Stone Creek GC in Omaha, Neb. shares ownership with Champions Run, the city’s popular family-oriented private club. Stone Creek is public and has always been known for great golf, but for its first 20 years, food-and-beverage service was handled out of a double-wide trailer. Plans were made to open a new 3,800-sq. ft. clubhouse and restaurant in May of 2020, and in this episode of C+RB’s video series, General Manager Connor Farrell describes its successful launch, with a big assist from the Champions Run staff that, as Executive Chef John Benton describes, “wanted to bring the attentiveness of a private club to a public space.”
“The Road Back” video series from Club + Resort Business provides fresh insights into how club and resort properties have met the challenges posed by the pandemic and are finding new and innovative ways to boost business levels.
This episode features Stone Creek Golf Course in Omaha, Neb., a public course that shares ownership with Champions Run, the city’s popular family-oriented private club. Stone Creek has always been known for great golf, but for its first 20 years, food-and-beverage service was handled out of a double-wide trailer.
Plans were made to open the new clubhouse and restaurant in May 2020, and General Manager Connor Farrell, PGA, describes its successful launch, even after on-the-fly adjustments were needed when the pandemic hit.
A big assist came from the Champions Run staff, and that club’s Executive Chef, John Benton, and its Creative Director, Ben Lorenzen, describe the support that was provided for everything from menu development, to a “SWAT team” of cooks and servers, to on-site concerts and social-media promotion that included cameo commercials by John Daly and Happy Gilmore’s Shooter McGavin.
“We wanted to bring the attentiveness of a private club to a public space,” Benton says.
It all paid off, Farrell says, with a year at Stone Creek that “smashed all records—we waved goodbye to [2019’s totals] in September.” Total golf rounds were up 25% and F&B revenues increased to two-and-a-half times 2019’s levels, even with the restaurant not opening until May.
And while helping Stone Creek get its new venue off to a roaring start, the Champions Run staff made sure to stay attentive to its members, too—and Benton and Lorenzen also describe the wildly successful Drive-Thru Burger Nights that were staged at their club throughout the year.
(Viewing time: 16 minutes)
Previous episodes of “The Road Back” can be viewed at https://clubandresortbusiness.com/category/the-road-back/
Upcoming episodes will feature a club’s success with introducing croquet as a popular new outdoor amenity to kick off a major renovation plan, and more.
If you have a great idea or success story you’d like to see featured on a future episode of “The Road Back,” contact editor@clubandresortbusiness.com.
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