Private club leaders are expected to be everywhere—supporting members, developing employees, preparing for Board meetings, reviewing financial results, solving operational challenges, and planning for the future. Yet too often, the administrative demands of the position keep us behind our desks and away from the people and relationships that matter most.

I understand that challenge because I have lived it throughout more than 25 years in the private club industry. My career has taken me from Assistant Golf Professional to General Manager/Chief Operating Officer of a $22 million private club operation. After serving for 14 years as the GM/COO of Laurel Creek Country Club, I now have the privilege of leading Montclair Golf Club. Throughout that journey, one belief has remained at the center of my leadership philosophy: relationships determine results.

I began using artificial intelligence because I was looking for a better way to manage the growing administrative burden of club leadership. I wanted to communicate more effectively, prepare more thoughtfully, analyze information more quickly, and make better use of the limited hours in each day. What began as an effort to save time soon revealed something much more important: AI could create additional capacity to lead.

That realization changed the way I viewed this technology.

I did not adopt AI to replace hospitality, professional judgment, or personal relationships. I adopted it so I could spend more time delivering hospitality, developing my team, engaging with members, and thinking strategically about the future of the Club. AI cannot replace the experience and judgment of a capable club leader—but it can help protect the time required to apply them.

That is why I created The AI-Enabled Club Leader Playbook.

This is not a technical manual, and it is not a book about replacing people with technology. It is a practical leadership system created specifically for private club executives. The playbook focuses on six areas that consistently consume a leader’s time: communication, Board reporting, staff training, feedback analysis, meeting preparation, and business planning.

Within each section, you will find club-specific prompts, proven workflows, practical applications, implementation guidance, and recommendations for reinvesting the time you reclaim. The Leadership Time Pyramid™, Return on Leadership™, and Leadership Accelerators™ provide a clear framework for using AI responsibly while keeping leadership—not technology—at the center of the process.

The companion 90-Day Implementation Tracker turns those ideas into action. It provides 24 guided milestones, defined deliverables, progress measurements, accountability tools, and a Time Return Log that allows you to document actual results. Its goal is straightforward: help you reclaim at least 20 leadership hours in 90 days and intentionally reinvest that time in your employees, members, culture, and strategic priorities.

You do not need to become an AI expert, overhaul your entire operation, or implement everything at once. Start with one recurring challenge. Apply one proven workflow. Measure the result. Build confidence. Then expand your use of AI thoughtfully across the organization.

The future of club leadership will still be built on trust, service, judgment, and relationships. AI simply gives us a powerful new way to protect the time those responsibilities require.

The question is not whether technology can do more of our work. The better question is: What could you accomplish as a leader if more of your time were returned to you?