By Matt Galvin, President, Morningstar Golf & Hospitality
I just paid $100 for a haircut. Those of you who know me will laugh. My head of hair is somewhere between Jim Furyk and Dave Pillsbury. Probably closer to Henry Delosier. My barber in Princeton, NJ normally charges $31, but after three months of unemployment (with or without the extra $600 / week, and he may not even be a w-2 employee) I think he deserved a good tip. Those who know me may also laugh because my usual tip is "Don't smoke in bed". All jest aside, I'm an OK tipper ever since my days as a waiter in college.
I contrast my decision with my barber to a couple of budget-minded golfers who were recently complaining that my golf course's afternoon specials from 2019 were no longer being offered. After being closed for a couple of months (and with our restaurant still closed) my clubs are experiencing a surge of golfers, as are many other courses across the US. Whether it's due to pent-up demand, more people slipping away from their home offices or the lack of other entertainment options, we are now booked solid at our prime time full rack rate almost all day long. The Covid-19 effect has been stronger than the purported "Tiger Effect". Casual golfers are also coming back to the game. I know that because the number of golf balls hitting adjacent houses is at a 30-year high according to our neighbors. Are we back in 1990? The deal-seeking golfers understand my club's position and are still frequent customers, they know that the pendulum has swung away from the plethora of incentives they've come to expect.
This new environment provides each course owner or operator with the ability to try new initiatives. When your tee sheet is booked solid two weeks out, we should redouble our efforts to collect customer data - perhaps start an email club and offer an extra day or two booking window over the general public? Maybe try going a month or two without a tee time reseller. I closed one course's tee sheet to a third-party reseller for May and June and we did not miss a beat. Based on that experience (and with a robust database) I will be eliminating a barter-paid POS system in the fall from one course. When I have offered incentives for some slower periods, I made sure to note that the offers were not available online and that they were required to book through the pro shop.
Notwithstanding this upswing in demand, I am mindful that we must continue to exceed guest and member expectations in all departments. There is no "victory" in this situation when former coworkers are still out of work and people are still getting sick and dying. Our progress can also reverse direction at the whim of our governor. We are planning for a possible reclosure and decrease in outings that have already been pushed back to the fall. But for now, I'm a better tipper.
Matthew Galvin is the President of Morningstar Golf & Hospitality and can be reached at matt@mstargolf.com