Thanksgiving Musings

Industry Trends - I was involved in a rather enlightening conversation between the Directors of Golf at a few of the more established clubs on the East Coast when the conversation turned to the falling number of rounds played at their courses. The membership roles are still full...but people are playing less. Why? Well, the answers appear many and societal...working Dad's in the new millennium are more involved in their children’s activities on the weekends....less golf. In the new economy, company entertainment budgets are curtailed...less golf. Golf still remains a time consuming pastime and people struggle with the luxury of 5+ hours out of contact...less golf. On the plus side of the ledger is the aging of the baby boomer generation and pending retirement...but the challenges mentioned above are real and can cause significant cash flow pressures on a club. It can become somewhat of a vicious cycle with the remaining active members shouldering more and more of the burden. Clubs are resorting to many different approaches to resolve these challenges, the days of assessments are mostly gone, creative ideas to increase traffic during slower periods, extend seasons, adjust pricing to reflect reality, are all tactics which make sense.

The Sanctuary - opened some 5 months late on August 20, this deluxe hotel on Kiawah Island is positioned to directly challenge the Cloister at Sea Island provides a perfectly adequate deluxe experience. Its competition is more the Ritz Carlton at Amelia Island than the Cloisters. The Sanctuary is a corporate hotel with meeting signs in the lobby! The rooms are well designed, wireless internet access throughout the hotel, a workout room which was designed in the days of the three martini lunch! The golf experience is good, not great. The Ocean Course is their crown jewel....for consistency of experience with caddies and course conditioning, leaving aside superb hotel service, the Sanctuary is no Cloister. It is worthwhile visiting, but set your expectations in the realistic level.

Pro-Ams - I have been fortunate over the years to play in the Pro-Am before various PGA Tour events....a fun day, no question. But is it all it is cracked up to be and worth the cost involved...hmmm. You are in the professionals office, and the better they are know (read prominent) the generally, less interaction you will enjoy. All a bit of a show at best. Not long ago I was discussing the ill fated comments of Jan Stephenson with a retired senior golf figure...he agreed with Jan's view (relating to the LPGA), possibly her words could have better chosen. His view was the Pro-Am day is the most important day for the tour...that is the day that pays the bills...if the CEO & Chairman of the sponsoring company do not believe the event has value to their organization, they will quickly find alternative venues to spend their entertainment & promotional dollars. The PGA Tour has enjoyed unprecedented growth and long may it continue, but the players should never forget on which their success is based. In closing, I recently had the good fortune to play with Bill Haas (son of Jay) in a pro-am event. What a fine young man. Personable...and a great game.

Ryder Cup - It strikes me that for whatever reason, many people like to analyze the Ryder Cup Matches ad nauseum. Golf is an individual sport and regardless of effort or intent, will never be a team endeavor. Golfers, by definition are not reliant on others. As I travelled back to the UK the week after the matches, the press was ridiculing Hal Sutton's captaincy, in a way that I did not believe happened in the US press. The K Club in Ireland for the 2006 Matches shall be a decent venue. The course is not what one thinks of as great Irish links but it is the venue for whatever reason and doubtless the event will be as memorable as so many before.

Golf & Country club leadership structures - I am very fortunate to belong to different golf clubs in the United States and a recent exchange focused my mind on the significant chasm which exists between "Board Managed" and "Benevolent Dictator" managed facilities. The exchange involved a membership status change and the evidence I needed to provide to the Board. It is very sad to me that as a member of a private club, my word is not accepted as fact, due to the behavior of others. Rather, the club needs documents to confirm my request. Compare this scenario with the benevolent dictatorship which would surely show you the door to the club for behaving in such a fashion. I think it is accepted by many knowledgeable people that the best clubs are those run by an individual who understands the club vision. As Clifford Roberts once noted, "...the best committee is a three man affair, with two members absent." All around us we standards of behavior are dropping and if we cannot expect private clubs to demand behavior above reproach, then who should be expect it from?

Palmetto Bluff - Located about 45 minutes from Hilton Head Island, Palmetto Bluff is a 22,000 acre project which opened in September. The goal of the developer (Duke Energy through its Crescent Resource arm) is to create destination. Like Nantucket or Aspen. To that end they have built a village, opened an Auberge Inn and opened a Nicklaus designed golf course. The project is massive but built at the highest quality. Village homes start at $950,000 and have evidently been snapped up. The Auberge Inn has done extremely well since opening with exceptionally high occupancy rates. The view from the village across the Low Country scenery is fabulous. This is a project unlike any that I have seen in the United States. It is much more than a golf community and attempts to bring together the finest attributes of the most popular destinations alongside a lifestyle living environment. As with anything, it is exceptionally difficult to manufacture something to make it look natural...time will tell. Definitely worth a visit and if the Low Country is an area you are considering relocating to, be sure to put it onto your radar screen.