Yesterday, the 8th of April i made comments to Rusty Bradshaw at the Independent Newspaper regarding an article he is doing for next week. He had some questions regarding the fencing around the open areas and overall how the RCSC has handled it. Rather than spoil his story with my thoughts, i have taken the liberty to post below the comments posted by the GM in Sun City West, William Schwind regarding the closing of the golf courses there. I was stunned and surprised by how well he articulated the decision and my hat is off to him for the professional way he laid it out: If you recall, RCSCW made the decision several weeks ago to close its recreation facilities, except for golf courses. Our decision preceded our Governor and all university and national sports associations decisions to do the same. Our main decision to keep golf open is the fact that golfers do not require a shared physical object to play (a ball being handed back and forth). We took special precautions to ensure social distancing, making sure we adapted and removed most touchable items (flags, holes, rental carts, ball washers, rakes etc.) Yes, there was some early complaining but that grew mostly into thank you messages. Look at the situation since then. The Arizona numbers within Maricopa County are growing and we are being told that the peak is coming. If a large wave, hurricane or tornado is approaching, do you not prepare and take cover? I have learned over years of competition that winning requires a bit of defense to be played. What appears to be one of the saving graces from this virus is isolation, quarantine and hopefully warm sunny weather. Other countries severely impacted by this virus have adopted this type of stay at home behavior and things are improving and lives are saved. This is serious and we are managing as such. With the spread of this virus continuing to grow locally, we feel that the best thing for everyone to do at this time is to stay home. So far 14 states have specifically banned golf being played (California, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin), and the situation is ever-changing. In some cases, courses, clubs or resorts have opted to pause operations even if their states haven’t mandated it. A few days ago, our Governor made changes to his initial definition of essential services (beauty salons, manicures and tattoo parlors). I’m not certain that golf is too far behind. Dealing with the national trends, local health official data and a recent spike in activity, we made the decision to close for the safety of all. I golf, too, and I understand the frustration as I would rather be out there with you than doing a lot of other things. You can fault me all you want for making unpopular decisions, but those decisions are honest, transparent and defendable. You should not find fault in our Association’s attempt to keep members safe and protecting our employees from unnecessary harm. The best advice given to me is to “Stay At Home,” wash your hands and I hope to see you on the tee box soon. Stay safe – William Schwind General Manager RCSCW Curious on readers here if they agree with my asessment?
Cannot wait to see it. I'm sure you're going to trash the rcsc and golf but that's you. You didn't get your way to have lawn bowl open where everyone touches equipment and balls mats etc. Make SC better Bill trash MGMT and the board that didn't like your attitude or ideas stay well
I try and stay positive whenever possible SW. There are times i address issues that you may not like, but that's life eh? I know it's hard to believe but i approached Rusty's questions from a historical perspective. Board members and management hate that because it's uncomfortable to look at what has happened in the last 12 years, but it is what it is. Rewriting the community documents to serve the needs of small picture RCSC rather than big picture community always comes at a cost. And you are right on one thing, i objected, voted against many of those changes and because it was far removed from the potential we had as a community and the tenets we were founded under. That's life in the minority on boards. As far as the lawn bowling greens, they should be closed. My preference would be everything would be open and running. It was never an option. Closing was the right thing to do, there was no choice. You keep saying i hate golf, which is nonsense. Whether it is open or closed is immaterial to me. My concerns are from a safety perspective. The steps they took were good, they could have been better. The idea we are letting anyone come in and play our courses is troubling. Especially when we aren't telling them to each rent a cart but letting them ride together in the rentals. Now it magnifies with Grand closing to outside play and SCW closed completely. I did note you failed to answer yet another question i asked: What did you think of general manager Bill Schwind letter posted above? So i am clear, not the fact they were closing the courses, but the clear, concise and professional manner it was written in. Effective communication (as you well know), is all about being unambiguous, easy to read and not talking or writing in a way that makes it sound like you are talking down to people. It's often a lost art these days, which is why i took the time to post it. Too often people in positions of power and in control act as if they are above addressing people like they matter. So from a communication standpoint, were the SCW general managers comments well articulated?
Yes. Sun City West seems to communicate on a much more caring and informative manner. You just have to compare your referenced SCW notice to the April 8 email sent to RCSC Cardholders reminding them they have to pay their annual assessments when due. No "We hope you are safe and well.", no "We care about your health & safety.", no words of encouragement or compassion etc. Just "You signed the document when you bought so pay!".
On a side note. The online SC or SCW Independent for 4/8 still hasn't been posted. This delay hasn't happened for a long time.
My point exactly aggie. In fact, go back and read what has been sent from the RCSC since the start of this mess. The ability to communicate in a way that creates buy-in and soothes the impact on people's lives is ever important, dare i say critical. I've never argued or attacked anyone at the RCSC over the closures. From the day it began, i have stated clearly it was beyond my pay grade. Their decision had to be made and while they were the last of the three communities to make it, it was the right thing to do. No question, no doubt, the right thing to do. The golf courses are open and again, a choice based on lots of different factors. Mitigating interaction was essential and while i hear people say they social distance, i read on Nextdoor all kinds of comments from folks living on golf courses who claim two people in carts and any number of players on top of each other. Personally, i have not bothered to check, it's not my job. I would hope, PRAY, the RCSC has the fortitude to do the right thing when it comes to golf. I know how important revenue is to them. However, it should never come down to a choice of collecting golf fees rather than keeping the community safe. I have refused to post the rumors i have heard, but if they are true and it ever comes out, heads should roll. In the end, doing the right thing is all that should matter.
As usual, my comments were longer than Rusty could use in their entirety. Hence, i will post the full text i sent him below: For 60 years, Sun City homes were sold on the premise you were “buying a way of life, not just a house.” It was absolutely true and closing the amenities was traumatic for so many residents. That said, the RCSC had no choice but to close; it was without question, the right thing to do. Where i take exception is in the cold, clinical and dispassionate way they have released information. Sun City’s lifestyle was grounded in an “ownership” mentality. From our earliest beginnings, we accepted the responsibilities on insuring we did the right things to get through whatever problem we faced. We have morphed away from being owners to simply being card holders who pay the rec fees. That’s tragic. Virtually everything i have read from the RCSC sounds like we are part of the problem rather than part of the solution. I hate blaming the messenger, but in this case, whomever is writing the emails needs recognize their inability to draw us in rather than pushing us away. It's why i posted the comments from the Sun City West GM above. The challenges of dealing with our community amenity closures is daunting...for both those making the decisions and those living with them. In trying times, we all are better off when those making tough choices engage people from a compassionate and caring perspective rather than card payers who should suck it up and by all means, mail in their payments on time. Or worse yet, the villains trying to make their lives miserable.
We saw a kinder, gentler RCSC email. Maybe they got the point that we are not just dollar signs. I also want to re-post the fact that the RCSC also made it possible to get our library materials at the Bell Center Library. Hopeful we can get through this without lingering bad feelings.
