August 2013 - Parks & Recreation - 22

Member to Member
Ideas to Make Golf More Popular
Make the game more fun while also making more money
By Arnie Biondo

oe is the golf world. Rounds are down, golfers are disappearing,
revenue is sinking. Many marketing and management moves are
being used to stop the bleeding. Some are successful; many are not.
So, what to do if your city or district operates a golf course? Do what the
smart decisionmakers in the public sector have been doing for decades - turn
to the recreation pros.

Take a Recreation
Programmer's Perspective
In nearly all recreational activities,
programmers have found innumerable ways to modify the activity. Why?
We do it so the activity is more attractive to the player, participant or
customer. We lower basketball hoops,
shorten base paths, change rules, play
3-on-3, reduce field lengths, limit softball game times, categorize by weight
and age, etc.

Parks & Recreation

This may be a harebrained idea,
but what if golf would take on a
recreation programmer's perspective
to attract and keep more customers? Golf is an old sport steeped in
tradition. Could it be that tradition
is what stands in the way of your
financially successful public golf
course? Changing traditional thinking about golf and golf course uses
could save the day.
First, think about the reasons that
people don't golf often, don't golf at
all or quit. Most likely, they include
the following:
% Golf is expensive - greens fees,
equipment, etc.
% Golf takes a long time to play (five
hours for 18 holes).
% Golf is hard to learn and even harder to master; ergo, it is frustrating.
Those of you running a golf course
know you have to get more people
playing to operate sustainably. How,
then, can you make it easier to learn
and play, less expensive and less
time-consuming?
The Money Is in the Masses
It's not uncommon in golf management circles to hear " the golfer " or
" the golfers. " This is used in sentences such as, " The golfers want _____ "

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and " The golfer expects _______. "
The use of the word " golfer " is used
with respect to people who golf. However, it also carries an inherent exclusionary tone. To make money, a golf
course will need to pull in those who
are not traditional " golfers " - those
hackers, duffers, outing-only golfers,
learners, fair-weather fans, etc.
Gone is the day when a course
could make enough money by just
catering to " golfers. " There just aren't enough of them. Money will
come with more participation.
Prime the Idea Pump
Here are some ideas from a recreation programmer's perspective.
They may or may not work for your
course. That's not the purpose. The
purpose is to generate new, broader
thinking about golf courses. Innovation may save public courses for golfers, nongolfers and future golfers, aka
paying customers.
1. Offer some freebies. Golf is notorious for charging for everything,
and oftentimes charging high prices (why can't I buy an $11 shirt at
a pro shop?). If the thinking is to
get more people to play regularly,
try some freebies:
Include a ball with every greens
fee. Really. Anyone can buy
golf balls at 42 cents apiece at
a retail discount store. If a 42cent ball gets someone to plunk
down $20, $30, or $65, it's a
good trade, no?
Offer to replace a player's ball

August 2013 - Parks & Recreation

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