November 18, 2022

To: ​David Pillsbury

​Robert Morse

​Andrew Lacko

​Ken Guerra

​Chuck Feddersen

​Chuck Cox

Fr: ​Temple Hills Board of Governors

Re:​Temple Hills Concerns

 

To the Invited leadership team,

This letter is regarding Temple Hills Country Club in Franklin, Tennessee. We represent a good portion of the membership and are hopeful that you take this letter, and the information contained within, with the seriousness that is intended. 

First, we’d like to define the demographic of the area whereTemple Hills is located. Temple Hills rests in one of the most desirable locations in the state of Tennessee, Williamson County. It is a suburb of Nashville, which is one of the top 3 corporate relocation cities in the country. The county is the wealthiest county in the state and the 22nd wealthiest county in the country. The Council for Community and Economic Research lists Williamson County as THE wealthiest county in the country when you take cost of living into account. The golf course offers 27 holes within an affluent neighborhood, where housing ranges from $650k - $2.5M. Only one other country club in Williamson County offers more than 18 holes. Temple Hills is also considered to be one of the better layouts of any competing club in the area and is decent condition. The opportunities are endless. 

Secondly, we’d like to define some of the history of the club that is relevant to the concerns we have today. The club was opened in 1972 and has gone through several ownership changes over the last 50 years. In that time, there has been very little done to improve or even bring up to par the existing facilities. The facilities are, without question, the worst facilities of any country club in the county. Many promises have been made through the years by the different ownership groups, but rarely were those promises fulfilled or even attempted. This has caused apathy of the membership toward ownership groups who make big (or even minor) promises. There has not been any significant pushback from the membership when these promised renovations/upgrades weren’t realized because the club has historically been known as the “best deal in town” and, therefore, expectations have always been low. The club has been used by its members purely for recreation. It does not have the refined amenities to be able to be used for business development or business retainage purposes. Therefore, it is solely utilized for personal/family recreation and has historically been priced as such. This recently changed under Club Corp/Invited when dues were increased twice, with the latest being upwards of 30%-40%. Now the value is no longer perceived, and expectations are much higher. The membership is no longer willing to accept a community level offering if being asked to pay country club prices.

Thirdly, our Board of Governors were told in February of this year that we would be seeing a significant dues increase effective immediately. When the GM was asked, “what are we getting in return”, his response was, “nothing”. Knowing that this would not be received well by the membership, the board requested an in-person meeting with Chuck Cox prior to communicating the dues increase to the membership. The board’s goal in this meeting was to convince Club Corp that some much-needed work should accompany the dues increase tooffer some justification to the membership. Our concern was,and still is, that there would be a mass exodus during the wintermonths if there wasn’t something offered in return. With a looming recession, inflation, and rising interest rates, families are reassessing their monthly budgets. Temple Hills in its current form and at its current cost is an easy line item to eliminate from that budget.

On the day of our meeting with Chuck, he told us that Club Corp had done some market research and determined that our dues were much lower than other similar clubs in the area. Therefore, the dues increase was to get us in line with the market. Brentwood CC, Westhaven Golf Club, Vanderbilt Legends Club, Old Natchez, and Nashville Golf and Athletic Club were the clubs used for this comparison. It was Chuck’s belief that Temple Hills rested somewhere in the middle of these clubs as far as condition and amenities. This could not be any further from reality and would only take a personal visit to each club tosee that they all have significantly better facilities than Temple Hills.

After much discussion Chuck did agree that he would secure investment for reprogramming the main floor of the clubhouse to include a separate golfers grill from the dining room and to invest in much needed deferred maintenance items. We have been patient in waiting for the final approval in the 2023 budget for these much-needed improvements only to be told 9 months later that they aren’t going to happen and that an investment in new bunkers would occur instead. Bunkers are not needed, and the membership would overwhelmingly choose to use those funds elsewhere. We would like to know how this decision makes any sense for the membership or the club’s profitability. 

The club needs a significant investment in the 2023 calendar year that is commensurate with the investment you’ve asked us to make via the dues increase. We believe that a full commitment on a facilities renovation that places our club in the same tier as those clubs you have benchmarked us against is a reasonable request. We also believe that a select committee of the membership should take part in the designing of a 5-year master plan alongside the appropriate individuals at Invited. Our membership consists of many professionals who can help keep the costs of these renovations as low as possible. We have general contractors, architects, project managers, landscapers, and many other professionals in our ranks and are willing to put our expertise to use in making this club what we all want it to be. 

The entry fees at our closest competitors are north of $30k and most have at least a one year wait list. Our entry fee is $8,000(up from $1500 a year ago) and we have no wait list. With the right investment, we could be in line for that same level of demand and quickly realize a significant return on the investment. I would also expect F&B revenue to increase with an upgraded clubhouse as the membership would be more inclined to utilize it. If no investment is made, we will continue to devolve, membership will shrink, and, ultimately, a significant investment will be required to merely salvage the club in the not-to-distant future. An investment will be required in this country club…sooner or later. We’d prefer to handle it prior to it becoming a necessity. Below is a small list of current issues that is by no means comprehensive:

• The Temple Hills clubhouse is in poor condition and is extremely outdated. A power point was sent the Chuck Cox that documents some of the disrepair.
• Mechanical system is in dire need of replacementthroughout the building. Goes down often and doesn’t work in kitchen.
• Significant square footage of unused/unfinished space existson the ground level that could be used for programming (ie turn shack, pro shop, hitting bays). 
• There is no separation between golfers and family diners.This causes the restaurant to be highly underutilized by the membership as it’s not always appropriate for families. 
• Bathrooms have leaks in the urinals, no doors or curtains on showers, painted wood paneling, 40-year-old tile and toilet dividers, and metal school lockers. Truly embarrassing. 
• The exterior is extremely dated and uninviting. Landscaping is practically non-existent. The building was built with 1970s architecture and has had no facelift in 50 years. 
• Pool area is in poor condition. It also has nothing more than a snack shack (no grill or bar) and disgusting bathrooms. It is highly utilized by the membership but misses out on a lot of revenue due to lack of offerings. 
• Tennis program is virtually non-existent. Another revenue opportunity completely ignored. 
• No tennis pro shop.
• No bathrooms or concessions at tennis courts.
• No seating at tennis courts. 
• Gravel parking lot for pool and tennis.
• Chipping facility is ¼ mile down the road from the golf course. Not realistically useable prior to a match.
• Some cart paths need replacement
• About 5 sand traps need additional drainage (not entire course replacement as is being discussed)
We all love being members at Temple Hills. It is a very close-knit community that cares deeply for one another. However, we are at a tipping point and this community could begin to fall apart. Many members are currently deciding whether to stay orto leave. They, understandably, feel completely taken advantage of and do not feel as though their concerns are being heard. Once this downward slide begins it will be very difficult to salvage the club and its reputation. Honestly, its reputation has taken a hit for some time and ultimately may require rebranding. However, we also believe there is an incredible opportunity to make Temple Hills a bright spot in Middle Tennessee and high on the list for those looking to join a country club in the area. An investment in the clubhouse, tennis facilities and pool facilities will be required, but the dividends could be significant. We have been left in the dark about decisions being made on our behalf, most of which make no sense for this club or its membership.We are asking for the respect to be involved in those decisionsinstead of having them forced upon us. Therefore, we would like an audience with David, Chuck and Chuck, at the very least, to discuss these concerns and the future plans for Temple Hills.

Please respond to Chris Neese with availabilities in your schedules to visit the club and engage the membership. Chrisneese1924@gmail.com . Thank you in advance. 

Sincerely,

 

Chris Neese