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GOLF
- April 2002 by Claude Hammond Sidebar-
Over the past decade, the biggest change in the golf industry has been a greatly increased number of high-end courses open to the public. Gone are the days when all the great courses were available only to country club members. A big milestone in this trend was the opening of Lassing Pointe Golf Course near Union in Boone County. Owned and developed by the Boone County Fiscal Court, Lassing Pointe opened in 1994. “Golf Week just ranked Lassing Pointe the No. 1 public golf course in the state and Travel & Leisure magazine listed us in the top 100 courses under $100,” said Jeff Kruempelman, director of Boone County Golf, the entity that oversees the Lassing Pointe and Boone Links courses. Boone County Golf is itself owned by the Boone County Fiscal Court. “The number of customers we draw from out-of-state is amazing,” Kruempelman said. “On weekdays, our parking lot is 80 percent non-Kentucky license plates. People call for tee times from as far away as the West Coast and Canada. The biggest comment we hear is that people here can’t believe it’s that cheap. We only charge $46 for a green fee and cart.” Two other important high-end public courses are Old Silo in Mount Sterling and Widow’s Watch near Lexington. Both are deluxe courses designed to attract lovers of competitive play. The management of both courses seem determined to remain open to the public. “We did 24,000 rounds of golf last year, which was our first full year,” said Michael Beverly, general manager and head professional at Old Silo. “This year, we hope to do 29,000 rounds. Rate-wise, we’re probably the highest in the area. However, on a national scale, we’re very affordable. Our peak-rate green and cart fee is just $49. Where I came from, this would be an $80 golf course.” Both Old Silo and Widow’s Watch draw golfers from up and down the I-75 and I-64 corridors. “Golfers come here from Louisville, Cincinnati, Huntington and even Charleston, West Virginia,” Beverly said. “We even get a lot of play from Michigan. Golf courses up there close for the winter. We’re able to be open year-round.” “We only sell 75 seven-day-a-week memberships and have only a few left,” said Pam Stone, general manager Widow’s Watch. “If we had too many members, our non-member constituency wouldn’t get the kind of service we want them to have. If you get too many people, it becomes a crowded and unhappy situation. We have unlimited weekday memberships and we sell them at affordable rates. They are very popular with seniors.” Quality has become the selling point with golf courses. But the market has become very competitive with both public and private courses. “Marketing this golf course was very easy,” Stone said. “We have the location and layout – the two most important aspects of a financially sound golf course. Without those, it would be difficult, because today, everybody in this industry is struggling. If you have a location and a layout, you have a good start.” Private clubs, both the established ones and newer courses, are also vying to sell memberships. The importance for the private courses is to market themselves well. “We have to create our niche, which is to be small and extremely upscale and family-oriented,” said Morrie Hart, general manager of Greenbrier Country Club in Lexington. “We are committed to giving everybody a generous opportunity to play golf. Our members appreciate that we’re not dictated to by the masses. Being small, exclusive is the way to go for us. “Since last year’s economic downturn and the 9/11 attacks, some courses have found things particularly challenging. When the economy went south, a number of people decided that golf was something they could do without, especially in the public sector. This has not affected the private sector nearly as much, except for the new courses trying to lure members.” Using golf as a tourist draw has also proven profitable in Kentucky. The state’s development of the classic links-style Wasioto Winds course at Pine Mountain State Park is perhaps the newest and most dramatic illustration of this. “Golf can be a powerful tourist draw,” said Bob Stewart, director of the Kentucky Department of Travel. “And what the consumers demand these days is a quality course. We’ve given that to them with Wasioto Winds.” In Lexington, the Marriott Griffin Gate Resort has proven to be an important destination and convention site. According to Ray Robichaud, the Marriott’s general manager, the resort’s championship golf course has proven to be an integral part of its appeal. “Because we’re so close to I-75, we’re easy to get to,” he said. “Yet, with our golf course and the space and quality recreation that provides, you get this feeling of being out in nature.” Not only does golf serve to draw individual visitors to the Marriott, but according to Robichaud, it helps draw convention business as well. The course has also hosted numerous tournaments, which is also healthy for business. “Things in
the golf industry are certainly competitive in this region,” Robichaud
said. “The challenge for each of us in this industry is to offer
something more, something extra. That’s what determines how well
one does.” Claude Hammond
is editorial director of The Lane Report. |
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Copyright 1996-2002, by Kentucky Business Online. All rights reserved. Editorial content
is copyright 2002, Lane Communications Group The Lane Report is a trademark of Lane Communications Group. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. |
The
golf course industry in Kentucky is highly competitive as courses vie
for customers. The Commonwealth has ample opportunities for lovers of
the game to play on excellent public, private and resort courses.