The Pellucid Perspective - April 2020 - 2

GLASS HALF FULL

Golden Opportunities Amidst Chaos
By Stuart Lindsay

W

e would all love to see the golf economy go from 0
to 60 faster than a Big Daddy Don Garlits Top Fuel
dragster once many of the restrictions now in place begin to be lifted. But even he chose to close his Museum in Ocala
- which is normally open 363 days a year, with the legendary
host even offering personal tours.
Chances are, however, that recovery will more likely resemble a tractor pull at a county fair as the sleds get heavier. Fortunately, tractor pulls have multiple winners in different horsepower classes as opposed to the demolition derby on the last
day of the fair.
As we talk to courses applying for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) relief and writers looking for alternative in what is
usually the busiest week for golf
related articles; the conversations end up discussing what we
think will happen as we move on
through this crisis.
Even after restrictions are lifted; safe distancing, single rider
carts that have to be sanitized
between uses, cup modifications
and a host of other adjustments
will likely continue. F&B operations are being moved outside
where possible and indoor dining and drinking areas are being
reconfigured which will reduce
capacities. Safe distances in food
prep areas are also a factor.
"After all of this is over, and
as hard as it can be to fathom, your favorite restaurant may be
gone. It may take a while for a new place to open. For dining
ideas, we are studying theme nights or theme areas that will
operate almost like small restaurants within the club. They will
be by reservation only, due to the limited capacity, and they will
feature set menus to provide different and unique experiences
that can be delivered with small staffs." Eduardo Castillo, San
Antonio CC, Club & Resort Chef, 04/08/20
This quote is valuable on many levels. On the surface, he is
outlining challenges and adjustments at his private club. More
importantly, he is pointing out an opportunity because many
other restaurants his members frequent may not survive and he
wants to be ready to offer reasons for his members to use the
club more often.
The sad reality is that you can also substitute "golf course" for
"restaurant" in the quote and probably have a pretty good crystal ball. While some courses are going to fail, the survivors will
have a golden opportunity to grow their businesses.
Another opportunity is the game of golf itself. It is an outdoor activity conducive to safe distancing. How many softball

leagues will be cancelled? - pretty tough to get safe distancing
with a batter, catcher and an umpire who is already perceived
to have an eyesight problem. I was driving around the other
day and actually saw a policeman engaged with a group of bicyclists and they didn't look happy. Basketball - uh-uh. Indoor
fitness centers? Fishing? - according to the Wisconsin DNR,
you might need a bigger boat even after they decide whether
they close public boat launches entirely for the season opening
on May 5th.
We have introduced millions of kids to golf, only to see them
get distracted by high school and college athletics along with
some of the alternatives noted above and more. Since some of
those distractions will continue to be unavailable, it will be a
great time to invite them back.
Our big problem is that our invitations need some work.
It's not just the biting the
hand that feeds you comments
from Paige Spiranac, Brooks
Koepka and Max Homa that
have turned the stuffy perception of golf into reality. This
has been a decades-long issue
with "introductions like Jagger"
- "please allow me to introduce
myself, I'm a man of wealth and
taste" - the opening lines of a
song about crucifixion, revolution, world war and other chaos
(Sympathy for the Devil, 1968).
My friend Carol Rhoades
posted a video with her nephew explaining grain prices. Carol
is a decorated PGA Teacher at Cog Hill and it wasn't just family pride that made her post it. Early on, he makes the point
that grain traders assume that their farmer customers start out
with more knowledge than they actually have. He uses fishing as an analogy, but you can easily substitute golf (What's
in a Grain Price? YouTube). Carol recognizes this problem in
the golf instruction process and is successfully adjusting her approach with new golfers accordingly.
Bill Golden gets it, too. As CEO of Golf Tourism Solutions
in Myrtle Beach, he created Project Golf, an introductory program that had enough success last year that it has been spun out
into its own foundation run by Gene Augustine with assistance
from noted instructor Gary Schaal. While similar in some respects to Get Golf Ready and other introductory programs, the
first part of the program involves getting new golfers "comfortable" - mundane things we take for granted like "How do you
pay?" and "What is a bag drop for?"
Project Golf has some other components as well. Contact
information exchanges to facilitate friendship and finding play-

2 The Pellucid Perspective

April 2020

ILLUSTRATION BY FATMAWATI ACHMAD ZAENURI / SHUTTERSTOCK

Safe distancing



The Pellucid Perspective - April 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Pellucid Perspective - April 2020

TOC
COVID, an unlikely golden opportunity for golf?
Golf operator’s dilemma: Shut down or soldier on?
A (semi) quantitative analysis of COVID’s full year impact
March favorability squandered...
Feb Utilization a solid up; Rounds gain beats favorable weather
Detroit, the indefatigable market faces down another challenge
10 Activities; Closeds edge out Transactions 5 to 4
The Pellucid Perspective - April 2020 - TOC
The Pellucid Perspective - April 2020 - COVID, an unlikely golden opportunity for golf?
The Pellucid Perspective - April 2020 - 3
The Pellucid Perspective - April 2020 - 4
The Pellucid Perspective - April 2020 - Golf operator’s dilemma: Shut down or soldier on?
The Pellucid Perspective - April 2020 - 6
The Pellucid Perspective - April 2020 - A (semi) quantitative analysis of COVID’s full year impact
The Pellucid Perspective - April 2020 - 8
The Pellucid Perspective - April 2020 - 9
The Pellucid Perspective - April 2020 - 10
The Pellucid Perspective - April 2020 - 11
The Pellucid Perspective - April 2020 - March favorability squandered...
The Pellucid Perspective - April 2020 - 13
The Pellucid Perspective - April 2020 - Feb Utilization a solid up; Rounds gain beats favorable weather
The Pellucid Perspective - April 2020 - 15
The Pellucid Perspective - April 2020 - Detroit, the indefatigable market faces down another challenge
The Pellucid Perspective - April 2020 - 17
The Pellucid Perspective - April 2020 - 10 Activities; Closeds edge out Transactions 5 to 4
The Pellucid Perspective - April 2020 - 19
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