Steve Mona and the Spring of 2013

So in keeping up with my tweets, and who is tweeting out, I read this one last week from Golf Course Industry.

Steve Mona, of the World Golf Foundation, saying that contraction may continue in US golf courses.  Problem is, that contraction is not going fast enough.

According to the NGF, the number of courses in the US are at 15,753, down by 299 from 2005.   So, in the past 8 years we have lost 299 courses and he expects to lose another 750 courses in the next 4 years.  And that number of courses will still be too high to support the demand.

This all got me thinking about a conversation I had with an industry veteran this past winter.  We were at a local superintendents meeting discussing the upcoming year.  I casually made the comment that I hope we have a good spring and a year of weather like 2012, when golf rounds were up with the dry summer.  Then he surprised me by saying, “I hope we have a bad year!”

Someone out there, who relies on the golf industry, saying he hopes for a bad year?  I asked him to explain himself.  Here’s what he told me.

We all know we need more contraction in golf.  When we have a good year, like in 2012, those courses that were on the fence about closing see an uptick in sales.  They end up having a modest year, or at least break even, and think this may turn around.  So they keep the doors open another year hoping for more of the same.

The problem is, we can’t always bank on the weather bailing out the golf economy.  This spring we have seen one of the wettest Aprils in Chicago.  We had snow in Omaha and 20 degree wind chills in Oklahoma, both in the first week of May.  Now some of these courses are going to be doomed to close at one time or another.  If they keep going another season, that is going to take golfers away from the more profitable courses.  Causing their recovery to be slower.

Now, I am not wishing any hardship on any of these courses.  I wish the housing economy was stronger and they could sell to a developer.  Or a park district could buy the course and keep it as open space.  Either way, we need to get the number of courses down to stabilize the market place.

So back to the tweet.  Courses down to 15,000 by 2017, and it still won't be enough.  I don’t know what it is going to take to correct the problem.  Maybe more springs like the one we are having now will be a good start.

Designing for the Golf Resort

Fortunately I have been part of many different golf course designs in my career.  I've designed everything from a $15 million high end private golf club to a mom and pop nine hole course.  Experiences like these are invaluable and teach you how to make those courses successful.  It is those lessons that I carry with me to every course I visit today.  Lately I have had to draw on these past projects as I get more involved in resort golf design.

Golf resorts can be broken down into three types.  You have the destination resort, the hybrid resort, and the add-on resort.  Understanding what kind of resort you have plays a large role in the type of golfer you cater too.  When I first begin a project, I look at the entire resort before I focus on the golf course.  This allows me to understand their guests and what they are looking for in the resort.  Here is an example of what I am talking about.

The Destination Golf Resort – An example of a destination golf resort is Bandon Dunes.  With five golf courses, Bandon is all about golf.  People go to Bandon to play golf, that’s it!

Garland Resort in northern Michigan is the same type of resort.  Garland features four courses and the largest log cabin east of the Mississippi River.  Guest have been coming to Garland for years, and they come to do one thing.  Play Golf!  When a new owner took over the resort in 2009, they brought me in to review the golf courses and make updates.  We started on their Fountains Course with a bunker program.  Once completed we began to look at the other courses, and even have plans for a fifth course.

Garland is set among dense hardwoods and towering pines.

When you deal with a destination golf resort you are likely dealing with multiple courses.  This allows an architect to examine the resort as a whole and then break it down into different types of courses.  The last thing you want with a golf resort is to have all your courses play and look the same.  At Garland we are able to create different golf courses.  Our final plan will allow us to have one course that is shorter and more playable for the novice golfer.  We may even elect to remove all the sand bunkers to keep it different.  Two of the other courses will play different as well.  One will be long, close to 7,200 yards and will challenge the better golfer.  The other will be shorter, but will feature water on sixteen holes.  This will be a shot maker’s course.  The Fountains course is the member’s course.  Mostly available to guests that live on the property.  When we build the fifth course, this will be a championship layout that will take advantage of the natural sand deposits on the site and cater to all types of golfers.  Having multiple courses gives a resort the advantage of bringing in a wide range of golfers.

The Hybrid Golf Resort – A hybrid resort is one that features a full resort with fine dining, spa services, off-site amenities, and a golf course.  An example of this would be the Pebble Beach Resort.  While known for its world class golf course, Pebble also caters to the non-golfer.  Guests come for the spa, the tennis club, to enjoy the beauty of the area, and to be pampered by one of the best resorts in the world.  You can spend the best week of your life there without picking up a golf club.  But, if you’re a golfer, you bring the clubs.

The National at Eagle Creek is a resort of this type.  Set in the 34,000 acre Eagle Creek State Park south of Decatur, IL, The National features first class water sports, outstanding camping, top ranked deer hunting, and a full service lodge.  It also has one of the most scenic courses in southern Illinois.

The National is used by all kinds of visitors.  Some will come to enjoy boating on Lake Shelbyville and camping in the state park.  Others come just to get away and enjoy time with nature.  Still others come to enjoy the golf course.

The golf course was built in 1971 and is owned by the State.  After years of success, it began to become run down and was closed by a court order in 2009.  In 2010 a new management group was brought in to revitalize the resort.  Most of the updates will need to be completed to reopen the run down lodge, but the new group also wants to update the golf course.

The National located on Lake Shelbyville

I began working with the group at this time and we are taking our enhancements in tiny steps.  After an initial review, we determined that many of the sand bunkers have deteriorated to the point where they must be rebuilt.  These were completed that first summer prior to the course reopening.  The course has now been reopened a couple years and work has begun on the lodge.  Once that is complete, our focus can return back to the golf course.

As one of the more scenic, and challenging golf courses in the area, The National is creating its own niche in the market place.  It is a well maintained course that local golfers regularly play due to its challenge and beauty.  Our design goals will continue to enhance the bunkers, update the practice facility, and widen landing areas to create a more enjoyable round.  We understand that the golf course is just part of the State Park and once the lodge reopens they will be able to bring in a wider range of guests.  We want those guests to feel comfortable out on the course as well.

The Add-On Golf Resort – An add-on golf resort is a resort that hosts guests for something other than golf, but decide they need to have a golf course as an amenity.  These types of resorts include Caribbean resorts and casinos.  People go to these resorts to enjoy the beach and warm weather, or play the slots and blackjack.  They do not look at these as high end golf resorts, although some may feature a first class golf course.  The golf courses here are just something to do if you get bored for a couple hours.

Sunset Pointe in Storm Lake, IA is close to this type of resort.  The course is owned by the City and was operated as a stand-alone, nine-hole public course.  Residents enjoyed the course as it was easy to play and you get a round of golf in after work.  In 2006, Storm Lake had bigger ideas and received funding to complete a water park, clean up the lake front, and rebuild the golf course.  I was brought in as the golf course architect to begin work on the redesign.

As I mentioned, with an add-on golf resort, the golf course is not the major focus of the resort.  So when we began the design of Sunset Pointe, we knew the golf course would not be the driving force in bringing the guest.  Also, with this being a public golf course for the City of Storm Lake, we needed to make sure the residents were happy with the finished product.

The final plan included the reconstruction of all the greens and tees and the regrassing of the fairways.  Understanding that the area did not have sand that was acceptable for bunkers, without paying a high cost for trucking, we elected not to install any sand bunkers.  Instead we created a series of grass bunkers around the course that serves has hazards.  This type of design has helped to have a golf course that caters to the families that visit the water park.  During this down economy, Sunset Pointe is one of the few courses I know that has continued to attract more golfers and, subsequently, raised its rates.

Lately I have been hired to work on another resort, Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, IL.  Pheasant Run included a golf course when it was first built in 1963.  Today the golf course is mostly used by the local residents and since it resides in a highly populated area, it does well.  However, the resort is looking for a way to get guests of the resorts to think about bringing their clubs when they come for a stay.  Planning has just started, so stay tuned to see how this turns out.

Pheasant Run will be my fourth resort redesign in the past five years.  These experiences keep me thinking about new ways to attract golfers, not just to resorts, but to all golf courses.  As the economy continues to rebound people will start traveling more often and these places will be ready.

 Elmcrest Country Club's Golf Learning Center 

Last week I had the opportunity to visit Elmcrest CC in Cedar Rapids and use their new indoor golf learning center.  I must say that this is a state of the art facility that opens the door for additional club use and revenue throughout the winter.  Here’s what they have to offer the members.

Three simulator bays are always in use.  Not a bad way to spend a winter day.

The golf learning center contains everything you need to continue to work on your golf game in the winter months.  The facility offers a large netted area that you can use to hit shots or the staff uses to provide lessons, a putting area, and three golf simulators.  By combining the learning center with the pool the club uses existing buildings that are now open all year.  Therefore, there is no additional expense of having a separate building.  This building is already equipped with food service in order to provide the members with drinks and snacks while using the facility.  Did I mention there are numerous TV’s to show all your favorite sports.

The lesson area allows the pros to continue to work with the members on their game year round.  By utilizing computers and video they can track a players progression and keep them moving in the right direction.  The pro had just finished up a lesson when I arrived.  However, the key component of the facility is the simulators.

These simulators are the most up to date that the market has to offer and they are heavily used.  During my tour they mentioned that they are booked up 80% of the time.  The way they operate is by providing a two hour slot for your use.  Once you know how the simulators work, a group of four can get in eighteen holes of golf in that time.  You can also use the simulator as a driving range to practice your game.

The club not only uses these for open golf, but also provides leagues and tournaments.  However, where I see the biggest upside may be for the junior golfer and the beginner.  For this group, let’s face it, the simulator is a full size video game.  But unlike the Tiger Woods video game for the Wii, Xbox, or Ps3, you get to swing real clubs and hit real golf balls here.  So with the simulators you get to have fun and learn by doing it, without having to look for your ball or worry about slowing down the group behind you.  Once the season starts they are ahead of game for getting out on the course.

The junior program is big at Elmcrest.

As I mentioned, these simulator are high tech.  When you swing you first get to see where your shot ends up on the course.  Then the screen reveals the technical data behind the shot.  This includes your swing speed, spin rate of the ball, clubhead position, and the carry distance, plus a few other stats.  These are displayed whether you are playing a course or using it as a practice range so you can always see what you are doing right, or what you are doing wrong.

Finally, this facility is not only about bringing more value to the club’s members, but also about additional sources of revenue for the club.  The club charges members a $299 fee for full use the learning center, which is basically the same amount clubs charge for range privileges during the summer months.  You could also pay on a per use basis, but once you try it you'll want to keep coming back.  The center also works to bring members out the club during the winter, which increases food and beverage sales.  It’s all about providing value to members and keeping the club moving forward.  I’ve already had conversations with existing and potential clients about implementing this type of facility at their club.  I can’t see a better way to get through the winter blues.