Golf Business Canada 16 Golf Business Canada 17

Don Rea Jr. , PGADon is the Owner / Operator of Augusta

Ranch Golf Club in Arizona, U.S.A.; President of the Southwest Section of the PGA, and Founder of

Your Course Revenue Management. Contact Don at drea@augustaranchgolf.com or at

www.yourcourse.us.

Unleash Your Creative Genius

Owning/Operating an executive golf course in the competitive

golf market of Phoenix, Arizona will result in you doing one of two things:

1. Grinding on expenses in order to pull every penny of profit out of the existing revenue line items

2. Coming up with ideas that will bring non golfers to the course, creating NEW revenue line items

Like many of you, I have become an expert at the first one. However, the second one is more fun, brings new faces and families to the golf course, and creates the funds I need to do the capital projects that keep the course in great shape.

GET IN THE DRIVER’S SEATIndulge me for a moment and go look at your practice tee. Many call it a Driving Range. Our customers stay out there for hours driving balls at distant targets. However, it is time

for you to do the driving. Use your Practice Range to drive revenue and I am not talking $6 buckets at a time. Your Practice Range is probably the biggest event lawn/party area within miles of your facility. You have the concessions, the electrical outlets, the space, and the bathrooms to host parties/events larger than you have ever dreamed. Communities are starving for community events. Ambitious Home Owners Associations (HOA) are looking for ways to differentiate themselves from other communities,

thereby increasing property values of all of their homeowners. Who is in charge of creating community? The city? The HOA? Your local churches? Nonprofits? You? I would say all of the above, but there is an old saying, “if you are in the room, you are in the deal.” That Practice Range you are looking at is the key to that room. What kind of events should you host on your Practice Range? Here are just a few of the events we have held at Augusta Ranch over the past year or two:

MOVIE NIGHTS We use a local company, Celestial Nights Family Entertainment, that has a 50’ high inflatable movie screen with incredible sound. We pick a movie, lease the rights, and host a big party for the community. The HOA email blasts it out to 1,600 homes, we email our database of 10,000 and post a flyer at all local churches. People (mostly non golfers) bring their blankets and

folding chairs and enjoy the show. No outside F&B is allowed, but of course our restaurant is open. We average 500-800 attendees and routinely make over $3,000 in revenue. After expenses, the event profit is around 20%. Not much you might say, but I call this 3D marketing. I do not know about you, but advertising has always been expensive and I know that 2D Augusta Ranch is

not nearly as charismatic as 3D Staff of Augusta Ranch. We make an effort to touch (literally) every guest that night and make sure they get flyers for our programs and events and ask them to return. There is nothing like seeing the impact of your marketing dollars at work in the faces of happy families and couples leaving your facility.

Non-Golf Revenue Ideas for Your Practice Range

“Your Practice Range is probably the biggest event lawn/party area within miles of your facility. You have the concessions, the electrical outlets, the space, and the bathrooms to host parties/events larger than you have ever dreamed.”

CONCERTS String quartets, choirs, rock bands, and orchestras. We have not tried them all…yet, but we plan to. What better way to engage the schools around your course than to offer your facility for outdoor concerts. The music teachers love the offer and kids never come alone. Elementary concerts tend to bring out around 100 parents and friends to Augusta Ranch. Not a

staggering number, but what a demographic and psychographic to have at your course. In addition, these family oriented events generate great event leads for our restaurant.

CORNHOLE TOURNAMENTS Who knew throwing bags of corn through holes in plywood could be so much fun? Your practice range is perfect for leagues and tournaments. Typically Cornhole players/games are relegated to parking lots and backyards. We hosted the Turkey Toss Fall Classic one year around Thanksgiving and over 20 two-person teams showed up for a double elimination tournament paying $40 a team. The players were all in the 20-40 age group and liked to eat and drink, resulting in over $1,000 in food and beer sales (the game was invented by a German by the way). The championship match was under the lights next to our restaurant and 1st prize was $500 cash. It was a great time and resulted in future Cornhole tournaments and weekly leagues.

Augusta Ranch Golf Club hosts a movie night during Easter Weekend 2014.

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HOA PICNIC The homeowners association of the community Augusta Ranch Golf Club hosts a community picnic each year. They provide free food, activities, games, and family fun. Previously they held their picnic on the playground of the local elementary school. The course is not part of the HOA, but we approached them anyway and invited them to have their picnic on our Practice Range. The first year was a huge success. Can you picture 2,000 people on your driving range? Best part for the parents….the practice range nets serve as a fence line, so parents feel safe having their kids run around with friends enjoying the bounce houses, zip lines, rock climbing walls, hamster balls, and laser tag. A year later, we catered the event.

This last October over 2,000 people attended the picnic. We charged over $20,000 plus tax and gratuity for the catering. Go to our YouTube channel to see the video. The impact on the community is amazing. I monetize the event and party leads at well over $10,000 the first year. We are now known as a viable location for very large parties.

CREATE INTERESTThe revenue is great, the leads we get for future events are awesome, but the best part is the marketing impact. How many golfers have we created from all of these fun events held on our Practice Range? I am not sure exactly, but I know the number is more than one. How many would it be at your place?

“How many golfers have we created from all of these fun events held on our Practice Range? I am not sure exactly, but I know the number is more than one. How many would it be at your place?”

New golfers come to your facility every year. They come because they know a little about golf and want to learn more. What about those that do not even know golf exists? Less than 15% of the population plays golf. How do we expose them to this great game?

Cornhole Tournaments have become a weekly event on the Augusta Ranch driving range.

Date: 28 April 2014Client: Links BridgesFile: lb-gbc-full-may2014Publication: Golf Business CanadaAd Size: Full Page BleedTrim Size: 8.125” x 10.875”Bleed: 0.125”Fonts: LatoScreen: 150lpi

Contact: Dan Bartley604 765 3334

dbartley73@gmail.com

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“We certainly do not want to irritate our loyal golfers that drive our business. However, many of the events listed above can be done at night. Unless you have a lighted driving range, you are not making money on your range at night. “

I know the answer. The answer lies in this article. YOU must create interest. YOU must create community. How many different demographics and psychographics are reached in the above events? I see all the generations: Baby Boomer, X, Millennial, Z and even Alpha. We have all heard the phrase, “if you build it they will come.” Who is building it in your area? If not you, who? If not now, when? No doubt the Practice Range is there for your golfers. I am not saying to run the events listed above all the time. We certainly do not want to irritate our loyal golfers that drive our business. However, many of the events listed above can be done at night. Unless you have a lighted driving range, you are not making money on your range at night. Here is your call to action. Where are these large events currently being held in your area? Where are the schools holding their concerts? Where are the Cornhole Tournaments being held? Where are the HOA that surround your golf course holding their events and what types of events are they holding? Do you have any mega churches in your area? They would love a movie night. In the last six months there have been several movies released that are focused on the Christian community. What a great opportunity for you to provide an opportunity for a family event. Where are the kids going after the Friday night football game? Would they come to your Practice Range for a concert put on by the local high school rock band?

YOU CAN DO ITThere is a great book called Positive Intelligence by Shirzad Chamine. In it he talks about your left-brain talking your right brain

out of good ideas. I know that when you just read about the high school rock band Friday night concert idea above you immediately started thinking about risks, insurance, underage drinking, parking, clean up, and security. I get it. That idea might be stretching it a little. However, the big issue is how you are going to deal with the naysayers at your club when you bring up some of these ideas. Just start with one

and don’t let the rock throwers get you down. Turn the “cannots” into “cans” and have a great time doing it. No doubt the smiling faces that you see leaving your facility after just one of these large events will give you a great feeling. Remember, profit is just a result of doing what you love, not the reason.

Golf Business Canada

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