Making Waves on the Course
says head professional Patrick Briggs. “They jumped on it because they like to be the first in offering something that’s unique and your every day player can get excited about.” Briggs, who estimates about 10%
of weekly rounds involve the club’s fleet of 12 GolfBoards, says reaction has been universally positive. “Every- one loves them,” he says. “The people who are interested in trying it out are the type of people who are really going to get a kick out of using it. They don’t disappoint. It’s such a different experience.” The novelty factor remains a huge
selling point according to Briggs. “Golf is something that has been rela- tively unchanged as far back as you want to go. So when new innovations that are useful and fun can be added into it, then people are all about that.” CordeValle, a Rosewood Resort
with private membership just south of San Jose, recently completed a trial pe- riod using GolfBoards and is ordering a small fleet for use after 2 p.m. each day. “We are going to retain a tradi- tional look and feel (including a strong caddie program) in the morning,” says Michael Marion, Director of Club Operations and Membership. “But I thought it was a fantastic product to use in the afternoons, maybe for an emergency nine. The majority of our membership has really taken to it.” Back at Haggin Oaks, Woods has four GolfBoards parked right outside his office window, with a pending order for more. “The constant thing I hear from golfers is, ‘Boy, these really look like fun,’” he says. “This looks like a cool way to get around the golf course. How do I do it?”
“ Haggin Oaks charges $25 to
rent the GolfBoard on its Alister Mackenzie course, $8 more than a cart rental fee for 18 holes, creating a new and potentially significant revenue stream. Equally as impor- tant to Woods is the valuable attention the product has attracted on both local and social media. “From a golf course standpoint you want that kind of reaction and excitement about a product, regardless of whether we rent them or not,” he says. “We want people talking about Haggin Oaks and how much fun they are having here. We also want people viewing golf as a progressive sport that is changing with new ways to navigate around the course.” While the product initially was targeted for the millennial genera- tion, user data shows another demographic is also enjoying the new method of transportation. “People in their 40s and 50s like it just as much,” says the 46-year old Woods. “There is this initial thought of, ‘Well, can I do this? It looks kind of hard. But by the middle of the first fairway all of that is gone and it becomes fairly easy to do. It’s provides a more fun way to play.” “Is it a fad? I don’t know,” says
Marion. “But this is something that energizes people to come out and play. If you put your head in the sand these days in terms of what you offer members, you’re going to wake up to an empty tee sheet and a dwindling membership. A product like this sets a tone of how we’re going to present things that make the game fun for people.”
If you put your head in the sand these days in terms of what you offer members, you’re going to wake up to an empty tee sheet and a dwindling membership.”
44 /
NCGA.ORG / SUMMER 2016
How to Have MORE FUN at Your Club
Here’s what some courses in NorCal are doing to attract new golfers and encourage them to spend more time at the facility, day or night:
BOCCE BALL The most popular member activity at
The Club at Ruby Hill in Pleasanton is a sport that traces its origins back almost 7,000 years. Spring and fall bocce league nights attract approximately 150 spectators to watch the dozens who sign up to play four times a week. Action on the two custom oyster shell bocce courts has become so popular that the club has added an expanded patio, fire pits, a renovated dining room for families, and a completely new adult dining area. The sport has also gained steam at Greenhorn Creek in Angels Camp and San Jose Country Club, among others.
CROSS COUNTRY GOLF The “Cross Country” is a unique tournament
that celebrates its 20th anniversary this December at Claremont Country Club in Oakland. Last year 44 two-person teams competed on a 14-hole “layout” that uses existing greens played to from very different locations than each hole’s normal tee. A modified Chapman Scotch format is used. Last year’s event featured a 950-yard par 8 hole.
GLOW GOLF Foothill Golf Center, a 9-hole facility 15
minutes north of Sacramento, started a popular glow ball event in 2013. Held on the last Saturday of each month and costing $20 per player, the event has drawn up to 90 adult golfers at a time. The best score on the 1,096- yard, par-27 layout is 23, and there have been three holes-in-one made in the dark.
MUSIC EVENTS Special events are attracting both golfers
and non-golfers to various golf courses. One example is the annual “Father’s Day Blues Festival in the Forest” held at Poppy Hills in June. The audience enjoyed the sounds of multiple bans as well as offerings from gourmet food trucks and a beer garden.
–T.M.
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