Dear Glenbrook Club Members and Families,
What a great summer season we enjoyed this year. We hope you agree that our wonderful staff – so ably led by our General Manager, Thomas Tenorio – helped the Club achieve a new level of excellence.
A strong testament to our members’ appreciation of the job our staff did this past summer was the generous support of the new Employee Voluntary Bonus Fund, which provided an end-of-the-season bonus to our 43 summer employees. This new bonus program recognizes the outstanding efforts of our staff and provides added incentive for staff to return next summer, a key goal of the Club.
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The following are additional highlights of 2019.
Record Season at the Clubhouse
Thanks to your support and patronage, revenue from the restaurant and bar increased 16% from 2018. We believe that this growth reflects the consistently high-quality food and service delivered throughout the season. In response to member input, the bar was open five nights a week (adding Wednesdays), and the season was extended through October 19th, which also contributed to our top-line growth.
Growth in Membership
We welcomed a record ten new members bringing total membership to 256 (222 Glenbrook residents and 34 non-residents). We continue to see strong interest in the Club, which is important to the Club’s financial well-being and the vitality of our community.
Financial Results
Expenses – especially labor costs – were up significantly as our team balanced the ongoing challenges of operating a seasonal restaurant in a highly competitive market with our commitment to providing members a first-rate experience. As a result, we anticipate that our operating loss for 2019 will be larger than budgeted. However, with new membership fees in 2019, the Club’s financial condition remains strong.
Continued Facilities Improvements
In 2019, we completed the work funded by our 2018 capital campaign and made other improvements to the Clubhouse and golf course.
In the restaurant, we eliminated the threshold between the main dining room and Bliss Porch, replaced the carpet, refurbished the wood paneling, and added built-in service cabinetry, as well as making other aesthetic interior enhancements. On the west lawn, we completed the fire pit, creating an intimate new spot for members to gather and enjoy the Club’s unique position on the lake.
On the golf course, more sophisticated maintenance practices, a top-performing grounds crew managed by our Superintendent Kay Berntson and Denim Inman, and investment in better drainage and new equipment contributed to the best playing conditions in memory. Our new maintenance protocol included removing snow from the greens starting in February. In the past few weeks, we began work on refurbishing three bunkers on holes 2, 7, and 9, which we will complete in the spring.
Working closely with our neighbors and TRPA to address safety and accessibility issues, we completed the paving of Driving Range Road in September.
Soliciting Member Input
Member input is critical to the Board’s efforts to improve the Club. 186 members completed the online survey distributed in March, which provided valuable feedback and suggestions. Many of the changes we made this past season were based on the survey results and we will conduct a 2019 survey and encourage all members to participate.
We also held two open member sessions, one each before our June and July Board meetings, in addition to the Annual Members Meeting in August. These meetings were very helpful to the Board, and we hope more members will attend next year.
Updated Bylaws
Following a six-month review, in May, the Board unanimously adopted the 2019 Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Glenbrook Club, the first major update in nearly a decade. The new bylaws reflect best governance practices and are in compliance with the Club’s Articles of Incorporation and Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 82. The bylaws are posted on the members-only portion of the Club website.
Board Development
In August, we thanked John List for his many years of service to the Board — especially for his work on our Golf Committee — and welcomed our newest Director, Rick Wolford. Rick and his wife Karen have owned a home in Glenbrook and have been active members of the community since 2011. Rick brings decades of business, professional, and philanthropic experience to our Board and is serving on the House, Finance, and Long-Range Planning Committees and the Renters Task Force.
We expect to have one open position on the Board this coming August. Please contact our Nominating Committee Chair, CeCe Baise, if you are interested in serving or would like to recommend someone. The Nominating Committee will accept names until May 30, 2020.
Policies on Renters of Member Homes
This summer, the issue of the use of the Club by renters of member homes was the topic of many meetings, conversations, and communications to the Board. In July, the Board formed a task force to examine this issue and subsequently implemented several policy changes to ensure that renters who use the Club are properly registered and that members have priority for dinner reservations and tee times.
The task force has continued to review input from members, as well as the history and impact of renters on the Club, both financially and as a community. We may take further steps on the ongoing use of the Club by renters of member homes after GHOA’s decision/action on the renter issue is announced in mid-December.
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Before we all turn our attention to Thanksgiving and the winter holidays, please enjoy this Slide Show of 2019, which is full of fond memories of this past summer, and a Thank You note from Thomas.
Thomas and his team have just finished up winter preparations at the Clubhouse and golf course and plans are well underway for next season. Look for a brief member survey before the end of the year and the 2020 Club calendar in February to help with your summer planning.
Please feel free to contact me, or any Board member, if you have questions, comments, or suggestions.
On behalf of the Board and staff, we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.
Best,
Nancy
Nancy Field
President
P.S. If you miss the view of the lake from the Clubhouse, you can see it in real time from our webcam — click here!