An Unforeseen Impact

By Jim Claggett

Wolf Creek Golf Resort’s Ryan Vold has been in the golf industry for more than four decades and has seen plenty. He accepted long ago that ups and downs are all part of the landscape.

Vold said in the 80’s and 90’s there were some peaks when some years were far better than others and when the mid2000’s hit, things started sliding the other way. The economy and the weather play a role in the direction golf can go, but this past season was something else.

“Golf was always a kind of nice, slow ride but this one (2020) was just a freak of nature. We saw extreme amounts (people playing golf) with some courses going 30 to 40 per cent (increase in rounds played).”

He was quick to add he is not referring to total revenue as there are other elements which contribute to the bottom line like pro shop, food & beverage and tournaments, all which were flat.

The situation was quite robust right out of the gate at Wolf Creek and Vold explained it was due to being prepared to host golfers right away in May. Most courses were thinking golf would start around May 15th in Alberta, but officials announced people could tee it up May 4th. The Wolf was ready to pounce.

“That gave us a huge start and I thought it would flatten out once other golf courses started to come on board and then it didn’t. It just kept going and then I thought, boy this is a giggle,” Vold said.

Lesley McMahon, owner of Balmoral Golf Club in Red Deer is the past president of the National Golf Course Owners Association. She said it was a familiar refrain from member courses.

“Most places were very happy with their green fee numbers and their rounds,” she said. “The type of golf courses that didn’t do as well, from the people I spoke to, were the private clubs.” She said members were playing more in many cases at those courses, but their fees had already been paid.

“It’s not across the board that everything was up and fabulous. It kind of depended on what market you were in.”

So why did many courses see such an influx in people?

With other sports on hold, Vold figures people had to find options for

Balmoral GC , Hole #2

themselves and their children. Enter golf. “It was some kind of recreation you could all do together, get outdoors and you’re not going to have the COVID-19 restraints like anything else. Golf was that perfect sport,” he said.

It was perfect enough to draw players from three categories, said McMahon. “The people who were golfing in the past played more. Many people who were golfers in the past and hadn’t played in a while, came back to the game. But our biggest increase in play was from people that have never played before. I would say we had triple the phone calls from people saying ‘Hey, I’ve never played before, when’s a good time to come, what do I need to know, what do I wear, do you rent clubs?’ ”

Another positive side effect of the pandemic saw an increase in the number of ladies playing the game not only in Alberta, but right across Canada. It’s a demographic of the sport which has struggled in the past.

“Our female customers definitely increased, especially our young female golfers,” said McMahon. “They were not beginners; they came with the full equipment and were definitely players.” So, you have all these new players getting a taste and some returning to play even more. The question is how do you keep them coming back? It is something the Golf Industry Advisory Council for Canada talked about and while the discussion is ongoing, we could see a plan moving forward to help keep the momentum moving forward.

“I think everybody at their individual courses, having that same thought. What’s 2021 going to look like? When do I start my marketing? Who am I going to market to?” said McMahon. Vold says the real test will be if those other sports come back in the spring.

In the meantime, many course operators can look back on 2020 with a positive feeling for now.

“Depending what happens with all the golf courses, we could be in for another growth curve for the next four or five years hopefully,” said Vold. “The spike happened, and we’ve moved to this level. Everybody has got that many more rounds. Can we hang on to that level and grow from there?”

That is the million dollar question.

By Jack Pengelly

It was necessary in 2020 to experience golf travel destinations from a safe distance (both my bed and couch sufficed, with the added benefit of a slack dress code). Images of birdieing an iconic golf hole simmered in our minds, yet at times this felt more improbable than, well birdieing an iconic golf hole. Even if your body cannot for the time being, let your mind travel – to the Sandbelt in Melbourne, Australia. The courses highlighted below are private, but unlike their North American counterparts their doors are open to international play. The Sandbelt is a golf architecture haven, testing players of every ability in a way rarely seen in North America – with options. Firm conditions reduce the disparity in distance off the tee and seismic greenside runout areas present endless possibilities while chipping. The fairways are wide, but players looking to attack flags must approach the green from the correct angle. Each hole in the Sandbelt presents a unique calculus for players, resulting in perhaps the best collection of golf holes on the planet.

The Metropolitan Golf Club

Finding a single blade of grass out of place at The Metropolitan is an arduous task. The flawless conditioning complements the elegant design of the golf course. The immaculate greens are engulfed by hard-edge bunkers, something you won’t see anywhere else in the world. Biting into greens, the dense sand forms a hardpack barrier that snarls back at you. The dogleg 1st is a tremendous opening hole; the green suffocated by bunkers on either side. Set 80 yards from the green is a centreline bunker that fools the eye into thinking the green is inundated with trouble.

Bunkers can swarm your view off the tee, but a sensible tee shot will afford ample room to safely find the fairway. In recent years, the club has taken this a step further, peeling back the Eucalyptus and restoring the course to its roots. These modifications increase its playability, making it easier to find errant shots and giving the player an expansive view of the property. Deciphering when to be aggressive and when to lay back at Kingston Heath is an art that comes only by recognizing the subtleties in each hole. Bunkers vary in their consistency and the routing is magnificent in transforming a seemingly benign piece of property. It is rugged, natural, and pristine all at the same time.

The uphill par-3 15th culminates a ten-hole tour-de-force (forgive me for considering ten holes to be one stretch but this place is incredible).

The 15th features ten (ten!) bunkers greenside, with the predominant bunkers on the left and right each ten feet below the surface of the green. Emblematic of the Sandbelt, this hole epitomizes the look and feel of Alister MacKenzie bunkering.

Royal Melbourne is simply bigger. Housed on four separate parcels of land, the Main Paddock shares holes from the East and West courses. This area forms a composite course used in tournament play, including the 2019 Presidents Cup.

Upon entering Royal Melbourne, a horse-drawn plow and scoop come into view, representing the only mechanical aids used in building this fabled site. Rivalling Augusta National & Cypress Point, Royal Melbourne is lauded as course designer Alister MacKenzie's greatest architectural feat. And yet, when routing the course MacKenzie kept pieces of the 9-hole layout that preceded his arrival – including a small forced carry over native grass on the par-5 15th.

MacKenzie despised forced carries for punishing shorter hitters, wanting instead to build golf courses that everyone could enjoy. He left this native grass untouched however, as a reminder of how flawed golf architecture can be. It’s a fitting testament for the pinnacle of golf course design to contain a nod to imperfection.

The comment was made to me these private courses are accessible to the general public for those who 'get' golf architecture. But I believe it’s better phrased as those who want to get it. What the Sandbelt does best is present an engaging and fair test to different types of players. The absence of punishing hazards promotes enjoyability for a mid-handicap player, while those looking to shoot lower scores are asked to strategize and hit an array of shots.

The Sandbelt is comprised of eight renowned golf courses, complemented by dozens more in greater Melbourne. With three stunning national parks, all less than a two-hour drive from the world’s 'most livable city' the golf shouldn’t be what makes this journey unforgettable. It shouldn’t be – but it will.