The course plans to increase greens, carts, and membership fees by 20 percent after renovations are complete, while also increasing marketing and customer service efforts.
The redesign of the Mooresville (N.C.) Municipal Golf Course has been approved for months, since commissioners voted July 7 to award a $638,500 contract to Spence Golf Inc., but the look of the course hasn’t been the commissioners’ only concern when it comes to renovating the 18-hole facility, the Mooresville Tribune reported.
The board had requested a business plan for the golf course to evaluate where changes needed to be made and how the course should be run in the future, and Brian Barnett, Deputy Finance Director for the town, informed commissioners last week about the likely fee increases at the golf course and gave a financial forecast for the future, the Tribune reported.
Since 2008, the course’s expenses have stayed relatively flat but revenues and rounds have decreased, Barnett said. With the new course renovations and planned operational and maintenance adjustments, Barnett said that rates will be going up as well, the Tribune reported.
“We’re looking at a 10 percent (fee) increase for merchandise, 15 percent in golf lessons, 20 percent in greens (fees), carts, memberships and food and a forty percent increase at the driving range,” he said.
The course has not raised its greens fees since 2010 and a local survey stated that the course has lower rates than six of their surrounding competitors. Barnett noted that greens fees historically represent more than 40 percent of the revenue from the golf course and that he expects the expense to revenue forecast to be down in 2017 and 2018 after the course reopens but that the town should see a profit in 2019, the Tribune reported.
The course also wants to adopt a standard 18-hole rate with carts that applies until noon for everyone, a common practice with other courses and to have special twilight, family and nine hole rates during slow periods to boost revenue, the Tribune reported.
Another way that Jeremy Elliot, PGA professional at the golf course, hopes to add revenue and profit is by changing their customer service practices and the way the course operates. Elliot hopes to extend the driving range hours, do a membership drive for the course and have employees participate in a customer service training course to make guests feel more welcome, the Tribune reported.
Kim Sellers, the town’s public information officer, said that marketing the golf course also needs to be a priority. “It’s a new day for golf in Mooresville,” she said. “The taxpayers have made an investment and we have to look at all the pieces.”
Sellers said they will be doing their traditional marketing with social media and local news but also wanted the commissioners to think about outsourcing for about 18 to 24 months in order to give the new course the attention it needs to thrive, the Tribune reported.
“We haven’t put a dime into marketing the course in the past,” she said. “We really need to now to get the word out when the course is back open and ready for business.”
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