News

Last Update :10/24/2016

Golf course owners descend on Richmond

Golf course owners descend on Richmond

Since purchasing the Midlothian club in 2014, owner Giff Breed has added non-golf amenities that drive more bodies and more revenue to the club. (Michael Schwartz)

Since purchasing the Midlothian club in 2014, owner Giff Breed has added non-golf amenities that drive more bodies and more revenue to the club. (Michael Schwartz)

 

A fast-growing local golf club was in the spotlight this week as it played host to a gathering of golf course owners from in and outside the Richmond market.

Independence Golf Club hosted the annual meeting of the Mid-Atlantic chapter of the National Golf Course Owners Association, a day-long conference where members of the industry discuss the good and the bad of what’s happening to the game in a time of changing tastes and demographics.

On hand was Jay Karen, CEO of the NGCOA, who spoke of the pressures course owners are under, caused by downward price pressure from online tee time marketers, decreased rounds growth and increased competition from all sorts of recreational activities besides golf.

Karen said the golf industry contends with formidable duality as it tries to find its place in a market that has shown consumers aren’t as willing to spend the time and money for a traditional round of golf, while not alienating its loyal players/customers.

“Tradition is one of golf’s watchwords,” Karen said. “And what is the antidote to tradition? Change.

“So we have this strange bipolar condition in golf.”

Karen also said the media has largely focused only on the negative, largely by comparing the current state of the golf industry to the sector’s high water mark from before the recession.

Karen said the NGCOA is looking for ways to help courses combat some of the modern pressures brought on by technology. The organization, for example, is forming the Golf USA Tee Time Coalition to help be a watchdog of sorts of online tee time marketers that many argue are a drag on the price courses can charge for rounds.

He said NGCOA wants to institute a national system to automate golf courses’ reporting rounds and revenue and is also keeping an eye on new technologies, such as Looper Golf, a company that wants to bring an Uber-like on-demand model to the golf caddy world.

There was also discussion of the trend of forward tees, which are tee boxes placed further up in the fairway as an alternative to the traditional men’s and women’s tee boxes. They’re intended to speed up the game and reduce players’ scores, thereby, in theory, making the game more enjoyable.

A good portion of the day’s events were consumed by discussions of the business model of Independence Golf Club and its owner Giff Breed. Since purchasing the Midlothian club in 2014, Breed has made changes to the public course to increase the pace of play and – of particular interest to the NGCOA crowd – added non-golf amenities that drive more bodies and more revenue to the club.

Lester George, a local golf course architect who helped Breed reconfigure Independence, said changes to the layout of the course at Independence helped decrease the time of an average round to 4 hours and 5 minutes, a reduction of 55 minutes.

Breed moderated a panel at the conference that featured local businessmen that have helped diversify Independence offerings. They include an on-course coffee hut and café run by a local coffee shop owner, a laser tag course in unused woods on the course’s property, a music and dance academy in unused space in the club house, and striking a deal with a local Lexus dealer to have hybrid Lexus drink carts on the course.

That model has helped fuel revenue growth at the club of 272 percent over the last three years, making Independence the third-fastest-growing business in Richmond, according to BizSense’s recent RVA 25 rankings.



[ More News ]


Join NGCOA Mid-Atlantic - Great Membership Benefits!

Click to Watch the Video - Lee Coble Receives USGA Dey Award

NGCOA MA Mouns the Loss of Frank Edward Herrelko Jr.

Lee Coble Honored by USGA

Members Take Charge at Lakeside Golf Club

NGCOA Seeking Events Manager - click for info

Middle Atlantic PGA Section Announces 2023 Special Award Winners

Partner News: Better Billy Bunker Buzz

NGCOA Announces Education Highlights for Golf Business Conference 2024

The Federal Club in Glen Allen, VA seeks General Manager

Bayville GC gains Audubon certification

Cost Versus Value - They're Not the Same - Why Does it Matter?

Williamsburg National GC (36 holes) Seeks Director of Agronomy and Grounds

Accountability & Fiscal Responsibility in Club Governance

Bunkers - Do They Really Matter?

2023 NGCOA MA Annual Award Winners Press Release

NGCOA MA Annual Meeting Registration Open, The Crossvines Winery and Poolesville Golf Cousre, Wednesday, October 4th

Current Golfer Mindset and it’s impact on Facility Planning

Sagacity Golf Partners with NC GCOA

Virginia Beach Golf Trips Made Easy

Custom Williamsburg Golf Trips with Golden Horseshoe, Kingsmill & Condos

Ready to Sell?, Aerification and Prof. Jakubowski on Golf Turf and Water

For Sale: The Crossings Golf Club, Durham, NC - Hilda W. Allen Real Estate

Save the Date - October 4th, NGCOA MA Annual Meeting at Poolesville GC

Club Tax Assessments, The Concept of Value and RSM's Phil Newman on Finances

NGCOA MA / NC Summer Newsletter - click here to read

Reminder: The Latest from Golf Business Advisors!

Call for Offers - Westchester CC (FL)

Golf Acquisition Opportunities (3) - FL, PA, & NY

National Golf Day - 2023 - Outside the Box

Golf Course Acquisition Opportunity - Country Club of Otterkill (NY)

Debt - The (not so) Silent Club Killer

The Cost of Golf - Is it $ustainable?

National Golf Day Registration Open

​Private Club Governance & Management - Defining Roles

Virginia Golf Colleagues Mourn the Loss of Paul Michaelian

NCA Webinar on Your Club's Real Estate Tax Assessment

Golf Property Analysis & Valuation - 2nd Edition Now Available

Erik Larsen incorporates traditional elements into St. Johns (FL) Golf Course to Rave Reviews

Choosing the Best Management for Your Club or Golf Course

Measuring Performance, Selling Solutions, Clubs, Fraud & a Hotline, & The GPA Practice Tee

Fall Issue of Mid-Atlantic Golf Business Newsletter Joint with NC GCOA - Click Here to Read

Register for the 2022 NGCOA MA Annual Meeting, November 2

Selling in Uncertain Times - Develop a Strategy

Just Listed by Hilda W. Allen Real Estate, Inc.

Some Reponse to Why Clubs are Closed on Mondays

Save the Date NOW for Golf Business Conference 2023

Summer Issue of Mid-Atlantic Golf Business Newsletter Joint with North Carolina GCOA - Click Here to Read!

Golf Property Analysts - Private Club Planning, Golf as it was meant to be, Is It Time to Sell?

A Consumer/Culture Based Approach to Private Club Planning

Transparency at Private Clubs

The Golf Pro Crisis & Its Impact on Clubs

Golf Property Analysts - Your Club's Tax Assessment

Hilda Allen - the source for golf course sales and advising owners

NGCOA Mid-Atlantic Annual Meeting Set for Nov. 2 at Independence GC in Richmond

Fairfax County Park Authority seeks Golf Course General Manager

Announcing Facility BMP Virtual Workshop and Prize Contest

Another Beautiful Listing by Hilda Allen Real Estate!

Just Listed by Hilda Allen - The Frog GC in Georgia, a Fazio Design

National Golf Day 2022 - Information and Registration

Mattaponi Springs Golf Club in Ruther Glen, VA Seeks General Manager

Larry's Interview on TurfNet Renovation report Podcast

Golf Leagues - A Lightspeed Guide to Growing Business

Register your course for Women's Golf Day - June 7th

Download the Pellucid Presentation at the Annual Meeting

Golf Property Analysts - Time to Sell?

New Listings and Recent Sales from Hilda Allen Real Estate

Hanover Golf Club sold to unidentified local buyer

Club Master Planning - A Market Based Approach

January Abstract OtR: '21 Sol Scorecard is 6 birdies, 2 pars!

Damon DeVito Named the 2021 Mid-Atlantic Golf Leader

Golf Course Acquisition Opportunity - Maryland - For Sale By Auction

Sep Weather, Aug Util; steady, solid results against strong "20 comps"

Employee Retention Tax Credit May Save You Thousands $

Glenwood Golf Course redevelopment gets planning commission approval

Google's New "Local" Ads Provide Big Advantages to Golf Courses

The Appraisal Journal - Valuation of Private Clubs for Tax Assessments

Morning Read and Sports Illustrated Announce Editorial Partnership

Is it Time to Review Your Golf Property Tax Assessment?

 



Join Our Email List