The Pellucid Perspective - November 2017 - 7

GOLF COURSE
OPERATIONS

Signs of the times?
By Stuart Lindsay

W

hy do most of the signs greeting
golfers upon arrival emphasize
"No"? We talked about this in
the State of the Industry this year and have
written about it, but I just finished a couple
weeks visiting over 20 courses and my frustration is starting to boil over.
A lot of these courses were in Indiana
and ominous signs regarding "no carry ins"
were everywhere. We also see those signs
at other courses across the country, but the
prevalence of the signs and some of the
stories we heard piqued my interest. My
curiosity led me to one of the funniest golf
product web sites I have ever visited.
Courtesy of the "comedians" at Covert
Cooler, it turns out Indiana does have a
pretty strict specific law regarding golf
course carry ins. See below from covert-coolers.com:
"Beer and Golf Courses:
What's the deal, man?
"Plaids, checks, and stripes do look better
together after a few cold ones...."
Golf and beer are best friends.  They love each other.  So, of
course, the relationship between the two has a colorful and storied past.  They have spawned all sorts of fun products, unique
micro-brews, course policies, drink specials, and more!
These days, more often than not, your day of golf begins by
being greeted with a sign upon your arrival:
NO PERSONAL COOLERS 
ALL BEVERAGES
MUST BE PURCHASED AT CLUBHOUSE
Well, isn't that just dandy.  Of course, if you have a Covert
Cooler Beer Can Hider, it's no problem.  But there ARE reasons for this rule.  If a course is licensed to sell alcohol, it is in
most states technically illegal to bring alcohol onto the premises
that was not purchased from the licensee.  It is similar to bringing your own drinks to a bar.  For example, the law in Indiana
states:
Indiana Code 7.1-5-8-5 Sec. 5. (b) It is a Class C misdemeanor for a person, for his own use, to knowingly carry on,
convey to, or consume, on or about the licensed premises of a
permittee, an alcoholic beverage that was not then and there
purchased from that permittee. "
In reality, beer is usually a significant revenue item for golf
courses. If you wonder how we make dissecting golf course data
more fun, many years ago I started looking at "beer sales per

www.PellucidCorp.com

round." It turned out that beer sales are a
good thing to look at.
We had a course that saw a drop in
clubhouse domestic can sales from 19,986
to 9,167 in one year. On closer investigation, it wasn't a carry in problem; they
sold 15,906 additional cans with increased beverage cart coverage. Add in
almost 10,000 draft beers and an increasing number of foreign and craft sales, and
this course was selling over 35,000 beers -
about 1.34 per round and generating well
over $100,000 in revenue. This Lone Star
State (sometimes jokingly called the "hold
my beer and watch this" State) golf course
remains our highest per round beer vendor,
but there is no doubt that beer sales are
generally a good contributor to golf course
profitability across the US.
Add liability issues to the mix and every golf course is probably wise to protect its beer franchise and liquor license with
some attention to discouraging carry ins. The question is how
that can be done in a more positive fashion - and the same goes
for encouraging desired overall golf course customer behavior.
"No one wants to be told that they are bad customers or rude
people. Some people go to great lengths to defend and/or rationalize their boorish behavior as a means of self-preservation or
just plain ignorance. After all, some people just don't know what
they don't know." from Servernotservant.com, Patrick Maquire.
While this comment was part of a discussion of how to
handle a customer who brings a Starbucks cup into another
restaurant, the range of comments was surprising and the excuses for why it was OK were downright funny. One operator
we know numbers coolers and fills them with ice and beer at a
bargain price. One of their customers went to great lengths to
buy an identical cooler and similar numbering to smuggle in
his own beer. It may be funny to talk about it, but how these
situations and sometimes difficult customers are handled is a
very real service dilemma for golf course operators and restauranteurs alike.
"We respect your right to wear the clothes of your choice
- golfers have been wearing ugly clothes for generations, but
please wear shoes that don't damage turf."
"We agree that some think golf is more fun with alcohol -
State Statutes require you to purchase it at this location."
"We appreciate the time you are spending with us - please
appreciate the time of the golfers playing behind you."
We could go on, but the golf industry could do a much better
job of making golf course signage more hospitable. Even before
they reach the counter, we are creating impressions that shape
golfer' opinions of our facility.
n
The Pellucid PersPecTive

7


http://www.covert-coolers.com http://www.Servernotservant.com http://www.PellucidcorP.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Pellucid Perspective - November 2017

TOC
WGF Strategic Goals for 2018:Rapidly running out of time
Total Golf Adventures continues to tee off on golf’s participation problem
Signs of the times?
October golf weather impact: Month takes a hit, year remains flat
Columbus needs more tee times, less halftimes
Shark Experience unlikely to break golf’s chains
The Pellucid Perspective - November 2017 - TOC
The Pellucid Perspective - November 2017 - WGF Strategic Goals for 2018:Rapidly running out of time
The Pellucid Perspective - November 2017 - 3
The Pellucid Perspective - November 2017 - 4
The Pellucid Perspective - November 2017 - Total Golf Adventures continues to tee off on golf’s participation problem
The Pellucid Perspective - November 2017 - 6
The Pellucid Perspective - November 2017 - Signs of the times?
The Pellucid Perspective - November 2017 - 8
The Pellucid Perspective - November 2017 - October golf weather impact: Month takes a hit, year remains flat
The Pellucid Perspective - November 2017 - 10
The Pellucid Perspective - November 2017 - 11
The Pellucid Perspective - November 2017 - Columbus needs more tee times, less halftimes
The Pellucid Perspective - November 2017 - 13
The Pellucid Perspective - November 2017 - Shark Experience unlikely to break golf’s chains
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