I believe Eastpointe Country Club should be a member friendly club providing enhanced services at a reasonable price. Eastpointe Country Club should focus on becoming the hub of social activity in the community. Our community consists of residents and non-residents, young and old, enjoying amenities including golf, aquatics, fitness, tennis, pickleball, and food services provided at our multiple restaurants and banquet facilities. Their are many member initiatives that should be discussed and adopted to enhance member experience.
Somewhere along the line the ECC and HOA Board has lost focus on Eastpointe being a residential Country Club. Over the last year the ECC Board has implemented polices and increased costs that have driven 198 golf members out of the club with 110+ of these being resident Golf members. Approximately 70% of Golf members are outside non-resident Golfers. This has cost the club over $2Million in annual revenue loss. You don't improve financial stability to the ECC by driving out 1/3 of the golf members. This is crazy! It is time to stop the madness!
New policies and new ECC Board members are needed to reestablish our Residential Country Club culture. Instead of driving out older members, we should create a new membership category ,i.e., "Golden Membership" where older golfers who meet the criteria discussed below, retain their golf status and increase the annual revenues of the club. Initiatives should be adopted to enhance member experience, keeping in mind that Eastpointe is a club for the Residents, to enhance quality of life and property values. Non Resident Golfers should be invited into the club to augment the residential membership, not replace it as is happening now. Initiation fees for residential golfers should be lowered to attract and retain new residential golf members. Change is needed.
A new Bi-Party Agreement is needed to correct the existing issues, enhance the membership experience, improve the real estate values within the community, and provide long term financial stability to the ECC.
Some of these initiatives are listed below.
Improve quality of life and membership Experiance
In Nov 2023 we lost 77 Golf Members, most of which were resident Golfers. To date in 2024 we have 122 resignations effective Nov 2024. Again, 110+ resident golfers have left the club or downgraded to RSM category over the last 13 months. This means we will barely have 200 resident golfers remaining in Eastpoint when the new fiscal year starts. We are now hearing from Scott Feller that 70% of Golfers are now non- residents. Never in our history have we had more non-resident golfers than resident golfers. When Eastpointe residents voted in mandatory, it was to support the residential private country club. Now with 70% of the golfers (full voting members) being non-resident, why are the 500+ and growing RSMs paying increased fees to support the golf experience of non-residents????
The perception is that RSMs are subsidizing non-resident golf members’ experience. Something has to change to protect our community and club to ensure our club remains a community club, not a public golf course subsidized by the RSMs.
Maintain Resident Golf Membership
The target number of Full Golf members is 640. Of that 320 should be Resident Golfers. When ever the number of resident golfers drop below the 320 number, special discounts and incentives should be offered to residents / new residents to incentivize resident Golf membership.
Maintain Resident Control of ECC
No more than 2 non-resident Board of Governors shall serve on the ECC Board at any time.
Adjust RSM Fees to a fair and reasonable annual rate.
RSM II fees are too high and are negatively impacting the real estate values in Eastpointe. Particularly for the condos and smaller homes, the RSM II annual rate ($7,850 aprox.) and $10,000 initiation fee that went into effect with the new Bi-Party agreement, has depressed the real estate market in Eastpointe. Fees that exist for RSM I for 2025 should be capped and increased in the future at the COI rate. The mantra by some that the RSM I are not paying their fair share is just plain wrong. We have asked for 2 years for the ECC to show the actual data from the financial accounting system that shows that RSM are not paying enough for the services/ amenities they use. If the data showed this, the ECC management would have presented it by now. They haven't, because it shows just the opposite. Make the rates fair and give RSM Is a percentage vote so that their inputs have value.
10% of RSM fees should be placed in the Capital fund and can only be used for non-golf amenities.
Golden Membership Category
For any member who has been a full golf member for 15 years and is 75 years old (combine total 90 years), that member can choose a Golden membership category which is priced equal to a sports membership. Privileges include full golf, no assessments, fixed membership price with annual increases equal to the annual Cost of Living Index. .
For a period of 5 years beginning upon approval of this agreement, the ECC will offer a special Resident Golf upgrade package that includes the following:
- A Golden Membership category will be offered that will allow any Resident Social Membership and Club Social Membership who has been a previous full golf member for 15 years and is 75 years old+, may choose to upgrade to the Golden membership category which is priced equal to a sports membership. Privileges include full golf, no assessments, and annual increases based on the Cost of Living index.
- Resident Social Members who have been in good standing for 2 years may upgrade to a Sport Golf member with a discounted initiation fee of $20,000.
- Resident Social Members who have been in good standing for 2 years may upgrade to a Full Golf member with a discounted initiation fee of $30,000.
Same Core services for Both Resident and Non-Resident Members
Resident Social Members (RSM) and Golf members should be treated the same when it comes to the non-golf amenities. The non-golf amenities are core benefits used by all member categories. It is not fair to limit access or charge Resident Social members more fees for using a non-golf amenity than what Golf members pay. Golf members pay a larger fee because they have access to the expensive golf infrastructure and services. Charging RSMs twice as much as Golf members for Group classes at the Fitness Center and Pool is unfair and contributes to intense member dissatisfaction. The ECC should encourage more Residential Golf Membership. Allow RSM to use the driving range after 11:00 AM. This allows RSM to get the Golf Bug and encourages them to upgrade.
Single Golf Membership vs Family Golf Membership
As stated above, the non-golf amenities are core benefits and used by all member categories. If a Resident Social Member upgrades to a golf membership, or a new home purchase in Eastpointe occurs and the buyer selects a golf membership, a single golf membership will be offered if one family member plays golf. If more than one family member plays golf, a family membership will be provided. Non resident Golf members will be treated the same as Resident Golf members. A single golf player in the family will purchase a single golf membership. The Single Golf membership includes all core services / access to all non- golf amenities for the member and his family. If more than one non-resident family member plays golf, a family membership will be provided.
Performance Based Contract
Incentives ensure that the contractor is providing the services you have asked for, efficiently, and in a manner that is measurable. Typical contracts that are incentives heavy have two components a fixed fee component and an incentive fee component. Each functional area will have an incentive fee measured by evaluators on a quarterly basis.
Outside Social Membership Downgrade
Any non- resident golf member for 7 years can downgrade to a social membership for any reasons.
Resident Golf Cart Policy
Resident own carts provide a cost avoidance to the ECC. The ECC encourages owners to provide their own carts. To encourage owners to provide private carts the Annual fees for Resident Golf Cart Owners will be $750. It is encouraged that 2 carts be used per foursome. No more than 2 club provided carts will be used per foursome. No more than three carts (combination of private carts and club provided carts) at any time will be used per foursome.
Age Limits on Running for ECC Board of Governors
The ECC Governing Documents should be changed to limit the age of candidates running for and serving on the Board of Governors to 75 years of age.