_Apr/thesimpleapproach.jpg "The Simple Approach")
Steve Plummer uses a down-home business strategy at Championship Golf Services
The simplest things are usually the brightest and most meaningful. When it comes to life philosophies, nothing in the annals of human history has yet surpassed, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” And the United States military’s edict, “Leave no one behind,” is about as clear and uncomplicated as a directive can get.
When Winston Churchill was preparing a speech, he always believed that short words were better, and old words, as long as they were short, were the best. Those speeches are still relevant and inspirational 60 years later.
Steve Plummer didn’t consciously adhere to the “keep it simple” formula when he founded Championship Golf Services, a public-facility management company based in Anaheim, California, in 2007. But no one who knew him was surprised when Plummer announced his mission statement as, “Do the right thing.” The rule and its underlying philosophy fit his nature.
Plummer’s nickname growing up in Osawatomie, Kansas, was “Duke” because of his slow-talking, no-nonsense manner. The son of a small-town plumber, Plummer learned the game on an inexpensive public course with a set of clubs purchased at K-Mart. “I would run five miles to the golf course, play 36 holes, and run home,” he recounts.
Following high school, Plummer studied horticulture at Kansas State and later became the superintendent at Fort Leavenworth Golf Course before moving to California to work for Jim Colbert Golf. Throughout his career, he never lost his Midwestern values. So when the company mission statement was released, it was almost as if John Wayne himself was telling all involved to “do the right thing.”
“It sounds simple, but it’s what we believe and how we conduct business,” Plummer says. “We try to understand where our facilities fit in the market and focus on providing service levels that fit that position. We base our philosophy of success on our championship service programs, but that’s scalable, so it’s a little different at each facility.”
Championship Golf Services has three courses under contract: the upscale Tustin Ranch and two municipal facilities (Anaheim Hills and Dad Miller Golf Course) owned by the City of Anaheim. All three facilities are within 15 miles of each other, but none of them cater to the same clientele. For other operators, having such a diverse mix in such close proximity could create some identity problems. What’s your corporate culture if one of your clubs is a high-end daily-fee with members, banquet facilities and a state-of-the-art learning center while your others are value-driven munis?
“The amenities and the number of employees you’ll see are different at all three courses,” Plummer notes. “But that doesn’t mean the service and interaction you have with the staff is different. You might not see as many guys in the parking lot at one of the municipal facilities that you do at Tustin Ranch, but the ones you do see are doing the same things, treating people the same way. That’s the backbone of who we are.”
It’s also a recipe for the kind of growth Plummer is striving for in the years ahead. “We aren’t in the business of growing just to grow. We’re a family-owned company—I haven’t taken on any equity investment of a sizable nature—and we hope to remain that way. Yes, we want to grow, but not at the cost of our service or our values.”
Instead, Plummer would prefer to expand by forming partnerships with people who understand who and what Championship Golf Services is all about. “Partnerships where we can benefit the owners while earning a decent revenue stream for our company,” he adds.
It’s simple, but as is the case with most moral approaches to business, it’s not without difficulties. “We have just over 200 employees at the three facilities, and getting them to understand and buy into the philosophy isn’t always easy,” Plummer says. “A lot of this job is labor management, but a lot of it is setting a vision, too. That’s the part that differentiates us. That’s where we refuse to compromise.”
Steve Eubanks is an Atlanta-based freelance writer.