Golf industry decision makers from across North America—including architects, golf course owners, operators, managers, professionals and superintendents—recently gathered at Longleaf Golf & Family Club and Pinehurst Resort for the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA) Foundation event, From Tees to Green: A Symposium on Forward Tees and Other High-ROI Ideas. The two-day event included golf at the “living laboratory” that is Longleaf and a day of education highlighted by quality presentations, including:
Improving the golfer experience. Hunki Yun of the United States Golf Association (USGA) provided data from a USGA survey of golfers, designed to help facilities provide a better experience for their customers. For instance, did you know that from the time a golfer drives onto a property until they leave, there are 1,000 touchpoints that impact the experience and their satisfaction? That’s far more than other industries’ experience, including hotels.
A retrospective look at tees. Jan Bel Jan of ASGCA presented the views of a number of golf course architects, including:
- S. Colt promoted a variety of teeing grounds more than 100 years ago to account for wind or other special aspects of play, and additional tees to adjust for play in winter vs. summer.
- Marion Hollins wanted to create a course for women that brought out their best. “Not the same design as men, because women cannot compete with men on equal terms for par or bogey.”
- In 1935, A.W. Tillinghast bemoaned the tendency to create greater length, “The fetish of distance is worshipped all too often.”
Eliminating irrelevant shots. Dan Van Horn of Longleaf and Bill Bergin, ASGCA, shared data on the Longleaf Tee System to scale golf courses to make them more playable and enjoyable for all players and the results to date. The Longleaf Golf & Family Club has increased tee locations from 67 to 116, and in the first year, 93 percent of men played their rounds from tees that had not previously existed.
Since the USGA rates any course that plays to 1,500 yards for 9 holes (3,000 for 18), all Longleaf players obtain a USGA handicap. Today, more 80 percent of all Longleaf rounds are played at 5,400 yards or less.
Adding new tees. Lynn Baugher, a member at Rancho Murieta (Calif.) Country Club, provided a golfer’s perspective. Baugher, who worked with ASGCA Past President Damian Pascuzzo to add tees at the club, shared the steps the club has taken to encourage members to move forward and give the new tees a try. Small-group discussions and one-on-one conversations have proven valuable, she said, and the result is the club sees more golfers playing more often.
Reversible 9-hole courses. Brian Conley of Bobby Jones Golf Course in Atlanta presented several unique aspects of their new “reversible 9s” course, designed by ASGCA Past President Bob Cupp. “At least three women have said to our staff in the first month, ‘I made my first ever birdie today.’”
Golf for Life. Marty Deangelo of Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Ill., reported impressive increases thanks to the new “Golf for Life” program (including a common senior group refrain, “I finally broke 90!”):
- Mixed-couples participation is up 30%
- Annual number of golf lessons is up 60%
- Junior golfers program is up 65%
- Senior participation is up 15%
Disaster planning and recovery. ASGCA Past President John LaFoy and Scott Brown, CGCS, highlighted the challenges and opportunities faced by facilities following natural disasters.
“Know your insurance policies,” Brown stressed. “Some policies pay for a course ‘interruption.’ But if you keep 9 holes open because the damage was not ‘too bad,’ that is not considered an interruption and will not be paid out.”
LaFoy noted hurricanes and other storms sometimes allow facilities to rethink some aspects of the course and expedite master plan projects.
Design goals. Arthur Little and Jann Leeming, who have spent decades in the golf industry, including time as golf course owners, defined “Design Fairness” as courses, properly designed, on which all golfers can reach greens in regulation. To achieve this, golfers play the set of tees matching their swing speed; if golfers play the tees/yardage that fits their swing speed they will have the same or similar clubs for their approach shots.
The symposium also marked the debut of Forward Tee: Case Studies in Additional Tees. The book, from ASGCA Foundation and The Toro Foundation, highlights more than a dozen golf facilities that have added tee options for golfers in recent years, with results of more players playing more often and enjoying it more. Forward Tee may be downloaded for free at https://tinyurl.com/y8j8o55m.
Marc Whitney is director of communications at the American Society of Golf Course Architects. He can be reached at 262-786-5960 or [email protected].