Joel Weitz, the 2017 recipient of the Bill Strausbaugh Award, 2006 and 2012 Player Development Award, and the 2005 Golf Professional of the Year Award for the Wisconsin Section, is the PGA Head Professional and Owner of Vitense Golfland in Madison, Wisconsin.

Joel Weitz on the importance of enhancing the range experience with added services:
We have continued to make the experience at Vitense Golfland more enjoyable, including the addition of our “golf suites” in 2014. This is a designated area that’s more relaxed and comfortable with furniture, tables, built-in TVs, etc., and it’s heated for year-round use. We added full bar and grill service in 2016, which means we are able to provide food and drinks to the golf suites for additional revenue. And in March we added protracer, a tool used on tour that shows animated ball flights and ball tracking. It’s GPS based and tracks every ball, with all targets mapped on the range. You can also play “virtual golf” – play one of many courses – right on the range. This is another source of additional revenue. In addition, we provide catered events with music, TVs, etc. – all in a covered area.

Joel Weitz on the business impact of enhancing the range experience with added services:
The golf suites are a fun, relaxing place to hang out, and being able to offer a range of services in a covered area has added value to our facility. Every enhancement helps to drive range revenue because those services tend to draw more people. Sponsors pay for signage on the partition and interior walls of the golf suites, and certain events are provided as part of that sponsorship. Most of the additional sales are selling drinks. We have a full liquor license, and the margins are better on that than hard goods items, especially with staff service.