Northern California Golf Association Board of Directors Minutes September 20, 2007 Pebble Beach, Calif. 93953 Attending: Dean Bartee, Ted Budach, Lou Carpine, Chris Clark, Bill Downs, David Englert, John Erskine, Lee Gidney, Kerry Gordon, Dan Hansford, Mike Hexner, Mark House, Vaughn Kezirian, Brian Morse, Brooke Phayer, John Ronca, Dick Skavdahl, John Whitelaw. David Bill, Marshall Greeninger, Tyler Jones, Kim Le Towt, Matt Magers, Erin Mercer, Ali White. Call to order: 1:10 pm The minutes of the July 13, 2007 meeting were approved. Introductions: President Bartee extended a welcome to John Erskine. Mr. Erskine will begin service as an NCGA board member on October 12, 2007. Erin Mercer announced her resignation as the director of human resources & safety to accept a position close to her home. Mrs. Mercer introduced Kim Le Towt. Mrs. Le Towt will be the director of human resources & safety effective October 1, 2007. Ali White was introduced as the current P.J. Boatwright intern. Chief Executive Officer s report by David Bill: State of the Association The NCGA is in great shape: net income before depreciation is ahead of plan and ahead of 2006, rounds are up 3,000 over 2006, and the Association is 40 members ahead of last year for the period ending August 31, 2007. Rules & Competitions and tournament play John Vander Borght was hired as the new junior tour operations manager. Mr. Vander Borght will begin with the NCGA at the end of October. CEO Bill reported he has received positive feedback about the NCGA tournaments. Roger Val is evaluating the existing tournament program with a goal of appealing to and increasing participation by more NCGA members. Membership Development Plan CEO Bill acknowledged Executive Director Matt Magers work on the 27-page plan. The plan aggressively addresses four priorities: retaining current members, renewing lapsed members, recruiting core golfers, and developing new golfers. CEO Bill, Secretary-Treasurer Hexner, and ED Magers recently met with and submitted a proposal to the executive director of the California Interscholastic Federation to provide support to their high school golf programs. The proposal also includes the Southern California Golf Association (SCGA). Potential corporate sponsorship of the high school program includes Nike Golf, TaylorMade/Adidas, and Titleist. Page 1 of 5
CEO Bill will meet with and extend collaborative opportunities to the Pacific Women s Golf Association and the Women s Golf Association of Northern California. CEO Bill has approached the SCGA about creating a membership category for Southern California residents to be NCGA members, and vice versa. NCGA literature CEO distributed draft copies of two brochures: NCGA Foundation Strategic Plan brochure and NCGA Member Benefits brochure. Bayonet & Black Horse CEO Bill and General Manager Tyler Jones have met with Seaside Resort Development. Seaside Resort Development acknowledged their interest in selling the golf courses. The re-design is to be completed in Spring 2009. CEO Bill and Bill Perocchi, the chief executive of Pebble Beach Company (PBC), met to continue their on-going discussion on PBC / NCGA / Poppy Hills issues. A tentative agreement has been made to return ten of our thirty tournament days at Spyglass Hill annually, starting in 2009, in exchange for an allotment of ten days annually from 2016 through 2025. An agreement to waive the Pebble Beach gate fee for NCGA members with a tee time at Poppy Hills has been formalized. An announcement to the NCGA members will be forthcoming in NCGA Golf and on www.ncga.org. Course Rating & Handicapping The course rating & handicapping department expects to complete 100 site visits by year-end. CEO Bill reported receiving nothing but positive feedback on Tina Anguish s work and site visits. The GHIN contract will expire December 2007. The contract will be renewed and set to terminate in conjunction with that of the SCGA. Water & Environmental Resources CEO Bill informed the board that the NCGA will no longer subsidize superintendent interns. The NCGA will continue to facilitate placement of superintendent interns. CEO Bill will propose a partnership with Pat Gross, USGA Southwest Region Director, on turf management to provide better service to Northern California courses. California Alliance for Golf CEO Bill reported that significant progress has been made. Articles of incorporation and tax exemption forms have been filed, bank accounts have been open, tax ID numbers obtained, bylaws have been drafted, and a membership plan is being developed. An economic impact study is being initiated. The SCGA, PGA, NCPGA, PGA of America, and American Golf have made monetary commitments to the group. The NCGA continues to supply an interim executive director, office space, and staff support. NCGA Foundation CEO Bill reported that the NCGA Foundation will raise over $2M by close of 2007, a 300% increase over 2006. On the horizon All departments are actively engaged in preparing 2008 budgets. Preparations are underway for the 107 th Annual Meeting. The department heads will be attending the International Association of Golf Administrators conference in Greensboro, North Carolina in November. Summary reports from each department will be included in future board meeting packets. CEO Bill introduced GM Jones to discuss course and facility improvements for Poppy Hills. Special presentation: GM Jones briefed on course improvements. A committee to oversee the process has been formed of representatives from the Poppy Holding, Inc. board and Poppy Hills golf operations and maintenance departments. President Bartee suggested Vice President House be added to the committee. The committee has met with several well-known golf course architects, including Bill Love. Mr. Love made a comprehensive presentation at the recent Poppy Holding, Inc. board retreat in Bandon, Oregon. The committee continues to refine its 3-phase concept plan. Concerns raised were: Page 2 of 5
1. Drainage improvements 2. Choosing an architect that will take on our 3-phase concept or neglect it altogether 3. Executing improvements that will bring about a Top 100 ranking The committee has decided on two improvements to be completed by February 2008: creating a new championship tee at #14 and #4. GM Jones briefed on the Porter s Grill & Bar remodel. The kitchen is being remodeled in order to accommodate additional, larger equipment and enable the food & beverage department to service larger functions. Porter s Grill & Bar will be closed for remodeling October 29 through January 18, 2008. Announcements regarding the closure are forthcoming in NCGA Golf and on www.ncga.org President s report by Dean Bartee: The 2007-2008 board of directors will begin service October 12, 2007. President-elect House will serve as the president of the Association commencing October 12, 2007 through December 31, 2008. Beginning 2009, service terms on the board will operate under a calendar year, running January 1 until December 31. Vice President s report by Mark House: None. Immediate Past President s report by Dick Skavdahl: None. Finance committee report by Kerry Gordon: The investment committee has interviewed four advisors and unanimously selected a firm to replace the current advisor. Controller Greeninger reported that Poppy Holding, Inc. and the NCCA Foundation have ratified the agreement. President Bartee asked for ratification from the NCGA board. All were in favor. Secretary-Treasurer Hexner abstained due to a potential conflict of interest. The current advisor will be notified and the funds will be transferred next week. Team Match by Mike Hexner President Bartee and Secretary-Treasurer Hexner brought a team match issue to the board for discussion. President Bartee advised the Tournament committee address the topic at its September 26 meeting and report back to the board with suggestions. Nominating committee report by Dick Skavdahl: Chairman Skavdahl reported that he, Director Budach, and Director Englert will retire from service at the conclusion of the 2006-2007 term. The committee interviewed six candidates from the eleven nominations it received. Chairman Skavdahl announced that three candidates have been selected to be added to the slate of directors for nomination at the Annual Meeting: Mr. John Erskine, Ms. Lyn Nelson, and Mr. Rudolph Barry Loncke. President Bartee announced that he will serve as the nominating committee chairman next year and is seeking candidate nominations. President Bartee requested that the director service criteria be posted on www.ncga.org President Bartee suggested a director explain the candidate nomination and selection process at the Annual Meeting. Page 3 of 5
It was noted that 7 of the 18 directors to commence their service term in October are from the same management zone. Membership report by Mike Hexner: Secretary-Treasurer Hexner expressed that the goals of the membership development plan are to build an affiliate course program and to have facilities in Northern California with the NCGA brand. Financial reports by Kerry Gordon: Director Gordon presented the NCGA financial reports for the period ending August 31, 2007. Controller Greeninger presented the Poppy Holding, Inc. financial reports for the period ending August 31, 2007. The board discussed the gift certificate program for Poppy Hills and Poppy Ridge. Poppy Hills and Poppy Ridge plan to honor course-issued gift certificates. Director Gordon reported that our exposure liability for outstanding gift certificates is nominal. The finance committee proposed that we implement the auditor s recommendation. NCGA Foundation report by Chris Clark: The NCGA Foundation Planned Giving brochure will be distributed soon. President s Bartee and Clark reiterated to the board the importance of becoming an individual contributor to the NCGA Foundation. You Hold the Key fliers have been mailed to public clubs to garner involvement in the club enrollment program. Total assets are $2,898,000, including a $600,000 donation from Comcast. San Jose resident Jackie Sherlock bequeathed her home to the NCGA Foundation. The estimated worth is $900,000. Paul Morton and Director Phayer will serve as the president and secretary, respectively, effective January 1, 2008. President Clark announced that Director Morse will retire from service at the conclusion of the 2006-2007 term. Revised bylaws will be presented at December s board meeting. Special presentations: ED Magers briefed a summary of the market research originally collected and presented by Smith & Co. Mrs. Mercer and Controller Greeninger each briefed a summary of the tasks and responsibilities of the human resources & safety and accounting departments respectively. Adjournment: The board adjourned into Executive Session at 5:05 pm. The board reconvened at 5:20 pm from Executive Session. President Bartee called for a vote on the membership card proposal from Autus Group. All were in favor for member cards to be provided January 1, 2008 until December 31, 2010 The meeting adjourned at 5:30 pm. Mike Hexner, Secretary-Treasurer Malinda Oliver, Recorder Page 4 of 5
Handouts: NCGA Foundation strategic plan brochure draft copy; NCGA Member Benefits brochure draft copy; 3-phase course improvement concept; strategy development research binder [market research debrief]; employee handbook 2007 Calendar: October 11 at Sheraton Board meeting at 4:00 pm Pleasanton Hotel October 12 at Castlewood Country 107 th Annual Meeting at 10:00 am Club December 4-5 At Poppy Hills Board meeting on Tuesday December 4 at 1:00 pm Page 5 of 5