I was visiting with Dave Bisbee who is out at the PGA Fall Expo to launch TeeTimeText.com. He was calling me from the main floor and I was surprised to hear his report on how many golf vendors were No Shows at this annual gathering in Las Vegas. We did not get to visit very long so I could not get the nitty-gritty on what the deal was this year. I will be getting a full report this morning from Dave on what is going down in the world of the PGA so I will fill you in as soon as I hear from him.
The questions are going to be many on this recent development but the one that leads the pack in my mind is…
Where is Your Golf Business Going?
Every week I talk to several people who are in a golf-related and golf exclusive businesses. There are all kinds of businesses touching golf and all kinds of people who run those businesses. Golf event planners, golf instructors, private club general managers, Golf Insurance people..not to mention the professional golfers by the dozen and the hundreds of regular golf consumers who I chat with frequently. All of them have one thing in common…Golf.
This economy has really got some people against the ropes and unlike other industries, golf businesses are taking a pretty good beating. So, how do golf businesses survive until things get sorted out in the economy? What direction should golf businesses take to make it through this storm?
There are two types of golf businesses. Golf Related businesses and Golf Exclusive businesses. The Golf Related businesses offer products, services, and supplies to the golf industry. The Golf Exclusive businesses work only in the golf industry…like golf equipment manufacturers, golf courses, golf instructors. Together these two types of businesses make up the golf economy.
Now the problem is Golf, unfortunately, is looked upon as a frill. When you look at all of the components of survival in real life..food, water, housing,..being the top three,..golf falls somewhere around taking a vacation and buying a Cadillac. I’ll leave it to you to provide how low of priority that is in your life right now.
So, looking at the frailty of golf, the direction Golf Related businesses have to take is to offer something else besides golf. On the most part what the golf consumer market is howling for is help with is surviving in their business. So it would make sense along with offering the golf related products that offering something that helps a person afford golf would be the right direction to take. Now, this does not mean to offer the Golf Exclusive businesses a loan at an inflated interest rate so they can purchase the business’s products or to start SPAMMING the world on how selling your golf gadget will help them afford golf. The solid direction for Golf Related businesses to take would be to look for synergetic alliances with other businesses that make sense for the Golf Related product or service.
Now, I understand making a solid business relationship it is very difficult for a golf ball manufacturer to offer much outside of golf balls. So, in this case, the Golf Exclusive businesses need to take a direction of cutting the costs. Yes, take the unheard of action in the golf industry and take the direction of bringing down the cost of golf…it starts with the golf exclusive businesses. OH, yaw, I hear you golf exclusive business owners whining about you have already cut the budget down to the bone, but did you really? Outside of cutting the operations cost by getting rid of the PGA Professionals in the pro-shop and out sourcing the building of golf clubs to forth world nations, did you really cut the budget or did you commit economy suicide?
The direction a golf business or a person in a golf business takes to help golf survive will tell them what direction their golf business is going. Where do you go to learn more about the directions to take in your golf business? Well, the PGA Fall Expo would have been a great place to go and from what I am hearing it would have helped not only the golf related and exclusive businesses but also GOLF.
Where do you go to find synergetic business opportunities..joining an online golf business networking community would be a good start. If you are reading this blog then you don’t have to go far to find that community. The Business Golf Country Club is just a click away.
The direction you take in your golf business is your decision. Maybe the direction to take is to go out of business or maybe it is to take the business to a higher level. Whatever direction you decide to take make sure it is a decision that helps golf survive.
Let me know how I can help.
