I am a loyal follower of the Groucho Marx School of private clubs.
I would never want to belong to a club that would have someone like me as a member.
That said, I’m not sure how I feel about private courses in the Southworth Golf Stables. The Boston-based developer/operator of the golf community recently instituted a formal, written “No Hole A” policy for its properties.
Yes, you read that correctly. There are no A-holes. You can fill in the missing letters.
Why am I unclear? Well, if I applied and was allowed in, I would have to apply Groucho’s Law. If I applied and they didn’t let me in, well…
Hey, if the shoes fit, right?
“No A-Holes” is the informal name of Southworth’s policy. Officially, it is known as “Southworth Road”.
“It’s not a set of rules,” Southworth President Tommy Southworth tells MyGolfSpy. “It’s just a commitment to respect each other.”
I’m not sure if the policy itself is truly unique (Southworth himself believes it is), but I can say that the story behind the policy might be one of the most interesting things you’ll read today.
What is Southworth and why is there a “way”?
Southworth’s origins date back to 1991 on Cape Cod. Tommy’s father, David Southworth, and then-CEO of Reebok, Paul Fireman, co-founded Willowbend Development in the town of Mashpee. The project included a 27-hole championship course and a luxury home development.
Fireman retired from Willowbend in 2005. David and new partner Joe Deitch renamed the company Southworth Development (eventually just Southworth) with the aim of expanding the group’s portfolio.
“They had two informal rules,” says Tommy. “No A-holes and no silly rules. That’s basically been our guiding principle from the beginning.”
Tommy grew up in the business, starting as a cart boy at Willowbend at the age of 14. He rose through the ranks, working as a groundskeeper, bartender, pool manager and banquet organizer. By the time he became president six years ago, Southworth had expanded to include five private golf courses, many featuring upscale residential communities.
Not long after Tommy took over, COVID struck.
“Demand for golf doubled, but our staff was cut in half,” he says. “Our longest-serving and best employees stayed, but most of our seasonal employees left. Inevitably, that led to bad service.”
This, of course, was a problem throughout the hospitality industry.
“We were providing poor, stressed service and had some challenging interactions with members,” admits Southworth. “In some cases, they were rightfully upset and, in some cases, they were unjustly upset.”
The formal “No A-Holes” policy takes shape
After COVID-19, Southworth and his team realized that while “No A-Holes” was a great philosophy, it needed to be a policy.
“We had a clause in our membership document that said bad behavior could be punished or whatever, but that was it: one sentence in a 40-page document.”
He also looked at what other clubs were doing and found that they were all doing pretty much the same thing: one sentence on a large membership document.
“We knew this was a need, but we really saw it as an opportunity,” he says. “We thought we could really tell if we could come up with a code of conduct that would govern how we interact with each other.”
of each other the part is important. The No A-Holes policy doesn’t just cover members. It also applies to staff and management.
“It’s a community guidelines document that governs how staff interact with members and each other, and how members interact with staff and each other. It also outlines the role of ownership and our collective commitment to creating a great culture and a great community.”
Don’t be “that guy”
If someone wears down a waiter or yells at a helpless employee, they are probably not a good person. He also won’t last long as a member of Southworth.
“If you yell at a waiter, we’re probably not the club for you,” says Tommy. “Our salespeople usually know within the first five minutes if someone is going to fit or not.”
The Southworth Way document is plain and simple. Management and staff are committed to providing members with the following:
- Respectful interactions
- An effort to always improve
- A desire to make your experience as easy and smooth as possible
- Willingness to listen and work to incorporate feedback
- An open and welcoming Southworth family
Members are required to make a reciprocal commitment to other members and staff.
- Treat each other like family.
- Welcome new and old members as part of that family.
- Be polite to staff and management, especially when things go wrong.
- Use respectful language and appropriate behavior in all interactions.
- Offer complaints and constructive criticism productively, to the right audience and in the right tone.
- Commit to a policy of zero tolerance for discrimination in any form.
Politics or not, things have to happen
Policies are one thing. The way they are implemented is completely different.
“If you do something like talk rudely to someone once, we’ll probably have a conversation,” says Tommy. “It’s about protecting our staff and making sure they are respected by management and members.”
Depending on the severity of the incident, there may be a minor suspension.
“It would have to be something pretty egregious, like inappropriate physical contact or blind rage, alcohol-fueled behavior. When that happens, we try to do the right thing by our staff.”
The program seems to be working. Southworth says each club might have five or six “conversations” a year, usually about something small. These incidents are often resolved with a simple heartfelt apology. However, there have been cases that have resulted in expulsion from the club.
“We try to judge things fairly. But at the end of the day, this is not a court of law. We just try to do what’s right.”
About those stupid rules
Southworth still owns Willowbend and also owns The Renaissance in Haverhill, Mass., and Creighton Farms in Northern Virginia. In 2014, she bought The Abaco Club in the Bahamas, a Ritz-Carlton Club owned by Marriott. Southworth also built the model designed by David McLay Kidd Dunes of Machrihanish on the Kintyre Peninsula in Scotland. They are working on a second course there, along with a third hotel, 50 new golf homes and upgraded resort amenities.
All these properties follow both the “No A-Holes” policy and the “No Stupid Rules” directive.
“Old-school clubs tend to end up with a set of rules in place because some board member got upset about something along the way,” says Southworth. “It becomes prohibitive for people to have an easy, relaxed and fun time at the club.”
You won’t find any specific rules about dress codes, cell phone use, or music on the course. However, that doesn’t mean life on an estate in Southworth is like first year at Faber College. The main principle is to be respectful and not to upset anyone.
“If you have to make a phone call or want to play music on the course or if your shirt is off, as long as you’re not disturbing other people, go have fun.
“That’s the drive behind No Stupid Rules. We’re here to have a good time.”
Would you join a club like this?
Have you ever been a guest at one of those old school tough clubs Southworth talked about? You feel like people are watching you to make sure you don’t laugh too loudly or, god forbid, have too much fun.
“That’s the last thing we want in our clubs,” says Southworth. “We want you to have fun and be comfortable.”
It seems to work. The average member has been with Southworth for approximately 28 years, while staff retention is impressive for the hospitality industry. The longest serving employee has been with the company for 34 years.
Southworth says two key indicators tell him whether his company is doing its job. One is how many obituaries of members mention the club as one of the pillars of their lives. Next are second-generation member-to-member weddings, which are usually held at the club.
“These are kids who grew up together at the club and went on to get married,” he explains. “That’s a good indication of the community we’ve built.”
It’s easy to be cynical about a property developer who uses the word “community” as much as Southworth. But being a cynic for cynicism’s sake can make you miss the fact that some people just seem to get it.
“Building a community is what gets us out of bed. There’s a study that says human connection is the #1 source of happiness and longevity. You’ll live a longer, happier life if you have warm, positive human connections.
“At the end of the day, this is the business we’re in.”
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