Frequently Asked Questions (updated 5-18-25)
Over the last several weeks I’ve spoken to a couple hundred club members, and I’ve learned a lot about what members love about the club and the things they would like to see improved. There are also a number of questions I’ve gotten repeatedly and I thought it might be helpful, in the interest of being transparent, to share my views on them here for everyone’s benefit.
I feel it is important for our board members and any candidate running for the board to be openminded, thoughtful, and willing to dig into the details of issues to find solutions our members will broadly support and hope you’ll see that exemplified here. Even if you don’t agree 100% with each view expressed below, I hope you will at least appreciate the transparency of providing this Q&A before you vote.
Q1: Why did you choose to run for a position on the board?
There are two primary reasons:
i) The club is central to the daily life for my family and I. We feel we have benefitted tremendously from the work that other members have done to build the club into what it is today and I wanted to give back in some way to support our community; and
ii) Given how central the club is to our neighborhood and community I want to ensure that the club remains a viable member owned and operated club for the long term. I’ve seen what has happened in other communities when clubs have allowed their cost structure to become bloated, their fees get above competitive levels, and then take on too much debt to fund new projects or maintain existing facilities. When that happens, especially when resignation lists get so long it becomes hard for clubs to attract new members, the clubs can fail or fall into corporate hands and the impact on the neighborhood and community is devastating. I hope that I can be part of making smart long term decisions to ensure this never happens to our club.
Q2: What is your position on the possibility of a Big Box store being built next to the golf course
This issue has come up before. A couple years ago my family was among a handful of families from within Santaluz that funded the legal battle that ultimately blocked a Costco from being built on this land. We funded and fought that battle in part because the leadership of the HOA and Club at that time did not speak up against the project on behalf of the community. I would also note that the bylaws of the HOA do not allow funding this type of legal expenditure.
Ultimately, we did not want the view from hole 15 and 16 to be that of a big box warehouse, or for any of the other obvious negative side effects of that proposal to impact our community (e.g. traffic, bright lights, etc). While we were successful in blocking that first attempt, the School board is currently working on another attempt to develop this site and I want to be sure that this time we have community leaders that are aligned in opposing such a project. I want to ensure that we do not have board members, either actively promoting such a project or refusing to speak loudly against it.
One additional note here is that a very helpful HOA representative has recently shared that they are now actively engaged with PUSD to influence future development plans for the site to be more positive for Santaluz. I believe this is a positive development for all of us and applaud their effort on this issue!
Q3: What is your position on the Men's/Mixed Grill?
I've heard versions of this question from many folks and learned a lot by listening to members view and opinions on the topic in recent weeks. My view is that we need to find a way to meet two needs. One need is to continue to serve and support the members who currently drive a very large part of the revenue at the club today via the Grill; alienating these members by disturbing some of the traditions they value won't help with member retention and our already very long resignation list. The other need we must address is that the members voted by a 2:1 margin to create a coed indoor dining space to better serve our female members, and continuing to ignore that vote isn't good governance in my view. Importantly, these two objectives need not be mutually exclusive in my view.
The board to date has had a tough time meeting both needs because the solutions proposed have been expensive, and the membership has repeatedly voted against assessments needed to fund those relatively expensive plans. In the near term, we likely cannot afford an expensive solution without an assessment because we are already borrowing a lot to pay for the golf course renovation, which I would consider our top priority. Fees have also already gone up quite a bit in recent years, and this has contributed in part to an unusually long resignation list, so just raising fees more doesn't look like a good option either.
Part of the reason prior assessments votes haven't passed is because we also need Spa members to vote in favor, and assessments are a tougher sell for folks that don't use the Grill space as much. Golf members account for approximately 80% of meal tickets for the club across all dining spaces, but only about 2/3rds of the voters needed to pass an assessment, and that 2/3rds is not unanimous on how to address the issue. So, my view is we probably need a solution that we can afford without more debt and that also won't require an assessment vote.
There are cheaper options we could probably afford now, but that many members have shared with me they don't support (e.g. a smaller space within the locker room) and there are some sensible reasons for the objections they’ve expressed (e.g. limited space in the locker room, no windows, higher operating costs, etc). There are more expensive solutions we could probably afford after we pay for the golf course renovation in a few years, but many members have shared they believe we should address the issue in some way sooner given a year has already passed since the vote on this topic. I don't have a strong opinion on the specific optimal solution, but I do think we should get a plan that addresses both needs, commit to it, and share it with members so they know how these two needs will be adequately addressed. The folks that sell new memberships will tell you that being able to share we have a plan for a coed indoor dining space that is convenient for golfers, even if it's coming in the near future, would be helpful and this is important to ensuring we can sell new memberships.
Ultimately, I think we should work with the members that use these spaces most to design the solutions and be candid with those folks about what we could afford now vs later, as well as the need to potentially compromise in some way the interim if we opt for the more expensive solutions later. Even if I was elected to the board it would require a plurality of board members to help choose a solution so I think it's important for me to be open minded and listen to members about what they actually want/need while sharing what we can afford and when as there is no one solution that a majority of members clearly support on this topic.
Q4: Why get on the ballot via signatures rather than asking the board to put you on the ballot?
I felt the members should have a say on who is on the ballot and ideally have more options to vote for than there are open spots to fill. I also felt that the process of gathering signatures would allow me to learn more about what members care about and that this in turn would make me a more effective board member if elected. This last point has proven to be particularly true as I’ve had a lot of fun learning how diverse the interests and opinions are among our club members.
Q5: How hard was it to gather signatures and should we make it easier?
I was able to round up the signatures in a couple of days and we got nearly double what we needed, but I will acknowledge that it required a lot of effort running around for both the members that so graciously signed and myself. In general, I think it is healthy for the club to have more candidates than positions to fill and that we could likely adopt a digital approach to this in the future that would better serve our members. If we make this easy enough, and we regularly get more candidates than we have open spots, we likely would no longer be dependent on our board to choose their own successors.
Q6: Did you serve on any board committees and if so when?
Yes, I served on the finance committee from 2023 to 2024. I voluntarily chose not to continue beyond that initial term; while I really enjoyed learning about the club while on the committee, the committee members had very limited influence on the financial decisions of the board. I felt it would be a better use of time to be an actual board member so I chose to leave the committee and then seek a spot on the ballot via gathering signatures from members.
Q7: What is a benefit of the club you really like and would like to see grow or be improved?
I was one of many members that advocated for the Club to create a formal junior golf program, which they did this year. While I was very supportive of this effort, I want acknowledge that many members advocated for this and one member in particular actually sourced materials from their former club’s junior program that really helped get this up and running. Seeing so many of our children and grandchildren taking up the game, and watching my own son’s love of the game begin to grow is just wonderful. I hope we can do even more to grow the game and our club by supporting the kids in the years ahead. I would also note that the junior golf program is a solid money maker for the club as well so this isn’t just a great benefit for our kids it is financially smart for the club.
About
(POSTED April 29, 2025)
My name is Derek Andersen and I am seeking your support for a position representing golf members on the club's board of directors.
At this moment, I am seeking signatures to get on the ballot.
(Update: We received 54 signatures within 48 hours!)
While I have served on the Club's finance committee in the recent past, I made a conscious decision to seek a spot on the ballot via signatures from fellow members. I believe it is healthy for the club to have prospective board members pursue their candidacy based on broad support from members of the club, and I also believe it is healthy for club members to have more candidates to choose from than there are open board positions, so I felt seeking a spot on the ballot via signatures was a good way to make this happen. I hope you'll consider supporting my candidacy by signing my nomination form this week and ultimately voting for me on May 19th.
For those that are not already familiar with my family and I, we have been residents of Santaluz and Club members for nearly a decade now. I am an incredibly mediocre but enthusiastic golfer, my wife Tara is an avid fan of the spa, my daughter is active in the junior tennis program, and my son has just begun his golfing journey as part of the club's new junior golf program. Both kids participated in the swim lessons, tennis clinics/lessons and Kids Camp programs. We are regulars at all of the club's dining venues and events as well.
In short, the club is central to our daily family life. With your support, I would humbly welcome the opportunity to give back to the community that has given so much to our family by serving on the club's board.
I served on the finance committee of the board from 2023-2024 and that experience helped me to form a much better understanding of how our broader community utilizes the club. I also learned much about the financial and businesses challenges the club faces today and will face in the years ahead. I believe this experience will help ensure that I can be a productive and informed member of the board.
There is no one single issue motivating my candidacy beyond the desire to give back and serve the community, but I do see an opportunity to bring a family oriented perspective to the club.
In order to bring more families into our club membership, and shorten our currently very long resignation lists, I believe we can do more to make our club appealing for the whole family through the programs we offer for our member's children/grandchildren, and through the opportunities the club creates for families and friends to gather and build memories together. I also believe that good financial stewardship, and maximizing the condition and utilization of our existing facilities, are critical to keeping our club affordable and appealing to the families that live within and near Santaluz. Given the importance of the club to the amazing neighborhood we all call home, it's critical we are vigilant in ensuring the long-term viability of the club.
I have also learned through my experience as a finance and business leader that customer feedback is a gift, and the success of any operation hinges on receiving and acting on feedback from customers. I commit to be accessible, an active listener, and open minded to the needs of the full membership as well as prospective members looking to join our club.
This is the perspective I would intend to bring to my service on the board should the membership see fit to support my candidacy. If this approach sounds like one that you could support, please let me know (via the link to Contact Us or Facebook) so I can coordinate with you to gather your signature on my nomination form. I'd also love to hear your perspectives on the club and the issues that are important to you as well!
Thank you for taking the time to read this message and consider supporting my candidacy.