> > > > DAVID TAYLOR
Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club & Lodge,
Orlando, Florida, USA
Opened in 1966, Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club and Lodge has hosted the world’s greatest golfers at one of the sport’s premiere annual events. IFMA member David Taylor oversees the site’s FM team, which cares for 270 acres of property, including 27 holes of golf, home to the Arnold Palmer Invitational, a stop on the PGA Tour. However, with a lodge, guest homes, meeting space, a pool and much more, Taylor’s job means different challenges and opportunities every day.
Take a Tour!
FMJ: Tell us about yourself and how you got into FM.
TAYLOR: I did not intentionally set out to be in the facility management industry. My first job was at a local golf course washing golf carts. I wanted to make more money, and the general manager suggested that I work in the grounds maintenance department. The summer of my senior year of high school, I started working in golf course maintenance. I soon found out that it was something that I enjoyed. I pursued higher education and obtained an associate degree in golf course operations with the intent of becoming a golf course superintendent.
I gravitated to the equipment side of the golf industry. While working in this field, I learned many different trades related to the facility management industry. I was working as the equipment manager at a private club, my GM needed someone to head the facility maintenance department. I was recommended for the position by other staff after having helped the department for quite some time. After interviewing, I was offered the FM position, overseeing both facility maintenance and housekeeping. A short while later, I also took on the security and laundry departments, earning the title of director of facilities.
FMJ: Would you recommend a career in FM?
TAYLOR: I would recommend pursuing a career in FM. There are so many different organizations and industries that you can thrive in. FM is worldwide and offers great potential for those who seek it.
Since entering FM, it has become a passion of mine. I have been an IFMA member for eight years with the Orlando Chapter and the IFMA City & Country Clubs Council. In the City & Country Clubs Council I have been the board secretary, membership chair and am the current council president. If you are an FM and not part of a Council, I highly recommend it as I have had the opportunity to find great resources within each.
FMJ: What is Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge?
TAYLOR: Bay Hill golf course was opened in 1961, with architect Dick Wilson creating the layout for the Challenger/Champion 18 holes. The Lodge and the Charger nine-hole course were built in the late 1960s and it was in 1970 when golf legend Arnold Palmer took a five-year lease on Bay Hill with an option to buy, which he did in 1975. In 1979, Palmer successfully negotiated Bay Hill as the venue to host a PGA Tour event. The Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard is one of the premier events on the PGA Tour and annually attracts one of the strongest professional golf fields of the season.The course is ranked among the world’s very best and is open only to club members and guests who are staying in our 70-room Lodge. The club is privately owned and operated and is not a member equity club. The overall property comprises 270 acres in the heart of the Bay Hill community. Besides 27 holes of golf, the club is home to a 70-room lodge attached to the Clubhouse, eight rental guest homes, 9,500 square feet of meeting space comprising five meeting rooms, three dining venues, a junior Olympic pool, an aerobics and fitness center with indoor spas, a racquets facility comprising four Har Tru and two hard tennis/pickleball courts, plus an 83-slip marina right on Lake Tibet. Something that makes the club special is the Palmer career memorabilia throughout the property and the fact that Mr. Palmer’s office is in the newly renovated executive offices and remains exactly the way he left it.
FMJ: What is day-to-day life like at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge?
TAYLOR: Daily life in FM at a club can be very interesting. You never really know how the day will turn out. The standard process for the day is to go over the booking reports and event listings for the day and week, communicating what is happening at the club so our staff can be prepared. We make sure those areas are ready for their events. Preventive maintenance is always ongoing as is our work request list on our CMMS system. A busy day is one where several failures may happen in a short time span, and we have large occupancy levels or events.
FMJ: Why is Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge unique and what kind of unique challenges do you face managing the facility and grounds?
TAYLOR: Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge is unique in that we have seven different companies working from our property, accounting for over 230 employees. Those include Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club and Lodge (Orlando, Florida, USA), Arnold Palmer’s Latrobe Country Club (Latrobe, Pennsylvania, USA), Arnold Palmer Design Company, Arnold Palmer Golf Tournament Services, Arnold Palmer Invitational (API), Arnold Palmer Enterprises, and the Arnold and Winnie Palmer Foundation. We strive to preserve Mr. Palmer’s legacy and how it will live on with Bay Hill and through the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation. Modern FM methods have been welcomed at our venue. We have implemented a CMMS for work order and asset tracking and are looking at options for BAS. With the recent Hurricane Ian, our club revised our hurricane readiness manual to accommodate for any set up for the storm. Every department pitched in to secure the property and brace for the storm. Just as with preparation, the recovery was the same with everyone lending a hand. For our PGA Tour event, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, it is quite exciting. Preparations start about two months before the tournament. TV towers, grandstands and pavilions go up all over the property. This involves several companies under the Arnold Palmer umbrella.
FMJ: How much space do you manage and how is it used?
TAYLOR: We have 135,000 square feet in total of building space. In addition to the guest and office areas already mentioned, there is also a full-service laundry plant, two employee cafeterias and the greens/agronomy plant. While most of the property is dedicated to the superlative member and guest leisure experience that is Bay Hill, behind the scenes we also have vibrant heart of the house facilities including an underground golf cart storage garage, three commercial kitchens, multiple storage facilities and the facilities plant.
FMJ: Tell us about your FM team.
TAYLOR: Our FM team is comprised of a director of facilities, chief engineer and four maintenance technicians. Our team may be one of the smaller departments on the property, but our responsibility and work ethic is tremendous. We operate with seven days a week coverage taking care of all facility services including preventive, predictive and responsive maintenance. We are supported by the property’s greens department, which oversees golf course and landscape maintenance over our 270 acres. We do outsource certain jobs as they may be too large for our team or are more cost effective with the workload.
FMJ: What are some FM challenges you face at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge that are common across the FM industry?
TAYLOR: Some of our common challenges are supply chain shortages and labor. We are strategically looking at our future projects to see if materials will be available to sustain an on-time completion date. The Orlando area is very competitive with tourism and construction. Finding and retaining quality staff and contractors can be challenging at times. To help win the recruitment battle, not only does the club pay competitive wages, but they also provide excellent free medical benefits for employees along with free meals and free golf.
FMJ: What do you like best about what you do?
TAYLOR: My position suits my personality. I enjoy the day-to-day operations of FM in the club industry. Almost everyone in FM will say every day is different and that is true. Every day is an opportunity to learn from both what did work and what didn’t work. Since starting at Bay Hill last year, it has been a pleasure to learn more about Mr. Palmer’s legacy in the game of golf and as an iconic figure. His generosity and down-to-earth common touch have made working with the Palmer family an extraordinary experience.
