Robert Gibb is a PGA assistant professional at North Jersey Country Club in Wayne, New Jersey.
Considering I work at a club located in the northeast and our winters are generally slow when it comes to having golfers come through our doors, I wanted to put together an indoor facility where I could teach out of in the winter months. Upon my proposal the board approved a clubhouse renovation for an unused space to be used as an indoor practice facility, which I named “The Loft” at North Jersey Country Club. I outfitted the facility with FlightScope X2, BodiTrak Wireless, K-Vest, SAM PuttLab5 & the Putting Perfection Platform this provides the membership all of the tools necessary to stay sharp in the winter months. We have also developed fitness programs based around the use of this equipment to help the members start their spring seasons stronger. Furthermore, I developed offseason leagues where members play rounds of golf on the simulator in The Loft. The winter league includes four-member teams playing four-ball matches Wednesday and Thursday nights from 4:00-10:00pm. While the members play, we offer hors d’oeuvres and alcoholic beverages are available for purchase. Our members enjoy the opportunity to swing the clubs and have some fun in a friendly, but competitive environment the league produces.
This will be the second year of our indoor winter league golf. In the 2014-2015 season the league included 10 teams for a total of 40 members. This year we have already sold out the winter league and added 6 additional teams. Each team’s entry fee of $1,000 goes towards costs involved in running the league and the winning teams’ prize. With the increased member traffic our club has received a tremendous boost in off-season food and beverage sales with members often purchasing beverages during the matches and either coming early or staying after for dinner. I also do roughly 150 private lessons during the winter months which totals over $18,000 in additional instruction revenue. During a time where outdoor play is unavailable developing an indoor facility drives revenue for my club and myself while satisfying the interests of my membership. Most importantly, the board of directors at North Jersey Country Club has already recouped their initial investment in completing the ceiling conversion The Loft required in the first year of opening!
If you would like to email the author of this Best Practice directly, please email rpgibb@pga.com
Editor’s note: The above comments reflect the opinion and experiences of the submitting PGA Professional and are not endorsed by PGA Magazine or the PGA of America.