Columbia-area golf courses taking a help-each-other approach to bolstering futures
Not all that long ago, members of the Midlands Golf Course Owners Association would spend too much of their meeting time bickering over prices and fees that each club charged.
“That was counter-productive for everyone,” said Greg McBride, the organization’s president with deep roots at the Spur at Northwoods. “We needed to change.”
The change involved adopting the philosophy derived from the rising-tide-floats-all-boats adage. “Working for the common good of the game helps everyone,” McBride said of the emphasis that took shape four years ago.
The association, now with 16 members and more clubs interested in joining, held its quarterly meeting Thursday and a feeling of cautious optimism filled the air.
The golf boom of a few years ago is over and challenges remain, but, McBride said: “We have to feel good going forward. The more we help each other, the better we all are.”
“Helping each other” includes the association’s purchase of six carts for member clubs’ use, sharing the organization’s equipment and purchasing necessities ranging from fertilizer to toilet paper in bulk.
“We’re not going to get involved with what a club charges; that’s their business,” McBride said. “What we want to do as an organization is to add programs that generate more revenue. If we can do that, we have more to invest in our courses and everybody wins.”
If a club saves $1 a bag on fertilizing the entire course — up to 150 acres — the savings can be significant. Rather than renting extra carts for special events for upward to $1,000, members can use the association’s at no cost for the first use and $100 for subsequent needs.
“Savings can add up, and the golfer wins,” McBride said. “The private and public clubs are not competing for the same customer, and we all have common ways we can save.”
On the downside, Crickentree and Sedgewood have closed in recent months. But the sale of the former Members Club put the WildeWood and Woodcreek courses on solid financial footing, and owner John Bakhaus likes the prospects for the former Windermere Club, now Blythewood Country Club, after a sale fell through.
John White, Southeastern district manager of Wilson Sporting Goods, talked to the members about changes in the game he has seen in growing up in Indiana and his 39 years in the game. He stressed the importance of establishing relationships.
“How are your members and their guests greeted?” he asked. “A fist-bump is OK, but a handshake is forever.”
McBride said he could foresee club professionals becoming more involved in promoting the game and being less involved in the business side.
“Guys like (former pros) Bobby Howard and Vic Lipscomb energized the golf business,” he said. “I can see a mix of (a club pro) being out with members coupled with being involved with business. The main thing is getting the golfer to enjoy the experience, and I believe that will happen.”
The Midlands’ association re-elected its slate of officers: McBride, president; Dian Berry (Golden Hills), vice-president/secretary; Daniel Lucas (Charwood), treasurer; and Tom Mason (Par Tee Golf Center) and Clem King (Country Club of Lexington), board members at-large. Happ Lathrop, who headed the South Carolina Golf Association for more than 40 years before his retirement, is executive director.
Chip shots. The Women’s South Carolina Golf Association’s recent rolling out of a sparkling website upgrade (www.wscga.org) represents the organization’s latest advancement under executive director Clarissa Childs’ leadership. . . . With the fall season complete, USC’s women’s team is No. 8 in the Golfstat rankings and three players — Pauline Roussin-Bouchard (8) Lose Kaye Go (26) and Ana Pelaez (40) _ are in the top 50 individually. Clemson’s women are No. 34, and Furman’s Natalie Srinivasan is 24 among individuals. . . . In the Golfstat men’s rankings, Clemson holds the 24th spot and USC is 32nd. . . . Alan Ryder (Aiken) won the men’s division title in the Carolinas Net Amateur Championship in Whispering Pines, North Carolina. . . . Tommy Gainey (Hartsville) and Sean Kelly (USC) have advanced to the final stage in Korn Ferry qualifying.