I was leaning on the fence one evening talking to a few of the golfers on the fairway waiting on the two groups ahead of them on the par four to clear so they could play.  Naturally, Pace of Play was the topic for the day. 

However, since there was more than a 15 minute wait until they could shoot, they just pulled their carts up to the fence and we had a decent conversation about the State of Golf today.

Discount Golf Causing Problems

In asking this foursome of 40 something men and women golfers what they thought was causing the slow play on a private country club they where very quick to list a few issues.   All seemed to agree it was due to the club doing a number of things to boost revenue which just does not work for private golf clubs. 

Some of the reasons they readily offered were:

• opening up their doors to non-members to play golf
• promoting discount green fees
• selling discounted or trial membership packages
• club signing on with online tee time sites
• handing out free guest fees to members

All of these they felt was resulting in the club placing “too many golfers on a course that is not easy for a below average golfer to play in less than 5 hours”.   Seems this club is doing what many private clubs are doing to survive, but obviously is backfiring for this club.

Wrong Message Being Made

This group of private club golfers, who report to have been members of the club for over 15 years, all feel the new ownership of the club has lost site of the club being a private club and who is paying their bills. Even though the member’s do not own any equity in the club they do provide for the club’s operation’s operations budget..including salaries and profit for the owners..through their monthly membership dues.

Comments made..  The clubhouse has a “resort” look that is very uncomfortable. “The look and feel give me the impression they don’t want us staying in the bar very long”.   “The focus of the club is to get more members which is OK, but this means more demands on the tee time availability which makes it hard to get on the course on the weekend.”  “Having a full roster of members is good, but how they manage a large number of members is driving many of the current members to think about continuing to be a member.”

This group sited things like:

• Onslaught of promotional emails sent to them from the club, or other members of the club for the club, announcing bargain membership packages and soliciting members to solicit their friends.
• Newsletters placed in their bill from club manager and board of governors reporting how well the club is doing financially but not addressing making any major capital improves to the club infrastructure.
• Overpricing of food and beverages served by over stressed employees
• No personal contact by the club ownership with “full” membership

From what I gathered there are some morale issues developing to a fevered pitch which, along with bad management decisions, are proving to not be very productive. 

State of Golf

Truly the state of Golf in general is making operating a Private Golf Club very stressful.  With discretionary funds drying up, uncertainty in the stock market and golfer’s incomes at risk many people’s livelihoods are being threatened for the fist time EVERY.

What is a Private Club, whose soul function is to service the Golf market, to do?  The golfers I had the privilege in interviewing seem to feel the ownership of the club treating the current membership like people would be a start.  From there, trust can be built in the management of the club knowing what they are doing.  It was also mentioned the need for the club’s ownership procuring good outside advice on how to go about building, rebuilding or maintaining trust amongst the membership, cannot hurt.

Listening Works

A lot can be learned about how well Golf is doing by taking the time to get out on the golf course and ask golfers what they think.  Most of the time, golfers are never lost for words. 

For you golfing members of a private club, ask your general manager to join you for a round of golf.  If he/she obliges you then take the opportunity to casually get to know what he/she is thinking and get the point of view used to guide the club into the future. It’s your money that is paying the GM’s salary..at the very least they should at sometime get out on the golf course with you.  If he or she does not play golf..well, then..I think you might see where the problems begin.

It probably would be good for your club’s management to get out and find how the membership feels about things.  It would be good for them to see how the golf course plays during a peak period instead of residing on what the golf director or course superintendent reports.  In this uncertain economy, maintaining a private club’s membership, or customer base,  is solid advice to follow. 

I got a lot out of the few minutes I had to talk to a group of fellow golfers.  I wonder how many club managers take that amount of time to talk to their members?

Let me know how I can help.

Back in May of this year I posted a blog on the aspects of Empire Avenue I really did not know what to expect.  Today, how I feel abut EA is even more important. 

First of all, Empire Avenue is not just a game and it is not a waste of time.  Actually, the more time you spend on EA site the more influential you become.

As far as an evaluation of your influence in the social spaced, Empire avenue does the trick. 

The basics are:

1. Fill out all of your Profile and BIO
2. Connect all your social spaces to Empire avenue
3. Connect to others in EA with common interest.
4. Develop a strategy on who you are going to invest in and post that on the site.
5. Then write a blog about EA and post it.

This will get you started.  Meanwhile, be on the look out for people using Empire Avenue who are producing a hefty dividend.   Don’t get in a hurry..this is a marathon not a sprint.  The more your stock value goes up the more influential you become.  Hang in there and you will see more people investing into you and posting something about you.  Make sure you post your link to your blog.

If you are looking to improving your results from social media you need to invest in Empire Avenue.

I ran across this video of Phil Mickelson’s greatest golf shots.  They guy still has game..I like the shot made at Grayhawk Golf Club.

Is there a Dr in the House?

A husband and wife are on the 9th green when suddenly she collapses
with a heart attack!
   "Help me dear," she groans to her husband.
The husband calls 911 on his cell phone, talks for a few minutes, picks
up his putter and lines up his putt.
His wife raises her head off the green and stares at him.
   "I’m dying here and you’re putting?"
"Don’t worry dear," says the husband calmly, "they found a doctor on
the second hole and he’s coming to help you.
   "Well, how long will it take for him to get here?" she asks feebly.
"No time at all," says her husband. "Everybody’s already agreed to let
him play through."

Episode #7 of the Mr Business Golf Show will go down as one of the best shows since:

It featured all three of the co-hosts, Scot Duke, Dave Bisbee and Krista Hartman

The show focused on the discussion being held in the Business Golf Country Club LinkedIn Group on the questions,

What is the most important thing that has to change to grow the game of Golf?

On Episode #8 the Mr Business Golf Show will take on the question..

How should Golf deal with the current economy?

The shows are starting to gather a good following and the questions are coming in from around the world.  Please keep sending the questions and comments in on the show..we enjoy the feedback.

It was another FUN show this week.  The Mr Business Golf Show just keeps getting a little better each week making it really FUN to produce.  This week, Dave Bisbee and Scot Duke trudged on without Krista Hartman who is still out on assignment gathering material for a series of reports to be presented on upcoming shows.

Mailbag

In this weeks show more emails from fans asking questions were read on air. 

• “Business Coaches are a Dime a dozen, what’s our deal?”
• “When will the MBG Show go to Videocasting?”
• “When will Scot, Dave and Krista be doing seminars and workshops for their fans?”

The feedback on the show is great as well as the questions being asked.

Tee It Forward May Not Go Forward

Scot and Dave jumped in on the subject of the new program the USGA and PGA launched in may..Tee It Forward.  Dave provided some very sound concerns about the programs direction and discussed other possible changes to how golf can be played differently to appease all levels of golf skill.

Sedona Rocks!

The show wrapped with Dave’s report on playing conditions being at their peak at the Sedona Golf Resort and the business golf programs he is working with the PGA SW Section.

Business Golf Country Club Rules!

Scot provided more input on how someone can become a guest on the show and what the Business Golf Country Club is all about.  Plus, more on how someone can join in the business golf network in the Dallas, Texas area.

ENJOY THE SHOW

Wife’s Diary:

Tonight, I thought my husband was acting weird. We had made plans to meet at a nice restaurant for dinner. I was shopping with my friends all day long, so I thought he was upset at the fact that I was a bit late, but he made no comment on it. Conversation wasn’t flowing, so I   suggested that we go somewhere quiet so we could talk. He agreed, but he didn’t say much.

I asked him what was wrong; He said, ‘Nothing.’ I asked him if it was my fault that he was upset He said he wasn’t upset, that it had nothing to do with me, and not to worry about it. On the way home, I told him that I loved him. He smiled slightly, and kept driving.

I can’t explain his behavior I don’t know why he didn’t say, ‘I love you, too.’ When we got home, I felt as if I had lost him completely,   as if he wanted nothing to do with me anymore. He just sat there quietly, and watched TV.. He continued to seem distant and absent.   Finally, with silence all around us, I decided to go to bed. About 15 minutes later, he came to bed. But I still felt that he was distracted, and his thoughts were somewhere else. He fell asleep; I cried. I don’t know what to do. I’m almost sure that his thoughts are with someone else. My life is a disaster.

Husband’s Diary:

        A four putt;  who the hell four putts ?

As the many debates rage on about the merits of the Tee It Forward program the USGA has developed to improve the appeal of playing golf, the question I have been trying to figure out is..

Will it help Golf Grow?

The entire concept of what the Tee It Forward program is really designed to accomplish is clouded with suspicion.  Sure, if every golfer played from the tee box matching their golf skill everyone would enjoy golf more, but aren’t their other solutions to getting golfers to enjoy playing golf?

Basing what tee a person should play from the distance they hit their driver is also questionable of really working to improve a golfer’s pleasure in golf or to speed up play. We all know dozen of people who can hit the ball over 300yds, but then they take 10 shots..not counting the penalty shots..to get the ball in the hole.  I also know a large number of people who can’t drive the ball further than 200 yards, but they carry a scratch handicap.

It seems what the purpose of the Tee It Forward program is really wanting to happen is to get more people to pay a green fee.  True, without golf courses there would not be golf, so supporting the operations of a golf course would keep golf courses open so people can play the game.

However, isn’t the USGA missing something here?  The high costs to play golf has to reckon with to produce a greater interest by more people in playing Golf.  This has to be the hardest problem to solve for which Tee It forward is not going to help.  Golfers are not going to be overwhelmed in joy to pay inflated green fees to not be allowed to play the course they want to play it.  It’s recommended that you take Skiing lessons before taking on the mountains, why not recommend lessons that shows people how to play so they can enjoy the full length of the golf course.

Given the fundamental problems of the weak golf economy are not total deterrents for many people to playing golf, isn’t the real problem golf has to overcome in the difficulty of learning to play golf.  Wouldn’t it be a better approach to improving the appeal and pleasure of playing golf by having everyone who plays golf learn to play Golf before they PLAY Golf?

This is just one of the debates going on today in the world of golf.  Dave Bisbee, Krista Hartman and I are going to discuss the Tee It Forward issue in the coming weeks on the Mr Business Golf Show .  There is a strong feeling in the business golf community that the point of the problem golf is having with it sagging popularity is not from where a person tees the ball to play.  Many of the problems golf is having with attracting more golfers could be outside of golf.

Make sure to stay tuned into the Mr Business Golf Show so you can find out more of what is really going on with the Tee It Forward program.

Let me know how I can help

It has been awhile since Dave Bisbee has been on the Mr Business Golf Show and like a true pro he never missed a mark.  Now, Krista Hartman was absent from this weeks show, but all is well..she is on assignment some where in the Bora-Bora area of Iowa.

It was Scot Duke and Dave Bisbee for episode 5 of the MBG Show.  To two masters of Business Golf again joined forces to talk up the advantages Golf has in developing new business.

In the mailbag portion of the show: Emails are still coming in asking about sponsorships and advertising on the show.  If you are interested in affordably expanding your digital footprint the show offers a wide range of options to explore.

New Program

Dave has been on the road since the beginning of the year developing pilots for programs that Scot, Krista and Dave will be offering the public later this year.  Currently, Dave has been piloting these programs in conjunction with the PGA Southwest Section in the Phoenix, AZ area.  These programs will feature workshops on how to use business golf to enhance a golf tournament’s sponsorship program.  The programs are targeted to helping golf facilities understand how the business community can benefit from the experience golf offers.  More details on these and other programs will be discussed in up coming Mr Business Golf Shows.

Journey of Golf

A multipart series of discussions will be held on the MBG Show highlighting how each of the hosts of the MBG Show began their journey through golf and the benefits golf has had in helping them get to where they are today.  Stay tuned to the MBG Show for announcements on when the Journey of Golf will be presented.

Sedona Golf Resort Remodel

The Sedona Golf Resort in Sedona, AZ has just finished an update remodel of the training center.  Dave Bisbee is instructor at the resort and invites everyone up to see the new facilities.

Download this MP3 – (Right Click)

CONTACT US With your questions:

“Hey, we are teeing it up at 11AM with ‘The Boss’..we need a forth, you want to play?” 

What is your answer?

Of course, if you don’t play golf the answer is obvious.  The fact is, if you do not play golf you are missing out on a great business opportunity.  How does that make you feel?

Most people who do not play golf and are asked to play in a business situation naturally let jealousy take over their common sense and react subversive which leads to a negative attitude towards golf. 

“No, Golf is a waste of time..I’ve got better things to do.”  or “ Are you kidding?!?..golf is for dweebs!”

Once a non-golfer starts heading down the path of promoting anti-golf-dom, it is hard to turn around so the best thing for them to do is make a positive reaction like..learning to play golf.

Again, learning to play golf when you don’t want to learn to play golf is not healthy either.  However attempting to learn to play golf is worth the effort. Then after giving a wholehearted go at learning..say after two or three years… then stepping down from an offer of playing golf can be done with knowing what Golf is all about. 

Truly, golf is not for everyone, but in order to find out an attempt to learn to play golf is in order.

On the most part, if you are working towards advancement in a career or just want to stay on top of the latest going on in your business, it would be advisable to learn to play golf.  Golf is one of the strongest business development tool available for Boss’s as well as employees.  Golf is also a great way for entrepreneurs to expand their visibility in a market or to a client.  Golf really can open doors no other method of socializing can.

How to Learn to Play Golf

Naturally, the first steps towards learning to play golf should be taken with a professional golf instructor.  Also, expectations of learning golf overnight should be squelched and a mind set made from the beginning towards realizing it is going to take an untold amount of time to learn to play golf.

For those who like to get a fast start and develop social skills of golf while learning to play golf may want to consider going to a Golf School.  The boot camp approach does help develop the basic golf skills quickly.

Anyone who is learning to play golf so they can participate in a business function should take a few lessons from a Business Golf Coach.   A Business Golf Coach is someone who is more versed with business experience than golf instruction.  Actually, a Business Golf Coach should never attempt to change anyone’s golf game since learning to play Business Golf really has nothing to do with a person’s golf skill level and everything to do with professional imagery.

However the approach to learning the game of golf is to always think quality over quantity.  Just like in business, learning golf is best done with quality instruction.

Let me know how I can help.