Golfdom, January 2017

2 017 Golfdom Report Climbing up the mountain With rounds up open minded superintendents see the potential for gains in 2017 WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR THE GOLF ECONOMY IN 2017 Very Optimistic 2 115 Very pessimistic Slightly pessimistic 20 575 Slightly optimistic 9 Neutral too distant future where youre going to have WiFi enabled carts Everybody wants to stay connected Golf is a commitment of time so anything we can do to make that time even more enjoyable when they arent swinging the club or lining up a shot but multi tasking on their phones We a re competing with other entertainment options like the movies and restaurants for that dollar but I think we are doing a pretty good job Thompson continues Thad Thompson I think for the most part were seeing more disposable income because thats what our business is looking for peoples disposable income were level Rick Mooney superintendent at Whitetail Club in McCall Idaho believes that golfs grow the game initiatives are taking hold While he doesnt expect a big jump in golfers he thinks there will be growth because clubs are being proactive to get customers Golf is not the only driver in club business anymore Mooney says You Rick Mooney have to be fully amenitized to do multiple things Youve got to be something to everybody 365 days a year Its just a changed environment Thad Thompson superintendent at Terry Hills GC in Batavia N Y is a believer that golf is and should embrace making the game more fun and less rules obsessed If youre sitting in a divot move the damn thing Its not that big of a deal especially at this level where people arent playing for the U S Open he says To attain the goal of catching the younger player I think we are going to have to embrace technology I see a day in the not When it comes to expectations for the economy of the golf industry numbers have remained relatively steady over the last four years with the only major change coming in the percentage of readers who are very optimistic More readers 24 percent in 2014 and 25 percent in 2015 said they are very optimistic compared with 9 percent in 2016 and 115 percent this year Im optimistic that its a little bit on the rise Im hopeful we finally bottomed out and I think its going to be a slow climb back up the mountain says David Radaj CGCS at Green Acres CC in Northbrook Ill It seems like theres some golf course construction again guys are buying David Radaj more equipment irrigation systems are going in golf is picking up It was a good year for rounds played for survey respondents with 49 percent reporting rounds were up at their courses and only 19 percent saying they were down 32 percent reported rounds played Golf is not the only driver in club business anymore You have to be fully amenitized to do multiple things Youve got to be something to everybody 365 days a year Its just a changed environment RICK MOONEY Continued on page 20 18 Golfdom January 2017 Golfdom com