Some "State of the GCA" Observations

[V_Halyard]

Some will find this shocking but let me start this by actually inviting (non-political) comment from Mike Young here!  (Gasp)
Looking for Mike's, and other GCA focused operator comment..
During the course of this pandemic, whilst remotely producing content across oceans, we have also been having to execute some US based sports and active lifestyle media for skiing, biking, and luckily, golf.

Here are some golfy/GCA things we have seen on our (Many times stressful) journeys.
In some (most) places, golf is booming. Rounds have doubled. Tee sheets are sold out.
A number of munys we have visited are so busy, they don't even answer the phone.
You can't even leave a message. -  "This mailbox is not accepting messages, please visit WWW..."
It became evident that this is a good time to work on retaining the new golfers.
It would also be a good time to bolster venues struggling in markets that could likely support them, if the owner/operator is making best efforts to succeed. 

Good golf architecture and conditioning matter, be they classic, modern, muny or private.
We've watched about 20 locations anecdotally during the course of work and production travel.
That said, we have in no way approached this scientifically. This is in no way worthy of properly vetted publication.
I however have no hesitation sharing this on GCA for discussion amongst ourselves.  Lol
This is based on a collection of mix of munys, privately owned public access, resort, private clubs and Baptists. (You know that one)

The biggest finding: Golf is sold out. If you want a tee time, get up early.
1- YOY Business ranges: up 20-60%
    - I threw out about 5 places where business was up well over 130% YOY since they each replaced horrible management

2- In over half of the locations, more than 30% of the business represents golfers NEW to golf
     - caveat About 10% are “Coming Back to Golf”.  Golfers who have not played for 7 or more years.
     - ("I grew up plying as kid but haven't played for years")
     -This is an especially nice demo because they are finding the new equipment more fun.
     - "Its the only thing we can do". worked out for golf

3- Equipment inventory is sold-out in many places, are youth programs,  lessons and teaching slots

4- New golfers are tuned into course conditions. Once they play a well-conditioned course, they understand that muddy bunkers and fungus rings around the green are not normal.  They are very quick to start personal "Top Ten" lists and vote with dollars and revisits. 
They are also tuned into social communication. Bad news travels fast but know that good news travels faster. 
"Hurry, get online and reserve XYZ before tee times disappear...."

5- Another Positive. Golfers (New and Existing) are focused primarily on the golf experience rather than the accoutrements. Going indoors is many times not an option. This bodes well for GCA focused businesses. Lead with the golf, the beer will follow. Make sure the on course experience doesn't suck.

6- Top Golf is our friend. We have interviewed a surprising number of folks I call "TopGolf Graduates". They will still go to Top Golf but are surprised how much fun a real golf course can be when they can get outside for a nice walk (Cart).  There is still " wow, this is harder than Top Golf but till fun. They have been swinging a club, many tines poorly, but they have become addicted to contact with the ball.

7- Sell Booze and Food: Once your golf experience is dialed in, however you can legally, efficiently, and cost effectively sell booze and food, sell food and booze.They are probably going somewhere to order carry out or delivery anyway.

8. No whining about golf architecture. ("Whinge" is my UK Fav)
(I'm sure you know I'm speaking in the first person here.) Especially if they are having fun. 
Avoid the face that says: "Why the f*** are you blathering about the tee box when we're heaving a blast".
The best is when they actually begin to figure it out on their own...
" Wow, this course (With good GCA) is a lot more fun than that other course (With bad GCA).

9. They know nothing, nor care anything about "the ball". They do however thoroughly enjoy seeing it go far, soooo.  #bifurcateion

10. Make sure they have easy access to  equipment doesn't suck.  If all they know is the Top Golf Rental- club, real gear and real golf balls are revelations. That is a tough business call since equipment is expensive and rentals get a beating.Not being and operator, I dont have an

11: The biggest "finding" from all of this is that the boom will likely abate in about a year
There are indications that golf can hold onto about 20% of "new and returning golfers". Getting them to stay with the game would be good news. 
The returning of former golfers are especially energized.  The comparative ease of the new gear and yes, the new balls, are revelation. To the best of their recollection, they can't remember golf being this fun.

In closing: Let's not f=(k this up..
Thoughts?   Go

[jeffwarne]

Good synopsis.
I have enjoyed seeing the renewed emphasis on "playing" golf, rather than all the supposedly ultra important things like clubhouse, locker room etc.(with both closed, somehow facilities produced record nmbers)
I will note though that after a three month grace period of importing and carrying their own, golfers of affluence once again returned to their obsessive dependance on having copious amounts of bottled water available to them from driving range to 18th tee.
I'm always amazed I could survive on drinking fountains and a coke for 18 holes growing up in Augusta with 100 degree summer days.


Playing devil's advocate here, why should the rank and file golfer be excited by tee sheets being full and tee times being SOOO much harder to find. I know we struggled to find availability for our Tuesday afternoostaff getaway games at usually reliably unbusy public venues(we did not call privates because we knew they were as overwhelmed as we were)
Great for the "business" but is it great for golfers?

[Blake Conant]

This starts an interesting conversation.  I'll play devil's advocate and say I don't think play will abate in a year.


First, what activities were the majority of "pandemic golfers" doing pre-pandemic?  How did the pandemic free up that once occupied time slot and make room for golf? 


My assumption is the increase was mostly due to more people working from home.  I think it's fair to say essential workers didn't drive this boom in golf activity.


Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, said in the spring that the pandemic would advance us technologically by 10 years.  Remote working, remote meetings, remote learning, etc.  The shortcomings of Zoom means there will always be a need for physical meeting/working space, but businesses and corporations are realizing that the work goes on without the big brick and mortar.  As companies downsize their leased square footage, I think those people that got into golf will stick with it so long as they have the freedom of working from home.

[Blake Conant]

Playing devil's advocate here, why should the rank and file golfer be excited by tee sheets being full and tee times being SOOO much harder to find. I know we struggled to find availability for our Tuesday afternoostaff getaway games at usually reliably unbusy public venues(we did not call privates because we knew they were as overwhelmed as we were)
Great for the "business" but is it great for golfers?

If golf courses took 2 months to build and grow-in, I bet you would've seen a ton of courses open last spring/summer to adjust for that spike in demand. Given that it's more like 2 years, maybe developers are taking their time to read the room? If demand abates like Vaughn says then you no longer have a problem. If demand stays where it is or close to it maybe we'll see a post-pandemic boom?


It actually makes me wonder why we didn't have more "pop-up" golf course/short courses this year? How would you do it? Baseball stadiums do it, but the experience is only captivating because you're hitting from the bleachers.  If there's a defunct course nearby you could talk with ownership about the cost of revival with a bare bones operation?


There are some empty plots near downtown Omaha, so I wonder if you could create a "pop-up" short course and construct it like a monster track rally?  Haul some dirt in quickly and build a few greens then find a way to drape an artificial playing surface over the thing?

[Mike_Young]

Vaughn,I agree with most all you are saying but I am not sure it will abate as much as the predictions indicate. 

I'm not a big fan of Top Golf or other alternatives such as 6 holes or 12 holes etc.  I think of Top Golf as a form of Bowling Alley with the golf being there to sell booze and food and events...JMO
I think COVID exposed "travel sports teams" for what they are.  So often parents were told their kids were some great athlete because the parent could afford the $1500 "travel ball" fee while the real athlete couldn't play because he could not afford (unless enough of the others paid to provide scholarship.  AND THAT HELPED GOLF. I saw more dads and kids that had weekends to play even with baseball or soccer because the game did not require a trip and an entire weekend along with all of the cost it freed up.  I don't think it comes back as strong as golf will.
I think the big driver made "past golfers" realize it was not the same game they played 40 years ago with forged irons and persimmons.
Young , millennial types enjoy the walk more and are not as concerned with the "edges" thus allowing more European type of conditioning. 

Consultants are BSing clubs into thinking they have to have more and more amenities to attract yet the younger members they are trying to attract / but many already have many of those amenities in their neighborhoods. 

HOWEVER, $40-$75 golf has to be made profitable and is difficult with the cost of new courses.  If there is a demand for a good steak restaurant in the area such as "Longhorn" then they will build a building and purchase a meat that will allow for a profit.  The golf industry has never allowed itself to work like that.  Irrigation suppliers, equipment suppliers, construction materials and specifications have created a monster that forces golf to be subsidized.  NOW having said that...the guys going for that price range are not going to come out in some magazine or conference and tell everyone else how they get that done.  So it is not about building  more right now..it's about buying whats there at the right price and making it work...
I don't see lots of new construction for a while and when it does it will not be the same as the last boom.  The business has trained a lot of idiots including architects, supts, board members, golf pros who think this train will just go on and on....it's going to get leaner and leaner and the glamour will go away...it will become a viable business . 

NOTE:  THIS RANT DOES EXCLUDE THE TOP TIER CLUBS (PERHAPS 1000 CLUBS)

[Tim Martin]

A lot of goodwill was built between owner/operators and players as a result of COVID-19. That translated into loyalty for repeat play that previously would have been spread around more. Almost everyone traveled less and played less courses. A good home game became the apple of everybody’s eye.

[Garland Bayley]

They can't see the ball go far. Besides, the ball always went far, unless you were willing to pay extra for golf balls that your lousy swing was going to quickly destroy.

[MCirba]

Vaughn.


You are a man for your times.


Thanks.

[Tom_Doak]

There is a lot of pent-up demand for "golf trips" next year [we hope] for all the 10% who make big plans and want to Instagram everyone where they've been.


But that's not really a sustainable business model for golf.  "Destination" courses still succeed or fail based on REPEAT customers . . . I don't believe I've seen such a thing as a successful course that everyone visits once.  [Pebble Beach maybe COULD do that, but most of those golfers are not first-time visitors; and if they tried that route, eventually they'd have to lower the price.]


So I am wondering if some of the more far-flung golf destinations of recent years will still thrive post-pandemic, or whether 2020 will cause people to think twice about all the other reasons not to travel so much, and better support the good courses closer to home.


I would have said that it might hurt golf in New Zealand, but The Land Without Coronavirus is a paradise on Earth right now, and I think people will be more attracted to go there than ever once they can.

[Tom_Doak]

9. They know nothing, nor care anything about "the ball". They do however thoroughly enjoy seeing it go far, soooo.  #bifurcateion

I think you injected some of your own bias, in that last bit.  Most new golfers have no idea how far they drive the ball and wouldn't care about 10-20 yards they never knew existed.

[Peter Pallotta]

The pandemic has rattled me. I can’t confidently predict or pronounce upon just about anything at all these days.

[Bernie Bell]

Tom Doak
- "whether 2020 will cause people to think twice about all the other reasons not to travel so much, and better support the good courses closer to home."
Mike Young
-  "Young, millennial types enjoy the walk more and are not as concerned with the "edges" thus allowing more European type of conditioning."
-  Don't need amenities; have them in the neighborhood
-   "If there is a demand for a good steak restaurant in the area such as "Longhorn" then they will build a building and purchase a meat that will allow for a profit.  The golf industry has never allowed itself to work like that.  Irrigation suppliers, equipment suppliers, construction materials and specifications have created a monster that forces golf to be subsidized.  NOW having said that...the guys going for that price range are not going to come out in some magazine or conference and tell everyone else how they get that done.  So it is not about building more right now..it's about buying whats there at the right price and making it work..."
====
In North America, perhaps a fresh look at the extant 1945-late 60s courses by regional architects.  And a new name here for that era.  (Tap your heels together three times, Dorothy.)

[Tim Martin]

Travel and more specifically international travel is a bust for much of if not all of 2021. The real reckoning will come in 2022 as far as the “state of the game”.

[Rory Connaughton]

To piggy back on Mike's comments about travel sports, the time is now for golf to engage kids and parents in immersive junior golf programs in lieu of travel sports. This is especially the case for girls golf where the opportunities are vast on a per capita basis compared to other sports. Plus the cost of travel sports isn't just the $1,500 fee. The travel expenses often dwarf that.


Public and private clubs can offer an incredible alternative while keeping the family closer to home. Good for the children and good for the family.


Eric MacCluen in SE Pa has sent over 100 golfers, including 60 girls, on to college with golf scholarships with an immersive program based on golf, academics and citizenship. It is a great model. Hopefully the opportunity will be seized.

[John Kavanaugh]

Many changes will occur as Willy won't be packing his clubs for a few rounds while on business. Hopefully technology and business ethics will allow corporations to track employees who claim to be working "at home". No more golf on the company dime. Hallelujah!!!

[jeffwarne]

9. They know nothing, nor care anything about "the ball". They do however thoroughly enjoy seeing it go far, soooo.  #bifurcateion

I think you injected some of your own bias, in that last bit.  Most new golfers have no idea how far they drive the ball and wouldn't care about 10-20 yards they never knew existed.

I will agree they know "nothing about the ball" I'm pretty sure a new tennis player doesn't get into the finer points of wood racquets nor does a new Little leaguer think about wood bats-doesn't mean at some point they won't appreciate eventually the differences and nuances of tech and the way a game is played. I'm pretty confident my view is unlikely to be changed by a player who has been playing for 3 months, and would surely lack the context to see the game through any other lense than his own limited experience.
I would bet the farm that I could take a test group of beginners and have one group hit balatas and another Pro V1s and see no difference in the enjoyment or staying power one group had over another-especially if they were separated for no distance comparison.


Based on my experience, with people playing not only their OWN course, but other golfers, it isn't just new golfers who have no idea how far they drive the ball.Playing in cooler/cold weather it is shocking to me how few actually make the adjustments required to reach a target.
There is often little to no awareness of a tee being forward a block or two, or even the practice tee being on a different level and the distance differences that can create.

[John Kavanaugh]

The harsh reality in my world is that the sedentary nature of the last year has already cost me 10+ yards. I asked an older buddy yesterday "At what age did you realize you were old?" He also said this year.

[jeffwarne]

The harsh reality in my world is that the sedentary nature of the last year has already cost me 10+ yards. I asked an older buddy yesterday "At what age did you realize you were old?" He also said this year.

This year.
I fact yesterday when I hit a 6 iron to #1 at Palmetto-on a pretty warm day...
You'd think I'd know the distance of the hole, but I don't-380 ish?
The low spin ball/driver no longer stays in the air.
Self rollback I guess...

[Thomas Dai]

Playing devil's advocate here, why should the rank and file golfer be excited by tee sheets being full and tee times being SOOO much harder to find. I know we struggled to find availability for our Tuesday afternoostaff getaway games at usually reliably unbusy public venues(we did not call privates because we knew they were as overwhelmed as we were)
Great for the "business" but is it great for golfers?

If golf courses took 2 months to build and grow-in, I bet you would've seen a ton of courses open last spring/summer to adjust for that spike in demand. Given that it's more like 2 years, maybe developers are taking their time to read the room? If demand abates like Vaughn says then you no longer have a problem. If demand stays where it is or close to it maybe we'll see a post-pandemic boom?
It actually makes me wonder why we didn't have more "pop-up" golf course/short courses this year? How would you do it? Baseball stadiums do it, but the experience is only captivating because you're hitting from the bleachers.  If there's a defunct course nearby you could talk with ownership about the cost of revival with a bare bones operation?
There are some empty plots near downtown Omaha, so I wonder if you could create a "pop-up" short course and construct it like a monster track rally?  Haul some dirt in quickly and build a few greens then find a way to drape an artificial playing surface over the thing?

Like the idea of “pop-up” courses.
They do something similar for motorbike and quadbike racing on beaches so doing the same kind of thing on a beach for golf would be great ... ‘Beach Golf’! .... and Seve learnt to play on a beach.
Make some humps, features etc when the tide goes out. Drape some kind of artificial surface to act as greens. And just play. And when the tide comes in lift up the artificial green areas. Next day ... do the same but with different humps and features and artificial green locations. Play with only a couple of clubs using mini-size tennis balls for safety. Maybe no need for artificial greens if the players are careful with their feet.
Atb

[Kalen Braley]

Vaughn,

Excellent as usual, and agreed with your final comment, hopefully they don't fuck it up....

P.S.  I have a bone to pick with travel team nay-sayers.  My daughter played 3 years of travel lacrosse in the off-season and she absolutely loved it, as well as the other girls on her teams.  Yes we spent a good chunk of change, but it was worth every penny, and even us parents generally like the travel, especially when for example it involved traveling to Palm Springs in January for the biggest tourney in the West. And I don't doubt that some kids didn't belong from a skills perspective, but my daughter and most of the girls she played with, went on to play college ball.

[Rick Shefchik]

Serious question: Does the agreed-upon golf boom make a Troon discount card for Arizona a bad buy this winter? If you can only reserve a time one to three days in advance, are all the tee times going to be snapped up?


I can certainly attest to how popular golf was in Minnesota this summer and fall. We had a warm December, and one local operator said he could have sold ten times the tee times he had available in the final days.

[Steve Lang]

   We have some golf nut friends who live in Scottsdale, AZ ... I believe they're already skiing up in Utah, so you might have that factor going for you!  Good luck this year!

[Criss Titschinger]

At my club, we went from having a small waiting list to once again having a waiting list. We did a record number of rounds. There were multiple times where even my standard mid-afternoon walk-up tee-time required a wait of a few groups. As me and other parents were finding out; we had a lot of free time when we weren't taking our kids to this and that sports ball practice/game.

Short pool noodles are the best. The pull-up clubs either prevent putts from going in, or require the player to touch and move the pin anyways. While cups out provided record scores and miraculous chip-ins, they weren't real golf.

What timing for our club to approve a pavilion building the fall before in our all-club meeting. This pavilion was the evolution of a project that originally called for a new, modest clubhouse. Despite our homework and planning for this new clubhouse, we did not foresee the exponential increase in construction costs; to the point where the project was off the table.

Talk about a stroke of fortune. This pavilion, completed in mid-April, provided loads of outdoor eating and drinking space when other clubs were hamstrung by their large, indoor dining areas. We exceeded our previous year's F&B revenue in July of 2020. It's been nothing but a great success for the club. We will have the building paid off in a year, and we can focus the remaining would-have-been clubhouse funds in other areas.

I did have two golf trips canceled. We did do a limited Mashie, and I'm grateful we were able to get that in.

[Tim Martin]

At my club, we went from having a small waiting list to once again having a waiting list. We did a record number of rounds. There were multiple times where even my standard mid-afternoon walk-up tee-time required a wait of a few groups. As me and other parents were finding out; we had a lot of free time when we weren't taking our kids to this and that sports ball practice/game.

Short pool noodles are the best. The pull-up clubs either prevent putts from going in, or require the player to touch and move the pin anyways. While cups out provided record scores and miraculous chip-ins, they weren't real golf.

What timing for our club to approve a pavilion building the fall before in our all-club meeting. This pavilion was the evolution of a project that originally called for a new, modest clubhouse. Despite our homework and planning for this new clubhouse, we did not foresee the exponential increase in construction costs; to the point where the project was off the table.

Talk about a stroke of fortune. This pavilion, completed in mid-April, provided loads of outdoor eating and drinking space when other clubs were hamstrung by their large, indoor dining areas. We exceeded our previous year's F&B revenue in July of 2020. It's been nothing but a great success for the club. We will have the building paid off in a year, and we can focus the remaining would-have-been clubhouse funds in other areas.

I did have two golf trips canceled. We did do a limited Mashie, and I'm grateful we were able to get that in.

Chris-Congrats on all the positive developments at your club. I saw different outdoor set ups including fire pits, tents, and expanded decks. A lot of ingenuity carried the day and people embraced anything that wasn’t closed off and or inside. Golf learned how to bring people together while keeping them apart.

[Daryl "Turboe" Boe]

A lot of goodwill was built between owner/operators and players as a result of COVID-19. That translated into loyalty for repeat play that previously would have been spread around more. Almost everyone traveled less and played less courses..

Once again I find myself in the minority...    Not the first time that has happened in life, but I actually played more courses this year than any year since I started keeping track 25 years ago.  Assuming there will be no new courses in the next 4 days, today's course was my 143rd different course this year!  Lots more practice sessions and 9 hole rounds when I was at my home club than 18 hole rounds, as I could not be away from the phone for as long of periods of time given everyone knew I was not out seeing customers.   But the fact no one would see a sales person for 5 months allowed me to basically check off every course within 40 miles of my house that I had not previously played. 


Looking forward to what 2021 has in store...  I know I will get my 2000th course sometime pretty early next year, and I hope to get back to more golf trips that involve air travel than 2020.