With more people playing public golf than in previous generations, daily-fee golf courses have an opportunity to engender a unique kind of customer loyalty. While private clubs rely on familiar culture, member fees and dues to bolster revenue, public courses across the nation must employ programming and allegiance-driving techniques to keep their fair share of happy and engaged golfers.
Perched on Charleston Harbor’s edge with views of Fort Sumter, Patriots Point Links might seem like a course that uses its visibility and prime waterfront location as its calling card, but growing its business requires more than a picturesque location. Managed by Bobby Jones Links, the facility has had its hurdles, and GM Brad Parker is tackling them head-on.
Parker, a Buffalo, New York native who has been at the helm for 14 years, sees the 1979 Willard Byrd design as a solid layout that a renovation could truly elevate. Currently, the strategy for driving revenue centers on aggressive pricing and unique amenities that distinguish the club from other daily-fee operations.
Since the pandemic, the club has leaned into dynamic pricing. While many courses rely on third-party algorithms like GolfNow, Parker prefers a more manual, intuitive approach to managing the tee sheet.
Everything is handled in-house. Parker, who also oversees regional operations for BJL, adjusts rates several times a week based on demand, local events, and the weather forecast. These aren’t minor tweaks; he moves the needle by $15 to $20 at a time.
If play remains steady, Patriot’s Point holds steady. Post-COVID, the integrity of the rate has been remarkable. Growth over the last three years has been significant.
Retaining loyal customers, though, has never been an exact science. Parker and his team have employed some distinctive personal touches to stand out in the hearts and minds of golfers. He says the feel of the club is enhanced by offerings like warm cookies in the winter and pancakes that Parker flips himself on a Blackstone griddle outside the clubhouse. Since the facility lacks a full kitchen, they’ve had to use some creativity with the local menu.
Without a hood for cooking, the snack bar now uses air fryers and hot boxes to serve fried chicken sandwiches. They’ve also found a winner in a frozen Transfusion machine that serves up a local rarity that moves quickly during sunny rounds.
The results are tangible and well worth noting: roughly $450,000 in annual snack bar revenue against 38,000 rounds. That averages out to about $12 to $14 per golfer at the turn.
Instruction and the lighted range, open until 9 p.m., are also key contributors to success. On the digital front, new social media director Lillian Stackhouse, who has a Disney background, uses drone footage among other strategies to grow the club’s online presence. Parker trusts her creative mindset to help keep the brand fresh.
In 2019, revenue sat at $2.5 million. Today, projections are on pace for $4.8 million. Doubling the top line in six years is a significant milestone for the property.
The future could hold even more for this venerable Lowcountry mainstay. Patriot’s Point’s owners have explored the viability of a future golf course renovation with a vision to push the course into the Top 100 rankings. That plan would also call for taking strategic advantage of the prime, scenic locale and incorporating a premium stay-and-play component – an alluring notion in a coastal market already known for legendary golf travel opportunities.
Throughout his 17-year tenure at Bobby Jones Links, Parker has valued the autonomy and support provided by BJL. Having worked with other management firms, he notes that this partnership has been a “really good ride.”
He likes that he can call for help and get challenged or backed up when needed. It’s a culture of direct access rather than corporate layers.
Resources are just a phone call or email away. At BJL, you can reach anyone in any department immediately — a level of transparency Parker hasn’t found elsewhere. And, for the long term, this daily-fee property has found a formula to keep its team and its clientele coming back for more.
