Business of Golf-What Are You Thinking? (PDF)

The Business of Golf Why? How? What? is a sequel to the award-winning book The Business of Golf What Are You Thinking? that was published in 2010 and 2012. The Business of Golf What Are You Thinking? was written as a basic primer for avid golfers, college students in Professional Golf Management Programs, and golf industry professional seeking to refresh their knowledge of the fundamentals of the golf industry and of operating a golf course. That book covered the basics. Due to the lack of a central source that provide strategic, tactical, and operational guidance, the book gained widespread appeal. It has been purchased in 16 countries and is used by 15 universities in the Professional Golf Management Program. The book will be updated in 2015 and in odd years thereafter. In contrast to the basic primer, Why? How? What? is written for the seasoned industry professional. The 2013 edition represents the first edition, and it will be updated in 2015 and in odd years thereafter. This book represents nearly a decade of research conducted in partnership with golf courses worldwide. It features suggested actions that are simple to understand and easy to execute, actions involving architecture, agronomy, intellectual property, rate structures, social media, water utilization, yield management, and many more areas necessary to running a successful golf course. While the insights presented are clear, the analysis undertaken was extensive. As a resource to the book, operational tools developed and tested by 10 leading golf course management experts through out the United States as the center piece for a Clemson University Strategic Planning Pilot Study are available from the Golf Convergence web site. This book will help the golf course management team and staff to develop a focused an disciplined approach based on quantitative data and to identify and mitigate the impact of uncontrollable factors such as economy, weather and location. From understanding the fundamentals, the controllable factors can be leveraged to enhance each golfer s qualitative experience while ensuring fiscal self-sufficiency for the golf course.