Program: SHORT ROUNDS

Golf Curriculum

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In this section, you will find an introduction to the program(s) available in this category. Historical and statistical data is provided, identifying some of the challenges that exist in the golf industry today. You will also find a description of what Play Golf America is and what The PGA of America and its affiliate partners are doing to meet these challenges. Finally, there is a “Call to Action,” detailing how you can get involved with this major initiative for growing the game.

In today's society, the "time crunch" issue brings many challenges to the golf industry. People today don't have as much "free" time as in the past. As a result, golf facilities are finding that it is important to create opportunities for golfers to "get in a quick" round of golf by offering "short rounds" consisting of three-, six-, or nine-hole playing opportunities.

PGA Golf Professionals have found that by offering “Short Course” Tees on their golf course, they significantly added to the enjoyment and retention of new golfers and brought more families to the facility.

By definition, short course tees are teeing areas created that considerably shorten the course, enhancing the playing experience for newcomers to the game, as well as encouraging juniors and families to play.

Creating “short course” tees does not necessarily mean having to create new tee boxes on every hole. Short course tees can simply be mowed out areas of fairway or rough with tee markers added. Some facilities have gone to the extent of placing ball washers, trash receptacles and even yardage plaques at these “short course” teeing areas, giving the golfer the full benefit of the golfing experience. In addition, while many facilities created “short course” tees for all 18 holes, some facilities created them for only 9, 6 or even 3 holes.

Many facilities created separate “short course” score cards that included the yardages for each hole, while other facilities added the yardages of their short course tees on their regulation scorecards.

Yardages most commonly used at facilities that offered “short course” tees were:

• Par 3 holes, 75 – 125 yards
• Par 4 holes, 125 – 200 yards
• Par 5 holes, 175 – 325 yards

Some facilities have established a fee for use of these “short course” tees during regular play, branding them as “family tees.” This encouraged families to play together offering solutions to the challenges of family obligations and not having anyone to play with. Moms and dads could tee off from the established tees while juniors could tee off from these “family tees.” This created a competitive yet fun experience for the entire family.

“Short Round” play events are typically 3- to 6-holes of play for new golfers and 6- to 9-holes of play for more experienced golfers. These “short rounds” offer playing opportunities for new students that had finished their lesson series, while at the same time attracting existing golfers looking to get in a “quick” round of golf.

The emphasis of “Short Round” play events is to encourage the social atmosphere that golf offers as well as to create an opportunity for golfers to make new friends and playing partners. Facilities that offered “Short Round” events soon discover that there is a high rate of commitment by students to continue to play golf after their lesson experiences.

Some common “Short Round” play events were branded as “Six after Six,” signifying 6 holes of play after 6 O’clock, or “Nine and Dine,” signifying 9 holes of play followed by a social dining experience at the course. A variation to the “Nine and Dine” leagues is the “Nine and Wine” leagues which as the name implies includes nine holes of golf followed by a social gathering featuring wine, cheese and crackers and/or a variety of finger foods. Regardless of the branding, the emphasis is always on having anyone playing in these events being able to play a quick round of golf, have fun and meet new friends.

Let’s take a look at what a typical “Six after Six” program might look like. The following example was submitted by a PGA Golf Professional as a PGA player development best practice:

• As the name implies: six holes of golf after 6:00 PM.
• For speed of play and to create a non-threatening event, the scramble format was used.
• A 30-minute golf clinic was given from 6:00 PM to get things started with play commencing at 6:30 PM.
• Registrations were often kept to about 12 golfers per event. This allowed for a social, intimate environment that created a greater opportunity for the participants to make new golfing friends.
• The event was affordably priced, usually around $15.
• The golf professional would meander between groups during play. This assured that everyone was feeling comfortable and having a good time.
• The program was offered on a weekly basis with signup sheets posted three weeks in advance. In addition, several weeks were posted at the same time. This way, participants could commit to more than one event, guaranteeing them a spot for several weeks. This also created an urgency among participants to register as early as possible. Those that did not register in time would have to call the day before the event to see if there were any cancellations.
• Payments were always required in advance creating a stronger commitment for participants to attend.

In addition to the benefits of creating and retaining new and existing golfers by offering events that addressed the challenges of “not enough time” and not having anyone to play with, these “Short Round” play events provide the facility with the opportunity for increasing incremental revenue.

Nine-hole play opportunities can be created for new golfers ready to take the “next step” in their golfing experience and for existing players looking for playing opportunities that would meet their hectic schedules. These events are always conducted in a non-intimidating style with the emphasis on FUN! To keep the events fun and interesting, many golf professionals offer different formats from week to week as well as opportunities for creating “themed” events.

Some examples of the variety of formats used were:

• Scramble (always a popular one with many variations)
• Individual score
• Alternate shot
• Best Ball
• Combined score
• Two person “Triple Play (Three holes – best ball; three holes – scramble; three holes – alternate shots)”
• Callaway or Stableford Scoring

Some examples of “themed” event play used were:

• “Off for Summer” nine-hole event for families. Give-aways could include beach balls, sand pails, toys and floaties. If the facility allows, participants could be encouraged to wear swim trunks, flip-flops, tank tops, etc… Facilities that have pools can follow the event a pool party.
• St. Patrick’s Day nine-hole event. Everyone who wears green is given a box of “Lucky Charms” or some other give-away such as a range card. Following play, host a corned beef and cabbage dinner.
• Thanksgiving nine-hole event. Prizes are themed around Thanksgiving. Closest-to-the-pin winners are given turkeys. In addition, first place prizes are given turkeys, second place winners are given turkey breasts, third place winners are given turkey patties …and so on. Follow up with a traditional “Thanksgiving Dinner.”
• Christmas nine-hole event. Encourage everyone to bring a gift that could be donated to a charity such as “Toys for Tots.” Make it a family event and have Santa Claus appear in his “reindeer” golf cart giving out gifts to the kids.
• “Tickle Your Funny Bone” nine-hole event. After a nine-hole round of golf, have a comedy hour showcasing local comedians breaking into the comedy circuit. Have drinks, hors d’oeuvres and other snacks.
• Valentine’s Day nine-hole event for couples. Give every participant a rose, box of chocolates and have champagne available out on the golf course. Follow the event with a romantic candlelight dinner.
• Halloween Night nine-hole event. Host a glow ball tournament on Halloween. Make it a fun time for the whole family. Encourage participants to wear costumes and give away prizes for best costume. Have hot cocoa, apple-pumpkin cider, coffee and other goodies available on the golf course. Adorn the golf course with tombstones, coffins, Jack-O-Lanterns and other props.

This is just a small sampling of the many themes that can be used to increase the “Fun Factor Quotient” of any nine-hole event.

“Play Days” are designed to assist the new golfer in transitioning from their “on-course playing experiences” to actually playing golf on their own. These short rounds “Play Days” give new golfers an opportunity to play with other new golfers by establishing an environment where players could meet new friends and playing partners. Approximately 85% of play day participants met someone to play with.

Here are some of the elements that PGA Golf Professionals included when organizing “Play Days”:

• The “Scramble” format is used for the majority of the “Play Days.” The emphasis is to minimize the stress that individual performance for a new golfer can create, while still allowing individuals to hit balls but in a fun, non-threatening atmosphere.
• “Play Days” are scheduled events with space being reserved on tee sheets. Therefore, pre-registration for “Play Days” is required to determine how many tee times need to be reserved.
• “Play Days” typically were 3-, 6-, or 9-hole events
• Pricing is proportionate to the number of holes offered, or slightly higher than the price per hole based on an 18-hole green fee.
• Free practice balls are provided to encourage warm-up prior to play.
• Mentors are scheduled to assist on the course during “Play Days.” In the event that a mentor was paid, the amount was included in the price of the “Play Day.”
• “Play Days” are marketed through a variety of channels. The most common include: instructors speaking to their students during a golf instruction program; flyers are posted throughout the facility; information is sent to a database of customers via e-mail; and telephone calls to existing and past students.
• “Play Days” are scheduled at consistent days and times so that students become familiar with the schedules. Changing “Play Day” times around from week to week creates confusion among players resulting in a significant drop in participation.
• Mini-clinics are conducted 10 – 15 minutes prior to the “Play Day” whenever possible.
• Some facilities opened up their “Play Days” to all customers. Operators discovered that many existing players were looking for shorter golf experiences as well as opportunities to meet new playing partners.

Many facilities offered consistent opportunities for “short round” tee times to attract golfers that had limited time to play. These tee times create an increase in golf course utilization, golfer retention and incremental revenue. Common elements that successful facilities incorporate into their golf course yield management include:

• Review and highlight tee sheets for unsold tee times or times when a portion of the course is free of play. Once identified, explore creative ways to schedule organized short rounds to fill these gaps.
• Always look for ways to market these tee times to new and existing golfers. The popularity of these tee times increases over time as more and more golfers begin to realize that these options are available.
• Offer early morning 3-, 6-, and 9-hole play options by starting groups on holes number 4 and number 13 for 6-hole play; holes number 7 and number 16 for 3-hole play and hole number 10 for 9-hole play.
• Incorporate the use of mentors and/or volunteers to “float” between groups offering help if needed and marshalling the pace of play.
• Communicate with the golf course greens superintendent to address and explore solutions for any scheduled maintenance conflicts that could arise with the additional tee times. Your maintenance practices and hole locations in relation to the golf car staging area will need to be taken into consideration.
• Offer the same “gap filler” times during afternoon league play.

Offer “Scoring Days” at your golf course. Although not necessarily defined as a “short round” playing experience (although players can have the option of playing only nine-holes), it is listed here because the benefit, in addition to having fun, is that it decreases the time commitment needed for a full round of golf. “Scoring Days” are selected days during which the forward tees on all holes are the only tees used and the hole is cut in the middle of the green. This speeds up play and promotes lower scores. Lower scores usually equal more fun and enjoyment on the golf course, encouraging golfers to come back and play again.

New and intermediate golfers will appreciate the opportunity of being able to play the entire golf course set up in a less intimidating environment while good players will accept the “less challenging” course to see how “low they can go” and enjoy completing their round in a shorter period of time.