Beyond Open Enrollment: The Business of Employee Benefits

Beyond Open Enrollment: The Business of Employee Benefits

Employee benefits represent a significant financial commitment for golf clubs and play an important role in attracting and retaining quality employees. Each year, the renewal and open enrollment process requires clubs to evaluate costs, coverage, administrative requirements, and the impact on their workforce.

With employers facing substantial healthcare renewal increases for the 2027 plan year, these decisions have become even more consequential. At Thompson Golf Management (TGM), coordinating employee benefits for approximately 500 employees across multiple properties and states is a substantial annual undertaking. The process involves human resources, finance, executive leadership, technology systems, and outside partners working together to manage costs and execute enrollment accurately. For club owners and leadership teams, the process raises an important question:

Does your organization have the people, systems, and processes in place to manage employee benefits effectively?

Benefits Decisions Require More Than HR Involvement

While human resources typically coordinate benefits renewal and open enrollment, the financial implications and organizational impact require broader leadership involvement.

Finance and executive leadership should participate in evaluating renewal options, understanding proposed cost changes, and determining how those decisions align with the club's operating budget and workforce needs. Higher premiums can create difficult choices. Maintaining existing coverage may increase employer costs, while changes to plan design or employee contributions can affect the overall value of the benefits package.

These decisions should reflect the club's financial position and long-term employment strategy, with leadership engaged early enough to evaluate available options rather than making decisions under the pressure of approaching renewal deadlines. For owners and boards, the priority is ensuring that management has a clear process for evaluating these decisions and understanding their financial implications.

Is Your Administrative Infrastructure Keeping Pace?

Selecting benefits is only part of the process. Implementing those decisions accurately presents another set of challenges. Enrollment materials must be prepared, employees need to understand their options, elections must be collected, and payroll deductions and provider information must be updated. Coordinating these responsibilities across multiple golf facilities requires consistent communication, accurate records, and systems capable of supporting enrollment across different locations.

For clubs operating with a small HR department, these responsibilities can place considerable demands on available resources. Without a human resources information system (HRIS) capable of managing open enrollment, much of the process may depend on manual data entry, paperwork, and individual follow-up. These methods consume valuable administrative time and introduce additional opportunities for errors that can affect employees and their families.

Technology does not eliminate the need for oversight, but the right systems can improve efficiency, support accurate recordkeeping, and reduce the administrative burden on HR personnel.

Employee Communication Is Key to Successful Open Enrollment

Benefits decisions directly affect employees and their families. Even a carefully evaluated benefits package can create confusion if the enrollment process is difficult to navigate. Clear communication should explain available coverage, changes from the previous year, employee costs, enrollment deadlines, and the steps required to make elections.

Equally important, the individuals responsible for answering questions must understand the benefits being offered. Golf clubs often have employees working across multiple departments, locations, and schedules. Ensuring everyone receives timely, consistent information requires planning and coordination.

A well-organized enrollment process helps employees make informed decisions and reinforces confidence in how the organization manages an important part of their compensation.

The Value of Experienced Partners

Healthcare benefits are complex, and the annual renewal process requires knowledge of insurance markets, regulatory requirements, plan structures, and employer obligations. An experienced benefits brokerage can support the process by evaluating available options, negotiating with insurance carriers, helping employers understand compliance requirements, and guiding enrollment.

TGM has partnered with Garrett Durkin of Patriot Growth Insurance Services for more than a decade. That relationship provides continuity and specialized expertise as the company evaluates renewal options and navigates the annual enrollment process.

For club operators, the broader lesson is the importance of ensuring internal teams have access to knowledgeable, responsive partners who can help them make informed decisions and manage complex responsibilities.

Questions Worth Asking Before Your Next Renewal

Employee benefits renewal provides an opportunity for club leadership to evaluate more than insurance costs.

• Leadership alignment: Are finance and executive leadership actively involved in evaluating renewal options and understanding their financial implications?
• Administrative capacity: Does the HR team have the staffing, technology, and resources necessary to manage enrollment accurately and efficiently?
• Employee communication: Are employees receiving clear, timely information about their benefits, coverage changes, and enrollment responsibilities?
• Systems and accuracy: Are enrollment elections, provider records, and payroll deductions being coordinated and verified?
• Outside expertise: Does the club have experienced partners who provide meaningful guidance on insurance options, negotiations, and compliance?

Employee benefits renewal may occur once a year, but the decisions surrounding it have implications for a club's finances, employees, and daily operations well beyond the enrollment period. For club owners and leadership teams, the priority is ensuring the right people, resources, and processes are in place to manage those responsibilities effectively.

Wondering if your club has the people and systems to handle benefits renewal? Let's talk.