Princess Anne wends its way through several neighborhoods, and houses border the courses at Springfield and Richmond.
Among the challenges Meier says she is facing at RCC is the competition from high-end daily fee courses and the influx of quality restaurants in the Richmond area.
“ We have to try and be the best of everything— best burger place, best comfort food, best gourmet— so our members want to come here first,” says Meier, who lists listening to and communicating with the members and staff as ways to meet the club’ s challenges.
Who is the target demographic for clubs these days?
It’ s all generations, the club managers say. At Springfield, younger families are looking for a complete recreational club where all family members use the facilities, and empty nesters looking for social and recreational experiences are showing interest. At Princess Anne, Shonk says he is blessed the multigenerational club has been able to maintain a relatively constant membership of 1,050 to 1,100 families during his 15 years as GM.
“ We encourage our members to bring their friends and grow their inner circles here at the club,” Meier says.“ We are always trying new things to keep our families and our members involved. It can’ t be
Spring Creek Golf Club’ s Brian Vincel says“ golf has been forced to take a number and compete like never before.”
just the prestige anymore. You really have to work to keep your members.”
Many clubs have explored non-traditional activities such as disc, foot, fling and glow( night) golf. All are family oriented and social. Some clubs have made them part of their programming and others have not.
RCC has not, but as Meier says,“ We know we will have to try and offer many non-traditional options to maintain our membership.”
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE CLUBS; GRAPHICS COURTESY OF THE CLUB MANAGERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
18 V IRGINIA G OLFER | M ARCH / A PRIL 2017 vsga. org