Russ is the managing member and an owner of The Oaks Golf Club, Hattiesburg Country Club, Heron Lakes Country Club, and Oak Knoll Country Club. Russ manages Sunkist Country Club. These management contracts give Bloom Golf Management total operational control of all day-to-day activities of each club. Russ invested his own money into these projects and raised additional capital from friends, family and members that trust his ability to provide a return on investment. Bloom Golf Management has been successful raising capital, overseeing large capital projects, managing day to day operations, marketing, building exceptional staff, providing a high level of service in all departments and most important, being profitable.
Russ has managed all aspects of these operation including strategic planning, budgeting, hiring and firing, revenue management, customer service training, creating sales programs, cart fleet management, merchandising, F&B management, tournament operations, marketing, supervising large projects, managing hurricane recovery, contracting numerous renovations, purchasing and managing capital items, overseeing golf course maintenance and much more. Russ worked for OB Sports Golf Management for 10 years and served as their Southeast Regional Manager.
Russ took over management of Heron Lakes Country Club in the summer of 2017. Within 6 months, Heron Lakes Country Club went from being a bankrupt private club to a thriving and beautiful semi-private club. Bloom Golf Management created the ownership structure, the investment offering and managed the transition from private to semi-private and then quickly raised $1.5M through the offering. By November, Bloom Golf Management was contracting all major renovations to the clubhouse and golf course. On January 6, 2018, Heron Lakes Country Club opened to public golf and public banquets/meetings for the first time in its 64-year history. After the first full year of operating Heron Lakes, the club has increased revenue by $460,000, added 8000 rounds of golf, 800 Heron Cards and added 50 new members. The growth is projected to continue at this same rate into the future.
Russ began managing Oak Knoll Country Club in February of 2019. During the initial phase of management, the club was transitioned from a failing and nearly bankrupt club to a financially stable semi-private facility. By changing the culture of staff, improving playing conditions, completely replacing all systems (payroll, Point of Sale, Accounting System, Employee Handbook, staff training etc.), marketing programs, website, programming and rate structure, the club has been transformed. Oak Knoll was taken advantage of by Golf Now and the third-party barter model. They were giving away over 3000 rounds a year as a trade for point of sale and tee time system. This brought their total average rate down to $14.50. Since taking over the club, all trade times have been eliminated, the average green fee/round rate is up to $31.50 including all the rate mix. In addition, Oak Knoll is on pace to increase rounds by over 4,000. This increase in revenue is with the reduction in banquet activity experienced because of COVID. It is likely that with normal banquet activity, Oak Knoll would have a $500,000 increase in revenue. By building loyalty through membership and the card program, Oak Knoll is heading in the right direction. These financial improvements have been combined with substantial improvements to the golf course with a greens renovation, new bridges, cart path repair, new irrigation system, improve maintenance practices and new equipment. The clubhouse is about to undergo upgrades with a new men’s and women’s locker rooms, new gym and replacing the bar in the main dining area. OKCC is now profitable for the first time in 10+ years.
Bloom Golf Management started managing Hattiesburg Country Club in January of 2021. In the summer of 2022, Russ created the investment structure and purchased HCC with three primary investors. During the purchase, Russ raised an additional $1.5M for additional capital improvement. HCC is profitable and set up for long term success. Hattiesburg Country Club was recently ranked as 2nd Best Private Golf Facility in Mississippi.
The Oaks has won many awards for excellence including the prestigious Golf Digest’s Best Places You Can Play for the past 11 years and Golfweek’s Best List, their highest honor for the past 9 years. The Oaks has stayed in the top 10 courses in MS in both Golfweek and Golf Digest’s ratings. The best feather in Russ’ cap is The Oaks Golf Club has been profitable every year during Russ’ management. In 2014, Russ purchased The Oaks Golf Club after putting together the investment structure, business plan and acquiring investors. As part of the acquisition, Russ formed Bloom Golf Management.
Russ currently serves as the President of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Golf Association and is overseeing a restructuring of their operations. In addition, Russ sits on the board of the new Mississippi Gulf Coast Regional Tourism Bureau and is a member of its marketing committee. This organization is implementing the direction set forth by the governors Go Coast 2020 Report. In addition to these responsibilities, Russ is a PGA Member and top-rated golf instructor in the area and works with players of all levels including several of the top juniors and college players in the region. Russ is excited to grow his management company after building the experience and team necessary to provide the highest level of service. Russ is married to Leah and has a 18-year-old daughter, 11-year-old daughter and 1-year-old-daughter.
