Minnesota Golfer - Summer 2012 - 31
By W.P. Ryan
O
f late, the game of golf has taken a hit in the media
for the anemic state of the business of golf. Articles
and opinion pieces have appeared in the likes
of The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times,
Forbes magazine and many national golf publications. All have
more or less taken the game to task for its so-called shortcomings-too
expensive, too slow, too hard-or offered up ideas
to dumb the game down in order to make it more appealing to
new and former golfers.
Is the game unfairly under the microscope?
We asked fi ve local golf industry insiders for their perspectives
on the state of the game.
Golf Costs Too Much
No one in the business of golf in the Twin
Cities will tell you with a straight face that
the game is too expensive.
" Golfers benefi t by playing fairly cheaply, "
observes Tom Smith of Brackett's Crossing.
" [But] I don't think it cheapens the game. "
Smith's comments pertained to the rampant
trend toward discounting in the golf
industry, a business model that he says generates
less revenue per round.
Michael Turnbull, the director of golf
business at Teemaster.com, a Twin Citiesbased
online tee time reservation service, points to the proliferation
of online coupons offering discounted green fees. He
tracked nearly 200 such discounts last year.
" It was a big adjustment considering the late opening last
year and the tough course conditions, " he says, adding that all
of that conspired to put a cash and credit crunch on area golf
courses.
Chris Bettinger, manager at Chomonix Golf Club, a municipal
golf course in Lino Lakes, tested as many as eight of these
online deals in 2011. He believes that discounting is not necessarily
a good thing and that some discounts are wasted on golfers
who may never come back. But he still
sees value in the couponing efforts he has
tried with the likes of Crowd Cut, Living
Social and Deal Chicken. " At Chomonix,
my goal has been advertising and getting
the word out, " he says.
With the right restrictions in place (Bettinger
eschews two-for-one discounts and
believes golf facilities are in a position to
make favorable deals with online couponers),
these discount deals are creating
new customers for Chomonix. Last year,
Chomonix sold 865 coupons with Living
Social and raised a signifi cant amount of
revenue.
Tom Smith
www.mngolf.org
Summer 2012 MINNESOTA GOLFER
29
http://www.Teemaster.com
http://www.mngolf.org
Minnesota Golfer - Summer 2012
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Minnesota Golfer - Summer 2012
Contents
Minnesota Golfer - Summer 2012 - Cover1
Minnesota Golfer - Summer 2012 - Cover2
Minnesota Golfer - Summer 2012 - 3
Minnesota Golfer - Summer 2012 - 4
Minnesota Golfer - Summer 2012 - 5
Minnesota Golfer - Summer 2012 - 6
Minnesota Golfer - Summer 2012 - 7
Minnesota Golfer - Summer 2012 - 8
Minnesota Golfer - Summer 2012 - 9
Minnesota Golfer - Summer 2012 - 10
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Minnesota Golfer - Summer 2012 - 28
Minnesota Golfer - Summer 2012 - 29
Minnesota Golfer - Summer 2012 - 30
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Minnesota Golfer - Summer 2012 - 42
Minnesota Golfer - Summer 2012 - Cover3
Minnesota Golfer - Summer 2012 - Cover4
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