Strike up a conversation with Stacey Loring Persinger and you’ll notice her passion for golf and country clubs right away. And it’s precisely this combination - love for the game and the lifestyle that ensues - that is the foundation for her company, SLP Partners. The focus for Stacey is not merely creating a membership program for clubs and simply handing it over to management. Instead, Stacey collaboratively works with membership directors to develop a meaningful experience for all members while building an impactful business strategy.

The driver behind Stacey’s success started at the age of 17 when her dad suggested that she try swinging a golf club instead of doing cart wheels down the fairway. The ball flew 150 yards and Stacey was instantly hooked. She would practice from sunrise to sunset where she grew up in Sarasota, Florida. Just over two years later, Stacey would become a 3-handicap golfer.

Drawing the attention of colleges, she accepted a full scholarship to the University of Miami where she received degrees in Broadcast Journalism and Sociology. Stacey has played in the Sarasota Classic, an LPGA event, and won numerous tournaments including the Broward Amateur and the Sarasota Amateur, and placed 3rd in the Southwest Ladies Amateur. Still, her biggest accomplishment was scoring her first hole-in-one while seven months pregnant with her daughter, Erin.

Her business career is no less impressive. Stacey served as the Tournament Director for the PGA Tour’s inaugural Ben Hogan Tour (now Web.com Tour), coordinating the entire event from raising corporate sponsorship dollars to parking volunteers at Gateway Golf Club in Fort Myers, FL. She implemented and managed the South Florida PGA’s GolfPass Program, which continues to be the section’s #2 revenue generator for professionals, and has orchestrated 50 tournaments a year for nearly 10 years. Stacey also had the exciting opportunity to restart the legendary Turnberry Isle Resort & Golf Club in Aventura, FL from scratch during an ownership transition. In the process, she implemented a new membership platform that satisfied members and increased amenity usage, as well as significantly appealed to new members. At The Diplomat Golf & Tennis Club in Hallandale Beach, FL, she improved sales by 50% after only a year.

For Stacey, the success of a club is not defined by one single factor, but instead by multiple parts, collaboratively working together to elevate the club experience and in turn drive ROI.

What is your favorite aspect about golf?

I enjoy the competitiveness, camaraderie and nature – all-in-one. Golf has also afforded me the chance to meet so many wonderful, diverse people, while playing a game that makes me so happy.

Any funny stories while on tour or in your career?

While playing in the US Amateur; at the time, the Japanese photographers were drawn to blondes (Laura Baugh days, aging myself). They followed me around like the paparazzi, although I had no status in the tournament and was just happy to have qualified (42-33=75). Everyone thought I was a top-ranked player. It was both embarrassing and funny at the same time. Then while warming up for the first round, I was stung by a bee on the palm of my hand. The good news is that it made me forget about being so nervous.

Do you have any additional hobbies?

I’ve been a tri-athlete for many years and enjoy either swimming, running or riding my Peloton bike on a daily basis. Not to mention, I like to take a 6 a.m. yoga class taught by my 21-year-old daughter Emma, twice a week.

What motivated you to start SLP Club Partners?

Based on my strong background in golf and years of delivering results to country clubs, I was encouraged by industry leaders to create my own consulting firm. I’m also passionate about the communications, sales, marketing and teambuilding aspects of the business, and have witnessed first-hand how my experience can positively impact member-owned, privately-owned and management-operated clubs.