Pellucid Perspective - March 2013 - (Page 17)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Readers respond to ‘part-time golf ’ Jim, Part-time golf courses - that’s an interesting concept. Not sure how realistic it is. As a member of the proletariat, I’m trying to imagine the storm this would cause in the business. I will say this, I don’t know ANYONE in this business who would suggest such a thing, and that’s what I like most about reading your stuff. Keep up the great work. Hi Jim, I’m the head professional at Green Tree GC in Vacaville, CA. We’re a privately owned facility open to the public with 27 holes: 18 championship and 9 executive holes, driving range, pro shop, etc. We offer the full range of lesson programs, leagues, etc. We have seen a significant decline in revenue over the past 10 years. It was an interesting article you wrote re: Should golf courses operate part time? Not that it has quite come to that, but reading your pros and cons is something I have muddled over in my mind on occasion. Would it be financially worth trying? Not sure on that answer. I was wondering if you know of any courses operating part time. I’m sure if you had you might have listed it in your article - maybe not. Just curious. Also, have you received any feedback on this issue after you published the article. Positive or negative? Enjoy reading your reports regularily. Thank you! Jim, The bottom line on the USGA R&A possible ban. I have personally witnessed golfers that could not use a normal length putter. For example, years before long putters were popular, I gave a lesson to a golfer telling me any putt within five feet could be a wedge shot back into the green. I held back my laugh because I thought at first he was kidding. I went out to the putting green and asked him to have a try at a three foot uphill straight putt on a green stimping at 9. The first just missed and rolled six inches by. The second was made. The third was struck www.PellucidCorp.com twice and went 40 feet over the green. Again I thought this was a joke, but my member said that’s it, I can’t play because when this happens it’s too embarrassing. We tried every potential option at the time and the only fix was to close his eyes. When this ban takes place, watch as courses quit with...USGA Rules will apply... and start over with what does apply. Thanks Jim, Don’t know if you have time to read feedback from readers on Pellucid Perspective, but a few of your Feb articles spurred some thoughts. given all the variables and the complexity of tweaking this formula, how many courses actually have the bandwidth to figure this out? Most golf course operators I meet these days are short staffed and too focused on fixing golf carts, getting greens mowed and schmoozing their corporate event participants to sit back and think strategically about their business. Unless a management company with critical mass does this, it probably won’t get done. Jim K., odds are you will have to follow through with your intent to “conveniently forget that I ever mentioned it.” Show Notes from 35,000 Feet As someone who just crawled through Part-time Golf Courses 14,000 US golf course websites (and thou I’ve notice your team frequently uses sands more from England, Scotland, Oz, the airline/transportation industry be- etc.), I honed in on the comments about havior as a model for the golf industry. Yield Management. This is another one Having run a business that did $30B a of those topics with interesting ties to the year of Internet travel sales and working transportation industry. What I can tell with 100 airlines and hotel companies in you from my “travels” is that the dynamic every corner of the globe, that compari- pricing phenomenon is not widespread at son strikes true in certain ways but there all. I found one course manager in St. are many, many core differences between Louis (Walters Golf Management) that the two industries that makes them less actually touted the fact that they did dysimilar than might appear. I’m going to namic pricing (doing it is one thing, I sit down sometime and give you my ver- thought that trying to explain it to cussion of the similarities and differences… tomers was a spectacularly bad idea). The I’ll share it when it’s done. majority of courses that don’t list prices This part-time idea is interesting but on their web sites and imply that pricing my take is that a back-off to a 3 day week is variable are resort operators (consistent may be a bridge too far. Why not take a with Harvey’s comments about seasonal page out of the private country club books demand). and close a day a week (actually most of I’ve got a good friend who spent many the country clubs just tell their members years in a senior position at American and to take a hike one day a week and then Delta overseeing pricing, sales and yield they run a corporate event to generate management. He also plays 100+ rounds more revenue). Many daily fee operators of golf a year at a mix of private and public tell me they really struggle to fill the tee courses. I’m going to have a happy hour sheet one or two days a week … Tuesdays jam session with him on this topic and I’ll come up fairly often. Or, perhaps… close let you know what we come up with. This from 8am-4pm on certain weekdays but is an important topic for the industry and, let the leagues and beer flow in the eve- again, one that requires deeper thought nings. In any event, you are on a topic and attention to detail than most ma and that courses should be paying attention pa operators probably will be able to proto… who said the right model is to run vide. Have you guys ever had deep discusthe business wide open 7 days a week? sions with yield management scientists on Perhaps the biggest barrier here is that this topic? Would you like to? The Pellucid Perspective 17 http://WWW.PELLUCIDCORP.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pellucid Perspective - March 2013

Pellucid Perspective - March 2013
Contents
3rd party management barriers falling at private clubs?
A need for technology restraint in golf
Course lures golf ’s missing generation
Picking the ‘low-hanging fruit’
February weather golf impact: No surprise...down
Portland golf has slight edge on Nike neighbor
Court approves sale of Paulson-owned resorts to Government of Singapore fund
Readers respond to ‘part-time golf ’
Casey at the bat

Pellucid Perspective - March 2013