Back on the Bandwagon

Needless to say, it's been a long time since I've posted anything. 

2018 was a very challenging year for me, and as a result, doing blog posts just didn't hit my radar.

Now here we are in 2019, and I do plan to get back on this pony.

One new thing of note: we have invested in two golf simulators here at Victoria Park East, and we're "dipping our toes" into the waters of the indoor golf market. Here's a picture of one of the units:

We actually had these installed in November, but it was a slow start due to the fact that we had to put the units in our banquet hall (not enough height clearance in our lounge).So, when we have a banquet, we would partially dis-assemble the units and draw a curtain in front of them.

Now that we're passed Christmas Party season, the simulators are available for play a lot more.

They are quite fun to play, and the graphics are amazing. This is a sample "fly-by" of the first hole at Mauna Kea Resort, one of the 23 courses you can play:

The other notable thing we did in 2018 was pave the cart paths at the East course. This is an improvement that we've been planning for a number of years... and we finally did it! No more pot holes, dust, skidding, mud, etc. We just have to finish some landscaping beside the paved paths, and that will happen this year.

Let's hope for an early spring (not like 2018), and in the meantime, come and try out the simulators!

We've Set a Record!

... but not in a good way. It's April 18, 2018, and we're STILL not open. That means we've officially set a record for a late opening, and we don't quite know when that will be. Here's a picture of the first tee at Victoria Park East, taken this morning at about 9:15.

As you can see, the ground is still covered with that crusty, crappy, icy snow that came down hard last weekend. But today promises to bring some melting temperatures; and believe it or not, we're aiming to have something open by Sunday April 22nd. Maybe 9 holes, maybe 18, maybe all greens or maybe not. Maybe carts will be out or maybe not. Maybe maybe maybe. It's frustrating as hell.
Usually, we're open by the first week in April; and sure, there have been years when we open early, then a week later it snows and we have to close for a few days.
By the way, the last time I used the same post title as above was in 2012, but for a very different type of record. Check it out here:
http://victoriaparkgolf.blogspot.ca/2012/03/weve-set-record.html

Welcome Spring 2018. Oh, and Hello Again Tiger!

Now that we're into the last two weeks of March, and the sun is shining (although the temperature could be A LITTLE warmer), the telephone and email marathon for "when will you be opening the course" has started.
As of this date (March 20th), our best guess is early April, maybe (please note MAYBE) Easter weekend. Weather conditions have allowed the maintenance crew to do some cleanup and start to get things ready. At a glance, both Victoria Park courses have wintered well, so turf conditions look promising once we get the pins in.
Jay Pembleton and Andrew Roosenboom are going through some new stock for the golf shops - clothing, bags, shoes, and other accessories - and the clubhouse facilities will soon be ready. Let's keep our fingers crossed for the weather, similar to the weather that the PGA Tour enjoyed at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week.... segue into....
Tiger Woods. By many indications, it seems as if the golf world can't let go of him. Despite all of his trials and tribulations (the likes of which could definitely be deemed as career-sinking), back he comes. Plus, I find it interesting to see how the undeniable extent of his talent, and record-setting successes, help keep his past misdemeanors behind a cleverly-crafted curtain. Good for Tiger, and congratulations to whomever does his PR.
Here's an interesting article by the National Post's Scott Stinson, worth a read:
http://nationalpost.com/sports/golf/golf-fans-flock-to-tiger-woods-grand-return-prove-the-sport-needs-his-comeback-to-last

And don't worry, we'll have the courses open before the Florida weather hits us!

Picture credit: Sam Greenwood / Getty Images

Reduce, Re-use, Re-purpose!

In a way, it's the end of an era: The halfway hut here at Victoria Park East, or "Snack Shack" as it's been affectionately known for many years, has been renovated into a rain shelter. It sits in a conspicuous spot between the 9th green and the 10th tee.
When I returned to the golf business in 1993, Snack Shack version 1.0 was a simple wooden hut, designed and built as a high school construction project by one of our neighbours. Back then, it was not legal for golf courses in Ontario to run a beverage cart, so the halfway hut was a popular - and profitable - refreshment stop for golfers. The humble and fly-blown structure sold a ton of hot dogs, snacks, soft drinks and (of course) beer. But in 1996/97, the Ontario Government revamped the liquor laws to allow alcohol sales on the golf course, and so along came the Beverage Cart... with a bang!
It was such a welcome addition to the golf business: on arrival, golfers would no longer ask about the turf and greens conditions, but would first ask "is the beverage cart out today?" I'm not exaggerating. It's still the first question many golfers ask when they check in. And so, the Snack Shack took a back seat.
In 1999, alongside a major addition to the Clubhouse, a new and better Snack Shack was constructed. More power outlets, better countertops, more room for a nice fridge, a cement floor, a proper roll-up service window, etc. The push was on to bring some relevance back to "The Shack". And we got opinions, many opinions, on how to run it. One example: "You need a BBQ - sausages and dogs right off the flame, you'll sell like crazy!" So we invested in a good BBQ, put up nice signage, burned a ridiculous amount of propane... and sold very few sausages or dogs. VERY few. Did that for two years, then gave up on the BBQ and went to a regular hot dog roller. Meanwhile, the beverage cart continued to sell extremely well, so much so, that we invested in another one.
By 2010, we began to take serious notice of how little the Snack Shack was selling, versus the costs of running it. We cut back hours of operation - much to the chagrin of some of our members and guests, and a few complained quite aggressively! So we kept it going, and saw sales continue to decline. Even on very busy days, when you would assume grabbing a snack or drink at half-way would be a no-brainer, sales were very poor. The only exceptions were some large tournaments, especially those that have played here for a number years, and used expense accounts.
Now, it's done. We will still set up a temporary foodservice station there for certain events; and otherwise, ensure that we can service golfers quickly from the Clubhouse as they make the turn from hole 9 to 10.

The Trials and Tribulations of Tiger

Here's a report by Brent Axe of Syracuse.com

http://www.syracuse.com/axeman/index.ssf/2017/05/tiger_woods_had_turning_stone_elite_card_on_him_during_dui_arrest.html

Book and movie rights to follow!

It's About Time... I Guess!

After a rather extended delay, it looks like development of the old Victoria Park West lands is finally under way. This picture, taken on Thursday October 13th, is looking west from Victoria Rd., just near the entrance to the property. In the background, the bigger building was the residence and apartments, and the building on the right way the Pro Shop and Snack Bar. Since Thursday, both buildings have been demolished. The old 11th green would have been in the foreground left, and the 12th tee to the right.

Ted DeCorso sold the property to Country Green Homes in 2012, and since then a sign was up to advertise the development, but nothing was happening. I'm not privy to the details, so I'm not going to guess what prompted the delay. However, since the earthmoving started a few weeks ago, the development has been rebranded and is now called "Royal Valley at Victoria Park by Mikmada Homes".

You can probably see the confusion this is going to cause some people, who have been around long enough and were familiar with Victoria Park West up until the time it closed: the similarity in the development's new name with our newer golf course Victoria Park Valley might lead to the conclusion that they (we) are linked. A Google search for Victoria Park Valley Golf Club may very well return Royal Valley at Victoria Park as a result. Or, vice-versa.

Let me categorically state: the DeCorso family and Victoria Park Golf Club are entirely separate from, and have no stake or vested interest in, the Royal Valley at Victoria Park development. Well, maybe we'll score a few Google hits out of it!

Why Didn't We...

keep the golf course open? El Nino is certainly having an effect on our weather, as we begin the first days of winter. We officially closed our golf courses on November 18, taking advantage of some decent conditions to get the winterizing program done before the inevitable snowfall. Well, most of you know what happened: the temperature stayed mild, sometimes in the low double-digits. Of course, the phone started ringing.
But with the winterizing done, it wouldn't be wise to open the greens again. So we opened our "temporary holes" and saw a bit of action; however, most golfers want to putt on greens, and not just whack a ball around. Oh, well. If we had a better crystal ball - or, believed unconditionally in the 14-day trend from The Weather Network - then keeping the whole course open MIGHT have happened. Have a look at this current 14-day trend. Crazy!

Okay, So They're THAT Good!

Like most of you, once in a blue moon I do something on the golf course that makes love the game all over again. Like drain a putt farther than 20 feet from the hole. Or stick it to within a foot on a par 3. Or get a birdie! Have a look at these top shot from the Pros for 2015:
Top 10 PGA Tour Shots of the Year

Seinfeld on Golf

A Wake Up Call

When you're in a certain business for a long time, a sense of comfort - and an unfortunate habit of making quick assumptions - tends to set in.
In the golf business, when someone shows up at your golf course, we assume that they know about golf... otherwise why would they be here, right? Well, we recently had an event that promptly put us on our toes, and reminded us about the necessity of good, pro-active communication:
A local company decided to treat their staff to a day on the golf course. Great! We love that. We promote that, and would like to grow that market.
Our tournament co-ordinator had everything organized in terms of tee times, carts, dinner, etc. What we weren't ready for, was the number of people who had NEVER been on a golf course, had NO previous exposure to golf otherwise, and had absolutely NO IDEA about anything to do with golf.
"What hole, a hole? What's a tee? Do you rent golf balls? Can we share clubs?"
We finally got everybody sorted out, did our best with the customer to put golfers and new golfers together, and held our breath as we watched people hit a ball 3 yards at a time.
Lesson learned:

1. If it's a group new to the golf course, ask pertinent questions to the person making the booking: are there any new or non-golfers in the event?
2. If yes, can we suggest ways to make your event run more smoothly? (i.e., pick up the ball after a certain number of strokes, and proceed to putt)
3. Can we offer a 30-minute clinic to the new golfers before they tee off, to help them with the rudiments of the golf swing?
   
   Other ideas came out of this experience, but the important thing is "nipping it in the bud"... and don't assume!

The Long or Short of Golf

An interesting article appeared in many of the TorStar newspapers' Business Sections on Saturday (May 16), with, in my opinion, a somewhat inaccurate headline:
http://www.guelphmercury.com/news-story/5631069-golf-just-takes-too-much-time/

There's no question, the prevailing sense among the very casual or very seasoned golfer is that golf is an "18-hole" game; and on some golf courses, it can be a 5-hour commitment (or more!) if you factor in some warm-up time, and a beverage afterwards. 
Over the last decade, as we have had to become more competitive to keep and grow our customer base, we've learned to think outside the box a bit. The "time factor" of golf has definitely been a major consideration in our marketing plans. For example, we began promoting a Fun Nine & Dine to groups and companies, as an alternative to the full-on 18 hole tournament. We've had some marginal success with this, and the groups that have bought into it love it: start at 4:00, play 9 holes, have dinner, and away you go!
We've even began replacing the word "Tournament" with "Event" or "Golf Day", since learning that many people new to the game, or non-golfers who wish to participate in a company golf event, are intimidated by the word "Tournament".

Back to the article: Golf does NOT have to take TOO MUCH time. The options are: hitting balls on a driving range, or practice putting; play a 9-hole round instead of 18 (for example, 9 holes at our Victoria Park Valley course can be walked in as little as 90 minutes or less!); or, a membership can offer great flexibility: if you don't want to play competitively, with a membership you can golf as little - or as much - as you want. Some of our members come out in the evening and play 4 holes.

The game of golf is certainly going through some changes, but I firmly believe there will always be room for the Purist, and if you ask around, always be options for those who are new to the game... or just enjoy getting out for a bit of fresh air!

Wake Up! Smell the Turf.

Wow, so much going on...
I just noticed my last post was LAST YEAR, so I thought it was time to get back on the bandwagon.
We opened both Victoria Park East and Valley this year on April 11, so an average opening date. Course conditions are, what I would term, as a "standard spring" - minimal winter damage, otherwise healthy turf. So that's good news.

We hired an experienced food manager this year to look after the food & beverage controls for both golf courses, as well as manage the Golfers Lounge at the East. Derek Wright comes to us with a solid restaurant and resort background. This is a big job, and takes a load off my plate. I will work closely with Derek, to ease him in to the vagaries of the golf business, and I will also concentrate more on marketing our golf courses.

Now a week-and-a-half into the season, I'm very pleased to see the number of returning members to the East and Valley, as well as the up-tick in Junior players at the Valley. Also, our FlexPass discount program, introduced last year, is a hot seller!

What else is new this year? We're considering using the larger golf hole (8-inch diameter), occasionally, on 9 holes at the Valley: this may help with speed of play for beginner golfers, as well as add a bit of fun to the game. Other golf courses in the region have tried this, comments have generally been positive. More on this later!

Another big plus is the number of returning staff. We're very proud of our teams here, and we continue to instill the importance of great customer service among our staff.

Comments from our customers are always welcome; it's great to hear positive comments, but I always understand that problems will come up and need to be addressed. Contact me any time: john@victoriaparkgolf.com

Long-time members Ted and Randy practicing for Opening Day, April 11 2015

"The Wave" that Didn't Happen

Seniors Golf: The New Wave?

In the 1990's, many "experts" warned us in the golf business of the tidal wave of retiring baby boomers that would flood our golf courses, "They're coming," we heard. "Educated, disposable income, generally fit, and lots of time on their hands. THEY WILL WANT TO GOLF!"

The industry reacted. Golf course construction was rampant, especially in the Sun Belt states. Equipment manufacturers and retailers also ramped-up. 

Now we're halfway through the second decade of the third millennium, and seriously reflecting on what happened to this elusive group. Where did they go? Or, to be slightly optimistic, what are they waiting for?

Here at Victoria Park East, the trend did not go as forecast. Our Weekday membership category - the one that we imagined would be overwhelmingly senior - has declined steadily since the early 2000's. Our Full Membership category has remained strong; but here, the median age has risen, and is touching the 60+ level. Since introducing two Intermediate Full categories in 2008, we have seen a marginal increase in younger golfers, which has certainly helped.

One factor may be economic: the disposable income is there, but people are just being more careful with how they spend it. In terms of affordability of golf, I sincerely believe nobody can complain: in our market, green fee rates have not increased in seven years. In fact, golf deals are getting better all the time, with the proliferation of online tee time marketers like GolfNow, WagJags, coupon books, etc., there are a lot of money-saving opportunities for the casual and frequent golfer (although a membership still offers the best value for the frequent golfer).

An unexpected trend that, in my observation, seems to be more popular in the last few years are "golf-around" groups of senior players - groups of 12 or more that go around to different golf courses in their region and negotiate a group rate. More choice for the consumer.

The golf industry in North America is now experiencing a correction (for lack of a better word). News of golf closures - again predominantly in the U.S.'s Sun Belt, but also here in Canada - is now no big deal, To be fair, this cannot be blamed on the perceived lack of seniors playing the game. They're playing... maybe not joining, but playing. 

Is This Event on Life Support?

Here's a picture of Emerald Hills Golf Club (near Stouffville Ontario) taken on Monday September 29. What a beautiful day it was! And of course, a great day to golf at this fabulous course.
It was the annual "Pro Executive Day In Support of the Hulbert Memorial Fund" (aka "The Hulbert Memorial"), hosted by the PGA of Ontario. I've blogged about this event before - it's a fundraiser for the PGAO Benevolent Fund.
Sadly, this year there were only nine (nine!) teams participating. When I first played "The Hulbert" back in 1998, there was a waiting list. In those days, it was played at the Board of Trade Club (now The Country Club) in Woodbridge: 36 holes, and all 36 holes were filled. We brought a jacket and tie for dinner. It was a BIG deal!
So it's unfortunate to see it shrink to the point of, well, almost nothing.
Certainly, events sometimes "run their course", but this is such a great tournament, and an important one for the PGAO, that it shouldn't be mothballed. There was a short discussion at the end of the day, about putting forth some ideas on revitalizing the Hulbert. The format has always been a 4-person scramble, with each team consisting of a club Pro, a manager, and executives from a club's membership. I was thinking of presenting the idea of a ProAm with the "Shamble" format.  Any ideas?

Does Golf Need to Be "Re-Defined"?

Here's a video from HBO Real Sports, that may be cool and entertaining to some, and definitely scary to other - especially to us, in the golf business.

Are the number of golfers down that much? What can we do to attract a new generation of golfers? A better question would be... How low should we go?

An Indoor Golf Simulator - in 1966??

Here's a head-scratcher! From the November 1966 "Golf and Club News" magazine is an article about - drumroll please - an indoor golf simulator. Sure, it wasn't run with an i-Core processor, but I never would have guessed the concept began in the mid-60's. And judging by the picture, it looks very familiar to what we see today (with the exception of the clothes).

Thanks Murray McLaren, teaching pro at Victoria Park Valley, for finding this publication. I love this stuff.

What the Heck?

It's been a crammed month of June. I think the later start this year, coupled with the poor Spring weather during May, has pent-up the demand for golf. And now we're seeing it!

But I've finally carved a few minutes out of the day to do a way-overdue blog post.

The new Clubhouse at Victoria Park Valley is finally open, and the exterior landscaping is looking great! It was a tough few weeks back in May, when the building was being used while landscaping and construction vehicles were kicking up a dust storm! However, it's looking great, and the customers love it.

At the East course, we're getting ready for our 40th Anniversary celebrations - to include a public golf special on July 5, and a Members Field Day Luncheon on July 6.

At both courses, we are trying a unique public golf promotion: "Pay What You Think It's Worth" green fee: June 29 at the Valley and July 5 at the East. We're confident this will drum-up a lot of interest, and hopefully entice some players who haven't golfed at our courses before! naturally, we'll have a friendly staff member at the 18th green to greet the golfers at the end of their rounds and collect payment. I've heard of this promotion at other types of businesses, so we'll see what happens!

Here's a great picture of the East course's 1st Tee (now the 10th tee) taken in 1975. Notice the 3-wheeled cart!

Welcome Back

With the 2014 golf season FINALLY here, it's time to get back on the bandwagon.
The last 6 months were one helluva ride.

Many of you have asked about my wife Jane: she has been battling breast cancer for just over a year now, and I very happy to say, the battle appears to have been won. It's hard to appreciate the toll it takes until you live through it - or, more properly, are in a relationship with someone who's going through it. As best as can be said at this point, Jane is done with the emotional and physical crash that is cancer, and we look forward to a full recovery. Thanks to all of you for your best wishes throughout the year.
Here's a great picture of Jane and I with Reid and Madeline at my nephew Will's confirmation last November (Alexander is missing!)

Despite the weather, I've had a very busy spring, with lots happening in the background. Technology kept me hopping: a new server, changing all of our workstations away from Windows XP, and doing my part for the new clubhouse at the Valley has been a challenge. We're all looking forward to getting this great new building open & working. Come out for a visit!

Not This Year!

As we shiver into Spring, we can now safely say that the likelihood of a March opening for the golf season is, well... not a chance. Too many of us remember March of 2012, when we were fully open on the 17th! Here's a screen grab of the Weather Network's 14 Day Trend for Guelph, and it doesn't look like we'll get to above seasonal!

But we're still busy gearing up for it. The new clubhouse at Victoria Park Valley is aggressively under construction (check out David's blog), and new stock is arriving in the East course pro shop!

Oh, the Poor Golfer!

Here's a fun take on golf and golfers, by American comedian Lewis Black. Some colourful language, so not necessarily safe for work!