CHAIRMAN’S LETTER

Dear Members and Guests,

This letter is addressed to golfers and friends of golfers. And, if you subscribe to the six-degrees-of-separation theory, that likely means all of you. In fact, it’s that six degrees I’d like to talk about — or, more simply, growing the game of golf. Typically, "growing the game" connotes youth programs, kids’ golf camps, and the "Tiger factor" in golf, which has spawned many youth initiatives throughout the golf industry, including numerous programs at the ClubCorp clubs and resorts.

At ClubCorp, we also want the concept of growing the game to reach your entire family, including your extended family. To that end, we have charged a task force with finding the best practices among our many golf operations that enhance the Member and Guest golf experience, and, at the same time, grow the game. The best of these best practices will be implemented on a companywide basis. Some of these ongoing events and activities include tournaments with "fun formats," couples’ tournaments, Take Your Child (and Take Your Parent) to the Course days, Women Welcome Here programs, seniors and beginners leagues, combination golf and social events (such as the demo day/fashion show combo, Halloween Night Golf, and Gourmet Golf Under the Stars), and more. For anyone with a real competitive streak, we’ll add an incentive for honing your game at the club level by conducting a special tournament for low-handicappers in August at Pinehurst in the Village of Pinehurst, North Carolina. We’ll send more details about this event to club pros soon.

We also know that time away from work and time away from family are two great inhibitors for many golfers being able to play more golf. So we will be conducting more family-oriented golf tournaments, as well as nine-hole tournaments and other activities that provide alternatives to traditional 18-hole play. Golf is a lifestyle decision and, as such, should encompass what I categorize as the "Four F’s": family, friends, fun, and flexibility.

With the leadership provided by ClubResorts, we will continue to be an authoritative voice in golf instruction for golfers of all abilities and ambitions. Watch for special programming throughout the year. Watch too for the continuing expansion of the Signature Gold golf program, which provides Members with reciprocity and access that is unmatched in the private club arena. In other words, we want to be like the proverbial duck — calm on the surface and paddling like heck underneath.

When I think about golf, I think about my late father, my namesake, and ClubCorp’s founder. And I remember that he often said the game of golf is a gift. This year, I invite you to share this gift with others.

Robert H. Dedman Jr.
Chairman and CEO
ClubCorp

Photography by Danny Hurley