2015-05-05_PR Comm Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Can Minnesota golf courses find the next generation of players? I MinnPost Page 3 of 8 "The struggle for us and other golf courses is reaching out to juniors," Minneapolis Golf Club's Lehmann says. The club is running clinics and camps to get kids involved in the sport early. Tees have been added in the middle of fairways to help beginners. And the company offers large discounts on dues for those under 40 years old. Even large PGA Tour -owned TPC Twin Cities is trying to engage younger people. TPC general manager Alan Cull says allowing members' children to play for free and relaxing the dress code has helped keep the club vibrant. "The old blue -blood golf club has come and gone," he says. "Golf has a totally different face today." TPC, located on 235 acres in Blaine, is known for hosting the 3M Championship golf tournament. At the Legends Club in Prior Lake, attracting new and young golfers is a priority. "We run a Junior Golf Academy each summer that fills up every session," says Jeff Kennedy, golf professional and director of marketing. "One of our most popular instruction programs is Get Golf Ready," Kennedy says, which introduces novices and recent beginners to the game. "It is a five -lesson program that gives the participant a backstage pass to the world of golf. They learn how to make tee times, golf course etiquette and golf fundamentals." Luring the business crowd "Golf as a business tool is a bit of a 50- to 6o -year-old stereotype," says the MGA's W.P. Ryan. "There's some truth, but it's mostly a way to solidify relationships." Despite that reality, many clubs are chasing the business demographic, which can bring big money. Cull says about half of the TPC Twin Cities' 400 members are corporate clients. Because TPC is part of a group of clubs, members have access to golf courses across the country, a point that TPC emphasizes to businesses. TPC also employs a unique corporate membership that isn't tied to a single individual. Instead, businesses can assign a designee who holds the membership, with privileges of transferability should the designee leave the company. Even with the designee, other executives have access to the course. But a club doesn't need multiple locations to satisfy the corporate crowd. http://www.minnpost.com/twin-cities-business/2015/04/can-minnesota-golf... 4/22/2015