Tee-Off Times_2014_Fall

GO ALL INthe Michigan Golf Business!

21st Annual Golf Outing RecapNew Format a Winner!

Preview of the Conference inside...

TEE-OFF TIMES FALL 2014 2

WWW.MGCOA.ORG FALL 20143

Board of Directors

PresidentJeff HoagScott Lake Country Club

Vice PresidentSusan VanderburgIndian Lake Hills

TreasurerBill FountainMajestic at Lake Walden

Past PresidentBob KoutnikFox Run Country Club

by Jeff Hoag, MGCOA President

Be a decider...today!Making decisions is a critical skill

you must posess in order to run an effective business, especially true in a seasonal business like golf. You will be faced with a handful of deci-sions in the next couple of months that could affect your operation in the future;

•What is the cumulative effect of the increase in minimum wage as it relates to your busi-ness? Are you adjusting prices now or are you going to absorb the increase for the last few months of the year?

•Who is running for state office in your area? Have you taken the time to reach out and get to know them?

•Will you get a jump on 2015 by staying ahead of the infor-mation curve by attending the Michigan Golf Business Confer-ence this year?

•Who is running for national office in your area? Do you think it matters? Here is a point to ponder…The EPA and Army Corps of Engineers have proposed a new rule that would, among other things,

significantly impact how golf courses would be required to treat property near any water by subjecting man-made water bodies, rights-of-way, golf course ponds, ditches and flood plains to Clean Water Act (CWA) regulation. This rule would expand the definition of “waters of the U.S.” under the CWA.

News from the President

Kathy AznavorianFox Hills Golf & Banquet Center

Larry BowdenThe Natural

Ed ClarkSandy Ridge Golf Course

Jim DewlingTotal Golf Inc.

Jay EccletonThe Emerald

Frank GuastellaFranklin Golf

Toni JoersConcord Hills

Fred MawsonCorporate Tax Resources

Larry MooreU.S. Golf Cars

Carolyn OlsonElmbrook Golf Course

Steve RameyChisholm Hills

Dan RooneyGrand Haven Golf Club

Tom SchwarkSycamore Hills

Jon ScottGull Lake View

3

9 hole golf courseswas $235 now $150





3 Jeff on the new pricing of membership

For golf courses specifically, the ramifications could be substantial and costly as additional waters would be subject to regulation.

Are you going to decide what happens to you or is someone else? When the season starts to wind down, get wound up!

Be a decider.




Multi-Course operatorswas $795 now $500

New membership pricing for 2014!The golf industry needs a break. And you need to be a member. Win. Win.

Join today and pay the 2014 price. Questions about membership or pricing, call Kate Moore

800-860-8575


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21st Annual Golf Outing Fund Raiser a SuccessGull Lake View Golf Club & Resort

is Southwest Michigan’s oldest and largest golf resort, featuring five championship courses in one amaz-ing destination. Playing on of the

Gull Lake View properties is a long standing tradition of the MGCOA and once again our annual event has proved a winner.

Owners and operators joined with suppliers on this traditional day of great golf and fun at the 21st Annual MGCOA Golf Outing and Supplier Field Day this year held at Gull Lake View East Golf Course in Augusta. With the expert assistance of head pro Wes Wendell and his team, we made it around in record time. The course was in perfect condition. Rick Collick, Gull Lake View’s food and beverage manager saw to it that the outing participants had an

Sunny skies over Gull Lake View

outstanding meal rounded out by de-licious German chocolate cake (he knows Jada and me all too well!). Special thanks to Jon and Charlie Scott and their families for the gen-

erous contribution to this important MGCOA fund raiser.

Special thanks to Kapnick Insurance Group for the lunch, the NGCOA Preferred Suppliers for the din-ner and US Golf Cars for the beverages. Spartan Distribu-tors and E-Z-Go was our welcome and registration spon-sor, Michigan Clubs Fund took care of the prizes and gift certifi-

cates. Coca-Cola sponsored our goody bags and Jacobsen stepped up to sponsor the 19th Hole Putting Challenge (more about that on page 9). We want to thank Michigan Golf Magazine for sponsoring the practice green, Flow-Rite Controls along with Yamaha Golf Cars Plus for many of the playing contests. All printing for this event was sponsored by the MGCOA official printer, Fore-sight Group of Lansing.

Our new scoring format this year, the Shotmakers Scramble, produced more winners. And with the theme

of SHOTmakers, we jumped right on the idea that everyone should win a SHOT Glass! The winners of the 18 hole competition were our good friends from US Golf Cars. The 9 hole competition was won by our own lobbyist firm Capital Strategies Group lead by Eric Rule. Go figure that the team from the GAM would take away a prize! They won the 6 hole competition. And the 3 hole competition was secured by Foresight Group. Our new for-

mat also identified winners of the 19th Hole Putting challenge. Fore-sight Group took this prize as well.

The MGCOA gave out a total of 34 $50 gift cards along with 20 sets of shot glasses to our winners.

Your MGCOA executive director Kate Moore didn’t dodge the bottom of the leader board this year. My team played better golf than we EVER have but, none the less, could not find any team worse and again has the auspicious ranking as the “winning losers.” I am sure to do better next year! Thanks to Debbie Oberle and Todd Cotter (TPI Golf Inc.) and the only one in my family who will regularly play with me, my sister Leni Staley for continuing to give up a good score to be on my team.

The MGCOA is very grateful to all

of our premier sponsors: Kapnick Insurance Company, US Golf Cars, Yamaha Golf Cars Plus, Michigan Golf Magazine, Jacobsen, Spartan Distributors, E-Z-Go, Coca-Cola, Flo-Rite Controls, Foresight Group, Michigan Clubs Fund and the NGCOA Preferred Supplier Group in-cluding TORO, Club Car and Entegra who sponsored everything from registration, practice green, lunch, dinner, cocktails, trophies, goody bags, skills contests and more. We also want to thank our participants who purchased Mulligans, made a bet on the Par 3 and bought raffle tickets. All of this helped insure our fundraising efforts paid off. See you next year.

Gull Lake View owners Charlie and Betsy Scott are longtime supporters of the MGCOA and the Scott Family founded our Educational Support Foundation.

The GAM gang is all smiles as they walk away with the 6 Hole Championship, shot glasses in hand.

MGCOA vice-president Susie Vanderburg (Indian Lake Hills Golf Club, Eau Claire) was our master of ceremonies and gets a little encouragement from Mike Valandra (Raisin Valley Golf Course, Tecumseh).



The highest priority for golf course owners and the associa-tions of the golf industry is to increase demand. Six years after the economic downturn there is just no more significant cost costing to be done at the vast ma-jority of golf courses. Therefore if growth is going to occur it has to happen by increasing revenue. This can only be accomplished in three ways: one, charge more for the product; two, get your custom-ers to purchase more frequently; three, create more customers. The good news on the first front is that for the first time in a while we are seeing a number of courses raise rates modestly, but because of the overall weakness in demand these raises are not widespread or dra-

Guest Columnist

by Mike Hughes, Executive Director National GCOA

Increased demand is the keymatic. The second area is also a challenge because people are more time constrained than ever with an exploding array of choice in leisure activities. This is an area I think we can make some real prog-ress by offering more alternatives but that is a subject for another column. The third area of player development is an area where the associations of golf have devoted a lot of resources especially for new/lapsed players. Fortunately, the industry is focusing its efforts behind one major program, Get Golf Ready. We have all seen the ads being shown during the major championships and we have heard about the good results in terms of participants, retention, and finan-cial return for those facilities that

really get behind the program. We have worked hard with the PGA of America to open that program to the many more facilities by open-ing it up to those that do not have a PGA pro on staff. We all recog-nize that we need as many courses as possible to get on board and a simply process involving watching a few quick videos and answering a handful of questions will allow any facility to get certified and reg-istered as a Get Golf Ready course. Just go to the NGCOA website and click on the player development tab and you will find the link that will get you going. Now there is nothing stopping every course from implementing the most effec-tive grow the game effort we have ever had.

Time to choose the 2014 Awards of Honor and Recognition

What greater honor than to be selected by your peers in the golf industry as the recipient of the Matthews Lifetime Achievement Award or the LyLe Leeke Distin-guisheD service AwArD. Each year since 1996 the honorees have been selected for recognition at the Michigan Golf Business Conference and Vendor Fair.

Please take a few minutes and reflect on those individuals you have come in contact with over the years. We are currently ac-cepting nominations for these awards. Please call Kate Moore (800-860-8575) if you know some-one who should be considered. You can also email your candidate to [email protected].

The Matthews Lifetime Achieve-

ment Award is presented to an individual or individuals whom over the span of a lifetime (or career in the golf industry) has provided steadfast leadership, outstanding service, and contin-ued commitment to the Michigan golf industry. The award was named for W. Bruce Matthews, a golf course owner and archi-tect, who spread his expertise throughout the fairways of Michigan. Past winners of the prestigious award include W. Bruce Matthews (1996), Everett Kircher, Boyne USA (1997), Bill Howard, Saskatoon Golf Course, Alto (1998), Daryl and Letha Scott, Gull Lake View Golf Course, Augusta (1999), the Kapnick In-surance Company, Adrian (2000), Terry Moore, Grand Rapids

(2001), Art McCafferty, Ann Ar-bor (2002), Estelle Dul, Fox Hills Golf and Banquet Center, Plym-outh (2003), Michigan Turfgrass Foundation, East Lansing (2004), Jerry Matthews, East Lansing (2005), Rolla Frisinger, Game of Your Life Foundation, Coldwater (2006), Ron Otto, Garland Resort (2007), Jack Berry, Northville (2008), The Buick Open (2009), Sara Wold (2010), Daryl Kessler (2011), Greg Johnson (2012) and Bob Dykema (2013).

The LyLe Leeke DistinguisheD serve AwArD is named after one of the founders of the Michigan Golf Course Owners Association. Leeke helped create a voice for golf course owners everywhere. The

Continued on page 9


The West Michigan Golf Show is the best way to showcase your Golf Course, with thousands of golfers looking to spend theirgolfi ng dollars. Your competition will be there, make sure you are there too! www.WestMichiganGolfShow.com for detailed demographics and

a complete brochure. Call 1-800-328-6550 now for best booth placement! Or email [email protected]. Don’t wait!

27th Annual27th Annual

DeVos Place, Downtown Grand Rapids February 13-15, 2015February 13-15, 2015

TM

12,000 Golfers,

…with You!

Scheduling trips, booking tee times and buying golf equipment


handles all the computations so you don’t have to, and for most

of you it’s something you already have access to (at no charge). Just give us a call and we’ll help step you through it.

As for why, there’s always the thought that nothing improves unless someone jumps into the driver’s seat and moves the ball forward. And, with respect to the aforementioned, the Golf Tournament Network and Sho-tmaker Scramble can be the keys to take your outings to that next level. Give it a try and just like the MGCOA and its golfers, we’re confident you and your golfers will be pleased with the results.

Continued from page 7

“...the traditional scramble is highly predictable and has become mundane...”

For those of you who missed the MGCOA Annual Golf Outing, you missed something new on some-thing old. Earlier this year we approached the MGCOA with the guys from National Golf Outing

(Dick, Aaron & Terry Garn, Chuck Thompson & Bill Farmer), and asked if we could try something new in replacement of the same old scramble scoring format. Kate said yes, and we proceeded to de-liver an event that generated 9, 6 and 3 hole winners (as well as the traditional 18 hole winners), a 19th hole putting competition (also the tie breaker), and gross skins. Hap-pily, everything went as planned and everyone enjoyed the added competitions and additional enjoy-ment delivered by the new format (currently called the Shotmaker Scramble).

So, why is this important?Quite simply, the traditional

scramble is highly predictable and has become mundane, and there’s a group of us that think we can

Guest Columnist

by Stu Healy, President, Handicomp, Inc.

Something new on something old...the future scramble

Stu Healy address Golf Outing attendees last month.

make it better and more attractive for those who play! Essentially, it’s most always known what teams (low handicap, big hitters) will win a scramble, and the opportu-nity for less capable teams to win

anything is thin at best. And, if your team isn’t loaded or you’re the drag, then some of the fun is gone before you step up to the first tee.

So, what to do about it?

Quite simply, run the new format at outings you host and increase the return and good-will for your club by enhancing the del iverable for your players. The

Golf Tournament Network (www.GolfTournamentNetwork.com)

recipient is an individual who has displayed distinguished service to the Association and the golf indus-try. Past recipients are Lyle Leeke, Old Channel Trail Golf Course, Mon-tague (1996), Cecil McKay, McKay Golf Properties, Lansing (1997), John Dodge, ROI Golf Management, Lansing (1998), Marcia Johnson, Cheshire Hills Golf Course, Alle-gan (1999), Jeff Hoag, Scott Lake Country Club, Comstock Park (2000), Jim Scott, Gull Lake View Golf Course, Augusta (2001), Kathy Aznavorian, Fox Hills Golf and Banquet Center, Plymouth (2002),

2014 Awards of Honor and RecognitionMeriam Leeke, Old Channel Trail Golf Course, Montague (2003), Lynn Miller, Indian Lake Hills Golf Course, Eau Claire (2004), Tom Schwark, Sycamore Hills Golf Course, Mt. Clemens (2005), Larry Moore, U.S. Golf Cars, Caledonia (2006), Dave Richards, Resort and Golf Marketing (2007), Bill Foun-tain, The Majestic at Lake Walden, Hartland (2008), Charlie Scott, Gull Lake View and Chairman of the Educational Support Foundation (2009), Toni Joers (2010), Carolyn Olson (2011), Kate Moore (2012 and Spartan Distributors (2013).


Date: August 29, 2014Release: Immediate

Jacobsen Expands Factory-Direct Operations in Michigan Charlotte, N.C. (August 29, 2014) – Jacobsen recently announced that it has expanded its factory-direct op-erations into Eastern Michigan and the majority of Indiana. The company currently operates a direct facility in Western Michigan, based out of Grand Rapids. The company will add two new factory-direct locations in Novi, Michigan and in Indiana.

The company believes it can better support customers in these areas by servicing them directly. Jacobsen is making significant investments in the local dealerships, stocking more parts locally and adding additional sales and service staff.

“We believe we can ensure our customers are getting the highest level of support in the industry by serving them directly in these particular markets,” said Ric Stone, VP of Sales & Marketing for Jacobsen. “Our existing factory-direct efforts in the Western Michigan have been very successful and we will leverage what we’ve learned in those areas to continue our growth in these important territories.”

Jacobsen’s new local operations in Novi, Michigan and Indiana will serve as a full-service dealers that will service hundreds of golf courses, sports fields and park/municipal areas.

For more information, contact Jacobsen Operations Manager Nathan Ruffer at (616) 890-1410 or [email protected].

SAVE THE DATE

December 1 – 3

Michigan GolfBusiness Conference

and Vendor Fair

Soaring Eagle ResortMt. Pleasant

Call for info

800-860-8575


1.800.398.0388 | www.JacobsenMichigan.com

Jacobsen is now serving golf, turf, municipal andcommercial customers directly in Western, Central and Northern Michigan. Rest assured, with the direct backing of Jacobsen and Textron, we will provide you the highest level of service and support.

We stock a comprehensive inventory of Jacobsen and allied parts and pledge to get what you need in short order. In addition to standard equipment service, we offer full hydraulic testing/repair and employ the latest grinding technologies on all makes and models of reels. We also offer full mobile service.

This change is part of Jacobsen and Textron’s long-term commitment to provide Michigan customers with quality products and services. You’ll be hearing much more about the great things Jacobsen is doing in Michigan, and we look forward to working with you.

WORLD-CLASS PRODUCTS

WORLD-CLASS SERVICE

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by Eric Rule, MGCOA Government Affairs Coordinator

Lansing update

Legislative Bulletin

SNYDER AND SCHAUER RACE HEATS UP AMID ABUSE ALLEGATIONS

What political insiders thought would not be a very close race has turned into a whopper of a con-test with just over two months to go before the November general election. In fact, the latest poll just released now has Democratic challenger Mark Schauer with a 2 point lead over the Republican in-cumbent Rick Snyder. The poll was commissioned by Lansing polling firm EPIC/MRA and has Schauer chosen by respondents at 45% to Snyder’s 43%.

The poll comes on the heels of several news stories and issues that have plagued Governor Sny-der in the last few weeks. First, it was reported that Michigan State Housing Authority Direc-tor (MSHDA) Scott Woosley had been reimbursed over $200,000 by the state for personal and travel expenses while only having the job at MSHDA for two years. Details show Woosley traveling in business class to China and other foreign locations while also traveling in limos on these trips. Democrats alleged a pattern of abuse by the Snyder administra-tion as a result of the documents obtained by a Freedom of Infor-mation Act request, that was related to an allegation brought to light by a MSHDA employee. Woosley resigned the first week in August.

Just last week, another quasi-scandal came to light when it was announced that top Snyder aide Rich Baird was registered to vote in both Illinois and Michigan and had claimed a Homestead prop-erty tax exemption on both his house in Illinois and in Michigan. A Snyder spokesperson explained

that both the dual voting registra-tion and the property tax issues were mistakes in which Baird thought that when he moved to Michigan and got a MI drivers li-cense and surrendered his Illinois license that it would remove him from the voter list there. This is not the case however, and it turns out this can be a common occurrence for voters that move to other states. The property tax issue is a little more difficult to explain however, as his family still resides in Illinois while Baird lives in Bath five days a week and travels back to Illinois on the weekends to be with his family.

Again, a Snyder spokesperson said a mistake was made on doc-uments while at the closing on Baird’s new home in Bath. Demo-crats were quick to point out that Baird is no tax dummy, having been Governor Snyder’s boss at the accounting firm of Coopers Lybrand, and that this is not the first time he has flouted the law. Baird previously came un-der intense scrutiny when it was learned that he was being paid out of the NERD Fund, a private fund that does not have to dis-close its donors, even though he was a state employee. The Sny-der administration did not admit it was illegal to do so, but never the less decided to change how Mr. Baird was paid.

Political experts have scratched their heads about why the Sny-der camp has not been spending money on big ad buys early on in the process. Now that the race is tightening up, and Schauer actual-ly has his first lead, this criticism seems astute. Indeed, with Schau-er now either in the lead or at least head to head with the in-

cumbent governor, it is expected that the Democratic Governor’s Association will see this race as a good one to pour even more mon-ey into. If Snyder had come out early with ads and campaigning, perhaps he could have extended his early big lead and kept the DGA’s money and influence out of the race. Stay tuned, this could be an interesting finish, but the House’s money still remains with the incumbent.

LAME DUCK LOOMS ON THE HORI-ZON – ROAD FUNDING BIGGEST ISSUE

The legislature will likely be in session for 3 weeks in Septem-ber and then won’t be returning prior to the November general election. Due to Thanksgiving and the hunting break, it also ap-pears they may only meet for a couple of days in the month of November. Depending on the out-come of the elections, there will likely only be 12 session days in December prior to the legislature adjourning and the two-year ses-sion ending.

Every legislator has their wish list of what they want to get done before either being termed out, or moving on to another spot - either in the private sector - or in another chamber. According to Governor Snyder’s staff, their main issue to complete in en-hanced funding for roads and infrastructure in the state.

The administration failed in get-ting their road-funding package passed prior to the summer break. According to multiple sources, all options are on the table for raising the more than $1.2 billion annually that is the minimum the adminis-tration sees as necessary to make

Continued on page 13


Lansing update

Legislative Bulletin

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

November Elections Are Crucial for Michigan’s Economic Health

Michigan’s economy has im-proved dramatically since Janu-ary 2011, when Governor Snyder took office. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Michi-gan’s unemployment rate has dropped from 11.0% to 7.5% while the number of jobs has increased from 4,172,000 to 4,386,000. Michi-gan’s per capita personal income ranking by state has been steadily improving after falling precipitous-

ly the previous decade. So, given the results of the last four years, why is democrat Mark Schauer still in contention for the gover-nor’s office?

Michigan has had a balanced budget, and rebuilt its rainy day fund. Detroit has gone through a painful, but necessary bankrupt-cy, and largely kept its assets in-tact. Detroit’s retired employees have taken only a very small hit

Continued from page 12

with their pensions. Michigan’s population has stopped decreas-ing, and people are actually com-ing back to Michigan looking for work. It would be a shame to see all of these improvements disap-pear, again.

I do have faith in the voters that all will turn out well in the end. It is said that voters “vote with their wallet” and that is what I am counting on. Most people ap-preciate the improvements we’ve seen in our state the last few years. I was pleasantly surprised that Mike Duggan won the Detroit mayoral election last year. It was amazing that he won the primary election as a write in candidate. That helped to restore my faith in voters to do the right thing.

We have seen much improve-ment in Michigan’s economy the past four years. It would be won-derful to continue this upward trend for four more years. Let’s do our part when the November elections arrive, and hope that the rest of our state will also do the right thing.

P.S. On a completely different note, we are blessed with one ex-tra day every four years. Whose crazy idea was it to put it in Feb-ruary? February may be the most dismal month of the year. Instead of having a February 29 every leap year, wouldn’t a June 31 be a much more attractive alterna-tive? One more long summer day seems so much more desirable than an extra day of winter. I’m sure school children would love to have an extra day of summer vacation. I say, let’s get a ballot proposal for the next election. (Just kidding. Sort of...)

the adequate fixes to the roads. Various interest groups are wary that the funding mechanism could adversely impact their member-ship. This is true for golf courses as well. With everything on the table we are on the lookout for the potential for a sales tax increase or the most remote of possibilities, a services tax.

MGCOA will continue to make sure legislators are educated on how all issues of importance impact the golfing industry in Michigan.

RADIOACTIVE WASTE COULD THREATEN MICHIGAN WATERS

Democrats are going on the of-fensive and making a political issue of a potential plan to store low-level radioactive waste at a landfill in Wayne County. The waste is 40 tons of sludge from oil and natural gas hydraulic fracturing operations in Pennsylvania. Both Pennsylva-nia and West Virginia have already refused to store the waste in their states.

Governor Snyder recently called for a panel to investigate

the issue and come up with a solution. Democrats allege that this does not go far enough quick enough. They had current State Rep. Dian Slavens (D-Can-ton Twp.) introduce a bill this week to ban the practice of im-porting such waste if two other states have already refused it. They have also recently sent out fundraising requests for Slavens, praising her actions on this issue. Slavens is running for senate against incumbent Sena-tor Patrick Colbeck (R-Canton).

Most would agree that all Michi-gan resident are concerned about the possibility for this waste making its ways into our land and potentially into the Great Lakes basin. Governor Snyder acknowledged the issue needs to be investigated, and in fact, a bill was introduced on this same is-sue by Republican house member Andrea LaFontaine (R-Richmond) back in June.

Welcome to political season however, when both parties al-ways find a way to raise money and score political points.


New corporate memberACE INDOOR GOLF

Indoor Golf has come a long way over the past few years wi th the advancements in ball tracking technology and software. With these advance-ments, indoor golf is becoming more and more popular around the world. Golf courses are a natural fit for having an indoor simulator due to a variety of reasons and are a great way to increase revenue and maintain a steady cash flow throughout the year. For those courses thinking about buying or rent-ing a golf simulator, here are some tips when going through the process:1. Choosing a Simulator. Accura-

cy and course selection are key factors in determining which golf simulator to choose. Your customers will want to play golf courses they have heard of and

seen on TV.2. Rent/Lease vs. Purchase. Min-

imizing start-up capital and maintaining positive cash flow are important factors to the success of any business. As a general thumb rule, it takes about 3 seasons to build up a strong customer base for indoor golf facilities.

3. Know Your Maintenance and Upgrade Costs. Golf simulators have a variety of ongoing main-tenance costs such as screen replacements, hitting surface replacements, projector bulb replacements, etc. Make sure to

ask what the expected frequen-cy and costs of replacements items are.

4. A d d i t i o n a l R e v e n u e Streams. Food and beverages are great ways to increase the bottom line. Other revenue streams include leagues, birth-day parties, corporate events, golf lessons, and golf club

sales.

Ace Indoor Golf has over a decade of experience in the golf simulator indus-try both as a manufacturer and as an operator of an in-door golf center. We have

developed our Simulator Rental Program specifically for indoor golf facilities. Whether you are just ex-ploring the idea or looking to put a golf simulator in your facility, Ace Indoor Golf is here to help. Contact us at [email protected].

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The We Are Golf (WAG) coali-tion, of which the NGCOA is a founding member, scored a sig-nificant victory recently when it successfully reversed an ef-fort within the Senate Finance Committee to specifically ex-clude golf courses from conser-vation easement tax incentive eligibility.

The NGCOA encouraged members in key states to act on behalf of this change. Forbes-Tate, We Are Golf’s Washington, D.C.-based advocacy firm, led an effort that was supported by several WAG member orga-nizations, including the NGCOA amd the Michigan Golf Course

Legislative Victory forGolf Course Owners!

Conservation Easement Tax Incentive Eligibility Change!

Owners Association, to con-vince key members of the Sen-ate Finance Committee to in-clude golf courses among land uses eligible for conservation easement tax incentives. WAG will continue to remain vigilant with both the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee to ensure that golf courses remain eligible for conservation easement tax incentives.

While WAG was successful in this instance, much work re-mains to ensure that golf courses retain their conservation ease-ment tax incentive eligibility.


Top 10 Ways to Control Your Insurance CostsThere are many steps that can

be taken to reduce the total cost of your workers’ compensation coverage. Instead of covering all areas, 10 key money-saving steps have been highlighted.

10 – Know your policy Make it your business to understand the various elements that go into de-termining your premium. Don’t rely completely on your insurance company or agent when it comes to how your premium is calculated . No one has a greater vested inter-est in the calculations than you.

9 – Review payroll classifica-tions Make sure that your payroll is classified correctly. There are specific class codes for many ar-eas of your business. Each class code is priced based on the his-toric class expenses…the more dangerous the job, the higher the rate charged. If your payroll is in-correctly classified, you may be paying a higher premium than re-quired.

8 – Watch your experience modification The experience modification (mod) is derived from claim history. If you mod is higher than 1.0, you have experienced more workers’ compensation claims than the average. If you mod is lower than 1.0, you have ex-perienced less. Make sure the mod is calculated using correct data. A downward change in the value of a claim from its original amount can result in the lowering of your mod.

7 – Review your hiring practices Make sure you choose the right em-ployees. There are many steps you can follow that will help in screen-ing out high-risk applicants, such as proper background checks, drug testing and pre-employment physi-cals. The price paid for screening employees is an investment that

pays enormous returns well into the future.

6 – File claims quickly Studies indicate that employers who re-port claims late will often increase the ultimate cost of their claim by as much as 50 percent! Don’t de-lay, make claim reporting a priority.

5 – Investigate all accidents A formal accident investigation pro-gram accomplishes two things. First, it provides crucial details that help your claim adjuster con-trol the claim’s cost. Second, it provides information that can help you to prevent similar accidents from occurring again.

4 – Return to work Create a policy that helps get injured em-ployees back to work as soon as possible. Require temporar-ily injured employees to return to modified work that meets your medical provider’s restrictions. The sooner the employee is back to work, the less the claim will cost.

3 – Implement a safety pro-gram Design and implement a comprehensive safety program. Prevention is the best way to con-trol claims. By creating a culture of safety within your workplace, employee morale can be improved and expensive losses kept to a min-imum.

2 – Get involved No one cares more about your workers’ compen-sation costs than you do! Don’t rely on the ‘experts’ to do all of the work. Make a commitment to understand you insurance policy.

1 – Continue to self-insure Over half of all workers’ compen-sation coverage in Michigan is self-insured. Self-insured programs let you control your long-term

workers’ compensation cost and include aggressive claims handling, industry specific loss control ser-vices and the return of surplus premium There is no better way to reduce your long-term works’ com-pensation costs than participating in the Clubs Fund.

F o r i n f o r m a t i o n a n d a p -plication, please call Sharon Novasel at 800.686.6640 x230. www.miclubsfund.org

Club Car and

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A special thank you to thePremier Sponsors of our 20th Annual Golf Outing

Coca-ColaE-Z-GO

US Golf CarsJacobsen

Kapnick Insurance GroupMichigan Clubs FundSpartan Distributors

NGCOA Preferred Supplier Group

Foresight Group

Club Car

American Express

Entegra

ETS – ElectronicTransaction System Corp.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.and Allied Insurance

Pepsi

Toro

NGCOAPreferred Suppliers

MGCOACorporate Partners

Hole Sponsors

#1 Spartan Distributors E-Z-GO TORO

#2 Entegra Michigan Clubs Fund

#3 Michigan Golf Magazine J. W. Turf Inc.

#4 Course Logix Aqua Weed

#5 Maner, Costerisan PC Flex Checks

#6 Corporate Tax Resources

#7 ACE Indoor Golf

#8 Club Car

#9 Jacobsen

#10 U. S. Golf Cars

#11 West Michigan Golf Show – Showspan Inc.

#12 Golf Max Spagnuolo Insurance Agency #13 Froggy’s Ball Service #14 V. B. Controls #15 Coca-Cola TPI Golf, Inc.

#16 Kapnick Insurance Group #17 Sohn Linen #18 Yamaha Golf Cars Plus


Let the heavy hauling begin.

Approach perfection.

The John Deere PrecisionCut Fairway Mowers.

Exclusive rear-attaching point yoke system (red arrow) and adjustable hydraulic down pressure help apply additional force to the rear roller, preventing unsightly rippled lines in the turf.

The easy way.Download the app at:http://gettag.mobi

Achieving a picture perfect fairway is now within easy reach, thanks to features like our exclusive Quick Adjust cutting units. As well as our unique rear-attaching point yoke system for more consistent cut quality. To fi nd out just how easy it is, contact your John Deere dealer to demo one today.

J. W. Turf, Inc. 29321 Garrison Road Wixom, MI 48393 (248) 446-0397

J. W. Turf, Inc. 6445 Alden Nash Avenue SE Alto, MI 49302 (888) 959-8873

B0S010QCU1C52831 -00415620


Business/Golf Course Name _________________________________________________________________________________________________

Contact ____________________________________________________________ Title ________________________________________________

Address ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

City _____________________________________________________________ State ____________________ Zip ________________________

Telephone _____________________________________________________ Fax _____________________________________________________

Toll Free __________________________________________________ e-mail ________________________________________________________

Web Site ________________________________________________________________________________ Number of Holes ________________

Please check the category that applies. All golf course memberships include membership in the National Golf Course Owners Association and are open to owners and operators of privately held golf courses (both public and private), lessors of golf facilities who operate on a for-profit basis and courses owned or operated by resorts in conjunction with real estate developments. Annual dues investment is based on your size of operation.

Michigan Golf Course Owners Association

Membership Application

( ) ( )

www.

Category Dues

q Daily Fee q 9 holes .......................$150.00 q 18 holes ............................$300.00

q Semi-Private q 27 holes ......................$400.00 q 36 holes ............................$400.00

q Private q 45 holes ......................$500.00 q 54 holes ............................$500.00

q Resort q 63 holes ......................$500.00 q Multiple Courses ............$500.00 Note: Membership dues are not deductible as a charitable contribution. However, your dues may be deductible as an“ordinary and necessary” business expense with the exception of 35% which is not deductible as it relates to our lobbying and legislative expenditures.

Pay online: www.mgcoa.org - click on the “membership” link at the top of the page.

q Check Enclosed q VISA, MC or Discover

Account # ___________________________________________________________________ Exp. Date ____________________________

Name on Card _______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Signature ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Complete the credit card information or make check payable to MGCOA and send to:Michigan Golf Course Owners Association

603 South Washington Avenue, Suite 303, Lansing, MI 48933 Phone: (517) 482-4312 Toll Free: (800) 860-8575 Fax: (517) 267-8984

website: www.mgcoa.org e-mail: [email protected]

Payment Method

(required)


Real Money

Golfer Retentionand Promotion

Association InitiativesLegislative Action

Resources


MichiganGolf Business

ANNUALCONFERENCE &VENDOR FAIR

Dec. 1-3, 2014Soaring Eagle Resort,

Mount Pleasant

Go All In!Here is just a quick outline of some of what’s being put together for you this year.

The complete conference brochure will be in the mail to you shortlybut start planning to attend now.

Monday night’s opening reception will feature information on the Foot Golf phenomenon as well as ACE Indoor Golf to keep your customers coming all winter. 6:00pm – 8:00pm gives you plenty of time to meet new and old friends and head out to dinner.

Tuesday you will have two choices.ONE, we are bringing you Michigan Golf Business Boot Camp SUPERIOR STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS IN 2015 AND BEYOND. You are guaranteed to make more money and be more strategic about your spending….all by working smarter, not harder!

ARE YOU ALL IN? About Michigan Golf Business Boot Camp

The most in-depth training workshop the MGCOA has ever offered: Henry DeLozier and Stephen Johnston, both Principals at Global Golf Advisors, the leading golf industry consulting firm will take you on a full day INTERACTIVE educational journey that will cover: golf industry best practices, real-life case studies that you can learn from, metrics and market analysis how-tos, business plan creation and templates, exit strategy planning because it’s never too late to plan and several ‘ask the

expert’ opportunities. YOUR ROI WILL NEVER BE IN QUESTION! Global Golf Advisors is one of the leading consulting firms for golf courses around the world.

Tuesday TWO, you could choose toRake in Knowledge with a series of sessions being kicked off by Michigan business guru and golf course owner Chris Holman. Chris will start your day with a look at the business climate and what works in our great

state. Chris is the CEO of statewide 24/7 business news internet website and broadcast company MichiganBusinessNetwork.com.

Want to know more about the new minimum wage laws, or protecting your business from fraud or how to handle public relations, social media and your technology if something goes wacko? We got that, too.

The Vendor Fair will feature dozens of your Michigan Golf Business suppliers, some old friends and some new.

And then rounding out the day is the incomparable Tim Skubick to tell us what to expect now that the elections are over and we go on

to business as usual. The day will wrap up at 8:00pm… still time for dinner or maybe some casino fun.

Wednesday we will wake you up on Wednesday with a wonderful breakfast followed by the MGCOA business meeting and report from executive director Kate Moore and National Golf Course Owners Association membership director Joe Rice. James J. Keegan, Managing Principal of Golf

Convergence, Author and Golf Strategist will take the podium with topics ranging from “A Key to the Future of the Game: Golf Sustainability & Women” to creating value for customers on a fiscally sustaining foundation.

And what about all those great ideas you have and all the success you have experienced? Before we head into our annual awards and recognition banquet we will highlight the great success stories from right here in our State. Start thinking of what you would like to brag about, I mean share!

Keegan

DeLozier

Johnston

Skubick

Holman


Registration Information (copy this form if you have more than four registrants)

Name 1 (to appear on badge)____________________________________________________ e-mail: ________________________________________________

Check all that apply: Owner/operator PGA MIGCSA CMA









Organization/Course ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Address________________________________________________________________________ City/State/Zip_________________________________________

e-mail________________________________________________________________ Phone__________________________________________________________

Are there special needs for any of these attendees?__________________________________________________________________________________________

Michigan Golf BusinessANNUAL CONFERENCE & VENDOR FAIR

Dec. 1–3, 2014Soaring Eagle ResortMt. Pleasant

( )

Conference Registration Form

Payment Information (No refunds after November 23, 2014)

Check payable to MGCOA enclosed Visa Mastercard Discover

Credit Card Number _________________________________________________________________________________

Total $________________ Exp Date_______________ Customer Code (last 3 digits in signature panel)________

Print Name______________________________________ Signature_________________________________________

Hotel ReservationsConference attendees stay at the Soaring Eagle Resort and receive the MGCOA discounted rate of $99 per night for single/double and includes self parking in attached parking ramp. To make hotel reservations, please call the hotel directly at 877-232-4532, option #5 by Nov. 10. When calling be sure to mention that you are attending the Michigan Golf Business Conference. For more information or to register online, visit www.SoaringEagleCasino.com (Group Code 99720A).

Three ways to register!Online at www.mgcoa.org • Fax this form to (517) 267-8984 • Mail to: 603 S. Washington Ave., Ste 303, Lansing, MI 48933

Attendees Member Passbook Member* Non-Member

1 Attendee = $310 $210 $395

2 Attendees = $520 $310 $580

3 Attendees = $720 $520 $765

4 Attendees = $720 $520 $765

5 Attendees = $720 $520 $765

Tues. or Wed. Only (circle one)

Cost Option x Attendees = $_____________

Member ($200) x ______ = $_____________

Non-Member ($300) x _______ = $_____________

SUB-TOTAL ____________ SUB-TOTAL ____________$ $

Registration: Full Conference

*Courses participating in the Golden Passbook to Michigan Golfare “Passbook Members”.

Full ConferenceSub-Total

$___________

One DaySub-Total

$___________

TOTAL$___________

Registration: One Day

required

required

required

required

required

required


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

Address Service Requested

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.

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDLANSING, MI

PERMIT NO 1096

Tee-Off Times

MGCOANational Golf Course Owners Association Chapter

Documents

Tee-Off Times_2014_Fall