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Rachel Desena & Mackenzie Gilkeson

Final CIP Farmington Country Club

HM 316 Country Club Management

Jai Gerard

James Madison University

06/12/2024
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1. Overview

History of Farmington Country Club

The Farmington estate was established in 1735 and became

that club as we know it today around 1929. Originally owned by

Francis Jerdone, the property was given to George Divers in 1785

by the Commonwealth of Virginia due to clashing political views.

The idea to turn this rolling estate into a country club was

generated by local businessmen in the spring of 1927 and the club

became incorporated in June of that same year. Hard work was put

into more expansion, better roadways, and fitting the club with

more amenities.

“By this time, work on the roadways, bridle paths and a steeplechase course were well

under way, and renowned golf course architect Fred Findlay had begun work on the

design and preparation of the course. Throughout 1928, workmen enhanced the landscape

of the entire property, adapting the beautiful plantation for the purposes of a modern

country club with outdoor facilities.” Farmington Country Club, (2024)

The club officially opened its door on May 15, 1929, but restorations projects continued in order

to make the main house into the original vision of Thomas Jefferson.

“Partition walls that had divided Mr. Jefferson's principal room into four were removed,

and the house now reflects the vision of its great builder. Since that time, it has been

known as the Jefferson Room.” Farmington Country Club, (2024)

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Mission & Vision Statement

“Farmington Country Club is a full service, family oriented, private club that provides

first class facilities, exceptional service and innovative programs to its members, their

families and guests. Farmington Country Club is committed to meeting the social, dining,

lodging, recreational and enrichment needs of its diverse membership, and to fostering

the stewardship of its significant historic spaces.” Farmington Country Club (2024)

“An extension of your home and a place where you will create memories with family and

friends and share fellowship with diverse and engaging members and guests. The unique

and expansive combination of facilities, activities, programs and service is unmatched in

the Charlottesville area.” Farmington Country Club (2024)

Organizational Chat
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Main Business Focus

Farmington Country club has two main business focuses: golf and families. This country

club is known to have one of the hardest golf courses available in Virginia making it a very

popular spot for seasoned golfers and those looking to improve their skill. Besides the gold

course, Farmington Country club is home to many families who utilize their summer camps,

pool, and racquet sports as a form of entertainment and relaxation. The club hosts family meals

and family-oriented events quite frequently and has some members who went to the club as a

child with their parents.

Demographics & Membership

Local Demographics

Farmington Country Club is located in Charlottesville, Virginia. The city’s

population is roughly 44,281 with an average age of 32. Gender wise, 48.22% are male

and 51.78 are female. The population is 63.5% white, 17% black/ African American,

6.99% Asian, and 4.13% other/ mixed. Economics wise, there is a 23.6% poverty rate

with the average household income being $67,177. Charlottesville is also home to the

University of Virginia attracting many 18-24 years during the semesters. Approximately

12.8% of their staff have attended JMU for education.

Staff Demographics

Farmington Country Club employees about 228 people with about a 60/40 split

between men and women employees. They employee a wide range of ages in their staff

with the most common being between 25-37 years old.

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Membership Demographics

Farmington Country Club attracts families, singles, and recent college graduates.

They offer two different memberships: comprehensive and social. The club has a total of

2,500 members with 1,450 of the being non-residents members. Based on photos, most

members appear to be around 25-35 or 47-57 years old with an even mixture of genders.

The Ask

Farmington Country Club is currently experiencing problems with how their new

employees interact with guests. New employees have been viewing members as numbers rather

than a part of a family which is the atmosphere management wants to create. Management wants

help with creating a training program that gets new employees to remember members names and

personalization of service. They are also seeking ways to integrate technology into assisting

employees with this task as well.

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2. Research and Comparisons

SWOT Analysis

Strengths

1. Being located in an up-and-coming city such as Charlottesville put this club in a prime

location for new members that match their current member demographics.
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2. With the original estate having been around since before the Revolutionary War, it has a

strong historical background that can be seen through the architecture as designed by

Thomas Jefferson.

3. Farmington Country Club offer high-class service throughout all of their amenities

leading to excellent service and member relations.

Weaknesses

1. As the club is so popular there is and has been about a two-year waiting list for new

members which may lead to dissatisfaction.

2. Being in a decently diverse community, the club does not reflect the same level of

diversity that the community does.

3. With the club having existed for so long, the building and amenities can be seen as out of

date by some members and require much upkeep

Opportunities

1. The club is located close to the University of Virginia which allows them to easily attract

recent college graduates to become members.

2. Having been a part of the community for so long, and with UVA and other universities

around, the club has to chance to host events for the community and take part in

community planned events. This creates a more engaged look for the club.

3. With the buildings being as old as they are, the club has the opportunity to constantly

update their facilities which can be a good marketing point.

4. With younger staff and population, the club can utilize social media platforms as a form

of marketing more efficiently to reach their target audience.

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Threats

1. Charlottesville has experienced a decrease in the population for the past two years which

has begun to increase the average age in the community. This may make the club have to

shift their target demographics.

2. With all of the economic instability going on in the country for the past few years, the

community may experience shifting priorities in what they want to spend the money on

or what they value.

3. A big part of the club is wedding and event parties; however, they may be losing these

events to trendier or more modern looking clubs and locations.

Big Picture Problem

The overall problem Farmington Country club is having is upholding company values

and cultures through employees. Through their mission and vision statement it is clear that they

value families and creating an environment where members feel like family. The lack of

personalized service they have expressed concern for shows a diverse from these statements and

company culture. Based on the article, “Challenge the Country Club Culture”, it is clear that this

lack of drive to uphold company culture is a very common problem. There is a stereotype around

working at country clubs in general that can bread low performance standards, trouble hiring star

employees, and a lack of focus on results through service. The suggestions to overcome such

problem are clearly defined job descriptions and expectation, an accountability system, and

performance reviews.
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3._Recommendations

Short Term

The first short term recommendation is to give new employees lists with members names

and photos. Giving this to employees when they start their training will allow them to begin the

process of memorizing who they will be interacting with day-to-day. While the new employees

will not be able to mesmerize all 2,00 members names, giving them even some members names

and pictures will begin to set the expectation that they need to be able to recognize members.

Next, begin to research customer relation databases (CRMs). These programs can list out

members names, preferences and other information that may promote a more personalized

service. It is important to research these programs before they are purchased in order to ensure

the one that is picked fits the needs of the country club the best. There are ones that are

specifically tailored to country clubs that may be most useful. Thirdly, get current employee

feedback on possible training improvements. Using employees who have already gone through

their training will give you the most accurate feedback and useful information on how the current

training can be changed to give the best results.

Long Term

In terms of long-term improvement to make, it is recommended to implement member

knowledge assessments during training and during employee evaluations. These assessments can

consist of quizzing employees of customers names and preferences. The first assessment can be

given during the last day of training to get a base line of have well. The new employees have

begun to memorize members they’ll interact with. During employee evaluations, the assessment

can be given again in order to see improvement. This can also be implemented with current
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employees as well to see their continuous improvement or not. It will give employees both new

and old a screenshot on how well they know and are interacting with members when providing

personalized service.

Secondly, create an exact training schedule that tells new employees what they are going

to learn, do, or practice on a set day. This training schedule can be tailored based on the advice

given by current employees’ feedback on their training experience. These set days will also have

performance metrics attached to them that will allow management to see if the new employee is

meeting their expectations or not. These performance metrics can give management a snapshot

of how successful an employee may be at their job after training. This can help weed out

employees that do not meet company expectations as well. Having the schedule set by day will

also give the new employee an expectation for what they need to accomplish that do of training

and can led to a more organized training program. This can allow the new employee to be more

focused on what they are learning for that day leading to better results from that day. While this

program may take some time to develop, it can be a useful tool for success.

Lastly, put iPad station at each amenity within the club the hold the chosen CRM system

mentioned before. Having the CRM available to employees at which ever amenity they are

working at will allow them to tailor the service they give to members and will help promote

more memorization guests and their needs. For example, if you have an iPad station at the bar,

when a guest comes up, the bartender can make conversation to find out the members name

(unless they have it memorized) and can then input the customer into the CRM and see what

drinks that members like to order. From there, the bartender can suggest one of the members

‘regular’ drinks which will show the member that he or she recognizes them and gives the
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illusion that the bartender has their usual drink order memorized. This gives a more personalized

service experience from a member’s perspective.

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4. Conclusion

With such a robust history including the involvement of one of the United States

presidents, it is no one Farmington Country club holds such a special place in the heart of

Charlottesville. While the club is currently experiencing a problem with personalized service

and ultimately upholding company values, they are problem that can be overcome through

employee assessments, reviews and technology integration. Employee assessments give

quantitative data for management to base employee performance evaluations on. These

creates solid expectations of the employees and will hold them to company standards.

Being located near so many big university in Virginia gives Farmington Country Club a

unique opportunity to promote their club the younger generation and create tailored events to

integrate themselves into the surrounding community. While the club’s architecture may be

considered old, using the uniqueness of it provides them an edge when it comes to marketing

to overcome the threat of more modern clubs and wedding locations. Through hard work and

time, this club will launch into a new phase of success in the future.
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5. Management Review

Interview Questions

Unfortunately, answers were unable to be obtained from the Farmington Country Club

membership director, Lindsay Dorrier.

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Works Cited

12 features to look for in a membership club CRM. SevenRooms. (n.d.).

https://sevenrooms.com/blog/12-features-to-look-for-in-a-membership-club-crm

Caito, M. (2021, August 19). Challenge the country club culture. MAP.
https://www.mapconsulting.com/challenge-the-country-club-culture/

Charlottesville, VA. Data USA. (n.d.). https://datausa.io/profile/geo/charlottesville-va/

Home - Farmington Country Club. (n.d.). https://www.farmingtoncc.com/