G
olf is a great game and golf
courses are beautiful things.
I love both. Golf courses
provide friendly competition and
beautiful playing environments
for so many people—it would be
difficult to find better places for
healthy social interaction.
But there is an elephant in the
room. Some golf courses are
struggling to survive economically.
The industry has suffered from the
real estate crunch and declining
rounds played. Real estate will likely
rebound, albeit slowly.
Problems with real estate and a
reduction in play shouldn’t take
the entire blame for a golf facility’s
failure though. Another issue may
be the club’s inability to drive social
interaction, the fundamental aspect
of successful golf communities. Golf
course owners may not have realized
their property is a green space
capable of hosting many activities
other than golf, tennis and swimming
to provide the required social
interaction. Alternative uses of golf
courses are worth consideration.
The most common alternative use is
the identification of land within the golf
course area that can be developed into
real estate, converting a ‘stand-alone’
golf course to a golf community. The
land sale provides capital to the club
for upgrades, maintenance, etc. And if
home buyers are required to become
members of the golf club, their dues
would add further ongoing revenue.
At Iguassu Resort in Foz do Iguassu,
Brazil, my firm has completed a project
that saw 150 private cottage lots added
to the facility, generating $25 million
in capital. And the newly-named
Atlantic Beach CC in Florida has been
converted from stand-alone country
club to golf community by adding 178
single family homes to its property.
One-hundred and thirty-eight lots
had been sold within two months of
becoming available. As a result, the
club now also enjoys more than 350
new fee-paying members. Both projects
show promise of financial success
due to money generated from the
additional real estate.
However, an inability to obtain
zoning, funding or extra developable
space may prohibit adding a new
real estate component to an existing
club. If so, other methods to increase
interest from non-golfers can be
considered. After all, there are many
more non-golfers than golfers.
Most golf courses already have two
features that could entice non-golfers.
The first is the cart path network.
Used as a trail system, these can
provide an amenity considered a
necessity and included in most
contemporary developments. It
connects people from their homes to
neighbors and other places within the
community without a need to get in the
car. Further, it provides nice views and
a perspective of green space previously
enjoyed only by golfers. Walkers,
joggers, bikers and skaters could use
the path in the mornings and evenings
or during low golf play times. It is a
simple operation coordination issue,
with no design or construction needed.
The path users could pay a trail fee
at the pro shop before use, and may
choose to have drinks and more in the
grill after. Maybe they would even be
inspired to take up golf!
Secondly, practice ranges are roughly
the same size as an amphitheater, with
the teeing area as a stage. Certainly
it is a large scale, relatively flat, green
space capable of handling outdoor
events. Infrastructure is in place with
parking, bathrooms, food and beverage,
lighting and water in the clubhouse
area. Events during non-golf play times
could provide revenue while increasing
use of the facility, especially dining.
Both these non-golf activities create
additional social interaction to the
Alternative uses
|
Erik Larsen
Consider
the alternatives
EXPERT VIEW
16
|
By Design
Many golf facilities could improve their fortunes by introducing other
activities on their property, says ASGCA Past President Erik Larsen
From a business perspective alternative
uses can reduce expenses, lower taxes
and increase revenue
