Country clubs face an ever-evolving landscape of challenges and opportunities in their pursuit of providing exceptional experiences to members and ensuring financial sustainability. One key area where country clubs can benefit significantly is golf course agronomy, which plays a pivotal role in member satisfaction and overall profitability.
Facility: 81 Hole Private Golf Community with 4 Clubhouses, Marina, and 1,200 Members
Location: Southeastern United States
Ownership: Private Ownership/Developer
Focus: Containing Costs and Return to Profitability
About: This is a very successful well established golf community with associated real estate, marina and many other components. Their $23 Million operating budget has gotten away from them leading to an annual loss of $1.5 Million.
Facility: 18 Hole golf club with small clubhouse
Location: Resort area in the Southeastern United States
Ownership: Member owned
Focus: Growing revenues while trimming operating expenses
About: A small annual budget of $850,000, but a great public golf course with small food and beverage operation. A typical story after the market downturn – the club was originally built as part of a moderately priced housing development that had long since been sold out. This facility was losing money.
Facility: 18-Hole golf course, practice facilities and fine dining
Location: Northern New England
Ownership: Privately owned by a single individual
Focus: Market positioning, membership sales and establishment of golf operations
About: This was a full golf course design and construction of a brand new exclusive private golf club. The course was built over the top of a failed public golf course on a large beautiful piece of ground. This was a startup project, owned by one man, engaging a high profile golf course architect.
Facility: 18-hole championship course, fitness center, large pool complex, indoor and outdoor golf practice facilities, multiple restaurants with catering.
Location: Southwestern United States
Ownership: Formerly owned privately until membership group purchased the club in the mid-2000’s.
Focus: Cost Containment
About: This club was struggling to break even financially despite a rich history and strong local reputation. With so many amenities and club assets, there were a few major, and unique hurdles that we needed to overcome to be successful.
Facility: 18-Hole championship golf course, indoor and outdoor pools, indoor and outdoor tennis, large fitness center, and multiple dining and catering venues.
Location: Northern New England
Ownership: Formerly developer owned. Membership group bought golf course and facilities out of bankruptcy.
Focus: Pivoting club operations for a locally underserved private golf market
About: This was a developer owned private facility that went through bankruptcy. It has world class amenities and a great golf course designed by a famous architect. The current membership group bought the golf course and facilities out of bankruptcy.
Facility: 54-Hole public municipal golf course
Location: Southeastern United States
Ownership: Municipal – County Owned
Focus: Containing Costs and Return to Profitability
About: This is a county-owned golf facility that was losing several hundred thousand dollars on an annual basis. Because of its municipal status, they couldn’t make a great deal of money through the operation, but certainly didn’t want to lose. We were charged with helping the facility break even.
Facility: An 18-hole, 350 members country club with golf, pool, tennis and dining
Location: Northeastern United States
Ownership: Individual Private Ownership
Focus: Containing Costs and Return to Profitability
About: This is a well-established country club with an annual operating budget of $3 Million. When we were brought in, the club had been managed by another golf management company. The club was losing $350,000 annually
Facility: Private Full Service Country Club on a Barrier Island
Location: Southeastern United States
Ownership: Member Owned
Focus: Financial Turnaround & Cost Containment
About: Club offers 18 holes of top-end golf, beaches, pools, tennis, fine and casual dining, property ownership, equestrian, and other amenities in a secluded private island environment. Despite a roster of over 900 club members, this facility was bleeding money. The annual operating budget of $20 million was sinking this extraordinary place slowly but surely.