How to make a golf course unaffordable

[BCrosby]

This piece from the USGA Green Section is excellent.


http://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/course-care/forethegolfer/steps-to-make-your-course-unaffordable.html

[BCowan]

Bob,

   Great post, I love the sarcasm.  Another avenue for people to get it.  I was or am going to make a postcard of a failed Country Club trying to advertise for new members while at the same time repenting for their elitism. 

[Garland Bayley]

Thanks Bob,


Sent it to our green chairman with a smiley face.

[BCrosby]

It's as if someone at the USGA Green Section was taking notes on GCA posts over the last couple of years.

Bob

[Bill_McBride]

It's as if someone at the USGA Green Section was taking notes on GCA posts over the last couple of years.

Bob

You don't think they do?

[Peter Pallotta]

It's as if someone at the USGA Green Section was taking notes on GCA posts over the last couple of years.
Bob

Indeed - and as if he even took notes on specific posters , and copied their simple and direct writing styles....

I think the article goes a long way in helping us make our golf courses more unaffordable; but it does miss a few ways. One is for the developer/client to come up out of thin air with an elitist and exclusionary price point/green fee -- say, $240 for 18 holes in prime time -- and then afterwards spend enough (on name architects, club houses, extravagant irrigation systems etc) to rationalize it.

Reminds me of an old acquaintance who opened a pizzeria. His pizzas are delicious and reasonably priced, and come with a bottle of mineral water free of charge; but he prices his beer, wine and liquors very high "to keep the bums and riff raff out -- they can go drink someplace else".   

 

[BCrosby]

Bill -


I'm always astonished by the number of people "in the industry" who read GCA regularly. They often dismiss us as nut cakes. But they read us.

Peter -

I'm reminded of the famous b'school case study in which a store owner couldn't sell a stock of special jewelry she had acquired. She had priced it reasonably, everyone seemed to like it, but she made very few sales. She took a vacation and in her absence an employee messed up the price tags, doubling the price of the jewelry. They sold like hotcakes. All were gone by time the owner returned from vacation.

I'd guess there are owners of golf courses who are keenly aware of that case study and set their green fees accordingly.

Bob   

[Jon Wiggett]

Quite an amusing article. What are the USGA doing in the US practically to actually back up this knowledge?

[Tom_Doak]

Quite an amusing article. What are the USGA doing in the US practically to actually back up this knowledge?

For years, superintendents have told the Green Section representatives that it's impossible to argue the case for such reasonable suggestions at their own clubs, when people turn on the TV to watch the U.S. Open and see just the opposite -- brilliant green fairways, lots of fancy striping from walk-behind mowers, perfectly groomed bunkers, etc.


Finally, in the past two Opens, the USGA has been putting their money where their mouth is -- in spite of much screaming from the outside world.  It's been a nice change of direction.  I hope they can keep on course.

[jeffwarne]

They missed one (at least)
spend 12.6 million to renovate an existing course


They also forgot buy clubs and balls that go 10% farther to encourage a renovation

[Jon Wiggett]

Quite an amusing article. What are the USGA doing in the US practically to actually back up this knowledge?

For years, superintendents have told the Green Section representatives that it's impossible to argue the case for such reasonable suggestions at their own clubs, when people turn on the TV to watch the U.S. Open and see just the opposite -- brilliant green fairways, lots of fancy striping from walk-behind mowers, perfectly groomed bunkers, etc.


Finally, in the past two Opens, the USGA has been putting their money where their mouth is -- in spite of much screaming from the outside world.  It's been a nice change of direction.  I hope they can keep on course.

Tom,

I understand that but do they have a program such as the sustainable golf one of the R&A? Are they going around the regional associations promoting their message. And Jeff's point is also very important. Why are they not doing more to combat the distance problem which would be very, very simple and cheap to do and would help a lot.

Jon

[Mike_Young]

Here's part of the problem...a young supt often goes to work at a very nice club right after college so that he can learn from a high budget club.  After a few years he takes a job at another club looking to improve and he ask for a budget to give them a particular look.  His goal is not to stay at said club from now on but to move on to a little nicer and higher budgeted club so he can do more and look better and make more money. 
The industry has never educated the supts and pros on how to make a place profit for the average club.  Everything is based on the budgets of the nicer private clubs where everything is subsidized.  There is nothing wrong with anyone looking for a better job, more money and a chance to show more of what they can do but ti doesn't fit with the article except in very rare cases....

It was interesting that the one thing the USGA mentioned was fighting an old irrigation system...hmmm....

[Tom_Doak]

The industry has never educated the supts and pros on how to make a place profit for the average club.

Absolutely true.  I spoke to students at one of the big university turf programs years ago, and it was right in their curriculum that they were managers, and that the bigger budget they managed, the more they would get paid.

[Thomas Dai]

......Everything is based on the budgets of the nicer private clubs where everything is subsidized.....

Mike,


Could you expand on what you mean by 'subsidising' at nicer private clubs. Just curious. Thanks.


Atb

[Mike_Young]

......Everything is based on the budgets of the nicer private clubs where everything is subsidized.....

Mike,


Could you expand on what you mean by 'subsidising' at nicer private clubs. Just curious. Thanks.


Atb

Thomas,
IMHO a private 501c3 club is like the government and taxes.  The club board tells the club manager what they wish to have and the club manager tells his dept heads.  .  They come back with budgets and the club manager tells the board what it will cost to run the club for the year. 

In a smaller for profit daily fee club the owner looks at what is needed to operate and do repairs or inprovements for the year and then tells his employees they need to generate a specific amount of fees in order to break even. 

The two scenarios above are how most clubs function.  In the first example the little old lady who has been a member for years and now rarely uses the club subsidizes each of your rounds of golf and improvements to the club.  In the second example the $40 green fee has to cover all expenses and improvements.  ( example: on course restrooms in ex 1 divided by all members....in example 2 owner pays for it from green fees)

[Thomas Dai]

Mike,


thanks for this, now I understand better what you were getting at.


Overall an interesting piece from the USGA. Reverse logic


Atb

[Charlie_Bell]

In defense of ball washers, a subject which has probably been discussed here regularly and at length, I would say they often bring a smile to children under the age of 5.  Fascinating machines, either the crank or the churn variety...

[John Kavanaugh]

Could an industry insider explain to me why golf carts are now issued primarily without the attached ball/club washer? It has gotten so bad that I built one of my own that attaches where the cooler goes. Like with cart girls we need two coolers per cart.

[Patrick_Mucci]

How affordable, compared to today, was golf in 1907 ?
 
1927 ?
 
1937 ?
 
1947 ?
 
1957 ?
 
1967 ?
 
Is there that much of a difference, relatively speaking, versus today ?

[Tim_Weiman]

It's as if someone at the USGA Green Section was taking notes on GCA posts over the last couple of years.

Bob

You don't think they do?

Some fairly prominent people in the golf industry have made clear to me that GCA gets a lot of attention. My sense is that things have changed a bit. It used to be fashionable to pretend otherwise, but today people in the industry openly acknowledge they read and enjoy GCA.

[Ian Andrew]

It's as if someone at the USGA Green Section was taking notes on GCA posts over the last couple of years.

Bob

You don't think they do?

No I don't...
You think this in new for them?
It's not.


Guys like David pushed removals during phases when Greens Chairman would ignore their advice.
Golf caught up to the agronomists

[Carl Johnson]

. . .


Thomas,
IMHO a private 501c3 club is like the government and taxes.  The club board tells the club manager what they wish to have and the club manager tells his dept heads.  .  They come back with budgets and the club manager tells the board what it will cost to run the club for the year.


c3 or (c)(7)?

[Mike_Young]

. . .


Thomas,
IMHO a private 501c3 club is like the government and taxes.  The club board tells the club manager what they wish to have and the club manager tells his dept heads.  .  They come back with budgets and the club manager tells the board what it will cost to run the club for the year.


c3 or (c)(7)?

C7 sorry...

[Patrick_Mucci]

. . .


Thomas,
IMHO a private 501c3 club is like the government and taxes.  The club board tells the club manager what they wish to have and the club manager tells his dept heads.  .  They come back with budgets and the club manager tells the board what it will cost to run the club for the year.
 
Carl,
 
I'm sure that some clubs operate that way, but, that wasn't how budgets were determined when I sat on the board of several clubs.
 
Sometimes, the President, usually in conjunction with the Treasurer/Finance Chairman, dictated the budget for the coming year.
 
ie.  Budgets will be reduced 5 %. 
 
Then, it was left up to each chairman to work with the club staff assigned to that department, to figure out how to meet that goal.
 
Other times, the Committee Chairman sat with the department head and presented a "reasonable" budget for the upcoming year.  A budget that would be reviewed by the Board and either altered or approved.
 
For a Green budget, one of the most difficult of all of the budgets, predicting what Mother Nature would do was a guess at best.
 
Besides, a budget is an estimate, not a fixed, guaranteed price.
 
There are so many uncertainties that can affect a budget, hence, you do the best you can and hope everything falls into place.
 
It's a guestimate, not a science.



c3 or (c)(7)?

[Mike_Young]

. . .


Thomas,
IMHO a private 501c3 club is like the government and taxes.  The club board tells the club manager what they wish to have and the club manager tells his dept heads.  .  They come back with budgets and the club manager tells the board what it will cost to run the club for the year.
 
Carl,
 
I'm sure that some clubs operate that way, but, that wasn't how budgets were determined when I sat on the board of several clubs.
 
Sometimes, the President, usually in conjunction with the Treasurer/Finance Chairman, dictated the budget for the coming year.
 
ie.  Budgets will be reduced 5 %. 
 
Then, it was left up to each chairman to work with the club staff assigned to that department, to figure out how to meet that goal.
 
Other times, the Committee Chairman sat with the department head and presented a "reasonable" budget for the upcoming year.  A budget that would be reviewed by the Board and either altered or approved.
 
For a Green budget, one of the most difficult of all of the budgets, predicting what Mother Nature would do was a guess at best.
 
Besides, a budget is an estimate, not a fixed, guaranteed price.
 
There are so many uncertainties that can affect a budget, hence, you do the best you can and hope everything falls into place.
 
It's a guestimate, not a science.



c3 or (c)(7)?

Pat,
I think Carl had copied a paragraph from my post and was aking if I meant to say 501c7 instead of 501c3.  What you say is often the way it works IMHO but the jest of my staement was to say that private club expenses were determined and then divided by the number of members to determine dues...just like the govt would determine a tax rate...