midwest golf course owners association

MWGCOA
MIDWEST
GOLF COURSE OWNERS ASSOCIATION
P.O. Box 385494 ♦ Bloomington, MN 55438-5494
Phone 952-854-7272 ♦ Fax 952-888-1366 ♦ Toll-Free 877-954-7272 ♦ Email [email protected]
www.golfinthemidwest.com
NEWS OF THE MIDWEST CHAPTER WINTER-SPRING 2007-08
MINNESOTA SANCTIONS GOLF LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP FOR 2
ND
YEAR
The Minnesota Golf Course Owners Association has agreed to sanction the Minnesota Golf
League Championships again this year. In 2007 the Association saw a highly successful
“roll out” of this concept to offer your new or existing leagues recognition as Minnesota’s
Golf League Champions at a statewide Championship event.
Details of this league network can be found at www.mngolfleague.com, as well as signup
information. The 2008 season-ending Minnesota Championship for your club champions will be
held at one of Minnesota’s premier courses in September, with all expenses paid by the
Association.
The Association has undertaken this development and sanctioning to help you in two ways:
• First to allow you to offer your league chairpersons and members a state-of-the-art
Internet based system that takes all the work and much of the mystery out of team
standings, future pairings, and score attainment all in a fun and transparent system.
• Second to give you a tool to offer new leagues you may develop, or which approach you
as their host for the first time.
These new league opportunities to play on your course could be the local volunteer fire
department, local businesses, fraternal or veteran groups, school teachers, outreach ministries in
local churches for fellowship among singles, divorced persons, or couples, and a host of other
“affinity” groups that exist in any community. You can now give them the tools to form their
league, and gain the benefit of this new business.
The 16-18 weeks of league play can become a strong seasonal base on which to build business
for you and the course, culminating in the selection of a league champion (or champions in the
case of several leagues at your course) who will participate in a statewide championship playoff.
This is the “fun” people are willing to pay for, and helps build new business. IT WORKS JUST
AS WELL FOR A MEN’S OR WOMEN’S CLUB, culminating in the club championships to
select winners representing your course in the state Championship.
3
RD
OWNERS OUTING AT THE WILDS GOLF CLUB IN PRIOR LAKE JUNE 17, 2008
Thanks to the generous support of our two major sponsors, Club Car and The TORO Company,
as well as the many individual hole sponsors, this 3rd Annual Outing will be held at one of
Minnesota’s premier golf clubs, and the winner of our 2007 Chapter Course of the Year Award.
The major sponsors, and individual hole sponsors, mean you as an owner can bring your whole
team to represent your course for a continental breakfast, driving range, gourmet box lunch, 18
holes of golf with a cart, lavish hors d’oeuvres, prize awards, and a raffle of merchandise.
The very economical price of $70 per owner ($65 for your spouse) is the best golf deal in town.
Add to that, the networking and relationship-building that goes with a good time, and you should
have a wonderful day in Minnesota’s sunshine. Take a look at the enclosed registration form, and
mark your calendar now to play in the great 3rd Annual Owners Outing at the Wild Golf Club.
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NGCOA INITIATIVES HELP OWNERS GROW THE GAME AND OPERATE MORE
EFFICIENT, SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSES
As a member of both MWGCOA, and the National Golf Course Owners Association, you have benefits
that are available to help you in managing or marketing your course. One of the most popular is the
Take Your Daughter to Golf Week which is the Week of July 7–13, this year.
Take Your Daughter to the Course Week: is a player-generating initiative designed to attract
junior girls to the game and encourage family interaction on the course. Participating facilities
simply offer at least one complimentary instructional clinic and free green fees to junior girls
accompanied by a paying adult. It’s easy to register and participate in this popular national
promotion to stimulate family business, and new golfers for your course.
Kids on Course: Kids On Course is a national partnership between the NGCOA and the USGA
that during its first six years helped more than 6,000 youngsters in communities across America
improve their golf skills and increase their understanding of golf etiquette.
Beginner Friendly Certification: The NGCOA certifies as Beginner Friendly member courses
that create a positive, welcoming atmosphere for beginners. Clinics and programs geared to
beginners, as well as special rates and other accommodations that encourage players to enter the
game, have fun and keep playing, distinguish Beginner Friendly courses across the nation.
www.getlinkedplaygolf.com
PGA PerformanceTrak in Cooperation with the NGCOA: Collects golf facility rounds-played
and financial operating information to support PGA professionals, owners and operators by
providing key operational metrics by local market. The program represents an alliance between
the NGCOA’s Financial Benchmarks and the PGA’s PerformanceTrak to help courses operate
more successful
Smart Buy Network: The Smart Buy Network provides members with significant discounts and
incentives on the equipment and services needed to run a golf course business. In 2006, leading
companies that are part of Smart Buy provided discounts on equipment and services totaling
more than $400,000 in rebates to participating facilities.
NGCOA Annual Conference: The NGCOA Annual Conference is the largest gathering of golf
courses owners and operators at a single event, and is held in conjunction with the Golf Industry
Show. The Conference showcases innovative products and thought leadership for owners and
operators looking to increase efficiencies and profits while enhancing the golf experience they
offer members and customers.
Golf Industry Show: The NGCOA is a founding partner of the Golf Industry Show which, in
addition to the NGCOA, brings together members of the Golf Course Superintendents
Association of America, the Club Managers Association of American, the Golf Course Builders
Association of America and the American Society of Golf Course Architects for the industry’s
most diverse gathering of stakeholders. The Golf Industry Show provides exhibition, educational
and networking opportunities for superintendents, owners, architects, builders, appraisers,
developers, general managers, green chairmen, golf professionals and media.
TOGETHER WE CAN CHANGE GOLF TO BENEFIT YOU, YOUR COURSE, AND THE GAME
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HIGHLI GHTS OF MWGCOA’S 11TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE OCTOBER 29-30, 2007
The Annual Conference and Trade Show has welcomed ICS/
Entegra, and our good friend Sue Rigsby their regional
representative, who sponsor our coffee breaks each year. Early
birds are treated to an assortment of continental breakfast items,
and the mid-morning break is an ample array of snack and pastries
the Prom Center provides.
One of the highlights of Annual Conferences since day one has
been the TORO Awards Luncheon where the Course of the Year
Award is made. TORO has been a generous supporter of the
Annual Conference and now the Owners Outing. They really help
“make the wheels go ‘round” for MWGCOA and their sponsorship
in turn helps us keep registration fees low.
Keynote Speaker Michael Veeck is pictured here with his great
helper and “ good right arm” as he puts it, Annie Huidekoper. One
of the important themes of Mike’s presentation was the need for
any company to attract and retain competent and dedicated
employees. Just “ putting in their time” has never been good
enough for Mike in his wide-ranging career, and he entertained
the audience with sel f-depricating humor proving that you need
to be able to laugh at yourself to succeed these days. You can
learn more at www.saintsbaseball.com
Mike Regan and Jim Stanton owners of The Wilds Golf Club
in Prior Lake, MN share the pride of receiving the MWGCOA
2007 Course Of the Year Award. This award is made annually
during the Annual Conference and Trade Show held at the
Prom Center in Oakdale. Each year’s Chapter recipient is then
forwarded to the National Golf Course Owners Association
for consideration in their COTY award. In the face of some
very tough competition, MWGCOA did not prevail, but we
hope to compete again in 2009 for this additional honor.
Mike or Annie would be glad to help you plan a “Night at the
Park” for your club and its members to view first-hand how a
true professional tries to give his customers more than they
expect. Mike may not have invented the phrase “ We may surprise
you, but we’ll never disappoint you” but he sure practices it in his
business and in the fun he sells. That’s the kind of “ fun” people
pay us good money to have, and we need to be sure they do.
The MWGCOA Course of the Year Award is again open for
2008, and if you wish to be considered, please direct an e-mail
to [email protected].
Plan now
3 rd Annual O wners Outing
June 17 th, 2008
The Wilds Golf Club, Prior Lake , MN
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The Trade Show floor was busy with more visiting time this year. 36
exhibitors and their represent ative visited with owners during pause
times. In addition, the coffee break and afternoon cocktail party.
President Greg Stang and Mike Veeck, Keynote Speaker posed just after
Mike’s presentation. As one impressed owner put it afterward; “ you hafta
love a guy who will try any reasonable idea, even i f it’s a flop, and then
laugh but learn from his mistakes”. That’s what Mike’s message Fun Is
Good was all about.
Mark your calendar:
MWGCOA’s 12th Annual
Conference & Trade Show
October 27-28, 2008 Prom Center Oakdale, MN
Again this year NGCOA Premier Partner Club
Car, and Preferred Supplier TORO Company
combined to sponsor a great and generous
cocktail party and “ grazing” buffet of hors
d’oeuvres.
Chuck Sorensen is Chancellor of the University of
Wisconsin-Stout and gave us all a great view of the
new Golf Enterpris e Management (GEM) program at
UW-S. The program has attracted just under 200
students from Wisconsin and Minnesota, and graduated
its first class in the new degree in June of 2007.
Chancellor Sorensen pointed out that as the field for
management becomes more and more important, UW-S
planned to supply a steady stream of managem entbased, rather than skill-based persons to help course
owners better manage and conserve their important
resources and businesses.
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GOLF MEANS $2.4 BILLION TO MINNESOTA'S ECONOMY
EDINA, Minn. (April 8, 2008) - How does one explain why golf is so great in Minnesota? Our state leads
the nation in golfers per capita; Hibbing is home to a golfer who consistently plays more rounds and posts
more scores than any other golfer in the U.S.; and Minnesota is the only state to have hosted all 13 USGA
national championships plus the Walker Cup, Curtis Cup, and men's and women's State Team
championships.
According to the report's findings, the size of Minnesota's direct golf economy is approximately $1.2
billion. When the total economic impact of golf-related activities is considered (core industries such as
golf facility operations, construction, capital investment, plus enabled industries like real estate and
hospitality/tourism) Minnesota's golf industry generated approximately $2.4 billion in direct, indirect and
induced economic output, $776.7 million of wage income and 34,653 jobs.
While Minnesota's quality of golf seems to defy conventional wisdom, quantifying what golf means to
Minnesota is clearer now, thanks to a recently published study on the economic impact of the golf
business to the Minnesota economy. Titled The Minnesota Golf Economy, the study was prepared by
SRI International (a nonprofit research and consulting firm), and commissioned by the MGA on behalf of
the golf industry in Minnesota.
While the study points out how broadly golf impacts Minnesota's economy, it also highlights the
importance that every golf course plays in its local community, says Tom Ryan, MGA executive director
and chief operating officer. Golf-related tourism spending in Minnesota amounts to about $361 million.
Golf is a major part of the tourism equation, says John Valliere, MGA president and member of the
Governor's Tourism Council. We are serving the golfer by being the agency that demonstrates golf's
impact on the larger economic picture, and the new study validates Minnesota's golf tourism [marketing]
investment, he adds.
The MGA supports the cooperative marketing efforts of the Explore Minnesota Golf Alliance, a golf
industry group that pools resources to promote Minnesota as a golf tourism destination, and Explore
Minnesota Tourism.
To put the golf business in perspective with Minnesota's other important and diverse industries, golf's
economic output is on par with the following industries: dairy products ($1.1 billion); printed circuit
assembly ($1.3 billion); and accounting, tax and payroll services ($1.4 billion).
According to a recent GOLF 20/20 report, the U.S. golf economy accounted for $76 billion in goods and
services. The report estimated that golf generated a total economic impact of $195 billion, creating about
2 million jobs with wage income of $61 billion. Beyond its sport and recreational value, golf is at the
heart of a major industry cluster that generates jobs, commerce, economic development and tax revenues
for communities throughout the country.
Copies of The Minnesota Golf Economy, are available by contacting the MGA at 952-927-4643.
About this study
The Minnesota Golf Economy study was conducted by Nancy Chan, John Chase, Katherine Johnston,
Jennifer Ozawa and Peter Ryan of SRI International with significant contributions from individuals
representing the Minnesota Golf Association and its allied associations: Tom Ryan and John Valliere
(MGA); Jack Mackenzie (MGCSA); Kathy Swanson (MNPGA); Greg Stang (MWGCOA); Jeff May
(MPGMA); and Kevin Valento (CMAA-UM). The study was prepared by SRI in agreement with GOLF
20/20 and with the support of the following organizations: CMAA, GCSAA, LPGA, NGCOA, PGA of
America, PGA TOUR, and USGA.
MEMBERSHIP DOESN’T COST, IT PAYS
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Editor’s note: One of the most important benefits members speak of is NGCOA’s Listserv that
links you and your questions to many other owners around the country with similar questions
and importantly many answers. Listserv can give you a sense of community, as well as a useful
resource when those moments arrive in which we just need to hear another opinion. This article
about the Listserv is reprinted from the NGCOA website.
BENEFIT FROM THE EXPERIENCE OF THOUSANDS OF INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS –
FROM THE COMFORT OF YOUR HOME OR OFFICE
The NGCOA Listserv is an e-mail community (electronic bulletin board) of members from
around the world with one goal in mind: sharing ideas and solving the problems that golf course
operators face every day. And the number of members enlisted grows every week.
The NGCOA's Listserv technology is strictly email-based, meaning you don't need to log on to a
Web site to engage in the dialogue. It's more user-friendly than a standard chat room; the
dialogue comes to the user, rather than the user seeking out other live participants. Once a
member subscribes to the Listserv, he or she will have the ability to send and receive emails
within the community and all members can review and respond. The responder may choose to
email the inquiring member privately but the value of the Listserv lies within the public, open
dialogue.
Only current NGCOA members can access the Listserv and you can learn much more if you log
onto NGCOA.org or simply call Barbara Searle , NGCOA Regional Director email:
[email protected] or Phone: 800-933-4262, ext. 203
OFF ICERS CHO SEN TO LEAD MWGCOA IN 2007-08 *
th
Officers elected at the 11 Annual Conference and Trade Show at Prom October 29-30, 2007
from among the Directors were: President Greg Stang, General Manager of the Wilson Golf
Group Woodbury, MN, Vice President Janice Arcand owner Oneka Ridge Golf Course White
Bear Lake, MN, and Secretary-Treasurer Mike Tozier , owner The Links at Northfork Ramsey,
MN
A New Director elected was Tom Smith, Owner Brackett’s Crossing Country Club, Lakeville,
MN. Holdover Directors re-elected were “Dutch” Cragun, owner the Legacy Courses at
Cragun's Brainerd, MN, Bill Folkes General Manager Majestic Oaks Golf Course Ham Lake,
MN, Dan Raskob, owner Bellwood Oaks Golf Course Hastings MN, Mike Regan, owner, The
Wilds Golf Course, Shakopee and Indian Hills Golf Club Stillwater, MN Steve Whillock,
President WP Golf, Oakdale, MN and Mike Malone, Owner Ridges at Sand Creek Past
President. President Stang reappointed long-time Director-at-Large Darrell Boyd, former owner
of Mt. Frontenac Golf Course in Frontenac, MN
* You can contact these officers with concerns or opinions or for assistance in operational
problems at any time. One of the real hallmarks of MWGCOA has always been the readiness of
members to network and solve common problems, or deal with golf-industry issue together.