Why Train?
"The only thing worse than training your staff and having them leave, is not training them and having them stay." – Henry Ford
In golf, hospitality, and tourism, it’s common to hire people with experience. Perhaps they’ve bartended at another course, worked in the restaurant industry, or even run operations at a different club. With their experience and glowing references, it’s easy to assume they’ll slide seamlessly into your company – especially if you’ve hired for attitude or personality fit.
It’s also common to have people with experience. Those who have already been with your company for years tend to know what they’re doing.
In the case of the Competent Employee, do you still need to invest in training?
Yes! Even the best experience doesn’t guarantee alignment, and the way they are used to working, might be too ‘old school’, too ‘new school’, or include bad habits! Hiring and having experienced staff is valuable. They bring skills, perspective, and confidence. For new hires, although they should have done their homework, no one walks into a new workplace fully understanding its culture, expectations, or nuances. Training isn’t just about skill—it’s about orientation, communication, and consistency.
This is especially critical in organizations that operate more than one facility. For multi-course operators and multi-location companies, alignment isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s essential. Without standardized training and expectations, each location can drift into its own version of the brand, leading to inconsistent guest experiences, inefficiencies, internal confusion, and even intracompany competitiveness or resentment.
Consistency Through On-Line Training
Consistency is about habits and systems and repetition. Consistency is more achievable when the training isn’t just a one-off. When we think about our long-time employees – especially the quirky ones, the ones with bad habits or work personality traits that everyone has accepted or learned to live with – who we may love! – ask yourself this. “When and how was that allowed to develop? And at what point would it have been ideal to have stepped in?”
In a service-based industry where guest expectations and brand reputation matter, the answer is, “Start now, step in now, establish company branding now”. If your company has a culture of ongoing training, then even seasoned staff know to expect it.
Online training will answer to the demands “ongoing”, “repetitive”, “consistent”, and “evolving” better than any personally delivered or manual based training can.
What is Your Culture?
Imagine hiring a server who previously worked at a fine dining establishment. They know the steps of service, can carry three plates in one hand, and are used to calling guests “sir” and “ma’am.” But at your club, you’ve built a warm, casual culture where members are greeted by name and friendly banter is encouraged. If that server isn’t trained to adapt to your tone, they may unintentionally create a formality that feels cold or out of place. Now consider the opposite, which is in many ways worse. Your club prides itself on tradition. Members and guests are addressed with an honorific, and you cringe when you hear them being addressed by their first name. They may perform their role confidently—but not in a way that aligns with your standards.
Training helps your team:
- Define, understand and embody your club’s brand, values, and service philosophy
- Deliver a consistent experience to guests across all departments
- Feel empowered to make decisions that reflect your standards
Even top performers need structure to excel in a new environment. The best musicians still rehearse before the concert. Great athletes still run drills before the game. Staff at IKEA have a warm up meeting before every opening. They do it because it works. Could your club benefit from that too?
Real-Life Example: Turning Experience into Excellence
Consider the words of Executive Chef Matthew Gilbert case of Medinah Country Club in Illinois—one of the most member-friendly private clubs in the area. Despite hiring staff with extensive backgrounds in hospitality, food service and kitchen operations, the club has made intentional, ongoing conversations with their membership a cornerstone of its success.
This often means setting aside their own egos, how they’ve been trained, or how they’ve done it in the past, and it certainly means keeping their team close to the evolving service systems. They do this without losing their culture – in fact, the Medinah “way” is to constantly seek out feedback from the membership and have it become a part of their ongoing staff training.
It wasn’t a want of skill—it was a want for integration that created this culture system. And if this chef leaves, the consistency of training and onboarding is reliant on having a structured onboarding plan.
PRO TIP: The best way is an online training system with videos and learning modules that are not dependent on another human providing it. These being digitally available for any new leader or staff member to access over more than one course or facility preserves all the time and effort taken in creating them.
Ongoing Training: Your Culture's Insurance Policy
Clubs invest heavily in turf care, equipment, and marketing. But when it comes to training, many hesitate—often due to time constraints or fear of investing in staff who may not stay long.
Yet, training is one of the few things that externally, directly impacts every part of the member and guest experience. Internally training also has great value to;
- Reduce costly mistakes
- Improve cross-department communication
- Build pride and confidence in every role
- Support a culture of learning and accountability
- Satisfy health and safety requirements
This is especially true when your company owns or manages multiple properties. One of the greatest challenges in multi-course operations is maintaining consistency in service delivery and culture from one year to the next or from one location to another.
Why Online Training Is Critical for Multi-Course Consistency:
Here are the brass tacks;
Standardization Across Locations
Online training ensures that no matter where your team is based—whether it’s in Kelowna, Calgary, or South Carolina—they are hearing the same message, receiving the same expectations, and learning the same service philosophy. It levels the playing field so every guest receives the same branded experience, regardless of location.
Scalability and Speed of Rollout
Have a new service protocol or seasonal training? With online tools, it can go live to every staff member across all properties instantly. No need to schedule site visits or fly in trainers—saving both time and money while accelerating execution.
Measurable Accountability
With digital platforms, managers and corporate leaders can track completion rates, quiz scores, and user engagement. This gives regional operators the data they need to coach effectively and hold teams accountable to the same standards.
And with platforms like Golf Industry Guru, and the GIG Vault, your established, and new or adopted training is all in one place. And most importantly, it doesn’t need to pull staff off the floor. Short, on-demand modules allow staff to learn during downtime, team huddles, or even from their phones. More importantly, it gives operators peace of mind that every team member is trained not just once—but continuously—and always in alignment with brand expectations.
Final Thought: Hire for Potential, Train for Excellence
Experience is a great foundation. If you want your staff to deliver a guest experience that reflects your club’s identity, you must train them—not just when they’re new, but continuously. Not because they aren’t capable, but because your standards are worth reinforcing.
After all, would you rather have someone who’s done the job somewhere else—or someone who does it your way, every day?
