New 34-page 2006 Traverse City Golf Guide now available
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (March 1, 2006) – The 34-page 2006 Traverse City Golf Guide is a lavishly illustrated guidebook with maps, tables and descriptions of area golf courses as well as hotels, motels and resorts that offer golf packages and specials. It is available free of charge by calling 1-800-TRAVERSE or on line at www.mytraversecity.com .
Region offers world class golf
Surrounded by long glacier-carved ridges and set against lakes of unearthly beauty, this laid-back resort community on the shore of Lake Michigan has long referred to itself as "Michigan’s Golf Coast."
Since 1985, when Jack Nicklaus opened The Bear at the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa, sparking an explosion in designer golf course construction throughout northern Michigan, Traverse City has developed an impressive reputation for the diversity and beauty of its golf opportunities. The area now boasts over 20 courses, including designs by Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Jerry Matthews and two of the industry’s leading young architects – Tom Doak and Mike DeVries – both of whom make their homes in Traverse City.
As recently as 2001, Golf Digest ranked Traverse City 12th on its list of the world’s 50 greatest golf destinations, and GOLF Magazine placed it among the six top golf destinations in the U.S. But while other locations have aggressively marketed themselves to the golfing community, Traverse City seems to have spent the last 20 years resting on its copious laurels. Today, the area is less well-known in golf circles than many destinations with far fewer courses, amenities and attractions.
Destination puts more emphasis on promoting golf
"We haven’t been properly promoting Traverse City as the top-of-the-line golf destination it is," says Brad Van Dommelen, president of the Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau. "Instead of giving this region its due as one of the premiere golf destinations in the country, we’ve treated golf as just one of many activities people can engage in when they’re vacationing here."
It’s an understandable oversight. For more than a century, Traverse City was seen as the quintessential "Up North" resort town, the kind of place where people came to bask on the beaches, fish in the lakes, sail on the bay, and walk beneath the fragrant pines, and didn’t expect or demand much more. The area has changed dramatically over the past few decades, with trendy new shops, galleries and restaurants, award-winning wineries and a sophisticated art and music scene, but a few old habits have proven difficult to eradicate.
"I don’t think we’ve ever really all been on the same page," says Chuck Olson, director of golf at the King’s Challenge Golf Club near Suttons Bay. "For years, I think our approach has been like the movie "Field of Dreams." You know — if we build it they will come. But it’s not that easy."
For example, each of Traverse City’s many golf courses has been largely left to do its own promotion and marketing, often at cross-purposes with its neighbors. And although some courses have created lodging packages with local hotels and resorts, the fragmented result has done little to focus attention on the quality of the local golf experience.
"It’s the quality of the golf courses that drives golfers to select a destination," said Van Dommelen. "They’re looking for quality, value and a fun experience – and they want it easy to put together."
Golf and Lodging leaders come together to promote golf.
By early 2006, the Convention & Visitors Bureau brought together the leaders of the local golf and lodging industry to devise a more focused, cooperative approach. Their first step was to develop what they call a "personalized golf packaging system" that enables golfers to create a golf experience customized to their individual preferences, budgets and playing levels.
By calling a single toll-free number, 1-800-TRAVERSE (872-8377), golfers can connect with one of the Bureau’s trained destination concierges, who’ll help them choose among 15 participating golf courses and 12 hotels, motels and resorts to create a combination that best suits their individual tastes, budget requirements and playing ability.
"We wanted to get rid of anything that would stand in the way of somebody who just wants to come up and play some great golf," says Bureau sales director John Jessup. "We take the call, find out what a particular group’s needs are – where do they want to play, what kind of accommodations they prefer, what sort of price range they’re looking at. Then we work with them on the phone, putting together the kind of package they want. It’s really that simple."
Since they’re available exclusively through the Convention & Visitors Bureau, the customized packages also tend to be an extremely good bargain. But they also reflect the wide diversity of Traverse City accommodations, which range from beach hotels to hilltop winery chateaux and full-service resorts.
But as far as Olson is concerned, the new custom packaging initiative is simply the first step toward an aggressive, unified golf marketing campaign that will involve joint branding, consumer research and advertising. As head of the Convention & Visitors Bureau, Van Dommelen couldn’t agree more – but he’s also hoping that satisfied golfers will take the time to notice the things that make Traverse City attractive even to people who never set foot on a golf course.
"Lots of places offer great golf," he says. "But we have what so many other golf destinations lack, which is something to do after you’ve finished playing that round — beautiful scenery, wonderful food and wine, an amazing art and music scene. And casinos, too, of course. Why let the betting stop at the 18th hole?"
For more information about golf and other leisure opportunities in and around Traverse City, call the Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau at 1-800-TRAVERSE or visit their Web site at www.mytraversecity.com .
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Contact:
Mike Norton
Media Relations
Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau
mnorton@mytraversecity.com
231-947-1120
101 W. Grandview Parkway
Traverse City, Michigan 49684
Resort & Golf Marketing
Kevin Frisch
(989) 614-0241
kevin@resortandgolf.com
Dave Richards
(248) 642-6420
dave@resortandgolf.com
