At the annual PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, we asked a dozen PGA professionals who’ve organized club expeditions to address the most common What Ifs. Here are short videos (90 seconds or less) of their answers.
What if it takes too much of my time?
“(Our Haversham & Baker annual club expedition) doesn’t take any time away
from my work at all… We hardly do anything but we look really good.”
John McMullen, PGA Head Professional
Hillcrest Country Club
“I didn’t spend much time at all. I spent some time on the phone with Julie
and the rest of it was easy.”
Mitch Merrill, PGA Master Professional
Sioux City Country Club
“We realized right away this was going to be much easier than we thought.
All the anxiety went away because all our questions were answered early.”
Tim Frazier, PGA Head Professional
Sycamore Hills Golf Club
What if my management/club leadership resists?
“These trips add a great deal of value to the membership
without costing the club anything.”
Ted Antonopoulos, PGA Head Professional
Mayacama Golf Club
“A new member was a part of the trip and now he’s sold for life.”
Tim Frazier, PGA Head Professional
Sycamore Hills Golf Club
What if I don’t know where my members want to go
or how they want to travel?
“You start at the beginning and ask: ‘What do your members want?’
Let’s find out what they want before we start planning”
Ian Dalzell, PGA Head Professional
Huntingdon Valley Country Club
“(Because of the H&B travel survey), I knew all the answers before I set up the trip.”
Steve Wilson, PGA Professional
The Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe
What if the trip doesn’t live up to my club’s standards?
“H&B let us design what I needed to fit the group I was taking.”
Steve Mulcahy, PGA Head Professional
Shawnee Country Club
“They know our members, they know their wants and their needs and
they deliver up to and beyond expectations on a regular basis.”
Ted Antonopoulos, PGA Head Professional
Mayacama Golf Club
What if something goes wrong?
“Once you get there you have 24-7 access to H&B to deal with any problems you might have.”
Steve Mulcahy, PGA Head Professional
Shawnee Country Club
“After eight years of traveling we’ve had very few issues.”
John McMullen, PGA Head Professional
Hillcrest Country Club
What if I can’t manage the group all by myself?
“The driver made my job a breeze. I just told him what we needed and he took care of everything.”
Mitch Merrill, PGA Master Professional
Sioux City Country Club
“(The driver/host) can get things done that I could never do
and he can say things to our guys that I can’t say.”
Nick Papadakes, PGA Head Professional
Onwentsia Club
“Your driver is your right hand man on the trip.”
Ian Dalzell, PGA Head Professional
Huntingdon Valley Country Club
What if the trip harms my relationship with my members?
“From a bonding standpoint, it went way beyond expectations… I’d do it again in a heartbeat… Not only am I going to plan one new trip, I’m going to possibly try and plan two trips.”
Todd Firestone, PGA Head Professional
Fort Wayne Country Club
“It brought me closer to my members.”
Steve Wilson, PGA Head Professional
The Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe
“You’re going to gain knowledge, see the world, get your members to see you in a different light. You have nothing to lose.”
John McMullen, PGA Head Professional
Hillcrest Country Club
What if some of my members come back with regrets?
“The Ireland trip was fantastic. It lived up to every expectation.”
Dave Schneider, PGA General Manager & Director of Golf
Wakonda Club
“It’s about creating stories. We created stories from just one trip that are going to last a lifetime.”
Steve Wilson, PGA Head Professional
The Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe
What if a member says we should do it ourselves?
“Trust me, you don’t want to do this yourself.”
Mitch Merrill, PGA Master Professional
Sioux City Country Club
“H&B takes all of the stress out of doing these trips.”
Dave Schneider, PGA General Manager & Director of Golf
Wakonda Club
“The great thing about hooking-up with H&B was, I didn’t have to worry about a thing.”
Dave Edwards, PGA Head Professional
Dubuque Golf & Country Club
What if a member says we can do it cheaper?
“The places we stayed, the courses we played and the times we played them, it’s an incredible value.”
Nick Papadakes, PGA Head Professional
Onwentsia Club
“You can’t put a price on it, it’s a MasterCard moment.
H&B offers the highest value of all the tour operators I’ve seen.”
Ian Dalzell, PGA Head Professional
Huntingdon Valley Country Club
“Stay at the nicest places, play the best courses, get a driver and it’s not as expensive as people think.”
Steve Mulcahy, PGA Head Professional
Shawnee Country Club
What if another travel company says
they can do it better than H&B for less?
“Nobody does it better.”
Nick Papadakes, PGA Head Professional
Onwentsia Club
“I’ve used a few (other companies) and nobody has been as organized or as efficient as Haversham & Baker. There’s nobody that’s better.”
Steve Mulcahy, PGA Head Professional
Shawnee Country Club
“We are warmly welcomed where we stay and where we play and it’s largely because of who Haversham & Baker is.”
Ted Antonopoulos, PGA Head Professional
Mayacama Golf Club
“If you’re going to travel internationally, there isn’t another company you should use.”
Dave Schneider, PGA General Manager & Director of Golf
Wakonda Club
