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MEMBERS ONLY Streamline Your Search Tap into your association’s incredible network of golf industry suppliers with the NGCOA Buyer’s Guide. www.ngcoabuyersguide.com FROM THE bright ideas Archive When Jim Pepple cleared out some storage space in the lower level of the clubhouse at Wyncote Golf Club, he considered putting in a pool table or possibly creating a members room. Instead, seven years after finding another spot for a few stored items and spending less than $1,000 to construct a wooden partition, Pepple has beefed up his facility’s bottom line by forging a partnership with the local Curves franchise. “We had about 700 square feet that was basically just wasted space,” says Pepple, president of the Oxford, Pennsylvania, facility. Now, he collects $1,300 per month in rent from Curves, the national women’s fitness chain. Like Curves’ clients, sometimes things just, well, work out. A local physician installed Nautilus equipment in 2004, but didn’t get much business and moved out two years later. That’s when Curves moved in. The owners painted, installed carpet and mirrors, and brought all the necessary equipment. “We really didn’t think we’d be able to do this much with it,” Pepple admits. The only issue that Pepple has with his partnership is that he has to deliver the mail to his tenants each day because it comes to Wyncote’s front desk. Venturing into the women’s-only workout enclave causes him to feel a bit like an interloper. The Bright Ideas Archive is a collection of unique business-building strategies from golf course owners and operators gleaned from the pages of Golf Business. For more ideas, visit <strong>GolfBusiness</strong>.com and search “Bright Ideas” as an article type within the archive. A NGCOA member login is required to access this tool. Instead of wading through endless listings of distributors, manufacturers and vendors to service your operation, choose the NGCOA Buyer’s Guide. Powered by Naylor, our Guide applies the latest search engine functionality to ensure that you quickly and easily find the most relevant partners to deliver what your facility needs to succeed. POWERED BY Start your search today at www.ngcoabuyersguide.com OPERATING SOLUTIONS Operators can ensure that a member gets the most from a clubfitting by having their professional take the newly fitted guest onto the course for an evaluation. This approach has worked nicely at Woodcrest Country Club in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, where teaching professional Don Allan examines a client’s weak spot on the course before he completes a fitting. Allan has been teaching at the club for five years and makes sure he understands a player’s weaknesses while analyzing and recommending the appropriate set of clubs. He goes through an interview process with each student, examining setup and address, watching the swing, and asking about problem shots. “We want to know if there’s something they’re constantly running into,” Allan says. “We’ll go on the course, look at the circumstances, take what we fit, and see if it applies to the situation to make it better.” Sometimes, the answer may be simple. Allan may suggest, for example, that a player consider a hybrid instead of a 5-iron. Other times, he’ll notice a hardware issue, such as the common problem of not having enough loft on a driver. Allan believes there’s an important difference between what works on the driving range or inside the hitting bay and the shots someone hits on the golf course. Often, a fix on the range doesn’t translate to the fairways or tees. “It’s about the golf course, not the driving range,” Allan notes. “You can have the perfect fit and swing on the driving range, but where you apply it is on the golf course. If what you’re doing on the range isn’t what you’re doing on the golf course, you’ve got a problem.” Taking the additional time to work with a student on the course also fosters a bond with the instructor. It can build loyalty and add to referrals and sales. OPERATING SOLUTIONS IS A MONTHLY FORUM PRESENTED BY NGCOA PREMIER PARTNER CLUB CAR TO PROVIDE INNOVATIVE IDEAS THAT HAVE INCREASED REVENUES AND/OR RE- DUCED OPERATING EXPENSES.
Creating a New Labor Model Jeff Spangler offered insights on golf course maintenance to Annual Conference attendees. Jeff Spangler, senior vice president for science and agronomy for Troon Golf, says it’s time to “blow up” the golf course labor model. “The standard labor model that golf courses operate on traditionally is fundamentally flawed, broken and unsustainable,” Spangler said during a presentation to golf facility managers during the NGCOA’s Day at the Golf Facility: Best Practices Tour, held in conjunction with the association’s 2013 Annual Conference. Labor and associated benefits have continued to increase over the last two decades and significantly affect profitability at most courses. To combat these trends and reduce labor costs, Spangler advocates these unconventional approaches to course maintenance: A JOB CLASSIFICATION PROGRAM that groups workers into one of three categories: equipment operators, greenkeeper 1 or greenkeeper 2. A pay scale is associated with each classification as a way to keep salaries from increasing beyond the skill set required of the job. FRONT-LOADING LABOR early in the day and reducing the number of workers in the afternoon. Getting more workers on the course earlier, Spangler said, is “more efficient and less disruptive for golfers.” SEASONALLY FLEXED CREWS that create opportunities for smaller crews during less busy times of the year. A NON-TRADITIONAL LABOR POOL that includes firemen, housewives and crew members from other courses. On the day of Spangler’s presentation at Maderas Golf Club in Poway, California, just outside San Diego, nine workers were tending to the 18-hole facility that’s one of the jewels in the Troon portfolio. In the past, Spangler said, as many as 25 may have done the same work. The approach is working. Maderas has cut $400,000 from its maintenance budget, which Spangler said, “has given us an opportunity to return some profits to the owners.” Dave Nicholls, vice president of science and agronomy for Scottsdale, Arizona-based Troon, said the strategy is based around one question: “When do we need to be good” “This whole industry has a tendency to repeat things because that’s the way we did it in the past,” Nicholls said. “We need to re-evaluate that.” —Bill Bryant More Lesson From Maderas GOLF COURSE MAINTENANCE WASN’T THE ONLY TOPIC being explored during the Day at the Golf Facility at Maderas Golf Club. Participating NGCOA Annual Conference attendees also learned from a number of other facility managers and business experts during the daylong educational session. Among the highlights: KELLY MCCAMMON, vice president of business development for SNAG Golf, suggested that operators borrow from other sports when structuring their clinics and player-development programs. Programs should last six to eight weeks with sessions held twice per week, he said. “That’s what programs outside of golf are doing, and that’s what we need to match to appeal to parents and kids.” KRISTEN GOULET, director of retail operations for Troon, suggested facility operators create calendars that show the promotion schedule for the next three to six months. “A calendar of upcoming programs and promotions promotes a proactive approach versus a reactive approach to driving sales.” RYAN WALLS, senior vice president for operations for Troon, urged course operators to employ a dedicated sales leader to increase revenues. “If you can’t afford to hire a sales leader, make sure you have someone who is responsible for selling revenue at your club.” JOHN MCNAIR, vice president of golf operations for JC Resorts, mentioned several trends affecting food-and-beverage sales, including gluten-free and children’s menu options, farm-to-table concepts and fair-trade practices that encourage the support of local suppliers and artisans. He also noted that Gen- Xers and Millennials are flexible and willing to try new food and beverage options. But you have to make it fun for them,” he said, “and you have to remember that they exhibit no loyalty. But if we don’t figure out how to get these groups into our facilities, we won’t be around long.” —B.B.
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Page 4 and 5: Greensmaster ® TriFlex TM & TriFle
Page 6 and 7: Viewpoint From the CEO T he unsung
Page 9 and 10: CONTENTS March ‘13 20 24 FEATURES
Page 11 and 12: THE STAKES ARE TOO BIG TO SETTLE FO
Page 13 and 14: First NEWS, VIEWS, [ TRENDS & ANALY
Page 15 and 16: Industry Pulse December 2012 Monthl
Page 17 and 18: Industry Pulse December 2012 Averag
Page 19 and 20: Long On the Range The Hype: Trojan
Page 21 and 22: parcel, the Lemons had something di
Page 23 and 24: marketing and advertising agency, a
Page 25 and 26: THIS CAR HAS IT ALL BATTERIES WITH
Page 27 and 28: hese days, you can’t grow revenue
Page 29 and 30: Runs in: Mar, Jul, Oct Consider a g
Page 31 and 32: Hills Golf Course in Fullerton, Cal
Page 33 and 34: © 2013 Illustrations by David Cutl
Page 35 and 36: “You just NEVER KNEW when you wer
Page 37 and 38: “Bentgrass has RUN a lot of good
Page 39 and 40: diately. When Elwinger approached h
Page 41 and 42: “I don’t think there will be mu
Page 43 and 44: ommunity A positive Outlook can hel
Page 45 and 46: Keeping Guests Happy s the battle t
Page 47 and 48: Playin’ In the Sand he shortest d
Page 49: southern California by many, Spinel
Page 53 and 54: MEMBERS IN MOTION Purchasing Networ
Page 55 and 56: C L A S S I F I E D S (Pinehurst ar
Page 57 and 58: d Index Interact with the companies
Page 60: [ Who Says Three’s a Crowd ] Ther

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