How To Own a Golf Course by Golf Course Owner Guy

Grass's Growing Importance

Tue, 28 Jun 2022 15:49:02 GMT

Have you seen how many buildings, parking lots, businesses, multi family developments, storage facilities have popped up in Wrightstown in the last 2-3 years? The Golf Link’s importance only grows, I mean for those that are into greenspace.

You love greenspace, maybe you just don’t realize it. It’s part of being human. That’s the beautiful thing about a golf course… it’s vitality important to a community. Of course, no one really feels that way until the city wants to redevelop, or an owner like me decides he’d like to sell to Wal-Mart. All of the sudden there is huge objection. Tense village meetings, angry residents, picketing out front of the golf course, ensues.

What the objectors are really saying is “I took the greenspace for granted. I walked, or drove by it every day and just assumed it would always be there. I watched other greenspace disappear, and I didn’t mind because it didn’t affect me. But this can’t happen! My investment, or my quality of life will go down if this becomes more parking lot, I’m going to fight”.

Oshkosh showed us a couple years ago what can happen when golf is not supported, when you have a mayor that hates golf, and big money development wants preferred greenspace. I remind people all the time… this thing only works, if it’s supported.

So when you say, “Nick what’s the point of this article?” The point is… golf courses do not get the credit they deserve, for the value they bring to a community. Of course I’m here to run a business, but I also believe I SERVE, and PRESERVE a vital part of the community. As Wrightstown becomes increasingly concrete encased, I hope there will still be 151 acres in the middle, dedicated to greenspace happiness. A golf course’s value (in any community) extends way beyond the golfers who play there. If I’m wrong, then the residents of this community might happily walk or drive by the newest Amazon warehouse someday instead. But I’m going to hold out hope, that they would prefer the greenspace we try to preserve.

No One Copies St. Andrews

Tue, 28 Jun 2022 15:47:30 GMT

It’s a question that should arise more often…if St. Andrew’s Old Course is the best course in the world, the place where architects have gotten their inspiration, where golfers make a lifetime pilgrimage, why the hell has no one ever built a course that looks like it?

I mean, let’s talk about it… only two par 3’s. All massive double greens. 6 of the first 7 tee shots are blind. Bunkers can’t be seen, and don’t actually frame anything. You could play it backwards. It’s not open on Sundays. You play over a metal garage, two holes criss-cross, you play off a road, do I need to go on? Why do the golf courses you enjoy… look nothing like the supposed best course in the world? It’s a fair question, and I have no idea how to answer it.

Somewhere along the line, golf has massively changed. Did the move from match play to stroke play, change issues of fairness and institute the scorecard and pencil mentality? Did the Pro game change the way we play? Did manufacturers change the equipment so much we needed different features to overcome? Did fancy owners think waterfalls and fountains made better golf than flat oddly rumpled terrain? Why do we revere St. Andrews, but no one actually wants to play that every day? Why is pretty, and perfect so important? Why are quirky lies, unfair bounces, and imperfect bunkers such a turn off?

I’m not sure that any of us know what real golf actually is. I have to believe that someday, because everything is cyclical, there will be this movement back to discovering why people enjoyed playing the “original game”. Our version seems so different.

No Side Show Stuff

Tue, 28 Jun 2022 15:46:11 GMT

I was not here for the Links construction, but I arrived just as it was completed. All of us dream of building and owning our own course, I was no different. The only thing I missed out on was the birth of an idea. That’s sort of where I want to take this, because some course births confuse me.

When an individual or group sets out to build a course, I have to imagine it’s 100% about golf. They want a certain course, with certain features, certain tournaments, on certain conditions. They want a certain pro who offers certain amenities. Clubhouse has a certain look, and will only meet certain needs. The investor group sees a certain kind of player, spending a certain amount of money. The entire plan is born with intention of pouring their heart and soul into their sole asset: the GOLF COURSE. Ground is broken.

Fast forward… these same courses bombard you with marketing: Haunted Hayrides, Magic Shows, Wine & Cheese Tasting, Foot Golf, Fling Golf, Coloring Contests, Bingo, Lighted Walks, Bar “Sign Ins”, Cross Country Skiing, Father/Daughter Fishing, Simulators, Cooking Class, Live Music, Snowshoeing, Betting Pools. What happened to golf? There is no way when that course was built that people sat around and said “let’s spend millions of dollars on a golf course, in case all our little side show socializing gimmicks don’t work… at least we’ll have a golf option to fall back on”. I think a huge reason why this happens, is because some of the people running golf courses, aren’t that passionate about golf. I mean, would you let the pastor at your church put a new transmission in your car? He’s a great guy, but you still need a car that works.

Every course does it their own way. Our way is not better, it’s simply our way. If I had the opportunity to envision and build a course, I’m pretty sure I’d only be dreaming about the golf. Like I said, I missed the opening act, but since arriving, I’ve been all about the golf. I’m content to attract patrons who love the idea that we are passionate about golf. If you are hoping I’m pushing Hot Yoga, you’re out of luck. If you love golf, then you might like the concept that my mind, and my time… are never filled with cute-sie side show stuff. It’s always focused on the reason we exist in the first place…golf.

Maybe I'm An Idiot

Mon, 27 Jun 2022 18:01:52 GMT

If I asked you why so many derive pleasure from golf, you might say “proximity to the bar”. Not wrong… but let me take you somewhere else. Pleasure is tied to the landscape golf sits upon. That’s pleasure from playing, and many people find pleasure from living on the edges of a golf course and having it be your backyard.

Take a Top 100 list and look at the landscapes those courses sit upon. Now think about every course that has been built in the last 20 years, (Bandons, Streamsongs, Cabots, Erin, Nebraska, Sand Valley type stuff) all of them wildly successful, all of them completely based in experiencing nature and of course, getting the euphoria of enjoying an incredible, often unique landscape.

Golf is just better in a natural landscape. But golf also improves a natural landscape, and we don’t need to look any farther than what is being built around the edges of RSPGL. Twenty years ago, if you built a house in this location, or rented an apartment near the Wrightstown exit, you would simply be living in a cornfield. What’s so special about that?

Today, you get to pay extra for that same dwelling to enjoy the landscape RSPGL has perfected. Why do developers build next to golf courses? It’s because humans love to look at pretty landscapes. From your kitchen window, you can now appreciate golf’s beautiful layer… as it has enhanced the landscape. Out your front door, its looks like the city, but out the back… it’s like you’ve been transported. Awesome!

Sadly, this a one way street. Maybe the golf course will receive increased usage thanks to increased human proximity; merely a theory I’m supposed to accept to make my hardships along the way seem more palatable. It’s sad to me, that developers and homeowners can soon take advantage of the enhanced landscape, while golfers will slowly loose the look of their wild landscape experience, as a fabricated civilization back-drop replaces nature. Bummer. I think about the golfers. Maybe I’m an idiot, but the only thing I care about are the golfers. I like to think golfers appreciate that.

Golf and Lions

Mon, 27 Jun 2022 18:00:27 GMT

Why do golfers like elevated tees? No this isn’t a dad joke. A study was done, and I’m NOT going to waste my time citing all the sources in this little “tale from the tall grass”, but I thought it was an interesting hypothesis. Let me provide the essence.

First… it takes a golf dork having to write some kind of thesis for graduate school, and he decides he is going to ask the question, “do golfers prefer to hit from an elevated tee?” He concludes, through survey and study: that they DO prefer elevated tees. Someone else picks up the thesis, and wants to explain why.

Yeah, the ball certainly carries farther, but the answer is found outside of golf. It’s really an environmental psychologist who can best explain why humans enjoy being up high. He says it’s in our DNA, basically our fight or flight mentality. Humans believe getting to a high point is naturally safer, we prefer looking at things from up high. Now a golf hole looks neat from up high, but what looks even better from up high… is an angry pack of lions. Makes sense right!!

Now think about something else…when you go to the zoo, the zoo often gives you a high vantage point…but one of the things they are really good at, is giving you a low vantage point. Think about those low caves with the glass. We are naturally afraid to be low, obviously the glass protects us, but we would never choose to be low. Does that mean we are terrified of low tees that require a hit to uphill, who knows? I just thought it was interesting, and though I wasted 45 seconds of your life reading this…maybe it’s something you will ponder and regurgitate to dazzle your foursome.

Where I'm Coming From?

Mon, 27 Jun 2022 17:58:56 GMT

Walking to my car this weekend, I quietly approached a gentleman pulling a cooler from his car in the RSPGL parking lot. He puts one beer in his golf bag, then two, then three. I thought, I’m just going to stand here, eventually he’ll turn around. Then beer 11,12,13. Ball pouch, buddy’s bag, the beers kept coming. Are we done…. nope…. flavor change, and now they are being wrapped inside a sweatshirt stuck in sweater basket.

There were more than 20, when he closed the cooler and turned to see me arms crossed staring at him. You could hear a pin drop, “you know…. (And then I paused)… carry ons are not allowed”. Uh, uh, uh I had no idea, he responded.

Taylormade SIM driver, Callaway Apex irons, Cameron putter, first time golfers generally don’t have $2000 worth of equipment, but I thought I’d give him the benefit of doubt. “If you are not aware about rules regarding bringing your own beer, then why are you hiding them like you need to get heroin through a border crossing? I asked.

Sometimes this job is quite ironic. He was nice about it and put everything back in his car. I don’t like to spend my time enforcing “rules”, I’m pretty easy going as long as you are respectful. The alcohol stuff is a hot button for me. I have to believe, that when this guy drank all 20 beers, and wrapped his car around a tree on the way home, the family lawsuit would probably blame me. I’m just here for the golf, I don’t need the ancillary theatrics. Let’s just golf and enjoy life… without the 20 beers.

Everything I'm Not

Mon, 27 Jun 2022 17:57:28 GMT

Leaving and locking the RSPGL building yesterday, I thought about the day I just had. I was on a one hour conference call with our software company discussing ramifications of Microsoft ending TLS security; that was over my head. I had to begin installing a new security system; I’m not that techy. I spent an hour walking around another golf course in the snow, they were installing new bridges and I wanted to learn the process; and I’m not an engineer. When I pulled back in the lot, a woman was waiting for me, and she wanted the sales pitch on a baby shower in our building, interesting pivot as my brain was focused on spancrete. A few hours before that, I put the finishing touches on a newsletter, making sure it was more entertaining than the drivel most businesses put out; lots of pressure to keep that going, as I’m not an author. It was also the first day of the month, so I knocked out inventory while eating my lunch. Tried to track down copies for employees who lost w-2’s, didn’t you just get them? Wrote an employment posting for Indeed; how am I ever going to make these jobs sounds great? Finished the negotiation of hail damaged roof, mailed out an outing proposal, and found a little time to repair the hose in our slop sink to prevent a plumbing disaster.

Writing about it is therapeutic. Sometimes I beat myself up that I didn’t do a lot of these things perfect, then I see it all on paper and I wonder, there has to be an easier way. Unless you squint real hard when you are reading this, you can hardly tell I’m talking about the golf business. Kids who work here tell me they want to be a business owner when they grow up, but not someone in golf. I guess their “vision” of a successful business owner bears no resemblance to the one they just watched for the last 11 1/2 hours. Good luck.

It All Confuses Me

Mon, 27 Jun 2022 17:55:43 GMT

Cleaning my office this winter, I found an old scrapbook I made. In the first years of Royal St. Patricks; newspaper, phone book, just about any kind of print ad was still the rage. I assembled everything we created in this binder, but I also gathered everything the competition was doing too. It was a way of keeping tabs.

When you revisit that 15-20 years later, one thing struck me as pretty funny considering my evolvement into what I think the essence of 200 years of golf really is. Let me humor you with some of the boastful verbiage from these ads. “18 Holes, Watered Fairways, (that one kills me) Fully Stocked Golf Shop, Paved Cart Path, Outdoor Patio, Full Service Bar (still don’t know what that means), Electric Carts, Fountains and Waterfall, Competitors Coupons Honored (way to sell your soul), Lessons Available, Shirt Required (how valuable ad space was spent on that, I’m not sure).

When you go through all these ads, there is something remarkable missing. No one ever mentions the golf course. In the end, everyone comes to play golf, but the 80’s, 90’s early 2000’s were all about promoting the fluff. Each course trying to out-do the next… with fluff. Ironically they were all adding the same fluff. Who could be bigger, longer, bolder, cleaner, harder, more decorative, more like a country club, offer more items, more polished, be more welcoming. Why is it that no one actually focused on the reason customers came to the property in the first place? Why has the idea of simply selling “good golf” not been good enough? Why was little to no focus ever placed on the one thing they had that was different than everyone else? The land, the environment, the holes.

This past winter, I saw it happening again. The new commodity race… is the installation of a 12 by 12 black fabric box, with a white projection cloth exactly 10 feet in front of you. You can play every course in the world, and eat the biggest plate of chicken wings at the same time. Even though you shouldn’t! Everyone is doing it, and touting their atmosphere is the best. In the end, it’s still a fabric box. Too much following, and too much of the same, can never be good. The game of golf has lasted 200 years+ because the act of playing a fickle game, in varied conditions, on varied courses, over varied land, never gets old. In the end, you want to play the course. The rest is a bonus, or simply background noise.

No Ones Noticed

Mon, 27 Jun 2022 16:09:34 GMT

People often ask me, what makes this a Links style course? It’s easy to point to the lack of trees, the native fescue grasses that border the holes, and the rolly-polly uneven lies in the fairway. Back in the day, we even had the sod wall bunkers. That has proved to be idiotic due to our climate, but it was cool for awhile.

Almost a half million rounds played here since inception and no one has ever mentioned one of the most obvious Links characteristics, that you basically don’t see anywhere around here….the greens built at same grade as the fairways so a ball can easily be rolled up.

Real Links golf is built on sandy sites. American golf over the last 200 years is often built on very poor soils. Early American architects figured out very quickly, if you are going to drain an American green in poor soils, you better get that thing up in the air. Look around at every course around here, they are almost all “push-up” greens, and that was solely to get the water off. Leave the green at ground level; health of grass and playability would be a huge struggle.

It’s a feature that really excites me because it is so different. Our soils are just as poor, so it takes some special engineering to be able to pull it off, and I wish I could get the approaches playing a little faster to make the whole package work better. As you know you have seen us aggressively working on firming up those approaches, and one day we will get there. Next time you are playing, look at all the greens at grade. Compare those to pictures of the old links courses, you’ll see one of our most interesting attributes.

Driven From The Pool

Fri, 04 Mar 2022 18:36:56 GMT

Recently heard a professor discussing populations, relationship formation, mate choice, pro-creation, the whole thing. He cited some stats which I will try to replicate, as I was only half paying attention. Then he got to the end of his discussion and I thought, wow, I wish I had been paying closer attention.

He said 20 years ago, 3 out of 5 people who got married, met at work. I met my wife at work, I could get on board with that. He said today, far less people are getting married, and if they are getting married, 1 out of 2 people who get married, met online. The professor thought this is a huge problem. This is where my interest sparked.

Why is this a HUGE PROBLEM?

He was basically making the case that ugly is going to be driven from the gene pool. In the old days, that person who worked across from you was nothing special, but he/she had a great personality, he/she was kind, and he/she seemed like he/she would be a great spouse and parent. Today, you don’t get to find that out, you simply look at a online picture, pass judgement and move on. Essentially all those good people you would have learned to like, will never find a mate. Only photogenic people will find relationships. Makes sense, doesn’t it?

It got me thinking about golf. If that is happening in mate selection, can you not see parallels happening in golf. Maybe all the courses that will survive, are the ones who have the best scenery, take the best pictures, do the best editing, the ones who can really market. If we never really get to know the course’s charm, and we are simply making decisions by their superficial looks, won’t golf courses have trouble finding their mates… I mean customers. I know it’s a bit out there, but that’s why you read.

As Long As You Enjoyed It

Fri, 04 Mar 2022 18:34:54 GMT

Did you enjoy yourself? It really comes down to that. It’s painful to think about all the hard work businesses put in to get their experience right, and all it comes down to is… did you enjoy it?

You walk out of a movie theatre; you pause for a second and you think, you know… I didn’t really like that movie. It happens. What if the director was standing there, and he was able to explain to you who they wanted for the lead, but they couldn’t get her. That they had to change the music score halfway through because composer has been in a coma after a car accident. They wanted to shoot in Arizona, but because actors guild union limitations, they had to shoot in New Mexico. They had three different endings, and director really wants to explain the logic of his choice. You know what, YOU DON’T CARE. You really don’t care about any of it. The only thing you care about is, DID I ENJOY IT, OR NOT, then you move on.

It’s no different for us. I do the very best I can, but you get in your car and you feel the need to question…, did I enjoy my golf today? I’m not waiting at the 18 green to explain, why the back 9 greens are faster than the front 9. Why your cart had peanut shells in the glove box. Why you didn’t see the beverage cart girl until the 11th hole. YOU DON’T CARE. You either enjoyed yourself, or you didn’t. In a way, it has nothing to do with me at all. No matter how much thought I put into something, you can claim I put no thought into it. While your neighbor had the best day ever, you had a terrible day, and yet you were experiencing the exact same things at the exact same time.

I want everyone to have an incredible time, but I have no way to guarantee that. All we can do is try to put together an operation where there is a high probability that someone in a sane state of mind could go through our experience, come out the other end, sit in their car and say to themselves, you know what…I really enjoyed myself today. It all comes down to that, and given everything that could go wrong when you are “on property” for 5 hours… it’s pretty much impossible when you think about it. Yet, we often pull it off.

War On Screens

Fri, 04 Mar 2022 18:32:13 GMT

Decades ago there was a War on Drugs, that morphed into a War on Terror. I’m contemplating starting a new War. Using golf as my mechanized weapon, I see a new campaign called the “War on Screens”. At some point, the extremely sedentary, dazed, slouched postured, introverted, swipe left, creepin’ on people behaviors we are all exhibiting… will be deemed dangerous if we want to perpetuate the human existence. Golf will be the antidote.

Golf will recalibrate your human equilibrium. Stand up straight, suck in those abs, you will need some athleticism to swing the club with speed.

There is a high probability you might have to play with other people, start practicing: “ Hi, my name is Jim, it’s a gorgeous day, I really love this course. I’m a computer programmer for a multi national company, what do you do for a living?” See….not real hard to talk to other humans.

Now… to offset all those swipe lefts, I need you to think about swinging out to the right, see how Instagram has perpetuated your slice. We want to draw the ball!

But mostly you have to move, it’s called exercise, and it will be the number one reason we win the “War on Screens”. At some point you are going to realize that pocket computer of negative energy is sucking the life from you… and a nice walk outside, in nature, receiving sunlight, talking to people, conquering a challenge, while having a fun time is good for you. Am I wrong?

After years of visual research, I have concluded that nothing clashes more with screen time than a nice round of golf. Make a tee time, it can be here, but anywhere works. In the end, when the Russians seize the internet grid, and the non-golfers around you are in full meltdown, you can head to the course and have an enjoyable day. Heck, you won’t even have to pay, cause how the hell am I going to process your credit card?

Juiced Driver Debate

Fri, 04 Feb 2022 15:37:56 GMT

Play along with me. You go out to play with your typical Saturday foursome. Your buddy, who typically hits drives the same distance as you, has now out driven you on all 14 driving holes by an average of 35 yards. On par 4’s you both used to hit 6-iron, he hit 9 iron today. He got close to the par 5’s, actually hitting the fringe on one of them. Irons wise, he was the same length, so you played the par 3’s hitting the exact same irons. You got the best of him on those holes, but he certainly spent the day “further” down the fairway.

DRIVER TRUTH COMES OUT

Over cocktails, he divulged the truth. It turns out one of the major club companies has decided to manufacture an illegal driver, and let’s face it, it’s hot and it goes far, and you guessed it: HE BOUGHT IT. Thanks to this new found distance, your buddy, a typical mid 80’s shooter, shot a smooth 78 and he was having fun. Of course, these cocktails turn into words exchanged, so all four search out the judge and jury, or what I prefer to call: the golf pros office.

Golf Course Owner Guy / Pro is excited he shot his best round ever, and he seems unconcerned about the legalities of this casual round, what do you do? Do you buy the driver to level the playing field? Do you continue to play your legal driver because upholding the USGA’s limit on your enjoyment is paramount? Do you start hating your buddy? Are you forced to find new friends, and a new course pro, who all agree that driver distance persecution trumps all?

Far-fetched? Stay tuned…

Not Exceptionally Complicated

Fri, 04 Feb 2022 15:36:01 GMT

Golf Course Owner Guy sees a fair amount of complicated golf related videos online, but this one is pretty interesting. My good friend Joe J shared this with me this past winter. He warned me, as I will warn you…it’s 35 minutes long, but if you love golf, and you want to hear it right from the GOAT’s mouth, then I would clear a half hour to indulge.

THESE BOYS ARE NOT COMPLICATED

Let me set the stage real quick…Tiger, Rory, Jason Day all standing around the practice green discussing how they “play” certain shots. There are some cool revelations, there is some unique insight, and there seems to be this bro-mance happening as well. It’s amazing how the best in the world are asking the best in the world how to hit a certain shot, and then when they do…the joy and climax is funny to watch. Even if you are the world’s worst golfer, there are awesome nuggets buried in here. None of it too complicated, after all, good golfers don’t make anything look complicated. I apologize if you have seen it already, but if you have not, I hope you enjoy, it’s much better than reading my drivel. Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy & Jason Day Short Game Session | TaylorMade Golf

Providing An Accurate Review

Sat, 14 Aug 2021 17:37:13 GMT

Understanding what you are looking at is the secret to being able to review a golf course. You think you are good at reviewing, let’s do a little exercise. Take off all your clothes and stand in front of the mirror…spin around a few times and let’s critique what you are looking at.

The grass on a golf course is just like the skin on your body. Those moles, they are like dirt bare spots. That sun damage, let’s just call that dollar spot. A surface discoloration at best. Jaundice, well that’s just dormant grass. That eczema patch, that’s like a swampy area after a heavy rain. It will go away with time. What about all that hair? You got it, the rough mower broke down this morning.

REVIEW THE BONES

Sadly we will pay no attention this morning to your overall body health, or how your body structure is assembled. We decided to simply assess you… by the trivial exterior we could see. A golf course is so much more than the grass coating, yet people sit around the bar, or even spend time on Google, pretending they are course review experts, yet they only see the surface.

It doesn’t take a doctor to tell you…bumps, bruises, sores and cuts will pass quickly, what can’t be changed too easily is structure. Thankfully RSPGL has moisturized well over the years, but as Golf Course Owner Guy often writes about, there is something you don’t see, but you can sense, that really attracts you to it. We’ve got great bones, beauty and health that is more than skin deep.

How Not To Develop Players

Sat, 14 Aug 2021 17:35:38 GMT

How to best develop a player? Heard a podcast recently of Tour Player caliber teachers sitting around in a bar like setting, talking about the development of young players. This is far from Golf Course Owner Guy’s area of expertise, but they raised a ton of compelling arguments.

Argument 1: They claim college golf programs don’t actually develop players. They say college coaches treat college golf as the end point, not a step along the journey. You’re a good junior player, we recruit you, you are fortunate to be signed by us, now go do your thing, and help us win a championship. A college program is not designed to help you become a great player 5-10 years from now, it’s expecting you to be great now.

WHO KNOWS HOW TO DEVELOP?

If you look around the world, other countries like Korea, Australia and such; have these “institutes of sport”. Kids go off to these because they are totally developmental. These institutes are not designed to profit on how the kid plays today, but they profit by how they can get a kid to play tomorrow. The teachers sitting around this table were emphatic that maybe college golf is not exactly what will “best’ prepare you for the future.

They also noted the eruption, and soon dominance of other countries on the world golf stage. The teachers really believe that if we are to be a golf power house in the future that we need to abandon the current model of college golf, and find ways to be more developmental.

For those of you who played college golf or know someone who did, think like this…as a junior player, you have had a dedicated instructor who gave you the fundamentals and started your development. When you left for college under the premise you were going to get better and attain another level…did your college coach push you further? It’s not a slight on college coaches, the system is not set up to develop…there in lies the point.

Bad Ideas Make It More Fun

Sat, 14 Aug 2021 17:33:46 GMT

Every couple weeks, a guest finishes his round, enjoys a cold one, pulls me aside, and says he knows how to make it more fun. Funny, no one shooting 120 murmurs what I ‘m about to say.

If Golf Course Owner Guy had a dollar for every time I heard they tell me: I need more fairway bunkers, I should push a green site closer to a pond, I should narrow up the fairways, or I should add bunkers to the front of the greens. Interesting…their opinion of “better” always means it must be harder, you must lose more balls, and you must mark down a bad score if you don’t execute perfectly.

Why is his “make it more fun” never explained as: you should make the fairways wider, you should shallow the bunkers, fill in some of the ponds, or move some tees forward. If I make a tweak the course so you can’t break 100, have I made it better? According to my guest armchair architects, that is their definition of better.

MAKE IT MORE FUN ACCORDING TO WHO?

I don’t share that sentiment. Too many people have made golf courses too hard. My goal would be to make the courses more fun. Sure there was a time 20 years ago, when spectacular looking, and painfully unplayable was how golf courses were designed. I think Pete Dye once said “Golf was not meant to be fair”. Unconsciously you make decisions about where you would like to play each week based on the FUN factor. Some of you might find RSPGL more fun than others. I can deal with it. It’s the course I bought, not the course I designed. I’m making the best of it. And lucky for you, I’m not taking suggestions for how to make the course better.

Trying Not To Score

Mon, 28 Jun 2021 13:42:51 GMT

Had this really interesting thought about score. Golf Course Owner Guy makes that once in a lifetime trip to Scotland. I somehow secure a round on the Old Course, not that easy from what I’m told. My grizzled old half drunk caddie greets me, and we make small talk. By my swing off the first, he can tell I’m a decent player and he hopes today is a walk in the park, and then I tell him: “I don’t want to shoot a good score today, I want you to show me everything that is cool about St. Andrews.

THE OPPOSITE OF SCORE

If there is an impossible chip from the left of the green, I want to hit it there. If you think I should hit from the Spectacles, try to get a stance on the Principal’s Nose, or extricate from the Road Hole Bunker than I want to go there too. I want to see the coolest slopes, I want to use the backstops. If you think the wind is right to bite off too much, let’s try to bite it off. I want to finish by certainly playing from the Valley of Sin. I would imagine that 95% of the people who play St. Andrews one time in their life, stand on the first tee and want to shoot some kind of “score”. By doing that, you have completely missed the point. In an attempt to shoot a score, the caddie will most certainly take you on a “scoring” journey. This journey is void of the pitfalls and problems, or as I like to say: the whole point of the design.

Most will leave thinking, that was kind of weird course. Kind of boring. If I had one time to play the Auld Grey Toon herself, I want to go on the “features” tour. Show me what makes St. Andrews so special. Take me to all her most interesting places. Show me the shots, and the problems that have dumbfounded golfers for 150 years. Golf is often about score, but there are certainly times when score obsession deprives enjoyment. As I fly home, I want to be thinking about all those cool shots. To fly home, and have my only lasting memory being that I shot 77, I mean seriously…who cares?

5 Positives of Golf in America

Mon, 28 Jun 2021 13:41:15 GMT

At times, Golf Course Owner Guy has been guilty of bashing GOLF in America. At least, I’m not bashing America in general. While the Great Recession of 2008 was not helpful, golf wasn’t / isn’t dying. In fact, the entire industry would do well to remain cognizant of these convenient pre-pandemic truths.

AMERICAN POSITIVES

1) Golf contributes $68.8 billion and nearly 2 million jobs to the American economy. Think of that stat. There are 331 million people in the U.S., 2 million work in golf. 70 some work here. That’s pretty cool!

2) Golf generates $3.9 billion annually for philanthropic causes. I know we do lots of things here that raise tons of money of different organizations. Pretty neat knowing we have a hand in philanthropic success stories.

3) Golf courses are responsible uses of green space, providing wildlife habitat, a filter for runoff, and a cooling effect on developed areas. When you step out of the house, the temp feels good. Then you drive to RSPGL and you freeze, now you know how good we are for cooling the environment.

4) Playing 18 holes burns roughly 2,000 calories when walking and 1,300 calories when riding in a cart. Our walk is a bit longer in some spots, and we have 19 holes. If you need to get skinny, can you name a better course?

5) Nine out of 10 golfers play at public access facilities just like RSPGL. The median cost of a “round” at these facilities is $34. We are charging median price, yet I would bet we are a hair better than median conditions, that equals a great value.

Though in a pandemic, golf has been surging. Maybe it wont be as dominant as it has been the last 12 months, but its still a wonderful sport, a healthy endeavor and huge part of America’s success. Enjoy your holiday!

The Good of Brand Agnostic

Mon, 28 Jun 2021 13:39:17 GMT

Are you becoming brand agnostic? Twenty years ago the PGA Tour season would start in Hawaii and it was always interesting to see what players, had switched to what brands, over the holiday break. 12-14 clubs, bags, hats, balls…these were big endorsement deals. The big manufacturers pushed product on the backs of who was “playing their stuff”.

Fast forward to today, it’s not really like that anymore. There is an increasing trend on Tour to become brand agnostic. Why is that? Look no further than money…money controls everything. On today’s Tour, the purses are so much bigger. A top 5 finish carries the same weight as a club endorsement deal. How do you ensure that you have a chance to get one of those top 5 finishes, you make sure that everything you play is perfect for you, even if that means you carry 5 different manufacturers in your bag.

DOWNSIDE OF BRAND AGNOSTIC

Twenty years ago, Tour players had to know that when they married a manufacturer, they would have to take the good with the bad. Driver great, wedges bad. Putter great, irons bad. Fairway woods great, ball bad. That endorsement paycheck plugged the holes of bad finishes. Todays Tour rewards the Top 50 in the world. Majors, World Golf Championships, Fed Ex Cup, you name it…it’s all based on high finishes. You get “higher” finishes when all your equipment is optimized.

Golf Course Owner Guy is not sure where that leaves the business of big name endorsements. We used to want to play what the Shark played…now we have no idea what Koepka plays. If you are stuck in the mindset that everything in your bag has to match, I have news for you…the world has changed. Finding stuff that works is the name of the game.

Obsession With Clubhouses

Fri, 11 Jun 2021 17:55:07 GMT

Thumbing through a trade magazine, they were handing out awards for “Clubhouse Renovation of the Year”. People, what is the deal with the 40 million dollar clubhouses? Maybe I just don’t get it. Why do you need a 40 million dollar clubhouse? Stupid.

Is Ballroom C, D and E imperative? Marble entry way leads you into one of our three bar rooms. Yippy! Of course, every palatial building needs a “lifestyle wing”. I need true zen when I work out. Oh wait, I don’t feel like working out! Instead, I’ll just enjoy feeling like a king when the bathroom has those $900 faucets, and how about that glass, you gotta have glass, tons of glass! What about the light bulbs, cleaning crew, and that’s one hell of an air conditioning bill. Why is this necessary? Didn’t you come for the golf?

OPPOSITE CLUBHOUSE

People think I have a service-able building. Simple, comfortable, clean. I call it manageable, affordable, sufficient. It will awe no one. The best part is…you don’t have to pay a cent to keep an over indulgent building going. If I could dumb this down to a grass hut, I just might try it.

When I envision my first trip to Pebble Beach, Golf Course Owner Guy never envisions himself enjoying the clubhouse. Does anyone even know what the Pebble Beach clubhouse looks like? I envision the golf. I think paying $500 is complete bullshit, but I still envision the golf. At some point the clubhouse ridiculousness will end. Nothing like a beautiful castle, over looking a really crappy course. The world is full of them. I’m just keeping the focus on golf. That’s what most of you want, that’s what you were thinking about last night as you feel asleep. I think.

Reviewing Reviewers Reviews

Fri, 11 Jun 2021 17:53:41 GMT

Years ago (before reviews), consumers were at the mercy of airline delays, poor safety features in automobiles, and foods that contained red dye #2. The internet and its penchant for customer reviews began to switch the power to the consumer. Why simply boycott a business, when we can shame them too. We all know the sites where you can give your honest assessment, but we can also agree people have used these sites to inflict reputational wounds. Until now…

REVIEWS TURNED BAD

In Virginia a carpet and rug cleaning business has filed a defamation law suit against 7 negative reviews. He won. Yikes! Last year a suburban tutoring firm in LA was approached by Yelp.com. They were hoping to get advertising on their site. Because this tutoring firm was saddled with a one-star rating due to a negative review, this business owner declined to advertise with Yelp for fear of drawing attention to this rating. A few weeks later, the Yelp.com salesperson returned to sell advertising again, this time saying the negative review was dropped, and it was replaced by positive ones. What the hell just happened???

What’s the point, and how does it relate to golf? Just because you see a review, whether it be about here… or any of our competitors, you must always be wondering about its legitimacy. Because of the examples above, Golf Course Owner Guy puts little stock in reviews. Businesses are not the best places on earth, and they are not the worst either. They are merely places… that nobody can agree on.

What's Wrong With Method Teachers

Fri, 11 Jun 2021 17:51:58 GMT

Why do golf instructors run from the notion of being pigeon holed as method teachers? (Method Teacher – teaching a certain set of preferences based on fixed principles). It’s simple, casting a wider net is good for business, so call yourself a non-method teacher. Part of marketing, is saying exactly what you want to hear, or at least exactly what we have made up in our own mind as to what you want to hear.

How could teachers possibly know what you want to hear? These “non-method teachers” have all the same lines. “There’s a million ways to swing the club, every body style is different, we can work within your limitations, you don’t want to start over, we can work with what you have.” Sounds like a ton of built in excuses to keep you from actually do the things you need to do to improve.

If you are really a “non-method teacher”, then there must be no correct method grip? No repeatable way to plane the club? No proper way to deliver force? No ideal position for impact?

As a student, are you fine with the idea that your grip is good enough, that your plane sort of works, that you deliver the best force it appears you can, that you are making decent compensations for impact? I wouldn’t want that. This brings us to the best part of this article. You can have exactly what you want.

MAYBE YOU NEED A METHOD TEACHER

In finding a golf instructor / coach, Golf Course Owner Guy would encourage you to find the one that you feel comfortable with. If you want to be told that everything looks pretty good, and we won’t change much…that teacher is out there. You don’t need to 100% commit to this kind of teacher, there is another just like them around the corner. If you want to find a teacher who believes in a certain method of swinging, his or her ideas are rooted in good mechanics, he or she has flexible options for certain body ailments, and you want to totally immerse yourself in a concept, that teacher is out there too.

When you find this person, 100% commit to them. Jumping around will be a mistake. In summary…there is a reason you sought out help in the first place….it’s to improve. Maybe the best thing for you, is to hear a method.

Keeping Up With The Jones, Literally

Tue, 27 Apr 2021 14:48:09 GMT

keeping up with the jones literally At some point you must have tuned into the “November” Masters, as a golfer, how could you resist? You have to keep up. Saturated greens, mud balls, leaves blowing everywhere, patchy grass where the rye had not fully over taken the Bermuda, it was not exactly the Masters visual we have come to expect, and yet it raised a perplexing question.

Why can’t the Tour, at least a couple times a year, play an event on a really shitty golf course? We all want to be like the Tour guys and yet, we don’t get to play on a course that was manicured for 51 weeks to culminate with our arrival. Why can’t the best in the world, play off some really thin bare dirt tees? We do. Why can’t the Tour putt on slow greens that were just top dressed, we do? This isn’t about torturing the Tour player, it’s about lifting golf.

keeping up with the jones literally CAN WE ACTUALLY KEEP UP?

For decades the golf business has been trying to keep up with what you see on TV. Fast playing surfaces, huge clubhouses, wall to wall manicured turf, and beautiful plantings. It’s great, but the cost to play keeps going up to support all this. If the Tour went to mediocre places, suddenly unlevel, tiny, bare dirt tees might be the rage. Fast forward to your Saturday morning game. Now you are playing what the Tour plays, your criticisms of your home course soften, the owner or municipality doesn’t blow hundreds of thousands of dollars on a tee improvement campaign, and your fees don’t go up as a result. Could this actually work? Would you want this to work? Part of me thinks the American model that we are on, is a fast moving train. Just not sure we can slow it down at this point. Never hurts to ponder it though…. until then Golf Course Owner Guy just has to keep up with the Jones. Bobby Jones that is.

5 Steps For Golf Instructors

Tue, 27 Apr 2021 14:45:48 GMT

5 steps for golf instructors Thankfully there is not a ton of golf instructors reading my little articles, they may not like my hypothesis. It’s really easy to be a golf instructor these days. Here is the formula I have seen repeated…

5 steps for golf instructors STEPS TO BE AN INSTRUCTOR

Step 1, be young, and a reasonably decent player. Like maybe you were great in high school, and in college you had some stretches where it went pretty good.

Step 2, watch a bunch of YouTube videos. Since you haven’t actually mentored under anyone who could teach, you will need to regurgitate what the internet talking heads are saying.

Step 3, buy a launch monitor. When you don’t really know how the swing is supposed to work, you can always look at the screen and say “we just gotta tweak those numbers a little bit”. Hopefully the student doesn’t ask how that should be done, right? Dazzle with gadgets as I like to say.

Step 4. Shit on all those who have come before you. Leadbetter, Foley, Harmon, Mclean, Jacobs, Hardy, Adams, Bender, Hall, Malaska, Anderson, Cook, Smith, Haney, Gankas, Plummer, Dahlquist, even Michael Breed. Instead of paying homage to the decades of research, and the lists of accomplishments, it’s way better to nit-pick their methodology, and rip them as knowing nothing. That is sure to lift your position.

Step 5, get some outrageous stuff on social media. Nothing gets the consumer more excited then hearing you have found the secret, and of course you want to share it with us. But how many secrets are there, and why do you need $8.99 every month?

5 steps for golf instructors WHAT INSTRUCTORS NEED?

In the end…this probably isn’t a formula that works. You need to be a decent player, but probably a better communicator. You need to have formed your own ideas about the swing, but of course you’ve borrowed most of it from the best resources. If you don’t actually believe what you are saying, why would someone else?

Golf Course Owner Guy is not absolutely convinced you need a launch monitor either. A vast majority of people simply want to hit it better. We can all see these people have bad numbers, but you better know how to change the numbers. I think all fledgling teachers would be smarter to be filling divots on the ranges of the 100 greatest teachers as opposed to criticizing them. Lastly, there are no secrets, you sound like an idiot.

Your Stupid Brain

Tue, 27 Apr 2021 14:41:40 GMT

While Golf Course Owner Guy was listening to a golf architecture podcast, the host and guest architect raised an interesting dilemma about your brain. Maybe, just maybe, it’s the architect’s fault that you swing scared. It’s a national past time to blame others!

Imagine arriving at the tee and the fairways is 500 yards wide, no bunkers, no water. How would you expect to swing? My guess, with confidence. Without fear, we become offensive. Swings more fluid, decisions more clear. It all translates to speed and better release. The flipside is a fairway that is 25 yards wide. Water all down the left, homes all down the right, how would expect to swing? Fearful swings become defensive swings. In an effort to steer a golf ball, speed is deprived and squareness of strike becomes less likely. The question is…which hole would you rather play?

WHAT WOULD YOUR BRAIN CHOOSE?

Ball bashers might pick the hole with no trouble, but isn’t there some kind of intrinsic toughness that golf is supposed to provide. Part of the game is challenge, and over coming those challenges. More than anything you must overcome yourself. See there is no reason that you can’t swing for the fences on the narrow hole, the problem is your brain won’t let you. As humans, we are programmed to be risk adverse and results driven. One of the impressive things about Tour golfers is that they seem to have the ability to turn this off. They are quite target orientated. Golf is an amazing game, and it’s even more amazing what your brain is doing while you are trying to play it. That’s why we love golf.

Membership Has It's Priviliges

Tue, 30 Mar 2021 18:56:50 GMT

Membership can be a fickle concept. This past winter a gentleman came to visit. We made small talk in the foyer, about the year as a whole and what I thought the next year would bring. The reason for his visit was to ask me about our Senior membership for the following year.

Golf Course Owner Guy had wonderful answers for all his questions. I told him the thought behind our pricing, and all our logistics. I told him that the windows he likes to play in, are the exact windows that work well for us to get him on the Links. Then he did, what some often do. He told me that a course 20 minutes to the north with a slightly better price. Things got a bit quiet. I asked if there was value in convenience? I asked if he liked the idea of supporting a course that was closer to his house. He was hesitant, but he “sort of agreed”. He really liked saving that $100 though.

I told him that there was this guy who lives in Door County and he comes down almost every week and plays RSPGL. He loves what we do, and he drives a great distance. I asked the gentleman, surely you can see the things this commuter sees?

LOST MEMBERSHIP

He left that day, and I’m not sure I will get to sell him a membership. Ironically, you can see this gentleman’s house standing on the Golf Shop porch. That is how hard it is sometimes. Years ago that would really work me up. Today I laugh. I can’t control what anyone thinks or does, I can only do the best I can do. And “some” people really can appreciate that, and some who are a flip wedge away, cannot.

Idea For Real Growth

Tue, 30 Mar 2021 18:54:16 GMT

Now this is a growth of the game initiative. Have you seen the super cool announcement from the USGA? It was decided that each year they are going to pick 50 public courses around the U.S. and basically subsidize golf for an entire month at these facilities. Next year a new 50. Small towns, big cities, municipals, you name it. They realize there is a barrier to entry, and they want to eliminate that barrier. Almost everyone who begins in golf, begins at the local public course. What better way than having the USGA pay for it. I guess people will have to make tee times, they are encouraged to bring someone new, and the USGA will cut a check to the golf course for the business conducted. Evidently, kids under 20 will also be able to rent FREE clubs too. This will be so cool.

UPSIDE OF GROWTH

Golf Course Owner Guy thinks this is exactly what golf needs. I think it could be great for struggling public courses. I think it would be great for the communities that surround these places. Obviously, it would be super great to get more people exposed to golf by basically eliminating the cost factor. Hey, I’d like to see if I might enjoy playing the drums, but I don’t want to buy a drum set to find out I hate it.

Sadly, everything I just wrote is a lie. When you join the USGA, and pay your $35 membership fee, you get a hat. You never know what happens to the rest of that money, but it certainly isn’t doing the plan I just laid out. Where does all that money go? And how could it be transparently spent? These huge Associations love to talk about “growth of the game”, I just think they are too far removed from the mechanisms that might actually make a difference. Keep running commercials and handing out bag tags, you are doing wonders.

Strong Reason FORE Canceling Your Subscription

Tue, 30 Mar 2021 18:52:32 GMT

How many of you have considered canceling your subscription to Golf Digest? Golf Course Owner Guy remembers when I couldn’t wait for the newest issue to hit the mailbox. Obviously the internet and it’s instant news have really hurt my thirst for the printed issue, but I still read Golf Digest… because that’s what I did as a kid.

WHAT DRIVES CANCELING YOUR SUBSCRIPTION

Recently my tune has changed. Have you really “looked” at Golf Digest. First, all pictures are accompanied by the $120 golf shirt sales pitch in the corner. How about the ads, and articles for watches? What? Rolex, Cartier, Movado and Bvlgari. That’s not a type-o. The cheapest one I believe is $3995. How about the car reviews? Oh wait, I’m talking about my house value with wheels. Yes, I’m so impressed by the European engineering. Tell you what…I’ll wait until next month, the car they featured this month, just didn’t inspire. And how about the buddy trips? Eight guys can get together and go on a trip, but only if the golf is $375 a round, the accommodations are 5 star, the best chophouse has your nightly reservation, and you rent one of the cars I discussed earlier.

People I hate to say it, but Golf Digest isn’t talking to me!!! Are they talking to you? I come from a land where $60 golf shirts is a nice shirt, my watch came from a mall kiosk, I would read a review on Toyota Corollas, and 8 guys can play RSPGL, and I’m sure they can have an OK day, and only be out $75 when it’s all aid and done. That magazine is not us, it’s not golf in the Valley, it’s a fantasy world, and I don’t need it anymore. Hold on, I just noticed one more thing, these two page, full spread articles for Cialis, like I said, “they’re not talking to me”.

Employees Who Hurt

Thu, 25 Mar 2021 15:23:32 GMT

Once you’ve been doing the same kind of work for 20+ years, it’s pretty easy to call a spade a spade when it comes to workers who can help you, and employees who hurt the business. Where I’m at right now is pretty simple…I break most employees into two categories. If you happen to fall into the second group, your days are numbered.

Employees concerned about doing a good job
Employees concerned about the time they’ve invested

GOOD JOB PEOPLE

The “good job” people are selfless. Sometimes they are even too selfless if there is such thing. They will come early, stay late, work off days, even stare at the schedule and anticipate issues. This group was not programmed that you are supposed to work only so much.

TIME INVESTED PEOPLE

The “time invested” people are not bad people, and many are hard workers. They just have this trait where they need to remind everyone how much they work, when they worked, how they always have to work, how no one notices how much they work. They have this pre-programmed set of hours they can not exceed. When they do exceed, it’s breaking news.

I’m not a old fashioned tough guy employer, I’m just aware. I’m aware how my selfless people don’t really like these “time sensitive” people. I’m aware my “time sensitive” people don’t really like that the selfless people always make them look bad. I still haven’t figured out how you manage this. Just when you got everyone clicking, someone leaves and someone new joins.

MOVING ON FROM EMPLOYEES WHO HURT

I want to share an awesome golf course with golfers. Wasting my time massaging these two groups of people was something Golf Course Owner Guy used to do, now we just move forward with the people who enjoy being here, regardless of what time it is. It’s a smart and efficient thing to do. It’s a great place to work, if you want to join us.

Sadly, It's On The Internet

Tue, 16 Mar 2021 15:32:38 GMT

Some have said that the future of golf course ownership is not that promising. When in doubt, ask the internet, so Golf Course Owner Guy simply typed in “can you make money owning a golf course?”. This is what the search query turned up. In essence, this was the height of Google search engine optimization, sadly its on the internet folks, it must be true… and it read…

“There are some things management can do to make a golf course profitble. These might range from opening a private club at least some degree to the public…In many cases, the only way to turn a profit is for some or all of the land where the golf course is located to be re-developed into other (non-golf) uses.

There you have it. When Google was asked the question, the best thing that it came up was open to the public if you are private, or sell the land to Home Depot. For those of you that love golf, this is not what you want to hear, and for those of you who want to own a course; this might extinguish the flame, but don’t fret…. let’s look deeper.

JUST BECAUSE ITS ON THE INTERNET…

….doesn’t mean it’s true. People who are on the internet talking are generally the ones who don’t have anything else going on. They are known as keyboard warriors. It’s easy for them to talk about the combustion of golf as they do nothing to keep it from imploding. We are pretty successful, and maybe that’s because I’m too busy actually working, instead of talking about working.

There are probably some really interesting credible resources running very successful golf courses, and we never hear from those people. Years ago, I wanted to find those people, understand what they were doing, get tips, get pointers, etc. Part of the reason I came up with this blog was because I couldn’t find anything good out there. It would take a really, really unique person to be busy all day operating a successful golf course, and then have that same person go home at night, and document his or her credible ideas. Go figure.

Some day that person might come along. Until then, we will simply have to believe the “know-it-alls”, and their little bit of speculative information that they propagate on the internet. And I guess you could make the case…that this applies to more than golf.

Genuine Gritty Golf Bag

Tue, 09 Mar 2021 17:54:46 GMT

A good friend invited me to a round of golf at a course not named RSPGL. I accepted and we played 3 rounds that day. If you know me on a personal level this would not surprise you as I am known to be relentless when I start something. But this is not a human interest story, it’s a nylon fabric materialistic interest story. It’s a story about my gritty golf bag, but it could easily be a story about your golf bag too.

It was a gorgeous 62 degree day. Sunny, light north wind, it had been dry for at least the last 5-6 days. The course was in nice shape and is always fun to play, but when I finished that day, my golf bag, and sweatshirt that was in the back basket was unrecognizable thanks to the Saharan sand storm from this course’s dust laid-en gravely cart paths.

I PROTECT YOUR GOLF BAG

I hold nothing against them. Everyone is doing the best they can, at least I always believe that to be the case. It got me really thinking about RSPGL and how lucky we are to have paved cart paths around the entire golf course. These days, people sometimes get on me pretty good about keeping the “carts on the paths”, but these are gorgeous asphalt paths, where we actually take a buffalo blower and blow the dust and clippings right off. Your golf bag never resembles your ShopVac filter. Your sweatshirts never reduced to gritty sand paper. Your sunscreen covered face, never feeling like chalk.

As humans, we are trained to find “bad”. Complaining is interesting. I hear people all the time talking about the bad of other places. I always think, it’s pretty good here. Two weeks ago a player pointed out that some of our cart path was crumbling up near the 7th tee. (The gentleman who empties our port-o-let up near 5th tee, drives up there in a heavy truck, I need not say what makes it so heavy). I apologized, said I was doing my best, and got to thinking again about this other course, my golf bag, and how they charge double what I charge. Golf is weird…and maybe people can’t see what I see. That’s why I share my stories.

Agonizing Playing a Fake

Tue, 09 Mar 2021 17:50:28 GMT

Are you playing a fake? I spend a lot of time reading and I stumbled across some amazing information in one of my favorite golf websites, MyGolfSpy.com. They did a random purchase of 100 club listings on EBAY, and they found that 24 of those clubs (24%) were fakes. Yikes.

The big club manufacturers have all their clubs made overseas but foreign employees make such little money, they are tempted to steal the molds and sell them to the counterfeiters, many of whom produce in the same area. Even though many foundries perform daily body searches with metal detectors at every entrance and exit and security cameras which watch over them like hawks during their shifts…it still won’t make a difference. There is just too much to gain!

HOW YOU KNOW YOU’RE PLAYING A FAKE?

The website made a list of things you need to watch for when buying a club online: 1) Ask for serial numbers, most big companies use them 2) Ask for close-up photos 3) Watch for “won in a raffle” or “got as gift” to justify low price 4) Anything packaged as a full set 5) Magnet test. If it’s titanium a magnet won’t stick 6) Watch for excess glue / epoxy or out of place decals 6) Lettering and Paint, generally the counterfeits will not use the exact same pantone colors.

A couple years ago, someone showed me a fake Callaway. Paint job looked good, could easily fool a casual golfer. All you had to do was take one swing. You could tell the head was made of some kind of cheap alloy. Sound was terrible, ball went nowhere. He paid $250 for it. All Golf Course Owner Guy could say is “dude, you got hosed”. From my soapbox I say, buy your clubs here, we don’t sell counterfeit, but you won’t, there is just something about the roulette of on making that great score online… that makes you feel so ALIVE!!

Build a Gripping Course

Tue, 23 Feb 2021 15:13:00 GMT

I am interested in many facets of golf, and one that I spend a ton of personal time on, but I don’t write about as much, is architecture. My parents might say that I wanted to own a course when I was a kid…but as non-golfers I think they were confused…I simply wanted to build a course. They inferred the owning part. I want to paint with a very broad brush, how you go from paper to playable.

Once land is acquired, the routing begins. Routing is how it will play. If you know the clubhouse is in a certain spot, well the routing has to start and return you there. If there is going to be houses or a development near by, well the routing needs to steer clear of that. If there has to be a certain par achieved, well then the holes have to fit to that. If there is certain topographical features that must be maximized, well you need to figure out how you will get out to them, use them, and then get back without being awkward.

If you have a budget constraint, then minimal earth will be moved, how do you maximize slopes, ridges, plateaus, vistas, etc. How do you blend long holes, short holes, holes than turn left, holes that turn right, holes that play up or downhill? Will the proximity of tee to the proceeding green be walk-able, will holes be dangerous, will they drain? There are so many questions to consider.

Concessions When You Build a Course

Often times a course has many routing plans, the problem becomes which is best, or which one sucks the least. Sometimes a property is not utilized to it’s full potential, other times, earth moving takes featureless land and gives it flavor. I’m sure there has never been a perfect routing. At some point, something has to be conceded for something better to stand out. Maybe there are tons of concessions for it simply to work. Wow, I would love to route something someday. Then it would be fun to hear everyone comment on how much my routing sucks. Of course they would never be privy to all the constraints, no one ever thinks like that.

Riveting Wrong Way

Tue, 09 Feb 2021 15:30:00 GMT

I was drawn to the premise. A new book called “Million Dollar Party” chronicled a couple’s wrong way attempt to open their own bar and grille in Lincoln, Nebraska. Midwestern people, Bar & Grille, maybe I could learn a little something , right?

In life, there seems to be two ways to learn something, the good way and the bad way. Maybe your dad set the path for learning the right way to do things and, and maybe your cousin Ricky was the example of the wrong way, and you were going to do everything the opposite. Turns out this book was not only inspired by Ricky’s path, cousin Ricky took the time to write a book about his stupidity.

The real Ricky… is Bob Ihrig, and his place was Bob’s Gridiron Grille and the Pigskin Pub. Bob was a huge Nebraska fan, and since childhood had accumulated a massive amount of Cornhusker memorabilia. This is where the story begins. I mean nothing says this endeavor will be successful than believing everyone is coming because of your decorations.

Exactly The Wrong Way

On opening day 2003, (he picked a Saturday) , after a football game and charged everyone half price. He was over run, staff was totally spooked, and believed that day alone caused severe trauma to future customer loyalty. Then, with a menu to large already, he thought rotating specials of the day were a good idea.

Then Lincoln passed a restaurant smoking ban, so he tried to become more of bar to get around ordinance, he hired bands and often served $1 beers, which led to a complete image change and destroyed profitability. Throw in a few bad hires….one night he fired an employee, and when Bob left that night, his car had been totally flipped over.

Keeping Wrong Way Theme Alive

He claims his final nail in the coffin was that he did not read the building lease agreement close enough. He thought during a remodel he did not have to pay rent, landlord said, “nice try”. To me, the real atrocity is Bob writing this book. If his goal was for me to feel way better about my restaurant, he accomplished that. If his goal was to make sure someone 500 miles from Lincoln thought he was a total moron, he accomplished that too.

Bob claims his goal was to provide advice about how to do things differently…point taken. It has become abundantly apparent that I will not find a “good way to run a restaurant ” book. Those people are too busy running successful restaurants to write a book.

Strokes Gained Putting

Tue, 26 Jan 2021 16:19:00 GMT

The new “strokes gained putting” stat (invented by Mark Broadie ) measures the number of putts a golfer takes relative to the PGA Tour average, taking into account the initial putt distance on each green. In 2013 Steve Stricker led the Tour with 0.851 strokes gained. That means in each round, he gained an average of 0.851 strokes on the field just from his superior putting ability. Here’s how the stat is computed.

Suppose, for example, a golfer one-putts from 33 feet. The Tour average to hole-out from that distance is 2.0 putts, so a one-putt gains one putt on the field. A two-putt neither gains nor loses, but a three-putt represents a loss of one putt (or stroke) against the field. From other distances, the strokes gained or lost are typically fractional.

Application of Strokes Gained Putting

For example, suppose a golfer one-putts from eight feet. The Tour average from that distance is 1.5, so a one-putt gains 0.5 strokes, but a two-putt loses 0.5 strokes. If the golfer started from eight feet 10 times in the round and made half of them, his strokes gained would be zero—he gained 0.5 on five holes and lost 0.5 on the other five holes. If the golfer made six and missed four, his strokes gained would be one—he gained 0.5 on six holes and lost 0.5 on four holes. That makes sense because he took a total of 14 putts vs. the Tour average of 15 putts.

If you want to putt like a Pro, ( not Golf Course Owner Guy ) here’s what you need to do according to Shot Link: make 100% of your 2 footers, make 75% of your 5 footers, 50% of your 7 footers, 25% of your 13 footers and you can’t 3 putt until you’re outside 35 feet.

Doing Absolutely Nothing

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 14:49:00 GMT

Bob Vavrek, a Senior Agronomist with the USGA wrote a fantastic piece on doing absolutely nothing. He said as human beings we are programmed for action, but some of the best superintendents have a special skill for “doing nothing”. Boards and owners everywhere are cringing. Imagine a meeting where he or she says, “I plan to just monitor”.

Should you mow greens right after a deluge, but it’s Men’s Day? Should you top dress after a stretch of hot, stressful weather, but that was the plan we laid out in the off season. What if your greens have winter kill? Here is the classic program of excess to satisfy the owners or Board members:

The Opposite of Absolutely Nothing

As Bob says, go to the other extreme. Imagine trying to explain to an owner or a board that you need to close a green “because you didn’t do something”. As humans we are trained that society is far more sympathetic to one’s misfortune if one takes action, even if it’s completely the wrong action. The mantra of human life seems to be “more is better”.

Think about this…if I sent you a newsletter saying I was “doing nothing this year”, would your response be “that’s perfect, that’s just what I wanted to hear!” No, you want to hear a bunch of items I’m working on even if none of them make sense. You can feel good that I’m taking action. As Golf Course Owner Guy always says, running a course is interesting.

Pitiful They Steal It

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 14:48:00 GMT

Years ago I attended the PGA Merchandise Show . It’s a gigantic exposition of all things golf, you name it, someone is there trying to sell it or steal it. From the biggest OEM companies in the world, down to the guy making tees from corn starch in his basement. Biodegradable sells. It’s not only a place for people like me to find the latest and greatest for the Golf Shop, it’s a haven for thievery. As the expression goes, there are no new ideas…

I stood near a booth where a lady was peddling her hand made floral bands for straw hats. You know that piece of fabric that goes around it for decoration. She was older, organized and passionately engaging to whoever walked by. A group of nicely dressed Asian men made their way past with cameras and she started screaming at the top of her lungs, it was a scene. I stood there frozen, what was happening???

Why They Steal It?

Today the US produces next to nothing for golf, and the reason is cost and efficiency. The engineers and foundries overseas for the most part are finely oiled machines…they do incredible work at unbeatable prices. They are very good, extremely creative and incredibly hardworking. The majority of their workers put in 12-hour days, 7-days a week, and are paid only about $150 a month. But…and this is a big but…they can make up to $10,000 for stealing an original design made by a major manufacturer.

Why the weird transition and why was that lady screaming. Those gentleman were stealing ideas, and she knew once they had them, she was done. I will always remember that lady and what I saw, it was pretty sad, but it’s the world we live in.

What Golf Course Owner Guy loves about owning and running a golf course, is the uniqueness. No matter how hard anyone tries, no matter what ideas they steal, they cannot replicate what we have. I hammer our uniqueness in everything we do. In a world where ideas are stolen everyday and poorly replicated, being one of a kind can be polarizing, but to those who like it, it’s a difference maker.

Ingredients of Water Hazards

Tue, 29 Sep 2020 15:59:00 GMT

If there is one feature at RSPGL I wish I could change, I think it would be the water hazards. When we are kids and draw golf holes, just about all our favorite creations have a heroic carry over the menacing water. I agree, it is fun to design that, and even more fun to pull it off in real life. But there’s a huge problem when that is applied to actual golf, it’s hard.

Water hazards weren’t put on RSPGL to make it challenging, actually they had nothing to do with golf at all. First off, when you have a relatively flatter site, you need it to drain. By creating lakes, you ensure that surface drainage, makes it’s way to these fabricated low spots. This dries the homesites and playing surfaces. Connecting each of these lakes is either a creek or an underground Weir structure. These structures move water from one lake to the next, that’s why many of them never over flow.

Second reason to make lakes, was to provide a buffer . If houses are to border a golf course, and water is in between the fairway and the homes, it’s reasonable to believe, that balls flying at patios will be reduced. You not only lose your Titleist, your score will inflate. That’s a deterrent.

Third reason is beauty. You can’t deny the view. Whether you are golfer, or a homeowner, people are drawn to the sea. The next closest thing might be a clay lined drainage pond, but it still works. Great wildlife live in and around these lakes, and the property presents better, when you have water.

So now we get back to the golf. Had we not had to do the first three points, this course would not have so many water hazards. Here is my essential problem with water. In our case, you really don’t hit over it much, you essentially play along side of it. Not a problem for good players, but let’s face it, average players don’t always play down the fairway, for some reason they prefer to play along side it. Water is disproportionately harder for the average player.

A Wand For Water Hazards

If I could wave a magic wand, the lakes should have been placed down the middle of the hole corridors. Average players would never have to worry, because they are never in the middle anyway. Good players would have to choose whether to go down the right or the left. They are stimulated enough by the thought, and they have the ability to execute a preferred side. Everyone is happy.

Had we done that, the course would have been out of business in one year, even though it makes perfect sense. The reality is, we are all programmed to see golf a certain way. Anything that deviates from that programming is seen as a problem. Sometimes those deviations would be the best thing for us, but as a herd, we simply cannot accept it.

Take Water In Stride

If I could remove the amount of water hazards I would. Sadly the water actually grows. Erosion takes more and more of the golf course, but I combat that with offering and expanding the widest playing areas in golf , which I told you all about weeks ago. I will paraphrase what Tom Doak said in his Little Red Book, “the purpose of golf is happiness, for those who think it’s about posting a score, I feel sad for them”.

Sure that water takes a few of your golf balls, sure it inflates your score, but there is something about seeing it, playing along side of it, or playing heroically over it that brings happiness. Even as a kid, you knew that’s what it’s all about.

How You React

Tue, 29 Sep 2020 15:59:00 GMT

When you hit any golf shot, there are really only 4 actions, and 4 outcomes that determine the net result of a particular swing. None of these results will define you, but how you react will set the tone for today, and it will help create a pattern for the future.

Let Me Help With How You React

What’s amazing about all of this, is that golf is about acceptance. It’s about accepting the bad and the good. It can’t possibly be all bad, it certainly will never be all good. It’s all about how you frame it . This season, work on framing your actions and your outcomes. Your playing partners will love it, and it’s healthy for you to realize it’s just a game, and things are going to happen. It’s about how you react. Business and golf have taught me that.