A couple of weeks in Florida

Most of you who know me, know I hate snow. With a passion! And this winter in my part of Ontario the snow started in mid-November so by the middle of January, I’d had enough. Shoveling, shoveling and more shoveling. What finally pushed me over the edge was the day our ‘snow-plow guy’ knocked on the door and said “I don’t know where to push the snow anymore. The piles at the end of your driveway are just too high.”

With that I told my wife to pack the bags and in 24 hours we were on our way down Interstate 75 heading for Tampa. I was going to take a few days off, enjoy some golf in Florida with friends and spend a day at the PGA Show in Orlando.

Back in November when all the doom and gloom around the stock market and the economy was beginning to get under my skin, I had made the decision not to go to Florida this year and to pass on the 2009 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando. Amazing what winter weather can do – the snow and cold got the best of me.

As we headed south, unfortunately only the weather got better. The ‘Excited States of America’, despite a recent Inauguration, presents more doom and gloom and we witnessed it from the moment we crossed the border. However, there was some good news. We have friends south of Tampa near Bradenton and also in Lakeland. Both welcomed us and hosted us for 10 days. Both are golfers and we enjoyed 7 rounds of great golf under clear, sunny skies and….wait for this! – green fees were $30-$35 including cart. (And those are week-end rates!) Courses were busy, but not overcrowded. Course owners in Ontario, take note.

But there is more and it’s not pretty. The American economy is worse than I thought. Huge car dealerships closed with gates locked. Abandoned and depressed buildings everywhere. Retailers complaining about fewer Canadians visiting than ever before, and spending less. For Sale signs everywhere. In fact, one of the new snowbird pastimes this year is to attend Estate and Foreclosure Sales to pick up bargains from abandoned businesses and homes. Even the always popular flea markets were complaining about lack of attendance and slow sales.

And now the BIG show and this is what really worries me.

At the PGA Merchandise Show (the largest annual industry golf show anywhere), we had no problem finding a parking space at 10am on the first day of the show. Two years ago we had to wait close to 45 minutes just to exit the expressway three miles from the Convention Centre and then park about a mile from the Centre with a 20 minute wait for a shuttle to the front door. How times have changed.

And there was nothing very new or exciting at this year’s show. Big name manufacturers such as Nike and TaylorMade were noticeable by their absence. Lots of new putters and the usual gimmicks (most of which won’t survive). Much of the ‘same old, same old’. Exhibits that don’t change from year to year and exhibits with nothing that interests me, or most attendees for that matter. And then there are the hundreds of first-time exhibitors with a gadget that’s going to add 50 yards to every golfer’s drive or straighten out every golfer’s putting woes. They will never be seen again. And not so much because the idea is not good but the optimistic inventor spent all their money building the gimmick and has no money left for a marketing plan or budget to get their message and product the exposure it needs to survive in the marketplace.

As I wandered the show floor on that first day, it seemed to me there was more exhibit staff than show attendees, although the crowds seemed to pick up later in the day. Maybe that’s because it started to rain about noon. I had seven appointments and easily covered them all in four hours.

Not much buzz about golf but lots of talk about the economy and how it will affect golf this year. Many concerns about job losses, company downsizing and the ripple effect on golf memberships and green fees and ultimately on the survival of golf courses and golf businesses themselves.

Not a very exciting or stimulating atmosphere for a show that is supposed to be showcasing everything new in the world of golf and what we can expect in the next twelve months to make the game bigger and better.

What’s ahead for 2009 and 2010 for all of us in the golf business and for those who love to play the game? We are all going to have to become very, very creative as we head into this time of uncertainty. Yes, golf courses will open In May and yes, golfers will still play golf. The questions will be around membership fees, green fees, creative marketing, promotions and how many rounds will golfers play.

Golf course who cut their marketing budgets will be the first to struggle and some will disappear. Courses with smart management will continue to market, advertise and actively promote. And they will swallow up those who have slashed marketing plans as 2009 will be a harsh lesson in market share.

So, as I write this, I am set to pack up for the long drive home and the rest of winter in Ontario (hopefully the worst is over). Maybe while I’m driving I’ll have the chance to think creatively about how GolfScene can contribute to a better 2009. I know we are already partnering with many of our customers to continue to try and get more golfers on the courses. (see our newest promotion whereby you can win a free foursome at a great local course just by forwarding this newsletter to 3 friends – create your own foursome essentially, and you may just be teeing it up this spring on us!) GolfScene will also be working diligently at growing the game and talking to our readers in an effort to add every value possible to the publication this season.

What are you going to do?

• Norm Woods, Editor