November-December 2003
Tee Time: Industry News

Reader Wins Free Year of Consulting
Range owners and developers who completed the Golf Range Times 2003 reader survey included in the May/June issue were entered into the drawing for a free year of golf range consulting, valued at $450.

Golf Range Times congratulates Nick Franze of Tee It Up in Oviedo, Fla., who will receive unlimited e-mail consulting services during 2004 from Dominion Golf Group, a Midlothian, Va.-based provider of golf range management and development consulting services.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the survey. Your input continues to make Golf Range Times a must-read publication. Stay tuned for exciting content additions coming in 2004.


Indoor Golf Reaches New Level in Maine
Out of the Rough Indoor Golf Club opened in Biddeford, Maine, in September and introduced golfers to the latest in virtual golf technology—a simulator that combines ball-tracking technology with 3-D models of championship golf courses.

“The biggest problem with virtual golf has been the lack of accuracy,” says Chris Robinson, vice president of Out of the Rough. “This new technology can measure the physical elements that create slices and hooks: lift and drag coefficients.”

Behind each of the facility’s eight bays is a phased-array microwave receptor that tracks the ball, taking about 455,000 measurements per second, including total distance, carry, vertical and horizontal launch angles, clubhead and ball speed, backspin and sidespin, as well as the swing plane of the club. Out of the Rough is the first North American facility to offer the simulator, which was manufactured by All Golf Ltd., based in Maumee, Ohio.

PGA Fall Expo Plans Return Trip to California Coast
At the close of the 2003 PGA Fall Expo, held Aug. 5-7 at the San Diego Convention Center, show organizer Reed Expositions announced that the event would return to the seaport city in 2004. Buyers from 24 countries and 45 states traveled to the nation’s second largest golf marketplace this year to preview next season’s equipment, accessories, apparel, training aids and services. A new addition to the expo was a demo and barbecue event. According to Christopher McCabe, PGA Golf Exhibitions vice president and show manager, such programs improve the value of the traditional trade show experience, and he says attendees can expect more of the same at future fall shows. For information on the 2004 event, visit www.pgaexpo.com.


Steve Cox Joins Mitchell Golf Equipment Co.
Steve Cox has joined Mitchell Golf Equipment Co. as customer service manager. He formerly held a product development and sales position at Hornung’s Golf Products in Fond du Lac, Wis. Mitchell Golf Equipment Co. is a Dayton, Ohio-based provider of club repair and assembly equipment.


National Institute of Golf Management Set for January
The 20th annual National Institute of Golf Management has been scheduled for Jan. 11-15, 2004. Conducted with the National Golf Foundation and the Oglebay Resort and Conference Center in Wheeling, W.Va., the program will offer attendees the opportunity to discuss problems facing the industry and share solutions.

For more information, contact the Oglebay Office of Continuing Education at 800-624-6988 ext. 4019, or visit www.ngf.org/nigm.


PrimeraTurf Continues Growth
Walker Supply Inc. and Hawaii Grower Products Inc. have joined PrimeraTurf Inc., the nation’s only all-independent green industry purchasing cooperative. Three-year-old PrimeraTurf now has 33 members in 22 states and nearly 30 supply partners.

Walker Supply, headquartered in Pittsburgh, distributes professional turf and ornamental maintenance products to golf facilities throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and parts of Maryland.

Hawaii Grower serves golf courses, resorts and landscapers from its main office on Maui and two other locations in Kona and Oahu. For more information, visit www.primeraturf.com.


British Open Champ Visits First Tee Opening
British Open Champion and Ohio native Ben Curtis participated in the grand opening celebration of The First Tee of Akron, Ohio, in August. The new facility, built at Mud Run Park, consists of a nine-hole par-34 course with a driving range and putting green. Nearly 500 youngsters already participate in Akron’s First Tee program, which had been using the Edwin Shaw Challenge Course since 2000.

In other First Tee news, in September PGA Champions Tour member Andy Bean announced a new First Tee project at the Publix Par Three Golf Center in Lakeland, Fla. Plans are to renovate the existing golf course and create a more youth-friendly facility by modifying the original first six holes and adding three new ones to serve as training stations. The clubhouse will be remodeled to provide space for The First Tee Learning Center. The city of Lakeland has donated lights for the driving range and will provide $50,000 annually for the first five years. Additionally, Publix Supermarkets Inc., which owns the land, is leasing it to The First Tee for $1 per year.

Equipment Testing Center to Debut at PGA Merchandise Show
A 200,000-plus-square-foot indoor driving range will make its debut at the 2004 PGA Merchandise Show, Jan. 29-Feb. 1 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. The Equipment Testing Center will feature 45 hitting bays to allow attendees extensive hands-on practice sessions with equipment and range products. The indoor range is just one of many changes being made to the 50-year-old show.

Returning for a second year, the Golf Demo Day will start two hours earlier, at 10 a.m., Jan. 28. More than 40 equipment companies and 15 ancillary companies are slated to participate in the event, which will be held again at the 42-acre practice facility at the Orange County National Golf Center in nearby Winter Garden, Fla.

Driven by a majority of sell-out sessions in 2003, the number of seminars and time periods for the conference program are being increased. Specific emphasis will be given to offering more classes in merchandising, retail profit margins and traffic builders, and business management.

According to PGA Golf Exhibitions Vice President and Show Manager Christopher McCabe, these and many other new events have been added to ensure “the long-term health of the show and the industry.”

For more information on the 2004 PGA Merchandise Show, visit www.pgaexpo.com or call 1-800-PGA-EXPO (742-3976).


GeneralSports Turf Tees Up New Golf Division
GeneralSports Turf Systems, a Rochester, Mich.-based builder of synthetic turf surfaces for football and soccer fields, has launched 4-Par Golf, a division to serve the on- and off-course driving range market. The division will promote MaxxTee, a synthetic fiber infill system for tee lines. For more information, visit www.generalsportsturf.com or call 248-601-2200.


Link Up 2 Golf Shares Survey Results
Link Up 2 Golf, an industry-wide adult player development program designed to grow participation in the sport, appears to be meeting its goal. Compared to students of the 2001 pilot program, 2002 participants are spending more on golf and playing more rounds. According to a survey conducted by The PGA of America and Issues and Answers Network Inc., new golfers spent, on average, $885 on golf and played 13 rounds following participation in the program, up from the $688 and nine rounds posted by Link Up 2 Golf participants in 2001. Spending by existing golfers—those who were already playing an average of 6 rounds annually before enrolling—rose from $401 to $1,198. The survey also found that golf-related revenues rose 15 percent between the two groups, including golf fees, lessons, equipment and food and beverage.

“In today’s challenging environment for golf operations, these are very encouraging numbers,” says PGA President M.G. Orender. “The elements of Link Up 2 Golf include facility orientation, a series of group lessons and on-course experiences that are at the core of best practices for all player development programs. The results of the survey show these best practices are working.”

Started three years ago in the Raleigh-Durham, N.C., market, Link Up 2 Golf programs are now conducted in more than 50 cities nationwide.