Realizing the old, familiar tournaments at South Fork Country Club in Amagansett, New York, were losing popularity, head pro Tim Garvin began to make changes to restore their appeal. In his 10 years at the club, two of the major tournaments have been revamped, including the club championship and the member-member. Six other events have been eliminated.
The first tournament to be overhauled was the member-member. The event is still conducted, but participants now schedule their own matches rather than shutting down the entire course. Meanwhile, management only blocks off the course for one day for the club championship rather than five days. As a result, the club is shut down or restricted fewer times, which has allowed members and their families more opportunities to enjoy the facilities.
Changes have also been made in the women’s program. Garvin noticed that the participation in nine-hole events, best balls and scrambles was better than twice that of the stroke play events, so the schedule was changed to reflect those preferences. Some of the same changes were made in the men’s events, which resulted in a high rate of participation.
Garvin says that most of the events are now reaching their capacity and members are happier with the less-stressful events. The outcome is an increased revenue stream, with food and beverage also getting a boost. “We will continue to enhance fun, fast, low-stress club tournaments throughout the future,” Garvin notes.
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