December 2013 - Parks & Recreation - 14

Letters
We hope the articles you read in Parks & Recreation are thought-provoking and
engaging, and we want to hear your opinions on what you read in these pages. Through
h
social media posts, website comments, emails to staff or posts on Connect, let us know
how the magazine's articles apply to your job and your agency. To submit feedback for this
section directly, email Senior Editor Danielle Taylor at dtaylor@nrpa.org.

[Ed. Note: The below letter was excerpted
from an email written to Arnie Biondo,
author of " Ideas to Make Golf More
Popular " (www.parksandrecreation.org/
2013/August/Ideas-to-Make-Golf-MorePopular).]
I would like to respond to your article
in the August issue of Parks & Recreation. At age 60, I have been a golfer
most of my life, and my wife and I
bought the local municipal-style 18hole golf course in 1999.
The issues you mentioned with
the golf industry were spot-on, but
some of your suggestions appear to
be from someone who is either not
a golfer or not familiar with the golf
industry. What we have to be careful
of is losing our customers who are
traditionalists by doing nontraditional things. You run the risk of sending
away the customers who make up 90
percent of your revenue to gain a few
who want to spend nothing. You do
make a few good points, so I would
like to address some of these points
individually if I might.
" Offer some freebies. "
I wish I could buy a golf shirt for
$11, as you suggested. Our cost, for
a minimum order of 72, is $19 for
medium quality. Additionally, most
golfers with even a moderate skill
level would be insulted if you offered
them a 42-cent ball. My cost for a
dozen of the lowest-quality balls that

Parks & Recreation

I would consider selling in my shop
would be $12.
" Charge by the hour, not by the
round. "
Sounds plausible for something like
a tennis or raquetball court, but what
happens if the hour runs out and the
golfers are on the other side of the
course? They have to dodge flying
golf balls to make it back to the shop,
if they even come in. What if they get
behind a group that plays slow and
they don't get as many holes in for
their hour as they did last week?
" Put a larger cup on each green. "
Golf greens are a fine line between
agriculture and science, cut at between 1/8 and 3/16 inches with specialized equipment. The holes are set
with special equipment as well. Moving the hole to a new location every
day is required. Now moving two
holes and leveling out the new big
hole is logistically impractical.
" Build larger greens and place multiple cups on the green. "
Again, bigger greens cost more money. They need to be cut each day, require tons of water to be kept alive
and require the majority of the annual chemical budget just in order to
fight disease, which will kill the grass
overnight if not treated correctly and
at the right time. More costs mean
higher fees.

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" Provide decent loaner clubs at no
charge. "
I am all about getting new people
into the game, but they are also the
ones who do the most damage to the
course. If a chunk is taken out of the
center of the green, be it by mistake
or anger, it takes three weeks for that
to heal. Most damage done to the
golf course is by people who have
little respect for the course or those
who play behind them. To have four
loaner sets on my golf course on any
one day would make me a nervous
wreck, let alone 20.
" Adopt a liberal interpretation of the
rules, or write your own house rules. "
No one should feel that they are
bound by the Royal and Ancient if
you play for fun. Establishing a handicap in order to play in tournaments
or tournament play is different. Most
just play for fun, though.
" Remove some sand traps. "
What about the golfer who does his
best to avoid the hazards? He likes
the challenge and would be disappointed to play a course that filled in
bunkers, which also define the hole
and give you an aiming point. With a
little practice, the bunker shot is one
of the easiest in the game - that's
why the pros aim there on par 5s.
- Clyde Scott, Owner/Operator, Eagle
Pines Golf Club, Mooresville, Indiana

December 2013 - Parks & Recreation

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