PURCHASE, N.Y. (October 14, 2014) - The MGA and MGA Foundation hosted the annual Presidents Council Fall Conference on October 14 at Brae Burn Country Club in Purchase, N.Y. More than 175 leaders from MGA member clubs attended the seminar to learn about and discuss industry trends and issues affecting area clubs. The Presidents Council Fall Conference is a part of the MGA Foundation's series of educational programs, and each year features a panel of distinguished guests who present to the full group.

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This year's presentations featured Kurt D. Kuebler, CCM, who presented on Team Development, Board Dynamics and Strategic Planning. Kuebler, a partner at Kopplin and Kuebler, focused on the best practices that he has observed from visiting more than 200 clubs annually around the country. He shared tips for efficiency in board meetings and ways to set standards, norms and expectations for club staff.

Steve Graves, President, Creative Golf Marketing, then presented specific membership growth and retention strategies of successful private clubs. He shared what successful clubs are doing and ways that MGA member clubs can incorporate some of these practices. He suggested that clubs think "outside of the box" in order to gain and retain members, and also that clubs evaluate repeatable, sustainable practices to keep membership growing.

Next, MGA Vice President Steve Boyd updated the audience on the MGA and the MGA Foundation, including a recap of the season's 19 championships, the MGA Foundation and its GOLFWORKS program, and the MGA's success mobile app, My MGA and its club app. The new club app feature allows clubs to connect with members directly through the My MGA app, such as giving members the ability to book tee times, dining reservations, receive push notifications about club news, view the event calendar and more.

The seminar concluded with a panel discussion on the state of golf, which featured Bob Carney, Contributing Editor, Golf Digest Magazine, Jay Mottola, MGA Executive Director, and Suzy Whaley, Director of Instruction, Suzy Whaley Golf. The panel discussed ways that clubs can attract women and children, millennials and aging baby boomers. A main theme from the panel discussion was the need for clubs to keep practices traditional yet also relevant, such as embracing technology and different ways to connect with members via different forms of communications.

For more information about the annual Presidents Council Fall Conference, please call the MGA Member Services Department at 914-347-4653. Click here to find out more about the MGA's many member services.