General Manager Leslie Ludlow (Westhaven Golf Club; previously Sahalee, The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge, Spanish Hills) joins Tyler to unpack a career arc that moved from elite athlete to sales leader to multi-property operator, driving double-digit revenue growth and culture change along the way. Leslie shares how “data over drama” wins boardrooms, why feedback cultures accelerate teams, and how women can move confidently into leadership even when they don’t “check every box.” From tactical wins (spouses-as-stakeholders, visibility in the first 90 days) to mindset shifts (apply anyway, servant leadership, athlete competitiveness), this episode is a masterclass for current and aspiring club leaders.

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What you’ll learn

• Data > drama: How to arm your board conversations with facts (utilization, compaction, P&L drivers) to speed alignment.

• Revenue first: Why “you can’t save your way to a budget” and practical levers to grow top line across golf, aquatics, rackets, F&B, and membership.

• Feedback culture: How to normalize real-time coaching so performance improves and emotions de-escalate.

• Women in leadership: Applying when you don’t meet every criterion, earning the benefit of the doubt, and navigating legacy perceptions.

• 90-day trust plan: Visibility, presence, and quick wins that establish why you’re in the chair.

• Spouses as stakeholders: Simple hosting and gifting strategies that defuse off-course politics and build support systems.

• Athlete mindset at work: Compete, take clear feedback, and move fast from mistake → improvement.

• The “benevolent dictator” model: What it is, when it works, and why clarity + care beats consensus without direction.

• Career pivots that compound: Translating sales, training, and operations into a GM toolkit.

• Courage & clarity: “If you win, you win. If you lose, you learn”—how to make bigger moves with less fear.

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Links

Connect with Leslie Ludlow (LinkedIn): https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslieludlow/