PODCAST · business
Beyond The Baselines
by Ed Shanaphy
Management Consultancy from Experts in the Country Club Industry
Episodes
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From Israel to the NCAA to Private Clubs: On Court with Shir Azran
One of the leading NCAA Division I female coaches and one of the nation’s leading teaching professionals, Shir Azran joins the podcast. Azran is just off a summer at Sippican Tennis Club in Marion, Massachusetts where she served as Assistant Director of Tennis. Now at well-known Boston area club...
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Magnus Gustafsson, Director of Racquets
Magnus traces his unlikely journey from growing up as an aspiring ice hockey goalie in Uppsala, Sweden, to playing collegiate tennis at Ferris State University and beginning his professional career under legendary tennis director Mike Rahaley in Vero Beach. He also recalls accepting his first...
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Padel at the Crossroads: Growth, Clubs, and the American Market
Ben Nichols, President of Padel22.com, joins host Ed Shanaphy to investigate the American market for padel. The global sport is coming to America, but is America to insular with its own sports such as baseball and the NFL? Does competitive tennis have a stranglehold on the young racquet player?...
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Rethinking Pickleball: Facilities And In The Marketplace
In this episode of the BeyondTheBaselines.com podcast, host Ed Shanaphy welcomes listeners back for another insightful conversation exploring the latest developments in the private club and hospitality industries. This installment turns the spotlight on a fundamental—but often…
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Software Engineer Takes Her Show To Private and Commercial Clubs
Louise Fahys, co-founder of Plan2Play Artificial intelligence is no longer a future concept in club management — it is already reshaping how private and commercial clubs operate. But according to Louise Fahys, we are only scratching the surface. Fahys is the co-founder and CTO of Plan2Play, a…
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Kicking Off A New Year Of Conversation With GM Jeff Isbell
As we enter our seventh year behind the microphone, it’s still remarkable to say those words out loud: seven years of conversations, insights, and shared experiences across the private members club and hospitality landscape. What began as a passion project has grown into a trusted forum for club...
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Inside Innisbrook: A Conversation with Dave Neuhart
The private club world and the boutique resort world often feel like parallel industries—adjacent, similar, yet fundamentally different in culture, expectations, and operations. Every so often, we meet a leader who straddles both worlds daily, offering a rare perspective on how racquets…
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When Fusion Becomes Confusion: A Conversation With Montammy’s Culinary Director
In the next episode Beyond The Baselines Podcast, we sit down with Maxwell Shteyman, Director of Culinary and Clubhouse Operations at Montammy Golf Club, to discuss how innovation in food and beverage can sometimes go too far. “Too much fusion leads to confusion—and to a messy plate,” Max says…
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Mentorship Is Advancement, Delegation And Extra-Curricular Work
by Ed Shanaphy, CMAA We often say “mentoring,” but what we really mean—especially within private clubs—is advancing. Mentorship is not simply guiding or teaching; it’s creating an environment where your staff can grow, achieve, and in turn, enhance the member experience. Every interaction between...
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From Director of Golf to Country Club President
This week on the Beyond The Baselines podcast, we welcome Dave Henion, a man who has spent his life immersed in the culture of private members clubs. Dave’s journey began as a young caddy at Rolling Hills Country Club in Connecticut, where he learned early on how golf and business often meet on…
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Rafa Joins The Podcast
Rafael Coutinho, Director of Racquets at Rumson Country Club on the Jersey Shore, joins the BeyondTheBaselines.com podcast. With just two tennis courts and four pickleball courts, it had been the platform tennis courts that were the pride and joy of Rumson. With over 20 social events during the...
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The Romance Of Roland Garros, Red Brick Dust and Rafa
Capturing the essence of an athlete—let alone defining a career within the grand tapestry of a sport’s history—is no easy feat. As the era of the "Big Three" nears its close, Rafael Nadal’s reign over clay courts and his unprecedented dominance at Roland Garros stand unmatched—and perhaps forever...
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The Denizen of Private Clubs
The podcaster sits in the hot seat. Private Club Radio’s Denny Corby joins the Beyond The Baselines podcast and talks everything private member clubs. If a listener gets one thing out of just one of his podcasts, it means the world to Corby, the host of the biggest podcast in club management.…
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Find New Members By Letting Them Swipe
You’ve heard of the points guy, but this is the gift card guy, or as Larry Rubin calls himself, the gift card guru. This recording is aimed at marketing for both of our client subsets, private members clubs and boutique hotels. Usage, Revenue Streams, Departments Inspected And Enhanced Through…
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Victor Vidal: Transforming Navesink’s Racquets Program
How did an international trade and finance student from Mexico come to head up Red Bank New Jersey's Navesink Country Club's Racquet Program? It's a long and winding road, but one that is full of insights into the private members club industry. Victor Vidal knew he was not suited to work behind a...
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A Private Members Club… For Kids
We might be booking our juniors for summer sleep away camp this March, but have we ever thought that a summer camp is really a private members club for kids? From the red clay tennis courts, and all the maintenance they entail, through to the enormous food and beverage operation and the hiring of...
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Club Communications Are Key To Success
Danielle Chavez, Founder, Club Design Studio The daily questions we ask ourselves over club communications – how often should we email our members? Is it possible or should we make the weekly newsletter shorter? How do we integrate the club's website into our marketing strategy? – all these...
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Do The Pro Tours Affect Racquets At Clubs
by Ed Shanaphy There's always that guy. The guy that is on the sidelines of every tournament, from a WTA qualifier to an ATP Masters to a Grand Slam. The guy who amazes onlookers through his building of a network. The guy who continues to work, even after retirement and sleeps in the back of a...
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A Touch Of Management Class
An Historic Club's Metamorphosis Through Consultancy to Interim Management To Long-Term Strategy Completion Pretty Brook Tennis Club first called BeyondTheBaselines.com in late 2019. The club was dropping members as if members were falling leaves on a cold November, football Saturday at the famed...
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Writing And The Washington Post: How A Tennis Director Used Her Journalism Skills
Taylor Newman left college for two careers. Her love of writing led her to her daily, first shift - a beat journalist covering the DC Metro sports teams for the sports desk at the Washington Post. Ben Bradlee would have been proud of her commitment up there with Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein in...
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All In The Family
Hospitality runs in the family. Alexandria LaRocca, Director of Member Engagement at The Beach Point Club in Mamaroneck, New York, and Matt Assumma, who served at Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, join the podcast. And, they’ve known each other for years, and we mean for years, since they were kids....
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Super Seasonal Secrets From A Leading Director
Two major seasonal jobs have just one director: Brett Gaede. From his first ever, post-college professional position at the renowned Nantucket Yacht Club, Gaede has made New England and Florida his seasonal homes, and follows his members, and the sun, up and down the East Coast. With his two...
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Year-In, Year-Out, And Oddly, Year-Round At A Canadian Golf Club
It's not easy to engage members twelve months a year in the cold, frigid air of Canada when your only amenity is golf. Ash Chadha, general manager at Glencoe Golf And Country Club, is bringing members to the club in bigger and bigger numbers through various methods, even in the dark winter…
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The PGA Show: Clothing Surpasses Woods, Irons and Putters
This could be the best conference in our industry. It may be the biggest. It was the largest, according to the organizers, in over twenty years. The PGA Merchandise Show reached new heights this last week of January, 2024 with more vendors, more club managers and more industry leaders. And, we at...
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Destination Golf At The Tree Farm
Already a Top 100 course in the nation, The Tree Farm was a vision of a PGA Tour Player back when it was a deep, dark and dense tree farm owned by a timber company. Looking to fully open its doors in September 2024, The Tree Farm is hoping to become not only a destination, but is also hoping to...
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Member Relations At The Heart Of Our Industry
Isabella Graf moved to the United States from her native Germany early in life. She may be a shining example not only of proverbial "American Dream," but also of the experience and education available in the private club industry, where she is fast becoming one of its leaders. Chosen to be a...
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Innovation Is Key To Success In 2024
by Ed Shanaphy, CMAA We welcome in 2024 here at BeyondTheBaselines.com with a renewed vigor and an eye to a bright future in the private members club industry. Although 2024 will have its challenges as we head toward an election the likes of which we may have never or will never see again, we can...
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Burning Desire For Perfection Defines Winged Foot’s Retired Manager As He Climbs An Apogee
Colin Burns had only 4.5 years of experience in hospitality when he applied for the club manager’s position at Winged Foot, one of the most storied private golf clubs in the nation, if not the world. And, after an eight-month search process, he was selected as the club’s next general manager –…
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Live From The PGA: McEnroe Brought Me Back To Tennis, Coaching and Teaching
Our first in a series of live podcasts, celebrated ATP Tour coach and director of racquets, known to his intimates as Van, our colleague and friend Allan Van Nostrand joins the BeyondTheBaselines.com podcast. You Might As Well Win Van Nostrand says, "If you're going to be on court, you might as...
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Where Everybody Knows Your Name
How do you make a private members club a destination? Aaron James, one of the leading club managers in our industry, believes it's all about creating a sense of community. His experience at facilities from the global Club Med to Atlanta's Cherokee Town and Country Club forced him to realize that...
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Augusta Comes To Miami: Creating The Experience Which Breeds Loyalty
Imagine forming a global conference from the ground up. And a new breed of conference at that. One which encompasses what we know as the entire racquet sport industry, not just tennis, but pickleball, padel, racquetball, squash and even ping pong! "The player of the future might have a racquet in...
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Building Blocks: Pickle, Padel, & Paddle
Eric Loftus was there as a businessman through the past decade as tennis grew in the Northeast, and in New England, in particular. He's been building pickleball courts throughout the region and has seen that sport rise almost as fast as slam of a whiffle ball. Now, he is hoping to be there for…
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Is Tennis Still A Sport For Just The Elite?
Tennis and golf are two sports central to all country clubs. With such a concentration of players and spectators emanating from the private members clubs, is it that tennis is still inaccessible to many? We ask this question with famed writer Amisha Savani, the co-author to The People's…
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Extraordinary Marketing For Junior Tennis
Jesse Gotlib, having served as Director of Junior Tennis at one of New England's most elite clubs, has brought his learnings to the public sector and the inner cities of Eastern Massachusetts. After five years in the private club industry at Sippican Tennis Club in Marion, Massachusetts, Gotlib…
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Plan It, They Will Come For Pickle & Padel
Before Breaking Ground, New Club Has Hundreds Of Applicants Patricio Misitrano has been a Director of Racquets at some of the best-known clubs in the country. From the hallowed clay courts at both Wee Burn and Greenwich Country Clubs through to the tennis courts at New Canaan Field Club, Patricio...
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The Nassau Club: Princeton’s Truly Private Eating Club
Princeton University is known for its eating clubs: Cap and Gown, Charter, Ivy and Colonial. But this private members club isn't associated with the university and doesn't hold open houses to find new members. The Nassau Club was founded by Woodrow Wilson to bring the townsfolk and the University...
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A Cut Above
The Grass Court Cutting King Maurice Gardner gives us the secrets to what makes great courts… and that’s grass courts. Former Head Groundskeeper at Wessen Lawn Tennis Club in Pontiac, Michigan, Gardner takes us through a day in the life of a groundskeeper as well as the cost of the maintaining…
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Every Club Tournament Is Someone’s US Open
Not the Swing, but Visibility, Member Service and Access is Paramount for any Department Head Visibility is crucial for a Director of Golf and Pat Gunning understands that. His daily ritual as Director of Golf at the famed Noyac Golf Club takes him to the club to greet the members teeing off at...
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Writing, Wit & Racquet: Caitlin Thompson
Here at Beyond the Baselines we're excited to catch up with the co-founder and publisher of Racquet Magazine, Caitlin Thompson, for our latest podcast. Caitlin Thompson, former D1 player for University of Missouri, and editor of Racquet Magazine Caitlin offers wise and salient observations on the...
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The King of Ankle Biters
Shaun Boyce is a gifted junior instructor. He and his wife, Geovanna, have taken his tennisforchildren.com and tennis for hundreds of kids in the Atlanta area to new heights, year after year. From preschools to home owners associations, Shaun has taken his love and passion for instructing the...
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Club Managers Are Politicians: Visionaries Serving Their Constituents
The Club Manager. We think we know the role as members, as boards and governors. Growing up in Stowe, Vermont Elle Anderson thought she knew all about the club up there too, especially as she returned to her home town after a career as an elite athlete. Anderson returned home in 2020 and wanting…
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The Queen of Cardio
After graduating from Arizona State, a young woman who loved to travel had one thing in mind: wanting to work at Club Med. She began to teach tennis there on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. It was there, she realized that adult programming can be the secret behind a greater and bigger club and...
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Decision Makers Are Not Usually The Operators
Andres Robelo loves tennis. He grew up with tennis. His parents played tennis. But he couldn't find a game in Miami. "I could run a business with technology. I could book a table at a restaurant or order a car with software. I couldn't order a tennis game," and behind this came the fruition of…
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The Five Mistakes A Search Committee Can Make
By Ed Shanaphy, CMAA As 2022 brings in a new breath of life to so many in our industry as we battle a virus, so too does the job market show even more signs of life and recovery. As we look to either expand club offerings or find a new, dynamic club manager or department head, we must consider…
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Reeling From Reels: Two Women’s Travels Through Clubs and Being Social With Media
by Ed Shanaphy, USPTA, CMAA Kate Cole and Laura Fox are the Instagram influencers creating a social media storm for women tennis players. Kate’s Instagram account, which focuses on tennis, cocktails, fitness and how she makes time for all that around motherhood, has over 1,600 followers. Laura…
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The Perception of “Coach”
by Jennifer Gelhaus, USPTA and Director of Tennis In our sports-hungry culture, we watch the NHL, MLB, NFL, the ATP. Finally, we are receiving coverage of the WNBA more often and watching the LPGA and the WTA. In this age of inclusion and diversity, women's sports are, perhaps, finally gaining…
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A Never-Ending Question: To Teach Or Not To Teach?
Angela Wilson was fortunate enough to have really good coaches who were in the game of coaching. That made the difference for her growing up playing junior tennis and into her college career at the University of Indiana. Her foundation really helped her to become a great coach long before she...
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The Historian and Curator
Tennis has a beautiful history, and Jim McCready is at the forefront of keeping that history alive and in front of tennis and sport fans across the world. Former Director of The APTA and a legend both on the tennis and platform tennis courts, Jim states that "tennis has been his life." His...
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The One And Only Jennifer Gelhaus
Jennifer Gelhaus has always been before her time. She started college early at the tender age of 16, after being recruited from her native Venezuela to play Division II tennis here in the United States. She left home and took a chance. She took a step into college coaching before moving to Long...
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Simon Says – Simon Gale at the USTA National Campus
Simon Gale, Director of Racquets, USTA National Campus Simon Gale is at the top of our industry. As the Director of Racquets at the USTA National Tennis Center in Lake Nona, Florida, Simon oversees four head professionals and nearly one hundred courts across the campus. From hosting national USTA...
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Beyond The Baselines have?
Beyond The Baselines currently has 77 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Beyond The Baselines about?
Management Consultancy from Experts in the Country Club Industry
How often does Beyond The Baselines release new episodes?
Beyond The Baselines has 77 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Beyond The Baselines?
You can listen to Beyond The Baselines on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Beyond The Baselines?
Beyond The Baselines is created and hosted by Ed Shanaphy.
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