The Club Management Article You’ll Probably Never Read (But Really Should!)

A New Conversation in Club Safety Has Begun, by Gareth Macklin.

Let’s be very honest. Unlike many of the other interesting, engaging and even fun parts of club management, safety and compliance rarely gets people excited. In fact, considering you’ve read the words “safety and compliance” and continued on (even though we’re only at the 3^rd sentence), I’m impressed by that alone! But the fact you’ve come this far, bear with me for a few more minutes to see if I can help improve your perception of this essential topic, one we often pass on but is relevant every day in good club management.

As the founder of Obbi, a digital club compliance framework, I was invited to Washington 18 months ago to speak with top club managers about best practices in Compliance, Operations, Safety, and Training (C.O.S.T). Given how advanced clubs are with membership engagement, POS, and tee bookings, I assumed digital safety solutions would be just as common.

I was wrong.

After engaging with key industry stakeholders, clubs, multi-course operators, insurers, and safety inspectors, it became clear: digital safety hadn’t advanced like other club technologies. Despite clubs embracing technology in nearly every area, safety remains stuck in manual processes – paper, spreadsheets, and fragmented communication. When we returned to speak at this year’s CMAA conference, alongside industry leading pillars like Alan Achatz and David Ballew from Baldwin Insurance, the question I continued to ask was: why?

The Ostrich Effect: Ignoring Risks Until It’s Too Late

One reason is what we at Obbi call “The Ostrich Effect”—clubs assume safety is handled simply because nothing has gone wrong, yet. This leads to a tendency to ignore potential risks, burying their heads in the sand and hoping nothing bad happens in the future.

Take the case of a major club we spoke to last year. They had a safety committee, a designated officer, and regular meetings – so they believed they were compliant. When a serious incident occurred, they were forced to review their safety records. What they found was alarming: gaps in record-keeping, inconsistent reporting, and a lack of real-time oversight. OSHA quickly became involved, and what should have been preventable turned into a costly crisis.

Digital for Everything… Except Safety?

Clubs have adopted technology for bookings, finances, even menu orders. Yet, according to a recent survey, only 9% of clubs use digital tools for safety and compliance.

Meanwhile, solutions like EMRGCY, developed by Jon Kametz (Saucon Valley) and Chris Miller, are proving how digital tools can save lives and streamline safety processes. At this year’s CMAA Conference, EMRGCY even won Best New Product – yet most clubs are still relying on outdated manual processes.

The Silent Risk Lurking in Clubs

The issue isn’t that clubs don’t care about safety, it’s that safety responsibilities are siloed. It’s often left to a single Safety Officer, HR Manager, or Director of Operations, leaving the rest of the organisation disconnected.

This creates three major risks:

1. Lack of Visibility – Manual systems make it impossible to get quick oversight.
2. Gaps in the System – If safety relies on a few people, critical issues get missed.
3. Reactive Instead of Proactive Management – Most clubs only realise their flaws after something goes wrong.

Beyond the Safety Officer: A Club-Wide Responsibility

This is where digital safety solutions make the difference, they distribute responsibility across the entire club. Instead of relying on a few key individuals, digital systems allow staff, management, boards, and committees to track safety in real time.

We’ve seen clubs reduce risk, improve training efficiency, and gain instant oversight just by moving away from outdated, paper-based processes.

From Paper to Progress, Why Clubs Need Digital Safety

Digitising safety saves time, saves money, and reduces risk. A strong system should:

• Provide one real-time source of truth for tracking audits, incidents, training, and compliance.
• Automate workflows, reducing manual paperwork.
• Increase accountability by involving more people in safety management.
• Enable proactive risk management to catch issues before they escalate.
• Offer instant compliance feedback, so clubs know exactly where they stand.

A study from the UK Health & Safety Executive found that digital safety solutions improve efficiency by up to 33% – a statistic alone that should make clubs rethink their approach.

What Clubs Get Wrong About Compliance (And How to Fix It)

Many clubs assume they’re compliant just because they have safety processes. But compliance isn’t about having a checklist, it’s about accountability and consistency.

A strong digital system doesn’t just store information, it actively engages the entire club, reminding people of tasks, tracking progress, and providing real-time oversight. Paper-based methods simply can’t compete.

Time to Rethink Club Safety

Clubs have already embraced digital transformation in many areas, safety shouldn’t be any different. The right tools exist. The technology is ready. The industry is moving forward.

The question is: will your club stay ahead of the curve, or will it be forced to react when it’s too late?

Visit www.obbi.club to see how you can stay ahead of the curve.