Page 16 - GBC Spring 2021 English

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Golf Business Canada
“The escape that golf provides, the ability of the game that allows people to disconnect from every- thing else around them is a comp- etitive advantage,” he explained.
Also offering that same competitive advantage in his estimation were this season’s visible safety protocols. “It reasserts to customers that we have your back; that we’re thinking proactively about what we provide. The more operators can continue to convey that level of trust and foresight the better the advantage you will have against other verticals,” he added.
Stephen Johnston sees major changes for the game on the horizon. It’s happening already according to the GGA partner. Business models returning to play equity with pricing model modifications structured so every round produces revenue,
including membership dues (with upfront fee rather than fee per round) will be prominent. Especially, he contends, with more people working from home.
“If you can manage your day from home you can create more time to play golf,” Johnston said. At the same time, he encourages owners and operators to be proactive. “Fast as this turned on it can turn off,” he said during the discussion. “You need to be flexible. To do that you need data at your fingertips, you need to watch what is happening with patron’s age groups and demographics. Also you need to control your own information. Have those emails, use social (media) and get your message out on your product.”
Chad McKinnon characterized Golf Town’s situation this season as, ‘Ready, Stop, Hang On!’ The country’s largest off course retailer is on pace for a record year. Since golf reopened, McKinnon says his stores have been swamped with “tons of new faces we have never seen before”, avid players coming back to load up on new gear and snowbirds who stayed home rather than venture south. Sprinkled in was a younger consumer demographic.
“We go as rounds go in this country with our business and we draft off of that” McKinnon said. “We saw a huge difference in walking versus riding this year. We ran out of carts almost all season, almost ran out of footwear and we saw a huge uptick in selling premium products online. Holiday shopping has also been unbelievable and that bodes well for spring.”
With momentum on the game’s side, all four panellists believe the industry must continue to com- municate and forge relationships further if it wants to capitalize post COVID-19, especially on relation- ships built this season with new consumers or reengaged customers who have come back.
“Understanding and knowing your customer, understanding what’s compelling for them about the experience and replicating that is critical,” said Last, who also presented breakout session, ‘Sustaining the Golf Surge: What Golfers Really Want.’ “Continue to reinforce the connection of the game and how it is worthy of their time and continued investment.”
McKinnon agrees. “I would ask the golf courses to keep doing what you’re doing because the feedback we’re getting is everyone is loving the experience,” he said. “If we can all focus on the experience there can be some longevity in this.”
THE PIVOT
The Golf Business Canada Confe- rence & Trade Show’s second Town Hall was operational in nature. Appropriately, it was called The Pivot. The session focused exclusively on how three national operators Lee Tamburano, Miles Mortensen and Slade King – made their respective facilities COVID- Ready by shifting to processes that helped meet the season’s spike in demand.
It was an eye-opening one hour discussion. And, it had reper- cussions for profitability. Each panellist presented a unique method to help ensure positive (per round) revenue is attained. Tamburano did so through an intriguing new membership model based on spend; Mortensen with a pay-by-the-hole subscription platform using time as the benchmark and King through pre-payment up front. Although distinct each featured one constant. All three protect tee time inventory.
“Unlimited play is a broken business model,” said Tamburano, director of golf at Canadian Golf & Country Club in Ashton, Ontario. “One membership price doesn’t work if a consumer plays 90-100
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