President's Report March 2023

Dear La Cumbre Members,

There are lots of thoughtful activities happening at La Cumbre Country Club these days. Proactive, positive steps are being taken daily, with many special thanks to our member volunteers and our professional staff. We are truly getting better each day. 

Financial
With support from Alan Harden and the Finance Committee, Jeff Cowan closed our January results with the first net positive month in many months. Net operating profit for January was $9,000. February looks to continue that trend due to newly implemented cost controls and continued demand for new membership for our club.

Our total cash on hand is approximately $10.5M, with our project cash balance at $9.9M and our operating cash balance at $0.65M.

Every club department leader has been challenged to develop a plan to decrease operating expenses or increase revenues by 5% in their respective areas. The objective is to invest in areas that drive Members' value and minimize needless casual spending. The goal is to realize a total of $520k in savings in the 2023 operating budget. Good progress has been made toward achieving this goal. The 2023 operating budget includes most of the identified savings opportunities.

Projects
Our Renovation Committee, with the professional support of The Tynan Group, Anacapa Architects, Cabana Homes, and others, is working through the iterative process of defining the details of our projects. Within the next 30 days, we anticipate posting visual renderings of our clubhouse on our website, which will represent the current status of our clubhouse design. In the future, we anticipate our website being the primary vehicle for updates and comments.

  • Pool Bar & Grill
  • Final design is to be submitted to the County Planning Department by 4/28 with an anticipated start date for construction late in 2023. The project will take approximately six months to complete. The kitchen and bar redesign will allow for increased dining demand and social activities during the clubhouse construction and beyond. The success of our outdoor dining has greatly enhanced our member satisfaction and our club's economic position.
  • Tennis Court
  • We continue to work with the various professionals and stakeholders to determine if a Court 7 is feasible. The demand for use at our Tennis facility continues to grow, due to the good work of our professionals and our members desire to play. Assuming all things fall into place, we may be able to refresh all courts and build a Court 7 beginning in Q1 of 2024. Hopefully, we can submit these plans with the PB&G permit.
  • Clubhouse
  • Clubhouse design specifics are being finalized and incorporated into an updated permitting plan. Structural, mechanical, civil, electrical, and plumbing engineers are at work designing the technical functionality of the clubhouse. We will submit our plans as early as possible to the County Planning Department in Q4, but we can't submit until the PB&G permit is processed with County Planning Department Construction. This is expected to begin in Q3 of 2024.
  • Golf Course
  • Golf Course design and planning is underway with Todd Eckenrode. We anticipate the first draft in April.

Search
On Monday, February 21st, and Tuesday, February 22nd, we met with Kurt Kuebler and Paul Levy of KK&W and Eric Gregory, Club Benchmarking, our recently hired search firm, which is engaged to fulfill our search for our new General Manager. On Monday, Kurt and Paul toured our campus, and met with the leadership of our staff and our Search Committee. On Tuesday, Kurt, Paul, and Eric shared with the Search Committee and Board of Directors their process, best practices, metrics of other outstanding operating clubs, governance, and more.

We anticipate it may take until July 1st before the right General Manager is on campus. Thankfully, we are supported by a committed Board, talented members, and a professional staff to carry us through.

Membership
Membership sales demand continues to pace nicely, with four Equity applications anticipated to be approved by the end of the 1st quarter, and many other members upgrading into the various categories. Demand from the different categories is also solid, with a waitlist in Social Tennis, Associates, and Non-residents. 

Typically, membership sales go in waves, and this annual variable revenue from these sales follows approximately like this: 1st quarter 20%, 2nd quarter 30%, 3rd quarter 30%, 4th quarter 20%.

Food & Beverage
We have engaged a Food & Beverage consultant from Kemper Sports Management to review our operation. The consultant will review every aspect of our process, from the procurement of food products to the delivery of finished meals to our plates. Kemper Sports operates over 140 resort/golf operations, bringing these best operating practices to La Cumbre. The early feedback is very promising.

Golf
As stated in a prior Wayne's World…The year's primary focus will be planning for our various upcoming projects over the next few years and the ongoing maintenance of our property. February has brought quite volatile weather, some beautiful days that we have taken advantage of, and some that primarily benefited the lake. March and April will likely bring more blooms, great color, and wonderful spring golfing days.

With the rains and a full lake, it reduces our water bills but brings approximately 60 hours of additional maintenance per week. We have acquired a boat to service the lake and anticipate taking delivery soon.

Ladies' and Men's interclub matches, 9 & Dine, Super Bowl match, Niner's golf and more were played during February. March presents many opportunities to play, so please check out the Calendar and get a game!

Tennis
We continue to focus on enhancing our tennis facility for the enjoyment of our members. In January, we held three focus group meetings with a desire to learn from many of our active tennis facility members. The primary concerns were: 

1. Availability of tennis court time during peak hours
2. Availability of quality pickleball courts
3. Deferred maintenance of our courts
4. General deferred maintenance of our facilities. 

Progress is being made in all these areas. We anticipate sharing more specific thoughts on potential solutions to these concerns shortly.

House
This year we brought back the House Committee. Annetta Patrick is leading with a strong group of members in support, including Bryan Bahman. The primary short-term focus is on attention to detail. Cleaning the house, removing excess material in storage, and generally cleaning out the "garage" as many additional items have been retained past their useful life. 

We are open for business, and it is imperative that the property look as nice as possible. As mentioned above, the clubhouse renovation project will physically commence approximately summer of 2024. So, let's enjoy our clubhouse!

Social Events
Our Social Committee reports through the House Committee and is led by Jill Winchester, with a great group of members. With the support of Josh, Kaity, Inger, and Chef Eric, they are planning a terrific roster of events for us all to enjoy! This past week we celebrated Mardi Gras / President's party. Thank you for putting this great event together and for those who came out and celebrated. 

Let the good times roll!

Greg Moss,
President, La Cumbre Country Club

News from the Club President 5/12/25

By La Cumbre CC • May 12, 2025
Dear Members, Thank you to all who attended the recent Town Hall and Golf Course Project update meetings. Your participation and thoughtful engagement are essential as the board, management, and our committees strive to better understand how we plan for the future of La Cumbre. Over the next 45 days, the Board, Club Management, and the Finance Committee will be developing financial models that reflect the full scope of our campus-wide capital needs. These models will help inform project timing, prioritization, and funding strategies—including potential borrowing. As a reminder, any borrowing the Board recommends which exceeds $500,000 will require a member vote. In late June, the Board will hold a two-day planning retreat to review these options and map out a clear, disciplined path forward. We are committed to keeping members informed and equipped to make thoughtful decisions. We anticipate holding additional member forums to provide the needed context on these matters later this summer. If you were unable to attend the Town Hall, a recording is available HERE . We also encourage members to explore the Governance section of the member website, where you’ll find meeting minutes from all Board and committee meetings. Click the image below or HERE to view our Q1 2025 Update. Please continue to reach out with your questions, comments, and ideas. We deeply value your feedback as we work together to steward the long-term health and vitality of the Club. Warm regards, Tracy Jenkins President, Board of Directors La Cumbre Country Club

News from the Club President 4/16/25

By La Cumbre CC • April 16, 2025
Dear Members, As we prepare for the upcoming Town Hall on Thursday, April 24th, at 4:30 PM, I want to take a moment to reaffirm our Board’s commitment to transparency, thoughtful stewardship, and open dialogue. This will be the first Town Hall at La Cumbre focused specifically on sharing financial results, membership survey feedback, and our strategic direction, and I’m proud that it reflects one of the core values I’ve emphasized during my time as Board President: creating a more transparent and inclusive relationship between the Board and the membership. We’ve already received requests from members who wish to review information in advance of the Town Hall. I want to share how we’re approaching that: The 2024 Membership Satisfaction Survey results and summary were shared in our weekly email. If you missed the update, please view these HERE on the member side of our website under "Latest Updates." Additional materials—including the 2024 financials, capital account details, and the 2025 Board-approved budgets—are in final preparation. The Board will meet on Tuesday, April 22nd, to review and provide input on these items. Please recognize that what we present will not be audited and final. ​​​​​​ Once the Board completes its review of the materials and they are updated, we will promptly distribute the full set of materials to the membership to allow ample time for review ahead of the Town Hall. We are looking forward to your feedback and questions and request that once you've had a chance to review the materials, please feel free to click HERE and submit any questions you may have to Ali, Adam, or me. We will collect them until 2 p.m. on Thursday the 24th. We will also be taking questions at the Town Hall in a written format, so feel free to have one prepared so that it can be collected, read, and answered during the meeting. In addition, I’m pleased to announce that the Board has appointed Sven Klein to fill the one-year Board vacancy. Sven will serve as Treasurer for the remainder of the 2025 term. Sven Klein is an experienced entrepreneur who has founded and led several companies throughout his career. Most recently, he was the founding CEO of Lull Ventures, LLC, a direct-to-consumer mattress and bedding company headquartered here in Santa Barbara. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board. Originally from Freiburg, Germany, Sven moved to Santa Barbara in 1985. He is a proud graduate of La Colina Junior High, San Marcos High School, and the University of California, Santa Barbara (’94). He met his wife, Jennifer, at La Colina, and together, they have two children: Avery, currently attending Cal Poly, and Alden, who will graduate from San Marcos this June. The Klein family has been part of the La Cumbre Country Club community since 2003, holding Associate, Social Tennis, and Equity memberships. We are thrilled to welcome Sven to the Board and look forward to the expertise, professionalism, and commitment he brings to this leadership role. We know that informed members are engaged members, and we look forward to a productive, honest, and future-focused discussion on the 24th. Thank you for being such thoughtful stewards of this exceptional club. Tracy Jenkins President, Board of Directors La Cumbre Country Club

Member Survey Results​ 2024 Survey/Circulated March 2025

By La Cumbre CC • April 14, 2025
Dear Members, We would like to thank everyone who participated in the 2024 Member Satisfaction Survey. With 633 responses—representing 44% of our 1,431 members (830 primary plus spouses)—your feedback provides us with critical insights into what’s working well and where we can do better. The Good News : Several amenities are seeing improved satisfaction. The pool complex continues to shine, with strong scores in cleanliness, lifeguard service, and restroom upkeep—all performing above the industry average. Likewise, the fitness center remains one of our most used and appreciated facilities, with improvements in group class offerings, professional staff, and overall cleanliness. Tennis also showed notable year-over-year improvements. Court conditions, programming, and staff performance are now ranked among our strongest areas. These gains reflect both the hard work of our team and the investments made in these areas over the past year. Food & Beverage received mixed but directionally positive feedback. Members noted improvements in the quality and variety of offerings but also expressed concerns about service consistency, ambiance, limited hours, and the availability of healthier menu options. We recognize the importance of dining to the overall member experience and are actively addressing these areas. We are sensitive to the financial implications of a broad dining offering and are constantly balancing service hours, quality, and conditions. Golf Operations and Course Conditions remained stable, with strong marks for the professionalism of the Golf Shop team and the quality of service at bag drop and check-in. However, feedback on course conditions was more divided. While many noted ongoing improvements and praised maintenance during high play periods, others cited concerns with bunker quality, green speeds, and cart path conditions. At the same time, the survey highlighted important challenges. This was the first year we asked for feedback on Pickleball, and the results were clear: the program received the lowest satisfaction scores across all amenities. We recognize this is a growing area of interest for many members. However, due to limitations in our physical plant, sound restrictions, and other constraints, it may remain a difficult area to address fully in the near term.  The most sobering results came in the categories of Club Governance and Financial Oversight . The strongest dissatisfaction came in areas of financial transparency, operational communication, and overall responsiveness. These concerns are taken seriously and reflect a core tension many of you noted in your comments: the challenge of investing in the Club’s future while managing rising costs.
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