Regardless of our health as an industry, one could assume that building a new golf course in a remote area, and not on “golf’s highway,” is a sucker’s bet. But Mike Keiser is having none of it.
Most of us in the golf market know who Mike Keiser is—he is the developer behind some of the best courses in the United States, and now he is doing it again in central Wisconsin.
If you don’t already know, Mike was the developer behind Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes, Bandon Trails, Old Macdonald, and his new 13-hole par 3, Bandon Preserve, on the coast of Oregon. In addition, he developed Cabot Links in Nova Scotia, as well as a signature course in Tasmania.
If there is a philosophy behind all of his projects, it is “golf as it was meant to be”—and he has always delivered.
One time I asked Mike what his preference for building courses was, and he said, “I like to build on sand.” Most of the world’s great courses are built on sand, as it drains well and is easy to sculpt in the construction phase. This tends to put courses on the coasts, where sand is prominent—but now Mike seems to have found another gem in the middle of Wisconsin.
According to published reports, if successful, Mike will build multiple courses on his new Sand Valley site in Rome, Wis., along with housing, to make it a destination golf resort. One could legitimately ask, “Who is going to drive to the middle of nowhere Wisconsin to play golf?” But Bandon is about as remote as a golf destination can be, yet it is probably the premier golf destination in the country—and the same goes for Sand Hills Golf Club in Nebraska.
Mike is quoted as saying he is going to bring a “Pine Valley experience” to the Midwest and to public-links golfers. If history is any guide, he will deliver as he always does.
The most recent numbers from the National Golf Foundation showed that 14 new golf courses were built in the U.S. in 2013, while 157 closed. One could take this as more negative news about the American golf industry, which is sad considering that our market has calmed down and has weathered the storm of 2008 quite well.
But regardless of our health as an industry, one could assume that building a new golf course in a remote area, and not on “golf’s highway,” is a sucker’s bet. But Mike Keiser is having none of it. He is committed to building a first-class, quality golf experience wherever he goes—and so far, it has paid off for him and for anyone who loves golf.
In our own operations, especially when it comes to budgeting for the coming year, we should consider the quality of the experience for the golfers who come to our courses. Are we making financial shortcuts that may impair their experience? And isn’t our whole reason for being about creating that experience? Mike proves that taking no shortcuts on quality is in fact the most prudent thing an operator can do.
Even though Mike is a visionary and loves golf (especially public), his efforts are really just a timely restatement of the time-honored adage: Do a quality job, run it well (kudos to KemperSports here), and you will have success. The industry is better for having Mike Keiser in it.
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