General Manager/COO Wachesaw Plantation Club
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Job summary
Wachesaw Plantation Club in Murrells Inlet, SC seeks a General Manager/Chief Operating Officer to lead all club operations and guide the management team. The GM/COO will partner with the Board on strategic planning and ensure exceptional member service across golf, dining, events, and amenities.
The role emphasizes leadership, culture, and financial stewardship, with top priorities including staffing development and delivering consistent, high‑quality experiences for members and guests.
Qualifications
- Five years or more of progressive leadership and management experience in a private club environment.
- Strategic and thoughtful approach to private club management and operations.
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong commitment to member service with a visible, approachable presence.
- Proven ability to recruit, mentor, and develop department heads and staff.
- Ability to cultivate a positive, collaborative workplace culture with accountability.
Responsibilities
- Lead the club management team and supervise department heads.
- Partner with the Board and committees to shape strategic direction.
- Promote a high-quality service culture across all club operations.
- Oversee budgeting, forecasting, and financial performance.
- Drive plans for Magnolias restaurant and the new pool complex open and operate successfully.
- Ensure effective governance, reporting, and stakeholder communication.
Skills
Education
Job description
Wachesaw Plantation Club is seeking an experienced, highly visible, personable, and decisive General Manager/COO who combines strong private club operating expertise with exceptional people leadership. The successful candidate will be an approachable and engaging leader who listens well, communicates clearly, and builds meaningful relationships with members and employees. Equally important, the GM/COO must have the confidence to make difficult decisions and establish clear expectations while fostering trust and collaboration and continuing to build a positive culture at WPC.
Wachesaw Plantation Club is seeking an experienced, highly visible, personable, and decisive General Manager/COO who combines strong private club operating expertise with exceptional people leadership. The successful candidate will be an approachable and engaging leader who listens well, communicates clearly, and builds meaningful relationships with members and employees. Equally important, the GM/COO must have the confidence to make difficult decisions and establish clear expectations while fostering trust and collaboration and continuing to build a positive culture at WPC.
The ideal candidate will bring broad operational expertise with particular strength in food and beverage, financial management, staff development, and golf-related operations. Wachesaw is looking for a leader who can recruit, develop, and retain talented department heads while creating greater consistency and alignment across the management team. The GM/COO is expected to empower the club’s department leaders, provide them with the resources and support necessary to succeed, and establish effective processes and procedures that strengthen organizational performance, accountability, and financial discipline.
Visibility and personal engagement will also be essential to the success at Wachesaw Plantation Club. The next GM/COO should genuinely enjoy being present throughout the club engaging members in the restaurants, on the golf course and practice areas, and across the broader community.
Click here to view a brief video about this opportunity.
Wachesaw Plantation Club is a private, member-owned country club located in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, where championship golf, exceptional hospitality, and an active social lifestyle come together in one of the Lowcountry’s most distinctive settings. Since opening in 1985, the Club has earned a reputation for delivering an exceptional member experience while honoring the history, natural beauty, and traditions of its coastal surroundings. Towering live oaks, Spanish moss, and sweeping views of the Waccamaw River create a setting that is both timeless and uniquely Wachesaw.
The Club’s centerpiece is its acclaimed Tom Fazio-designed championship golf course, complemented by an expansive practice facility, eight Har-Tru clay tennis courts, a resort-style pool complex, and a vibrant year-round calendar of golf, racquet, dining, and family programming. Members enjoy multiple dining venues, highlighted by Kimbels, the Club’s signature riverfront restaurant overlooking the 18th green and Intracoastal Waterway, as well as Magnolia’s Poolside Café and the Clubhouse Tavern, creating a dynamic social atmosphere throughout the year. The Club also hosts a variety of member events, private celebrations, weddings, and golf outings that further enhance its reputation as the social center of the Wachesaw community.
Committed to preserving its heritage while enhancing the member experience, Wachesaw Plantation Club continues to invest in its future through its “Building Our Legacy” initiative. Significant improvements are currently underway, in a multi-million-dollar project, to enhance the Club’s pool complex, dining facilities, outdoor spaces, and supporting infrastructure, reflecting a long-term commitment to thoughtful stewardship and continuous improvement, ensuring Wachesaw remains one of the premier private club experiences along South Carolina’s Hammock Coast.
- Approximately 580 members across Golf, Social/Social Sport, and Tennis membership categories.
- Golf Member initiation investment: $17,500 Certificate plus $8,000 Capital Contribution.
- Annual Golf Member dues: $8,040.
- Annual gross volume approximately $6.0 M.
- Annual dues volume approximately $2.9 M.
- Annual Food & Beverage volume approximately $2.0 M.
- Approximately 27,500 rounds of golf annually.
- The total number of FTE is approximately 65, with an additional 20 seasonal employees.
- Annual food minimum by membership class: Full Golf – $1,200 family / $600 single; Interim Equity and National – $600 family / $300 single.
- Annual capital assessment: $600 for all membership classes.
- ISI charge (amortization of the new irrigation system loan): $120–$600, depending on membership class.
- Approximate average age of members: 61.
www.wachesaw.com
The GM/COO has full responsibility for all aspects of operations at Wachesaw Plantation Club, effectively managing all resources and reporting to the Board of Directors and the Club President. The GM/COO will lead the management team, directly supervising the Executive Chef, Office Manager, Tennis Professional, Golf Professional, Golf Course Superintendent, Director of Member Relations, Catering and Events Manager, Facilities Manager, Magnolia/Pool Manager, and Kimbels Manager. The GM/COO will indirectly supervise all employees of the club while promoting a positive, engaging, and highly competent service culture in all operations.
The GM/COO is expected to be a highly engaging “thought partner” with the Board and committees, helping set strategic direction for the Club’s long‑term well‑being. The Board, committees, and membership have begun developing a Strategic Plan to guide the Club over the next five to ten years, with the process expected to continue over the next nine to twelve months. A vision statement and SWOT analysis are complete, an aspirational membership survey is underway to understand members’ desires for the next ten years, and focus groups are planned for October 2026. The new GM/COO will be a key leader in this collaborative effort, helping translate member input into priorities and an actionable plan. Balancing the Club’s traditions with the needs of newer, younger members and families remains essential. The overriding expectation is to set the standard for consistent, high-quality member and guest experiences through strong team development and engagement.
Additionally, the new GM/COO must be a professional and highly respectful in his/her personal style, demeanor and presence, and someone who recognizes and is comfortable interacting with all demographics of members, staff and other constituents who contribute to the success of the Club; name recognition is a foundation of such success and this style must be a core competency of the top executive.
Transparency, honesty, and direct feedback are highly valued. Attention to detail and having necessary and appropriate follow up skills are important personal characteristics. A proven, thoughtful “listener” is desired, as well as someone who is highly approachable, appreciative of input and able to appropriately “filter” such input to implement the Club’s goals and objectives.
- Listen, Learn, Build Trust & Assess the Organization: During the first 90 days, invest significant time listening to and engaging with members, employees, the Board, and committees to gain a thorough understanding of WPC’s culture, traditions, expectations, and operating practices. Assess the Club’s financial position, organizational structure, leadership team, and current operating procedures before implementing broad organizational change.
- Stabilize & Elevate Food and Beverage Operations: Make immediate improvements to the consistency and overall execution of food and beverage operations, with particular attention to Kimbels. Evaluate culinary leadership, staffing levels, server training, operating procedures, reservation systems, service standards, and the overall member dining experience. Recruit and secure the appropriate culinary leadership while establishing greater stability, accountability, and consistency throughout the F&B operation.
- Strengthen the Leadership Team & Employee Culture: Evaluate the existing management team and organizational structure while identifying opportunities to strengthen leadership, communication, accountability, and collaboration across departments. Assess employee morale, staffing, retention, training, and development needs and establish a culture in which department leaders are empowered to lead their areas while being held accountable for results.
- Establish a Highly Visible & Engaged Leadership Presence: Be consistently visible and accessible throughout the Club, developing meaningful relationships with members and employees. Establish clear and responsive communication practices and create opportunities to regularly listen to member feedback, understand concerns, and communicate the Club’s priorities and progress.
- Successfully Open Magnolias & the New Pool Complex: Make the successful completion, staffing, opening, and operation of the new Magnolias restaurant and pool complex a primary first-year objective. In preparation for the anticipated April 2027 opening, finalize budgets, staffing models, operating hours, service standards, training, procedures, and the overall member experience. Ensure the new amenities are operationally and financially prepared for a successful launch and positioned to meet the high expectations of the membership.
- Continue to Build Professional Management & Governance Alignment: Continue to build a productive partnership with the Board and committees and share best practices of day‑to‑day operational responsibilities from volunteer leadership and professional management team. Establish clear roles, responsibilities, communication channels, and expectations that allow the Board to remain focused on governance and strategic direction while empowering the leadership team to effectively operate the Club.
- Strengthen Financial & Operational Discipline: Develop a comprehensive understanding of WPC’s financial position and establish consistent budgeting, forecasting, reporting, and departmental accountability practices. Evaluate operating processes and procedures across the Club and implement appropriate performance measurements to ensure resources are being effectively managed and operational decisions support the Club’s long‑term financial sustainability.
- Help Lead and Advance the Club’s Strategic Plan: Make strategic planning a central first‑year priority while onboarding and maintaining operational focus. Work with the Board, committees, membership, and leadership team to advance the planning process already underway, building on the completed vision statement and SWOT analysis and incorporating findings from the membership survey and October 2026 focus groups. Contribute operational, staffing, financial, and capital insights to a plan that will guide the Club over the next five to ten years. Support completion within the anticipated nine‑to‑twelve‑month planning horizon and, by the end of the first year, translate agreed priorities into an implementation roadmap with clear responsibilities, timelines, resource requirements, and measures of progress.
- A minimum of five years of progressive leadership and management experience in an active, private, member-focused club environment, or an equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.
- A proven leader with a strategic and thoughtful approach to all aspects of private club management and operations.
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, complemented by energy, creativity, professionalism, sound judgment, and consistent follow‑through.
- A strong commitment to member service and satisfaction, with a highly visible, approachable, and engaging presence throughout the Club.
- Demonstrated success in recruiting, leading, mentoring, and developing department heads and employees through effective hiring, training, communication, accountability, and ongoing professional development.
- The ability to cultivate a positive, collaborative workplace culture that promotes teamwork, accountability, consistency, and a strong service ethic.
- Proven financial management experience, including the development and oversight of annual operating and capital budgets, forecasting, financial reporting, and departmental accountability.
- Experience overseeing diverse recreational amenities and programs, including golf, racquets, aquatics, family activities, and other member-focused offerings
- A strong understanding of contemporary private club technology and the ability to effectively leverage club management systems, websites, social media, and other communication platforms.
- A Degree is highly desirable, preferably in Hospitality Management or Business.
- In lieu of the degree, substantial private club or hospitality experience will be considered.
- CCM, CCE, PGA designation preferred but not required
Salary is open and commensurate with qualifications and experience. The club, along with the typical CMAA benefits, offers an excellent bonus and benefit package.
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