The Pellucid Perspective - August 2011 - (Page 6)

or governing bodies, few if any have shown measurable, verifiable positive results of any scale. Get Golf Ready’s progress in enrolling participating facilities, in addition to a system for tracking student enrollment, retention and dollar spend, are laudable. Perhaps more significantly, some of the industry’s multi-course owners and management companies have thrown their corporate weight behind the initiative in a meaningful fashion, not only committing their facilities’ instructors and resources, but finding ways to reinforce corporate pressure with financial incentives for the instructors and staff at the facility level who will, inevitably, hold the key to promoting, implementing and sustaining any player development program. Operators pushing GGR programs Billy Casper Golf is one of a number of multi-course operators who have devoted more than tacit support and lip service Program demographics reveal diversity to the Get Golf Ready program. The company has selected 55 appeal of its facilities, nearly half of its portfolio of owned and manA number of the statistics produced by the first two years aged courses, for implementation of the program, and SVP Bill of the Get Golf Ready program are surprising to some deRehanek said the program is online at 45 of those now. The fa- gree, and several appear to go right to the heart of some of cilities selected were those which have the key golf participation issues that sufficient range and teaching facilities have plagued the industry. For inA number of the statistics and instructors on staff to operate the stance, Harbin said that 60 percent produced by the first two program effectively. of the participants in the program’s “We took the Get Golf Ready base years of the Get Golf Ready first two years have been women, and model and did a redesign of some of 25 of the participants have been miprogram are surprising to the collateral materials from our own norities. In terms of reaching golf ’s in-house marketing tools, and we also some degree, and several so-called missing generations, 37 took the program and tracked it specifpercent of participants are in the 50appear to go right to the ically for women in what we call Golf 64 age group, 38 percent in the 35-49 for Women,” Rehanek said. “We ingroup, and 16 percent in the 18-34 heart of some of the key creased the class size for women from range. (The remainder are 65-plus). 8 to 12 and incorporated some addi- golf participation issues that Of those totals, 42 percent are playtional social aspects in the program.” have plagued the industry. ers new to the game, 44 percent are To overcome the equipment issue, returning players and 14 percent are Rehanek said that the company has classified as current golfers who apteamed up with Callaway and Topparently feel the need for some reaFlite to provide equipment for participants in what the com- sonably priced game improvement instruction. pany calls its Instant Golfer Program. Casper facilities will Whether due to funding issues or the expectation that the also issue a card to GGR participants so they can track their GGR program has proved its value sufficiently for facilities behavior and spending after completing the program. He said to adopt it solely on its merits, facilities who adopt Get Golf the company’s facilities are targeting a potential market of Ready and become certified facilities no longer receive the $1,000 stipend that was offered by Golf 20/20 in the first two 3,800 program participants nationwide. And, as mentioned earlier, Casper is backing its corporate years. For certification, the program now also requires an onpush with incentives to help insure that instructors and staff course experience with each lesson, and five graduate outings, are on board with the program. He said that instructors will usually scramble tournament events, Harbin said. share in the program revenues, and will also have opportuniWhile every golf course operator and industry stakeholder ties to win additional financial incentives in company-spon- agrees that more players are a good thing, the actual execution of player development programs invariably comes down to an sored contests related to program participation. Dave Richey, president of the golf and country club divi- economic decision on the part of course owners, operators and sion for nationwide homebuilder Toll Brothers, said he has front line staff. That being the case, Harbin leaves us with this been a proponent of the Get Golf Ready program since its number to chew on: based on current Get Golf Ready participation levels, program graduates will add a total of $19.9 introduction. “When I first heard about it at Golf 20/20 three years ago, million to the industry’s top line in the coming year. I decided that was going to be a mission of mine,” Richey said. As my dad used to say, that’s considerably better than a n “When I show up at one of our clubs, they know I’m going to poke in the eye with a sharp stick. ask them about the program.” Richey doesn’t rely solely on his own clout, however; he has also instituted a financial incentive program to further motivate facilities and their instructors. Other multi-course operators have modified or added onto the Get Golf Ready template programs to either target specific groups or piggyback on existing programs. Troon Golf recently announced its Family Golf Program, which augments juniors-play-free programs that Troon and other multi-course operators offer during selected times. Like those programs, Troon’s Family Golf Programs requires that juniors be accompanied by a paying adult. Unlike the free play programs, Troon’s program focuses on playing lessons, with juniors receiving free instruction as long as they are joined by an adult who is paying for his or her instruction. 6 The Pellucid PersPecTive AugusT 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Pellucid Perspective - August 2011

The Pellucid Perspective - August 2011
Contents
Why cost cutting doesn’t yield long-term prosperity
Get Golf Ready showing some traction
Danger, Will Robinson!
Golf holding up but heartland hammered by weather
U.S. golf course development dead, or just sleeping?
Whither the weather
Miami/Ft Lauderdale, FL Core Business Statistical Area (CBSA)
Comings & goings
A few changes of note in August’s dog days

The Pellucid Perspective - August 2011