Golfdom Report Sneak Preview: Positivity in unlikely places for 2016 golf economy
In the January issue of Golfdom, out soon, we present the results of the 2016 Golfdom Report. We surveyed our readers on everything from expectations for 2016 to their biggest annoyance (yup, unrepaired ball marks win again) on the golf course.
The key element of the story every year is the question, “what are your expectations for the golf business this upcoming year?” What we’ve seen over the last few years is a steady increase in positivity. The break down for this year went like this:
- 56% said they were “slightly optimistic”
- 9% said they were “very optimistic”
- 23% were neutral
- 11% were “slightly pessimistic”
- 1% said they were “very pessimistic”
That’s pretty good, if you ask me — a whopping 65 percent saying they’re overall optimistic, only 12 percent saying they’re pessimistic. And the sources we interviewed for the story, superintendents from New Jersey, Wisconsin, Ohio and Virginia, as well as Rhett Evans, CEO of the GCSAA… all said they were optimistic and seeing good signs that golf is on the upswing.
But our reporting needs to be fair and balanced, right? So we looked to find someone in that pessimistic 12 percent about the future of the golf industry. Then we saw a story online about Cypress Lakes GC in Muscle Shoals, Ala. That story reported that the city-owned course lost $188,000 in 2014–2015, had to cut payroll 10 percent across the board, cut the pro, and the superintendent left, leaving the position vacant.
We found our pessimistic source, right? Wrong.
We reached out to Scott Arndt, general manager of Cypress Lakes, for an interview. He’s been in the golf business since 1994. And even though his facility is losing money and key personnel, he remains upbeat about the future of the course.
“I wouldn’t be doing this if I wasn’t optimistic,” Arndt says. “Golf is always vulnerable to aspects of the economy and the weather. But the people who want to play golf are going to play golf. Here, we can get through this by having a good, friendly place to play. We’re not selling anything but fun and memories — what can we do to increase that?”
Arndt says that it was difficult losing the pro and the superintendent. They promoted the assistant superintendent, Scottie Stevens, who has been at the course for several years, and Arndt says the quality of the golf course hasn’t dropped off.
Losing $188,000 in a fiscal year can’t be considered a success, but it is an improvement; the course lost $339,000 in 2013–2014. Like City Councilman Joe Pampinto told the Times Daily, “The plan is working.”
“Golf is cyclical,” Arndt told Golfdom. “There was a boom time, then a drop-off. I’ve been through the doomsday ‘golf is dead’ time. I see it rising here now. Is it where we want it? No. Is it trending the right way? Yes.”
Arndt is encouraged that he has a large group of young golfers at Cypress Lakes. He says the course is flat and long, with multiple water features, ideal for young golfers. The high school team uses the course as a practice facility, and he also sees a lot of college-aged golfers coming through.
“You’ve got to get that 14- to 24-year-old. They’ll carry over,” Arndt says. “Yes, they’ll get married and have kids and will drop out of golf for a while… but then their kids will get to the age where they’ll want to play, and they’ll be back.”
Improvements are being made to the course, including new Mini Verde greens and improvements to the deteriorating ponds. The USGA’s Chris Hartwiger has visited the course multiple times to lend some good advice. Arndt, and the city of Muscle Shoals, hope to see the course break even in 2015–2016.
“Does a municipal course always make money? No. But the city understands that it is a quality-of-life asset, and they’re willing to invest in it,” Arndt says, “I want to see the facility as successful as possible — it’s a great asset for the city.”
For more, see the January issue of Golfdom, with the complete results of the Golfdom Report — available online and in mailboxes soon!