merits of an email vote or convening a special meeting to approve the newest golf committee member, they decided to let the process wait until the next regularly scheduled board meeting on Oct. 17.

“Larry suggested we just wait until October because, with the pandemic, the committee hasn’t met,” he said.

While all advisory board members require board approval, chair appointments are the purview of the OPA president.

“The person that has agreed to join the committee and lead it has already reviewed the past couple years meeting agendas and minutes,” he said.

Daly said the potential committee head is also fully versed on current course conditions and continuing challenges.

“They are familiar with all those issues,” he said. “The burning issue right now will be the course condition.”

Daly said because of subpar turf conditions in recent months, General Manager John Viola and General Manager of Golf Operations have been charting corrective actions.

Frank Daly

“As a board member, I am completely satisfied that we have found the root cause of the issue and there were multiple issues,” he said.

While long-term fixes are just underway, Daly said dramatic improvements are already evident.

“I can tell you from being on the course … the condition is markedly improved, week to week over the last three weeks,” he said. “We’re correcting the issues [and] I really believe this problem will not exist again.”