When several hundred attendees gather for the Spring Golf Inc. Conference later this month at the World Golf Village, it’s not hard to guess what the major topic of discussion will be. To borrow what has become an American political cliché, “It’s the economy, stupid!”
That’s why much of the content of the March 30-April 1 sessions in St. Augustine, Fla.,
www.golfincmagazine.com/conference in which nearly 100 industry leaders participate as speakers will be targeted specifically toward providing innovative ideas and practical suggestions aimed at helping owners and operators get through this recession. This year’s event will be more interactive and engaging than ever before. If there’s something you’d like to talk about, this is your chance to get one-on-one advice from the experts.
Starting with the unique Strategic Marketing Symposium on Monday to the World Golf Foundation-sponsored International Forum on Wednesday, a wide range of speakers and panels will help provide the insight, inspiration and guidance operators need to chart a successful future for their properties.
Sure, the golf industry is hurting right now. Development has ground to a standstill, financing for sales is virtually frozen and environmental restrictions are posing a major challenge for many course builders. But there are still plenty of reasons to look forward to the future.
The golf industry has survived tough times before. And it will get through this as well. Smart operators will dedicate the time and effort to educate themselves and to learn from others. That’s the key, not just to short-term survival but to long-term prosperity.
What are the most pressing topics you'd like to see industry leaders address? What do you need to know in order to survive these tough times? What are some of the specific problems you have encountered in this difficult economy? What business lessons have you learned from dealing with the recession?
Comments
March 28, 2009 1:09 pm GMT
The golf industry can "go green" and save input dollars by naturalizing areas and reducing fuel, pesticide and fertilizer costs by using independent experts (not suppliers)to validate reduced inputs to each golf course in North America.
These activities may be embraced and celebrated (through effective PR)and in turn may be used to attract greener and younger golfers (women, young families,and environmentally conscious newcomers)
This paradigm shift is needed in these tough times.
JJ
March 20, 2009 12:53 pm GMT
Sure, the golf industry has survived tough times before, but will it be in the same form when we come out of the current debachle. I think not! Golf needs a major make-over to survive into the future. The golf of today needs to appeal to a much wider spectrum of people. People's economic and time constrained needs are changing. The old golf model of over one-hundred years is no longer relevant.
With new golf industry initiatives of "green-technology" and "land-modification" in mind, the game will continue to grow in a much more practical and conforming direction.
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