Toilet Technology?

It’s a delicate subject, but there are a number of options in on-course toilets that are green-friendly and can save you money.

Al Seymour tackles that subject in the Environmental section of the winter issue of Golf Business Canada, the publication of the National Golf Course Owners Association of Canada.

You can read that story by clicking here.

Is Renovation Risky?

Do you have space in your clubhouse that is under-utilized and could conceivably be a source of revenue, while adding to the ambience of your operation?

In the Summer edition of Golf Business Canada, the magazine of the National Golf Course Owners Association of Canada, Tom Hoch discusses renovations and how they can be used to your advantage.

To read the story, click here and go to the Summer 2011 edition. It’s a PDF file, so click Business Advisor to get to the story.

Woods Had An Important, But Subtle, Impact On Golf

It is human tendency when somebody exits this realm to be maudlin about the dearly departed, but that just wasn’t Norm Woods’ style, so syrupy isn’t suitable for the personable proprietor of GolfScene Magazine, who died Monday after a brief battle with cancer. He was 67.

In the Southern Ontario golf circles in which he was a fixture, Norm would take a joke about the lime green shirt he was wearing or about his game being nowhere near that of the celebrity of  who has the same last name, then zing you back, usually with a pretty good line himself.

It was a scene played over and over where Norm went, one no different than those that take place in clubhouses or fairways all over Canada. Norm Woods didn’t have the swagger or talent of Tiger Woods in his prime, but his impact on golf in his coverage area was considerable, even if it was subtle.

Sean Foley is well-renowned for working with Tiger Woods, but his relationship with Norm Woods goes back years. Read more

Lefty Agrees Courses Get Too Difficult

After GNN ran this opinion piece  (you’ll need to click Parting Shot for a PDF) by Michael Schurman in the latest issue of Golf Business Canada, the magazine of the National Golf Course Owners Association of Canada, Phil Mickelson echoed his thoughts on Thursday.

Mickelson is in Atlanta for the PGA Championship and wonders how members will enjoy renovations done to the Atlanta Athletic Club. You can read his comments here.

Many Golf Courses Take Fun Out Of The Game

PGA of Canada Master Professional Michael Schurman is a regular contributor with comments on GNN and he writes an interesting commentary on difficult courses and how they’re taking the fun out of the game in the latest issues of Golf Business Canada, the magazine of the National Golf Course Owners Association.

To read the article, The Emperor’s New Clothes, click here. It’s in PDF format, so click Parting Shot.

Is Your Pro Shop/Parking Lot Secure?

 How much attention do you pay to parking lot security?

If it’s located in an isolated area with easy access, a parking lot is a prime location for crimes, according to Mike Fenton, who offers ideas on how to protect your pro shop and parking lot from crimes in the Summer edition of Golf Business Canada, the magazine of the National Golf Course Owners Association of Canada.

To read Fenton’s article, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, click here. It’s in PDF format, so click on Legal to get to the article.

Procurement System Helps Control Food & Beverage Costs

Golf operation personnel interested in controlling and lowering food and beverage costs need to consider procurement as a way to meet this objective, according to Bill Schwartz in the Summer edition of Golf Business Canada, the magazine of the National Golf Course Owners Association of Canada.

To read Schwartz’s article, Size Doesn’t Matter, click here. It’s in PDF format, so click on Food and Beverage to get to the article.

One Size Doesn’t Fit All In POS Systems

Are you looking to implement a POS system and/or club management system to handle daily transactions, inventory, golfer processing, member management and accounting, among other things?

According to Bay Paul, there are five key factors to consider when doing your homework. One system is not perfect for all operations, he says in the article, Experience the wonders of a POS System in the latest issue of Golf Business Canada Magazine.

To get to the article, click here. It’s in a PDF format, so click the word “Technology.”

Grow Golf Through Those Who Don’t Give A Damn

As caretakers, followers, devotees, participants and servants of golf, stop for a moment and chuck your passion for the game out the window.

I realize that’s a ridiculous statement to make to people who have devoted their lives to the game, a passion that in many cases was rooted in childhood and strengthened each year to the point each individual is at in their respective careers in which success is directly related to the overall health of the game.

Of course, this Golfweek story  that we linked over to from GNN on Tuesday indicates that the number of American golfers continues to decline, so how healthy can the game be in the United States? Read more

NGCOA Launches Education/Training Program

The National Golf Course Owners Association of Canada is launching a new Education and Training Program that is designed to bring benefits to its members and their employees.

Led by James Cronk, the new program will be delivered in three stages, including a Speaker Series that provides best practices for front-line service staff, an Educational Library and Training Resource for one-stop industry best practices and a Golf Industry Consultant Network to provide endorsed consultants for member clubs and employees.

The first to launch will be the Speaker Series this spring with five training days across the country.

Sessions are scheduled for May 12 in Vancouver, May 16 in Toronto, May 17 in London, Ont., May 18 in Ottawa and May 24 in Calgary. Seminar fee starts at $35 per person for the four-hour session.

The Resource Section will be launched in the fall, with tools and resources available on the NGCOA website for owners. One feature of the Resource Section will be the sharing of best practices in training, human resources, operation systems and grow-the-game programs.

Next spring, the NGCOA Canada Consultant Network will be introduced to provide authorized and approved consultants to members.  
  
For additional information or details on the Speaker Series, including costs, locations and the training session agenda, contact James Cronk at jcronk@ngcoa.ca.

How Do You Market Spring Outings?

In the latest issue of Golf Business Canada, the magazine of the National Golf Course Owners Association of Canada, Alan Stalup of CourseTrends talks about marketing spring outings at your golf course in these changing and challenging times in the golf industry.

In the story Inform, Invite, Inspire – A Strategic Approach To Marketing Spring Outings, he shows how to launch an effective e-mail campaign. To read that story, click here. It’s in a PDF format, so click marketing to get to the story.

Courses Seem To Be Avoiding Worst Of Prairie Flooding

Janet Jones, the prairie regional director for the National Golf Course Owners Association, has been logging the kilometres on business lately and she describes a scene that many of us from outside of Manitoba and Saskatchewan may visualize about the situation in those provinces, where flooding has been a major concern.

She was traveling between Yorkton and Saskatoon, when she came upon crews with signs indicating one-lane traffic ahead to get through the water on Hwy. 16.

“I wasn’t so concerned with me and my SUV, but I’m looking at the Camaro in front of me and thinking, `You’re pretty low to the ground, bud,’ said Jones, who hasn’t heard of any significant damage caused by the flooding and hopes it stays that way as she tries to contact courses in the affected areas.

“I have not heard about anybody underwater. That’s not to say it hasn’t happened. I just haven’t heard about it yet,” she added. Read more

Golf Goes To Queen’s Park, Media Responsibility Vs. PR And More …

The Ontario Allied Golf Associations visited Queen’s Park recently to draw attention to the game’s impact on the provincial economy and what it calls responsible environmental practices.

It’s all a part of a Canada-wide movement by the golf industry to meet with provincial and federal governments on various issues affecting the industry. Representatives of the National Allied Golf Associations were to meet with the federal government, but that was postponed due to the federal election.

One of golf’s representatives at the Ontario meeting was Don Mackay, president of the National Golf Course Owners Association of Canada, who runs Muskoka Highlands in Bracebridge, Ont. Read more

Maximize Food And Beverage Revenue

In the latest issue of Golf Business Canada, the magazine of the National Golf Course Owners Association of Canada, Bill Schwartz offers a few helpful hints on how to maximize food and beverage revenues this year.

You can read that story by clicking here. It’s in PDF format, so you will need to click “Food & Beverage” for the story Take Your Food And Beverage Operation To The Next Level.

Federal Lobby Day May Need To Be Postponed

A Golf Lobby Day scheduled for Parliament Hill in Ottawa in mid-April may have to be postponed with the possibility of a federal election, but that scenario is something the National Allied Golf Associations took into consideration while planning such government relations meetings across the country.

NAGA announced a series of such meetings at provincial and federal levels with an eye on drawing attention to issues facing the golf industry and emphasizing its positive aspects, including economic impact, environmental stewardship and health and wellness.

However, the federal lobby day scheduled for April 14 faced uncertainty after Tuesday’s federal budget, which could trigger a spring election in early May. The election call could come as early as Thursday.

“If the election call happens, we’ll be rescheduling our federal lobby day to ensure we position ourselves with the intended high profile. All of our provincial ones will proceed as planned,” said Jeff Calderwood, executive director of the National Golf Course Owners Association, one of the NAGA member groups.

”From the beginning of our plan, we had discussed the possibility of a spring election altering our schedule, so we’re comfortable with that possibility,” added Calderwood, who also serves as government relations director for NAGA.

How Do We Stack Up To Europe?

You may have read a story on GNN, via Golfweek, recently about a KPMG report that paints a gloomy picture about rounds played and revenues at golf operations in the United Kingdom, Europe and the Middle East.

If you missed it, you can read that story here.

While those numbers are disturbing, they at least offer some kind of insight into what’s happening in the golf industry in another part of the world. In Canada, it’s guesswork most of the time due to the lack of any substantial and up-to-date numbers. Read more

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