I'm a member of a private club that's in need of new members (what club isn't unless you are Augusta National). Small club, good course. We've gotten a windfall of cash from an investor and the club is deciding on what to do to improve things around the course.

General consesus is to put in new fairways...go to Zoysia, spruce up the flowers and improve the club house. Peronally I don't like this idea. Our fairways are OK, manicurring has gone a little down hill with the decline in available capital over the last couple of years though.

When a buddy of mine and I joined we played a complimentary round the same day they held a junior tournament and the greens were slick and perfect. The next week I joined and went out to play and was not pleased with the greens...they remained that way all summer. OK green speed but not what you would expect from a private club.

You've got 2 ways to spend the cash IMO:

1) Spend it to make the current members happier (new fairways, club house improvements, flowers et al)
2) Spend it to attract new members.

I would think prospective members are going to remember how they were treated first and the quality of the greens second. When you walk off the course the first thing you gripe about (if you are going to gripe) is if the greens sucked. I think they should spend some on keeping the greens top notch all year...every day of the golfing season.

Opinions please:

the greens are definitely the most important aspect of a golf course... you can have horrible fairways, rough, tee-boxes, etc. but the greens always have to be perfect... poor greens will produce the greatest effect on a players round... improve the greens and you will attract more members... look into improve your golf car fleet ie new carts or more amenities on the cars, such as gps system, rain covers, ball washers, etc. then i would work on your locker room area or the practice facility, seems to me those are the most important factors in have a prestigous golf establishment

Most people that I golf with always comment on the greens. For some of them, the rest of the course could be all dirt, but if the greens are nice it is "All Good!". We have a local corse that focused on their greens and it has paid off for them. Their reputation amongst the local golfers has really improved. A lot of landscaping can be done for a reasonable amount of money. On the properties that I have owned it has always been a good return for the dollars spent. Has the club thought about a members work day? The club pays for the mulch, flowers etc... and the members donate the labor.

I would try to convince the "powers" to put money into maintanence budget and use to keep the greens in good condition. As you know it can be hard to keep them in very good condition at a speedy rate thru Missouri's summers but at least they should be able to mow them often at a comfortable height to keep them at "smooth" state. Make them very quick is asking for problems in this kind of weather we have.

Remember when we played in Callaway Pro-Scratch tourney at Annbriar, the greens were in very good shape so I bought a group back there to play a casual round about 3 weeks later, we were very appalled at truly terrible condition the whole course was in and would never go back there unless they have that Callaway tournament there again. It seem like they spend lot of time getting it ready to impress the visitors & club professionals. They even had one half of a green as GUR!

That's the kind of statement that visitors or new members looks on how well the course is being kept up.

I would probably think first about securing the absolute best greenskeeping talent I could afford on the market. Then support him with sufficient resources to achieve whatever level of course quality you deem optimum for your club.

If there is one common element to those companies that separate themselves from the rest of the pack, its their people. At the end of the day, the best talent will always give you a sustainable competitive advantage in the market.

You would probably also want to think through which market you're targeting in the golf world. Obviously, some clubs emphasize the social/prestige elements, others maybe more of the serious players niche. That may also influence how much capital you have available for all the various demands on cash.


Cheers.

omg get out

I'd definitely push to make greens a priority, but you might strike a compromise by putting a small amound of funds into the clubhouse as well - if it's in need of some sprucing up... That'll make the existing members a little more proud of the course too.

Astoria CC down the street from our course just improved their appeal to new members loads by putting in a first rate practice facility which is included in all levels of membership for unlimited use. Who that can afford to be a member has time to play right??

I think this is one of the most attractive features that a Club can offer to the 20-40 something crowds. Other than that it is no doubt the quality of the locker rooms and greens.. Concentrate on the stuff that gets used most...

IMOP, THERE ARE THREE THINGS THAT WILL ATTRACT NEW MEMBERS:

1: GOOD COURSE CONDITIONS
2: A GOOD LAYOUT
3: PRESTIGE

SPEND THE MONEY ON THE CONDITIONING OF THE COURSE. MEMBERS LIKE NOTHING MORE THAN IMPRESSING THEIR BUDDIES WITH THE PLAYING CONDITIONS AT THEIR COURSE. ALSO, GOOD CONDITIONS TEND TO LEAD TO GOOD WORD OF MOUTH AMONG PLAYERS WHO MIGHT BE IN THE MARKET FOR A MEMBERSHIP.

I'm not a member of any private clubs, but I think the biggest thing to attact golfers to a course is the overall course conditions. I've played some absolutely horrible courses, that I won't go back to. Well kept fairways and greens are the key to get me back again. They can be tough greens and tight fairways, as long as the are well kept, I'll probably play there again. The clubhouse could be the best hangout spot in the county, but if you just got robbed by course conditions, how happy are you going to be sitting in the clubhouse enjoy a cold beverage. A friend of mine belongs to a country club, and the course was in great shape. The best course conditions I played all of last year. If it wasn't a 2 hour drive away, I would have joined the club.

I appreciate the input gentlemen.

I am soundly convinced that the most significant lasting impression left on a golfer is the condition of the putting surfaces, then the condition of the course itself and then the ammenitites.

They've been spending money on sprinkler systems for new flower beds on the walkway from the parking lot to the club house; renovating the bunkers; redoing sprinkler heads (raising them in most cases) and adding drainage. It isn't spring yet so I'm not sure of the intent to keep the greens rolling like greased lightning. The two public courses very near our club have greens that are consistently better than ours and that is just not acceptable for a private club IMO.

I'll work on them...

Brian

Where is Madball? I would have thought he might have chimed in on this one. He would be a good source on this.

I think the best post here was by Gary W. To piggyback on that, I know everyone has their opinions, but seriously, you have to ask yourself what market you are in. What type of golfers are currently members, and what type of golfers are you targeting? You know where you want to go with the club, so how are you going to get there? It's a business decision in the end, so how can you best strengthen your brand? That is the most important thing. If you are going after the upscale type, I'd work on your conditioning in a hurry since you may have developed a bad reputation already. Practice facilities are important too. Creating a facility people want to spend more time at is bound to impact your club in a positive way. Members who enjoy being at their club are the best advertisement.