Although forecasts called for cooler temperatures this weekend, golfers and golf course operators are not complaining. The generally spring-like weather over the first six weeks has business booming.
“It’s the opposite of the ice storm and snow and some brutally cold days we had last winter,” Golden Hills pro Steve Larick said. “We were up around 500 rounds in January, and that’s very significant for this time of year.”
That thought echoed throughout the area’s golf community. Mike Birdsell, general manager at Spring Valley Country Club, reported growth both in participation and membership, and Tom Graber at Cobblestone Park said his club’s rounds increased by more than 400 in January.
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“November and December were as warm as I remember, and January, too,” Graber said. “Last year, the weather didn’t warm up until the middle of February, then it cooled off a little in March, but overall we were up almost 5,000 rounds over 2010.”
The combination of economy and weather have made the past couple of years challenging for the golf industry, and getting a jump start in a usually slow time is a bonus, Birdsell said.
“It’s usually March before we really get going and we budgeted accordingly,” he said. “We didn’t plan on a lot this time of year, and the great weather has been wonderful for us, especially considering how difficult the previous two years have been. We have more people playing, and we have added members.”
Larick pointed out that once a tee time is lost, a course never gets it back and, he said, “Last year with the ice and snow, we lost an entire week. That’s difficult to overcome. This year, our superintendent told me the other day we have some azaleas starting to bud. They’ll get knocked back by a cold spell, but that’s how warm it has been.”
At Oak Hills, Jeff Schaeffer reported an increase of 23 percent over the first six weeks of 2012 compared to last year.
“We’re off to a great start,” Schaeffer said. “We’re rocking and rolling. We had 190 rounds both Saturday and Sunday last weekend, and anytime you can do that in February, that’s great.”
Clemson’s Mills honored
Clemson golfer Corbin Mills, who won the USGA’s Public Links and the prestigious Players Amateur last summer and the Jerry Pate Invitational college tourney in October, is one of 28 amateurs named to the Ben Hogan Award watch list.
The Hogan award honors the nation’s top amateur based on year-long performances from May to May. Mills is currently ranked 12th in the Golfweek/Sagarin college rankings and fifth in the United States Amateur ranks by Golfweek.
Other Clemson golfers who have won the Hogan award are current PGA Tour pros D.J. Trahan (2002) and Kyle Stanley (2009).
Martin featured
Former Clemson star Ben Martin, who played on the PGA Tour last year and begins competition on the 2012 Nationwide Tour this week, is featured in a Forbes Magazine article that chronicles his fledgling pro career.
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