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GrowththroughStrategicPartners:- Ouryoungestpartneris101(PGAofAmerica)
Transitionfrom“Print+”to“+Print”:- Rebalancedprintassetsfrom100%to30%ofourbusiness(credibility)
- InvestedinStaff:RelationshipManagers(Prosareourclubmembers)
- ThemoreProsandPartnersweconnected,themorepageswesold(PGAMagazineavg.235pagesin2017)
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- 3eventsinBandon- 132eventsin2017(4,000Prosayear+9,000atDemoDay)
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- Golfweek – 40yearsasweeklyprint- Marriott– 5,700properties,1.1Mrooms- ClubCorp– 206clubs- PebbleBeach$60M, FairwayOne+$100,000perroom- TopGolf alliancewithClubCorpandPGATour
RetailDisruption:- NIKEannounceda12-citystrategy- directtoconsumer- AmazonboughtWholeFoods- Dick’sSportingGoods’stock droppedin21% inoneday- Walmartoffering30-secreturns- GreenGrass– EverycategoryexceptShoesareupthisyearwhileallsegmentshavedouble-digitdeclinesoffcourse
110MfansofthePGATour:- 24.1Mgolfers- 21Mlapsedgolfers- 2016– 14courseopenings,158closings
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- PendinglegislationinCongress- $2,000ayearinexistingPre-Taxmedicalaccounts
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DiscoveryLandCo.(ErinDixon):- BarefootGolf,ComfortStationsaroundthecourse- ProjectsinDominicanRepublic,Barbuda,SummitLasVegas,
Cabo.- LookingatCentralAmerica,Russia,andCityClub
opportunitiesinmajormarkets- 300-400homestartsperyearforinternalDiscoveryBuilders
Trendsyouenduploving:MetalWoodsGraphiteShaftsSingle-serveCoffeeBurntEnds(smokedBrisket)iPhoneSoftwareUpdates– New Appfeatures
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Fun:- TopGolf,Short Courses,Music,RangeTailgateEnvironments- Troonhasrelaxeddresscode,JuniorClub,&MobileApps.30oftheirfacilitiesnowhaveshortcourses.CorporateofficehasanInternprogram&simulators.
- PGA: Ifyouputt,practice,play3holes,etc…you’reagolfer(PaulLevy)
Family:- Amenities,Culinary,Clubhousespace,Widefairways,Jr.League,YouthOnCourse
- Freerentalsforjuniors(reducedorfreeforadults)
Relationships- InvestinStaff,handwrittennotes,strategicpartners,FoldsofHonor- Travel– golfentertainment,couples,socialmediawhileontrips,sportinglikePrimland
- Culinary – wine,craftbeer,comfortstations,honorbars
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Family Trend:- Firstwoman toqualifyforaPGATourevent(2003Greater
HartfordOpen)sinceBabeZaharas in1945(3events)- Diversity&Inclusion
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- TeamGolf(kids13&under)- Uniforms- Scramble format- All-stars- Kids13andunder- PGA&LPGAProsarecaptains
- CanbeadaptedforAdultleagues
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- 4Mvisits lastyearNEVERplayedgolf(comparedto2.5MnewgolfersreportedbyNGF)
- $29foragrouplessonfor6people($5perperson)
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- NexttoPacificDunesclubhouse- DrinkServiceonthecourse
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- 17holes- 30 to140yards- Nexttoclubhouse
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- Video:Fun CenternexttotheResortclubhouse- Siteoffirst9holesbuiltin1898- ThistleDhu PuttingCourse(started in1916)
OtherShortCourses:- BootRanch34-acrepracticeparkand50,01-acreputting
course- JacksBayClubTigerWoodspar-3
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Pinehurstfirstclubhouse 1898:- Womencompetingsince1903- FredrickOlmstead(CentralPark)– “Siteisflatanduninteresting.
Somescruboaktreesandafewpines.”
ALaCarte:- Memberships:single,multi-generational,50/50withaneighborclub,
Pre-paidRounds,Junior..Millennialswantoptions
Technology:- Video,LaunchMonitors, ClubFitting,RoundStatistics,RangeFinders,
GolfCarts,Apps,Tablets,Simulators,SocialMedia#MorningAtMinor- Troonsurvey:35%oftheirmemberstracktheirroundstats- eCommerce
Renovations- casualdining,fire pits, coffeebars,splashpools,forwardtees,range
amenities,indoor/outdoorhittingbays,simulatorrooms,gamerooms,recordingstudios,karatestudio
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- Vanguardtransactionsup15%formostactiveclubs
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- DopplerRadar- 27 SwingMeasurements- SmartphoneIntegration- NoFeetoCustomer
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Lithium:- 49lbs vs328lbs- 50%moreenergyefficient(fastcharging,zeromaintenance)- 36+holesperdayon1charge)
MoreGolfCartTechnology:- GregNorman,Verizon,ClubCar,andGPSi todeliveraSharkExperience.
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SnakeRiverSportingClub
MoreRangeTechnology:- Top TracerfromTopGolf- ErnestSportslaunchmonitorrangedividers
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- PGAPlayeroftheYear,1988- PGAMerchandiseroftheYear,1985,1997- PGAHallofFame,2005- First jobatOakmontwasworkingonthe1973USOpen.Ranoutofblack#s.
March2017PGAMagazine:- Michael Heisterkamp - Retained85%ofhismembersifheplayed,taught,ortraveledwiththem
1920ReprintinPGAMagazine:- MembersName/TimewithMembersdebatefor100years- GolfBalldebatefor100years
42
SeeleftMenu onPGAmagazine.com forBestPracticesbycategory.TheseideasaresubmittedbyPros.
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PGAStudy:Top3threethingsgolfers wantinaroundofgolf:- #1– MoreGoodShotsthanBad- #2 – FunwithFriends- #3– LowerScores
44
Rangeusage:- CraftBeertasting- Datenight- Firepits- campouts- winetastings- Minature Clemsonfootballfield
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- Memberswhotakelessonsspend65%moreonF&Band78%moreonRetail
- Getoutfrombehindthecounter
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Volume 98, No. 3 March 2017
PGAmagazine.com Five Dollars
REVENUEGENERATORSWHAT PGA PROFESSIONALS ARE DOING TO
HELP DRIVE REVENUE FOR THEIR FACILITIES
REVENUEGENERATORS
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(password: PGAmag007)www.pgamagazine.com | March 2017 | 67
P G A C O V E R S T O R Y
By Don Jozwiak, Senior Editor
Think back to your earliest experiences in golf and how you
thought of the PGA Professionals at the facility where you learned thegame. How did you see the role of those golf professionals? Most likelyas teachers who helped you grasp the basics of the game while motivat-ing you to play the game, as the clubfitter who helped you find the clubs
that fit your swing, or perhaps as the leaders of the golf operation who knew everyplayer’s name and made the golf shop feel like home.
What you came to realize over time, of course, iswhat golf facility owners and operators are discovering:That the many roles PGA Professionals play are actuallyall geared toward generating revenue. Teaching leadsto more rounds played and a more active group of coregolfers. Operating tournaments and outings adds tofacility utilization and bolsters food & beverage andretail sales. Playing and interacting with golfers im-proves member acquisition and retention to increasethe bottom line at private clubs.
In fact, revenue generation is an effective way tothink about your opportunities and the need to con-tinue learning and evolving as a PGA Professional.While most all PGA Members are uniquely posi-
tioned to make a great impact at their golf facilities, itoften takes years of experience, education and evolu-tion to truly learn to drive revenue and success.
“I think a lot of us start out doing what we thinkworks best, then we start to see the bigger picture,”says Michael Heisterkamp, the PGA Head Profes-sional at Chagrin Valley Country Club near Cleveland,Ohio. “Then you start to make mental notes aboutwhat seems like a success, and you start tracking results. Over time, you evolve your approach to focuson what’s really most effective for your club.”
For Heisterkamp – the 2013 Northern Ohio PGAGolf Professional of the Year and a past president ofthe Section – making the most of revenue generation
WHAT PGAPROFESSIONALS
ARE DOING TOHELP DRIVE
REVENUE FORTHEIR FACILITIES
opportunities at Chagrin Valley meant learningabout the importance of building relationshipswith golfers through playing the game, giving lessonsand traveling, and working with management at thefacility to ensure the resources were there to drivethe club forward.
“We all know what works. Looking back towhen Bob Ford won PGA Golf Professional of theYear in 1987, I remember he was asked what the secretwas. He said, ‘I teach and play with
my members,’” Heisterkamp recalls.“Engaging your base, whether you’re at a private
club or public facility, is the key and always has been.But you have to be able to convince your board oryour owner that the PGA Professionals at the facil-ity do their best work in places that lead to cus-tomer retention and satisfaction.”
What that means for Heisterkamp is workingwith management to hire more part-time employ-ees in the golf shop so he and his PGA Professionalstaff can get out from behind the counter and spendtime with potential and current members.
For example, Chagrin Valley was one of manyprivate clubs hit hard by the economic downturnof 2008, losing 50 of its 375 members. Heister -kamp and club management compiled a list ofgolfers who hadn’t played in the previous 30, 60 or90 days. Each of those members received phonecalls from Heisterkamp to invite them out to theclub for a round with a member of the golf staff.
Heisterkamp also got involved in member recruitment, hosting prospective members forrange time, a round of golf and lunch. The approachis a success, with more than 90 percent of theprospects becoming members after seeing how theclub works and spending time with a PGA Profes-sional on the course.
Over time, Chagrin Valley’s membership rollfilled up to previous levels, and the emphasis onplaying and teaching has evolved and become partof the club’s culture. Heisterkamp and his staff created a year-long pro-am tournament that allowsthem to play with at least 100 different memberseach season, making sure to play with differentmembers each year. He and his staff walk the range
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Based on many factors – including their skills, their
training and their access to the game’s best customers –
PGA Professionals have unique advantages in driving revenue and
creating successful programs for golf facilities of all types. Per those
quoted in this story, here is a list of 18 advantages PGA Professionals have
that make them ideally suited to drive revenue at their facilities, and
enhance business for owners and operators.
that help PGA Professionalsdrive revenue
PGA Professionals have a huge
relationship advantage: You meet your
customers frequently; you get to know them;
you are seen as the expert in golf. You are your
facility’s pipeline to revenue management.
You’ve heard it before: “Know your
customer.” If you know them, you can
deliver what they are looking for.
Remember, almost no two
customers are alike in
what they expect or
are seeking.
PGA ProfessionalADVANTAGE
during busy times offering instruction tips and fill-ing the lesson book. And the club schedules at leastone major golf trip a year to destinations such as Ireland, Scotland, Bandon Dunes and Pinehurst,along with multiple weekend trips throughout theyear, as a way to stay engaged with golfers.
“Relationships are everything, and sometimeswe forget how influential we are to golfers,” Heis-terkamp says. “The key is making the time to playand spend time with the people who play the game.That’s where you can spend time with your golfers.
“You have to work with management to makesure they support you spending time on the courseor traveling, but they see the results – the morePGA Professionals engage their base of existingcustomers, the more the base is going to supportthe facility financially.”
Playing and teaching the game provide oneroute for PGA Professionals to take the wheel anddrive revenue at their facilities. Of course, thereare other ways for PGA Professionals to chart acourse for success, including
training your staff, creating a unique culture, beingthe expert on youth golf, sharpening your peopleskills and building a network of influencers outsideyour facility.
“The key expectation that facility owners andoperators have for us as PGA Professionals is todrive revenue,” says PGA President Paul K. Levy,the general manager and CEO of Toscana CountryClub in Indian Wells, California. “Using the skills wehave and the relationships we build with golfers,PGA Professionals are positioned to be the rain-maker that drives business at our facilities. We canhelp people enjoy the golf experience by wearing allthe hats that we wear on a daily basis, and that’swhat drives business.”
This story will take a look at how several promi-nent PGA Professionals are using these techniques– and their skill as revenue generators – to steer theirfacilities toward long-term success.
Training Your Staff
Cary Cozby, 2016 PGA Golf Professional of theYear, is in his third year as PGA Director of Golf atSouthern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma,having spent five years as an assistant at therevered club in the 1990s prior to a 15-year stint asPGA Head Professional – and eventually addingthe title of Chief Executive Officer – at Wichita
(Kansas) Country Club.What Cozby has learned at both of these
renowned facilities, as well as working for his PGAProfessional father, Jerry, at Oklahoma’s HillcrestCountry Club during his youth, is the impact askilled, well-trained staff can have on the customerexperience and bottom line.
“The three key indicators to me on how we areperforming as a staff are the number of roundsplayed, the number of guests playing with our mem-bers and golf shop sales,” Cozby says. “If you wantto maximize business and revenue, and your value as aPGA Professional, your staff needs to be excellent.”
Cozby and his staff at Southern Hills strive toexcel in all areas, from having strong playing and in-struction programs for adults and youth golfers tooffering award-winning merchandising in the golfshop. But what he considers the cornerstone of theSouthern Hills experience, and the driver of rev-enue from multiple sources, is having a staff that
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When PGA Professionals play golf with
customers it helps retain them as customers,
and playing golf with prospective members or
customers can lead to significant new revenue for
your facility. Keep track of who you play with so
you can document to your manager or owner how
you’ve used the golf course and your skills to
the facility’s advantage. The PGA has
created the Revenue Scorecard to help
you track your contributions to the
facility based on the real value
of every incremental
member or
customer.
PGA ProfessionalADVANTAGE
People are passionate about playing golf, so they are generally in a great mood
when they are around their PGA Professional. If you learn how to leverage that
passion, they will introduce you to their friends and business acquaintances
and be the best ambassadors that your facility has to help grow membership,
rounds and revenue. No one at the facility has a better opportunity
to connect with customers in this way.
PGA Professional ADVANTAGE
Protectyour
profits
Protectyour
health
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provides world-class service on a daily basis.“I tell my staff that our members pay the same
dues in June as they do in January, and the same on aTuesday as they do on Saturday,” Cozby says. “Itdoesn’t matter the day or time: A consistent experi-ence will drive people to want to be at your facilitymore often and for more time, and that’s where incremental spending happens.
“When golfers enjoy their time at your facility, thegreens putt better and the cheeseburgers taste better– or they’re worse, based on how we perform as a staff.”
Building a strong golf staff starts with the hiringprocess, with Cozby focusing on finding candidates
who are motivated and passionate. Expertise is wel-comed, but more important is a willingness to learnand be trained, and to put energy into the educa-tion process. New hires are then given a trainingmanual – there’s one for golf shop and professionalstaff, and another for outside and service staff – thatCozby reviews with them on a page-by-page basis.“If they weren’t taking this job seriously, by aboutpage five they realize they’d better have their act together,” Cozby says.
New hires then receive specific training in theirareas of emphasis, which provides the basic train-ing and processes needed on a daily basis. To Cozby,
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Perhaps this situation sounds familiar: It’s
the end of the season, traffic in the golf
shop is slowing down, and your job is to try
and find a way to interpret the revenue
that’s been generated through various
programs over the last few months.
By no means is that an easy task.
On the player development side of
the equation, however, a quantifiable
business tool has been developed by
the PGA of America that can make
life a lot less stressful for PGA
Members looking to demonstrate the
revenue they drive to their facility.
It’s called the Revenue Scorecard,
and any PGA Professional has access
to it via PGA.org/RevenueScorecard.
On the homepage, you’ll find some basic
information on the program, why it exists
and how you can utilize it at your facility.
Then, a simple 10-15 minutes out of your day
is all it really takes to complete the tool’s
survey. It’ll translate a batch of your own
numbers (program costs, participation
number, average greens fees for public
facilities, member numbers for private
facilities, etc.) into an end calculation that
represents the incremental revenue
generated by your player development
programming on an annual basis. It’s a
seamless way to capture a key business
measure that is easy for an employer,
facility ownership or club board to interpret
your value to their facility.
“Whether you’re at a public or private
facility, the PGA Professional is No. 1 at
impacting revenue,” says PGA President Paul
K. Levy. “It’s becoming more and more
valuable to be able to measure your impact to
your owner or operator, and show that you’re
making a difference on the bottom line.”
Wade Foreman, the PGA Director of Golf
at Jim Ager Memorial Golf Club in Lincoln,
Nebraska, echoes Levy’s sentiments about
the Revenue Scorecard. At his facility, a
course owned by the city of Lincoln,
Foreman has found that the tool has been
extremely helpful in providing his Parks and
Recreation Director, Assistant Director and
the city’s 10-person golf advisory board
with a streamlined way to see the value of
his programs.
“In the past, none of them had really seen
how activity at the club translates into
actual numbers and value,” says Foreman.
“Using the Revenue Scorecard has allowed
me to provide a benchmark which shows
just how valuable that activity and those
programs are to the facility.”
Foreman has used the Revenue
Scorecard after the past two seasons to
track the progress of his Golf 101 and Golf
201 Get Golf Ready classes, as well as the
club’s junior golf camps. For the Get Golf
Ready classes, he’ll enter in how many
adults are in each class and the price of the
class. Same goes for the junior camps, but
Foreman drills even deeper and goes by
season (spring, summer and fall) as well to
get a more in-depth calculation.
“It’s all really part of a yearly analysis that
allows us to look back and say ‘OK, here’s
what I have, here’s how I can grow this
program through adding a T-shirt or
dropping the cost, and here’s maybe what
we’re missing that we can add next year,’”
remarks Foreman. “The Revenue
Scorecard really helps to tie it all together
and gives us a number that we can
formulate a plan for future growth, too.”
Another aspect Foreman likes about the
Revenue Scorecard is how easy it is to use.
In 2015, it took him 20 minutes to
complete the user-friendly survey, while
last year, he cut that time in half.
“I really wish that I would’ve started
using the Revenue Scorecard earlier in my
career because it’s been so helpful in my
position now,” adds Foreman. “As a PGA
Professional, there are so many things
that you’re involved in at a club.
Sometimes, it’s easy to assume the board
or owner understands your value, but
they might not be able to put a number on
it. You can do that for them with a
Revenue Scorecard.”
For this year’s programming at his
facility, Foreman has utilized the tool,
along with other trends he monitors, to see
where he can grow. From 2015 to 2016,
Foreman added 75 participants to his junior
camps, and the incremental revenue
number from his Scorecard allowed him to
see they needed to add another
class during the week this year to
accommodate the growth. Only
three months into 2017, Foreman’s
Golf 101 and Golf 201 classes have
already surpassed last year’s
participation numbers, and the
program doesn’t even start for
another month.
“The Revenue Scorecard makes it
easier to understand why you need
to add a certain enhancement to a
program, or hire a PGA Golf Management
student intern or take away this day of
programming,” says Foreman. “It allows the
decision-makers at your course to see
dollar figures on paper that impact their
facility, and in turn, how you as a PGA
Professional impact their facility.”
—Ryan Adams, PGA
Revenue Scorecard provides streamlined approach to explaining a PGA Professional’s value
“Whether you’re at a
public or private
facility, the PGA
Professional is No. 1 at
impacting revenue.”
—PGA President
Paul K. Levy
MO
NT
AN
A P
RIT
CH
AR
D/T
HE
PG
A O
F A
ME
RIC
A
Created by the PGA of America, the Revenue
Scorecard combines different revenue numbers
from a facility and calculates the overall additional
revenue driven to a club by the PGA Professional.
that’s where the important part of staff training really kicks in.
“Learning how we receive merchandise or howto stage golf cars is the ‘How,’ and that’s where theystart getting confidence in themselves,” Cozby says.“That’s when the real important part of my jobcomes in: Coaching them in the ‘Why’ of what wedo. It isn’t just how to put a tournament together orhow to stage the range or how body language is read,but why these steps are important so members andguests see they’re at a special place.”
Cozby says he teaches his staff to treat every dayas a job interview, which is appropriate consideringthat several of his past assistants have gone on toPGA Head Professional positions at other facilities.
“I remind them that you never know if the nextperson to walk in the shop is a member at anotherclub that’s looking to hire a PGA Professional.After they spend six hours at Southern Hills, don’tyou want them to want to hire someone from here?”he says. “Tying performance into the personal ideaof ‘What’s in it for me?’ is important.”
Staff performance is also evaluated every year aspart of a process that includes a self-evaluation anda meeting with Cozby to go over performance,progress and potential raises. That’s where goals
are set for the next year, and the coaching begins anew.“We have tremendous opportunities as PGA
Professionals, and I tell this to my staff all the time:The people who come through our golf shop areamong the most important people in their commu-
nities and their businesses, and all day long peopleare trying to get their attention and get on theirschedules,” Cozby says. “They walk onto our prop-erty and spend hours here just so they can get infront of us, which is a pretty special relationship forus to have. If we make the most of it, that directlyimpacts how successful we are.”
Sharpening Your People Skills
Brentwood Country Club in Los Angeles has been astaple of Southern California golf since 1916, and thefamily-friendly, customers-first approach membersand guests experience today is timeless – and the re-sult of a concerted engagement effort from PGA Di-rector of Golf Patrick Casey and his staff.
With 545 members, and a regular clientele thatranges from toddlers to members who’ve been atBrentwood for decades, Casey has a wide variety ofexpectations from his customers on a daily basis.He says it takes a pair of skill sets for his golf staff tomake the most of their customer interactions.
“I break it down into two skill sets: Hard and soft,”says Casey, who is vice president of the Associationof Golf Merchandisers. “The hard skills are thingsthat come from education and training, while softskills are relationship-based items like being afriendly person, and being professional and reliable.Over time and with experience, you see how thesetwo skill sets work together to develop relation-ships with your customers that benefit the facility.”
According to Casey, he’s developed his own“soft” skills over his career by watching and learningfrom successful people, including departmentheads/co-workers and many accomplished membersat Brentwood, as well as reading books on the topicand attending seminars and educational opportunities.As a result, he’s sharpened his people skills in a waythat helps him drive revenue for Brentwood withoutever being seen as a salesman.
“Golf is a very relationship-based activity. You canplay it by yourself, but you usually play in groups,”Casey says. “People utilize it in so many ways: exer-cise, business, enjoyment.
74 | March 2017 | www.pgamagazine.com (password: PGAmag007)
The ability to teach golfers to play better
makes you essential. Research shows that the
No. 1 reason players love golf is the feeling of
hitting a few solid shots per round.
Help them enjoy that feeling and
see how it benefits your facility
through more rounds, more
lessons, more golf shop
sales, more fun for
your customers.
PGA ProfessionalADVANTAGE
Connect golfers to other golfers. A primary reason people love golf is to connect
with their friends and meet new people, but the reason they do not play more
is that they cannot always find someone else to play with. At private clubs,
make your members’ guests feel special on every visit. Those guests may
become future members and current members will become your
boosters. No one owns this space like PGA Professionals.
PGA Professional ADVANTAGE
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We have a chance to see people in person at the golfcourse, and that’s priceless for building relation-ships, and that’s the start of doing business.”
Getting results from soft skills does take hardwork. Casey says the key is making sure the entirestaff works together to communicate about interac-tions with members and guests, documenting andfollowing up on contacts and requests, and settingtimelines for communications leading up to events.
“People want to have a sense of security and confidence that they’re going to have a great time atyour facility, whether they’re coming out for theirregular game or hosting a large group for a corporategathering,” Casey says. “A lot of times, we’re goodat getting people in the door – but can you get therepeat business? That’s why we meet twice a weekas a staff to talk about all upcoming events and talkabout how we can exceed expectations. That way itisn’t just me driving business, but my five assistantsand the whole team driving the business.”
Brentwood’s professional staff is scheduledaround making sure PGA Professionals are able tospend time walking the range, in the grille and walk-ing through the locker room to engage with mem-bers. And on weekends, either Casey or PGA HeadProfessional Eric John Temena are on the first teeall day to have a personal
touch with every player to play the facility, whilethe club’s assistants provide the same function onweekdays.
“It’s so important that every golfer who tees it uphere has interaction with one of our PGA Profes-sionals every time they play,” Casey says. “Whenyou’re on the first tee, that gives your member thechance to tell you that they’re planning to bring agroup of five guests out next Friday, and that theyneed some rental clubs. Now it’s up to me to getthat scheduled, and to follow up with the memberlater to let him know he’s all set.
“When they realize that you care about themand you want them to have a great experience,that’s when you start driving business because theywant to enjoy the facility to the full extent of whatwe have to offer.”
Getting Kids in the Game
You might not think your golf facility and McDonald’shave much in common. When it comes to childrenand their parents, however, PGA Professional EricEshleman would like to point out an important opportunity using the Golden Arches as an example.
“To me, youth golf is no different than how McDonald’s became successful: Kids love cheese-burgers, so their parents take them there – andthey’ll order cheeseburgers, too,” says Eshleman,the PGA Director of Golf at The Country Club ofBirmingham (Alabama). “Parents will do anythingto engage with their kids, and spending two orthree hours together on the golf course is the bestengagement of all. When you provide them with
that opportunity, they’ll look to you as the expertwho’s going to drive their golf experience.”
When Eshleman took the wheel at The CountryClub of Birmingham 16 years ago, there weren’t toomany cheeseburgers being sold to youth golfers.He inherited a very small junior program, which hesaw as an opportunity to engage the membershipand create interest from existing and potentialmembers. First, however, Eshleman knew heneeded buy-in from the club.
“With anything you do as a PGA Professional,you need the support of the leadership – whetherit’s an owner or a board. Without that, you don’t getout of the blocks,” says Eshleman, the president ofthe Dixie PGA Section. “I was fortunate that the club
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Traveling with your members and best
customers gives you the ability to cement
relationships, especially with many of your
most influential customers. You have a
chance to profit from the travel and
play some of the best courses in the
world, all while making your
best customers into your
best salespeople.
PGA ProfessionalADVANTAGE
Facilities that have successful youth golf programs are successful, and the PGA
Professionals who run the programs can own that success. Do whatever it takes
to make sure your golf facility knows how important it is for you to take the
lead in building a successful junior golf program. It will take time and
effort, but the dividends are many: including more family members
playing golf, more visits to the facility, more lessons, and
future memberships and customers.
PGA Professional ADVANTAGE
wanted to grow the junior program, and I’ve alwayshad support at the top for making that happen.
“Success isn’t a given, it takes hard work – whenyou have the opportunity, you need to put in thework to make it happen.”
The next step in creating a junior program isfinding the right staff, which Eshleman says can be achallenge. Not everyone wants to – nor has the skillsto – work with students who can range in age from5 to 18. Today, Eshleman has six PGA Professionalson his staff, and part of the interview process for eachwas their commitment to teaching youth golfers.
As a result of having leadership support at thetop and a junior-savvy professional staff on theground, Eshleman has been able to build the club’sjunior program to nearly 300 players – a numberthat’s remained steady for years. The club’s juniorchampionship for players ages 7-18 had a field of 179 players last year, and Eshleman expects thefacility to see a positive impact from the junior program for decades to come.
“You see short-term revenue from active juniorsin registration fees, private lessons, equipmentsales and travel,” says Eshleman, the 2010 DixiePGA Golf Professional of the Year. “But just as important, here are 300kids that are all good play-ers at a young age – a lot of them are going to end
up being members here at this club someday.That’s tens of thousands of dollars of revenuespread out over decades, and our club leadershiplooks at me as providing for our future.”
Most important, perhaps, is what you might callthe cheeseburger factor. Just as parents becomecustomers at McDonald’s through their children,many take up golf – or return to the game – throughtheir youngsters.
“A big youth golf program always includes familyparticipation,” says Eshleman, who took advantageof the recent PGA Merchandise Show to attendyouth golf education seminars to continue evolvinghis successful program. “Parents end up engaging inthe game so they can play with their kids. That helpswith membership acquisition and retention, and thereare certainly a number of families at the club who arehere because of the junior program – that’s anotherpotentially huge revenue stream over several years.
“Parents want to give their kids the best oppor-tunities, and they see you as the person making thathappen for them. That leads directly to the rela-tionship that includes equipment sales, lessons,golf trips – they have the resources, and they knowyou can help them have a good golf game.”
Make the Most of Your Advantages
Daily fee and municipal courses face different chal-lenges than private clubs. Competition can befound in a variety of price ranges, and emptystretches on the tee sheet are missed opportunitiesthat won’t return.
According to PGA Professional Bob Doria, the keyto maximizing your impact as a PGA Professionalat a public course is deciding where your facility fitsin your marketplace – then aggressively creatingprograms and marketing opportunities to makesure you’re connecting with your potential golfers.
“One of the most important things you can do asa PGA Professional at a public
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The National Golf Foundation cites
women as the fastest-growing
demographic in golf, and women represent
$7 trillion is consumer and business spending in
the U.S. annually. PGA Professionals can drive
revenue by focusing on improving the golf
experience for women players, which
can lead to more rounds played,
more memberships sold and
more sales in the golf shop.
PGA ProfessionalADVANTAGE
Golf is a game that is healthy for kids and can be enjoyed for a lifetime. Parents
will spend almost anything on their kids if they think it will help them over the
long term, and golf can help kids in so many ways. Research shows that getting
kids started in structured golf programs early means they play more and spend
more on golf later on. Getting kids involved assures you that their parents will
come to the course as well. PGA programs are driving new players and
more revenue to facilities that get involved, including PGA Junior
League Golf and the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship.
PGA Professional ADVANTAGE
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facility is determining your place in your local market, then determining your competitive advan-tage,” says Doria, who spent the last seven seasonsas the PGA General Manager at Makefield High-lands, a municipal facility in Yardley, Pennsylvania.“When I started at Make field Highlands, we imme-diately saw that we had a great range and practicearea. That gave us a place to offer a product and pro-gramming that gave us an advantage, and we builtfrom there.”
Doria, a two-time winner of the PhiladelphiaPGA Section’s Merchandiser of the Year award forpublic facilities and a two-time winner of the Section’sPlayer Development Award, saw an opportunity
and ran with it. Makefield Highlands upgraded itsrange and added three PGA Professionals to expandadult golf instruction and create a youth golf program.The facility now offers a thriving Get Golf Readyprogram, has 3- and 6-hole family golf options, andallows golfers to book lessons online at any time.
“We saw an opportunity to be at the top of the mar-ket for daily fee golf, and we showed the municipalitythe impact we could make by adding staff and mak-ing improvements,” says Doria, who recently be-came PGA Head Professional at nearby MedfordVillage Country Club. “I don’t want bodies – I wantcustomers. By that, I mean I want to find the people who want the experi-
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The golf range is your office. This is where you can demonstrate your
expertise every day and engage core golfers and beginners alike. Make
sure it makes the right statement – does it look welcoming, a place that
people want to be, have a short game facility, good targets, covered
areas? Think Topgolf and you will understand the huge
growth potential.
PGA Professional ADVANTAGE
On the back nine: PGA Professionals have an entire array of PGA resources to
back them up. Start with the Revenue Scorecard to help you focus on how
you can demonstrate your value to your facility. Keep score. Measuring your
contribution to facility success will be important to building influence and
getting your fellow executive team members owners, boards, general
managers, directors of golf or head professionals to trust you to drive
revenue for the facility. Many other tools are also available, so
talk to a PGA Player Development or PGA Employment
consultant about what to take advantage of.
PGA Professional ADVANTAGE
Today’s golf industry technology should allow you to have more time to focus
on critical functions. That includes golf cars that can be tracked to speed up
rounds; software solutions like Golf Genius to help save time on tournament
scoring; solutions such as ForeTees that can save thousands of phone calls
for private club professionals each year; GEMS for monitoring special
orders; and ball flight monitors to help expedite club fitting. There are now
even new tools to help your facility with e-commerce, including Vanguard Pro
Shop (a division of the company that publishes PGA Magazine), Full Turn Direct
and others. Technology should allow you and your team more time with your
facility’s customers and prospects.
PGA Professional ADVANTAGE
TEACHING
Easily rotates 360° – Re-create every lie on yourcourse within seconds
Revenue generator for Clinics/Camps/Lessons
Ideal for teaching both long and short game
Perfect for players of all ability levels, from beginners to experts
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Affordable pricing, incremental revenue opportunities for PGA Professionals
PRACTICE
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Engage your customer with fun new ways to practice
Ideal for your driving range and short game facilities alike
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ToughLie 360™
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Director of Golf
Fairmont Grand Del Mar
San Diego, CA
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610-202-2471Made in the U.S.A.
ence we offer, and incentivize them to come herewithout discounting.”
To that end, Doria and his staff at MakefieldHighlands used their expertise in teaching and merchandising to build a strong following, includ-ing many former private club members who lefttheir facilities during the economic downturn. Aloyalty card program helps core customers earnpoints toward free rounds, demo days and wedgefitting clinics are offered to stimulate golf shopsales and take advantage of the range, and a popular“Nine and Dine” program brings dozens of couples to the course and its restaurant during summermonths.
As a result, Makefield Highlands hosted morethan 42,000 rounds of golf last year without dis-counting, and its tee sheet is often sold out duringthe season.
“At a public facility, the PGA Professional is theone to plan, implement and evaluate ways to findand keep golfers,” Doria says. “We reached a pointwhere we could have offered even more program-ming, but we ran out of hours in the day. That’s thekey for public facilities, and that traffic turns intorevenue from green fees – and leads to revenue inthe golf shop, the restaurant, lessons, range ballsand, in youth golf, leads to long-term customergrowth.”
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“Talk Like TED: The 9
Public-Speaking Secrets
of the World’s Top Minds”
by Carmine Gallo
An expert in public speaking
breaks down the popular TED
Talks series to offer advice and
anecdotes about what makes for a
memorable presentation. The book
includes a step-by-step method that can
help you be more effective and confident in
your speaking skills.
“The Go-Giver” by Bob Burg
and John David Mann
The first in a series of business
books about knowing the
“why” behind your strategies,
this book is a story about a
businessman learning that
changing his focus from getting to giving
leads to increased returns – that adding
value to others’ lives is a way to generate
more business.
“Relevant Selling” by Jaynie
L. Smith
In today’s world of
customization, every customer
expects an individual
approach to earning their trust
and their business. This book
shows how to use research and learning to
find what motivates your customers and
how to use that information to sell them
what they want.
“Maximum Influence”
by Kurt W. Mortensen
This book lays out 12 laws of
“Power Persuasion” that can
be used to help maximize your
influence in a variety of
business situations. One that
may particularly stand out for PGA
Professionals is “The Law of Involvement:
Create and Awaken Curiosity” – perfect for
generating excitement and participation at
a golf facility.
“Mindset: The New
Psychology of Success” by
Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D.
This best-selling book
describes a pair of mindsets:
fixed and growth. The
difference lies in how you
perceive your failures – whether they are
the end of a path, or a way for you to grow
into eventually success. The book provides
plenty of examples of the two mindsets,
and how you can change your own thinking
to experience growth.
One way to improve your ability to drive revenue and success at your facility is by hitting the books. Here’s a selection of recommended
reading from PGA Professionals quoted in this story:
Recommended Reading
Pace of play is essential for every facility. PGA Professionals can take the lead
at their facility on this topic and thus demonstrate their overall contribution
to the facility’s success. Think Tee it Forward and you will understand
how PGA Professionals can help lead in this area.
PGA Professionals have the advantage of an incredible year-round national
marketing effort from multiple sources. That includes massive support from the
PGA brand including the PGA Championship, Ryder Cup, and on-going Golf
Channel cooperation. Plus, every year, golf gets covered through
every major media outlet through the Masters, U.S. Open,
PGA Tour and LPGA and now in the Olympics.
PGA Professional ADVANTAGE
PGA Professional ADVANTAGE
Creating a Culture of Caring
A lot of effort and expense is put into finding newgolfers and customers, and rightfully so. But an important part of any facility’s success is maintain-ing its best existing customers. An important partof that effort is what PGA Professional Phil Owenbycalls “a culture of caring” that extends throughoutthe facility.
“The culture of caring is really about creating anexperience for golfers when they come to your facil-ity,” says Owenby, the 2010 Middle Atlantic PGAGolf Professional of the Year and owner of the golfconsulting service OTPS LLC. “Every time a golfersets foot on property, that’s a chance for them tohave a new experience, whether they’ve been therethree or 30 times. And the PGA Professional is theperson positioned to create that experience.”
Owenby points to his experience as PGA Gen-eral Manager and CEO at Kinloch Golf Club inManakin-Sabot, Virginia, as an example of howsuch a culture can lead to a better experience forgolfers and more revenue for the facility. Kinloch’stee sheet was regularly full, but Owenby and hisstaff worked to create opportunities for membersto have unique experiences for themselves andguests without increasing rounds.
For example, the club built three on-site cottagesto host up to eight golfers each for overnight stays –ideal for business retreats, or just for members toshow off their club to out-of-town guests. Golferswere also given the option of hosting corporate clinics or personal receptions at the club’s teaching facility, or utilizing the clubhouse for cocktail recep-tions and social events.
“I made it my responsibility to show them thattheir membership is a great value and an invest-ment in their business,” Owenby says of the nearly500members at Kinloch. “Such an important part ofestablishing your brand is focusing on the atmosphere,enthusiasm and direction you lead the facility.”
Owenby says that by focusing on the golfer expe-rience, facilities of all types can increase businessacross the board. That includes acquiring new cus-tomers through word of mouth, and retaining exist-ing customers.
“The cost of the green fee or the membershipare far outweighed by a good experience,” Owenbyexplains. “When you have a culture of genuine car-ing, you see more sales in every department – morerevenue, more lessons, more merchandise, moreroom nights. As a PGA Professional and as a leader,you have the chance to set that culture.”
A culture isn’t built overnight, and Owenby advises PGA Professionals to look at the marathon,not the sprint. The journey starts with definingyour goals for the facility and getting buy-in fromthe ownership, then building and training a staffthat can deliver exceptional service. With time,tweaks and hard work, you can create a culture thatsatisfies customers and the bottom line.
“It’s a process, and as the PGA Professional youneed to live it every day like a
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Clubfitting means PGA Professionals have less inventory and a huge advantage
over off-course shops that cannot offer an on-the-range fitting experience
and rarely know the customers as well. E-commerce is not as competitive
in hard goods because you cannot fit as well without measurement and
watching outdoor ball flight. Every PGA Professional should strongly
promote and grow clubfitting at their facility. Make sure your
customers know that you wear the PGA brand, have
the expertise and your pricing and selection
are very competitive.
There are now much more cost-
effective ways to stay connected with
your best customers: Facebook, Twitter,
email, Instagram, Retail Tribe and club apps. PGA
Professionals should make sure that their facilities
are using them, but they should also make sure that
they are participating in helping with the content.
After all: the PGA Professional is the expert.
Social media gives you a chance to highlight
your charitable work as well. Get involved
with charity events and open your
doors to the military, to the
disabled and to minorities.
It will almost always
pay off down the
road.
PGA ProfessionalADVANTAGE
PGA Professional ADVANTAGE
lifestyle,” Owenby says. “If you truly want peopleto have a great experience, lead by example and letyour staff see how you deliver on your vision – andyour customers will want to see what you come upwith for them next.”
Network Outside Your Facility
PGA Professional Rich Tock spent decades work-ing at private clubs, including 21 years at OzaukeeCountry Club in Mequon, Wisconsin. When hecelebrates his 40th anniversary of PGA Member-ship this June, it will be at his current facility – thepublic Erin Hills Golf Club – the week after it hostsits first U.S. Open.
Erin Hills is not your typical daily fee course, butTock has learned many ways to use his skills as aPGA Professional to promote the course in theyears leading up to its major debut. While hosting a U.S. Open is certainly a marketing advantage, filling the tee sheets still takes a multifaceted
approach for all sorts of public facilities.“We almost sold out of tee times in 2016, and we
will be sold out this year and next – that makes itlook easy, but really there’s a lot of hard work thathas led to this point,” says Tock, who is in charge ofpromoting Erin Hills to PGA Professionals andgenerating business and buzz for the facility. “Thetee sheet is full because we’re up late Sunday nightwriting thank-you notes, and up early meeting agroup of VIPs on the first tee Monday morning. It’ssomething you earn.”
Tock started at Erin Hills with the U.S. Openeight years away, so he used many strategies to net-work with influentials who could draw more atten-tion to the course. Among the most successful isthe creation of a list of “Ambassadors” who earnVIP status over time.
“You need to have a database of every player, get-ting at least an email and cellphone number forevery person who comes in the shop – but the Am-
bassador list is for special customers,”Tock says. “Those are the golfers whomight bring groups twice a year, orwho goes home and gets two or threeother groups to come visit. These areyour best customers, so you want tokeep them engaged.”
Tock engages his list of 120-plusAmbassadors with handwritten notes,preferred tee times on subsequent vis-its, a personal greeting upon arrival atErin Hills, or maybe a small gift aroundthe holidays. These gestures often endup on social media, and the recipientscertainly spread the word that ErinHills treats them like royalty.
“They want to impress their friendsand customers, and suddenly the noteyou sent them or the special score-cards you made up for their latest tripare on social media, and your facility isgetting all kinds of attention,” Tocksays. “Now your customers are yourbest salespeople.”
Tock also works with the Erin Hillsstaff to make sure the facility’s elec-tronic communications are easy to useand informative. He says many of thepublic facility websites he views are unnecessarily complicated, with basic
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PGA Professionals are in the best position to develop and encourage the
right golf culture for their facility and train their team to make every
customer, member or guest feel special every time they visit. The
right culture is what will make every customer into an
advocate for you and your facility.
PGA Professional ADVANTAGE
information such as directions and contact phonenumbers difficult to find. Erin Hills’ site is simpleand clean. Beyond that, Tock takes the time to sendpersonal emails with informative attachmentsabout the easiest travel routes to the course, the history of the layout, and other items that a travel-ing golfer would want to know.
“One of the most popular attachments I send isa photo album of great professional images of thecourse,” Tock says. “People love to forward thoseon to their friends, and that’s another easy way toget in front of a lot of people quickly and easily.”
During his private club career, Tock was active inlocal organizations such as the Elks and Rotaryclubs to generate contacts for potential member-ships. He remains active in the community, andalso reaches out to the media for coverage that canhelp drive local business.
“I always invite a media group out for the firstround of our season every year,” Tock says. “I havea couple radio guys and a newspaper writer fromMilwaukee, and they come out for a round of golfand lunch. That gets us in the newspaper and on theradio for the cost of the caddies and lunch, whichdraws more interest. The more time you spend onnetworking with influentials, the less money youhave to spend on advertising.”
Whether your facility hosts major champi-onships or not, Tock says public facilities benefitfrom having PGA Professionals who know how tocreate relationships with their best customers.
“What holds true for Pebble Beach or Pinehurst
holds true for all daily fee courses – your best cus-tomers will send you more business if you treatthem right,” Tock says. “It’s fun to build relation-ships like that if you love people and you want themto enjoy your golf course. It takes time and effort,and it doesn’t happen overnight, but people lovewhen a PGA Professional takes the time to makethem feel special – and they’ll tell everyone theyknow about it.” ■
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PGA ProfessionalADVANTAGEThe PGA brand: You have the ability to
network with other PGA Professionals in
your Section, through Player Development
workshops, PGA Magazine events,
and at the PGA Show. Every PGA
Professional can connect, learn
best practices, mentor or find
a mentor, and participate
with one another.
It is a huge
advantage.
![Bandon recorder. (Bandon, Or) 1904-03-17 [p ]](https://img.pdfslide.net/doc/110x75/6187c824cc67ba0c723909da/bandon-recorder-bandon-or-1904-03-17-p-.jpg)
