Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • May 21, 2018 • Hartford Business Journal 9 FOCUS Q. How are ticket sales and group sales trending this year compared to last year? A. We have been real aggressive with our group sales efforts, really focus- ing at the grassroots level. Year to date, our group ticket sales are up 50 percent. It is a tried-and-tested model in minor league baseball. Q. Dunkin' Donuts Park and the Hart- ford Yard Goats took minor-league baseball by storm last year and drew major crowds throughout most of the season. How can you compete against the Yard Goats in terms of attracting fans and corporate dollars? Did the New Britain Bees learn anything from the Yard Goats' success last year? A. We have a beautiful stadium maintained by the city of New Britain, a very affordable price point for all our tickets, and a very experienced and dedicated sales staff. We have 12 former major leaguers on our roster as well as Wally Backman as our field manager. It is our job to continue to spread the word that we play a very high level of baseball at New Britain Stadium and that our entertainment value for the fans is second to none. Q. You were named GM of the Bees last September but you also previously worked with the Bridgeport Bluefish minor league baseball team. How does the New Britain baseball market com- pare to Bridgeport's, which recently lost its minor league team? A. The biggest difference between New Britain and Bridgeport is the sup- port the city of New Britain provides for the maintenance and upkeep of the stadium and playing surface. The city staff takes great pride in maintaining a clean and first-rate stadium. The playing surface is maintained by the city as well and is in great shape. ledge Tavern — ahead of its Memorial Day opening. Richard Crowe, the public course's head PGA profes- sional, says the restaurant is under new management and is being added to spur new sales and improve the club experience. "We are adding a qual- ity restaurant that is going to add to the bottom line," Crowe said. "It's not just about the golf course, it's about the total experience." New pricing strategies Rockledge hosted 45,000 rounds in 2017, down about 6 percent from the 48,000 rounds played in 2015, Crowe said. Last year, the club's men's league also shrank by roughly 10 percent. There was a bright spot: its women's league grew by 5 percent to about 100 members. Crowe says Rockledge has concentrated on raising its female membership by foster- ing a welcoming environment and by offering a free instruc- tional clinic held in May. Meantime, Rockledge has kept rates flat for three years and instituted a popular "10-play" pass, providing a discount for players to purchase 10, 18-hole rounds for the price of eight. Keeping prices flat has helped Rock- ledge stay competitive, Crowe said. They've also focused on improving the player experience by quickening the pace of play and promoting the course via social media. "We are always changing with what our clientele is looking to do," he said. "The industry is somewhat leveling off. I don't see a big rebound coming, but I think we can work on getting support from the community and get- ting the patrons to play and enjoy the golf course in a timely fashion." Meanwhile, Berlin's flagship pub- lic course, Timberlin Golf Club, saw its season pass totals fall 20 percent in 2017 compared to two years ear- lier. The course raises fees by 2 to 4 percent annually to offset higher costs from a large municipal workforce, which privately owned club's do not bear, said Marc Bayram, Timberlin's head PGA professional. But public clubs, Bayram says, have benefited over time from "cost-con- scious" players opting for affordable public golf alternatives. And there's proof in Timberlin's annual traffic, which far exceeds state averages as the course hosts more than 40,000 rounds a season. Timberlin works to increase its player base through long-standing instructional programs for begin- ners and juniors. It has also partnered with GolfNow, the top-ranked online tee-time booking service, which has spurred new business, Bayram said. "Overall, it is my job as a leader in the industry to keep up with the positive trends golf courses are using to attract customers and members," he said. Value upgrade Improving the membership value for customers at Manchester Country Club has become a key initiative under the leadership of director John Cook. The club, which celebrated its 100th- year anniversary in 2017, has more than 350 members. Cook likened Con- necticut's golf industry to a revolving door: Revenues fluctuate each year because of notoriously fickle New England winters disrupt- ing spring openings and the changing availability of golfers. "I think any type of growth in New England is a success," he said. "It's all contingent on awareness for the type of program you are running." The quasi-public club has been "aggressive" in its efforts to sell memberships and welcome new players by improving the course's con- dition and implementing new advertising strategies. Cook said he spent signif- icant time over the winter researching how to commu- nicate with the community. It's chosen to ramp-up its social media efforts to pro- mote membership rates. "It's clearly the place we need to be reaching out to these folks," he said of using Twitter and Facebook. Status quo Golf's economic resurgence on the national level in 2016 means little for Connecticut's market, officials said. Hantke says the national uptick was mostly due to the revival of course real estate values and golf tourism in Amer- ica, which ballooned to $28.5 billion in 2016, up from $20.6 billion in 2011. Although the Travelers Championship in Cromwell is the second-most-attend- ed PGA event on the circuit, out-of-state players rarely visit Connecticut for golf. "Those two factors don't play too strongly in Connecticut," he said. Still, Connecticut's ability to endure the financial crisis of 2007-2008 is no small feat. "I think there is a strong educational network of club owners, operators and professionals making sure there are great golf experiences," he said. "Every golf course operator is more involved in outreach then they've ever been before." Hartford to host annual PGA meeting in 2020 By Joe Cooper jcooper@HartfordBusiness.com Hartford will play host to the 104th PGA Annual Meeting at the Connecti- cut Convention Center in 2020. More than 750 to 800 officers, board members, delegates and others are expected to attend the annual meeting to discuss the state of the PGA and ways to grow the game. Delegates will also gather to con- duct a scheduled election for the of- fices of PGA president, vice president, secretary and honorary president. PGA Vice President and Con- necticut PGA section member Suzy Whaley, of Cromwell, is scheduled to preside over the meeting, from Oct. 25-30, 2020. "It is exciting to see a city grow- ing in its revitalization like Hart- ford host the PGA Annual Meeting in 2020," said Whaley, the state's first PGA section member to serve as an officer of the PGA of Amer- ica. "We look forward to our PGA membership enjoying everything Hartford has to offer." The 2020 meeting will mark the state's first PGA section event. PHOTO | HBJ FILE The Connecticut Convention Center. Who's playing golf these days? The game of golf drove $84.1 billion of economic activity across the United States in 2016, up from $68.8 billion in 2011, according to the 2016 U.S. Golf Economy Report. Here's a demographics breakdown of who is playing the sport these days and their economic impact. All players Women Non-Caucasian Number of players 23.8M 5.8M 4.6M Direct golf economic impact $48.9B $11.8B $9.3B Source: 2016 U.S. Golf Economy Report Timberlin Golf Club in Berlin offers an array of instructional programs for beginners and juniors. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED

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