Hello golf stakeholders:
In this final month and issue of the year, we’d first like to wish all our readers a Merry Christmas and wishes for a joyful and reflective holiday season filled with family, friends & memories. As foreshadowed in the previous issue, we’re now prepared to “call” the year for the key metrics of Golf Revenue, Rounds and Rate (the 3 Rs) and they’re all going to hit modern-era records. Our Pellucid Publications members and our Golf Market Research Center subscribers know those numbers if you’re interested in “being in the know.”
Publisher Jim K. outlines the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) trifecta that will go down in the history books for ’23 when the final numbers are tallied come January. Golf Revenue is the one that matters and it will post a double-digit gain vs. ’22 by our projection based on the November results visibility we have through our GMRC participants. Rounds and Rate are the contributory KPIs and we’ll see both of those climb to record levels as well.
Contributing Editor Stuart Lindsay channels the Roman god Janus in interpreting ‘23’s results while also looking at the trends and forces in play which will influence our ’24 season. His primary watchwords are “avoid complacency” as he points out that inflation forces are dampening growth in other industries and pointing out that we still haven’t yet cracked the code on golf’s historical barriers to growth (expense, time, difficulty) while enjoying continued increases in rounds and, to a lesser extent, players. He cautions that we also continue to ignore developing stronger customer relationships during these “good times” at our own future peril.
See below for the headlines to each of our recurring sections from the regional November weather impact map to Comings & Goings (very few but a combination of transactions and new “plants”). We’ve already compiled the November rounds “preview”, courtesy of our GMRC first-responders, and it suggests that rounds will be up but not as much as the phenomenal November weather (see this month’s map and figures for the good news). If you want to know those numbers on a regular basis, you can either participate in GMRC (course operators) or sign up for a Publications Membership (everyone else).
YEAR END CRYSTAL BALL
2 Record Golf Revenue in ’23 will lead KPI trifecta of records
By Jim Koppenhaver
YEAR END OBSERVATIONS
6 We’ve ridden rounds higher, tougher task of pricing & profitability lies ahead
By Stuart Lindsay
COMINGS & GOINGS
10 8 Activities; Transactions (6) and New Dirt (2)
WEATHER IMPACT
12 Nov GPH off-the-charts at +21%, Year-to-Date improves to +2%
BY-THE-NUMBERS
14 October Utilization flat, Year-to-Date remains slightly up
MARKET FOCUS
16 Cincinnati, at #23, revisited since last review in ’21, holds that position
If you know of associates who would benefit from the topics and insights covered in this issue, feel free to forward this email and encourage them to register on the Pellucid website (http://www.pellucidcorp.com/news/elist) to join the discussion and healthy debate.
We also continue to spread the word on Pellucid’s next-generation golf course database. The Internet Golf Database (IGDB), provided by Apparation LLC, is the industry’s most complete, accurate, accessible and useful golf industry directory. IGDB, along with Pellucid’s proprietary extensions, powers Pellucid’s Golf Local Market Analyzer, the Top 25 US Golf Markets Scorecard and the GMRC. For more information on high-value IGDB subscriptions options, contact Apparation at mike.dickoff@apparationllc.com.
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