On this episode of Club + Resort Talks, Senior Editor Phil Keren speaks with Eric Brey, one of the Directors at GGA Partners, about his firm’s Club Members Perspective Report. GGA surveyed more than 3,500 club members throughout North America to find out what members value at their clubs. The report offers a lot of great information to help general managers understand what members like about their club and what aspects they feel could be improved. Phil and Club + Resort Business Editor-In-Chief Rob Thomas also discussed how Travis Pointe Country Club in Ann Arbor, Mich. kicked off a new master ..read more

Editor-in-Chief Rob Thomas speaks with Jason Becker, PGA, CEO and Co-Founder of Golf Life Navigators, about a new trend — millennials flocking to golf communities. Among other topics, Becker addresses how the perception of private golf communities has shifted among millennials in recent years, as well as some common misconceptions or stereotypes about millennials in private golf communities, and how these communities are addressing or challenging them. Rob and Senior Editor Phil Keren also discussed a trio of major projects and the opening of an indoor golf instructional facility. They touched ..read more

On this episode of the Club + Resort Talks podcast, Editor-in-Chief Rob Thomas chats with Danny Klein, Editorial Director of QSR and FSR Magazines, about the confluence of golf, dining and entertainment (think Topgolf). Rob and Senior Editor Phil Keren also discussed a clubhouse renovation project that happened at Atlanta National Golf Club. The upgrade included an overhaul of the design and menu at Pete’s Restaurant, as well as the construction of both a golf performance center and a simulator lounge. The two highlighted the beginning of an improvement happening at the Ocean Point golf course ..read more

In this episode of the Club + Resort Talks podcast, Senior Editor Phil Keren speaks with Jason Pearsall, Managing Partner with Revive Golf Management, about Pearsall’s decision to open the Warren Valley Golf Course in Dearborn Heights, Mich. earlier than usual. Revive Golf Management is operating the golf course in a lease agreement with the city of Dearborn Heights. Due to the mild weather conditions and a high level of interest from some regular players, Pearsall determined that it was a good idea to open the course during the first half of March. Pearsall discusses the challenges associated ..read more

On this episode of the Club + Resort Talks podcast, Rob Thomas speaks with Jonathan Fralick, VP, Racquet Sports for Invited Clubs. Fralick discusses a number of programs across the Invited portfolio, including two grow-the-game initiatives — First Serve and Right Start. First Serve is a comprehensive junior pathway to ensure organization, player development and member enjoyment with clear goals and proven developmental success. The Right Start program is designed for entry-level adults interested in learning or returning to tennis and pickleball, successfully building a community of players wh ..read more

On this episode of Club + Resort Talks, Rob Thomas speaks with Elsbeth Hurry, Co-Founder and CEO of ZIGIT. ZIGIT’s new proprietary technology allows golf course owners and operators to sell canned and bottled alcohol through attractive, stand-alone ZIGIT-enabled machines (boxes) at locations along golfers’ journeys. Purchase eligibility is validated through ID verification / authentication and facial recognition, and drinks are dispensed typically within 30 seconds. Poised to transform convenience in conformance with regulations, ZIGIT meaningfully increases golfer satisfaction and alcohol sal ..read more

In this episode of Club + Resort Talks, Phil Keren speaks with R.J. Hottovy, Head of Analytical Research at Placer.ai, about the company’s recent examination of location intelligence metrics at country clubs. Placer.ai is a location analytics company that examines mobile data to create foot traffic estimates for any physical location in the U.S. Placer.ai recently conducted an examination of visit rates at 50 country clubs around the country. The company also looked at some demographic information for 12 of the sites. One of the more intriguing findings was that the median age of country club ..read more

On this episode of the Club + Resort Talks podcast, Rob Thomas spoke with Jake Gordon, CEO & Co-Founder of Noteefy, about how golf courses can drive more revenue with less effort. KemperSports, Landscapes Golf Management, Streamsong, and Sand Valley, to name a few, have already partnered with Noteefy. A few of the highlights: - Drive incremental revenue: Noteefy gives every golfer their own personal assistant to help find tee times at your course. This enables golfers to play more, with less effort - delivering increased revenue; - Decrease unfilled cancellations: By some estimates, over 2 ..read more

Here is the intro: In this episode of Club + Resort Talks, Phil Keren speaks with Pete Wilson, Co-Founder of Grass Clippings, about his company opening a lighted golf course at Rolling Hills Golf Course in Tempe, Ariz. The course began operations on Dec. 1 and has been well-received in the Tempe community. Phil first spoke with Wilson in September about the plans and now seemed like a great time to catch up on how the night golf operation is going in the southwest. Phil and Rob Thomas also discuss a new racquet club called Padel + Pickle opening in Olivette, Mo. later in February; Mineola (Tex ..read more

In this episode of Club + Resort Talks, Rob Thomas speaks with Santiago Gomez, Founder and CEO of Padel Haus. Santiago shares the origins of padel, a sport invented in Mexico in 1969, combining elements of tennis, racquetball, platform tennis, and squash. Padel involves playing with walls, adding a unique dimension to the game. Santiago discusses the rapid global growth of padel, noting that the demand for their locations has significantly increased. Santiago’s journey into Padel started in Mexico as a teenager, playing with his parents. After a career in finance and running restaurants, he de ..read more