From the CEO
Municipal Golf Stock on the Rise
When I was a kid, my father told me stories of sleeping in the City of Bethpage parking lot in the late 1960s with his buddies to try and get on one of the courses in the morning. At that time, municipal courses in America made up a larger percentage of the U.S. golf course supply than they do now – by far. But in the ensuing decades, privately-owned public courses dominated supply
Cover Stories and Features
DOL’s Proposed Independent Contractor Rule is Bad for Golf
If you have been following any of my updates, you are probably aware of the new proposed independent contractor rule offered by the Department of Labor.
Chatting Ain’t What It Used To Be – Will Artificial Intelligence Stupefy the Human Race?
A chat used to be a personal thing, usually a casual conversation with a friend or friends, maybe over coffee or a cocktail. Of course, there was also the dreaded chat when the boss invited you to their office and then handed you your walking papers. Yikes
Former NGCOA president: Despite a wobbly economy, ‘golf has taken on a more important role in people's lives’
Rock Lucas, the former NGCOA president and owner of Charwood Golf Club in West Columbia, South Carolina, says you can learn a lot about running a golf course these days just by hanging out with other business owners.
What an economist says Walt Disney and Andrew Carnegie can teach you about weathering a stormy economy
It was a little odd – talking to an economist about the impact of the current U.S. economy on the business of golf – and not long into the conversation he mentioned Walt Disney.
Fresh Eyes Make Scenic Hills A Turnaround Success
The world is full of executives moving from one industry to another. From hotel CEOs taking over airlines to food-service executives leading social media startups, the business environment is littered with CEOs who thought leadership skills were ubiquitous, regardless of the industry.
Case Studies
Jordan Spieth Becomes Strategic Partner/Brand Ambassador for Invited
In 2004, when Jordan Spieth, 29, was a young junior golfer growing up around Brookhaven Country Club, he attended a golf camp at the private Dallas-area club. Nearly 20 years later, the star PGA Tour player is now a partner with Invited, Brookhaven’s owner and the iconic golf owner/operator formerly known as ClubCorp.
Golf Course Realty Market Ends Year with Major Dealmaking
Now that 2022 is in the rearview real estate mirror, the new year seems poised for another positive period of golf-related growth – both on the traditional and growing alternative golf facility front.
TMRW Sports Announces First New High-Tech Golf Facility
Florida-based TMRW Sports, the high-tech golf venture co-founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy in early 2022, announced in mid-December it has an agreement to build its first innovative golf facility in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
McConnell Not Immune From Supply Chain Woes
Nobody’s happy, but at least there’s an explanation everyone can understand. When the new TaylorMade driver you ordered in August for your most loyal customer didn’t make it by Christmas, and the new reels you were expecting for the triplex aren’t likely to be here until June, two words sum up the frustrations that you and everyone else in and out of golf currently feel: supply chain.
Industry News and Trends
Why The PGA Show and Golf Business Conference are a Winning Combination for Owners and Operators
Golfers have varying opinions on when the golf season starts. PGA Tour golfers start their new year in October of the previous one. Amateurs will contend that golf starts with the first warm weather of the year wherever you happen to be, while others will insist that the true first day of the golf season is marked by gentle guitar music and the soothing words, “Hello, friends!” being spoken from the verdant confines of Augusta National.