By Doug McPherson, Contributor, Golf Business
We know golf is attracting younger players. The National Golf Foundation reports that the category of young adults (18 to 34-year-olds) is golf's biggest customer segment – and 6.2 million people in that age range golfed on a course in 2022.
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And now we’re seeing signs that young people are interested in the business of golf. Meet Tyler Luedtke, who in 2022, bought the Crystal Lake Golf Course, a 4,300-yard par 65 executive course, in eastern Wisconsin for $1.6 million at the age of 23 – a born and bred millennial.
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Luedtke, now a ripened 25, is busy learning the ropes of course management and looking for ways to bring the course, which has been around for nearly 90 years, into the 21st century.
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“When I took over, the course needed some very necessary updates. We’ve invested in … technology, which included taking credit cards and updating the website to be more accessible and customer friendly,” says Luedtke, who grew up near Crystal Lake. “We also made a push to grow our event base and we’ve been staying open in the winter to host parties.”
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So how does a millennial-run course differ from a course run by older folks?
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“When I was growing up, I felt that golf was expensive and very pretentious. I typically only saw older generations playing the sport and there has been a stigma around the sport to support this,” he says. “I personally have the view that golf is changing, and I think I have a unique position to further contribute to that.”
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His vision is to operate as the "poor man's country club."
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“By no means do I mean that in a derogatory sense, but rather … I want to provide an upscale experience and upscale level of service that a country club offers, without an upscale country club price.”
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One of his first business decisions was replacing carts. He chose to buy, not lease, a fleet.
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“I much prefer the buy route for the simple reason that it gives me some flexibility throughout the ownership of the carts. If I want to flip them in a year, I can do that. If I want to hold onto them for 50 years, I can do that, too.”
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Luedtke’s goals for 2024 include growing leagues and revenues after dark.
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“We have leagues five days a week, but our participation in each varies from 12 to 60-plus people. If we can double down on marketing these opportunities and growing our league base, I strongly feel that we’ll reach some of the targets we’re shooting for in 2024.”
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And to keep more customers at the course later into the evening, Luedtke is looking to expand the course’s already growing glow ball opportunities and booking late-night entertainment.
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Despite his plans for growth, Luedtke admits he still faces a difficult challenge – the biggest, he says, is finding the balance between updating and growing the course while trying to preserve its heritage and please the existing customer base.
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“While I’m 100% committed to the continuation of that tradition, the trouble I have is making the necessary updates to grow our customer base, becoming a more efficient business and being able to do that while keeping things affordable.”
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To do that, he says the key for him – and for any course owner facing similar issues – is to stay flexible.
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“I think we can all agree that golf is a very different game today than it was 50 years ago. Apart from leagues, 75% of my clientele are coming to my course not to see who the best is, but rather to have a great time with their buddies or family. Embracing the fun, the music and some of the chaos is a necessary part in growing the game and keeping smaller courses like myself afloat.”
This article was featured in the January/February edition of Golf Business Magazine.