Improving Those Golf Losses
Commentary by Joe Reynolds

The cover story in the July 13, 2005 edition of the Ocean Pines Independent carries the headline, "RACE FOR THE OPA."

With color photos of all eight candidates on the cover, the piece is touted as an opportunity for candidates to outline their vision and plans for the community via responses to six questions. Seven of the eight candidates responded. The Independent said Chris Wareing did not respond "by our presstime."

Question number six was, "What steps can be taken to improve financial losses in the golf amenity?"

The question and the answers are just too good not to have some FUN with.

Once again proving that fact is stranger than fiction, we have seven of eight candidates for the OPA Board of directors answering the question posed by the Ocean Pines Independent as to "...what steps can be taken to improve financial losses in the golf community."

None of the candidates mentioned some obvious steps:

• Pay people $50 to play a round of golf
• Triple salaries of all employees in the golf operation
• Free drinks after each round
• Free limo service to and from the clubhouse

The obvious possibilities here are endless. This is one of those questions where you can let your imagination run wild. Let's see how our intrepid slate of candidates responded:

Norm Katz says it is time for the Board to exert some leadership. Yep, we do need some leadership to improve those losses.

Janet Kelley wants to hire an expert. She also says what she does best is "get the job done." I'm available. I will absolutely guarantee to improve the losses to a greater extent than any outsider.

Ron Leidner, like Kelley, looks to outsiders for help in improving losses at the golf course. He proposes OPA bring in an outside major catering company to handle the task. Might work too, if Ron has several grandchildren about to be married. Getting OPA to foot the reception bills in the name of improving losses would kill two birds with one stone.

Carol Ludwig says we can maintain our community life and draw income at the same time. Now that is an imaginative approach to improving losses. Maybe she figures OPA can pay every lot owner $100 or so for every round played. Indeed, an imaginative way to improve losses.

John Reid says he wants to know if the golf course losses are really a loss. Figures. He says he has an MBA. He then adds that if we don't improve the golf operation it will result in less growth. Hello! Isn't Ocean Pines already at or very near complete buildout.

Reid Sterrett says this is a problem the board quickly recognized and is responding to immediately -- by tasking the administration to come up with answers. What a waste of time, when all they had to do was ask me (see above). Reid says he supports efforts by the Board to improve those losses, and adds, "..we have made pretty good progress on this issue..."

Ray Unger is perhaps the most honest. Ray says he doesn't play golf and will not pretend he has an answer to how to improve golf losses. Strangely, he then adds he would be willing to help subsidize those losses. Does that mean he would accept the $100 per round potentially offered under the Ludwig plan to improve losses?

Chris Wareing was perhaps the most intelligent -- he didn't respond to any of the questions. Then again, maybe he is at a complete loss as to how to improve losses in the golf amenity.

In the 2004 election we had candidates infected with Buildout Virus, and a crack team of Haitian doctors came to the rescue. This year no such professional help is needed with improving golf losses. I'll handle free of charge.

Improving Golf Losses
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