Dave Frem, GM, Cyprian Keyes Golf Club |
Michael Hughes, CEO, NGCOA |
Some properties participate in group purchasing networks to get more bang for their bucks.
Mike Hughes, Chief Executive Officer of the National Golf Course Owners Association (NCCOA), says his organization developed the Smart Buy Purchasing Network in 1992 to offer a tangible benefit to its members. About half the NGCOA?membership now takes advantage of the program, which develops relationships with golf industry vendors to offer members-only pricing, rebates and value packages for products and services.
“You can negotiate your best deal, and then you can get additional benefits on top of that,” Hughes notes.
No minimum purchases are required to use the program, he adds. According to the NGCOA Web site (www.ngcoa.org), Smart Buy members saved more than $400,000 on services and equipment purchases totaling more than $60 million last year.
Cyprian Keyes Golf Club in Boylston, Mass., started using Smart Buy when it opened 10 years ago, says General Manager Dave Frem.
The property saves thousands of dollars annually through the program, he says, and one purchase can cover the cost of NGCOA dues.
“We will structure our purchasing decisions and commitments so they will fit with the benefits being offered,” Frem adds. “I would not buy a product just to get a rebate if it’s not a good fit for us.”
Alvamar, Inc., which owns two 18-hole golf courses (Alvamar Country Club and Alvamar Public Golf Club) in Lawrence, Kan., belongs to a club-specific purchasing organization that offers its 3,000 members volume discounts, improved terms, cash rebates and other incentives from its more than 450 supplier and distributor partners.
“There’s a fee to join up front,” notes Dick Stuntz, Alvamar’s President. “Beyond that, you choose to use them or not to use them. It’s really a low-risk arrangement.”—BG
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