Talk to golf strategist Jim Keegan on the phone, and in seconds you’ll discover his passion for the golf industry. You’ll also learn he likes to rattle the statistics: In mid-July, he’d just completed 20 flights in 30 days. Over his career he’s worked with 4,000 courses in 49 countries.
“Advising is one role, and getting clients to execute is another,” said Keegan, who formed the consortium of leading golf experts in 2005.
Golfing at Lexington’s five public courses will get more expensive in January as the city tries to stem $1 million in annual losses in its golf program.
The city will raise the eligibility age for a senior citizens discount from 50 to 57, eliminate some other discount rates altogether and bump up the price for an annual pass to driving ranges.
Like most cities across the United States, the golf market in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is highly competitive.
There are a range of courses spanning the municipal, public and country club sectors. Bakker Crossing fell somewhere in the middle, as a moderately-priced public facility, known for presenting golfers with a challenging round. With competition from all sides, the club saw a need to differentiate itself. It engaged golf course architect Kevin Norby, ASGCA, to conduct a long-range master plan study, and commissioned a detailed market and financial analysis by golf strategist J.J. Keegan.
Geoff Converse: Cape & Islands golf gets down to business
Last week, there was a conference held at Barnstable Town Hall on marketing Cape & Islands golf in an attempt to grow the industry here.
Over the past decades, that task was undertaken by the likes of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, Tee Ball Golf and a consortium of different courses banding together to promote the region.
Last year, the Town of Yarmouth hired an outside consultant to help the golf committee and help guide Yarmouth into the future. His name is JJ Keegan, who specializes in the business of golf and offers insights into making a golf operation profitable.
Keegan travels the world over in his position as a mentor, consultant and observer. He is a treasure-trove of information to help courses, municipalities and country clubs turn what may be a struggling venture into a self-sustaining and growing enterprise.
Survival Tactics: How Modern Practices And Managing Expectations Leads To Municipal Success
As Jim Keegan, one of the premier municipal golf consultants in the nation, said, “If the question is: can municipal golf courses be successful, the answer is a qualified yes. Within a major metropolitan area where demand exceeds supply, municipal golf courses can thrive. Think Bethpage, Brown Deer, Crandon Park or Torrey Pines.
“In the hinterlands, the type of golf course experience needs to match the attitudinal behavior and demographics of the residents. Demand for golf needs to be closely monitored. If the facility is an entry-level golf course that serves as the entry door to the game and is funded gently by the general fund, there is justification for that municipality to be in the golf business. But to attempt to compete against a daily fee course offering activities that compete against private enterprise, probably not.”
Knowing your course and your customer sounds easy. But far too many operators get it wrong.