Tee-Off Times_2012_MarApr

Jeff Hoag, Owner and Operator,Scott Lake Country Club

Koutnik responds to PGA / GolfNow initiative

Michigan Golf Business Awards 2011

Liquor License knowhow

Property Tax Phase-Out details

In this issue:

Tourism conference “Seasonal Operator of the Year”...and then some!

A Custom Design... Just Like Your Favorite Course

Personal Insurance • Commercial Insurance • Health Insurance • Mortgages • Financial Planning

JOE ROSSELL45445 MOUND ROAD, SUITE. 100 • UTICA, MICHIGAN 48317

(586) 739-9080 • (800) 462-9270 • Fax: (586) 739-3530E-Mail: [email protected] • Web: www.actionin.com

We’ll customize an insurance plan to fit your specific needs, providing the coverage to protect you & the customer service you deserve.

Let the ACTION EXPERTS analyze your needs

WWW.MGCOA.ORG MARCH/APRIL 20123

From the ListServ…it’s that simple to find answers to your questions!

Board of Directors

PresidentBob KoutnikFox Run Country Club

Vice PresidentJeff HoagScott Lake Country Club

TreasurerSusan VanderburgIndian Lake Hills

Past PresidentBill FountainMajestic at Lake Walden

by Bob Koutnik, MGCOA President

ListServ gives members loud voice!Welcome to the 2012 season.

Let’s get started by taking control of our customer. I am sharing this correspondence with you regard-ing the 3rd party issue earlier this year and look inside the Tee Off Times for more on how to control your marketing power.

If you are a follower of the NGCOA’s ListServ (if not, you should be) then you recently saw a rather heated thread on the proposed deal between the PGA and Golf Now. In case you missed it I will give a brief summary.

At the PGA Merchandise Show, the PGA planned to announce a joint deal with Golf Now to market tee times with the proceeds to be split between the PGA, PGA Sections, something called the PGA Interactive Committee, the PGA Golf Profession-al (thru a commission paid to get the golf clubs they work for to sign up their tee times), Golf Now (a third party tee time reseller), and the host club. Word leaked out just before the scheduled announcement and a PGA member that is also a course

News from the President

Kathy AznavorianFox Hills Golf & Banquet Center

Larry BowdenThe Natural

Ed ClarkSandy Ridge Golf Course

Jim DewlingTotal Golf Inc.

Frank GuastellaFranklin Golf

Toni JoersConcord Hills

Larry MooreU.S. Golf Cars

Carolyn OlsonElmbrook Golf Course

Steve RameyChisholm Hills

Dave RichardsResort & Golf Marketing Services

Dan RooneyGrand Haven Golf Club

Tom SchwarkSycamore Hills

Jon ScottGull Lake View

Curtis WrightCopper Hills Golf Course

3 WWW.MGCOA.ORG MARCH/APRIL 2012

What do you need to know or have to share with your fellow members?

Set up a separate email account, such as gmail or yahoo to use just for the LISTSERV. This will be an easy filter or create a separate folder and setup a rule in your email program to separateout the ListServ items.A member exclusive benefit.

owner heard about it and sounded the alarm. ListServ lit up with details as they became available and the resulting firestorm caused the PGA to cancel the agreement. Without a vigilant course owner that brought the issue to light and the NGCOA’s ListServ to spread the word, the deal would have been signed and who knows what road the industry would be on today. The following is a letter I sent to PGA President Allen Wronowski.

From: pkelly <[email protected]>

To: ngcoa_ngcoa <[email protected]>

Sent: Thu, Feb 23, 2012 3:10 pm

Subject: [ngcoa] Scorecards

We are an 18 hole semi-private club with

approx 24,000 rounds per year. Can anyone

tell me how many scorecards I should go

through per season? Thanks.

Paul KellyDirector of Golf / Head Golf Professional

Glendenning Golf120 Gabriel RoadSt. John’s, NL A1H 1A5

www.glendenninggolf.com

Paul, Sell some advertising on your cards to help pay for the cards, order 20,000, use some of them as advertising by dropping them off at hotels, restau-rants and such. We buy 25,000 for our 27 hole course. Sell spots on the card for $800 and give them $400 in golf gift cards. Comes pretty close to paying for all of the cards (We have a custom sized card with tear offs at the end for data collection).

Jeff Hoag Scott Lake Country Club Comstock Park, Michigan

Continued on page 16

TEE-OFF TIMES MARCH/APRIL 2012 4

Caution...Caution...Caution

The Digital Space

by Bay Paul, President of Course Logix

If any 3rd party website asks you to send an eblast out to your cus-tomers on their behalf , RUN. This is called email harvesting, and is highly frowned upon and not rec-ommended by experts in the email/marketing business.

Your database is “GOLD” which is why you need to protect it. There is a new 3rd party company out there asking golf courses to give them their database. Not in a direct way but in an indirect way. So don’t be lured into thinking this offering is in your advantage.

Here is their deal. You eblast your current customers and tell them to visit this 3rd party’s web-site to get your course’s deal. In order for your customers to see the deal, they need to give their

email address on the 3rd parties website. Once they sign up on the 3rd party site, the golfer “Your Cus-tomer” can purchase the deal at a

discount, and access other courses deals. The 3rd party will split the revenue with the course.

Here’s the catch… You are giv-ing away your email database. You have spent years growing your email database, and you are basi-cally handing over your customer database to a 3rd party. The 3rd party would own the database, which is why we highly recommend not form-

ing any kind of relationship with a 3rd party that asks you to promote their website to your customers.

3rd parties exist because they already have a huge da-tabase which they can use to expose new golfers to your course, and not expose your customers to their website. There

are quality 3rd party resellers that DO and CAN benefit your busi-ness. There is a place for this type of business strategy. If you are unsure and need guidance, ask someone that is in the know.

For more “Best Practices”, please visit the NGCOA website below: https://images.magnetmail.net/images/clients/NGCOA/attach/BestPractice_ThirdPartyResellers.pdf

“Your database is “GOLD” which is why you needto protect it.”


Scott Lake Country Club is Course of the Year Scott Lake Country Club in

Comstock Park has been select-ed Michigan Golf Course Owners

Association’s Golf Course of the Year for 2011. With a long list of accomplishments, along with community contributions and ex-ceptional management, owners Jeff and Paul Hoag’s golf course took the limelight this year. Once you play it, you will find yourself wanting to return again. Scott Lake Country Club is really “Scott Lake – where golf is fun!” Scott Lake Country Club has a long heritage of providing quality golf at afford-able pricing with great hospitality for almost 50 years. The property was recognized at the Michigan Golf Business Conference and Ven-dor Fair, Wednesday, November 30, 2011 at the Somerset Inn in Troy.

Eagle Eye Golf Course Owner HonoredDaryl Kesler, owner of Hawk

Hollow Golf Properties in the Lan-sing area received the “Bruce Matthews Lifetime Achievement Award” in recognition of his out-

standing service to the Michigan golf community. Kesler’s contri-butions to the golfing community include the construction of the PGA headquarters, golf courses

including The Falcon, Hawk Hollow, Eagle Eye, and the new Woodside Golf Course plus the provision of the First Tee of Lan-sing infrastructure. This all confirmed his nomination as a lifelong champion of the industry. Mr. Kelser received

the award at the Michigan Golf Busi-ness Conference, held at the Somerset Inn in Troy on November 30.

He attended the event with his fam-

ily and general manager Alex Coss.Kesler has been an active member

of the Association and an advo-cate for golf business both locally and statewide. The Michigan Golf Course Owners Association is lo-cated in Lansing and serves as the “voice of Michigan golf business.”

Elmbrook Golf Course Owner HonoredCarolyn Olson, owner of Elm-

brook Golf Course in Traverse City,

by Kate Moore, MGCOA Executive Director

Michigan Golf Business Annual Awards 2011

From the Executive Director

is the recipient of the Lyle Leeke Distinguished Service Award. Ms. Olson was recognized at the Mich-igan Golf Business Conference and Vendor Fair on Wednesday, Nov. 30. Fifteen years ago the Michigan Golf Course Owners As-sociation decided to work to fulfill the needs of supporting the educa-tion and development of the golf course owner and operator. The Scott Family Educational Support Foundation was formed. Since its inception, Carolyn Olson, owner of Elmbrook Golf Course in Tra-verse City has been a trustee of the Foundation. Combined with her continued commitment to the MG-

COA through participation on the Board of Directors, Olson has been selected to receive the Lyle Leeke Distinguished Service Award. Olson has been an active member of the Association and an advo-cate for golf business both locally and statewide. The Michigan Golf Course Owners Association is lo-cated in Lansing and serves as the “voice of Michigan golf business.”

MSU Team receives Award of MeritThe Michigan State University’s

“Turf Team” received the Michigan Golf Course Owners Association’s

The Hoags, owners of Scott Lake Country Club in Comstock Park, took home the big win for Golf Course of the Year.

Daryl Kelser receives Lifetime Achievement Award from MGCOA Board President Koutnik as son looks on.

Carolyn Olson Embrook (right) receives award from last year’s recipient Toni Joers.



The Educational Support Foundation’s “Carpe Diem Award” program thanks Paul Beaupre of Plum Brook Golf Club, Sterling Heights for his contribution. The name of the golf course was misstated in the March enews.

Michigan Golf Hall of Fame InducteesTwo player-designers, an ace and

a never-on-Sunday veteran

DEXTER -- Rick Smith, Larry Mancour and Jack Seltzer, all PGA professionals, and Grand Rapids senior amateur Jack Van Ess, who vowed to his parents that he never would play on Sunday, will be inducted into the Golf Hall of Fame on May 20 at Michigan State’s University Club.

The Michigan Golf Foundation also will present a special award to MSU’s Turf Team from the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences for its outstanding work in improving the quality of golf course turf statewide and internationally.

For more information on this year’s induction ceremony, contact Loretta Larkin at [email protected] or(248) 719-0650.

CORRECTION


The Michigan Liquor Control Commission (MLCC) prides it-self on being a high performance agency excelling in economic de-velopment, revenue generation and public safety. Holding a license to sell alcoholic beverages can be considered an important com-ponent of being competitive and profitable within the hospitality/golf industry. That is why when the MLCC was approached to provide some frequently asked questions (FAQs) we jumped at the opportu-nity to help! So here it is, the list of FAQs that every licensed golf course should know:

Q. How old do my employees have to be to sell/serve alcoholic beverages? What about selling from the beverage cart?

A. Many young people work at golf courses over the summer months and it would be important to remind the golf course own-ers that they must comply with 436.1707(6) which states that the seller/server must be 18 years or older to sell alcohol.

Q. Can I allow patrons to bring alcohol onto the course?

A. In most cases, no, according to MCL 436.1913.

Q. Can I give away alcohol at a golf outing?

A. No. Under MCL 436.2025, sec-tion 1025(1), a vendor shall not give away any alcoholic liquor of any kind or description at any time in connection with his or her busi-ness, except manufacturers for consumption on the premises only.

Q. Can I have roving golf carts and sell alcohol from the carts?

A. Yes, if the licensee receives an

Liquor License knowhowadditional bar permit in accordance with administrative rule R 436.1023.

Q. “If I buy a drink in the club-house, may I take it out on the golf course”?

A. It depends on the circumstanc-es. If the licensee has received an outdoor service permit for the entire golf course, or simply for a deck attached to the clubhouse, they may allow the drink to be re-moved from the clubhouse to that licensed area. However, if they simply licensed the clubhouse premises, they may not remove the

drink from the clubhouse premises under MCL 436.2021. An advisable course of action would be to seek an outdoor service permit that allows consumption outdoors in accordance with administrative rule R 436.1419.

For any questions please contact the MLCC office at 866-813-0011.

For more information about the MLCC, please visit www.michigan.gov/lcc. Follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/MILiquorControl, “Like” us on Facebook.

by Andrew Deloney, Michigan Liquor Control Commission

Guest Columnist

Developing an Effective Employee SafetyAwareness ProgramKeeping you in the Know from Kapnick Insurance Group

“Maintaining a safe environment for employees and customers” tops most business owner’s lists of priorities. Loss preven-tion and mitigation often reflect themselves in lower premium costs and lower uninsurable losses – that’s the dollar part of it. More importantly there is a human side of it: Safety. It’s one thing for management to be con-cerned with the personal safety of its employees and customers …but that concern doesn’t do much good unless that need for safety is transmitted to employ-ees at all levels. This may sound simple enough, but is often more difficult to facilitate in reality. What does it take? Three things to start: understanding, commit-ment, communication.

You need to begin by under-standing what aspects of your business could be potentially

hazardous for an employee or customer. Do your employees have access to, and regularly use, the proper personal pro-tective equipment? Does your establishment serve food, and therefore have a grill and fryer, making a fire a possibility? Do the chemicals used in the treat-ment of greens and fairways create a chemical hazard threat? You should ask yourself these, and other critical questions, to determine where your focus on safety should begin.

Next you must make a commit-ment to making safety a priority for your grounds, clubhouse, employees and guests. Make safety a prominent part of your “corporate culture” and follow through on programs long-term (in other words, it’s not enough to hold one safety meeting and



by Eric Rule, MGCOA Government Affairs Coordinator

Details of personal property taxphase-out announced

After more than a year of hints and what ifs from both the ad-ministration and various interest groups and legislators, we now have our most complete picture developing of what a personal property tax (PPT) repeal would look like. This week, Governor Rick Snyder’s office, along with key legislators involved, unveiled a blueprint for reform.

The strategy involves a ten-year time period for the phase-out, and would include both industrial and some commercial components of the tax. One key figure that fea-tures prominently in the plan sets a threshold for property tax relief at the $40,000 level. Specifically, businesses with industrial and commercial property valued at or below $40,000 would no longer have to pay property tax on it.

According to the details released, starting in 2016, businesses with industrial personal property would eliminate the last of the 10 years they are required to pay personal property tax on it, and pay only the last 9 years. In 2017, this would change to the last 8 years, and so on until in 2025; there would be no personal property tax liability. It is important to note however, that all commercial personal property above $40,000 and all utility per-sonal property would continue to pay the full tax.

Interestingly, the plan would not include any PPT relief for large retailers. Senator Nofs (R-Battle Creek), who is part of the team putting the plan together, men-tioned that larger retailers already received significant relief when the change was made from the Michi-gan Business Tax to the Corporate

income tax. He indicated that the plan would still exempt between 60% to 75% of commercial personal property however.

One of the most contentious as-pects of any plan to phase-out the personal property tax has always been how to pay for it. Munici-palities have always said that any reduction in the tax would hurt them most, as they rely on the tax for a large portion of their funding. This plan appears to take that into consideration and relies on expir-ing business tax credits to replace the revenue that would be lost from the phase-out.

The locals don’t seem to be con-tent with this explanation however, and they have indicated that they will still be seeking a constitu-tional amendment guaranteeing replacement revenue if the PPT is repealed. Yearly, the tax raises about $900 million for local govern-ments and $300 million for schools.

At this time, the bills appear to be in the drafting process with the Legislative Service Bureau, and should be ready for introduction at or around the end of the month.

O.R.R. RECOMMENDS GETTING RID OF HUNDREDS OF RULES

Whereas government commis-sions usually meet to decide what new rules to craft and put in place, the Workplace Safety Rules Com-mission last week recommended 334 workplace safety rules to do away with as they exceed federal standards. The commission also found another 611 rules that are obsolete or unnecessary.

The commission is part of Gov-ernor Snyder’s efforts to reduce regulations on businesses in the

Legislative Bulletin

state. Just last year, the Snyder ad-ministration also supported and signed into law a bill that would not allow a state department from promulgating and enforcing a state specific law on ergonomics.

STATE HOUSE BACK UP TOFULL STRENGTH

The February 28th Republican Pri-mary allowed Mitt Romney to pick up some more delegates with a win in his home state. It also featured two special elections to fill vacant house seats in the 51st and the 29th districts.

The 51st district, which is in Gen-esee County and includes Grand Blanc, was vacant due to the suc-cessful recall of former Rep. Paul Scott. Genesee Commissioner Joe Graves successfully captured the seat, at least for the time being. His Democrat opponent Steven Losey finished a couple thousand votes behind him during a Repub-lican presidential primary and has said he will run again in November when the seat is up during the gen-eral election.

The 29th district in Oakland Coun-ty that includes Auburn Hills, has been vacant since former Rep. Tim Melton decided to leave during his term for an educational lobbying job in D.C. Oakland County Com-missioner Tim Greimel crushed his Republican opponent, garner-ing 77% of the vote. With such a convincing victory, it appears very likely that Greimel will also be vic-torious in November.

Forward your questionsor concerns to Eric at:

[email protected]


“Can you appeal your property taxes on your own? Certainly!”

by Tom Schwark, Owner of Sycamore Hills Golf Course in Macomb and chair of the MGCOA Government Affairs Committee

Are your property taxes too high?If your property taxes are higher

than your net income, the answer is yes. If this is true for just one year, but last year was better again, maybe not. But, if it has been true for the last several years, then by all means, your property taxes are too high, and you can very likely get them reduced.

Let’s do the math. Assuming

your tax rate is 40 mils, this means you are paying 4% of your taxable value each year in property tax-es. This rate is probably high for outstate golf courses, but the point will be the same. If your as-sessed value is the same as your

Legislative Bulletin

taxable value, the tax assessor de-termines the market value of your

golf course to be double the assessed value. This means you are pay ing

2% of the value of your course ev-ery year in property taxes. If your taxable value is less than your as-sessed value, then you are paying less than 2% of the market value in property taxes. If you’re paying less than 40 mils on your property tax, then once again you’re paying less than 2% of the market value of your course in property taxes. My point is that if you are making less net income than your property taxes, then your net income is less than 2% of the market value of your golf course as determined by your local tax assessor, and you have a good case for getting your prop-erty taxes reduced.

Can you appeal your property taxes on your own? Certainly! I appealed our property taxes suc-cessfully in the mid 1990’s. I determined the assessed value of my golf course compared to the assessed value of all the other golf courses in my community and found on a per hole basis, our golf course was assessed at a higher rate. The Tax Appeal Board re-duced my assessment to be in line with the other golf courses in my community. However, this situa-tion is different and much more difficult. The value of a golf course, like any business, is largely deter-mined by how much net income it generates. Each industry, like the golf industry has a capitalization factor that determines the value of a business based on its net income.

Top left Dan Farhat, President; top right Matt Miner, CEO; bottom left Eric Rule, Senior Lobbyist; bottom right Steve Japinga, Managing Director.

MGCOA lobbyist joins Capitol Strategies GroupKate Moore, executive director

of the MGCOA announces that lobbyist Eric Rule has joined Capitol Strategies Group, a full service firm located next to the Capitol. Dan Farhat, president, is one of Lansing’s leading lobbyists. His legislative career spans more than 20 years in the state of Michigan,

including as staff assistant to the attorney general and then as manager of governmental relations for the Michigan State Medical Society. Matthew Miner co-founded Capitol Strategies Group with Mr. Farhat after successfully directing the Michigan Senate Republican Campaign Committee to i ts largest majority in the Michigan Senate since 1948. Matt’s most

recent role was serving as Chief of Staff to Senate Majority Leader Michael D. Bishop. At CSG, Steve Japinga manages day to day operations, including monitoring legislation, strategic planning, issue management, coalition building, PAC management, and political grassroots development.

H i s f o c u s i s i n healthcare, insurance, higher education, tax policy, appropriations, economic development, e n v i r o n m e n t , a n d s t a t e d e p a r t m e n t procurement. Eric Rule will serve as senior lobbyist.

Rule has been working with and representing the MGCOA for over seven years and will continue as lobbyist and government affairs

coordinator. “Eric’s understanding of our industry and his ability to carry our message to the Capitol has be demonstrated and we are very pleased to be able to retain not only Eric’s continued service but also that of his new colleagues,” said Tom Schwark, chairman of the MGCOA government affairs committee and the Michigan Golf Alliance. Continued on page 10


Property taxes high?A tax appeal professional would be much more adept at handling this tax appeal than someone like me. The whole tax appeal process in a situation like this can take 3 or 4 years. The good news is that if the appeal is successful, you will get tax relief from when the appeal start-ed, which means partial refunds of property taxes that were paid since the appeal began. It also means that going forward, your property taxes will be based on a much lower as-sessed value. The bad news is the tax appeal professional will get 1/3 of the savings during the appeal pe-riod, but it is well worth it.

If you are interested in discuss-ing your property taxes with a tax appeal professional, but not sure where to start, call Kate or Jada at the MGCOA office and they will be able to direct you to the proper person. If you have had some lean years, now is a great time to do it, before it’s too late.

Continued from page 9

Congratulations to the MSU Turf Team for receiving the MGCOA Award of Merit for their century long commitment to the development and implementation of exemplary turf management.

“Award of Merit.” This award recognizes the outstanding work of the “Turf Team” who

wrote the book on golf course management, both figuratively and literally. Their collective contribution to the game of golf is vast, having defined virtually everything we do and how we

Continued from page 5Continued from page 7

Golf Business Annual Awards ’11do it. The “Turf Team” has cov-ered every aspect of golf course management from basic agro-

nomic practices and financial management to the most detailed best management prac-tices to improve daily playability, making the game more fun for ev-eryone. Michigan State University has trained more golf turf profes-sionals and educators than any other institu-tion. Following a “time line” presentation by Dr. Kevin Frank, the

award was accepted on behalf of the team by Dr. James Kells, Chair of the Department of Crop and Soil Science. Attending with Drs. Kells and Frank was Dr. Trey Rogers and Dr. Paul Rieke.

Employee SafetyAwareness Program

then sit back and feel you’ve done your job. Keeping safety awareness on the top of employees’ minds is an ongoing process that you must commit to).

Finally, you will need to provide consistent communication to your employees regarding safety matters. While individual topics are important, equally important is the fact that something is be-ing communicated on a regular basis. This will support the pri-ority you place on safety overall. What kind of communication is effective for a successful safety awareness program? A well-written and comprehensive safety man-ual for employees, regular safety meetings, articles in employee newsletters, workplace posters, payroll stuffers – to name a few.


Mitt Romney stopped off for a visit and presentation to support-ers held at Lansing’s Chisholm Hills Golf Course. Approximately

Presidential candidate visits Chisholm Hills400 attended the event hosted by owner Steve Ramey for a breakfast meeting of the Ingham County Lin-coln Republicans.

(L to R) Rachel Ramey, Facility Coordinator, Mitt Romney, Steve Ramey, Owner, and Julie VanHorn, Secretary.

Interview by Jason Colthorp, Lansing’s Channel 10 News

Chisholm Hills is an 18 hole golf course built in the mid ’50s. The course was redesigned in 1997 and a banquet facility was added in 2004.



Michigan Golf League Championship Program wins national awardLeague golfers have more fun!

LAS VEGAS, NV (Feb, 29, 2012) The National Golf Course Owners Associationpresented the 2012 Player Development national award The Michigan Golf Course Owners Association’s Michigan Golf League Championship (MI GLC).

Since its first full year of operation, the MI GLC has grown exponentially. 2012 will see the 8th An-nual Golf League Championship, the “Championship for Everyone,” open to league golfers in the state of Michigan who participate in the MGCOA’s league management system.

Any golf course in the state can utilize this feature-rich program, with MGCOA member courses re-ceiving special benefits. The MI GLC is for any golf league, male, female or mixed, student or senior.

“This is the simplest, quickest, most accurate and affordable way to manage golf leagues. I have played in and helped manage golf leagues for over thirty years and this systems works. The golf course owner and the golf league player get up-to date information, statistics, schedule, standings, news, pairings, handicaps, and too much more to mention,” says Jeff Hoag, Scott Lake Country Club, Comstock Park (Owner / League Admin / League Golfer). Leagues can be of any combination of players.

The Michigan “Golf League Championship” is an exclusive product of the MGCOA.

Michigan’s Seasonal Operator of the Year...and then some!

At the Governors Conference on Tourism this March, Jeff Hoag was honored as “The Seasonal Operator of the Year.” This distinction recognizes an operator in a seasonal business in M i c h i g a n such as skiing, golf, m a r i n a s , etc., who goes above and beyond normal job responsibilities. Normal responsibilities… now that is hard to define in Hoag terms. In addition to operating the 27 hole golf course day in and day out, Jeff makes time to sit on the board of directors for not only the Michigan Golf Course Owners Association, but also the National GCOA. Jeff is vice president of the MGCOA and

also co chairs the Michigan Golf League Championship program for the Association.

In a special year of recognition

and tribute, the NGCOA awarded Jeff with the “Don Rossi Award” for his steadfast contribution to the Association and to the golf industry nationally. Jeff had been awarded the prestigious “Lyle Leeke Distinguished Service Award” from the MGCOA in 2000 for his dedication to our state’s golf industry. And in case you haven’t heard, Scott Lake Country Club, which is celebrating its 50th

year as a place where golfers go to have fun, was named the NGCOA’s 2012 Course of the Year. “We give our customers an affordable place

to play, enjoy each other’s company and maybe create a memory,” said co-owner Jeff Hoag. As much as course conditions, Scott Lake, which hosts approximately 46,000 rounds per year, puts a premium on hospitality. “We know most of our customers

by name, and we do our best to figure out a way to say yes,” Hoag said. “If someone doesn’t have fun at Scott Lake, it must have been because of their golf game or their partner,” Hoag joked.

The Michigan Golf Course Owners Association congratulates Jeff Hoag and Scott Lake Country Club on 50 years of superior operation and wishes them the best in the next 50!

“If someone doesn’t have fun at Scott Lake, it must have been because of their golf game or their partner,” Hoag joked.


Here are some tips on electric golf car maintenance. These tips will help thwart some of our more frequent, preventable ser-vice requests. 1.) Periodically run a stream of wa-ter over the batteries to remove debris and dilute any acid that may come out of the vent caps during a charging session or golf round. 2.) Protect battery cables and terminals by applying a liberal amount of ‘battery terminal protec-tor’ on the connections. Be sure to coat the battery hold-downs and/or “J” bolts as well. This also ap-plies to gas carts.

3.) When watering batteries on golf cars, it is recommended that this maintenance is performed prior to the golf car being put in to use. A golf car that is charged right

Maintenance tips for your golf cars

MGCOA Corporate Partners are invited to submit

articles for the Tee-Off Times. Please contact Kate Moore if you are

interested at:[email protected]

after watering is prone to have ex-cessive water and acid boil out of the battery set. This can lead to excessive corrosion of wir-ing and frame supports, and also cause acid stains on concrete floors. 3.) Grease points. Certain makes and models have various grease inserts to lubricate crucial front-end parts. This prevents front-end bushings, kingpins, tie-rod ends and other components from exces-sive wear. 4.) Cleaning. It is un-necessary to pressure wash every part of a golf car; the undercarriage is the only location where pres-sure washing is recommended – not engine/battery compart-

ments. Often this will damage the appearance and sometimes the performance of the cart. A

garden hose and tap water is recommended. ‘Windex’ is not recommended on windshields to clean them. This contains am-monia, which interacts with the plastic polymers on the wind-shield, changing the composition of the plastic creating a ‘haze’ ap-pearance that will not go away. Check with your manufacturer for cleaning products available.

Good luck and have a great 2012 season.

US Golf Cars Inc., located in Cale-donia, is a long standing corporate partner of the MGCOA. For moreinformation, visit www.usgolfcars.com.

Golfers prepare for another great MGCOA Golf Outing and Supplier Field Day. Save the date for this year’s event: Aug 9, Bedford Valley Golf Course, Battle Creek.


Setting a New CourseIf ever operators needed an ex-

ample of how the business world and golf are still viable part-ners, they need look no further than Foresight Group. Owner Bill Christofferson and partner Scott Mossberger decided to use their love of the game as a vehicle to boost employee morale and en-hance customer relations when

they set about remodeling a 1940s-era building that now serves as the corporate office of the Lan-sing, Michigan-based printer. The end result: a 9-hole putting course that winds its way throughout the 7,000-square-foot space.

“It was an impromptu, one-night decision and about $1,000 invest-ment that resulted in a par-30 course that’s the biggest hit of the whole building,” says Christ-offerson, whose printing group publishes the “Golden Passbook to Michigan Golf” and “Tee Off Times” for the Michigan Golf Course Own-ers Association (MGCOA).

Though the decision to build the layout that’s been dubbed the “Original Inks Course” came easily, it required a fair amount of plan-ning. The contractor had to design special tools to create the cups, which are cut into the floor at a regulation size, and the carpet had to be carefully selected to ensure

it didn’t inhibit the true roll of golf balls. Meanwhile, each hole had to be strategically placed so guests of the business can get a tour when they enter the building.

“This golf course has been a real hit with our customers, vendors and prospects,” Christofferson says. “To me, it shows that golf is a game that resonates with so

many people. People of all ages love the game, and it really is a great customer relations tool as well as an employee benefit.”

In fact, at the grand opening of the new fa-cility, an 81-year-old staff member enjoyed the course so much that she bought a set of clubs and has been taking lessons. Her goal is to play a round with her boss in June. Until then, Christof-

ferson is using the course to enhance camaraderie among customers and employees. The company has already hosted two tournaments on the indoor course, and employees are taking part in on-site golf leagues until the outdoor golf season starts. At the completion of the league schedule, Christofferson plans to take golfers to a local MGCOA member course for an outing, a move that brings the golf/busi-ness connection full circle.

“Golf and business have been going hand-in-hand for years,” Christofferson says. “This is just another way of showing that’s still the case. Maybe a minia-ture case of this, but still it’s golf and business.” —Jeff Barr © 2012. Article reprinted with permission of Golf Business, the official publication of the National Golf Course Owners Association.

(l-r) Bill Christofferson and Scott Mossberger (owners) play along with MGCOA’s sales rep Mike Kidd.

The Michigan Golf Alliance is once again hosting Michigan Golf Day at the Capitol for members and legislators. The event will take place Wednesday, June 13 in downtown Lansing. There is no charge for members of the Alli-ance to attend.

The Michigan Golf Alliance will put together a great program to facilitate golf industry repre-sentatives in introducing them-selves and informing the Legisla-tors and their staff of who we are and what our industry brings to the State of Michigan. We can’t overstate the importance of this day. The schedule will include Senate and House office visits, a keynote speaker, & “lunch on the turn” provided by Eagle Eye Golf Course. All Legislators will be in-vited to the luncheon with their constituents. That personal con-tact can be invaluable. Putting a face to an issue can contribute to the Legislators’ involvement and propel our organizations to a leadership position on issues. This is a critical part of our ad-vocacy efforts with elected rep-resentatives. Remember, only Legislators can introduce leg-islation. Find out more about the legislative process. Come to Michigan Golf Day at the Capitol, Wednesday, June 13. Let’s make the voice of Michigan golf busi-ness that much louder. Watch for notices on registration but save the date now.

OTHER DATES TO SAVE:

AUGUST 9th19th Annual Golf Outing andSupplier Field DayBedford Valley GC,Battle Creek

NOVEMBER 27th -28thMichigan Golf Business ConferenceBavarian Inn Lodge,Frankenmuth

Golf Day at the Capitol


Allen Wronowski, PGAPresidentThe PGA of America

Allen,

As for complete disclosure, I am a member of the PGA, NGCOA, MGCOA, and a golf course owner in Michigan.

I am pleased the PGA Board has decided not to proceed with the proposed joint project with Golf Now. Your

recent email announcing the suspension of that deal contains a line that troubles me, however. “The PGA

Board acknowledges that the benefits and risks of using the database marketing and web enabled tee sheets are

not clearly understood and will dedicate resources to improve an understanding of this subject.”

Not understood by whom? It sounds like the PGA Board still thinks this program they came up with is a

terrific idea and golf course owners just don’t seem to grasp how good it really is. Golf course owners have

been using database marketing for quite some time now, probably longer than the PGA has. Most course own-

ers have attended seminars on this subject and have been on the receiving end of sales presentations like

Golf Now’s and other 3rd party resellers and we are well enough informed to decide the merits for ourselves.

To make this deal with you had to put something up they needed, which was tee times. Problem is tee times

are an asset that belongs to the course owner and the distribution of this asset should be controlled by

them. You attempted to bypass the owner by offering a financial incentive to the PGA Pro in an effort to get

courses signed up. Just a hunch but I think since this has seen the light of day that there will be several PGA

Professional’s contracts being re-written to include immediate dismissal for any employee entering a course

into such an agreement without the consent of ownership. In my opinion, bargaining away an asset that is

not yours is just not ethical. The PGA used to stand for integrity and ethics beyond reproach. What hap-

pened?

Some courses may view 3rd party resellers as a good business partner; other courses may view them as a cancer

to the industry. Any course owner can decide who they want or don’t want to do business with, which is their

right as an owner. When an owner signs on with a reseller, they know the program they are signing up for and

that they will be sharing the revenue from the sale of their tee time asset with the reseller. In your proposed

deal that same revenue would be shared with: The PGA, The PGA Sections, The PGA Professional, The 3rd party

reseller, The PGA Interactive Committee and The Course Owner.

Notice, there are a lot of hands out to be fed

before the owner of the asset sees any rev-

enue. Has Groupon made any business more

money than they have made for Groupon

themselves?

The skin in the game belongs to the course

owner, not the PGA or the reseller and

no deal that tries put up an owners as-

set should ever be agreed to without the

owners involvement and consent from the

beginning. I don’t think this is the kind

of relationship you want to develop with

the people that you expect to hire your

members.

Bob KoutnikPresident, Michigan Golf Course Owners

AssociationPGA Member since 1989Owner, Fox Run Country Club, Grayling,

Michigan

Continued from page 3

Dear Bob, Thank you for your email regarding The PGA and Third Party Re-sellers. We received many thoughtful responses on the topic and want you to know that your opinions played a large role in your Board’s decision on Wednesday, Feb. 8. We will continue to listen to you on this topic and others like it as it is our calling to serve you and act in the best interest of the overall membership. As stated, we plan to engage facility owners and operators on a common approach to this practice that would enhance our efforts to grow participation in golf and revenues at our facilities, and want your voice to be part of the process. Please be sure to visit the information page that we have established on PGALinks.com, and encourage fellow members to weigh-in on the topic by emailing us at [email protected]. Very Respectfully,

Allen Wronowski, PGA President The PGA of America


Club CarCOMPLIMENTARY ADMISSION TO THE NGCOA ANNUAL CONFERENCE AND GOLF OUTING FOR MEMBERS RENEWING ORCONVERTING THEIR FLEETVisit www.clubcar.com or contact Rutledge Baker at (800) 933-4262, ext. 270 or [email protected].

NGCOA Insurance Program: Property and CasualtyInsurance • Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. and Allied Insurance$150 SAVINGS ON BUILDING APPRAISALS AND 80% DISCOUNT ON BACKGROUND CHECKSVisit www.ngcoa.org/insuranceprogram or contact Mike McCoy at (515) 440-8403 or [email protected].

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Food & Related Services • entegra Procurement Services, brought toyou by International Club Suppliers (ICS)7% -15% COST SAVINGS AND ACCESS TO MORE THAN 400 LEADING FOOD AND BEVERAGE SUPPLIERSVisit www.intlclubsuppliers.com or contact Jim Bailey at (813) 994-4680 or [email protected].

Credit Card Processing • ETS Corporation $200 DISCOUNT ON ALL WIRELESS POS SYSTEMS, GIFT AND LOYALTY PROGRAMS, POS CHECK AND ATM SERVICES, AND FREE CREDIT CARD TERMINALS AND RECEIPT PAPERVisit www.etsms.com or contact Hadi Akkad at (703) 421-9101, ext. 205 or [email protected].

Beverage Supplier • Pepsi-Cola Company $1.10 REBATE PER GALLON ON PEPSI BRAND POST-MIX FOUNTAIN PRODUCTSVisit www.pepsico.com or contact Stephanie Cardin at (866) PEP-GOLF or [email protected].

Turf Equipment & Irrigation Systems • The Toro Company 1% REBATE ON NEW COURSE PURCHASES AND PURCHASES MADE BY COURSES CONVERTING FROM A COMPETING SUPPLIERVisit www.toro.com or contact Grant Young at (952) 887-8390 or [email protected].

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Budget: Visit http://www.budgetcarrental.com/budget/assoc/index.html?R025300.

Or for Avis and Budget contact Debbie Arett at (404) 577-5450 or [email protected].

Beverage Supplier • Gatorade$.30 REBATE PER CASE PURCHASEDVisit www.pepsico.com or contact Stephanie Cardin at (866) PEP-GOLF or [email protected].

To better serve members, the NGCOA has forged relationships with the industry's leading suppliers of products and services for golf operations. These organizations have extended members-only pricing, rebates and value-added packages exclusively to NGCOA members.

Members SaveThrough the NGCOA’sPurchasing Network

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ACTIVATE THESE COST-SAVING BENEFITS TODAY!Visit www.ngcoa.org/purchasingnetworkNot a member? Join the NGCOA today and you too can take advantage of these member exclusive benefits. Learn more at www.ngcoa.org/circle or call Joe Rice at (800) 933-4262, ext. 222.

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DOWNLOAD AUDIORECORDINGS

Listen to audio recordings of ed-ucational sessions from this year’s Annual Conference.

2012 Conference attendees: Au-dio recordings are free-of-charge! You should have already received an email with a direct link to the audio files. If you need the link again, please contact Scotti Corley at [email protected].

Non-Conference attendees: Ses-sion audio recording are available for purchase in the NGCOA Online Bookstore. Click here to visit the Bookstore now! Please note, once you’ve checked out and submitted your order from the Online Book-store, to access the recordings, click the “download” icon under the “items” box on the Shopping Cart Receipt page.

NGCOA BOOKSTOREWelcome to the place where it

only takes seconds to spot the value of membership!

Get e-manuals anytime, any-place as free electronic down-loads. That’s “e” for easy!

Browse titles, back issues of Golf Business magazine or An-nual Conference session record-ings; all available at nominal fees. And don’t miss the Compensation & Benefits Report. It’s your best resource to compare your facili-ties compensation and benefits with that of your peers to see how yours stacks up.

If you’re not a member…it’s time to join! Call 800-860-8575 or email [email protected] for more information.


603 South Washington AvenueSuite 303Lansing, MI 48933(517) 482-4312www.mgcoa.org

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Tee-Off Times is published by the Michigan Golf Course Owners Association, editor – Kate Moore. MGCOA offices are located at 603 S. Washington, Suite 303, Lansing, MI 48933. Phone (517) 482-4312, Fax (517) 267-8984. Articles written by outside authors do not necessarily reflect the view or position of the MGCOA. MGCOA’s position on key issues will be clearly stated. Manuscripts are accepted at the approval of the editor who reserves the right to reject or edit. Appearance in the Tee-Off Times does not constitute endorsement of the advertiser, its products or services, not does Tee-Off Times make any claims or guarantees as to the accuracy or validity of the advertiser’s offer and reserves the right to reject any advertising deemed unsuitable. Advertising rates and other information available upon request.

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