Formula That Favors My Side

Recently Golf Course Owner Guy lost an outing that had been here 10+ years. No sour grapes, just my side. The side you never get to hear. Evidently another course would save them a few bucks on the golf and cart. To all of you who played it that event at RSPGL, it was an awesome run, I thank you, and I’ll miss you.

As is customary in golf outing negotiations, your enjoyment was never considered. Your love of our conditions, our strategy, our logistics, our FUN, was never considered. The outing leadership thought courses are courses, grass is grass, pros and pros, carts are carts, food is food, your preference…well who cares about that…everyone will like that it’s a few bucks cheaper. Oh wait, they weren’t actually going to pass that savings on. You simply get a diminished experience for the same price you paid last year.

my side
Looks Pretty Good From My Side

I say that to say this. One of the things that is massively over looked is the golf outing participant’s opinion. Book your event at Augusta National, charging $500 a person, you will be sold out in 30 seconds, book your event at some crappy dump, charging $20 a person, you will be lucky to get 15 people. Clearly the money is not the determining factor. Golfers care where they play. It’s not just grass to a golfer.

How I Justify My Side

Royal St. Patrick’s is a nice place. Pebble Beach it is not, but for the area, it has perceived value. My side is that we got there because I’m willing to go farther to appeal to the golfers. Where I don’t win all the time is the price for the coordinators. I have to be a little higher priced to pay for all the extras. It’s basic business, my side is golfer centric. It works.

So here is the question that every coordinator, soon to be coordinator, and golfer needs to consider when it comes to golf outings. If your goal is participation, and participation leads to money generation and goodwill, would you be better off at a course golfers WANT to play, or at a course golfers DON’T WANT to play. There’s more to outing success, than the price.

8 Comments

  1. Jim Rader March 3, 2020
    • Nick Stephens, PGA March 10, 2020
  2. Chip March 3, 2020
    • Nick Stephens, PGA March 10, 2020
  3. LaVerne Olson March 3, 2020
    • Nick Stephens, PGA March 10, 2020
  4. Ken Komassa March 24, 2020
    • Nick Stephens, PGA March 24, 2020

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