Though Frank Dobie has eaten lunch at the same place for the 49 years he’s been the superintendent and general manager at Sharon Golf Club in Sharon Center, Ohio, it’s not specifically the food that keeps him coming back as much as it is the company.
Dobie makes it a point to have lunch every day in the clubhouse, seated at a community table that gives players the opportunity to sit with him and talk about the course in a relaxed setting.
“I may have the chance to interact with maybe 20 different members in one sitting,” he says. “They feel free to ask the casual question or make a comment at that table, because they feel very comfortable. They can ask, ‘Oh hey, by the way, Frank, what happened over there on number 3?’ and I can explain it.”
While at the table, Dobie can work through the course news – especially whatever isn’t picked up from Sharon GC’s newsletter – without the pressure of being caught off guard by questions as members come to sit and eat along with him.
“I’ll make it a point to go up to the practice tee, go to the pro shop and visit those areas at different times of the day, but the lunch conversation is very structured so people know they can get a hold of me at that point in time,” he says. “Then if they have a concern, it’s a casual conversation before it becomes a real emergency.”
Beyond that, his “office hours” give him more face time with members without taking time out of his work day. Because the practice is a steady part of his daily routine, members know that if there’s something they need to ask, just look for him around 11:30 a.m. in the clubhouse.
“I build my day around that,” he says. “That has a higher priority over anything else. If I can’t manage my day around it, I’m in trouble. I can’t think of a time in my recent memory that I’ve not been there during lunch."
Though he generally only stays for about 40 minutes during his regular lunch break, the informal setup also gives him the chance to stick around and answer more specific questions if a member wants to have a deeper conversation about something happening on the course.
Dobie plans on continuing his daily lunch meetings, though in recent years there’s been an additional chair at the table. He’s brought his assistant to the conversation to help members get to know him long before his assistant has to take over one day.
“It’s a purposeful thing to introduce him to members, so they get to know him as the assistant superintendent, because at some point in time, he wants my job,” says Dobie. “We have time to chit-chat, but the main thrust is to have him get interaction with the members so they know him by name and sight.”
