Member Clubs
Leveraging the Boon
Golf exploded amid the pandemic . Is the growth sustainable ?
by MICHAEL J . STOTT
FACT : According to the National Golf Foundation , in 2020 U . S . courses experienced 63 million more rounds played than in 2019 . The bulk , says Stuart Lindsay of Edgehill Golf Advisors , came from existing golfers taking to the links more often . The Grand Game also added five percent “ new net golfers ,” reports the National Sporting Goods Association . Through March 2021 rounds played nationally were up 24 percent over 2020 .
“ Of course ,” says Lindsay , an advisor to Pellucid , a leading golf industry insight provider , “ the big question is whether this boom is sustainable . Based on first quarter results , it appears that demand is holding up ; but those results are mostly from Sunbelt courses . It will be the second and third quarters that will really tell the tale ,” he says . “ As other recreation and leisure activities become available again ; we ’ ll see if golf has really reclaimed some of its past glory .”
In April , Lindsay and his associates dove deeper into activity in the Washington D . C ./ Northern Va . Designated Marketing Area ( DMA ). “ Surprisingly ,” he said , “ that market did not experience the same level of increase as most of the rest of the U . S . They ranked near the bottom of the 34 regions we studied . However , the state of Virginia performed relatively well …” as the narrative below illustrates .
Going Forward
Amidst a return to normalcy , club managers of Virginia ’ s public and private facilities have sought and implemented innovative thinking and programs to leverage and sustain the boon . What follows is a snapshot of what various operators have done to grow the game in pandemic times .
Laurel Hill Golf Club , Lorton ( Rounds up 36 percent compared to 2019 ) “ The number one complaint we get is that golfers can ’ t get a tee time here . It ’ s a good problem to have but it ’ s stressful at times . From a marketing aspect , we kept our golfers engaged through email blasts , social media and sales efforts ,” says general manager Ryan Carmen . Through its links with the Eisman Golf Academy and First Tee of Greater Washington D . C ., Laurel Hill has begun hosting golf camps and weekly lesson sessions . In general , the EGA has seen an impressive increase in business ; enough so that it has hired two additional instructors .
In addition , Laurel Hill is hosting a new line of business for the club — two separate evening leagues . “ There has never been a better time to think outside of the box ,” says Carmen . “ The pandemic has been ever changing and so has our way of thinking . We are thinking more on our feet now than ever before because we know there is new revenue to be found . With a possible expansion and using creative ways to
12 V IRGINIA G OLFER | J ULY / A UGUST 2021
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