What part does golf play in
the Long Island economy? You need to get a feel of the golf demographics. Long
Island has 134 golf courses, both private and public, which play host to an estimated
1,474 charity and corporate outings. Now add the “U.S. Open” at the
Bethpage Black course and in 2013 the U.S. Women’s Open Championship to
take place at the Sebonack golf course. Golf is a major player in our economy
with a wide variety of businesses depending
on its success.
How does this relate to us
in 2009? I visited various golf clubs and attended a variety of golf
events. I asked the club managers what effect the state of the Long Island
economy has had on their season. The answers do vary as they will. I
found flexibility to be the main thrust of the club managers. Whether
it is lowering the guaranteed minimum number of attendees for events
or going from a sit down dinner to a grand buffet. There is always some
way to accommodate the client. One of the fairly representative responses
came from Frank Benzakour, general manager of the Middle Bay Country
Club in Oceanside. Frank stated, “In spite of the financial meltdown
and the tough economy, we have seen an increase in golf outings and private
events at Middle Bay Country Club. Most outing planners have testified
that they have been positively surprised with their attendance and my
philosophy is to always accommodate our members and guests based on their
budgets. We will always tailor our food and beverage menus to their satisfaction.”
With private club membership
down by an average of 13 percent, new recruitment methods had to be found.
A few of the solutions that golf clubs are using to help increase their
diminishing memberships are to waive the initiation fees, create summer
memberships only and open their catering facilities to non-member events
and celebrations. The other side of the coin is that public course tee
times have dropped by 21 percent. The hope is that baby boomers taking
up golf will improve these percentages. Nassau County Parks and Recreation
has stated that their golf courses bring in approximately seven million
dollars a year.
Keep doing your part. Every
golf ball you hit adds to Long Island’s economy and we are counting
every mulligan.
