Better Muni Golf Management

Community Golf Fan,

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One of the things we’ve spent very little time discussing in our Reading the Green newsletter these past few years, but which has huge implications for hundreds of municipal golf courses, is how your golf course is managed.

As you know, there are three types of operating options available for municipal golf facilities; hire a Golf Course Management company (GCM), self-operation, and a facility lease. Unfortunately, you're pondering the same options that have been available to the golf industry for the past 30 years.

We’ve always been advocates for challenging the status quo and changing the paradigm regarding what a municipal golf course can be. We see the golf course of the future as providing meaningful experiences, not just a bag of the same ol’ tricks.

Let’s define how we see the management of your course moving into the future:

Resources are Key:  The holy grail of golf course operations is preferred pricing.  Many GCM’s can leverage their course portfolio to negotiate better prices for course specific materials, as well as access to a wide range of specialized course experts already on their pay-rolls. One day we’d like to see a conglomerate of community courses leverage these same benefits.

Marketing Game Plans: Many GCMs will create an online presence to get the word out about their courses through template sites and basic social accounts. In reality, it's the engagement in real conversations with the community, both golfers and non-golfers alike, that will serve municipal golf well into the future.

Sustainability: We see golf’s future as providing playing fields that use less water, less labor, and become a benefit to the environment. This means converting to the most efficient irrigation systems, utilizing the latest turf grass varieties that require less water, fertilizer and chemicals, while becoming a net-zero energy producer. It's worth noting, most GCMs don’t pay the water utility, which disincentives them from investing in sustainability.

Labor: It should be acknowledged and understood that for workers, it’s generally more advantageous to be employed by a municipality than a GCM from a benefits standpoint. Generally, the self-operation versus GCM model increases costs by over 20%. In our opinion, these additional costs should be calculated, and removed from the profit-loss analysis when courses talk about operating deficits.

Cookie Cutter: Many GCMs come to the job with pre-formulated solutions to typical industry problems with the “this is the way we’ve always done it” type of attitude. So, while many solutions appear to work in the short-term, the long-term impacts may become more damaging. We need solutions that reach beyond the “industry standard,” which transform these facilities to run like community social centers, that celebrate the great aspects of the game, both environmentally and economically.

Miracle Workers: Many management approaches aren’t going to “save the day” for every course they work with, and some courses are destined to struggle no matter what due to a variety of reasons. It’s important to keep in mind that a typical GCM will only perform to the standards in which the negotiated parties have agreed to on paper, which sometimes results in unmet expectations.

In summary, we’re advocates of real success and real change by looking beyond the antiquated model. If golf is going to be celebrated in a manner consistent with the values it provides, then we need to begin to push the envelope with regards to how our facilities are run from a community-centric perspective. Here’s a more hard-line approach from an industry counterpart of ours, JJ Keegan, on some big picture considerations municipal stakeholders should take stock of in relation to their operations.

Here's what you need to know:

• The typical GCM model hasn’t changed much over the past 30 years.
• GCM solutions for struggling municipal golf problems are driven by the GCM’s ROI.
• Often these solutions are short-term fixes, where long-term fixes are required.
• Struggling municipal courses in over-saturated markets must look beyond industry standard solutions.
• Approaching municipal golf from a communal perspective will result in a healthier game as we move into the future.

Please remember, we’re around to answer any questions you might have on this topic, or anything else regarding your community golf course! You can send us an email by clicking here, or feel free to give us a ring at the number below.

Until next time,

Andy Staples, ASGCA