The LOCKER ROOM MANAGER'S BOOK OF WISDOM

Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE Bimonthly Columns

1. 14 Societal Trends that Affect Locker Room Management
2. 14 LRMA Membership, Can you take it with You to Another Club?
3. 15 Tired at the End of a Long Day? There's a Good Reason!
4. 15 - 16 Responsibility for Member Comfort Extends Beyond Locker Room Doors
5. 16 The End of the Year is Approaching! "I should have counted my tips as earnings?"
6. 16 - 17 Member Holiday Tipping-Do's and Don'ts
7. 17 Two Ways of Looking at LRM-Member Relationships
8. 17 - 18 The Naked Truth about the Most Overlooked Area in Golf and Country Clubs
9. 18 The 1st Annual LRMA Conference: Where? When?
10. 19 LRMA Web Site-Helping Members and Non-members Find Employment
11. 19 Search for Jobs can take Strange Turns in High-tech America
12. 19 - 20 Club Managers Have Love/Hate Relationship with Locker Room Managers
13. 20 Season's Arrival Means Using Shortcuts, but without Compromising Quality
14. 20 - 21 Locker Room Managers Association-A Look Ahead
15. 21 - 22 Clubhouse Managers have a Love or Hate Relationship with Locker Room Managers
16. 22 Locker Room Managers Wear a Variety of Hats, Many of them Outside the Locker Room
17. 22 Think You can't be Laid-Off from Your Country Club? Think Again! One Member's Story
18. 22 - 23 Embrace the Complainer and Disruptors at Your Club
19. 23 - 24 Earning Extra Income by Providing Office Shoe Services
20. 24 Locker Room Managers have a Wide Variety of Cleat "Arrangements" with Their Clubs
21. 25 When I Grow Up I want to be a Locker Room Manager?
22. 25 - 26 Member Sloppiness-When Enough is Enough
23. 26 Locker Rooms as "Home" and "Base of Operations"
24. 26 - 27 Should Locker Room Managers be Familiar with the Latest Golf Club Technology?
25. 27 A Debate: Should Locker Room Managers Maintain Member Confidentiality or Exploit It?
26. 27 - 28 General Manager's World Dizzying, Locker Room Managers Face Challenges Too
27. 28 - 29 What Lies Ahead for the LRMA in 2007
28. 29 Locker Room Manager Frustrations
29. 29 - 30 Humorous Happenings in the Locker Room have Lessons to Teach
30. 30 - 32 A Day in the Life of a Locker Room Manager . . . Who is He and why do we need Him?
31. 32 - 33 If there was a Certification Exam, what would it cover?
32. 33 Great Locker Room Staffs at Different Clubs have One Thing in Common
33. 33 - 34 Using Marketing Techniques as a Means of Overcoming Loss of Income due to Use of Soft Spikes
34. 34 - 35 Evaluating Effectiveness of Daily Routine could make Services more Efficient
35. 35 How to Become a One Minute Manager in the Locker Room
36. 35 - 36 Be "Net-worthy" to provide Members with Even Better Service
37. 36 Handling a Member's Death in the Locker Room Setting
38. 37 The Going Rate for Shoe Shines
39. 37 - 38 Maintaining the Positive Charge in Your "Service Battery"
40. 38 - 40 A Customer Service Conundrum
41. 40 - 41 Plans for Locker Room Managers National Conference in 2010 includes: Workshops, Vendors and Golf
42. 41 LRMA Expands as a Result of Contacts made at Golf Industry Show
43. 41 - 42 How Locker Room Managers can help build Member-Member Relationships
44. 42 - 43 Lessons from the Titanic
45. 43 - 44 What a Locker Room Manager can Learn from a Produce Truck
46. 44 Locker Room Managers are routinely Left "Out of the Loop" by Their Clubs
47. 44 - 45 Point-Counter Point: Should Club Web Sites include Locker Room Managers?
48. 45 - 46 Shoe Care Myths or Facts?
49. 47 Serving the Wealthy in a Country Club Setting: A Survival Guide
50. 47 - 48 Can Locker Room Managers and Attendants Benefit from Continuing Education?
51. 48 - 49 The Changing Face of Locker Room Management/Locker Room Managers
52. 50 Salaries and Locker Room Managers: What should We be Paid? Part I
53. 50 - 51 Salaries and Locker Room Managers: What should We be Paid? Part II

CHAPTER TWO LRMA Member Comments

1. 53 - 55 How are tips handled with the attendants in your locker room?
2. 55 - 56 What did you do before becoming a locker room manager?
3. 56 - 58 If you could hire anyone to fill an open position in your locker rooms whom would you hire?
4. 58 - 60 How many rounds should a brand name golf shoe last?
5. 60 - 61 What is the status of you club for tips? Do you encourage member tipping during the Holidays?
6. 61 - 62 What do you charge per pair for street and golf shoes?
7. 62 What are you doing in your shoe room/locker room/men's grill to prevent global warming?
8. 63 What is the most outstanding area of your locker room? Your weakest area?
9. 63 - 64 Are you losing money because of soft cleats? If yes, why? If not, why not?
10. 64 - 65 How many days should the LRMA National Conference be and what should we do?
11. 65 - 66 Should there be a School of Locker Room Management and if so, what should it teach?
12. 66 - 68 How would you describe the management style your immediate supervisor?
13. 68 What is the average age of your male members and what types of amenities do they prefer?
14. 68 - 69 What kind of amenity containers do you use in your wet areas? What products are included?
15. 69 - 71 What advice would you give a person who is about to become a rookie locker room manager?
16. 71 - 72 How do you connect with each and every member in a way that is meaningful to them?
17. 73 - 76 If a member asked you what brand of golf shoes you recommend, what would you tell him and why?
18. 76 - 77 What product do you have in your shoe room that you absolutely could not live without?
19. 77 - 79 If you could change anything about your shoe room, what would it be?
20. 79 Should locker room managers/attendants be bartenders and waiters?

CHAPTER THREE Thought for the Work Week Ahead

1. 81 Do these Two Things for a Better Locker Room Services
2. 81 Set Service Goals
3. 81 Be Sure to Spread Holiday Cheer ($$$) Among Staff Members
4. 81 - 82 File Member Compliments Away to Maintain Good Attitude
5. 82 You Can't Pick Your Parents or the Members at Your Club
6. 82 Hospitality: A Key Emphasis in Locker Rooms
7. 82 - 83 If You have Golf Privileges, Never take Them for Granted
8. 83 Make sure Excellence in Locker Rooms is Apparent in "Unofficial Duties"
9. 83 If You Don't have something Nice to Say about Staff, Don't Say It
10. 84 Locker Rooms: the Members' Last Bastion
11. 84 Keep Close Tabs on Locker Room's High Traffic Areas
12. 84 - 85 Be an "Environmentally Friendly" Locker Room Manager
13. 85 Member Familiarity Breeds Complacency or Top Notch Service
14. 85 Great Customer Service is a Daily Decision
15. 85 - 86 Using the Tee Sheet to Provide Extraordinary Service
16. 86 What is Your Spike Switch-Out Standard?
17. 86 - 87 Using the Right Shoe Care Products doesn't Guarantee Success
18. 87 - 88 Hire for Attitude and Personality, Skills can be Taught
19. 88 Who IS Your Boss Anyway?
20. 88 - 89 Locker Room Managers Deserve Higher Status at Clubs, Golf Privileges at Multiple Facilities
21. 89 How to Sweeten Your Relationship with Your Members
22. 89 - 90 The Three Key Job Areas of LRMs and Timely Questions
23. 90 Raising Your Arm serves as Great Analogy for better Locker Room Services
24. 91 Motivating the Tenured Locker Room Manager
25. 91 - 92 Are there "Master" Locker Room Managers amongst Us?
26. 92 - 94 Point Counter Point: Liaise Faire vs. Butler Style of Customer Service in the Locker Room
27. 94 Ode to Locker Room Managers: A Poem
28. 94 - 95 Great Service is in the Details and Follow Up
29. 95 - 96 New Year is Time to Take Stock: Literally and Figuratively
30. 96 The New Reality for Locker Room Managers
31. 96 Taking a Belt to Elevate Service to Members
32. 97 - 98 Recent Articles in Golf Publications call Attention to the Importance of Locker Rooms
33. 98 Getting Members familiar with Your Face is Half the Battle
34. 98 - 99 How to Go Green in Your Locker Rooms
35. 99 Methods of Finding Lost Shoes

CHAPTER FOUR The President's Shoe Care Tips of the Month

1. 101 The Locker Room Managers Association Shoe Care System DVD
2. 101 - 102 Use Club Classic Liquid Polish to Restore Counters
3. 102 - 103 Use Nu-Life Spray to Bring Back a Golf Shoe's Original Finish
4. 103 Machine Buff Topsiders to Save Time
5. 103 - 104 Shoe Care Shortcut-A Quick Fix for "Frosty" Saddles
6. 104 Care for Golf Shoe Sole Edges Properly and Save Time
7. 104 What's the Best Polish? A Veteran Shoe Repairman's Advice
8. 104 - 105 "Count the number of shines I do? Are you out of your #$%&**!#?! mind?"
9. 105 How White Shoes are Done at the Tournament Players Club at Sawgrass
10. 105 - 106 Don't have at Least Pair One Pair of Shoe Stretchers? You Should!
11. 106 - 107 Mr. Leather Liquid-the Time Saving Brother of Mr. Leather Wipes
12. 107 Clean Soiled Golf Shoes with Windex, Simple Green, Bleech White, Scrubbing Bubbles etc., BUT-
13. 107 Use `Fore' Supply Company's Bafix Cleaner on Grimy, Soiled White Golf Shoes
14. 107 Never Use Fiebing's White Shoe Dye
15. 108 Mr. Leather Wipes-The Latest in Time Saving Shoe Products
16. 108 - 109 CollarSTYX-A Great Way for Members, Guest and Staff to Keep Polo/Golf Shirts Looking Great
17. 109 `Fore' Supply Company's Citrus Cleaner-A Great Alternative to Petroleum-Based Cleaners
18. 109 No Streaking Allowed on White Golf Shoes-Dab Instead
19. 109 - 110 `Fore' Supply Company's Club Classic Leather and Vinyl Conditioner and Cleaner-A MUST HAVE
20. 110 - 111 Solving the Dilemma of the Over-polished Light Brown Shoe
21. 111 A Simple Way to Make Shoe Laces Last Longer
22. 111 - 112 Tie One On to Lengthen Shoe Laces
23. 112 Shortcut to Cleaning Your Spikeless Shoes
24. 112 Street and Golf Shoe Care Shortcuts
25. 113 `Fore' Supply Company's Club Classic White Liquid Shoe Polish-Unmatched on Golf Shoes
26. 114 1001 Uses for Tongue Pads
27. 114 Use Scotch Brite Pads to Remove Scuffs from White Golf Shoes
28. 114 Fiebing's Shoe Scrubber-Great for Cleaning Mud off All Types of Shoes
29. 114 - 115 TOP 10 LIST What You Don't Want to Hear at the End of 15 Hour, 100+ Pair Day
30. 115 Save Money on Cleats-Here's How
31. 115 - 117 To Increase Your Income at Your Club, Consider These Revenue Streams
32. 117 - 118 Foot Solutions, Part I: Introduction, The Examination
33. 118 - 119 Shoe Room Equipment-Proper Maintenance is a Must!
34. 119 Cedar Shoe Trees from `Fore' Supply Company
35. 119 - 120 Shoetypes: The Definished Shoe
36. 120 FootJoy Shoe Laces Now Available through `Fore' Supply Company
37. 121 - 122 Shoetypes: The Thirsty Shoe
38. 121 Fiebing's Leather Dye: Recommended for Badly Stained Street and Golf Shoes
39. 121 - 122 A Wrenching Situation: What Cleat Tools to have on Hand in Your Shoe Room
40. 122 For Badly Soiled White Golf Shoes, Use `Fore' Supply's 6" Iron Handle Scrub Brush
41. 122 - 123 Stackable Bins Make Saving Money on Golf Cleats Simple and Easy
42. 123 The Over Polished Shoe
43. 123 - 124 The Versatile `Fore' Suede Brush
44. 124 The Super Scuffer
45. 124 Club Classic Non-aerosol Foot Spray takes the place of More Expensive Desenex and Tinactin
46. 124 - 125 Shoetypes: The Shiner
47. 125 Jockey 24" Shoe Horn with Flexible Section
48. 125 - 126 Shoetypes: The Chalker
49. 126 Flannel Shine Cloths: Key to Your Best Shoe Shine
50. 126 - 127 How to get Rid of Scuffs on the Toes of Black Golf Shoes
51. 127 Use White China Marker for Guests' Shoes
52. 127 10 Rules for Shining Street and Golf Shoes
53. 127 - 128 Barge Rubber Cement, the Best Glue for Shoe Repairs
54. 128 WD-40 from `Fore' Supply, Still a Staple for Cleat Switch-outs
55. 128 - 129 `Fore' Supply Company's Leather and Vinyl Conditioner and Cleaner Revisited
56. 129 - 130 Words of Shoe Care Wisdom from Airport Shoe Shine Man
57. 130 Mr. Leather Liquid Revisited
58. 130 - 131 A Simple Way to Remove "Spinner" Fast Twist Cleats
59. 131 There's more than One Way to Remove a Cleat (Hint: have a Pliers on Hand)
60. 131 - 132 How to Care for Brown Street and Golf Shoes, Part II
61. 132 Coping with Calluses
62. 132 - 133 How to Remove Stubborn Spikes from Adidas 360 Golf Shoes
63. 133 LRMA Shoe Care System: Restoring Category 5 Golf Shoes
64. 133 - 134 Club Classic Neutral Liquid Polish can make Right Sole Edges Shine
65. 134 Why most Shoe Rooms could benefit from Shelving
66. 134 - 135 An Unconventional Use for Hand Buffing Brushes
67. 135 - 136 How to Care for Black Nike Golf Shoes Using the LRMA Shoe Care System
68. 136 - 137 Taking Proper Care of Footwear means Less Time Wasted on Each Visit to Shoe Room
69. 137 How to Go Green in Your Shoe Room
70. 137 "What's in Your Locker" Form a Great Idea
71. 138 How to do a "Poor Man's Dye Job"
72. 138 - 139 Ideas to Keep in Mind about Dying Shoes, FAQs
73. 139 - 140 Dying a Pair of Brown/White Saddle Golf Shoes
74. 140 - 141 How to Dye a Pair of Brown Street Shoes
75. 141 - 142 How to Sew a Golf Shoe Sole back to the Upper

CHAPTER FIVE The President's Customer Service Tips of the Month

1. 144 Willie's Ways
2. 144 You Mean I Can't Eat My Lunch at the Shoe Room Counter?
3. 144 - 145 Know the History and Amenities of Your Club to Attract New Members
4. 145 How to Deal with the High Maintenance Member or HMM
5. 145 - 146 If a Member Loses His Shoes, Let Him off the Hook
6. 146 Act on Member Suggestions Whenever Possible
7. 146 How to Keep Your Wet Areas Looking Great
8. 146 - 147 Members and Guests Require more Attention? Have Staff "Work the Floor"
9. 147 Assign Guest Lockers Properly to Add to Country Club Experience
10. 147 Pass on Current Course Conditions to Guests
11. 147 - 148 Along with a Shine, Give Your Guests a Couple of Souvenirs
12. 148 How to get Your Members to Tip more Often
13. 148 - 149 "Where the hell are my street shoes!?!?!" or Avoiding the Guest "Shoe Tantrum"
14. 149 Staff Shoe Care should have "Shock Value"
15. 149 - 150 Keep Spray Bottle with Eucalyptus on Hand to Keep Steam Rooms Smelling Great
16. 150 Put Motion Sensor Lights in Locker Room Bathrooms to Save Money
17. 150 - 151 Keep an 8" Economy Revolving (Leather) Punch on Hand
18. 151 Tired of Barbicide all over Your Sink Areas? Use Comb Sleeves Instead
19. 151 "Thank You, Sir" Goes a Long Way
20. 151 - 152 Never Let a Locker Room Manager at Another Club get Credit for Your Work
21. 152 Using a Message Board to Improve Customer Service
22. 152 - 153 Customer Service and Golf Cleats or Which Cleat is Best for Your Members?
23. 153 Extraordinary Service: Go in Search of Shoes that Need Shining
24. 153 - 154 Three Phrases that will Improve Your Service to Members and Guests
25. 154 - 155 Provide Your Members and Guests with a Palate of Cleat Choices
26. 155 Go Where No Locker Room Manager has Gone Before
27. 155 - 156 Cash Tips; Should You Disclose?
28. 156 - 157 Consider Adding These Services for Members/Guests and Increase Your Income
29. 157 - 158 Proper Brand of Shoe Lace keeps Member Footwear Looking Great and Trouble Free
30. 158 - 159 How to Prepare for the Annual Member-Guest Invitational
31. 159 A Locker Room Manager's Keys to Handling Member Shoe Trees
32. 159 - 160 Overlapping Toes
33. 160 - 161 Claw Toes and Cures
34. 161 Over Pronation (Flat Feet)
35. 161 - 162 Post-Tib Tendonitis
36. 162 - 163 Achilles Tendonitis and Your Feet
37. 163 - 164 Foot Injuries
38. 164 Member and Guest Shoe Care Advice: Is it Worth Taking?
39. 164 - 165 CASE STUDY: How to Deal with a Tipsy Member or Guest
40. 165 - 166 Should we know what Services Our Personal Trainers and Massage Therapists Offer ?
41. 166 How to keep Members up to Date on Golf Events
42. 166 - 167 The Importance of Attitude or what I Learned from a Worker at the Local Dry Cleaners
43. 167 - 168 Arch Pain/Arch Strain
44. 168 Ingrown Toenails
45. 168 - 169 Corns: Their Cause and Cure

170

Conclusion

171

LRMA Membership Application Form

172

About the Author