This month’s provocative topic is just a hint of the issues we address in our free monthly newsletter, Home On The Course. To subscribe, just click on the box at the top of this column, follow the simple and quick instructions, and you will start receiving the publication automatically in December. (I’ll send you the November issue myself.) By the way, we protect your privacy and never share your name and email address with anyone. – Larry
Here are McRedmond’s comments:
I enjoyed this month's newsletter and found the razor analogy most appropriate. You came close to really calling out our industry; just cutting price on initiation won't solve the problem. Yes, Aron Rolston [hero of the new movie "127 Hours"] survived, but most would die of the catastrophic wound that was self-inflicted. Clubs need to reinvent their programming and show members why they need to be there. Club membership is more than golf, more than Sunday Brunch. I can learn to play chess at night, learn Chinese cooking from the club's chef or have access to great in-depth and interesting content on the club's web site. But with today's economic reality, the more value a club can show members, the greater likelihood that they will join (and stay). We started Boxgroove to give both the private club member a benefit to play at other facilities and the opportunity for his/her club to remain healthy and vibrant with a little extra income from green fees. Private club members don't like the thought of shouldering the burden of assessments and dues increases, and Boxgroove can help prevent this.