The National Championships are being held right here in Sun City! Maybe I live a cave but I had no idea this was happening until I drove past Bell and saw all the people. I was reading the local player bio's and one of them mentioned his coach is Bill Pearson! My question to Bill is how do you have time to coach when you seem to sit at your computer all the time and post threads on social media? Or are you posting from your phone and multi-tasking?
Hey happily retired, welcome. If people had any idea of the things i do, have done in this community they'd be shocked. Social media is simply an educational tool for people to better grasp our history and why we were so successful. The tournament is great, folks should stop by and watch it.
And what is the cost for us now? The ladies money has been gone for years that was supposedly donated? What does it cost us for maintenance, seed, water, fertilizer, mowing, electricity? A lot of outside people come and abuse our members, workers, and are they contributing to the RCSC $$$ for usage fees? And we can't forget all the wages to get the job done?
Why was this tournament not better promoted? I kinda remember when the Board was asked to approve the tournament but never heard a thing after that! Seems to me it could have been a great opportunity to show-case Sun City? As would a pickleball tournament!
The "ladies money" was somewhere between three quarters of a million to a million dollars and yes she is dead. The outside tournaments rent greens in accordance with the RCSC rental schedule, other than the freebie given all clubs. The cost of green maintenance has gone up which why when i was on the board i argued for all artificial surfaces. Damn, lost again. But say what here's the difference the golfers all want to forget about: All of the amenities other than golf and ten pin bowling were given to the RCSC with no reuirements to break even. Golf and ten pin bowling were sold to the RCSC on the condition they are self sufficient. I know that's a pesky bugger to get your head around but those are the facts of life whether you like them or not. Sorry, life's a bitch when you throw in that caveat with how the golf courses were purchased. That said, the problems with the looming water reductions are going to force every club that has outdoor surfaces needing water to reconsider every aspect of play, including golf and lawn bowling. Just the realities of living in the desert.
The National Championships are a little different, 48 bowlers are all that come in (6 of them locals). The tournament is run at one venue so marketing it is pretty minimal. We regularly get the US Open which typically will draw 350 to 400 bowlers, use numerous greens in different communities and brings bowlers from around the world. That promotion is far more extensive, but your point was well made, every club can do a better with promoting their activities.
Most clubs would like to have more publicity. But it's gotten harder and more expensive. The Independent has virtually eliminated gratis club coverage. I'm told the SunViews has also cut back, which I'd think makes almost no sense at all to most members. Isn't the whole purpose of the SunViews to keep members informed, to be the community newspaper? Oh, I forgot, the SunViews is the CORPORATE newsletter. Sorry. All that said, we living in an age where websites and social media platforms have become the norm, not printed paper. I still like hardcopy sometimes -- and I fear dropping my electronic devices into bathwater or the pool, etc. But I'm fully aware the world is rapidly moving everything they can online. Well, the rest of the world outside SC, anyway. The RCSC website, while a little better than it used to be, is still archaic in it's design. Hopefully one day they will incorporate all the club publicity stuff and have at least part of the RCSC website look more like a daily newspaper or social media site. Maybe someday well arrive at the place where our needs and their reality collide!
Well said IC! They have not provided up to date, easy to use website while simultaneously dropping ball on hard print. Just another casualty of Corporatethink vs Communitythink. GET OUT THE VOTE!!!
The Sun Views every month used to feature club reports, promotions and activities. In fact, i still open the Sun City West monthly newspaper and they still do exactly that. Ours has become a shell of its former self. Our website and social media should and could work in concert with one another. Our digital presence should be ten-fold what it is. The beauty of producing a vibrant and vital monthly newspaper is it appears online and serves multiple purposes. The argument, i guess is we now have In Focus. It's a nice touch, but is no match to reach under the old print format and and an aggressive social media presence. It's an add on, not a stand alone. The real concern for me is, as clubs are reduced in number, is it a concerted effort to consolidate them or a long term strategy to simply have less of them? When you look at Sun City and the RCSC as a business rather than as a community, you know what my answer would be. And from my historical vantage point, that would be tragic.
Our media presence is pretty embarrassing. I read in a report or minutes somewhere that RCSC is researching companies that are providing social media services for other 55+communities. That would be a major step forward!
Agree, Linda. RCSC attempts at social media are not impressive. Not magnets for potential new residents who are accustomed to better media. In Focus and the website as well! Sun City, AZ Facebook page (hosted by RCSC marketing, poor content, has RCSC logo) https://m.facebook.com/100066739532263/ Sun City, AZ Twitter page (last entry Dec. 31st, 2021, has RCSC logo) https://twitter.com/suncity_az?lang=en Press Releases and SunViews beginning in 2011 ( very good reference!) https://suncityaz.org/rcsc/presscommunications/
Here's the argument; we are selling 2000 plus homes a year, what difference does it make? Every successful organization i know had a strategic comprehensive long range plan. Every successful organization i know, stayed current on their technology. Every successful organization i know understood the importance of exceptional communication. I could go on, but why bother? I suspect you get the picture.
I do. Why don't they? We won't continue to sell 2k homes a year if this continues, OR our community will decline in value! We won't be able to compete! Our assessment will be the cheapest but our amenities won't meet the expectations!
