In this episode, David V. Smith, president of Club Leaders Forum, shares his fascinating journey from being a professional golfer in the 1970s to leading one of the most influential organizations in the private club industry. He highlights his story, milestones, and how the Club Leaders Forum evolved into what it is today
From Golf Pro to Visionary Club Developer
David’s career began on the golf course in the 1970s, playing professionally and later transitioning into club management in the early 1980s at Bel Air Country Club. This shift set the stage for a broader involvement in the private club world, eventually coaching UCLA’s golf team to a national championship. However, David soon realized that his passion lay in shaping the member experience rather than simply being a part of it.
This pivotal realization led to an introduction to David Murdoch, owner of Dole, who envisioned creating premier country clubs across the U.S. David’s role was instrumental in the development of Sherwood Country Club in 1988 and numerous other high-profile projects, including those in Hawaii.
International Expansion and Nine Bridges
A serendipitous meeting with Jay Lee, the grandson of Samsung’s founder, brought David to South Korea where they developed the Nine Bridges Golf Club on Jeju Island. Lee’s ambition to have Nine Bridges recognized as a top 100 golf course worldwide was realized by 2004, after years of meticulous planning and execution.
This achievement sparked Lee’s desire to expand further by creating one of the world’s top 100 private clubs. At the time, no global rankings existed for private clubs, prompting David to conceive and spearhead the idea of Platinum Clubs of the World.
Founding the Platinum Clubs of the World
Inspired by the existing Platinum Clubs of America, David collaborated with its founder, John Sibold, to launch the international rankings. Though Sibold’s declining health led to his retirement, David acquired the organization in 2010, ensuring its growth and evolution under the Club Leaders Forum umbrella.
Today, the Platinum Clubs of the World and Club Leaders Forum provide elite consulting services, host industry events, and set the gold standard for private clubs globally. Over the past 35+ years, David and his team have developed more than 75 golf courses in 27 countries, cementing their legacy as leaders in the industry.
Building on Success
Through its expansion, Club Leaders Forum now serves as a multi-faceted organization offering consulting, educational resources, and expert advisory services. Under David’s leadership, the company has grown beyond its roots to support private club professionals in delivering world-class member experiences.
Key Takeaways from David’s Story
Adaptability leads to growth: David’s willingness to pivot from playing golf professionally to managing clubs allowed him to capitalize on unique opportunities in the industry.
Vision meets execution: From Sherwood Country Club to Nine Bridges, David’s ability to realize bold ideas set him apart as a leader.
Fostering excellence: The creation of the Platinum Clubs of the World reflects David’s commitment to raising the bar for private clubs globally.
Relationships matter: Strategic partnerships with visionaries like David Murdoch and Jay Lee were instrumental in shaping his journey.
Closing Thoughts
David V. Smith’s journey from a professional golfer to the president of Club Leaders Forum is a testament to seizing opportunities, embracing challenges, and fostering innovation. His work continues to redefine excellence in the private club world, setting a legacy that serves as an inspiration to leaders across industries.
Stay tuned for more insights into the stories and innovations shaping the private club industry!
FULL TRANSCRIPT
00:01
Dafne Canales
Hello, and welcome to the Club Leaders Forum podcast. I have the president of Club Leaders Forum, David V. Smith, joining us today. And David, you have been in the private club world for such a long time. Tell us how you got started in the club world and how Club Leaders Forum got started.
00:18
David V. Smith
Well, yeah, really, the golf world, not necessarily just the private club world. I started a long time ago as a golf professional in the 70s, playing golf for a living, and came to the United States in the early 80s and went through the process of being in the club business as a club professional at Bel Air Country Club and got involved in general management. And then in the late 80s, fortunately, after coaching the golf team at UCLA to a national championship with my friend, little pro Eddie Marons, I kind of saw the writing on the wall that being a golf professional for the rest of my life was not for me. I'd rather be a member than serve the members. And I kind of diversified into the club business.
00:59
David V. Smith
So, fortunately, at the time, Bel Air was teaching Kenny Rogers, the country singer who regretfully has passed since. But Kenny and I became great friends. And Kenny was doing the commercials for Dole, the pineapple company. And Dole was owned by a man called David Murdoch. And Kenny was nice enough to introduce me to Mr. Murdoch. And Mr. Murdoch had this vision to build country clubs, great country clubs around the United States. So I had a meeting with Mr. Murdoch one morning, one breakfast morning. And it was kind of interesting because his home was right above the sixth tee at Bel Air, and it was Ladies Day. And I could sit on the patio with Mr. Murdoch. I could recognize the ladies voices as they were using profanity as I hit the golf balls off the sixth tee. And I knew them all.
01:47
David V. Smith
One of them who was particularly rememberable was Majel Roddenberry. Majel was married to Jean Roddenberry, the founder of the creator of Star Trek. But she had a very pronounced voice, and she would hit the ball and expletives would flow from her mouth. So the next time I saw her, I said, majel, you must really look after your voice in the yor language on the golf course. And of course, she had no idea I'd been witnessing her from up on Mr. Murdoch's patio. That being said, Mr. Murdoch asked me a very simple question. He says, I want to build the greatest country club in the world. And I said, well, Mr. Murdoch, I've been to the greatest country clubs in the world, and I think I can deliver that for you.
02:25
David V. Smith
So he was nice enough to give me his airplane and I spent 11 days flying around the United States in those days, taking photographs of the greatest clubs in America that I thought would be. And put them on big white poster boards for him. And that was my entry into the world of golf course development. It was Sherwood country club. It was 1988, and I worked with Murdoch for close to three years. 88, 89 and 90. The second project was in Lanai, and I would fly to Hawaii every week for 50 weeks in a row. On a Sunday, I'd be with my plans and my, my dress, and everybody else was on there with their shorts and their flip flops and their surfboards, and I'd be going to work. And I had a wonderful education with Mr. Murdoch.
03:10
David V. Smith
And in 1990, he called me a wild stallion that could no longer be harnessed. He said, go out on your own and make it work, and I'll stay beside you. And he remained a client of mine for more than 10 years. So, so through that process, it was now 1990. I was in the business of developing golf courses through the 90s and saw again the writing on the wall as the economy was coming to challenging times. And at that time I was introduced to a gentleman from a Korean employee of mine who was a golf professional, minor lady golf professional, Christy Park. And Christie said, I have a friend from Korea who'd like to talk about becoming a member of Bel Air Country Club. So he came with me and he talked. His name was Jay Lee. He was the Samsung founder's grandson.
03:59
David V. Smith
And he talked about his dream, not about Bel Air, but his dream of building a golf course in Korea. And the next day I was on an airplane heading to Korea with Jay Lee. And we had a 20 year relationship after that, which went all the way from around about 2000 to 2020, where I worked exclusively with Jay Lee and his company. We developed Nine Bridges. And Nine Bridges is a golf course in Jeju Island. And Mr. Lee was very keen on being ranked as a top 100 golf course in the world. And in those days, it wasn't that complicated because both Golf Digest and Golf Magazine had the top 100 rankings. And so went through the process. We didn't succeed in 2002, but we did succeed in 2004. So Mr. Lee is a man driven by passion.
04:50
David V. Smith
And today he chairs the CJ Corporation, and most will know about the CJ cup. And he's very involved in, in the world of golf today, professional golf. But what he said after becoming a top 100 golf course in the World. He then said, now I want to build a top 100 club in the world. But there was no such thing as the top 100 clubs in the world. And this was in 2006 or 2007 when Mr. Lee says he wants to do something as a consultant to him. You have to produce something for him. So I did know of the Platinum Clubs of America. And Platinum Clubs of America was founded in the 90s by a man called John Sibold. And I contacted Mr.
05:29
David V. Smith
Sibold in 2007 and said, John, how about this concept of expanding out of the Platinum Clubs of America and having the Platinum Clubs of the world? And John was, at the end of his career, he was a magnificent servant to the industry. He was a headhunter. He was the pioneer, the granddaddy of all headhunters. Anybody in this industry over the age of 50 that succeeded at some time, John civil touched their career. So. So with that being said, I contacted John. We had so many meetings in those days. He didn't have email. We were on the phone and he was sending me faxes with the old scrolly shiny paper and there'd be large yards and yards long. He didn't have a cell phone. And I took him to Korea and his eyes were opened. He said, this is where the future of golf is.
06:15
David V. Smith
These are the emerging markets. He came back and I said, john, how about creating the Platinum Clubs of the world? So he and I collaborated on the first Platinum Clubs of the World, I think it was in 2009. And soon thereafter, frankly, he became quite sick, quite ill and really retired and moved kind of out of the industry. But we still had the Platinum Clubs of the World and we still had Mr. Lee and now there was a Platinum Clubs of the World. Really, John was an unable to carry it on. So one thing led to another and I worked with his family and acquired the company in about 2010. And that's how I got involved with Club Leaders Forum. So Club Leaders Forum is the organization that does a lot of things in addition to the Platinum Clubs.
06:59
David V. Smith
But John really used the Platinum club organization as really a feed assistant to his recruitment business. And we're of course not in the recruitment business. I mean, we built and developed 75 plus golf courses in 27 countries over 35 plus years. But we thought, or I thought that what we should do is kind of take it in a different direction. Separate business from the election of platinum clubs and then also expand the services that Club Leaders Forum offices, excuse me, offers. So over the years we've expanded, you know, capitalized it, have a great staff, formed a great advisory board. So really a very different company than Club Leaders Forum was when I first contacted Mr. Sivold in 2007 or 2008.
07:43
David V. Smith
But I think we serve the industry well and I think we don't have any conflicts of interest as it relates to the platinum clubs. And through those years through the industry, we've just layered on additional services and consulting service we provide. So that's how I got started. It wasn't by design, frankly. It was because Mr. Lee from Samsung or from the Samsung family, I should say, Mr. Lee from CJ. You know, most members of private clubs in this country normally ask for something and expect to get it. So when Mr. Lee asked for a Platinum Clubs of the world, he expected and he got it. And here I am 15 years later having owned the company and very proud of the accomplishments.
08:27
Dafne Canales
Thank you.
Comentarios