EPUB-Book: Business of Golf: What Are Others Thinking? (2024 Edition)

The game of golf is marvelous.  It provides recreation, exercise, and well-being for family, friends, and business associates.  It offers a competitive stage for the athlete and a playground for the retired.  The clubhouses foster a social environment that binds communities.

These wonderful aspects resulted in the sport witnessing a surge in demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  The R&A and Sports Marketing Surveys reported in March 2024 that 66.6 million people in 206 countries are now playing golf worldwide, with five and a million participants recently taking up the sport.

The business of golf is a challenging endeavor.   A golf course is not a single business.  It represents the amalgamation of an entertainment complex that offers a restaurant, a special events banquet setting, a recreational athletic venue, and a clothing and equipment department store, all framed around the responsibility to manage a > 150-acre farm subject to the perils of weather.

Historically, golf courses have operated on a thin thread. What many don’t realize is that in 2023, there were 2 million fewer golfers than in 2000. Since 2006, 13.6% of the golf course have closed in the United States.  As a result of the course closures and the renewed interest in the game, utilization of golf courses has increased from 52% to 69% in 2023, creating an illusion of prosperity.  However 28% of the golf courses lost money or broke even last year.  Only 60% of private clubs earned a profit.

Though a record 531 million rounds were played in 2023 and rounds are up 4.2% year to date through April, will it last?  What is it going to take to retain the core and recreational golfers?  What will attract new participants to the game as life returns to a new normal?

The 2024 Edition of “The Business of Golf” provides those answers. This book’s findings and formula for success provide a clear path forward for golf courses to secure their financial future.

While the structure of this book continues to highlight the seven key steps (demographics, weather, technology, financial benchmarks, agronomy, operations, and golfers) to create a successful strategic plan, the illustrations, data, and case studies have all been updated to reflect the golf course industry today. Of the 178 slides, 90 are new.  Of the 80 data tables, 66% are new or have been updated since the 2020 edition, presenting you the current insights and perspectives.

The 2024 edition illuminates virtually every aspect of golf course operations—strategic, tactical, and operational. You’ll learn why some golf courses are successful while others flounder. The pictures in Chapter 14, taken in 12 countries, define the bar for outstanding customer service.

The JJKeegan+ WIN™ formula taught in this textbook is an easy-to-follow method that has consistently increased golf courses’ financial returns and enhanced the customer experience to the desired level.

Who can afford to ignore this book’s findings in this updated edition and the formula for success that is presented?

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