Fore!mula For Success - Internship Program - January 2010
Get the Most Out of Your Software with a Fore! Reservations Expert
Could your golf course benefit from a seasonal staff member that is knowledgeable in the Fore! Reservations software even before his or her first day at the course? We think so, and that is why Fore! Reservations offers an Intern Placement Program for our golf courses. In the interest of helping develop future members of the golf industry, Fore! Reservations teamed up with the University of Wisconsin-Stout Golf Enterprise Management (GEM) program to teach the program's students the Fore! Reservations software. Not only do the students become certified Users of the system after completing a semester-long class, they learn the importance of proper software utilization to run a business successfully, and receive real-world experience through internships at Fore! Reservations golf courses. The Fore! Reservations UW-Stout Intern Placement Program began last year and after initial success, the program is back for 2010 and is growing.
"The partnership that has developed with Fore! Reservations and UW-Stout is one of a kind," says Kris Schoonover, UW-Stout Assistant Professor and GEM Program Director. "The opportunity for our students to learn, use and apply state-of-the-art technology at actual golf courses provides them a valuable learning experience. The golf course benefits from having a professional, knowledgeable, capable, eager-to-learn intern to help the facility meet its operational needs. Plus, the industry benefits by developing its future managers."
UW-Stout interns were placed at a few courses this past season but will be placed at twenty-five courses this upcoming season. RiverRidge Golf Complex (Eugene, OR), Washington County Golf Course (Hartford, WI), and Spring Meadows Golf Club (Gray, ME) all describe a very beneficial experience and would recommend all Fore! Reservations Users take advantage of the Intern Placement Program.
"We just installed Fore! Reservations in the spring of 2009. When we saw the internship announcement in the monthly newsletter, we jumped at the chance to participate," says Debbie Jeffries, Owner of RiverRidge Golf Complex, a 36 hole public golf facility in Eugene, OR. "Not knowing everything about the software, it was extremely valuable to have a certified Fore! Reservations User at the course."
Kris worked closely with Debbie to find the best fit for both the golf course's needs and the student's academic goals. It was important to determine mutually agreed upon objectives for the season to be a success for both parties.
"The goal for our students is to provide them with management experience where they can apply what they've learned in class as well as receive mentoring from very experienced golf course owners and operators," says Kris. "Being Fore! Reservations certified gives operators the confidence that their intern can be an asset to the business beyond daily labor-like tasks."
RiverRidge's intern, Adam Haese (now a Senior in the GEM program), assisted in various areas of the operation (behind the counter, outside operations, event management, etc.) but the course also used his expertise to grow its marketing efforts by utilizing the software's marketing tools.
"Adam was able to comfortably step right into the tee sheet and point-of-sale system and taught us how to maximize the system's capabilities; helping us go to that next level of utilization and provided us with a lot of ‘aha moments'," Debbie adds. "He made great recommendations on marketing capabilities in the system and helped develop e-mail blast concepts and a monthly e-newsletter which grew our customer database. In addition, it was gratifying to see Adam excel as part of our team, contributing to the creation of a brand new "18 for 18 Monday Online Special" that made a sizeable difference in our Monday play."
Adam also found his internship to be very worthwhile. "My internship at RiverRidge was one of the best experiences of my life," Adam states. "The confidence I brought to the internship was all based on the fact that I knew the Fore! Reservations system. I was able to apply what I learned in class and expand on it while working in the industry, hopefully adding value to RiverRidge's operation. The Fore! Reservations course at UW-Stout is an incredible opportunity for students to become experts in a software system that is used all over the country; making us better prepared and more valuable to the industry after graduating from college."
Spring Meadows Golf Club, an 18 hole public golf course, also utilized its intern for marketing purposes, assigning him the task of implementing the new Fore! Reservations Touch Screen Kiosk in the golf shop. "Our intern Stephen did a great job of kick-starting our new marketing initiatives at the course. He was dynamite in getting golfers to enroll into our Birthday Club," General Manager Dave Pollard says. "It was a great experience for us and offered him valuable real-world operational practice."
Dave decided to participate in the Intern Placement Program because of the Fore! Reservations knowledge and technical skills of the interns. "That was the main selling point for us!" Dave exclaims. "It's a huge benefit to have a staff member that doesn't require software training and can actually help you train other staff members."
John Statz, Head Golf Professional at Washington County Golf Course, an Arthur Hills designed 18 hole municipal course in Hartford, WI, agrees with Dave that as a new Fore! Reservations User, the Intern Placement Program couldn't have come at a better time since he was the only staff member at the course that had Fore! Reservations training prior to the golf season beginning.
"Using a UW-Stout intern was a perfect fit for us and the process was so simple," John says. "Kris did a great job placing a qualified intern that was passionate about the game of golf, exhibited great customer service skills, and enjoyed coming to work everyday. Our intern Eric was an asset to our operation, specifically in helping show me how to use Fore! Reservations beyond my basic knowledge with greater ease and efficiency. It's always a benefit to have someone at your facility that is genuinely interested in the business, wants to learn from you, and at the same time offers value to your operation."
Many different qualities can make for a good staff member, but having a golf enthusiast that is a certified User of your software system is a unique opportunity that Fore! Reservations courses should be taking advantage of this season. "I would definitely recommend the Intern Placement Program to other courses," says John. "It's fantastic that Fore! Reservations is taking an interest in trying to build the future leaders of the industry."
In fact, all three course operators mentioned their delightful surprise and appreciation that Fore! Reservations is offering this service to its golf courses. "I definitely didn't expect that our software provider would offer such a valuable service and we look forward to using it again this season. Already in year one, we can confidently say that we are very happy that we made the switch to Fore! Reservations from a previous software provider that we were with for 15 years," states Debbie.
"The relationship that UW-Stout has with Fore! Reservations made the decision to join the program that much easier. If they're recommended by Fore! Reservations then that's all you need to know to trust the recommendation," Dave says. "The Intern Placement Program is just another wonderful component of the Fore! Reservations family, and we couldn't ask for anything better."
The University of Wisconsin-Stout Golf Enterprise Management program is looking to place twenty-five students in paid internship opportunities at Fore! Reservations courses this season. If you are interested in hiring a future member of the golf industry that has Fore! Reservations software knowledge, and you would like to share your expertise with one of these qualified interns, contact Scott Merchant at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and he can put you in touch with GEM Program Director Kris Schoonover.
If your course utilizes Facebook or Twitter to market to your customers, we would like to feature you in an upcoming issue of Fore!mula For Success. E-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and we'll include your success story.
