I recently stumbled across an excellent web-based presentation that I’d be remiss not to recommend to you, especially if you happen to be personally involved as a committee member or club president at your local course. The subject matter of this material, compiled by the USGA’s Jim Moore, is the design and maintenance of an ancillary “short” course. Specifically, we’re talking about the merits of building a pint-sized layout for junior players.
I don’t have much data to back this up, but I’m inclined to say that the popularity of short courses is a fairly novel development—at least in our neck of the woods. And while I can think of many upsides to having them (junior tournaments, pre-round warm-ups, unique instructional settings), I’m a bit puzzled why we haven’t had them all along.
You’ll notice in this issue a short piece on course openings and closures, and what it really means when we are told by research organizations that the latter is outpacing the former and—to boot—it’s not such a bad thing. If the logic of that sounds a little off-kilter, well, it is. However, many of the new courses being built are actually part of master-planned residential communities while many of the closures are smaller “stand-alone” facilities. There are some valid concerns about what this all means for the average American golf family—especially one on the bubble between season golf passes and some other recreational investment. But cost aside, it is certainly encouraging to see that course designers and managers are thinking ahead to the future of the game.
So, what’s stopping your local club from taking the plunge? According to Moore’s presentation, likely obstacles run the gamut from limited acreage to lack of funding and a shortage of maintenance resources—just to name a few. But the payoffs can be substantial, including added revenue to the club from short-course green fees and special events.
Most encouraging of all is the possibility of receiving grant monies to make a project a fiscal no-brainer, even if the community is strapped for funds. In one example from the presentation, a facility applied for and received a $40,000 grant from the USGA. This not only paid for the course, but also added credibility to the project, thus making additional funding and assistance that much easier to obtain.
To say that “the children are our future” may be a tired cliché, but in the golf market that cliché carries a lot of weight. A full-scale golf course and standard practice facility may offer all the inspiration a youngster needs, but there’s no denying that a youth-oriented short course is anything short of a great idea. What’s your take? Shoot me an email at steve@mountainwestgolf.com and share your thoughts.