_October/seizinganopportunity.jpg "Seizing an Opportunity")
By Rob Carey
When the owners of Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort brought a nearby distressed course into the fold, the facility’s market position and business possibilities multiplied
In one respect, the statistics from the National Golf Foundation are concerning. There were 154.5 course closings in 2012, and another 157.5 closures in 2013. On the other hand, these figures might actually represent an opportunity for one segment of the business: golf resorts. For those that want to make a bold move within their market and cement their long-term competitiveness, scooping up a shuttered course could be a catalyst.
Take the case of Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort near East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. With Delaware River views from its historic 99-room inn as well as the first 27 holes that A.W. Tillinghast ever designed, the facility has competed well with several other Poconos-area resorts throughout the years. But in late 2012, when a nearby Jack Nicklaus-designed private course named Great Bear became available at auction, Shawnee owners Charlie and Ginny Kirkwood made a bid for the 15-year-old facility, which is located just three miles from Shawnee. In fact, theirs was the only bid—they got Great Bear for $850,000.
The transaction has proven to be wise for the resort on many levels. To start, Shawnee’s stay-and-play package business increased 20 percent in 2014 versus 2013, and it’s expected to rise another 15 percent in 2015 once the revised marketing strategies implemented in the past year have taken root, according to Rob Howell, general manager of what is now Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort and Great Bear Golf Club.
“While guests can still play other courses when staying here, having Great Bear makes it easier for us to keep them on property the entire time,” he says. For packages, the benefit of offering different course experiences while seamlessly managing tee times, transportation, meals and other recreational opportunities is clear. “We control the quality of their experience all the way through, and that builds up our brand in golfers’ minds,” he adds.
Shawnee’s location—less than 100 miles from both New York City and Philadelphia—has always made it an ideal facility for the two-night, three-round package. But with 45 holes now in the fold, the golf facility is the largest in the Poconos and, thus, more appealing to golfers as they research the region’s package offerings. What’s more, the resort is set to promote a three-night, four-round package. Given that the modern and hilly Nicklaus layout (an eight-minute shuttle ride from the inn) provides such a different experience from Tillinghast’s riverside layout next to the hotel, many players stay an additional day. And by hosting golf and travel writers a few times since Great Bear’s spring 2013 reopening, having a stronger presence at regional golf shows within a four-hour drive, and conducting email campaigns aimed at previous guests, Howell hopes to “generate a strong reputation that this is a golf destination worth coming to.”
The new facility also aids in attracting more business-focused groups. In July, Howell helped a corporate meeting planner coordinate the logistics of a 50-person meeting to be held across several of the resort’s spaces. “The group will use the Great Bear clubhouse to hold its morning sessions, then have lunch and play golf there,” he says. “The next day, they’ll do the same thing back at Shawnee. The variety makes the meeting more memorable.” It also allows Howell to keep one course open for play to members, resort guests and the general public, while the meeting group occupies the other course.
Another area where the resort is striving to differentiate itself is in front-line customer service. With the additional golf, leisure, dining and meeting options available to resort guests at Great Bear, Howell oversees the training of both staffs so they can help guests understand what’s offered at each facility. Specifically, the staffs at the inn and at Great Bear receive an orientation and tour of each other’s facility to understand the offerings and the atmosphere at each place.
“This way, when guests ask about golf or dining or even membership, we can provide a knowledgeable interaction that is seamless,” Howell notes. “We have to continually concentrate on providing that seamlessness and keeping communication open between the two staffs, and remind them that they’re part of one big family.”
Even with the resort’s early marketing push to gain public awareness of Great Bear, plus the facility’s appeal to various types of resort customers, the Kirkwoods and Howell know that Great Bear needs a solid membership base to be sustainable. The five-year plan from purchase was for it to become a private club once again, with access for resort guests. While there are some reciprocal member playing privileges, Shawnee and Great Bear maintain their own memberships. “Each member base likes the style and atmosphere of its own course and clubhouse,” notes Howell, “and we will keep them distinct.”
With the goal for Great Bear set at 200 members by the end of 2017, the Kirkwoods and Howell recently developed a creative transitional offering to help reach that goal. Dubbed the “national membership,” it’s available to those who live more than 70 miles from the resort. For $3,600 per year, national members get 10 room nights at the resort with no blackout dates plus unlimited play at both courses. Additional room nights can be purchased at 50 percent off rack rate. “We’re hoping this will convert people from the closest metropolitan areas to full members,” Howell says.
Rob Carey is a freelance writer and principal of Meetings & Hospitality Insight.