LaMott Smith

As we navigate the complexities of branding in the exclusive world of private clubs, there's no better exemplar than Augusta National Golf Club. Known not just for the Masters Tournament, this iconic institution has mastered the delicate balance between tradition and modernity, setting the gold standard for brand equity in our industry. In our latest article, we dive deep into the heart of Augusta National's success, uncovering the pivotal lessons that can elevate your club's brand to new heights. From the cultivation of rich traditions to the strategic embrace of innovation, Augusta National teaches us the power of blending the old with the new, ensuring relevance in a rapidly evolving world. But beyond the strategies, it's the spirit of Augusta National that inspires—a commitment to excellence, a dedication to community, and a passion for creating unforgettable experiences. I'm eager to hear your thoughts: - How does your club maintain its brand equity? - What lessons from Augusta National could you envision applying in your own setting? Let's discuss in the comments below! 🗨️💡 #PrivateClubMarketing #BrandEquity #AugustaNational #GolfIndustry #Innovation #Tradition #TheMasters Pat Kravitz, Chris McDonough, Allie Waldman, CCM, Kevin Bozada, CCM, Jillian Dodderer, Diana Mansfield, Preston Smith, Beth Marshall, Mike Crowley, Sam Coghill, Casey Coffman, Virginia Dent, Will Armstrong,

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After you take a lesson and as you try to improve, we always make sure our golfers know how to practice. We show the golfer how to set up a practice station with drills that give them feedback so they are making the correct improvements. #playbettergolf #practicegoals #golflessons

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#Golflife: Good morning! Welcome to the weekend. Saturday is now about golf (and work.) “Don’t be too proud to take lessons. I’m not.” Jack Nicklaus, Champion Golfer. Several decades ago, the golf season ended at the start of Fall. In addition, there was no “silly season” to end a year. In other words, there were several weeks with no events to play. Golfers would get rusty and need time to reset their skills. Every winter, Mr. Nicklaus would get with his only teacher, Jack Grout, and begin a new year with several lessons. In these lessons they worked on basics, the fundamentals that Nicklaus had to manage before & during every shot. As the winner of the most major championships (18), it certainly worked. In a career, I have always believed in “great basics.” I believed in doing the everyday things extraordinarily well. If we could do this, we would succeed over the long years of a career. Well, that idea worked for me. Never the smartest person in the room, I plunged into doing those things well that would advance my organization and people. It worked. I had a solid career, keeping the “ball in the fairway” much of the time (with a great deal of help.) it’s a good idea to be solid in the basics, to know how your company makes money and to help it make more. And when you need a “lesson or two” talk to your manager, or find a mentor or coach who will have your back. Thank you for reading. Enjoy your Saturday. (these are my words and my opinions only.) #basics #practice #repeat #repeat.

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#Golf: Good morning. This new Saturday post will focus on golf, while looking to combine aspects of work in several posts. Welcome. “The only thing a golfer needs is more daylight.” Ben Hogan, Golfing Great. The game of golf, the amateur game played every day by the men, women, and juniors is on fire. Last year more than 530 million rounds were played in the U. S. Understand the “old normal” from 10-15 years ago was consistently in the 441-443 million rounds per year. With Boomers aging out of full time employment and juniors coming to play in ever larger numbers, the game has several green lights ahead. At the same time, like many industries employment is an issue. While Covid made golf a “must try”, the people that did “go” to work quickly became exhausted, with crowded parking lots filled with golfers and less workers to support the explosion. In addition, every golf course had new local and national standards to adjust to, in order to comply to the pandemic standards. Now, in the post Covid light, the game must figure out how to better build consistent value while developing people who want to make golf a career. There is no free lunch. Recruiting and training takes money, effort, and lots of time. With millions of new and returning golfers showing up to the first tee, what will operators do to build staff, develop pay programs that invite retention, and invest in a strategy to keep that first tee humming for years to come. The game is on fire! The fix will not happen on its own. Thank you for reading. (these are my words and my opinions only.) #joy #angst #talent #game.

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#Golflife: Good morning! Welcome to the weekend. “The secret of golf is to turn three shots into two.” Bobby Jones, Amateur Golfer. Mr. Jones was a generational golfer. A champion who never turned professional. A man of many skills and talents. Among his achievements were winning the Grand Slam of golf, building Augusta National, and creating The Masters golf tournament. His quote is about strategy. It is about constantly searching for ways to save strokes throughout a round. The same can hold true in business. To grow in an organization, it is important to search for and find economies. Ways that you can save money, steps or time. When you are looking for ways to help your organization, you are saving “strokes.” Golf is about the lowest score. Business is about service, value, and economy. To grow your income/visibility, look to be that person who thinks like the owner. The person always looking for ways to spend $2.00, instead of $3.00. Have a great weekend! Thank you for reading. (these are my words and my opinions only.) #save #search #investigate #economize.

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#Golflife: Good morning! Welcome to the weekend. “There is no such thing as natural touch. Touch is something you create by hitting millions of golf balls.” Lee Trevino, Championship Golfer. They make it look easy. The men and women who play golf for a paycheck are a marvel to watch. The way they practice, plan out their rounds, plan out their next shots should be an example for every business and business leader. As a long time fan, a favorite place for me was on the practice range of a professional event. Watching the swings of the best players always helped me and my less than adequate skill set. It was great fun, an amazing learning opportunity. One that I took advantage of no matter who was hitting those “millions of golf balls.” They may it look easy because they have done the work. They have built a game through instruction and practice. No matter who they are, they continue the upkeep through instruction and practice. It is a great lesson, no matter what we do. Putting in the work pays off. Putting in the work with a trained eye will create a fun pasttime for life. At work, we look to get better, build skills, and move up for a bigger paycheck. We want more. A better job, bigger perks. We just need to look to the practice area for the lesson. Putting in the work pays off. No matter what they have done, how many trophies they own, golfers know that to keep the paychecks coming, they must continue to put in the work. The same holds true for us. In a world gone mad with change, we should recognize that to stay up, we need to keep up with the changes. It matters no matter what we do. Regardless of your industry, be sure to hang out on your practice tee and put in the work. The best tend to always make it look easy. Thank you for reading. (these are my words and opinions only.) #practice #instruction #work #prep.

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A lesson in perspective... It's reciprocal season for us in SWFL....the time of year when our members can go experience neighboring clubs. I like to call it the "grass is greener season". As much as I love sharing best practices and trends between my fellow GMs, there is a difference when our members play or dine at other clubs and come back with their own comparisons. How do you handle it? My approach has always been to redirect my member's attention within MY gates... For the simple reason of... Every second I spend thinking about what the other club is doing is a second I spend NOT thinking about what my club could be doing. As a GM we must be aware about what's happening elsewhere but treat it only as information and move your attention back to your club. Do not get caught up in what "they're" doing...because I can promise you there are members at other clubs telling their leadership that the grass is greener in YOUR club. This is where the meaningful impact happens. #impact #thegrassisnotgreener #information #leadership #generalmanager #competition #trends #bestpractices

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Episode 4 now live. Top 5 Trackman courses you can play now and much more.

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How do you explain improvements behind the scenes that will make an impact to the member experience to your members? Our new draft beer cooler is one of those items that we believe will make a big impact to our members experience and it's something they will never see. Scott and I try to provide some context with how this will enhance the member experience..... #visualize #create #lead #communicate #engagement

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This is a “problem” few would have seen in 2010, 2016, or 2019. But not every sheet is fully optimized. Automations like Noteefy 🔔 are amazing! But there’s so much that can be done with golf shop staff and front-line team members to accentuate those automated tools! #customerservice #golfindustry #empoweryourteam

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Action with no hesitation; This is a great example of what paying close attention to a task with unfortunate small junior moves results in vs Blunt ACTION and clarity of the end result. In short, get up, produce and make some action that will have beneficial results to yourself or your company. This is the kinda mindset you need. Whether your action fails or not.. it’s all about how hard you tried and what you were willing to do to make action and standout from the rest. Working on any task; doesn’t require a lot of validation, due diligence or accountability. If there’s a clear cut task - make sure your brief and to the point with no song or dance. That’s a wrap Lock n load

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What is community lead recovery? The tables have turned since the 19/20 fires, covid and then the dreaded 4 day ski season at Falls and Hotham. I call it the terrible trifecta. Community-led recovery refers to a process in which local communities take an active role in the recovery and rebuilding efforts after a crisis or disaster. It recognises that communities are the best experts on their own needs and priorities and empowers them to lead the recovery process. In community-led recovery, community members are actively involved in decision-making, planning, and implementation of recovery initiatives. They work together to identify their needs, develop strategies, and allocate resources to address those needs. This approach promotes local ownership, participation, and resilience, as it recognises the unique knowledge, skills, and strengths of the community. Community-led recovery emphasises the importance of collaboration and partnership between communities, government agencies, non-governmental organisations, and other stakeholders. It recognises that recovery is not just about rebuilding physical infrastructure, but also about restoring social networks, addressing social inequalities, and enhancing community well-being. Key principles of community-led recovery include: 1. Participation: Engaging community members in all stages of the recovery process, including decision-making and planning. 2. Empowerment: Building the capacity of community members to take leadership roles and make informed decisions. 3. Inclusivity: Ensuring that all segments of the community, including marginalised groups, have a voice and are included in the recovery efforts. 4. Collaboration: Fostering partnerships and collaboration between community members, government agencies, and other stakeholders. 5. Sustainability: Promoting long-term sustainability by considering environmental, social, and economic factors in recovery planning and implementation. By adopting a community-led recovery approach, communities can rebuild in a way that not only addresses immediate needs but also builds resilience and fosters social cohesion for the future. After all, community knows about community. If you want to see a prime example of how this works checkout https://lnkd.in/gfHmr8hn crafted by the talented Danielle McAlpine Johnson #collaboration #speakup #solutions #govenment #beyondthenfires #community #leadership #solutions

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Bat speed data from Baseball Savant is now open to the public! Here are some of my thoughts on these new stats as well as some interesting tests I ran to determine a hitter’s approach: https://lnkd.in/eFd69rd2

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Here's how international skilled chefs without accolades can find their pathway to the United States 🇺🇸 Link to episode 👉 https://buff.ly/44IP1B6 #theprivatechefpodcast #privatechef #personalchef #yachtchef #restaurantchef #chefs #immigration #USVisa #immigrationlaws

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Many new lessons in work and even life I have learned from managing a golf course. For example, why limit to 55 or 56 buggies for one session for a 18 hole golf course? Because any more buggies than that at anytime on the course will jam up play and cause some disagreements that could have been avoided. And who would have thought that problem solving is a skill learned in golf? So, whether you have to manipulate your way around the course on a windy day or maybe the course is riddled with bunkers .....you will need to plot out your strategy. And lastly, I have learned that golfers are serious about their game. One of the things that tends to shine through is their passion for what they do. Without doubt, most successful people will tell you that for them the word ‘fun’ is synonymous with working on something that they enjoy and find motivating and inspiring. Having fun means enjoying the moment and doing the best with what you have. I consider myself immensely fortunate to work in an environment in which having, and creating, fun is a big part of what we do and this ultimately leaves everyone feeling inspired and fulfilled.

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ArsTechnica did a fabulous retrospective and trip down memory lane for the classic Palm OS. I have very fond memories of Palm, as it was a personal organizer for me for many years (the Handspring Visor) and later my very first smartphone (Treo 600). Reflecting on Palm from a UX perspective, one of its core components, Graffiti, was revolutionary. Most Palm OS-based devices did not include keyboards, so Graffiti was a way to "write" on the screen to input text. It was indeed a simplistic and elegant way to solve a problem. What are some of your fondest memories of Palm OS?

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#Worklife: Good morning! Today begins the 2nd major of the year in golf…..The PGA. “It’s always too soon to quit.” Norman Vincent Peale, Clergyman and Author. I am stuck. Every day I seem to arrive at the greater conclusion that Persistence is just about the most important trait to acquire if you want to achieve over-the-top success in your career. Persistence is the “secret”, the magic sauce that most people just do not have. In a presentation yesterday, I spoke about Persistence, but without the vigor I am feeling at this moment. If you want to earn something, acquire something, or achieve a new benchmark do it……and don’t quit until you achieve that thing. If you are taking a long drive and your GPS is down, you get lost…….you wouldn’t just stop and give up. You would persist until you arrive at your destination. The Oxford dictionary states that Persistence is: the firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition. Translation: keep going, push forward. Many people give up early, rationalizing the thing was never going to happen, or it wasn’t that important to them. Again, I am stuck on this idea. People give up too early, on too many important things, too many times throughout their careers. Nothing good comes easy! If you want a thing: plan, study, talk to smart people already there and dig in until you own the thing! Thank you for reading. (these are my words and my opinions only.) #persist #learn #ask #grind #push.

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You know what? I get it. I understand the trepidation, the fear, the reluctance. I also get that we are on the ground floor of an absolute revolution in the golf space right now with FlingGolf by New Swarm. Allow me to give you some reasons why you as a golf course owner, golfer, or literally anyone else should give this sport a look. 1.) It's extremely easy. (Most people I know have an extraordinarily hard time hitting a golf ball in the first place.) 2.) It's inexpensive. (Most modern drivers will run you $400-$650 USD. A Launch from New Swarm will run you $129.99, and you only need one instead of 13 OTHER clubs to go with it. 3.) For my course operators, you get more foot traffic. (Let's be real, 90 percent of people will NEVER step foot onto a golf course EVER. This is a way to get more people onto the course and having a great time if you rent FlingSticks out at the course.) 4.) Accessibility. (This is a big one. Hitting a golf ball requires a LOT of coordination. Anyone can throw something. Referring back to #1, this game is EASY to learn. If you have someone in your family with injuries, developmental difficulties, or someone that just doesn't like the game of golf for whatever reason, this game equalizes that.) 5.) Freshness. (The other big one. Traditional golf can come off as snooty and just plain dated to some people. This is a new way to navigate the course that anyone can learn with enough reps. You'll learn concepts of traditional golf but from another perspective, and who knows, maybe you'll find ways to augment and improve your traditional golf game by playing FlingGolf like I did. If you're interested in grabbing a FlingStick of your own, head to flinggolf.com and use code GCALLIS10 for 10 percent off your purchase. Let em know I sent you. And if you're looking to collaborate on projects involving this or looking to try it out for yourself, send an email to flinggolfrva@gmail.com

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