The Pellucid Perspective - July 2011 - (Page 9)

What’s important to note about these two Alternative Golf Universe entities is that they are finding ways to fill the Black Hole of golf — the one that contains a huge number of 20-35 year old men and women who account for a missing 50 million rounds of golf. P E L LU C I D I S M Watching golfer involvement patterns is instructive in that people enter and leave activities much like they climb a ladder. They don’t jump on at the 3rd or 4th step (i.e. they’re not going to enter as 20+ rds/yr golfers contrary to what some of the industry grow-the-game trackers have suggested) and, conversely, they usually don’t jump off the ladder from a very high involvement level (i.e. they don’t go from 20 rds/yr golfers to gone). Having 14% of our franchise on the lowest rung of involvement in golf (single rd/yr players) is not a good sign and something we have to work against diligently. Golf ball, create their own course designs across urban and rural landscapes, kind of an open-source concept that makes golf available and affordable for anyone. Founder Robert Peterson, inventor of the almostGolf ball (www.almostgolf.com), set out to “create a golf game that could be played anywhere and at any time, freeing the sport from the financial and time restraints of traditional golf courses. He sees golf courses…everywhere,” according to the group’s web site home page. What’s important to note about these two Alternative Golf Universe entities is that they are finding ways to fill the Black Hole of golf - the one that contains a huge number of 20-35 year old men and women who account for a missing 50 million rounds of golf. These are people playing golf on their terms with an attitude that disclaims the stuffiness and formalities of the game. They are playing often and spending money. Neither may ever reach “critical mass” regarding the size of the membership; but never discount the fact that their ability to leverage social media will work to their advantage. If this is the way to attract the “lost generation” of golfers, then embracing their mediocrity or staging “off-course” events at your facility could be good for business. Unbridled imagination is what got us into space. Maybe we can harness some of that to help save the business of golf. n WHERE DO OVER 250 INDUSTRY-LEADING COMPANIES GET UNBIASED, FACT-BASED INFORMATION & INSIGHT? l Annual State-of-the-Industry review l Golf Local Market Analyzer software and ad hoc reports l Weather Impact Analysis l Facility Performance Scorecard & Customer Franchise Analysis l Voice-of-the-Local Golfer surveys and Customer Satisfaction tracking l Sharper Edge outsourced marketing services l Outside The Ropes industry issues & solutions newsletter Visit our website and register for more information and free sample reports at www.pellucidcorp.com. Or, contact Jim Koppenhaver to discuss your unique needs at jimk@pellucidcorp.com or 847.808.7651 www.PellucidcorP.com The Pellucid PersPecTive 9 http://www.almostgolf.com http://www.pellucidcorp.com http://www.pellucidcorp.com http://WWW.PELLUCIDCORP.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Pellucid Perspective - July 2011

The Pellucid Perspective - July 2011
Contents
The PGA of America hits the restart button on player development
Permanent tee times, Chicago style
Positive P.R. leads to course record revenue month
Exploring the alternative golf universe
Jun 2011 YtD weather impact, May 2011 YtD utilization
Life at the top of the market
Minneapolis, MN Core Business Statistical Area (CBSA)
Comings & goings
Musings from the rough

The Pellucid Perspective - July 2011