Golf Industry Central Autumn 2011 | Page 4

Mike’s Space The Summer like no other Summer is technically over, but the aftermath is still yet to occur for many clubs throughout the region. Rain, heat, flooding, cyclones, earthquakes - what else can be thrown at the industry? How about a cash drought? Mike Orloff is an Operations and Marketing Specialist for Golf Industry Central and a PGA Member in the USA and Australia. Originally from Southern California, Mike has permanently resided on the Gold Coast for the past 10 years. He has over 20 years of commercial golf experience in various senior management roles and currently provides operational and marketing solutions to the golf industry in the region. Currently, Mike also lectures part-time for the PGA International Golf Institute and runs the industry based website www.golfindustrycentral.com.au. Editor / Sales: Mike Orloff [email protected] +61 415 682 259 Contributors: David Newbery Senior Writer Grant Garrison Grow the Game Specialist Mike Orloff Cash flow issues are the next on the horizon for many. If clubs were struggling already in a lead up to the summer, where many are dependent on a good seasonal trade to get them through the year, they will be starting to feel the heat again with cash reserves becoming close to being depleted. Will a break of continual better weather (as I write this SE Qld experiencing another wet weekend) and their insurance claims being approved be enough to carry through to the next annual dues cycle? We’ve received many reports already that special levies are on the cards for numerous clubs to help combat this exact issue. This though also has many members threatening resignation from their clubs since courses have been closed for several weeks at a time and may not be seeing the value of the club anymore. A good member, we hope, will stick through the tough times! Our NZ (South Island) counterparts are feeling similar pain though this caused by some major earthquakes. When will it stop and did you have contingency plans in place to ride out such a disaster? Clubs will be looking to top up cash reserves and very quickly. Maybe this will be the wake-up call we’ve needed for the industry to make the decisions required to get into the new era of operations. To become more commercialised in their approach to how they do business. We wish the best to you all in the coming months, please feel free to give me a call or email if you want any thoughts or help on what to do next. Mike Orloff Operations and Marketing Specialist Operations and Marketing Specialist Norm Spitzig Master Club Advisor Publisher Morlo Pty Ltd ACN 123 872 784 ABN 1812 3872 784 PO Box 773, Main Beach, QLD, Australia, 4230 Contents may not be reproduced without written permission. Views expressed in editorial contributions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this publication and it’s management 2 Golf Industry Central exists to help golf facilities throughout Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia perform better. We offer easy access to golf industry news, job vacancies, recruitment services and operational advice. We also help overseas markets access the local golf industry via our vast network, online magazine and weekly publications. Golf Industry Central operates with a general premise that for the industry to get stronger there is a real need for a cross pollination of ideas and networking from across all the different sectors of the golf industry. We all have a common denominator with our respective businesses - we need more people playing golf and spending money! Currently our readership covers all sectors of the industry - General Managers, Superintendants, suppliers, golf pros, front line staff, accounting, architects, and various others from over 80 countries worldwide. Our goal in each issue is to bring you a fresh and unique perspective on our golf industry. Through the sharing and discussion of thought-provoking topics, we will hopefully help your business in some small way. For this magazine to be fully sustainable and to achieve our goal and vision, it truly will need to be a collaborative effort. Please feel free to submit any items or stories you think the general industry may have interest in. Solution providers for the golf industry www.golfindustrycentral.com.au