By Design - Winter 2018

22 | By Design ASGCA FOUNDATION SYMPOSIUM Recognizing the return on golf investments Marc Whitney reports on the ASGCA Foundation’s recent event at Pinehurst Resort G olf industry decision makers from across North America— including architects, golf course owners, operators, managers, professionals and superintendents— recently gathered at Longleaf Golf & Family Club and Pinehurst Resort for an ASGCA Foundation event, From Tees to Green: A Symposium on Forward Tees and Other High-ROI Ideas . The two-day event included golf at the ‘living laboratory’ that is Longleaf and a day of education highlighted by quality presentations. Hunki Yun of the United States Golf Association provided data from a USGA survey of golfers, designed to help facilities provide a better experience for their customers. “Did you know that from the time a golfer drives onto a property until they leave, there are 1,000 touchpoints that impact the experience and their satisfaction? That’s far more than other industries experience, including hotels,” Yun said. Lynn Baugher , a member at Rancho Murieta Country Club in California, provided a golfer’s perspective. Baugher, who worked with ASGCA Past President Damian Pascuzzo to add tees at the club, detailed steps the club has taken to encourage members to move forward and give the new tees a try. Small- group discussions and one-on-one conversations have proven valuable, she said, and the result is the club sees more golfers playing more often. Jan Bel Jan, ASGCA , provided ‘A Retrospective on Tees,’ including the views of a number of golf course architects, including: • H.S. Colt promoted a variety of teeing grounds over 100 years ago to account for wind or other aspects of play, and additional tees to adjust for play in winter vs. summer. • Marion Hollins created a course for women that brought out their best. “Not the same design as men, because women cannot compete with men on equal terms for par or bogey.” • In 1935, A.W. Tillinghast bemoaned the tendency to create greater length: “The fetish of distance is worshipped all too often.” Marty Deangelo of Medinah Country Club reported impressive increases thanks to the new “Golf for Life” program: • Mixed-couples participation is up 30 percent • Annual number of golf lessons is up 60 percent • Junior golf program is up 65 percent • Senior participation is up 15 percent “‘I finally broke 90!’ is what I hear from senior groups,” Deangelo said. Hunki Yun of the United States Golf Association presented the results of a survey designed to help facilities provide a better experience for customers