(Jan. 28, 2016) Dozens of homeowners filled the Assateague Room inside the Ocean Pines Community Center to near capacity last Thursday evening, as golf management company Landscapes Unlimited hosted a town hall.
The meeting was ordered by a 5-2 vote in November by the board of directors to help provide transparency and to calm fears that the course was hemorrhaging memberships and money.
Those in attendance, however, received few answers from Landscapes Regional Manager Scott Nissley, who struggled through technical issues with a Power Point presentation and could offer few specifics when pressed for answers by the audience.
“The thing that we said we want to do is nurture and maintain nonmember revenue and grow memberships,” Nissley said. “That has not changed. It has always been that goal.”
Golf Pro John Malinowski faired better, stepping into the conversation roughly 40 minutes into the nearly three-hour town hall. Malinowski served in the same capacity for more than two years under previous management company Billy Casper Golf.
Under Casper, he said the main focus was on outside play. Last year, Malinowski estimated 62 percent of rounds came from those who were not members of the course.
“The golf course had been struggling,” he said. “They decided the quickest way to get the revenue up was really to try to get more nonmembers in the golf course.
“The former company did a great job [and] revenue jumped way up,” Malinowski continued. “I think what you’re seeing now is membership probably got thrown on the backburner.”
When Landscapes took over management last year, Malinowski said staff turnover caused problems at the course, which also faced challenges from 21 other golf courses in a 34-mile radius.
Malinowski defended the Ocean Pines course, saying the greens were “the best … on the Eastern Shore,” and that pending new hires would help the recovery. He also said he would personally be part of the planning process, which had not happened under the previous company.
He added that several new events were held at the course last year, the focus on marketing and social media had been intensified, and package play booking would likely increase with the stabilization of management.
“This past year was tough … as a golf professional,” he said. “A year ago I had no idea where I was going to be, where my staff was going to be, what my family was going to be doing. We didn’t know what company was going to be managing [the course],” he said. “It was a tough summer, walking in at 6 o’clock, staying until 9 o’clock at night. Thank God my kids like golf, otherwise I don’t think I would have seen them.
“I know things weren’t great, but we worked hard, we tried to find our deficiencies, we hired new staff and I think we’re heading in the right direction,” Malinowski added. “The point of uncertainty [is] gone … anything, going forward, is all definitely on us.”
Board President Pat Renaud said he received several compliments after the meeting from golf members in Ocean Pines.
“Everybody was very pleased with it,” he said, adding that Malinowski “did an excellent job” stepping in for Nissley.
“Scott was floundering,” Renaud said. “He was OK, but they were kind of looking at him with a jaundiced eye. He gave some disingenuous answers, but for the most part John was right on the money.
“It was a good practice, and I’m glad that we did it [as a town hall],” Renaud added. “I thought that was more conducive to have people come out and express their views.”
Director Dave Stevens, who introduced the motion to have the meeting in the first place, said he was not happy with the format. Stevens said the town hall put Nissley at a disadvantage because the board was still in the process of refining the budget, which dictates what the course can and cannot do.
“The timing of having that meeting without significant preparation and without giving Scott some feeling of what he could say and how much he could say put him in a difficult spot,” Stevens said. “The board itself has not sat down and discussed the plan that’s been submitted to us. That’s not happened.
“The meeting was not what was originally intended by my motion,” Stevens continued. “That much is obvious.”
The meeting was ordered by a 5-2 vote in November by the board of directors to help provide transparency and to calm fears that the course was hemorrhaging memberships and money.
Those in attendance, however, received few answers from Landscapes Regional Manager Scott Nissley, who struggled through technical issues with a Power Point presentation and could offer few specifics when pressed for answers by the audience.
“The thing that we said we want to do is nurture and maintain nonmember revenue and grow memberships,” Nissley said. “That has not changed. It has always been that goal.”
Golf Pro John Malinowski faired better, stepping into the conversation roughly 40 minutes into the nearly three-hour town hall. Malinowski served in the same capacity for more than two years under previous management company Billy Casper Golf.
Under Casper, he said the main focus was on outside play. Last year, Malinowski estimated 62 percent of rounds came from those who were not members of the course.
“The golf course had been struggling,” he said. “They decided the quickest way to get the revenue up was really to try to get more nonmembers in the golf course.
“The former company did a great job [and] revenue jumped way up,” Malinowski continued. “I think what you’re seeing now is membership probably got thrown on the backburner.”
When Landscapes took over management last year, Malinowski said staff turnover caused problems at the course, which also faced challenges from 21 other golf courses in a 34-mile radius.
Malinowski defended the Ocean Pines course, saying the greens were “the best … on the Eastern Shore,” and that pending new hires would help the recovery. He also said he would personally be part of the planning process, which had not happened under the previous company.
He added that several new events were held at the course last year, the focus on marketing and social media had been intensified, and package play booking would likely increase with the stabilization of management.
“This past year was tough … as a golf professional,” he said. “A year ago I had no idea where I was going to be, where my staff was going to be, what my family was going to be doing. We didn’t know what company was going to be managing [the course],” he said. “It was a tough summer, walking in at 6 o’clock, staying until 9 o’clock at night. Thank God my kids like golf, otherwise I don’t think I would have seen them.
“I know things weren’t great, but we worked hard, we tried to find our deficiencies, we hired new staff and I think we’re heading in the right direction,” Malinowski added. “The point of uncertainty [is] gone … anything, going forward, is all definitely on us.”
Board President Pat Renaud said he received several compliments after the meeting from golf members in Ocean Pines.
“Everybody was very pleased with it,” he said, adding that Malinowski “did an excellent job” stepping in for Nissley.
“Scott was floundering,” Renaud said. “He was OK, but they were kind of looking at him with a jaundiced eye. He gave some disingenuous answers, but for the most part John was right on the money.
“It was a good practice, and I’m glad that we did it [as a town hall],” Renaud added. “I thought that was more conducive to have people come out and express their views.”
Director Dave Stevens, who introduced the motion to have the meeting in the first place, said he was not happy with the format. Stevens said the town hall put Nissley at a disadvantage because the board was still in the process of refining the budget, which dictates what the course can and cannot do.
“The timing of having that meeting without significant preparation and without giving Scott some feeling of what he could say and how much he could say put him in a difficult spot,” Stevens said. “The board itself has not sat down and discussed the plan that’s been submitted to us. That’s not happened.
“The meeting was not what was originally intended by my motion,” Stevens continued. “That much is obvious.”