Dear Member,

We would like to begin by thanking each and every member for their unwavering support during this past year.  In 2016 Mayacama encountered one of the greatest challenges in the Club’s history with the damage to 13 of 18 greens following the spring aerification. However, with this great challenge also came great opportunity.  We used the circumstances of this unfortunate event to accelerate our plans to regrass the greens in an effort to keep them free from foreign grasses and in the pristine conditions our members have come to expect.   

We could not be prouder of the effort put forth by the entire Mayacama team, contractors, and consultants that provided the necessary tools and assistance to ensure the high standards that Mayacama had already achieved were met or surpassed. We also understand the challenges and disruptions our members endured during this process and thank the membership for their understanding, compassion, and patronage throughout the year. 

As many of you can attest we are thrilled with the condition, maturity, and playability that was the end result after the resurfacing of our first 10 greens.  The remaining 8 holes, along with the lower putting green, are progressing nicely and we expect to have them open for play in January.  In addition to the greens we are also regrassing all of the tees on the back 9 while those holes are closed and will address the front nine tees during the spring.  2016 also saw the completion of our bunker renovation project resulting in 57 reconstructed and improved bunkers throughout the golf course.  

All of the above was accomplished without the need for assessments, additional debt or new capital; further showing the continued financial strength the club has experienced since recovering from the recession. 

As a result of the greens renovations projects and golf course closures, we weren’t able to meet our annual golf operations budget.  However, the good news is member usage remained strong in all other areas and with the help of management controlling labor and expenses throughout the club; we are tracking relatively close to our annual budget.

The Club enters 2017 with continued labor challenges facing the entire county. The great news is unemployment in Wine Country is at a historic low!  The bad news is most jobs are in the service related industries such as wine and hospitality and employers are all fighting to hire and retain great staff.  Mayacama is no exception.  We are doing all we can to retain staff in order to provide you with the best possible service imaginable and every good hire is a victory.  However, we often find ourselves in a position to determine what else we can do to recruit and retain a great service team.  So on behalf of the entire staff at Mayacama, we would also like to thank you for recognizing the team by means of the Holiday Fund!  Your thoughtful and generous donations have contributed to the employees’ enjoyment of the holiday season and helps Mayacama remain an attractive employer in the community.  The staff would like to wish everyone a happy, prosperous and joyful new year ahead!   

Moving forward, the Club will be hit hard in 2017 by the ongoing and increased cost of medical care.  To illustrate, medical benefits provided to our staff are increasing by 30% which is a $120,000 increase to Club expenses. The challenges of recruiting and retaining a quality staff are increasingly difficult and providing employees with fair and competitive wages is critical to maintaining a quality workforce.  We generally provide the staff with a nominal cost of living increase each year however, there are some areas in which the club must increase wages beyond annual inflationary rates which have been budgeted accordingly.

With the significant financial investment into the golf course and our commitment to maintain the course in the best possible shape to ensure the finest playing conditions we have decided to lease several new pieces of  golf course maintenance equipment  that offer the latest in cutting edge technology.  We have also been advised by the USGA  to outsource the management of one of the most vital inputs of our golf course – the lake on the 18th fairway!  As many of you know, this is where we store groundwater that is used to irrigate the golf course and professional oversight of this critical component of our operation is advised. 

You may recall we did not raise annual dues in 2016; they remained at 2015 levels.  We will be increasing dues in 2017 in order to remain a competitive employer in Sonoma County and continue to provide you with the best possible service and golf experience.  These costs are the primary drivers of our 6% dues increase for 2017.  Please know we are doing our best to remain below the industry average which is approximately a 3.5% increase in dues annually.  At 6%, and on an annualized basis, we are coming in at 3% in 2016 and 2017. Your January 2017 statement will reflect the dues increase as outlined below:

We look forward to another great year in 2017….we simply cannot wait!  Thank you so much for your continued support of Mayacama and this wonderful membership.  Happy New Year and we hope to see you soon!!!

Sincerely,

Jonathan Wilhelm
Managing Partner