April 3, 2013. While walking the dogs this morning...
I met my golf buddy-neighbor on the sidewalk while walking the dogs this morning. He was telling me how he was frustrated trying to stop a leak after he installed a new water heater himself. It was a brass coupling that he could not tighten enough to stop a small drip. No matter how tight he made it the leak still persisted. I can hear the expletives - like missing a 3-footer.
A one-hour job lasted all afternoon - not to mention two trips to Lowes, missing a golf game, and rising blood pressure.
Next day at the golf course he mentioned his dilemma to another golf buddy who happened to be a master plumber. Of course, the expert (plumber) said he knew exactly what the problem was and further, it would be a 2-minute fix! It was the way the seal was placed - backward.
Fixed!
The moral of this story is that the expert, in this case the plumber, understood the problem immediately. He drew from many years of experience as a professional plumber. That's the kind of experience I use as a consultant in my (golf) industry.
With the golf course business in a correction spiral (I'm being nice), I see golf operations operating like my neighbor and his water heater. I'm the plumber.
When I take on a golf course analysis assignment endless things jump out at me like Jack-in-the-boxes. Every one of these Jacks is throwing money into the wind - dollar bills, ten dollar bills, hundred dollar bills - even $1,000 dollar bills! Money gone for good! The sum of all those Jacks adds up to thousands and thousands of $ dollars every day week, month and year.
Really! I once walked into a golf course and found over $110,000.00 (that's one hundred and ten thousand dollars) in less than three minutes. At an evaluation of 10 X earnings, which was the norm at the time, that $110 thousand computed to $1.1 million in value to that particular golf course. My modest fee made that owner over $1 million dollars in a heartbeat!
I believe many failing golf courses can come back. I can find out very quickly. Sure, many are also doomed. I call them 'boats that won't float'. I'm not a patronizer. I mean, why try crossing an ocean in a boat sure to sink? If your ship is doomed I'll tell you.
But, if I see a way to survive I am 100% confident in my analysis and advice. Not only that, but my approach is not all that hard to follow. Not rocket science. I use very simple and basic principles. I mean, if you can tie your own shoes we can accomplish success.
If you are a board member of a troubled golf club give me a call. You'll be amazed at how your situation is so prevalent - everywhere. In a short, in a free consultation I can enlighten you. If nothing else, you'll feel better knowing you've got lots (and lots) of company.
I am an expert with over 50-years experience in the golf business world.
Mike
Hello from Mike Kahn: I'm all about the golf business and the game. As my distance off the tee shrinks, apparently participation in golf is also shrinking. I've seen it all and done it all in the golf business, yet I've been a recreational player 99% of the time. The 1% was when I was a Canadian PGA member in the early 60's. As I blog along, probably mostly talking to myself, my comments might be picked up by a blind squirrel - and maybe even post a reply.
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