Golf Summit Speaker: Upcoming Major Events To Add $20 Million In Revenue To N.J.

Three high-profile tournaments to be played in New Jersey in the next 20 months could positively impact the state’s economy by as much as $20 million said Derek Sprague, president of the PGA of America at the NJSGA’s sixth annual Golf Summit on Thursday, April 14, at NJSGA headquarters at Galloping Hill Golf Course in Kenilworth.

Sprague was alluding to the PGA Championship to be conducted at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, the final week of July, 2016; the U.S. Women’s Open in early July, 2017, at Trump National in Bedminster, followed by the President’s Cup, Sept. 25 - Oct. 1, 2017, at Liberty National in Jersey City.

“New Jersey should be proud of these three major golf events in the state in the next 20 months, “ said Sprague, who is also the managing director at Liberty National, which has a contract with the PGA to host one professional event every two years for the next 25 years.

“These major golfing events will bring in revenues to the state through wages, hotel fees, airfares, retail and due to people from out of state playing golf here. “

Besides Sprague, David A. Oatis, director of the Northeast Region of the USGA Green Section, and Steve Graves, president and founder of Creative Golf Marketing, were the featured speakers.

Some 80 attendees from New Jersey clubs and association and NJSGA members, officials and volunteers were in attendance.

Oatis spoke on "Sustainability in Golf Course Management: What Does it Mean to You and Your Golf Course?"

“We have to think about new technology and think outside the box,” Oatis said. “We’ve got to get rid of golf-course clutter and overindulgent golf-course cosmetics that simply serve as eye candy and cause your course to spend money that doesn’t materially impact the enjoyment of the game,” he said.

Graves's firm, Creative Golf Marketing, is the largest and most successful membership-marketing firm in the United States. He tackled the topic: "The Secrets to Optimum Membership Retention and Recruitment."

“Only 40 percent of club members are 80 percent users of the club. Some 60 percent of all private club members are 20 percent users of the club. We are paying too much attention to the 40 percenters and ignore the 60 percenters and it should be the other way around,” Graves said. “We need to pay attention to the minority in regard to usage patterns. We also should do away with food and beverage minimums and service charges.

“Lower food and beverage prices and have lower prices on wine. Let members feel that they win. Wealthy people demand to win, otherwise they wouldn’t be wealthy. Give your members reasons to join and reasons to stay and retention and recruitment will go up.”

The event closed with a spirited panel discussion that included Sprague, Oatis, and Graves, plus Russell Harris, superintendent at Galloping Hill, David Reasoner, head golf professional, Ridgewood Country Club, Dave Wasenda of the Golf Course Owners Association, Albert Costantini, general manager of Canoe Brook Country Club, and Daniel Meehan, NJSGA president.

Wasenda’s company, Applied Golf Management, Inc., based in Millstone, N.J., manages 18 golf courses and hires 20 golf professionals and 15 superintendents. Applied Golf manages Knob Hill Golf Club in Manalapan, Hawk Pointe Golf Club in Washington, Eagle Ridge Golf Club in Lakewood, Regency Golf Club in Monroe Township, Clearbrook Golf Course in Monroe Township and Renaissance Country Club in Manchester, and clubs in other states.

The Golf Summit, conducted in collaboration with the New Jersey PGA Section, the New Jersey Club Managers Association, the Golf Course Superintendents Association of N.J., and the New Jersey Golf Course Owners Association, is considered the premier event in the state for networking and discussing hot-button topics among those in the golf industry.

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