Industry Answers A Loud Wake-Up Call

Take a look at the GNN Poll and you’ll see a strong majority of respondents have re-examined their policies after charges were laid last January against ClubLink Corporation, directors and servers after three young people were killed in 2008 in an accident following a night of drinking at the Lake Joseph Club in Ontario cottage country.

Charges against 11 ClubLink executives were recently dropped, but the corporation and three staffers are still facing charges. The fact that people are reconsidering their own policies as a result of this incident doesn’t surprise Jim Hylands, vice president of Simmlands Insurance.

Hylands says that, since the charges were first laid early this year, he has been approached to discuss such matters “certainly more than we would have and certainly, one of the hot topics was, `Could this happen to me at my club?’

“The answer is clearly yes,” said Hylands.

“This is the first thing that has actually triggered reaction. We’ve seen boards of directors asking us to go and address them. We’ve seen groups in the industry asking that we go and discuss it with them. We have golf courses sending us copies of their new liquor service policies and procedures,” he said.

“It’s been, from our point of view, a positive reaction in that it has generated some concern and some realization that these issues are out there and, quite frankly, we need to stop it,” added Hylands, who says golf courses in the past flew under the radar on such matters when other liquor outlets were watched closely.

“There’s no question that the consumption of alcohol at golf courses is a problem, particularly because everybody drives home. The vast majority of golf clubs in this country, the bus doesn’t stop at the door, so the only way you’re getting home is by car,” he said.

“We all know that corporate tournaments are notorious for massive overindulgence,” he added.

“Quite frankly, the golf courses have been largely ignoring the whole issue, simply because nobody was enforcing it. The local sports bar in downtown Toronto, the cops will sit at the edge of the parking lot at 2 a.m. and pick up everybody who drives out, but nobody was going after the golf courses.”

That’s what made the ClubLink incident such a loud wake-up call for the industry, which needs to change its culture through enforced policies and procedures. If, according to Hylands, a past club president has had too much, the server needs to be backed by the club in cutting that person off.

“The board of directors has to have made it very clear to the staff that it’s inappropriate to serve people to that stage and to the members that it’s inappropriate to drink to that stage on the premises and it’s also totally inappropriate to disagree or argue or fight with the staff when they say no,” said Hylands.

Hylands stresses that this is a legal issue more than an insurance issue and with such severe consequences possible, it’s important for all facilities to look again at their policies and procedures and he suggests a natural place to begin.

“The most obvious thing is go to the liquor server training,” he said.

“Have as many people as possible do the liquor server training, not just your bartender, but also the hostess and your waitresses and your serves and, quite frankly, your directors,” said Hylands, adding that such programs can be completed in-house through packages that can be purchased from the respective programs.

“If you follow their recommendations, you’re probably on safe ground. Everything you could really need is right there,” he said.

Given the potential consequences, it seems like a wise investment.
We’ll keep the current GNN Poll up on the home page for the weekend, so wander over to respond or, if you feel like expanding your thoughts, be sure to bring that topic up for discussion in the GNN Forum.

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