6 month membership!

[IanM]

A course is Devon has moved to 6 month membership model, April to September.

If conditions permit, they'll open March and October on a pay and play basis. Course will be closed November to February regardless. (Although easy to flex if we get a dry winter) They've cut the fee, but I don't know by how much.

They have a trackman driving range and restaurant for continued revenue.

Interesting to see how that works for them. Course does get wet in winter, so they've clearly thought the saving in operating costs will be worth it.

Interesting development.

 

[upsidedown]

Presume the green keepers will just keep the course ticking over ?

 

[IanM]

Presume the green keepers will just keep the course ticking over ?

No idea, I guess so, good time for big jobs without players getting in the way! Not much maintenance needed mid winter if no one playing

You drove past it last year!

 

[The Squirrel]

Guess they’ve done the maths and worked out they were losing significant money by being open those 4 months - income not even covering the proportion of operating costs they believe they can save by being closed.

Could probably reduce green keeper headcount too if the remaining ones have 4 months for bigger jobs with no daily playability maintenance taking their time.

If they’re very largely a pay and play model with minimal membership then I can understand that - makes sense.

If you’re largely a membership base with limited pay-and-play then it would probably never work - many of your members would go elsewhere in the winter closure and a fair proportion would never come back.

If they’ve done their projections right and it makes an otherwise unviable business viable and keeps a golf course open that might have closed then it’s a good thing.

 

[upsidedown]

No idea, I guess so, good time for big jobs without players getting in the way! Not much maintenance needed mid winter if no one playing

You drove past it last year!

Off the A361?

 

[Lord Tyrion]

@rulie can probably chip in on this, it's not a million miles away from the Canadian model, although this is still open longer. Interesting how it goes, can they retain staff during the closed periods, can they cover the costs. I wonder if other soggy courses will watch on to see the results.

 

[rulie]

@rulie can probably chip in on this, it's not a million miles away from the Canadian model, although this is still open longer. Interesting how it goes, can they retain staff during the closed periods, can they cover the costs. I wonder if other soggy courses will watch on to see the results.

Yes, our course is closed from early November to mid-March (sometimes earlier, opened yesterday). And we do retain the permanent staff - greenkeeper, mechanic, general manager, office person, albeit on somewhat fewer days and hours. Usually have dinner specials on Friday nights, although attendance isn't always great. And not sure of revenue, but we have been doing this since opening in 1980. The course is owned by the dry-land strata community and they are responsible for the finances.