Ideas to increase Greenfee revenue

[Matt24]

Hey all as some of you remember from last year I'm on the board at my local golf course that is struggling mightily. We had a dinner/auction this March that raised $27,000 so that was a huge help and should have us okay til the end of 2010 at least. We are a 9 hole course in a small town of 3k. A very nice course though that is in the best shape it has ever been.

Wondering if anyone has any ideas or thing they have seen work at other courses to increase greenfee revenue or even if you have some membership increase ideas as well those would be helpful.

One idea I had was if a member brought 3 guests to fill out a foursome then his cart fee would be waived. I have also looked at golfus.com and sites like that but not sure how all that exactly works as most of the courses on there are the nicer courses around. We also have almost no play during say 8 am-3pm, thinking we should have a special somewhere in those times instead of twilight rates(which we do not have as play is solid in the evening)

 

[Railbird]

have some hole and 1 prizes, skins game with money added, make it fun. Tennis and golf clubs are about fun, if its fun people will come.

 

[wilheim]

Try to reduce maintenance expenses. Article by USGA.

Establish Reasonable Maintenance Standards Throughout the Course

To put it bluntly, today's golfer is spoiled when it comes to course conditioning. Expectations of the daily player have risen with each televised tournament displaying hand-mown greens, tees, and even fairways. Perfectly manicured flowerbeds are timed for the ultimate tournament-week display. Fairway and tee divots are filled by hand with sand dyed to match the undamaged adjacent turf. Every lake, creek, bunker and path is perfectly trimmed. There are no weeds (anywhere) and few plants of any type grow with anything less than perfect symmetry. Even bunkers are expected to provide a level of consistency that suggests we should reevaluate their classification as hazards according to the rules of golf.

Such perfection on the golf course is perhaps justified for those with large maintenance budgets. For those who seek to keep golf affordable, there are many options to reduce the cost of maintenance. For example, instead of hand-raking bunkers four to five times per week, labor hours can be greatly reduced by machine raking twice per week. Of course, this assumes that golfers will actually smooth the bunker after their shot and that they will once again recognize the fact that bunkers are indeed hazards. Another labor-saver is to reduce the mowing frequency of roughs that seldom come into play. On most courses, there are many acres of such areas. Granted, there probably are few places on any course that sooner or later will not be hit by someone, the savings in fuel, labor, and equipment justifies the effort. Keeping trimming to a minimum can also significantly reduce labor-hours. Although frequent trimming of bunker edges is important to define the boundaries of sand trap hazards, lakes and creeks need not be so manicured. By staking and painting the water hazard boundary well away from the edge of the lake or creek, the player is able to quickly determine whether or not the ball is in the hazard.

To speed up the search for lost balls and still reduce labor hours, trim only the portion of the hazard that frequently comes into play.

Trim work can further be reduced by utilizing herbicides instead of labor-intensive line trimmers around trees and alongside boundary fences. By using a combination of non-selective and pre-emergence herbicides, the interval between sprayings can be greatly extended.

Since line trimmers do provide a more manicured look, consider their use only around the highly visible areas of the course such as near the clubhouse.

Regardless of the choice of grass for the greens, placing less emphasis on speed can save money. In many parts of the country, those interested in affordable golf must recognize that the quest for lightning-fast greens is counter-productive. Quite simply, it is much more expensive to maintain extremely fast greens than those of a more moderate pace. Greens rolling 7 to 8 feet on the stimpmeter can provide very enjoyable playing conditions to players of all levels.

Such speeds can be produced at higher cutting heights, which invariably result in an overall healthier turfgrass plant. Healthier greens require less intensive care and are far less prone to failure of all types.

Turf Management FAQ..

Best of luck, wil.

 

[5teamparlay]

Look for AD revenue, and keep the fees low.

 

[G.MONEY]

If you are have no play early make those fees much cheaper, If you GF is 40.00 charge 20.00 for a earlier bird offering. Matt do you have F&B at that club? You could tie in cheap food deals wiith Golf deals....We take are slowest day and reduce GF by 50%......Are course is packed now on Thursdays because of it

But remember, the more rounds the more maintence that will need to be done on the course and that is more $$$

 

[tatehill2000]

If you are have no play early make those fees much cheaper, If you GF is 40.00 charge 20.00 for a earlier bird offering. Matt do you have F&B at that club? You could tie in cheap food deals wiith Golf deals....We take are slowest day and reduce GF by 50%......Are course is packed now on Thursdays because of it

But remember, the more rounds the more maintence that will need to be done on the course and that is more $$$

thi s is the biggest issue, so with that, I would suggest you find a way to turn something else into a money maker,

You need to invest in your clubhouse, spend $$ iin your clubhouse, so people actuallywant to stay, and have lunch, and watch a game.

Hire some pretty girls to clean the heads off the golf clubs, and get them to flirt wth the guys to GO INTO the club house,

then have 2 more HOT flirty chicks in there,,

a 2.50-3.50 bottle of beer Yield s agross profit of 2$ with NO damage to the course,

oh, and if you dont have a club hosue BUILD a NICE ONE with some of that 25 thous you raised,

OR, You Matt, and a few friends, could "LOAN" the course the money, then be paid back in revenues (plus a fee):drink:

gl
tater

 

[G.MONEY]

thi s is the biggest issue, so with that, I would suggest you find a way to turn something else into a money maker,

You need to invest in your clubhouse, spend $$ iin your clubhouse, so people actuallywant to stay, and have lunch, and watch a game.

Hire some pretty girls to clean the heads off the golf clubs, and get them to flirt wth the guys to GO INTO the club house,

then have 2 more HOT flirty chicks in there,,

a 2.50-3.50 bottle of beer Yield s agross profit of 2$ with NO damage to the course,

oh, and if you dont have a club hosue BUILD a NICE ONE with some of that 25 thous you raised,

OR, You Matt, and a few friends, could "LOAN" the course the money, then be paid back in revenues (plus a fee):drink:

gl
tater

Could not agree with you more, you need to think outside the box today in clubs..I just put 3.5 million into my clubhouse, pool and golf course...some said I was cazy, it has all ready paid off....25 new members this year in a down economy

 

[tatehill2000]

Could not agree with you more, you need to think outside the box today in clubs..I just put 3.5 million into my clubhouse, pool and golf course...some said I was cazy, it has all ready paid off....25 new members this year in a down economy

manymany times People have a knee jerk reaction in that they YANK the emergency brake when it comes to saving money.

However there is a BALANCE that must be struck. In an economy where 90% cheapen up a product,, the best recomendation is to provide VALUE and DESIRE to said product.

there will always be money out there, ALWAYS, you need to make your product the most DESIREABLE, not the cheapest.

tater

 

[CoolBreeze22]

topless female caddies or ball washers...people will come from all over the country to play at that course.

 

[ProPokerPlayer]

Well we have 4 private courses in Baton Rouge,,,or i should say had...2 are now subdivisions and a new hospital is being built on the 3rd...
Times they are a changing.........