December 20, 2011
The Vintner Room, Carmel Valley Ranch
The meeting was called to order. The following members of the Advisory Committee were present:
Bruce Michels, Jill Sleeper, Melissa Michiels, Kip Evans, Lee Gutierrez, Woody Clum, and Gini Auger.
The following staff members were in attendance: Dan Korn, Michelle Johnson, Maria Chavez, Clark
Corey, Megan Bommarito, David Clarke, Tim Wood, Brant Wilson, and Barbara Spagna, who took the minutes.
1.
Hello and Goodbye
Dan opened the meeting by welcoming Kip Evans, Gini Auger and Melissa Michiels to the Advisory
Board.
2.
Introduction of Ranch Team Members
He then had each Carmel Valley Ranch staff member introduce himself/herself and note their individual departments.
Dave Clarke, Golf Course Maintenance and Grounds
Clark Corey, River Ranch—Tennis
Brant Wilson, Golf
Barbara Spagna, Executive Office
Michelle Johnson, Membership
Megan Bommarito, River Ranch Supervisor (now River Ranch Manager, effective 1-16-12)
Maria Chavez, Programming
Tim Wood, Executive Chef
There are many other members of our team who contribute immensely to the operation of The Ranch.
We have added eight managers to our team since the last meeting. Right now we are about a “4” or
“5” on the scale of where we want to be with regard to member engagement in the resort/club environment.
3.
State of Things
Membership is a complex operation and we don’t always get it right, but we are trying and are happy with the progress. There are some things that are outstanding (like the food). We ask for forgiveness and understanding and have plans to tackle more ambitious membership-related projects in 2012 than we did in 2011. 2011 was a “survival” year for the operation of the resort, and 2012 will give us an opportunity to enhance our member programming. We are learning a better balance.
To make sure that there is one person who feels committed to the membership experience, we have hired a new Director of Membership. Her name is Debora Mallouk and she started on January 5, 2012.

Debora joins us from a member-owned club in Colorado, and has nearly 30 years of experience in private membership clubs. This is her first experience in a resort-based club. She has implemented very successful membership programs, and has served on the board of the Private Club Marketing
Association in Colorado.
We are building up our team and the team members are growing into their roles. Brant, Terry and Todd have been running the Golf Department and we are proud of what they have done. Lee Gutierrez said that “they have stepped up” to the challenge. Dan agreed and said that no one specific person is in charge of that department, that they all work together as a team—our beloved “three-headed monster.”
Michelle Johnson knows more about our membership than anyone, is approachable, and she will continue to support the membership and be a great help to Debora.
Megan moved from the spa to River Ranch and has made some changes on her watch. Jill said she wanted to support that—the personnel at River Ranch are warm, greet you when you arrive, and are never too busy to help you or answer questions.
Gini Auger asked if we were still selling memberships, and Dan confirmed that we were.
It was mentioned that Pasadera has 130 golf memberships and we have nearly 200. Many of our members are individuals and many are not here year around. We want to re-engage and get to know the members that we rarely see.
Our goal is not to have 1500 memberships like some other local clubs—we could not run operationally at the level of service we want to provide. We want the right number of the right people, and especially want people who are engaged.
Dan said that during the first quarter we will be gathering information about our members. Debora will be having breakfast and sitting down with members to discuss items of interest or concern. (Since
Debora arrived, she has held six focus group meetings with members.)
4.
Rumor Mill
The property is definitely not for sale! Gini Auger said that she thinks people get Quail mixed up with
Carmel Valley Ranch.
5.
June Meeting Action Points a.
To be clear about the River Ranch gratuity, it does not apply to pre-packaged items and grab-‘n-go things. b.
We still do not have backup for member statements. This is an accounting issue, as our current system does not support it. After a brief discussion, it was agreed that line items should be more descriptive to assist in identifying the charges. This is something that we can work on. (We have a new Accounting Director joining us in several weeks.) c.
Approximately 750 ID cards have been issued to date. We will eventually expect the cards to be presented at all outlets—more information will be forthcoming later in the year.
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6.
River Ranch a.
Schedule—Maria conducted a very basic member survey—for example, asked what they like, what they don’t like, what they want to see, et cetera. Many wanted a variety of early morning classes and consistently scheduled classes. b.
River Ranch Retreat—you can now enjoy a spa treatment after your workout or tennis game. Our Activities Cottage, which houses our private pilates studio, is a separate building from the main fitness center. Enjoy a private pilates class, or work out with a private trainer.
Personal training sessions.
$75 for an individual session, but there are packages and special offerings available.
Bring a friend and get 25% off. Most pricing is inclusive of the membership discount.
We will eventually offer manicures and facials. c.
Progress and Leadership—Bruce Michels inquired as to whether the calendar could be sent out on Friday, instead of Monday. Dan replied that we are working on a set three-month schedule. (Complete calendars are now being distributed by the beginning of each month.)
Bruce also inquired about an aerobics class. Maria is looking around the area for an instructor. (February note: We have added a new instructor to our roster this month.)
Maria indicated that we have some amazing instructors and talent on our team. We are working on being consistent with our scheduling; supporting feedback on specific schedule requests; and investing our time and resources into as many classes as we can each week.
Jill Sleeper inquired as to whether changes would be made based on the survey. Maria indicated that some changes would be made. We know we can’t make everyone happy with every request, but we are doing our best to accommodate as many requests as we can.
Jill thanked management for the extra spin bikes and said that the spin classes are very important to members.
7.
Golf a.
Communication—Lee Gutierrez said that communication has been better and we are getting information out to the membership. However, not everyone reads emails.
The Men’s Invitational was a big step forward from past years.
One challenge is to integrate the Ranch members into the Golf events. b.
WGA/RGA Updates—Gini Auger thanked Michelle Johnson for getting next year’s schedule prepared. It is now ready to be distributed and members can make plans ahead of time. c.
Clubhouse—An interior design firm has been contacted regarding replacing the carpet, furniture, and changing the layout of the Clubhouse. We will preserve it as a multi-use facility. Additionally, the locker room doesn’t “feel” right. We are looking into re-facing the lockers and redoing the floors.
We are getting some quotes for a facelift. We want a nice warm feeling in our Clubhouse.
Kip Evans said it would be great to have a flat screen TV so members could go to the
Clubhouse, have a beer and watch a game. It should be a place where people want to hang out, and yet have functionality. Dan agreed.
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d.
Course Conditions—Woody Clum said that some of the fairways are thin. Dave Clarke said that this is a classic bent grass problem. The warmer years don’t have as many issues, but when it is cold and frosty we suffer frost burn. Additionally, divots are a problem.
There was a rather lengthy discussion about the type of grasses planted on golf courses.
Dave Clarke and Dan will continue to talk about our playing surface.
Dan summarized the dilemma by saying that we want (1) playability; (2) good grass; and (3) a prestige course, and the objectives aren’t always consistent. Lee Gutierrez inquired as to whether we could replace or upgrade the sand in the bunkers. Dave Clarke and Dan agreed to do so (and we have done so). Dave will also look into the feasibility of decreasing the size of #15 greenside bunker. e.
Juniors—Dan said that Kip Evans has a suggestion for junior memberships, and his idea has been passed along to Debora. Brant and Kip discussed different research relating to junior golfers and all agreed that this will be a focus—baby steps in early 2012.
8.
Member Events a.
The recent tree lighting event had high energy and as many as 150 members showed up to enjoy the great food and have a fun evening. The Winterfest holiday party was a different kind of fun with a band, dancing, and good food. Next time we will have a two-sided buffet to make it easier and faster to get food; however, it felt great to have so many attend. The
Chanukah event had 70 attendees. b.
We will be going back to Thursday member nights, starting in January. Lee Gutierrez stated that having an event every other week is confusing and perhaps they should be held every week. Jill Sleeper inquired as to whether there will be specific seating. Most tend to seat themselves, and this is not a good way.
Reservations are a must. Having two seatings does not work, as people tend to stay a long time. It works best with a staggered arrival.
9.
Miscellaneous a.
The next Advisory Board meeting will be held in March, but the exact date was not selected.
Dan indicated that a couple of suggested dates would be sent out. [We are suggesting the dates of March 7 or March 8 for the next Advisory Board meeting.]
There being no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 5:50 p.m.
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Time grew short and the meeting was adjourned before all the business could be discussed.
Clark Corey wanted the following information attached to the minutes so that information regarding tennis could be disseminated.
1.
We are starting a USTA Senior (over 50) women’s team in January that will run until March.
2.
Our winter session of the Junior program starts the week of January 1 and runs for 12 weeks.
3.
The General Store at the River Ranch Café has leisure attire and spa products with members receiving a 15-20% discount, depending on the item.
4.
We are partnering with the USTA to have a novice ladies’ tennis program. This will begin in mid-
January and run for seven weeks. The program will consist of instruction, as well as play days.
The goal of the USTA is to bring new people to the game and then have them participate in leagues.
5.
Our USTA Super Senior (over 70) ladies’ team won their league for the second year in a row.
The men’s team finished in second place in their league.
6.
Tennis Magazine has just announced its list for the top 50 tennis destinations in the US, and
Carmel Valley Ranch made the list for the third consecutive time—2008, 2010, 2012.
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