Welcome to our final OtR issue of ’21. From everything we’ve compiled through November, I’ll outline what’s shaping up to be a closing strong performance for the golf industry compared to both the anomalous ’20 and the pre-COVID “normal” year of ’19. Through the magic of the Golf Market Research Center (GMRC) and our Charter Subscribers, we have unprecedented (but not comprehensive) visibility into the COVIdend for Public, Regulation-length golf courses and how much incrementality (Golf Revenue, Rounds and Rate) we’ve received as a result.
So what do those headline numbers reference? Here’s the answer key:
$4.4B = the cume incremental Golf Revenue gain vs. the ’19 base that has been bestowed upon the Public, Regulation-length owner/operators over ’20-’21 (wow!)
86M = the two-year number of incremental rounds above the ’19 “base” for the above universe of facilities (which represent ~2/3’s of total annual, all facility types rounds)
$1.94 = the (paltry) amount of increase in the Revenue per Played Round (AKA in the industry as rate-per-round or average rate paid) in the midst of our good fortune
What we’re still trying to better define and quantify is the source of that volume (new golfers, returning golfers, veteran golfers playing at higher frequency) but, for the time being, let’s just bask in the glory of that revenue jump recognizing that, ultimately, revenue is the only metric that matters
I also wanted to say that we’ve heard the feedback over the years that the historical, in-depth 8-10 page treatment of topics was more than many could digest so I’m turning over a new leaf in ’22 and will be making it a more bite-sized, simpler read; fewer words + more pictures. Since this is the “test drive” of that format and I figure this topic is relevant to 99% of our 30K total reach, we’re sending the complete issue to everyone this month. If by the end of this issue I’ve enticed you to take the plunge you can join our merry band of progressive and independent thinkers by subscribing as a Pellucid Publications Member (PPM) for the princely sum of $495/yr (perfect for any use-it-or-lose-it money you might still have in ’21 budget). Our PPMs will also have exclusive admission to the upcoming State of the Industry presentation (planning for in-person and webcast currently, stay tuned) and all materials.
If you’re a facility owner/operator, what you’re seeing here is the visibility and insights which our Golf Market Research Center members get monthly for their specific facility and the GMRC portfolio of courses in aggregate. The new & improved OtR is also included in the GMRC subscription as an added incentive to join the “world of Pellucid.” GMRC subscribers use the following elements to make better-informed decisions during the season as well as for upcoming season planning:
- GMRC web portal tool access (unlimited, annual)
- Market Profile (from our proprietary Golf Local Market Analyzer)
- Monthly Trend report (monthly Rounds & % Utilization for any months ’19-’21 for which you’ve entered rounds in the portal)
- KPI Scorecard (7 measure, single page KPI results, any month and Year-to-Date (YtD) for which 3 simple facts (Rounds, Golf Revenue, Peak GF Rate) has been entered)
- Cognilogic Weather Impact: Historical facility-specific Golf Playable Hours & Capacity Rounds, updated daily and accessible via web portal
- Cognilogic Foresight: 60 day forecast of Capacity Rounds including comparison to prior year, the 10-year norm and select forecast facts (i.e. hi/lo temp, precipitation amount etc.), also updated daily and web-accessible
- Three ways to get more information on the program or just sign up!
- By reading the 2-pg program summary or
- By viewing the 18 minute webinar demo by yours truly (you have to register to view the video, don’t worry, you’re not signing up for anything, we just want to know who’s viewing our content as the quid pro quo)
- If you’d like to “test drive” it by putting in your ’19-’21 monthly figures, we’ll let you do that for 2 weeks, just email me to get registered & access
- Subscribe to the Golf Market Research Center (GMRC)
Back to the projected ’21, eye-popping numbers, let’s start with the $4.4B (yes, that’s a “B”) in additional Golf Revenue (that’s not even total revenue, just golf-related) over and above the ’19 base value and accrued over the ’20 and ’21 period.
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