Please Note:
1. Congratulation to OCC Golf Member, Robbie Crockett, & his partner in the USGA Fourball Championship contested at Winged Foot GC for their outstanding play, qualifying for the field of 32 to determine the champions in the match play event! Although they came up short in the opening match definitely the beginning to a great summer on top of the leader-board.
2. We currently have 60 people signed up for a fantastic dinner prepared by our Executive Chef, Jesse Hatchett, & his culinary team featuring wines & fare from the great state of California. Thanks to OCC Social Member, David DuBou, from Vintner Select for hosting & leading the "California Dreamin" vineyard tour!
3. OMGA Memorial Day Stableford Points Challenge - Monday, May 30th. All players who would like to participate must tee off by 2:00 PM & have another OMGA member playing in your group. Please contact the Golf Shop for starting times.
Pool Hours of Operation
Memorial Day Weekend
11:00 AM - 9:00 PM
I would like to thank our Maintenance Director, Bill Taylor, & his staff for their efforts in getting the pool together to pass the Health inspection from the state this morning with an unbelievable (but true!) score of 97%. During this time, his team also put together the new look of the Club's 19th Hole, which has opened with great reviews! A big THANK YOU again to Bill & his team!
Pool Notes:
1. All members & guest must register upon arrival.
2. Guest Fees for the year are $7pp but for this weekend will be $5pp. Come Celebrate America.
3. Adult beverages & food will be ordered/served through the 19th Hole. The snack shop will be concession stand items that are kid oriented & available daily from 12:00-7:00 PM.
4. No glassware or bottles are permitted at the pool.
5. Monday Memorial festivities begin at 2:00 PM for both kids & adults!
A note from Club President, Chris Mussler:
Dear Members:
Thanks to everyone who made Thursday's member meeting a spirited and thoughtful discussion. Our collective exchange of ideas to address continuing capital needs and membership growth showed real resolve and commitment to ensure long term club success.
To recap, member club use and dues continue trending lower. At current membership levels, we are short on capital to adequately address operational costs and competing needs for facility repair and upgrades. For the last three years, the board has resisted asking you to increase your financial commitment through a dues increase or assessment. Unfortunately, with year over year member numbers remaining flat, we're running short on options.
We started 2016 with 340 members, a net loss of 26 members from 2015. Thanks in part to our "trial membership" drive this winter and spring, today, our member number stands at 362. To fund operations and create a solid cushion to reinvest in our property, our membership target is 425. Why have we fallen short? While there is no single answer to this complex question, our 2013 project assessment accelerated our deficit. In 2013, we experienced a net loss of 49 members after passing an assessment primarily designed to replace the on-course pump house and protect our irrigation systems. These member defections left us $70,000 short to fully fund the project, and cost us more than $320,000 over the three year term in lost dues revenue.
Being left short of cash necessary to fund the irrigation project, and cascading into shortages to continue operations with diminished dues and member spending, we have creatively triaged and financed repairs and projects, many through individual member donations. Obviously, there's more to do. Just to name a few, our tennis courts suffered winter damage and need refurbishing, the pool required nearly $10,000 in repairs to pass this year's board of health inspection and our HVAC system continues to need more investment. Including the pool updates and new cooling tower unit installed last week, we have already spent almost $50,000 in just the first 4 months of 2016 on infrastructure necessities.
How have we made this work? We rely on revenue from Monday golf outings, and increasingly, non-Monday golf outings. At times, these outings cause far too many disruptions in your access to your club. Additionally, we have sold every available minute of ballroom and meeting facilities, sought personal loans from members, passed along new pre-paid dues and guest pass opportunities and pushed the limits of flexibility with the Bullitt Trust regarding our monthly land lease obligation. Today the lease obligation is $12,000 per month, and we are several months behind.
Our reality is that our club was developed on leased land. Our lease from the Bullitt Trust is set to renew in 2019, and if all goes well, again in 2025. Our monthly lease obligation to the Bullitt Trust is calculated from the club's annual gross revenue. The Bullitt Trust has been a great teammate, pre-bankruptcy and beyond, permitting flexibility with payments when times were tight, but pushing for compliance and assurance that Oxmoor is the best usage of the Trust's land asset. We are fast approaching the time to again show compliance and assurance.
To address our multiple competing interests, the membership passed a board requested initiative on Thursday evening. This initiative is the "J.W. Plan." This plan is a "voluntary" assessment championed by member John Wherry during our January town hall discussion.
Taking John's challenge to heart, the membership passed a "voluntary" assessment of $600 to all golfing member categories and $100 for social members to close the gap on our shortfall. To completely close the gap this year (and assuming no additional needs), we need $130,000 from this campaign.
As an assessment for capital needs, the funds raised are not included in the club's gross revenue used to calculate our annual lease payments by contract. Because participation is voluntary, we expect to avoid membership defections from folks who cannot afford to participate. Hopefully, everyone can and will participate. If being voluntary this program closes our gap and saves us a few members who can't participate, then this program is a win-win.
This said, the program only works if most everyone buys in. We are asking everyone, from non-resident members to 2025's to consider supporting this effort. Like clockwork, John Wherry was the first member in line to give his $600 check in support of the program and has challenged everyone else who can, to do the same.
To say thanks for being part of our solution, the board has approved "give backs" for participating in the voluntary program. Included in these give backs are various guest passes we hope can be used on friends, family and colleagues who might be interested in membership. Our members have always been our best sales force.
For golf members, if we receive your $600 voluntary assessment on or before June 15, 2016 by cash, check or credit card, we'll give you complimentary cart rentals for the entire month of June, a $50 food and beverage credit, 4 guest green fee passes, 4 guest twilight green fee passes, and 5 pool guest passes.
For social members, if we receive your $100 voluntary assessment on or before June 15, you will receive 5 pool guest passes and a $25 food and beverage credit.
We ask that everyone please take a moment to consider participating in this alternative solution of finding dollars to invest in the club. Absent the traditional availability of initiation fees or private financing, this is our most attractive option.
Just to be clear. This is an alternative to a non-voluntary assessment. Frankly, given our history of member losses in response to compulsory programs, we do not wish to pass along a non-voluntary assessment. However, if this program proves unsuccessful, we may otherwise run out of tools to address our issues. If a non-voluntary assessment is requested and passed by the membership in the next 12 months, anyone who participates in this voluntary program will be credited payments under this program against any assessment made.
At the meeting, the board also asked our membership for one more tool. The membership gave the current board (and any future board), the authority to enact a monthly capital charge not to exceed $35 per month. No such charge is being implemented today. Our task is first to determine what foothold we get back with the voluntary assessment program and whether a traditional assessment is required. When we get this foothold back, a capital charge is the tool we need to begin seeding the pool of available funds to take on capital repairs and projects.
There is much positive momentum around our club today. Course conditions are phenomenal. Member areas including the bar and soon to reopen 19th hole have been upgraded. Our pool complex opens this week (with new pool tile and diving board). Our management team and staff have been tasked with a renewed focus on service and positive member experience. If you attended our Easter and/or Mother's Day brunch you saw first-hand our staff's energy and service focus resulting in highest ever member reviews for both events.
We know this is a lot to absorb in written form. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me, any member of the board of trustees or anyone who was present for the discussion Thursday night. With questions about payments or benefits, please call Connie or Danny in the business office (491-7877, ext 4) or Josh Snider (491-7877, ext 5).
Thanks for your support of these initiatives and Oxmoor. I look forward to seeing everyone on the course and at the pool over the next few weeks!
Enclosed is a form to return to the club on or before June 15 with your payment in support of this initiative.
Sincerely,
Chris Mussler
President, Board of Trustees
Page Break
Voluntary Assessment Payment Form
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Name___________________________________ Member #_____________________
Payment Type (Cash; Check; Credit)____________ Assessment Payment $
Credit Card Type__________________________Credit Card # ____________________
Name of Card Holder Expiration Date
Joshua Snider
PGA Director of Golf & Membership
Oxmoor Country Club
9000 Limehouse Lane
Louisville, KY 40220
502-491-7877 ext.2
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