• James J. Keegan
    James J. Keegan
    Envisioning Strategist and Reality Mentor
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James J. Keegan
Envisioning Strategist and Reality Mentor

Known to his friends as “Rain Man” because of his amazing recall of any course he has played, any person he has met, or any place he has traveled, James J. Keegan has a zest for golf and for life itself.

With a great heart and a quick mind, he has established a wide-ranging network within the golf industry, an industry in which there may be only one degree of separation from the management leaders who make a positive difference. He leverages his educational background with his extensive experience in the golf industry to frame a vision that can be understood by all. He quickly “cuts to the chase.”

With nine principals averaging 20 years of experience in the golf business, JJKeegan+ provides common sense solutions founded on sound principals. With clients from Europe to Asia, and across America, JJKeegan+ has developed a unique process that is enhancing the golfer’s experience and the investment return of today’s golf courses.

As Managing Principal, Keegan has travelled in excess of 2,500,000 miles visiting over 250 courses annually and meeting with owners and key management personnel at more than 4,000 courses. Having successfully combined his passion for golf with his business acumen, this experience makes him uniquely qualified to offer expert opinions on trends and issues facing golf courses today because of his direct knowledge and interaction with the golfing community.

An accomplished writer, Keegan published in June, 2010 the award winning book, “The Business of Golf – What Are You Thinking? How to Maximize the Financial Return of a Golf Course.” This book has been purchased in 16 countries and is being utilized at 15 Universities. In 2013, Keegan published, “The Business of Golf – Why? How? What?“, a field book for seasoned professionals.

Currently, he serves as a panelist for Golf Magazine’s Top 100 Golf Courses. He is a former member of the Club Manager’s Association of America and the National Golf Course Owners Association, and is currently a member of the National Golf Foundation, and the International Network of Golf. Keegan is a former volunteer of the Colorado Golf Association and the USGA Sectional Affairs Committee. Jim has served as a course rater and rules official for numerous tournaments including the local and sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open and the World Club Championship.

A certified public accountant with a B.B.A. Degree from Texas Christian University, Keegan earned an M.B.A. in corporate finance from the University of Michigan. He has also served as a captain in the United States Air Force and worked at KPMG as a computer audit specialist.

From feasibility studies, to strategic plans, to management and operational analysis, to reviewing third party management contracts, our engagements have covered a wide variety of golf courses.

While we have engaged in many projects, each client’s needs, wants and desires are unique. Consultants are hired to produce the substance, not to comply with form. Every golf business review becomes a custom-tailored assignment based on the initial site review, the key interviews, the local market analysis, and consideration of the political forces in play.

How we will leverage our prior experience? It is our philosophy, one that has been proven successful, that while all tasks are essential to a thorough analysis, we have noted that in every well-managed operation, every operational decision can be traced back to the tactical plan and up to the strategic vision. Without a vision, the course will flounder. The finest tactical plans, without a talented team, are meaningless.

It takes all three components—strategic vision, tactical planning, and operational execution—to be successful. The components that we will analyze are reflected in the chart here.

To complete a management and operational assessment focuses on key questions through building a consensus of the vital stakeholders. Our focus will be to listen, learn, help, and lead.

The principals of JJKeegan+ have been successful on more than 750 projects in more than 90 cities and six foreign countries.