Patti Engineering Insight

I am a season ticket holder for the Tigers and love to give our employees and customers the opportunity to take in a game. I also love the sport myself. As a geek, I can study baseball statistics until my head spins, but so much of the game cannot be explained statistically. So much of winning and losing comes down to the details (good defense, throwing out a runner at home, taking an extra base in a key situation).

Paying attention to details is what separates the great organizations. That pertains to baseball and it pertains to business. Dave Dombrowski, president and CEO of the Detroit Tigers, is a leader who makes sure that his organization pays attention to the details. I have an interesting story that highlights what kind of organization he runs.

I sent the following e-mail to Dave Dombrowski last July 9th:

Dave, My name is Sam Hoff, I have had season tickets for the last 10 years. I really enjoy having access to the Tiger Club and the Tiger Den Lounge. There are some great pictures from the Tigers Past on the South Wall of the Tiger Den Lounge. Unfortunately there is no way to identify the pictures on this wall. I recognize Ty Cobb and Hank Greenberg, but beyond that I am pretty well lost. I am sure most people who attend the park are even more lost than me. I have a couple of questions:

• Are there presently any plans to put identifiers on these pictures?
• If there are no plans, would you support it if I helped to organize an effort to do this?
• Do you have any contacts at the Mayo Smith Society, or other Historians who would be a good resource for such an effort?

Much to my surprise, he answered the e-mail the same day:

Thank you for the note and comments. Presently, there have been no plans to put the names on the pictures. However, we will be glad to review the request and see if we can make this happen.
 

The fact that he actually answered my e-mail was a shock. The bigger shock was when I arrived at the park Monday for Tigers’ Opening Day and noticed that every picture along the south wall of the Tiger Den Lounge had a professionally engraved placard noting the player’s name as well as the years he played for the Tigers.

One person outside his organization came up with an idea and mentioned it once. He obviously reviewed it within his organization and figured it was a worthwhile idea and got it done. Hats off to Dave Dombrowski, he obviously would be successful in whatever organization he ran. Hopefully, his organization (and the City of Detroit) is rewarded with a world championship in the near future.

I have not been able to verify this quotation. According to a good source, Bo Anderson, General Motors’ Vice President, Global Purchasing and Supply Chain, has said that he likes it when a supplier goes out of business as it shows him that he is getting the lowest price possible. I kind of hope my source is wrong. Because if it is true, what an arrogant and stupid thing to say.

GM, Ford, and Chrysler’s corporate headquarters are within 30 miles of my office. They used to be called the “Big 3,” but since their combined US market share fell below 50% for the first time last August, the “Detroit 3″ seems like the proper moniker.

I worked for GM for six years and have many family and friends employed by the “Detroit 3″ in labor and management positions. Through Patti Engineering, I also have managed various projects in most of the automotive assembly plants in the US (both foreign and domestic nameplate).

So what is the problem? Many people point to high US labor costs and the fact that vehicles can be built cheaper overseas. I don’t buy into that. If that were the case, why do Toyota, Honda, and Nissan build nearly 80% of their US cars domestically?? Shipping cost and distribution logistics cause another set of headaches when producing in foreign countries. I also have observed that American workers are smarter and more efficient than their foreign counter-parts.

In my opinion the problem with the “Detroit 3″ comes from their corporate culture which lends itself to adversarial relationships. These relationships are found in 3 different areas:

An Adversarial Relationship between Management and Labor: The UAW has been fighting for years to get into the Honda and Toyota Plants. They have been unsuccessful so far. Most workers I have dealt with in these facilities see no need for the UAW. They get good pay, great benefits (onsite daycare, a world class workout facility) and are very happy. I can write a whole another post on the pros and cons of the UAW (and may someday), but needless to say the relationship between the UAW and Detroit has a history of being tense and adversarial. The last UAW contract was more sane than recent contracts and provides hope that the “Detroit 3″ and the UAW realize that they need to work together to ensure both of their survivals.

An Adversarial Relationship between Different Departments: There are too many turf wars that take place inside the “Detroit 3.” When working with the Detroit 3 you see this first hand. There are lots of grey areas as to who the decision maker is in regards to your project execution. As a vendor, you better be SURE to get any decision in writing as another department will later come by, flex their muscles, and force you to make a change. Working with a transplant, you do not get this at all. There is one person who is empowered to make all of the final decisions for that particular (though he will get input from different departments). It saves a lot of change orders.

I have also observed first hand where a really valuable employee will never be promoted. His supervisor realizes his importance to the department and does everything possible to hold onto him. As less qualified and talented people get promoted to other departments, the talented employee may become apathetic, burnt out, or leave the company.

Consolidation of like groups has been taking place and needs to continue to take place. GM no longer has a BOC, CPC, and Truck & Bus controls group, but instead has one group called CCRW (Conveyor, Controls, Robotics, and Welding).

An Adversarial Relationship with Vendors: When I worked at GM, the superintendent of my department used to have vendors take him to dinner and he would order two lobster dinners for himself and one to go for his wife. Working for GM, we figured vendors would only answer “how high” when we told them to “jump.”

This type of abuse is mild compared to the wringer that the “Detroit 3″ now puts their suppliers through. Too often the suppliers readily line up and take a program thinking that volume will make up for tight profit margins. When that volume never comes, or raw material prices go up, the supplier is in trouble. Bo Anderson, and his counterparts at Ford and Chrysler, will not give any relief to the vendor and another company such as Plastech is in Chapter 11.

Guardian Industries, privately owned by Bill Davidson, has continued to make money as an automotive supplier in these tough times. How have they done it? A good friend of mine, Michael Caruso, once sent me an article about Bill Davidson where he answered that question by stating “we have learned to say ‘no’ to our customers.” By that, he meant that he will not go along with unfair customer demands. It is a lesson a lot of suppliers should take to heart.

Conclusion: Can things be turned around? There is lots of talent in these companies, and you can sometimes see glimmers of hope such as the 2007 UAW agreement and the recent success of the Cadillac nameplate. If one of the “Detroit 3″ has a talented leader rise to the top then a great comeback will happen. That leader will change the corporate culture of the “Detroit 3.” He will have to implement:

• Open, honest communications on all fronts.
• Stress innovation in the products.
• Make purchasing a lieutenant rather than a captain.
• Develop win/win relationships with a select group of key vendors.
• Foster and grow the talented personal that the company already employees. 

Everett Kircher bought 40 acres near Boyne Falls, Michigan in 1947. The person who sold Kircher the land laughed at the idea of building a Ski Resort in such a remote location and hence gave him the land for $1. The Resort, known today as Boyne Mountain, was the first resort in the Midwest to have a chair lift. Kircher eventually made money off of several patents for chair lifts and snow making/grooming equipment. In 1964, Kircher bought a 2nd ski resort, known then as Harbor Highlands and renamed to Boyne Highlands.

Boyne Mountain was the first Ski Lodge in the Midwest to offer golf, a course that Kircher built himself. For Boyne Highlands, Kircher hired Robert Trent Jones, Sr. to build the “Heather” which opened in 1967.  The Heather is presently ranked #70 on the list of Golfweek Magazine’s “Top 100 Resort Courses.”

The Heather is a little over 7,000 yards from the Tips and slopes at 141. The finishing hole is a terrific challenge. Playing at 451 yards, and going downhill from the tee to a pond, a long drive from the tee can reach the water. You are going to be left with at least a 160 yard shot over nothing but water going for the green on your 2nd shot. Bailout position is to the left.

Each May I go on an annual golf outing “Up North” with anywhere from 28-40 people. We call it the “Long John” golf outing as we have had to wear “Long Johns” because of the widely varying temperatures in early May. For 7 years in a row we went to Boyne Highlands and always had our last round at the Heather. For the first six years I put one in the drink as a bunch of drunk golf buddies were jeering from the behind the green on #18. I am happy to report, the last time I played the Heather, I was the only one in my group to hit the green, landing one 20 feet from the cup as our group went on to a par, winning the annual outing.

I have had the pleasure of playing Oakhurst more than any other course as we joined there in 2002. The Club has many families with young kids. Children can play (and are encouraged to play) the course with their parents as long as pace of play is kept up. The summer swim program is fantastic as my daughter has participated the past 5 years (And if you allow me to boast a little, she was the 2007 11-12 year old league champ in the freestyle!).

As recently as 2006 was ranked in the top 25 courses in the State of Michigan. It was designed by Arthur Hills and opened in 1998. It plays 7,041 from the back tees. With 6 different sets of tees you can choose how difficult you want to make the course (this is great for me, as the clients I take out there vary greatly in skill level). On 10 out of 18 holes you must carry a hazard at some point, but there is usually a good bit of room to spray your drives. The course is tough but fair.

Hole 7 is the club’s signature hole, but my personal favorite is number 17. I could not find a good picture of 17, so I had to use Google Earth to get a satellite view. 17 is a LONG par 4 which follows the shortest par-4 on the course (303 yards). The hole runs straight down hill so you can get some nice roll on a well struck drive. If you pull your shot you may be lost in the woods to the left. Pushing your shot could lead to O.B. on the right. If you do hit a good drive, unless you get a great roll, you are faced with a 200+ yard down-hill shot to a green that has a hazard in front of it. Many people will play a 100+ yard shot to the hazard, then play a 100 yard shot to the green, thus playing the hole like a par 5.

If you are looking for a great Family Club in Northern Oakland County, give Oakhurst a call. You can call the Membership Department at (248) 391-3300, x137 (and tell them I sent you). I will see you at the pool or on the course!

My office is a twenty minute drive to Oakland Hills Country Club which has two great courses. The North Course, a par 70, 6,660 yard gem, is ranked #19 by Golf Digest in the State of Michigan. The South Course, a beast at 7,445 (par 70), is Ranked #17 in the United States (#2 in Michigan) by Golf Digest.

Oakland Hills was designed by Donald Ross in 1918. When it opened, Walter Hagen was the first club pro. The Club had a major redesign in 1951 when Robert Trent Jones beefed up the course for the the 1951 US Open. Recently, Rees Jones, his son, has lengthened the course from 6,974 yards (1996 US Open) to 7,445 yards. The list of Major Championships held at Oakland Hills rivals that of any course in the country:

• 1922 Western Open - Mike Brady
• 1924 U.S. Open - Cyril Walker
• 1937 U.S. Open - Ralph Guldahl
• 1951 U.S. Open - Ben Hogan
• 1961 U.S. Open - Gene Littler
• 1972 PGA Championship - Gary Player
• 1979 PGA Championship - David Graham
• 1981 U.S. Senior Open - Arnold Palmer
• 1985 U.S. Open - Andy North
• 1991 U.S. Senior Open - Jack Nicklaus
• 1996 U.S. Open - Steve Jones
• 2002 U.S. Amateur - Ricky Barnes
• 2004 Ryder Cup - Team Europe
• 2008 PGA Championship

I have played each course at Oakland Hills once. I played The South Course about 2 weeks after I shot 94 at Bethpage Black. We were to play the Blue Tees (6,819 yards, par 72, slope 133) which rated easier than Bethpage Black, and I was excited at the possibility of busting 90 on the South Course!

I can’t remember my exact score that day, but it was somewhere in the 110’s.  The rough at Oakland Hills is like no other. It completely sucks up your ball and hitting out of it is like launching a marble out of steel wool. The greens have undulations and breaks that you swear defy physics, and if you do read a break right, good luck judging the speed as you feel like you are putting on the hood of your car.

The 16th Hole is the signature hole at Oakland Hills. In 1972 Gary Player hit a miraculous 9-iron from under a willow tree over the pond to about 4 feet to make a birdie. If you push your drive at all, you are in the Hazard. The big boys need to club down as you run out of fairway at 270 yards. Your iron shot must be accurate, as pushing it will put you in the Hazard, and pulling it puts you in bunkers. Hitting out of the Bunkers is extremely dangerous as the green slopes towards the water.

If you come to my area and get an invite to Oakland Hills, I would suggest 2 things:

• Invite me along as I want another crack at the South!
• Try to get through the 16th hole without dropping one in the pond  (I am o for 1).

See you there!

Boyne has 2 Resorts and Eight Golf Courses located in Northern Michigan. Four of the Golf Courses are located at Boyne Highlands in Harbor Springs, MI. The newest of which is the Arthur Hills Course (2000). The Course has lots of teeth as it is a Par 73 which slopes at 144 from the back tees.

Like many other courses on my list, this course has a ton of elevation changes with Hole 13 as the signature hole on the course. The drive from the 12th green to the 13th tee is an adventure itself. The winding cart path seems to climb in to the woods forever.

As you reach the light, you seem to be on top of the earth. There is a 150 foot elevation drop from the tee to the green. You must be accurate with your tee shot as you need to land somewhere on the plateau below. If you push your shot you are lost in the woods (but you may see a deer). If you hook your shot, it will roll all the way to the fairway for the 12th hole, at which point you will be asking directions on how to get back to the 13th hole.

There are 3 other courses at Boyne Highlands. The Heather (1967 - Robert Trent Jones) is a great tract and has not lost anything in 40 years. The Moor (1974), and the Donald Ross Memorial Course (1985), were both designed by Bill Newcomb who has left his mark on Michigan Golf. For the overall Golf experience, I prefer Treetops, but Boyne Highlands is a great place to spend a weekend.

As the crow flies, Shepherd’s Hollow is less than 1.5 miles from my front door. The course was designed by Arthur Hills and opened in 2000. The land for the 27 holes is leased from the Colombiere Center, which is a retreat center originally designed as a college for Jesuit Priests. You barely see a house on the course (though you may a priest’s cemetery).  The land has great elevation changes and is densely wooded. It is a course where your blood pressure quickly drops with all of the beautiful scenery.

It is ranked #12 overall in the State of Michigan and #37 in the United States among Public Courses by Golf Digest. One curiosity I found is that Golf Digest uses the 2nd and 3rd nine in its Rankings (Holes 10-27). I and many others I talk to have the opinion along that holes 1-18 make the best tract. I find 19-27 are “tricked up,” do not flow very well, and there are at least 3 holes which are unfair.

Hole #12 is a lengthy Par-3. If you push your shot you may end up in the woods, hooking will probably get you into a bunker. Take plenty of club as I always seem to end up short. There are several other great holes on the course. My favorites include the Par-5 4th, 13th, and 18th. The Par-4’s have quite a variance as you have monsters such as the 483-yard 11th and shorties such as the 345-yard 3rd. The variance of holes is one aspect typical of an Arthur Hill’s design that I find great.

If you plan to play Shepherd’s Hollow, prepare yourself for a slow round. I always find a round will take about 5.5-6.0 hours during heavy traffic time. You will find the food in the clubhouse great, as I have never had a bad meal there. If you come visit me, I will be glad to check it out with you. I must warn you that I prefer a crack of dawn tee time to avoid a long round.

The Orchards Golf Club, located in Washington, Michigan, was opened in 1993 and designed by Robert Trent Jones II. The name, “The Orchards,” is a popular name for a golf course, being used for at least 4 other courses in the United States.

The Orchards has been given several awards and is presently ranked the #14 public course in the state of Michigan by Golfweek magazine. It has been ranked as high as #12 by Golf Digest for the State of Michigan (although it was not listed in the 2007 rankings).

The course has 2 very distinct sides. The front 9 is pretty tight, has some blind shots, and is pretty heavily wooded. The back nine (my personal favorite) is links style with many elevation changes. The 13th hole measures a staggering 607 yards from the back tees (and it plays all of it!).

In 2002, the course hosted the 77th United States Amateur Public Links Championship. The Orchards has a great practice facility and the rates are fairly reasonable. If you get a chance to visit Washington, Michigan check it out, you will not be disappointed.

What is Golf Digest’s top ranked golf course in the State of Michigan?? It is a question that most people I ask get wrong. The first guess is usually Oakland Hills South (#17).

The correct answer is Crystal Downs which is an extremely private golf course located in Frankfort, MI. The course was ranked #10 overall by Golf Digest in their 2007 rankings.

Designed in 1929 by Alister Mackenzie the course is a Par 70 measuring only 6,518 yards from the tips. The Greens all resemble the top shell of a turtle and must have slate below them as they hold the ball about as well as a pool table. There are prevailing winds on the course that make it play very much like Arcadia Bluffs (which is 20 minutes to the south).

The 10th hole is right beside the clubhouse and there is a large window so that everyone in the clubhouse can critique your swing. The day I got to play there, it was very cold and the clubhouse was empty. This was lucky for me as I could not have played a much worse round than the one I played that day.

Crystal Downs has some great elevation changes and it has stayed pretty true to its original design (thus only 6,518 yards). The Greens are a huge challenge and probably are a bit unfair. I am not quite sure it deserves as high a ranking as it gets (I personally preferred Arcadia Bluffs) but I would certainly welcome the opportunity to play it again.

The Old Course at Indianwood Golf and Country club is one of my favorite golf courses. Originally designed by famous British born golfer and architect Wifrid Reid in 1925, the course features pot bunkers, fescue rough, and no two holes that are alike. The Old Course at Indianwood was ranked #25 in the State of Michigan for 2007-2008 by Golf Digest.

The 9th hole is a dog leg right, from an article on great short par-fours in Michigan Golfer Magazine:

Other challenging shorties include the severe dogleg right ninth on the Old Course at Indianwood in Lake Orion. Lynn Janson won two of his three Michigan PGA championships at Indianwood, and calls the ninth one of his favorite short holes, even though he’s not a big fan of the kind of hole the ninth is. “In my opinion,” says Janson, “it is unusual for any kind of dogleg to be considered an outstanding hole. But the ninth at Indianwood has so many different elements to it. You can cut the dogleg and hit a shot very close to the green. You can hit it out of bounds if you stray to the right. Even laying up with a long iron isn’t easy, and if you drive through the fairway, you can have a very difficult shot from the rough.” Janson has never seen anyone actually drive the ninth green on the Old Course, but says he played it to perfection during the first two rounds of one of his PGA wins there, making birdie twice with drives that ended up just short of the putting surface. He also says the ninth has a hidden danger a player will occasionally sample, as his close friend Gary Robinson once did. “He hit his second shot off the clubhouse which sits right behind the green,” laughs Janson, “then it came back down the slope and onto the green!”

In 1930, Indianwood hosted the Western Open which at the time was considered a major championship. Gene Sarazan won $500 for his efforts as this was the only tournament Bobby Jones entered but did not win during the year. The club would also host the 1948 and 1949 Michigan PGA Championship. The 60s and 70s were rough on the club as it had deteriorated severely. Stan Aldridge, the present owner, bought the Club in 1981 and returned it to prominence. Stan spearheaded construction of the New Course (Bob Cupp/Jerry Pate). It is extremely tough from the back tees (6916 - 75.2/150)

The Club hosted the 1989 and 1994 US women’s Open on the Old Course. The future also is bright as the club was recently selected to host the 2012 US Senior Open.