How Oakmont Ensured U.S. Open Success

The principles applied on the grandest scale, and to near-perfection, by the Pittsburgh-area club’s staff provide a primer for sound management that should be studied before any event—no matter how “minor” it may seem.

by Joe Barks (editor@clubandresortbusiness.com)
September 2007
 

The final round of the 2007 U.S. Open Championship was drawing to a close, and the staff of the host Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club was watching, along with golf fans around the world, as it became clear that Tiger Woods was going to fall short and a virtual unknown named Angel Cabrera was going to win the tournament.

The Oakmont staff had already more than proved it took second place to no one when it came to preparing for, and executing, a smoothly run event with distinctive flair. Over two years of hard work had paid off with a week that would be hailed as one of the best-run major golf tournaments in history. No one needed, or expected, any more special efforts from the club’s management team.

But as soon as it became apparent Cabrera would be the new Open champion, the Oakmont staff did more than just think, along with the rest of the golf world, “Who is this guy?” Instead, they instinctively sprung into action, to once again find a way to go the extra mile.

“I remember thinking, ‘Hey, he’s from Argentina—we’ve still got all that stuff!’” recalls Chris Hampton, Assistant General Manager.

The “stuff” was a large flag of Argentina, smaller table flags and bottles of Argentine wines left over from a special wine dinner that had been held at Oakmont the previous year. Staff members were quickly dispatched to get the items out of storage (no easy feat, given all the additional materials and equipment that had been brought onto the property for the tournament). And soon, the men’s grill, where Cabrera and his family and friends would have their victory dinner, was transformed into a festive and fitting setting that inspired a night full of singing and free-flowing Malbec (Argentina’s signature grape varietal).

Nothing Left to Chance
In retelling this story, Hampton and Brad Ladik, the club’s Beverage Manager, both say it was a stroke of good fortune that Cabrera just happened to hail from a country that had recently been featured on Oakmont’s regular schedule of wine dinners.

By steadfastly following the direction of General Manager Tom Wallace (holding the U.S. Open trophy) that “chance favors the prepared mind,” over two years of diligent and detailed advance work by the Oakmont staff paid off with a smoothly run Championship that is already being hailed as one of the best in history.

But in directing the club’s staff to get ready for the Open, Oakmont General Manager Tom Wallace emphasized one of his guiding management principles: “Chance favors the prepared mind.” And as Wallace and the club’s other staff members describe all that they did and went through in the months leading up to the Open, it becomes clear that very little could ever be attributed to luck alone.

When the mindset is consistent that no detail is too small and no scenario is too far-fetched, it is much more likely that everyone will remember to do not only the right things, but also the extra things, even when they aren’t originally planned. That certainly proved to be a big reason for Oakmont’s success with this year’s Open—and even for clubs that will never host a major tournament, the same approach can be taken to maximize success for any event, no matter how “minor” it may seem.

In addition to the payoffs that came from this staff-wide obsession with preparation, here are some other techniques and lessons drawn from Oakmont’s experience that can also be applied at any club, to help turn even the most routine outings and programs into more memorable—and profitable—efforts:

• Learn—and practice—how to make your cases. A big part of gearing up for any event is the series of presentations that have to be made to vendors, sponsors, community organizations, members, volunteers, staff and the many other entities that may get involved and have to be briefed on everything from a club’s history to which roads will be blocked off. Wallace says that he personally made “several hundred” presentations to various groups in the two years leading up to the Open, and there’s no way he could have done so efficiently without heavy reliance on a massive PowerPoint file that was loaded with all needed images, drawings and details, and then customized for each particular meeting.

In addition, Wallace and other department heads, including Super-intendent John Zimmers and Head Golf Professional Bob Ford, worked with Oakmont members who are communications professionals to rehearse interviews and refine their public-speaking skills—not only to prepare for the onslaught of media demands, but also to maximize the effectiveness of every meeting, no matter how small or internal in nature it might be. “There’s nothing like seeing yourself on videotape to help you learn to improve how to get to, and make, your points,” says Wallace.

• Let your people go. The ironic part of making sure every detail is covered when planning and executing an event is that top managers, who by their nature want to be involved with everything, will only end up getting in the way if they don’t learn to step back and turn more responsibility over to the others on their staffs.

“I got so busy just handling all that was coming into my office, I’d suddenly realize it had been days since I’d been out walking the floor and going around the club,” says Wallace of the hectic pre-Open period. “It’s not easy for someone like me to give up micro-managing, but you have to see [events] as the opportunity to give your staff the chance to grow as managers and make decisions on their own.”

Becoming more detached was especially critical, and difficult, for Executive Chef Tom Pepka as he prepared to serve as many meals (over 50,000) during the Open week as Oakmont normally serves in a year (see “The Wealth of Experience,” pg. 38). “[Stepping back] was probably scariest for Chef, especially since we had our busiest month for F&B ever at the club in May,” says Wallace. “But he knew he had to stay away from day-to-day operations at that point and could trust that his staff would do the right things.”

The perfect planning and precision execution of the course and grounds team led by Superintendent John Zimmers (in coat and tie, next to 2007 Champion Angel Cabrera) left everyone feeling like a winner.

• Don’t lose sight of your members. It’s often easy for a staff to forget who the “core customer” is, as everyone gets swept up in the excitement and newness of a special event. Wallace and the Oakmont Board took several steps to make sure there was always equal focus on the membership, including creating a special members-only tent in a prime location and appointing key staff, as well as member volunteers, who were devoted solely to maximizing the members’ U. S. Open experience.

“Having limited space for the members in the clubhouse [because of the need to accommodate players and other groups] was a big challenge, and at first there was some disappointment [among the membership],” Wallace says. “But after we explained how the member tent would include special touches like our club culinary favorites on all member buffets, things calmed down. The tent was full every day, and we started seeing members we hadn’t seen in years.”

Wallace and staff also made extra efforts to reach out to members and arrange special transportation or access whenever they heard that one was inclined to stay away because of the crowds or other anticipated hassles.

• Make everyone feel part of the show. After Oakmont’s carefully laid plans were set in motion and trucks began rolling in to set up dozens of trailers and tents around the property, one of the most common obstacles the club staff encountered came from outside delivery people and contractors who insisted (often in very colorful terms) there was “no way” they could position or set up equipment as requested.

“We stressed to everyone on the staff that there was only one possible response in these situations: stay positive and work with them to find a way to get it done,” says Wallace. “Get them a drink and some food if needed, offer to have guys from the grounds crew come up to help—whatever it took. We probably gave out 1,500 caps and shirts to help with situations like these, and it’s amazing how little things like that can win people over and make them feel proud to be part of the team.”

For the full-time team, Wallace also made sure, amidst all the activity, to commission a video focusing on the staff’s performance and to arrange for staff members to have their pictures taken with the U.S. Open trophy.

• Keep your perspective—and your sense of humor. All the dry runs and brainstorming still didn’t fully prepare the Oakmont staff for things like overcrowded dining areas after a sudden storm came up during the Wednesday night practice round and sent people scurrying for shelter—or for all the telephone calls that poured into the clubhouse once the tournament started (some as pranks, and some quite serious), to ask if Tiger Woods “was there” and if the caller “could speak to him.”

“There will always be things you just have to roll with,” Wallace says. “When that storm came up, I got calls about people who had run into a dining room and wanted something to eat or drink, but didn’t have any way to pay for it. I said, go ahead, give them what they want—what are we going to do, send them back out in the rain?

“We’re always getting asked now, ‘Is it worth it to have an Open?’ ” Wallace adds. “And most people are talking about it from a financial standpoint. But that’s not really the way to look at it; sure, you want to make sure you make money—and you will—but you can’t let that drive all decisions. Like any event, you have to do what’s right to provide the best possible experience and venue. If you always have that approach, the payoffs will be there, for years to come.”