Welcome to a friendlier Pelican Hill
On the heels of Sept. 11 and golf’s subsequent decline in rounds
played, especially on some of Orange County’s high-end courses,
Pelican Hill Golf Club has decided to take matters into its own hands
and manage itself.
After years of being operated by Western Golf Properties, Inc.,
Pelican Hill distinguished itself with two award-winning Tom
Fazio-designed courses -- both with wide views of the Pacific Ocean,
Newport Harbor and Catalina Island, and, on days like Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday, the sights go forever. No wonder they thought
the world was flat.
Since Pelican Hill opened its Ocean South resort course 11 years
ago this month, the club had always offered special amenities like
car washes in the parking lot, and, later after the clubhouse was
built, a first-class restaurant.
But something funny happened along the way. Pelican Hill’s chiefs
the past few years have been “golf” people, so Irvine Co.-owned
Pelican Hill went out and hired a “hospitality” expert. Meet
Hansjoerg Maissen, Pelican Hill’s new general manager.
“The club has always had all these wonderful people here
associated with Pelican Hill, but I think what they were looking
forward to was somebody with different experience, somebody with a
different set of eyes to complement what they were already doing, so
I’m not the same thing,” said Maissen, whose background includes an
extensive management record at five-star resorts around the world.
Customer service has its price and for Pelican Hill, which now
offers memberships for discounted play, the aim is to peak in the
areas away from the golf course, while elevating the level of service
on the golf course.
For example, instead of a marshal pulling up in his cart and
asking if everything’s OK, the new Pelican Hill marshals will do just
about everything except shine your shoes. As Maissen insists, they
are now suggested to say something to the degree like “good afternoon
... how is your round going? Do you want anything? Do you need your
clubs cleaned? Do you need more sand (to repair divots)? Maybe they
can take the garbage off their cart. We just want to be a little more
aggressive.”
The world’s lost art of customer service, except for at high-end
resorts and restaurants and the like, is coming to Pelican Hill.
“I think that everything has always been here, but maybe it has
not always brought the customer to the top level that it could be,”
said Maissen, an avid golfer. “I’m not reinventing the wheel here.
We’ll just reemphasize the things that we do and maybe we’ll be more
aggressive in hospitality.”
Maissen, who arrived last month, was hired also as general manager
at Oak Creek Golf Club, the public user-friendly Fazio course in
Irvine.
In the past, Pelican Hill’s owner had employed a Director of Golf,
with Bobby Heath being its most recent. Now, Maissen serves as GM for
both courses owned by the Irvine Co., while the golf professionals
and superintendents go about business as usual. Well, sort of.
“It doesn’t make any difference if it’s a resort, a hotel or a
golf course,” Maissen said. “It always comes down to satisfying the
player who wants to come out here, and while not having an actual
background in the golf business, I do have a background in what
quality is and what luxury is and what a customer wants for his
money. I have a great eye for details.”
Maissen, who is fluent in five languages and has worked in the
five-star hotel industry in Monte Carlo, London, Athens and Geneva,
was president and managing director of Bachman Springs Hospitality in
Tombstone, Ariz., where he was heading the creation of a luxury
development that included a Fazio-designed golf course, spa and
resort.
*
UC Irvine athletics and the Private Tennis Club Association will
present the fourth Grubb & Ellis/Wilson Sporting Goods Myron McNamara
Golf Tournament Monday at Jack Kramer’s Los Serranos Golf Course in
Chino Hills.
Proceeds benefit the Myron McNamara Scholarship Fund for UC
Irvine’s men’s tennis program. The late McNamara coached the
Anteaters’ men’s tennis team to NCAA Division II championships in
1972, ‘73, ’75 and ’77.
The event will begin with check-in at 10 a.m., followed by an 11
a.m. shotgun start in a four-player scramble format. After golf is a
hospitality tour, dinner and silent auction. The cost is $150 per
player or $500 per foursome. Details: (949) 824-2046.
*
The 2002 Toshiba Senior Classic on the Champions Tour (formerly
the Senior PGA Tour) was captured by Hale Irwin in a rout on his way
to another money title.
Irwin also won the Charles Schwab Cup with 2,886 points, 799 more
than runner-up Bob Gilder. Irwin took the lead in the Cup points
standings after winning the Toshiba Senior Classic March 10.
*
Former back-to-back Newport Classic Pro-Am winner R.W. Eaks
shattered the driving distance record on the Champions Tour when he
averaged 295.1 yards per drive this year.
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