Golf Inc - March/April 2009 - (Page 11) At home on the range WHAT’S NEW RANGES Focus on upgraded practice areas helps boost play, revenues for operators Eaglequest is also bucking the trend at many courses by experiencing an increase in revenues. The club has 140 hitting stations, a 9-hole par-3 golf course, teaching facility and miniature golf course. Moore sells nearly 200,000 buckets per year, at an average of $6 per bucket. The club also sells affordable memberships for $37.95, which gives people a discount off the buckets and golf. The facility averages about 30,000 rounds of golf annually, but Moore said rounds are up by about 7 percent this year. Moore attributed the spike in revenues to the fact that Vancouver is not overbuilt with golf and to the variety offered at Eaglequest. There are standalone ranges nearby that don’t have a golf course and teaching pros. And there are courses that don’t have the same type of driving range. Besides being heated and lighted, the range is open late daily and Moore may start keeping it open 24 hours. “I’m considering it because when we close at 10:30 p.m., the place is packed. People come here after work and want to keep hitting balls when we close,” Moore said. At Haggin Oaks in Sacramento, Calif., Head Professional Mike Woods has already tried the 24/7 idea and it works. The 100-station range is open 24 hours in the summer. It sells about 120,000 buckets per year, ranging from $4 to $12 per bucket. “The bulk of our summer customers come between 9 p.m. and 1 a.m.,” Woods s clubs seek to increase revenue, many operators are doing everything they can to make their ranges more hospitable for golfers. Free club rentals, staying open 24/7 and installation of artificial turf are some of the steps clubs are taking to help boost interest in the game. While successful clubs may use different techniques, their driving range strategies are basically the same: offer a little bit of something to everyone. Clubs such as Ko Olina in Hawaii, Eaglequest Golf in British Columbia, Canada, and Haggin Oaks in California are attracting a wider customer base by broadening their range offerings. “Our facility caters to everyone,” says Peter Moore, general manager of Eaglequest in Coquitlam, B.C. Eaglequest, which has seven Canadian golf properties, caters to golfers and non-golfers alike. Some people aren’t golfers in the usual sense — they come to hit balls purely as a form of recreation. But Moore values them just the same because they’re customers. Greg Nichols, general manager at Ko Olina Golf Club on Oahu, maintains a similar philosophy. “We offer a lot of learning opportunities to attract new players and players who haven’t played in a long time,” said Nichols, a PGA pro. Ko Olina offers daily clinics priced at $30 and a free monthly clinic. But because Ko Olina is part of a resort, Nichols also tries to catch guests spontaneously. Ko Olina provides free rental clubs at the driving range if someone decides they would like to hit a few balls but didn’t bring their clubs. “The range is a real profit center for us,” Nichols said, noting that the 25-station range generates about $125,000 per year in revenue. A Officials at Eaglequest Golf Center may keep the facility open around the clock said, explaining that Sacramento’s weather is so hot in the summer that people want to be outside at night. After 9 p.m., he said, most of the folks are not golfers. Many Haggin Oaks range patrons are not really even golfers. They are truck drivers or chefs just getting off of work or people looking for entertainment. They think about seeing a movie, going to a bar or coming to hit balls, and many times they decide to hit balls, Woods said. The complex has two 18-hole championship courses, along with five practice greens and two bunkers. It averages about 160,000 rounds per year. Haggin Oaks spent about $150,000 on the range to install synthetic turf and target greens by Players Turf. It also spent nearly $500,000 to expand and renovate the pro shop, which has a 90-member retail staff and hosts one of the largest demo days in the nation. —Randie Golkin March/April 2009 www.GolfIncMagazine.com 11 http://www.GolfIncMagazine.com
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