Honoring Timeless Traditions - Q & A with Mike Harmon, Secession Golf Club’s former Director of Golf

I recently sat down for a virtual Q&A session with Mike Harmon, former Director of Golf at the acclaimed Secession Golf Club in Beaufort, South Carolina. Mike was in charge at the storied clubhouse for more than 30 years, building a unique culture that has matured into a model of success and vintage refinement.

Mike was a golfer on the PGA Tour in the early 1980s before transitioning into the club business. That shift, in his early thirties in 1986, enabled Mike to blend his deep knowledge of golf with his knack for membership ideal that thrives on authentic camaraderie.

With about 825 members, Secession Golf Club is a premier, old-fashioned, invite-only club with a mandatory walking policy on the Lowcountry-style course that features breathtaking views of the tidal marshes of South Carolina.

I asked Mike about how his experience creating the culture at Secession Golf Club offers valuable lessons in the broader business world.

Question 1: You’ve said before that the secret to success at Secession Golf Club is its understated elegance and simplicity. This seems to gratify your members because the club delivers on the promise of its experience. When companies search for an identity, how important is it to know what type of talent and mindset you’re trying to attract?

Mike Harmon: With regards to the “type of talent and mindset you’re trying to attract” and its role in the success of any business venture, it’s absolutely paramount that a company knows what it “is” and who best qualifies to do business with you. It is, perhaps, more important than the product itself!

At Secession Golf Club, we set out from day one to identify a person with a high golf IQ – one who understood the game of golf and its many traditions. We wanted someone who understood and appreciated the simplicity of the old great clubs of the U.K. and U.S.; not someone that needed all the fluff and puff that many American clubs offer today.

We were about golf in its purest form, walking only with caddies, a beautiful setting untouched by real estate, understated amenities and, most importantly, a membership that was affordable for all ranges of golfers who wanted such a unique experience.

In the world of golf, most great clubs are financially out of reach for the average player, and inevitably, take on an ambiance of refinery, service beyond measure and, in the end, feel a bit stuffy. We set out to keep Secession affordable and simple, yet unparalleled in its presence and comfort.

The Bruce Devlin course is easily in the top 200 of U.S. rankings. The conditions of the course are always exquisite and our accommodations, while perfectly simple, are not the offerings of the “Ritz” or its counterparts – because it doesn’t have to be. They are classically understated, comfortable and perfect for the simple environment we sell.

Our food selections are contained on a one-page menu – most of which have been there for decades. It features local specialties our members and guests return for each and every season. As I’ve said many times, the member knows what he is going to eat here for three days prior to arriving at the Club. All very simple, and I might add profitable!

Each of these components are sold to the potential member as part of the uniqueness of Secession, and since all are invited by other Members, they are well aware of our structure and most likely, have had the opportunity to visit a few times. They either like that or not. And for those that don’t, I politely say to them that this really isn’t for you and suggest other clubs in the area that might appeal to their particular needs.

I remember talking to a gentleman from Augusta, GA, who knew several Members. Augusta is a great golf town, and after discussing the Club, the costs and such, he said to me, “there is no way you can be that special on those numbers!” At the moment I knew he was not what we were looking for and politely ended the conversation.

My two original general partners, Tim Moss and Bob Walton, once told me, “if you sense that the guy isn’t right, he more than likely won’t be and will become a real headache if he does, in fact, join. Follow your instincts!”

$60-70 million in membership sales backed that theory up. We have held to our earliest structure and convictions, remaining steadfast to our ideals in a world that is all about compromise. That is why it worked: comfort, simplicity and affordability.

Question 2: Mentoring played a crucial role in your entry into the club business. When you retired from pro golf, you were briefly an outside cart attendant at Palmetto Dunes before making the leap into business, with help from your mentors. What role have mentorship and service played in sustaining and growing the reputation of Secession Golf Club?

Mike Harmon: Mentorship has served me immensely my entire life! The best mentor I ever had was also my best friend – my Dad. He guided me in so many ways, not with a heavy hand, but with a kind and gentle approach that kept us close until the day he passed away. He never imposed, but brought the consequences of my decisions into view, something devoid in a large part of society today.

When I was struggling to decide whether to play college baseball or golf, he said “you can play baseball, if you’re lucky, till you’re about 30, you can play competitive golf for the rest of your life!” I made that decision in 10 seconds, and what a life it has brought me!

I think a good mentor lays out all the facts from his sage position, then never intrudes into the conversation or decision after that: it must be individual who decides, for they are his consequences, his life.

Also helping in my development through life were several wonderful friends, surrogate dads if you will: Jim Gunter, my golf instructor; Charlie Drawdy, a dear friend and early founding member at the club; and my PGA mentor, Tim Moss, who hired me out of Palmetto Dunes (ultimately became one of the Original General Partners at Secession GC) and who a year or so later, hired me to handle the Golf Operations and Membership Sales at SGC; and of course, the late and great Ernie Ransome, Chairman of Pine Valley whose direction and input into this fledgling club gave it all the momentum it needed to get where it sits today. He taught me so much about the “runnings” of a national golf club!

Because of this great help and advice received in my early professional career, I made it my goal to do the same with the young men and women under my leadership from then on. I have expressed to my employees, in countless “learning moments,” little details about our business – not only operationally, but personally and politically, and how best to navigate the treacherous waters that pervade our business.

Golf is a magnificent game, perhaps the finest of all sports, but it is not a very good business. Only a select few succeed and an even smaller number reach greatness. As Director of Golf at Secession Golf Club, we had almost 20 assistants go on to wonderful head professional jobs throughout the country, and their performances delight me and make me very proud. We stay in contact regularly and I still get asked for advice, just as I ask them for advice!  

In the same vein, my door and phone have always been open to help other PGA professionals, golf course superintendents and caddies. It has been an honor to have this platform and I wear a gorgeous ring symbolic of the National PGA Award for Mentoring, the Bill Strausbaugh Award, given each year to honor those who have taken the lead in mentoring young professionals.

What an honor it was! We have also had a junior outreach throughout the community of Beaufort S.C., the hometown of Secession Golf Club. It’s a program I started 20 years ago for local kids who showed extraordinary talent to play our game. This program, called the “Academy Program,” has resulted in the advancement of many young kids and their games, not to mention two South Carolina State Junior Champions, one of which has moved onto the PGA Tour and remains there today. This outreach is simply a way for our club to give something back to our community and it has been a real blessing for so many kids, as has our LeVeen-Roach 9-11 Scholarship Fund, set up in the two names after they perished on that fateful day in NYC. Most of the “Academy” kids participate in this program once they have matriculated to college, another great feature to being selected to the Academy Program.

So, I simply say, if you are in charge of people, you owe them honor, integrity, honesty, consideration, respect and mentorship, period! Without it, you are not a leader, regardless of what you might think.

Michael Kelly: Part of what has made your club such a gem in the golf world is the long view you have taken in “protecting what has worked very well,” you’ve said in the past. With so much pressure to innovate and evolve in the business world, what advice do you have for executives to stay true to the question of culture that ensures their longevity?

Mike Harmon: I have spent 33 years selling – not Secession, not the golf course, not the famed back porch, nor the beauty of the Low Country or the wonderful little town of Beaufort S.C., but where this magnificent club could be in 75 to 100 years.  

It is a purely historical perspective. The game of golf is a very old game, with golfing exploits chronicled as far back as Danish sailors in the 1400s and Mary, Queen of Scotland, in the mid 1500s. Most clubs in the U.K. have been in association for well over 100 years (many 200) and I recently went to Dornoch Golf Club in the Highlands of Scotland to celebrate their 400th anniversary! Extraordinary!

So, while Secession Golf Club has certainly made its mark on the golfing world in three short decades (both in the U.S. and Internationally), we are far too young to “crow” about how special we are. I made sure that everyone who joined our wonderful place knew that the real goal was still 40-50 years distant, a day when, if the ideals of the club were protected by the decades of leaders to follow us, then their sons and daughters would see the true accomplishments of the dream our original founders envisioned. That goal was simple, that this club would be mentioned in the same breath as all the other great national/international clubs in the U.S., which are some of the finest clubs in the world.

That was the goal from day one and it remains the same goal today; to lead this club to its full maturity within the golf community, knowing full well that will take 75-100 years to accomplish! That one simple – well not so simple – baseline was the key to our success and we stuck to it.

We were not looking to make millions, we were not looking to be just successful – we were looking to be historic and that is very much alive today! As of July 2020, I have retired after more than three decades to enjoy a much quieter and peaceable life, but in departing, I leave the club on solid footing to ultimately reach that goal, but I won’t see it. None of the early founders or the original general partners will see it. We knew that right from the start, and most of the membership today will not see it, for it still sits 50-60 years away. But it’s within reach; the club is that special.

But as just mentioned, the club must be protected, it must retain the qualities that made it work for three decades, and in our world of luxury, we often take successes and turn them into failures, all in the name of elevating the experience.

Here is where Mr. Ransome, mentioned earlier, became so valuable. I will never, ever forget the day he told me, “Pro, the finest word in the English lexicon is also one of the shortest, NO!” Within the fabric of the word “no” is found structure, boundaries, limits, restraint, and without it, even great businesses will fail, as they become overextended in an effort to grow or elevate.

A true leader has to learn to say “no,” and we have done that well at Secession Golf Club. I just pray for the future generations of members that future leaders understand that word as well. Say “no” to valet service, “no” to stewards that help you with luggage, “no” to sushi and food stations on the course, “no” to 15,000 bottle wine cellars and all the other “unmentionable” items that complicate and undermine the success of a simple golf club.

That is what every leader here has done in over three decades of guidance and I truly believe it will continue for decades to come as the precedent has been set. Historic and the word “no”; a wonderful bedrock to lead any business.

Michael Kelly: Members at Secession Golf Club have included everyone from NFL owners to plumbers. What seems to unite them in their love for the club is its emphasis on standalone quality, an experience that needs no comparison. What is the sweet spot for uniting people of different backgrounds and socioeconomic statuses? What lessons can companies learn from the oasis of the golf club about how to connect human beings on such an elemental level?

Mike Harmon: Certainly, the time-honored traditions and camaraderie carry the day for us, but I have always believed that the sweet spot is the relatively low cost of Secession Golf Club.

It is attainable for everyone that is making a decent living and whom wants the wonderful, traditional offerings this club honors. The plumber, to use your example, can afford it, the billionaire writes the check because he simply wants to be here. He loves the vibe, the ethos. And soon the plumber meets an NFL team owner at the bar following a round, they mingle and chat, and those chats never have to do with “what you do.” Only “where are you from,” “how did you play today,” “how long have you been a member,” and “come outside and meet my guys.” 

I personally could care less whether you got to Beaufort via your private jet, car or donkey – it all equals out once you get inside the gates, and that is not the case when you pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to join a club. That’s something else… I can guarantee that that’s something other than the simplicity of the game of golf.

The billionaire gets no benefit from writing a check to join Secession Golf Club – he simply wants to be there. And the guy that owns a small landscaping company, a deli or the plumber is infatuated with being a member of a national club like this. They blend perfectly.

I always took a great deal of satisfaction in NOT knowing what most of this membership did for a living, and, amazingly, it never came up! They were here to have a good time and everyone at the club made sure they had a good time. Period. No fluff, no puff, just golf at its best and all the simple pleasures that come with playing and staying here. This is a retreat, a place for most of these guys to get away from the world and hide for a bit. That’s all it was ever supposed to be – just like Pine Valley, Augusta and Cypress were supposed to be 100 years ago, and what they are even today, havens and sanctuaries. And by the way, they’re also feature some of the finest golf courses in the entire world!

As for a company finding this same niche, I would say take great care of your people, pay them well, treat them well, and LISTEN to them, it will come back to you in spades.

Obviously, whatever you are selling has to work in the ideas of the marketplace, but your employees are the key to it all. They are the frontline people – your frontline people – and if you isolate them, treat them coldly, then that same chill will resonate to your customers.

The vibe here is very reminiscent of Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland, where the Members of Parliament and roofers play and dine together united by one love, golf! In the work place, you must make their work a passionate part of their life; otherwise, you have people just punching a clock. The famed retailer Jack Mitchell wrote two of the finest books on sales I’ve ever read: “Hug Your Customer” and “Hug your People,”

It’s all about relationships and doing the little things right. That’s what makes great companies, men’s stores and golf clubs!

Michael Kelly: It’s a testament to your grace in the golf world that you’ve earned the moniker “Old Pro” among the members of your club. As an individual who carries the responsibility of fostering that positive culture and ensuring the fulfillment of your members, what advice do you have for business leaders who need to be “the guy” who sets the tone? Any examples of how you’ve made that mantle a point of pride? 

Mike Harmon: Oh, so many points of pride. How about a thousand close friends worldwide! Can a man be any richer? I simply tried to serve this membership as best I could. I always had a hug, a smile and a cold beer with them at some point of their trip. I knew their families and probably spent a good bit of time with their kids. It was a family, a family built around the game of golf.

At the highest levels, the game of golf is a small world. Many of the same people move in the same places and as a fledgling club, Secession has stepped into that pantheon of great clubs over the last 35 years. It is not only a joy, but quite an honor for a young club.

I had a small part in that, fighting for it every day. And believe me, this was no pleasure cruise! I remember cleaning toilets in the office because we couldn’t afford to have someone come in and clean. True story! The place was padlocked in 1993 and about 6-8 of us stayed on in belief that it would work out. It did.

The devastation of 9-11 rocked our small club with over 125 resignations within 8-10 months. 08’-09’, wars, hurricanes. We’ve seen it all, but so have all the great clubs of the world. Augusta had to herd cattle on the course during WWII to get by. How are they doing? Mr. Jones, my idol, should be very proud! You just go in and fight every day. That’s why you have to have a team. To know that someone else is shouldering the load is huge. But I, nor any of the 800 members ever let go of the dream. We never lost faith in where we could be – both now and at 100 years old. And today, she’s an absolute beauty! To your leaders, do your best to create a “family” within the workplace. I just don’t see how that doesn’t bode well for the future!

Lastly leaders, protect your honor and your integrity; it can disappear in a heartbeat. It’s everything! I’ve tried my very best to walk in honor and integrity, doing it right! It’s not easy – in fact, it’s hard, and at times very lonely – but never lose that honor.

Hundreds, perhaps thousands look to you for a ray of light, a point of honor, and as the leader that mantle is a mainstay in the success of your business. Don’t give it away. It’s invaluable. My personal faith has always been the foundation of my life. It’s my guide and my rock, and with that at the center, I have been able to weather not only the storms at work, but multiple battles on the home front. I once heard a pastor say “Honor is the gift a man gives himself!”  

Michael, what an honor it has been to share these stories with you. We’ve enjoyed many great times together and I look forward to many more down the road.

Main Photo Credit: David Lavery for Sucession Golf Club