Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | March 21, 2022 | Worcester Business Journal 13 people into town and further boost the local economy while offering job oppor- tunities, Kulig said. Hardwick Crossings will open to the public with the bar in May and the golf course in July. Post-pandemic world growth New England is home to about 800 golf courses. Gebhardt said the story of golf courses like Dunroamin is an all too familiar tale of a family-run golf course forced to close up shop for more finan- cially stable options. Fortunately, the Gil- bertville golf course is getting its second chance as Hardwick Crossings just as the industry is trending upward. e golf course industry has had a turbulent journey starting in the 1990s, when the housing development boom led to the creation of many golf courses. e increase further grew when famed golf player Tiger Woods came on the scene, further boosting public interest. Eventual- ly there was an oversupply in the market, which ultimately fell as the Woods craze faded and recessions led to housing mar- ket crashes, Gebhardt said. Faced with dwindling memberships, rising costs, and land worth more as buildable turf for developers rather than an actual golf course, golf course owners sold their land or transitioned to solar farms, such as the Staiti family had origi- nally opted to do. In an unexpected turn of events, the COVID-19 lockdowns re-energized the golf industry as people sought a safe activity to partake in during the peak of the pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, golf courses were only busy over the weekends and before nightfall, but Gebhardt said golf courses aer the pandemic are busy ev- eryday during the week and are booking tee times as late as 6:30 p.m. Nearly 529 million rounds of golf were played in 2021, a substantial increase from the 463 million rounds played in 2011 and reversing a down- ward trend for the industry, according to the National Golf Foundation. "We're on the right trend. Nobody would ever in a million years wish a pandemic on us, but the pandemic has actually been a real plus for the golf industry in that it's brought people back to the game. It's forced some of our op- erators and owners to rethink how they run their facilities," Gebhardt said. G O L F & M E E T I N G S G U I D E F O C U S 0 100 200 300 400 500 2011 '12 '13 '14 '15 '16 '17 '18 '19 '20 '21 The number of golf rounds played in the U.S. annually and percent change -2.5% 5.7% -4.9% -1.7% 1.8% 0.6% -2.7% -4.8% 1.5% 5.5% 13.9% Reviving golf The number of golf rounds played in the U.S. annually was slowly dropping before the coronavirus pandemic hit, but had rapid growth the last two years. Source: National Golf Foundation, 2021 Public vs. private rounds played, nationally Source: National Golf Foundation, 2021 Public 79% Private 21% A junior member of Dunroamin Country Club poses with a logo bag. W PHOTO | COURTESY OF DUNROAMIN COUNTRY CLUB Altus Dental sure looks different these days. Introducing The company that's been delivering great dental plans for the last twenty years now offers total vision coverage, in partnership with VSP ® , a national leader in vision benefits. With Altus Vision, you get: Robust plans | Easy access | Great rates And you thought we only did great dental plans. Altus Vision™ is underwritten by Altus Dental Insurance Company. Claims processing, claims service, and provider network administration for Altus Vision™ are provided under contract by Vision Service Plan Insurance Company ("VSP"). View plans at vision.altusdental.com in partnership with

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