Par for the course may win a U.S. Open, but it's no longer good enough in the golf business. That's the message emerging from the Canadian industry these days in the highly competitive scramble for the dollars of duffers.
A recent tour of six Rockies golf destinations conducted by Score Golf Magazine illustrates that the recent boom in building courses -- and the levelling-off of participation levels -- has put control of the business in the calloused hands of golfers.
"With the golfing inventory that's come into existence in the last 10 years, golfers now can demand much more than they ever did in the past," says Peter Smith, general manager at the Grey Wolf Golf Club in Panorama, B.C. "The consumer is king.
"It used to be that a golf facility could say 'take it or leave it' when it came to tee times, fees and services, but that day is over. Now we have to customize our services to suit their needs, because they have so many other options if we don't."
So new golf courses such as Eagle Ranch have had to lose the snob appeal and cater to their target market two to three hours away in Alberta.
"There's a real battle for price points," says Eagle Ranch's Wayne Rosington. "You have to be able to find your ideal price to lure a consumer from Calgary to drive to your course. The biggest problem right now for courses is finding that price and still making a profit.
"You've got high-end courses coming down in price to broaden their audience while lower-end locations are trying to go up in price to increase their bottom line. It's a real squeeze right now."
So courses are now often part of a larger resort, offering golf as one part of a total package that includes hotel, food and entertainment. The booming Panorama resort that services the challenging Grey Wolf layout is a classic example of this equation.
"We must have something for entire families -- even if some of them don't golf," says Smith, who's been at the course since Day 1 in 1998.
"And you have to offer the level of food products and services that they get back home. Just putting a sandwich on the table after a round won't do anymore."
And it means having the best of the best if high rollers want to tour like rock stars on luxury buses. "We run golf tours on a fully equipped bus through the Rockies that can cost anywhere from $1,500 a day and up," says Ian Hipkins, manager of Empress bus lines, a custom-coach operation. "They think nothing of paying if they get the golf and the service they want. And the demand is steadily expanding."
Combining forces among clubs in one area also illustrates the changes in the business. In the old days, a golf course manager would rather chew ground glass than talk positively about a competitor. They were seen as the enemy, looking to bankrupt you.
But Glenn Hauptman, manager of golf operations at the fine Trickle Creek course in Kimberley points out that you cannot survive these days unless the neighbouring courses co-operate.
"In this region we've got ourselves, St. Eugene Mission, Kimberley and Bootleg Gap combining our marketing and promotion to bring people to this area. Each of us has our target market and price, so we can appeal to the broadest spectrum.
"You can longer afford to market yourself alone and be heard in the larger market. There's just too much competition out there. You have to combine with the tourist authorities to get the message out to the widest audience possible."
Getting players with disposable income from Alberta and beyond also means having the infrastructure to handle them. For the courses in the south end of the Columbia Valley -- a four-to-five hour drive from Calgary -- that means upgrading the Cranbrook airport to accommodate larger jets that will make their location a simple 45-minute hop over the mountains.
(After much negotiation with local officials and native bands, it appears that such an upgrade is about to get underway -- although it might not be enough to save some of the local destinations. Already, the region has lost millions of dollars on a struggling casino-hotel in St. Eugene Mission.)
The recently completed Score Golf tour illustrated the broad spectrum of demand facing the industry. Made up of contest winners from across the country, the group included a Saskatchewan couple who'd played just a handful of times in their lives, a woman from Ottawa who's played for 20 years and a low-handicapper who's a member at the Toronto-area gem The National, one of the top five courses in the country.
Finding a common point for such a diverse group is the challenge for both city and resort courses. But all the golf providers will tell you that it comes down to one word: service. The days of the dour head professional scowling at customers or a lacklustre food-and beverage service are over. Smiling service staff and a "what can we do for you?" approach are the difference between birdie and bogey in the financial statements.
Now if we could just get them to sink all those five-foot par putts . . .
Source: Calgary Herald (Alberta, Canada)
