Sean Gradomski is the PGA General Manager of Bayside Resort Club in Selbyville, Delaware.
Sean Gradomski on the importance of transforming your range into a course:
Creativity and an outside-the-box approach can lead to new opportunities. Every Tuesday from Memorial Day to Labor Day we transform our practice facility into the “Bayside Short Course” for our members and guests between 3 p.m. and dusk. This is an opportunity for families and friends to spend time together on the course and sharpen their short game. As our Jack Nicklaus Signature course is quite challenging due to its length and numerous bunkers, the short course allows novice golfers to more closely mimic the “on the course” experience they would find on the 18-hole course. We set up a bar and offer live music every week. Our primary focus for this weekly summer event is to create a fun atmosphere for our guests and members to enjoy. This past year we added two glow golf events on the short course from 9 – 11 p.m. with beverage service and music to enhance the overall experience. The results have been highly successful.
Sean Gradomski on the business impact of transforming your range into a course:
The purpose of this creative event is to engage and entertain our members and guests. We charge a minimal fee of $5 per player for the glow night which produces minor additional revenue after costs are considered. We average about 20-30 players every Tuesday during this event and 100 for glow night. Additionally, beverage revenue increased due to the bar we set up for the glow event. The opportunity to bring friends and family to the facility and have a fun golf experience has also created more golf participation and lesson opportunities for our staff. In the last two years that I’ve been here, we’ve grown from 160 to 250 Premier members plus 300 sports members. I would attribute this to the engaging, family-friendly environment we strive to create, which the “Bayside Short Course” definitely contributes to.
If you’d like to contact the author of this Best Practice directly, please email sgradomski@troon.com
