Chapter Two
The Effective Locker Room Manager
If you are a club manager in the process of putting together a crackerjack staff for a golf club that's going to open in several months, or are in the market for a locker room manager because yours didn't work out or moved on, take heart. In this chapter I'll be defining what traits/characteristics, attitudes, skills, and roles an individual is required to have and take on to be an effective Locker Room Manager. And for those of you who are novices or veterans in the field, you can compare yourself against the following criteria and see where you stand. If I've left out anything, I'll trust you to contact me via email address and set me straight.
Desired Traits
The logical trait a person would need for this job, at first glance, would be to be personable. After all, the Locker Room Manager often is the first person to meet and greet men members and their guests (men still make up the majority of club memberships). But equally as important, if not more so, is the quality of integrity.
Why? If you don't know already, the Locker Room Manager has access to every member's locker-often men and women's-via a master key. This is so that he can open lockers for members who have forgotten their keys, assign lockers, put shoes away, give out guest lockers, keep lockers in good order, and put members' belongings away should they be left out or turned into him by staff. In doing so he will likely see member's money and valuables. You obviously want an honest, independent person in this position who will respect other people's property.
Another trait required of the Locker Room Manager is that he have a touch of perfectionism about him. There must be a desire to have a place for everything, and that everything be in its place. This would include keeping the bathroom and locker room looking neat and uncluttered while keeping the amenities stocked and in good order.
Closely connected with being a bit of a perfectionist is that the Locker Room Manager has a penchant toward organization. He must be able to keep a record of all locker assignments and have ways to track monthly/semi-annual/annual charges for locker rentals. He also needs to be able to set up a system so that the accounting department knows who to charge for said rentals and whose charges to cancel should a member no longer need a locker. The means for doing the above will be discussed in detail in Chapter Three on Locker Development and Management.
Finally, part of the trait of organization in this area is that the Locker Room Manager have a good understanding of what the charges are for locker rentals and who is allowed to have one. I'll go into detail in this area in Chapter Three as well. Of course, the Locker Room Manager also must understand how to run a shoe room and how to use a myriad of shoe products properly.
Should you as a General/Club Services Manager or Locker Room Manager need help in this area, I'd suggest purchasing my companion book to this GOOD STEWARD, with the same title but subtitled, How to Set Up and Operate a Shoe Room at Country Club or Resort. It can also be obtained from 'Fore' Supply Company by calling (800) 543-5430. Having an understanding of a particular topic leads into the next characteristic. That of being knowledgeable.
It could take awhile at a new club where the event's calendar may still be in development, but the Locker Room Manager should be knowledgeable about the activities that are going on at his club. Members will look to him for this information, so it is important that he know it or at least have the club calendar nearby for easy reference. I'm talking primarily about golf tournaments here.
Falling under this trait is knowledge of the game of golf and the club's golf course(s). If you don't play golf, learn how. Not only because it's a great game, but also because you will be able to relate to all of the members at your club and their struggle to master it.
Your club may restrict or even forbid you from playing the course, so detailed knowledge of the course(s) may be an impossibility. But if you can play, learn the course(s) well. Your members will appreciate what you know.
What I've discovered over the years is that if I'm out playing the course and happen to join up with a member or two my relationship with them changes. They insist on having me call them by their first name, and we then share a common bond that allows us to relate as golfers. Admittedly, part of that might have to do with the fact that I play the game pretty well.
One final thought here. I'm not suggesting you seek members out to play with in order to build better relationships with them. Most private and semi-private clubs encourage only the golf professionals to play with members. To consistently seek out members and play golf with them may be against club policy. However, some private clubs will not allow you to play unless you are with a member. Go figure!
Obviously, the Locker Room Manager, like any other person on staff, should know the club grounds well and be able to direct any member or guest to where he or she needs to go-walking the member or guest to the location himself. I'll go into more detail on that in Chapter Twelve on Member Courtesies.
Desired Attitudes
What I'm referring to here are the attitudes that are needed in order for a Locker Room Manager to do the best possible job for the members at his club. I have seen these attitudes not only in other Locker Room Managers, but also in other successful staff members at country clubs, such as the Director of Golf or Head Pro. These attitudes will be presented as quotes followed by explanations. They are in subjective order of importance.
1. "I'm motivated by my own desire to do good work and derive my satisfaction from taking care of the needs of members and their guests." This "self-starter" attitude allows the Locker Room Manager to run the locker rooms and shoe room unsupervised because his focus is on pleasing the membership of the club. I ran a shoe room as my own shoe business for over a decade at a semi-private club, and now run a room at a private one. There is very little difference in terms of the operation despite the settings. It's like running my own department/business and answering to the General or Clubhouse Services Manager only if problems arise.
2. "I treat every member the same no matter how he or she treats me." Your response to this may well be, "Duh!!!" Please let me explain. You may be thinking that this attitude applies when a member treats you badly or like he or she owns you. Well, that's part of it. But what I really mean here is that everyone gets equal treatment despite their status and/or skin color. Example: During my days at the Arizona Biltmore Country Club and Resort, it was quite common to provide shoe care for celebrities like famous athletes, musicians, and movie stars. I made a point to extend the same service to Charles Barkley or Lou Holtz as I would a regular member of the club.
3. "You, the member, could never impose on me." Whatever task you're focused on your response to any member's suggestion that he or she is imposing on you should be dismissed. All members need to know that no matter what project the Locker Room Manager is involved in, he's never too busy to help out or meet a need.
4. "Whatever I hear discussed in the locker room stays there." If you work at a prestigious club with an impressive membership list there's no telling what you might overhear. My suggestion is that you keep what you hear to yourself. If rumors are easily spread, they can probably be traced back to their source, so be smart.
5. "I'll do my best to resolve conflicts with members or I'll quickly find someone who can." This is not necessarily a problem between a member and yourself, but could be between a member and a member. If you're the Locker Room Manager at a new club, two members may lay claim to the same locker. If you cannot come up with an alternative that satisfies both people, you may have to seek out the General or Clubhouse Services Manager for resolution. All while (hopefully!) maintaining your own cool head (members can be quite territorial when it comes to lockers!).
6. "As Locker Room Manager, I will not ask any assistant steward to perform a task I wouldn't be willing to do myself." During my days at the Biltmore I was always impressed with the Director of Golf's willingness to do the most basic task that he saw needed to be done. When the staff was overwhelmed by customers he'd willingly get behind the counter and help ring up sales or greens fees. If he saw that paper towels were...
 
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