Casey Brozek, president of the Illinois PGA Section and winner of the 2004 Illinois PGA Section Horton Smith Award, is the PGA head professional at Crystal Lake (Ill.) Country Club.

Casey Brozek on the business impact of developing a skills evaluation on your range:
The skills evaluation program has dramatically increased lesson income for the entire professional staff. Having now been at this club for 12 years, it is important to reinvent the lesson program every so often to capture the attention of longtime members. Since I am familiar with the swings and tendencies of most of my members, usually they seek me out for a quick, 15-minute lesson and they are off. This program has done wonders to capture their yearlong interest and financial commitment. The member who previously would only take one or two lessons a year, is now taking three, four or five lessons because of the three evaluations throughout the year. The members enjoy seeing their games improve and seeing measurable data that they can track. To encourage participation, I offer a complimentary full bag evaluation initially, which then leads to more paid lessons.

Joe Green is the general manager at Tupelo Bay Golf Center in Garden City, S.C.

Joe Green on the business impact of rewarding your local customers with a savings program:
Since offering the “TLC” program, we have seen how our local business can positively impact our overall business. As much as 30 percent of our business comes from our local customers. We have a database of 1,500 local customers to date, and that directly accounts for $15,000 in membership fees each year. We are able to offer our local customers discounts because we do attract such a high number of guests to our facility. With nearly 70 percent of our business coming from out-of-state guests we can capture full retail for our services and products from this group. As a result, discounting range balls and course fees by 20 percent shows our local customer that we appreciate their business and care about our yearlong business relationship. In recent times when the economy has struggled, more and more visitors to our facility were coming from nearby. Focusing on capturing this local audience will allow us to maintain a steady, positive cash flow when economic times are more difficult.

This piece was contributed to the GRAA by Alan Phillips, the owner of the Sports Center of Connecticut, located in Shelton, Conn.

Alan Phillips on the importance of creating an aesthetically pleasing practice and play environment:
Reinvesting in your facility continually shows your customers that you are concerned about where they are spending their entertainment dollars. At the Sports Center of Connecticut, we are in the business of beautifying our facility each and every year so that each customer receives a first class experience. On the practice tee, new mats and targets are installed each year, in addition to circulating 150,000 new range balls. The miniature golf course receives lush plantings, fresh paint on the fences and every four years, new carpet is installed on the course. By not sitting back and waiting for things to fail or for equipment to go bad, we protect the infrastructure of the facility. This allows us to continue to offer a tremendous product to our customers. A $7 bucket of range balls should look like a $7 bucket of range balls, not look like a bucket of balls that have been in circulation for many years.

Alan Phillips on the business impact of creating an aesthetically pleasing practice and play environment:
We are about creating a facility for families at the Sports Center of Connecticut. Keeping kids attracted to our golf opportunities remains a huge priority. Providing a clean, fresh and welcoming facility helps maintain a tremendous atmosphere for the next generation of golfers. Staying on top of the facility saves large amounts of money down the road when equipment is beyond repair. Spending a few extra dollars each year to keep the facility at a high standard allows us to reinvest over the long haul in our programs, facilities and staff. This environment also keeps our moms, dads and kids coming out to enjoy all of our sporting options. If they see a tremendous facility for golf, they are more likely to cross over to ice skating, laser tag or bowling. Our range facility is second in revenue across the facility, and we like to think it has to do with our commitment to offering new and high-quality equipment.

All of Mitchell Golf’s new products, such as grips and shafts, will be added over time so customers will have something to look forward to each day. Furthermore, the new website will feature functions like predictive text searches and product demonstration videos.

Mitchell Partners and trade customers have access to discounted pricing when they sign in on the site. Additionally, the newly revised Partners Program continues to see excellent growth. Contact Mitchell Golf for details concerning the Partners Program or trade pricing.

The Mitchell Golf Equipment Institute has published summer and fall dates. School schedule below:
• The Master Club Performance Technology School will be hosted during the weeks of August 13th, October 8th and December 3rd.
• The Club Repair & Shaft Performance Technology School will be hosted during the weeks of May 28th, June 11th and November 5th.
• The Club Performance Fitting Technology School will be hosted during the week of September 10th.
• The Club Repair Technician & Mitchell Angle Machine Technician Schools will be hosted during the week of June 25th.

The Master Club Performance Technology School has been Mitchell Golf’s most popular school to date. The concentrated Monday through Saturday schedule saves students travel time, cost, and provides the ideal way to achieve Master Certification. Master Certification can also be achieved via the Club Repair & Shaft Performance Technology and Club Performance Fitting Technology Schools. Availability is limited to 12 students per class.

About Mitchell® Golf Equipment Company
Mitchell® Golf Equipment Company is the #1 source in the world for professional grade golf club performance & repair equipment and supplies. Mitchell® Golf products are used on all major golf tours by PGA Tour Professionals, PGA Club Professionals, club fitters, club makers and by major golf retail stores to service the performance repair needs of their members and customers. For further information concerning Mitchell® Golf products call 800-437-1314 or email info@mitchellgolf.com.

About Mitchell® Golf Equipment Institute
Mitchell® Golf conducts the industry’s premier training concerning club repair, performance and fitting. Mitchell® Golf Equipment Institute offers training schools designed by PGA professionals for industry professionals wanting to enhance their competitive skills. For further information concerning Mitchell® Golf training schools call 800-437-1314, email school@mitchellgolf.com or visit www.mitchellgolfschool.com.

Jeff Dayton is the PGA general manager at Stonebridge Golf Club of New Orleans in Gretna, La.

Jeff Dayton on the business impact of offering complimentary clubfitting to boost sales:
Many of our competitors charge for a clubfitting, but we feel that our knowledge and sales skills will ultimately lead to more club sales than not, so we choose to offer this service for free. Our goal is to try and do a complete set makeup analysis so that we are able to up-sell and add sales. We find that 90 percent of clubfittings turn into special order sales, with five percent buying stock equipment. On average, we generate $700 per iron set order and $350 on a driver order. About 50 percent of the sales results in follow-up sales for fairway woods and/or hybrids. In 2011, these procedures resulted in more than $17,000 in iron sales, more than $24,000 in wood sales, and more than $13,000 in wedges, putters, and junior clubs. When the clubs arrive or are purchased, we follow up with a complimentary lesson to insure satisfaction and solidify the bond between the golf professional and the golfer. Our customers understand that we truly care about their golf game and their overall enjoyment of the game, not just making a sale.

Erika Larkin, the 2012 Middle Atlantic PGA Section Teacher of the Year, is the PGA director of instruction at Stonewall Golf Club in Gainesville, Va.

Erika Larkin on the business impact of moveable advertising reaching more students:
The cost of the board was roughly $300. The board has easily paid for itself after only recruiting a couple of new students for lessons. I feel I receive at least two or three inquires per week as a result of my mobile message board. This form of advertising is great after I leave the facility for the day as well. I have positioned the board closer to the clubhouse so that those customers who are at our facility for a wedding or a banquet have an opportunity to read about my lesson offerings. I have a larger audience from which to recruit more students by keeping the board visible throughout the entire facility and not just the practice range.

Total Driving Range Solutions(TDRS) llc has been launched by a local group of golf and design experts that will help driving range operators increase revenues at their facilities utilizing a combination of unique design options tailored to meet the needs of local marketing areas. The services are available to both on-site and stand alone facilities.
The golf industry has struggled lately. The economy, time constraints and the difficulty of game itself has caused a significant decline in players and rounds played over the past 5 years. Driving ranges offer players the unique opportunity to hone their game in a manageable amount of time. TDRS also believes that upgraded facilities can become a destination point for a broader range of players of all skill levels thereby growing the game…and even becoming a focal point of the local community.
“We think we can help operators unlock the hidden asset in their existing facility using our unique design options and consulting services”, says Frank Wainwright, partner. “By upgrading the facilities “environment” to include options such as covered and weather adjusting hitting areas, many operators will see significant revenue increases and experience a very attractive payback on their investment”.
“Our process is turnkey in that we help clients from inception to completion,” continues Jim Downing, partner. “From data collection to facility design to build out…we do it all. And, our solutions are very flexible which meets the needs of most operators”.
The TDRS team includes Mssrs. Wainwright and Downing who have operated various golf related businesses over the past 10 years, Mark James Curtain, Architect, who has practiced in the Fairfield CT area for more than 20 years and Doug Smith, partner with Faye-Smith golf course designers with a client list of hundreds of courses world-wide.
Facilities interested in learning more are encouraged to call Jim Downing at 914-282-6398 for a no obligation introductory on-site consultation.

Media Contact:
Frank Wainwright
(203) 829-5665

Andy Weissinger, recipient of the 2011 Middle Atlantic PGA Section Junior Golf Leader Award, is the PGA general manager at The Pines Golf Course at Fort Eustis, Va.

Andy Weissinger on the business impact of creating a family range at your facility:
We have seen a dramatic increase in family participation on the range. This family-friendly environment has also led to a greater use of the golf course. We have seen our family tee continually used by more and more families and we are excited to make our facility a positive place to learn and practice golf for players of all ages. Most weekends we see a range full of families. Allowing the juniors a safe place to practice with their parents is essential for keeping kids in the game of golf. Junior golf has increased by 20 percent over the last year. In addition, if the junior golf numbers continue to increase, we know that adult participation and involvement at our facility will continue to increase as well.

The following information was excerpted from an article that appeared in The New York Times entitled “For Players at Augusta National, the Practice Range Is Perfect”. The article was written by Sam Borden on April 7, 2012. To view the entire article…click here.

The most important place for players in the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club has not been Amen Corner and may not be the back nine on Sunday. Rather, it has been a wide-open field behind the media center that fans stream past every day as they enter from the parking lots.

This is the site of the club’s practice range, which receives little if any air time during television coverage of the Masters. Yet its overhaul before the 2010 tournament made it an important tool for each player at an event that is, by design, unlike all others.

“It’s vital,” Aaron Baddeley said. “You can do anything there now — every kind of shot you need to practice to get ready to play, you can do it there. You can’t overstate it. It’s absolutely massive.”

Phil Mickelson added, “I don’t know of another place in the world that you can really prepare like you can on the practice facility here.”

The comparisons are relative; even the worst practice facilities on the PGA Tour are miles beyond the dilapidated driving range mats and backyard-style putting greens that many weekend players encounter at public courses.

But the quality of practice areas the professionals see varies greatly. Some, like the one at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., are palaces; others, like that of the Doral Golf Resort and Spa in Miami, are ancient and so cramped that the golfers nearly bump elbows.

Before Augusta National’s renovations, players used words like quaint and charming to describe the practice area. The old range, across Magnolia Lane, featured minimal short-game options and was hemmed in by a towering net about 200 yards down the fairway that kept the golfers from crushing their shots into traffic on Washington Road.

“It was — fine,” Lee Westwood said slowly. He brightened when asked for his thoughts on the new range.

“Let me just say that this is so, so much better,” he said.

First, club officials moved the range, setting it on 18 acres that used to be allocated for Masters parking. Then dual fairways were built opposite the teeing ground — one a dogleg right, the other left — to allow players to better visualize all types of on-course shots and shape practice shots around the trees that dot the landing areas.

Three greens — one for putting, two for chipping — are cut to the same specifications as the on-course putting surfaces, so players can simulate shots they may face during tournament rounds.

Ultimately, that is what has captivated players the most: unlike most ranges, where the landing areas or bunkers are clearly different from the course, the range at Augusta National feels as if it were lifted from the back nine.

The sand is similar. The fringe is similar. The greens — even the ones in the middle of the range that are not designed for putting — are similar, so players on the range can determine, for example, how quickly their short iron shots will spin back on the course.

In combination with the new chipping area, those features allow players to hone their shots from 120 yards and closer, before ever hitting a shot that counts.

“Especially with all the different things that can be thrown at you from a weather perspective out here, every round is really a ‘so what is it going to be today?’ kind of feeling,” Geoff Ogilvy said. “With a practice area like this, that question is easier.”

Some of those who have been to the Masters for years, while impressed by the new range, chuckled over the progress in practice areas. Curtis Strange, who played his first Masters in 1975 and now works as a commentator for ESPN and designs golf courses, praised the improvements but smiled wryly when recalling some of the decrepit practice ranges he and his contemporaries encountered years ago.

At the old Western Open at Butler National Golf Club outside Chicago, Strange said, “we practiced on the polo grounds which were nearby.” The worst range, he recalled, was at the Southern Open at Green Island Country Club in Columbus, Ga., because it was “basically a pile of dust.”

Even famous courses struggle to find room for a quality range. In many cases the problem is a matter of space, Strange said. Particularly for older layouts in the Northeast, course architects have had trouble completing the routing of the course while leaving room for a range.

Although Quaker Ridge Golf Club in Scarsdale, N.Y., is often ranked among the best courses in the country, it has no dedicated driving range. When the Walker Cup was played at Quaker Ridge in 1997, the players did what the members do: They warmed up by hitting balls on the 17th hole. (Course workers pick up the balls before anyone reaches No. 17 during play.)

A similar situation exists at Merion Golf Club near Philadelphia. Strange remembered playing the United States Open at Merion’s East Course in 1981 and being taken in a shuttle to a practice range “down the street,” though it was actually a makeshift range set up on the West Course.

Players would hit practice shots up the 9th and 16th fairways, then “you’d get back on the shuttle and go back and play,” Strange said.

When the United States Open returns to Merion next year, the West Course will be outfitted with a temporary locker room for the players and a practice area.

Such is the burden of courses placed in tight quarters, and situations like Merion’s only further the notion that Augusta National’s practice facility is unique, Strange said.

“You’d never see it anywhere else — the land is too valuable and the care is too expensive,” he said. “But that’s what they do here. They want to have the best, and now it seems like they do.”