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Those nasty New Guinean headhunters used to eat the brains of their dead enemies because they thought it would make them a whole lot smarter. The Canadian golf business applied the same logic this past year. The former Royal Canadian Golf Association cannibalized Hockey Canada’s governance model, and emerged as Golf Canada. The change was overdue. Perhaps it began when Bob Nicholson, the czar of Hockey Canada, made a presentation to the RCGA’s annual general meeting a short time ago. Wave the flag, said Nicholson. Get Canadians to understand your brand. What the hell did the RCGA do or stand for? Your board of governors’ model is top-heavy. Nicholson spoke about Hockey Canada’s successes. How the World Junior Hockey Championships…
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A whiteout in December isn’t unusual. But a whiteout in July, and at a golf course? Surely the weather hasn’t gone that crazy. Unfortunately for golf course operators, the white they see, and have seen more of since the markets went south, is empty space on tee-time sheets. Filling that space is another story. According to Don Cook of the PGA of America, keeping that 1st tee busy takes more than a reduced green fee or a free beer at the turn. Speaking at the PGA Show in Orlando in January, Cook said clubs need to “identify where white spaces typically fall, whether there’s a pattern and who can play at these times.” Clubs can then design programs to reach…
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Okay, so those greedy Wall St. types brought down that comfortable little world we once knew. But let’s give credit where it’s due. It’s sure a lot easier – and cheaper – to get a tee time. The doors are open and the deals are flying, even at clubs where it once seemed that the only times ever available were 7 a.m. or 5 p.m. It’s the same story on the private front. Clubs that previously didn’t take kindly to strangers have opened the ivy-covered gates to their exclusive little kingdoms. One can enjoy the private experience at a relatively bargain-basement price. None of this, of course, is good news for the golf industry. Discounts and improved access mean more…
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“All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.” Sun Tzu Ah yes, strategy. In Sun Tzu’s Art of War, it’s all about preparation. Jeff Calderwood is a master of it. He prepares for business meetings like he’s going into battle. He’s been doing it for years as founder and executive director of the National Golf Course Owners’ Association (NGCOA), which oversees about 1300 courses in Canada. He’s argued and cajoled and seen victory and defeat over issues such as course development, water usage, taxation, and over building. Late last summer at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario, he showed up at the official announcement of the…
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The Disney brand is indelibly imprinted into the collective consciousness of young and old throughout North America. But Disney World in Orlando, Florida, is more than theme parks and wild rides and mouse ears. Four championship courses dot the landscape, and they were front and centre at the PGA Merchandise Show held in Orlando earlier this year. Steve Harker, manager of sales and performance for Disney Golf, held a seminar room spellbound as he painted a dollar and sense picture of the state-of-the-art revenue and profit management system – a system Harker helped develop. Harker said Disney’s golfing success is driven by its founder’s philosophy that “quality will out.” That means giving people (golfers) what they want. And what they…
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