Times Are Tough in Golf As Well

Country Clubs: Stuck in the Rough
Golf courses across the nation are in crisis as memberships and money dwindle

By Dean Foust

From the day it opened its gates in 1998, Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club was one of the "it" clubs in the Phoenix area. Boasting a Spanish Colonial clubhouse and a pair of Jack Nicklaus-designed courses with majestic mountain views, the club exuded an air of wealth and success. And because Superstition Mountain was the host course for a popular Ladies Professional Golf Assn. tournament, its members got to hobnob with such stars as Annika Sorenstam—a perk that made writing a $100,000-plus initiation check a little easier.

But as the economic downturn suddenly made a club membership seem more extravagance than necessity, Superstition's luck took a turn for the worse. With membership slipping and the developer behind the club and the adjoining residential development suffering his own financial problems, Superstition's lenders foreclosed and now plan to sell the property at auction this December. What happens then is anyone's guess, given that Superstition Mountain has only about half the 780 members originally envisioned. "It's just not feasible that the members take it over at this point," says Keith Bierman, the court-appointed receiver for the club.

For generations of golfing executives, joining a private club not only provided a venue to entertain clients but also served as a validation of their success. Now the economic downturn has created an existential crisis for many of the nation's 4,400 country clubs. To be sure, elite clubs such as Augusta National, Shinnecock Hills Golf Club outside New York City, and Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles remain impervious to the current downdraft, as do many of the most established, old-money clubs across the country. Hammered hardest are the thousands of middle- and lower-tier courses, as well as many, like Superstition, that sprouted throughout the Sun Belt during the past decade. Already, dozens are in foreclosure. And according to the National Golf Foundation (NGF), as many as 15% of the rest say they're suffering serious financial problems. Among the troubled are such venerable clubs as the Country Club of Lansing, Mich., and the former IBM Heritage Country Club outside Binghamton, N.Y., both of which are in foreclosure.

The pain isn't over, either. The number of golfers belonging to clubs now is down to 2.1 million—900,000 below the peak in the early 1990s. Experts such as consultant Jim Koppenhaver, whose Buffalo Grove (Ill.) firm, Pellucid, monitors the industry, believes at least 400—and worst case, 1,000—private clubs will have to close, convert to public play, or be absorbed into healthier clubs before the carnage is over. "The whole country club model is at risk," says Koppenhaver. But "for a lot of golfers, the value proposition of belonging to a club is hard to pencil out."

While it would be easy to ascribe the clubs' woes to the economic crisis, experts say the seeds were planted in the early 1990s, when Congress enacted tax reforms that eliminated or reduced the ability of club members—and, more practically, their corporate employers—to deduct club dues as a business expense. That raised the effective cost of joining clubs and gave rise to a new breed of upscale public courses some executives view as suitable, and cheaper, places to entertain clients. Societal changes had an effect as well. While earlier generations of men viewed their clubs as weekend sanctuaries from work, if not from the wife and kids, many executives in their 40s and 50s are opting to spend their weekends not on the course but on sports fields coaching their kids' teams.

SUDDEN SHORTFALLS

The clubs themselves share the blame for their plight. Some took on huge loans to fund extensive renovations to courses and clubhouses, racking up debts they are currently struggling to repay. And while 500 of the clubs surveyed by the NGF say they've been running at a deficit, experts believe 2010 could claim even more victims. Most clubs give members a certain window each fall to suspend or shift to a cheaper plan in the coming year, and experts say many are doing just that. "There are clubs that are finding out right now that they're not going to make it next year," says David Shaw, a Greenvale (N.Y.) consultant to clubs.

To plug these shortfalls, troubled clubs are resorting to a variety of measures. At the roughly 500 clubs that told the National Golf Foundation they were suffering serious financial problems, heavy membership losses were a key culprit. As a result, 90% reported they had tried recruiting new members with discounted initiation fees—and some, such as Inwood Country Club, a 108-year-old establishment on Long Island, N.Y., have waived their initiation charges for golf members. Others are merging with neighboring clubs to cut labor costs, which account for about half the expenses at an average club. That allows the clubs to share the cost of a bookkeeper, food-service director, and other staff. In Cleveland, two clubs facing declining memberships—Sand Ridge and Mayfield—merged three years ago, a move that enabled them to slash overhead enough to keep both courses. But with their combined membership down from more than 700 to 550 in the years since, the renamed Mayfield Sand Ridge Club is entertaining approaches from other clubs looking to merge their way in, too. "We're doing fine, but we're still looking for anything that would help our club," says Jon Outcalt, Mayfield's president.

TEED OFF

Despite their best intentions, some of the clubs' efforts to stay afloat have current members grumbling. The offenses include opening the banquet rooms to outsiders and renting the courses for corporate outings and charity events. Not surprisingly, a number of the disputes involve money—and lawyers. At some clubs, members have sued when the clubs dragged their feet on refunding their initiation fees until replacement members are found, a process that can take years at struggling clubs. In Lexington, Ky., seven members of the University Club of Kentucky filed suit in 2003 after club officials slashed the initiation fee from $12,500 to as little as $6,000. That, said members, violated the club's vows that the value of their memberships wouldn't decline. While the club and litigants reached a private settlement, Randolph Addison, a Dallas attorney who specializes in private-club matters, says the courts usually uphold the right of private clubs to alter their fees.

In the end, some industry insiders believe the long-term solution is to reinvent the country club, moving beyond golf to a broader array of services that meet the changing needs of younger members. In San Clemente, Calif., the once-bankrupt Bella Collina Towne & Golf Club has sold 120 new memberships in the past six months by adding pilates, karate lessons, and even a vegetable garden (for the restaurant) that members' kids help plant.

On the golf course, Bella Collina now offers a free junior golf program and permits members to take lessons from the club's instructors at no charge. That last move created turnover among the teaching pros, who viewed the cash from paid lessons as a perk of the job. But club officials say the gesture has helped get more mothers and children out on the course with their fathers. "The country club has to evolve and become like piazzas in Italy, the town square where families—and not just the men who are golfing—meet on weekends," says John G. Fornaro, one of the investors who bought Bella Collina last year. That's good advice, but it may be coming late to clubs where the wolf is already at the door.

Time to Shine!

The 2009 Hieronymus Cup Matches are here, below you will see the schedule of events and team members for the event being held at Jefferson City Country Club.

Schedule:
Friday, October 9th, 2009
Practice Round
Saturday, October 10th
AM- Four Ball Matches
PM- Alternate Shot Matches
Sunday, October 11th
Single Matches

East Team - Jim Holtgrieve Team Captain	West Team - Ron Brewer Team Captain
Senior Point Members	Senior Point Members
Don Bliss	Steve Groom
Scott Thomas	Gerald Siemons
David Lucks	Rich Gleghorn
Bob Meeh	Andy Smith
Robert Trittler	Ron Eilers
Karl Elbrecht	Don Kuehn
Scott Edwards	Tom McHenry
Darrel Huisinga	Robert Martin
Ben Cantrell (Captains Pick)	B J Curry (Captains Pick)
Jim Holtgrieve	Dee Sanders (Captains Pick)
Randy Bickel (Assistant Captain)	Jack Garvin (Assistant Captain)
Champion Point Members	Champion Point Members
Skip Berkmeyer	Brian Haskell
Darren Lundgren	Brad Nurski
Jeff Johnson	Scott Hovis
Tom Barry	Aaron Murphy
Ted Moloney	Dean Merrill
Bobby Godwin	Tyler Stalker
David Johnson	Harry Roberts
Brevin Giebler	Mark Korell
Paul Neeman (Captains Pick)	Wayne Fredrick (Captains Pick)
Buddy Allen (Captains Pick)	Travis Mitchell (Captains Pick)
	Antonio Serrano (Assistant Captain)

In years passed 14 members were chosen to represent their region (2008 and prior). This year (2009) we have extended the number of members to 20 players per team. 20 players represent the East side of Missouri and 20 players represent the West side. 8 of the 20 are chosen from the top 2009 point leaders. Then 8 players are chosen from the top senior point leaders. The remaining 4 are chosen by the Captain, 2 from the championship side and 2 from the senior division.

The East Team won the matches in 2008 at Dalhouise Golf Club by the score of 15.5 to 12.5. The East leads 8 to 7 in the lifetime standings of these matches. It should be a fun weekend full of some great golf!!

Until I see you on the first tee!!

Scott

Amazing!!

I hope each of you enjoy this great story as much as I did.

http://www.thegolfchannel.com/golf-videos/meet-butch-lumpkin-9477/?ref=26000 

See you on the first tee!

Scott

Young Boy Beats the Odds

This is an incredible story and I encourage all of you to take the time to watch it. Yes, it is about a golfer, but it is so much more than that! This young boy has overcome more than most of us will ever be faced with in our lives

http://video.yahoo.com/watch/1197420/4273255%3e%20GolfStory

Until I see you on the tee,

Scott

Staying Close to Home

As I sit here I can’t help thinking about the state we Americans are all in right now with the economy. In talking with golfers every day by either phone or email each one has the same question for me, how do you see this year sorting itself out in the golf business? My response each time is the same, it is going to be trying but remember golf is a therapeutic sport. Just think you can get away out on a beautifully manicured golf course with no worries at all, just leave the cell phone in the car and tell your buddies no business talk for the next four hours. Breathe in the fresh air and smell the freshly mowed grass, look up to the see the beautiful sky and be thankful you are not in the office talking on the phone and just have fun. I know this sounds easier than done, but if you just leave all your worries and problems in the parking lot, you can get re energized and back to a happy place.

A tradition that many men and some women have each year is the annual golf trip for a long weekend, however with the times we are in, traveling to those familiar golf designations like South Carolina or Arizona might not be in the budget, however do not let that discourage you and keep you from that needed get away. Instead think close to home and look what great options we have here in Missouri to offer. Just last week my buddies and I changed our annual out of state trip to stay close to home and head down to the Lake of the Ozarks for a three day getaway of golf and fun. The trip is 75% less than what we would have spent on our normal trip and to be honest the courses we are playing are going to be better than what we usually play out of state. The Lake is not the only place you can play in Missouri; Branson has some great courses as well. Both of these locations have wonderful courses that will accommodate groups and help make a golf trip for you and the boys. Go to golfbranson.com website or try golfinginmissouri.com the Lake of the Ozarks Golf Council web site and check out what you can do. Sometimes when we think golf trips we never think what we have here in Missouri to offer and that is a shame, so check it out and see what you come up with. I am betting that this year’s trip for us might be the best we ever had.

Until I see you on the first tee.

Scott

Drinking the Kool-Aid!!!!

Look out! The best golfer on the planet is back and ready to ROAR!!! Unless you have been living in a cave with no TV or Computer access for the last 7 months, then you know that Tiger Woods has been out of competition with knee issues. So this week at the Accenture Match Play Championship in Tucson, Arizona Tiger is having his 2009 coming out party. If you have been watching SportsCenter or reading some articles you can hear bits and pieces that Tiger has been ready to go for a couple of weeks now and that he has been practicing more these days than in years past because now he is longer in pain. So if you are not drinking and liking the Kool-Aid that people are saying they expect Tiger to come back better than ever, then my advice to you is to add more sugar because he is going to prove a point real quick. Wednesday morning Tiger plays Brendan Jones from Australia in the first round match, all I have to say to Mr. Jones is I bet that you can go ahead and book that early flight out of Tucson if you want because your week will be short. Some people are saying that Tiger will not be ready to play the grueling week of over 100 holes if he makes it to the finals, my response to them is you need to add some sugar as well. Tiger has proved time and time again that he only does things if he is able to do them. This guy is ready for this week and is going to show the world that he is ready. When a player admits to the press that his short game has never been in better shape than it is now, that is pretty scary. So I am just going to sit back and drink the gallon of Tiger Kool-Aid while watching him roll this week.

Until I see you on the first Tee

Scott

College Golf Myth

Every kid who plays the game of golf has dreams of playing college golf at the Division 1 level and they think that to get to that level they must play in every AJGA event possible. I am not going to argue that the AJGA is not a great place for kids to play or be seen by college coaches. However, I am going to argue that kids can be seen just as much and get more experience to help them down the road by playing in the local and state events around them. Yes, I know that each kid has his heart and dreams set on going to a big time golf school like Oklahoma State or Georgia, but those kids that go to those schools are the cream of the crop. There are some very good schools that are not as big but at the same time have great golf programs and are also great academic institutes. Just because you do not get that call or letter from one of the elite schools should not stop you from chasing your dream.

Each year more and more junior golf tournaments are being held throughout the state of Missouri, get involved and play as many tournaments that you can play in, if you live in the St. Louis area play the Gateway PGA Sections junior series which are great. If you live in the Kansas City area get involved with the KCGA junior golf events, the Springfield area has a great junior series along with the Lake of the Ozarks. Also, it does not matter where you live or what level you are to get involved with the great Junior Program that we the MGA put on each year. Just this year in ‘09 we have added more one day events throughout the state, also starting this year we are allowing young ladies for the first time to compete in our Missouri Junior Amateur Championship.

The more you compete and learn how to play under the gun of pressure the better player you are going to become and hence getting the attention of the college coaches. The AJGA is a great association that gives kids a chance to compete against the best, but at the same time they are the problem. Kids need to compete and learn how to win, if a kid who is not one of the top players in the country goes out and plays each week on the AJGA and spends all that money finishing in the middle of the pack and not really leading anything than it was not worth it. However if a kid travels the state of the Missouri all summer playing in events and finishing high, than he or she will learn how to handle pressure and learn how their body reacts to being in that position. College coaches want kids that compete and know what it takes to win and how to react in tough situations. I am not saying for a kid to play just local events, go see where you rank against the best once in a while. However for the most part stay close to home and learn how to win.

So my final advice to you junior golfers is this, play as much as you can and compete as much as you can. Just because you do not get the attention of a Division 1 school should not stop you from chasing that dream, D 2 and D 3 schools play great schedules as well and have just as much fun. So keep practicing and playing and go to our web site www.mogolf.org to get signed up for our great events in 09.

Until I see you on the first Tee

Scott

2009 Is Here

Well the 2009 MGA season is just around the corner now and before we know it this cold winter weather will be gone and golf balls will be flying through the air. It can’t get here fast enough for me. I am excited about the upcoming year and the great venues where our tournaments will be held.


The 2009 schedule is out and you can see it at http://www.mogolf.org/, also keep watching the web site to see when you can start entering the 2009 events. That date and time should be published soon.


In 2009 we are going to try some new things to better your experience. First off we are going to offer text messaging of your tee time to you. This will require you, the player, to add your cell phone number and cell phone carrier in your player profile when you log in. This new feature is going to be handy because instead of having to find a computer each night to get your tee time for the next day, now your time will be sent directly to your phone.

The other new feature that the MGA is excited to offer in 2009 is a partnership with Drury Hotel Property’s, they will be the official hotel for the Missouri Golf Association. This new partnership is going to allow you, the players, to get discounted room rates where a Drury Hotel is located in city that our Championships are being held in. Also, a MGA code is going to be available that will allow you to get discounts at Drury hotels all over, even when not participating in one of our events. I want to thank Drury for stepping up to the plate and helping us and you out in the upcoming year and years to come.

Keep watching the MGA webs site for new stories about the golfing world and also tips on how to get your game and body ready for the upcoming year. Also, I will be sending out some more blogs in the upcoming days to keep you informed on what is going on.

Until I see you on the first tee!

Scott

**Please add shovis@mogolf.org to your address book and/or safe senders list so you are not blocked from future emails**

2009 Is Here

Well the 2009 MGA season is just around the corner now and before we know it this cold winter weather will be gone and golf balls will be flying through the air. It can’t get here fast enough for me. I am excited about the upcoming year and the great venues where our tournaments will be held.

The 2009 schedule is out and you can see it at www.mogolf.org, also keep watching the web site to see when you can start entering the 2009 events. That date and time should be published soon.

In 2009 we are going to try some new things to better your experience. First off we are going to offer text messaging of your tee time to you. This will require you, the player, to add your cell phone number and cell phone carrier in your player profile when you log in. This new feature is going to be handy because instead of having to find a computer each night to get your tee time for the next day, now your time will be sent directly to your phone.

The other new feature that the MGA is excited to offer in 2009 is a partnership with Drury Hotel Property’s, they will be the official hotel for the Missouri Golf Association. This new partnership is going to allow you, the players, to get discounted room rates where a Drury Hotel is located in city that our Championships are being held in. Also, a MGA code is going to be available that will allow you to get discounts at Drury hotels all over, even when not participating in one of our events. I want to thank Drury for stepping up to the plate and helping us and you out in the upcoming year and years to come.

Keep watching the MGA webs site for new stories about the golfing world and also tips on how to get your game and body ready for the upcoming year. Also, I will be sending out some more blogs in the upcoming days to keep you informed on what is going on.

Until I see you on the first tee!

Scott