The AceCall.ai Podcast

In this episode of ⁠The AceCall.ai Podcast⁠, we sit down with ⁠Lorencio Di Gregorio⁠, General Manager and Financial Controller of ⁠Whitewater Golf Club⁠ in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Lorencio brings a unique perspective to club leadership. Whitewater is not only a semi-private golf facility—it is also a family-run business where Lorencio has worked in nearly every department, starting in the dish pit at age 11 and eventually moving through turf maintenance, back shop, food and beverage, events, administration, finance, and general management.
With a CPA background and deep operational experience, Lorencio offers a grounded look at what it takes to run a large semi-private club that serves members, daily fee golfers, weddings, tournaments, banquets, and the broader Thunder Bay community.
We dig into the challenge of balancing two identities at once: providing members with a strong sense of belonging, priority, and club culture, while still making public players and event guests feel welcomed and valued. Lorencio shares how Whitewater manages tee sheet access, member communication, event calendars, pace of play expectations, and high-service hospitality without letting one side of the business overwhelm the others.
We also explore how AI is beginning to enter the day-to-day reality of golf club operations—from email writing and newsletters to meeting notes, themed events, data analysis, member preferences, turf management, and future customer service opportunities.
What you’ll learn:
✅ How Lorencio went from working in the dish pit to leading Whitewater Golf Club
✅ Why semi-private clubs need a clear identity and consistent service philosophy
✅ How Whitewater balances members, public play, weddings, tournaments, and corporate events
✅ Why communication is critical when members feel pressure from non-member traffic
✅ How to protect a member-first culture while still growing outside revenue streams
✅ Why pace of play expectations need to be reset as clubs become busier
✅ How small staff-member details create a true sense of belonging
✅ Where Whitewater is already experimenting with AI in content, meetings, and event execution
✅ How AI could support turf management, member personalization, accounting, and golfer experience
✅ Why technology should help staff create more human moments—not remove the human side of hospitality
If you’re a GM, owner, operator, board member, department leader, or future club leader trying to balance member expectations, public access, events, staffing, communication, and technology, this episode offers practical insight from someone who has seen the business from the ground up.
🎧 Listen now—and subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of golf club leadership, operations, member experience, hospitality, innovation, and AI.
#WhitewaterGolfClub #ThunderBayGolf #SemiPrivateGolf #GolfClubManagement #GolfOperations #MemberExperience #GolfHospitality #AIForGolf #VoiceAI #TheAceCallAIPodcast #AceCallAI

In this episode of ⁠The AceCall.ai Podcast⁠, we sit down with ⁠Steve Courneyea⁠, General Manager of ⁠Galt Country Club⁠ in Cambridge, Ontario.
Steve brings one of the more diverse career paths in Canadian golf: competitive junior golf, becoming a PGA of Canada member at 19, public and semi-private club operations, a master club fitting and sales role with Callaway, leadership with Cardinal Golf Group across multiple properties, and now the GM role at one of Ontario’s respected private clubs.
We begin with what makes Galt such a special place: a historic Stanley Thompson design, a traditional parkland feel, a stunning setting along the Grand River, and a deeply rooted club culture supported by long-tenured staff and a welcoming membership.
From there, Steve shares how his career has shaped the way he leads today. His biggest leadership lesson is simple but powerful: happy staff create happy members. For Steve, private club excellence is not only about course conditions, facilities, or programming—it is about the relationships, trust, and consistency that members feel every time they arrive.
We also explore how golf culture has changed since the Tiger boom and COVID boom, why new golfers need to feel welcomed rather than intimidated, and how clubs can modernize without losing the traditions that make the game special.
What you’ll learn:
✅ What makes Galt Country Club a hidden gem in the heart of Cambridge
✅ How Steve’s experience across public, semi-private, vendor, multi-course, and private club environments shaped his leadership style
✅ Why staff retention is one of the biggest drivers of private club member experience
✅ How clubs can better onboard new members and help them find their circle
✅ Why golf’s culture is becoming more relaxed, diverse, and welcoming
✅ How AI can help GMs save time, improve communication, and become more member-facing
✅ Where AI may create future opportunities in merchandising, forecasting, course maintenance, pace of play, and club fitting
✅ Why simulators, indoor golf, and gaming-style golf experiences are expanding—but will never fully replace the outdoor game
✅ Why autonomous mowers may become one of the biggest operational breakthroughs for clubs in the near future
If you’re a GM, board member, department leader, or future club leader thinking about staff culture, member experience, technology, and the next generation of golf operations, this episode is packed with practical insight from someone who has seen the industry from nearly every angle.
🎧 Listen now—and subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of golf club leadership, operations, culture, innovation, and AI.
#GaltCountryClub #PrivateClubLeadership #GolfClubManagement #MemberExperience #GolfOperations #AIForGolf #GolfTechnology #VoiceAI #TheAceCallAIPodcast #AceCallAI

In this episode of ⁠The AceCall.ai Podcast⁠, we sit down with Jeff Calderwood, founding CEO of ⁠NGCOA Canada⁠, as he prepares to retire after 34 remarkable years helping shape the modern Canadian golf industry.
Jeff helped build NGCOA Canada from the ground up into a national organization supporting more than 1,500 golf course operators through education, research, advocacy, group purchasing, marketing programs, benchmarking, events, and best-practice sharing.
We begin with one of Jeff’s newest and most meaningful initiatives: the newly launched NGCOA Canada Foundation and the Jeff Seco Benevolent Fund. Jeff shares how the Foundation was created to give back to the people who make the golf industry work—especially employees and families facing financial hardship, health crises, or difficult life circumstances.
From there, we zoom out into the state of Canadian golf today. Jeff explains why the industry remains strong after the COVID-era boom, how rounds and revenues continue to climb, and why golf’s economic impact, employment, charitable fundraising, and participation levels make it one of Canada’s most important sports and industries.
We also explore what comes next: AI, automation, dynamic pricing, destination-style marketing, influencer golf, affordability, tee time scalping, simulators, sustainability, labour challenges, consolidation, and why every operator needs a “Plan B” even when business is strong.
What you’ll learn:
✅ Why the NGCOA Canada Foundation may become one of Jeff’s most lasting contributions
✅ How Canadian golf stayed strong after COVID—and why the momentum has not disappeared
✅ Why golf is not recession-proof, but is highly recession-resilient
✅ Where AI can reduce routine admin work and free staff for more human, golfer-facing service
✅ Why clubs should keep marketing even when tee sheets are full
✅ How “destination thinking” helps facilities stand out through story, experience, and differentiation
✅ Jeff’s view on golf pricing, accessibility, and tee time scalping
✅ Why creators, simulators, short courses, smart ranges, and better technology can all help grow the game
If you’re a golf course owner, GM, board member, operator, department leader, or supplier who cares about the future of Canadian golf, this conversation is a rare chance to hear from one of the industry’s most respected builders.
🎧 Listen now—and subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of golf club leadership, operations, innovation, culture, and AI.
#NGCOACanada #CanadianGolf #GolfBusinessCanada #GolfClubLeadership #GolfOperations #AIForGolf #VoiceAI #TheAceCallAIPodcast #AceCallAI

📞 Want to win with AI but don't know where to begin and don’t want to experiment on your own? Want to know exactly where AI can save your club time, money, and headaches?
Our Ace AI Audits uncover high-impact opportunities to streamline operations, boost member service, and eliminate inefficiencies using the free and paid AI tools available to you today.
Before you invest in new tech, let us show you what’s possible—and what you might be missing.
Call us at 1-866-838-8581 and ask for more information on our Ace AI Audits and we'll follow up.
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In this episode of The AceCall.ai Podcast, we sit down with Martin Piché, General Manager & COO of Scarboro Golf & Country Club—the only 18-hole A.W. Tillinghast course in Canada.
Martin shares his uncommon path from superintendent to GM/COO and the leadership mindset that journey forged: team-first, data-informed, and relentlessly member-focused.
We dig into Scarboro’s multi-year capital plan—including a full irrigation system replacement, tee and bunker upgrades aligned to Tillinghast intent, and a new sports lounge overlooking simulators and an indoor putting green—and how transparent communication kept members, boards, and staff aligned at every step.
What you’ll learn:
✅ How a superintendent’s eye for detail, budgeting, and planning translates into club-wide leadership

✅ The playbook for on-time/on-budget capital projects: clear scope, contractor communication, and real contingencies

✅ Practical ways to over-communicate milestones (drones, photos, timelines) to build member buy-in

✅ Why cross-training and “all-hands” culture beat silos—especially during renovations

✅ Where AI fits today at clubs: GPS-guided spraying, modern irrigation controls, ChatGPT for drafting and data analysis

✅ Near-term AI wins: staff scheduling, reception/chatbots, range-pick robots—and why AI should free staff to be more member-facing, not replace them

✅ Governance takeaways: use AI to surface better comparisons and trends, but make decisions anchored in club culture and mission

If you’re a GM, board member, or department leader aiming to modernize without losing your club’s soul, this conversation is packed with practical wisdom you can use this season.
🎧 Listen now—and subscribe for more expert interviews at the intersection of private-club leadership, culture, and AI.
🔗 Available on Apple, Spotify, and all major podcast platforms
#ScarboroGolf #Tillinghast #PrivateClubLeadership #GolfClubGovernance #MemberExperience #CapitalProjects #AIForGolf #VoiceAI #GolfOperations #TheAceCallAIPodcast #AceCallAI

📞 Want to win with AI but don't know where to begin and don’t want to experiment on your own? Want to know exactly where AI can save your club time, money, and headaches?
Our Ace AI Audits uncover high-impact opportunities to streamline operations, boost member service, and eliminate inefficiencies using the free and paid AI tools available to you today.
Before you invest in new tech, let us show you what’s possible—and what you might be missing.
Call us at 1-866-838-8581 and ask for more information on our Ace AI Audits, and we'll follow up.

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In this episode of The AceCall.ai Podcast, we sit down with John Turley-Ewart, a longtime member, past board director, and passionate private club steward at Scarboro Golf and Country Club—a historic Tillinghast-designed club facing existential questions just a decade ago.
John brings a unique blend of experience as a published business historian, regulatory consultant, and devoted member who helped guide Scarboro through a critical transformation: from aging demographics and financial uncertainty to a thriving, family-focused club with a waitlist and a renewed sense of purpose.
We explore the behind-the-scenes board decisions and member-led movements that:
✅ Sunsetted curling to refocus on Scarboro’s core identity as a golf-first club
✅ Attracted a younger, family-oriented demographic without sacrificing legacy culture
✅ Leveraged member referrals and proximity to rebuild a vibrant, sticky membership
✅ Managed governance shifts, capital planning, and intergenerational change
✅ Used data and communication to unify staff, members, and management
✅ Created a forward-looking culture rooted in openness, sustainability, and purpose
John also shares how AI tools could shape the future of governance, improve decision-making, and free up teams to deliver even more high-touch hospitality—without losing the heart of what makes private clubs so special.
If you’re a GM, board member, or club leader looking to modernize without losing your identity, this conversation is filled with practical insight, long-term thinking, and lessons from a club that’s lived through it all.
🎧 Listen now to learn how Scarboro evolved from struggle to strength—and how your club can too.
👉 Don’t forget to subscribe to The AceCall.ai Podcast for more expert interviews and insights at the intersection of private club leadership, culture, and A.I.
🔗 Available on Apple, Spotify, and all major podcast platforms
#SavingScarboro #GolfClubGovernance #PrivateClubLeadership #GolfClubCulture #AIForGolf #BoardLeadership #ClubTurnaround #VoiceAI #GolfBusiness #ScarboroGolfClub #TillinghastDesign #TheAceCallAIPodcast