Cheaper by the dozen
Rosemarie Ward
From Intelligent
Life, Summer 2006
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Having
a set of clubs to play golf is taking on a whole new meaning
"There's nothing better than teeing off on the first hole on a
nice course that you've never played before," says Andrew Deaven, an analyst at
Pepsi Cola and a keen golfer. "Before you hit your first shot of a round, every
golfer envisions shooting a 68 and you tell yourself that this is going to be
the round of your life, maybe you'll even go pro afterwards." But Mr Deaven is
not alone in finding that playing the same course over and over again takes
that excitement away.
"This past summer, we were playing the place we play all the
time, and I made three chip-in birdies on the front nine - and nobody batted an
eyelash," recalls Mr Deaven. "If that had happened at another course,
people would've been buying me shots after nine holes," he laments.
Being a member of a private club has its rewards: beautiful
challenging courses, convenient and available tee-times, exclusivity and, of
course, bragging rights. It is also expensive, really expensive: joining a
private club can cost $60,000 or more; annual dues add $20,000 and up. This may
be small change for some, but it is still a lot to shell out if you can only
find time to play once a month or so.
Golf has many rivals for people's time-other, more accessible
sports, family commitments, household chores, even the job itself encroaches
through ever longer working weeks. No wonder golf-club membership is declining
and clubs are being forced to close. Today, it is probably true that more
people watch golf than play golf. According to Nielsen Media Research, 36m
viewers in America tuned in to watch Tiger Woods in a sudden-death play-off in
last year's Masters.
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The total number of adult golfers in the United States fell 4% to
27.3m during 2004. Core golfers (those who play at least eight rounds a year)
dropped 5% to 12.8m. Participation generally has been flat since 2000. The
number of new 18-hole courses being opened peaked in 2000 at 400 (thanks to the
influence and popularity of Mr Woods). But new openings have declined every
year since then, says the National Golf Foundation, a research group.
Meanwhile, some 92 existing 18-hole courses closed in 2005 - the highest number
in years.
People still play golf, but less often than they used to. Also, as
a group, golf players are getting older. To compensate for lost revenue and
fewer new members, some private clubs have opened their doors to non-members
who are charged a fee just for the day. Other clubs have been taken over by
municipalities and turned into public courses. Still others are going
semi-private, with blocks of time reserved for the traditional members.
Golf-club operators are having to think outside the box just to stay afloat,
never mind grow.
Taking a cue from the executive-jet business, one operator called
Tour GCX Partners has married the prestige of private club membership and
challenging courses with cost-effectiveness to offer fractional golf-club
membership. Joining its network allows a member ten tee times for foursomes at
14 of the grandest, most exclusive private clubs in the New York metropolitan
area for $6,250 a year, a fraction of what it would cost to join a private
club. It also includes access to several more courses in Las Vegas, Miami and
Washington, DC.
Tour GCX will not disclose who these partner clubs are until a
prospective member is fully vetted. Private clubs welcome the added cash, but
prefer to keep quiet about opening their gilded gates to non-members. GCX
members are treated as full members, but use their GCX card like a debit card
to buy private lessons and merchandise as well as food and beverages.
Joining Tour GCX is just as arduous as joining a private club.
Members are given a thorough screening and must meet many requirements, not
least of which is a salary threshold of at least $200,000 a year. They must
also pass a character test, have a certain playing level and be familiar with
basic golf etiquette. Players can play any course within the network up to
three times a season.
Tour GCX has been growing rapidly since its launch in 2004 and now
has 420 members, split fairly evenly between individuals and
corporations: typically law firms, advertising agencies and investment banks.
Companies buy a block of tee times and designate a group of qualified employees
to use the membership. "We're always looking for better ways to entertain our
clients and there's something about an exclusive invitation," says Tour GCX
member Peter Rosenberger, head of special events at ESPN, a television sports
channel.
Tour GCX may have a potential new member in Mr Deaven. He dreams
of bragging to friends and workers that he's a member of 12 clubs, not just
one". And isn't that really what it's all about?
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Tour
GCX provides information on how to join. Also check out Associated
Clubs International and Eden
Club.