Separating from the pack

In many golf markets throughout the country, competition is stiffer than ever, and course management is doing everything it can – from maintenance to customer service – to separate its courses from the competition.

Rob Vaughan, golf course superintendent at Brunswick Plantation and Golf Resort in Calabash, N.C., believes constantly delivering top conditions is critical.

When Grand Cypress Golf Club in Orlando, Fla., opened in June 1984, the primary competition was Disney World. Presently, there are at least 20 courses of comparable quality within a stone’s throw.

In Greenwich, Conn., Fairview Country Club competes for members with seven other clubs in the same township; and there are at least 20 golf courses, mostly high-end private country clubs, within a 10-mile radius.

At its peak, there were more than 120 golf courses around Myrtle Beach, S.C. The battle for rounds forced the closing or sale of about 10 courses during the last two years, and at least six more are expected to close this year. Most are purchased by real-estate developers who offer golf course owners three to four times their value. The courses are bulldozed for high-rise condominiums and other redevelopment projects.

Stiff competition
Grand Cypress’ competition includes Greg Norman’s 36-hole ChampionsGate facility, the Rees Jones signature-design Falcon’s Fire Golf Club, the Marriott World Center and Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club.

“Our rounds declined substantially after 9/11, but during the past two years, we’ve leveled off,” says Tom Alex, director of golf course maintenance at Grand Cypress. “The economy has gotten better, the Orlando market is balancing out, and we’re seeing more play.”

To help differentiate itself from other courses in the market, Grand Cypress’ quality assurance committee stresses guest service.

“To succeed, we have to create an environment that is equal to, or better than, what’s out there,” Alex says. “That’s difficult because the golf courses around us have great superintendents. They’re doing the same things we are, so we just have to work harder.”

Alex says it comes down to customer service.

“When a guest comes through the gate, we immediately call the front desk and say, ‘Mr. Jones is on his way,’” he says. “The valet greets him and takes his bags. He receives that same courtesy from everyone in the bag room to the concierge, golf shop, restaurant and security. We even instruct our maintenance staff to smile and wave to all our guests. We make sure everyone feels at home, and the easiest way to do that is to look them in the eye and greet them. When people go on vacation, they want to be in a friendly atmosphere, and that’s what we try to provide. It makes a difference.”

Tight budgets
Providing top playing conditions helps distinguish a course, but that usually is accomplished within a tight budget.

“Everyone has more fiscal responsibility than they’ve ever had,” Alex says. “Chemical prices keep going up; seed prices, depending on the crop, are going up; and fertilizer has gone sky high because of petroleum. At the same time, rounds and fees are basically flat. That’s what happens when supply exceeds demand – things get cheaper – so we have to be extremely efficient in everything we do.”

Labor is an obvious area of concentration. The Grand Cypress staff of 50 maintains 48 holes and two driving ranges. To reduce labor costs, roughs aren’t mowed early in the morning because too much cleanup is required. Instead, a crew comes in at 9 a.m. and mows the grass when it’s dry.

“I’d rather mow in the morning to stay ahead of play and then go back and clean up, but we can’t afford that,” Alex says. “Our staff has been flexible about accepting these circumstances for the quality we want to deliver.”

Other tasks are accomplished differently, too. Those who mow greens also fix and seed ball marks, repair divots on tees, rake greenside bunkers, remove pine cones from nearby landscaped areas and service water coolers.

“We’re very lean, but we manage to get the job done,” Alex says. “We have to be extremely efficient with our labor, or we’re in big trouble.”

Alex chided a chemical sales representative recently about how much prices have increased for his products, yet Grand Cypress can’t raise its green fees to offset those prices. The representative reminded him how much more it was costing his company to put product in plastic bottles because the price is tied to petroleum.

“They have their issues, too,” Alex says. “We’re all tied to fuel prices, but we can’t pass along those increases to golfers. It’s about doing more with less, just like everyone else. “Unfortunately, at some point there will be diminishing returns, and course conditions will be affected,” he adds. “We’re rapidly approaching that time. We have to keep the game affordable, but at what point does the general golfing public understand this situation and accept lesser playing conditions? That’s the million-dollar question.”

Mike Mongon, golf course superintendent at Fairview Country Club in Greenwich, Conn., says it's easy to fall into a pattern of ramping up for the weekends and then dropping off during the week.

Keeping on top of capital expenditures is another priority for Alex, who tracks equipment closely. By the time a mower is four or five years old, if it’s not in a backup position, it can cost the facility more money than it’s worth. Alex says the staff tries to squeeze an extra year or two out of some pieces of equipment.
“We’re rebuilding some old pull-behind five-gangs we use in the summer,” he says. “We’ll spend a couple thousand dollars on each of them, but we’ll get an extra two to three years of service. That’s a good investment because it’s postponing a $20,000 capital expense for $2,000.”

Maintaining consistency
Fairview’s golf course superintendent, Mike Mongon, believes the club’s reputation for service and top course conditions gives it a competitive edge.

“I have never liked managing a golf course in peaks and valleys,” he says. “It’s easy to fall into a pattern of ramping up for weekends and then dropping off during the week. I’ve always felt that top conditions should be delivered to members all the time. You never know who’ll be at the course on a given day. And, the last time I checked, all members pay the same amount. People who don’t play on weekends should enjoy the same conditions during the week and vice versa. I try to keep the course consistent day in and day out.”

Mongon subscribes to what he calls “The Noah’s Ark Theory” of golf course maintenance in which at least two pieces of each type of equipment are used. The bottom line is that Mongon wants the golf course to be consistent on the front and back nine.

“Years ago there was one rough mower,” he says. “The operator would cut six holes a day, so golfers were playing in rough that was anywhere from four inches to two inches thick. I don’t want that. Our roughs are always consistent.”

Other conditions also are consistent at Fairview. All the bunkers are raked and all the fairways are mowed at the same time.

“We have enough equipment and staff so we can complete those tasks in a timely fashion,” Mongon says. “Doing that allows us to finish earlier, and then we go back and spend more time on hand labor, which is such a big part of our operation.”

Mongon maximizes his labor force. The crew is cross-trained so everyone can do each other’s jobs. Caddies and other club employees are used occasionally to assist with divot repair, and even lay sod and fix bunkers after bad weather.

Best foot forward
At Brunswick Plantation and Golf Resort in Calabash, N.C., golf course superintendent Rob Vaughan believes constantly delivering top conditions is critical.

“Having good conditions is the best drawing card,” he says. “If word gets out that a course has a temporary green, for example, forget it. It’s important to always put your best foot forward.

“Every time a course closes, the piece of the pie gets bigger for us,” he adds. “It’s a little early to project how much rounds will increase, but the signs are there. There’s not as much room for golfers in the local market as there used to be, and we might even be able to increase our rates. We want to be able to compete against the big boys.”

Brunswick will close May 20 to begin an extensive renovation project that includes rebuilding 27 greens, landscaping and cart path replacement. The facility is scheduled to reopen Aug. 15.

A business operation
Amid the efforts to separate from the pack, golf courses are first and foremost a business, and the successful operations understand their market and the competition, according to Richard Singer, a consultant with the National Golf Foundation.

“They target their audience and offer a good product,” he says. “Like any successful business, when the cycle turns down, they communicate better and offer the right price. It’s important to understand the problem and what causes it.”

One of the best ways to check the pulse of golfers is with a well-crafted survey, Singer says. Questions should allow participants to rate their satisfaction with individual components of the course, such as the playing quality of bunkers; the conditions of greens, tees, fairways and roughs; and the enjoyment of the course’s layout. Given the right circumstances, it also can be appropriate to include questions pertaining to the course’s unseen infrastructure, such as the maintenance facility and irrigation system. Additionally, a good survey should identify specific capital improvements that are most important to golfers and their general willingness to pay for these projects.

“Courses and clubs have to look closely at all aspects of their operation,” Singer says. “What does the market want, and what are your disconnects? It might be as simple as getting rid of an employee or as complex as making a substantial investment in your facility.” GCN

David Wolff is a freelance writer based in Watertown, Wis. He can be reached at dgwolff@charter.net.