Builders among golf industry allies feeling the crunch

Courses taking hard look at timing of improvement projects

By Scott Wogomon

With golf course maintenance budgets squarely in focus under the management microscope, course improvement projects have been pushed to the back burner all across the country. That’s had a major impact on U.S. golf course builders and it’s just another example of how the downturn in our economy is impacting those in the golf business.

“We’ve seen a fall off in new construction over the past couple years actually, a big fall off over the past couple years,” says Dave Munkvold, vice president of golf operations for Duininck Golf and currently president-elect of the Golf Course Builders Association of America. “It seems like in (2001) it started fading away and has evolved into what it is today. I’ve just gone and looked at a couple projects here lately and there were 60 to 70 individuals looking at bidding one portion or another. There may be 15 qualified golf course builders (at the site)…so it’s nationwide. One was out in California, one was in Florida and it was the same way.”

Projections on projects

Munkvold, with Prinsburg, Minn.-based Construction company Duininck 25 years now (he started before the company even had a golf division), says the downturn in business is consistent from new construction to golf course remodeling projects.

“We are doing more remodels now, then say, five or six years ago. Mainly because we’re looking for any kind of work in the golf arena,” he says. “I think a lot of that is just the competitive edge, courses needing to upgrade their facilities to stay competitive in the market because of the number of courses that have been built over the last 15, 20 years. There’s a lot of competition out there.”

And even the remodel side of the business has pitfalls.

“What we’re seeing with remodels is very, very tough numbers to compete with when you think of what the numbers used to be and paying for fuel and equipment (now),” he says.

Munkvold, who’ll move into the president spot for the 400-plus member GCBAA as part of a six-year board service commitment, says he’s also aware of a few builders that have gone out of business or turned to other construction avenues to stay afloat.

“”I’ve heard of a couple and a lot of individuals have gone into different things, meaning sports fields, which has become fairly popular with some of the individuals, trying to diversify,” he adds.

Considerations for your course

If your course is one of those looking to improve its layout to stay competitive or your club has found the proverbial sock full of money and is considering an improvement project despite the current economy, Munkvold says there are some things to consider as you delve into the process.

“The main thing that we look at is to get the proper master planning done so they know what the needs are for the golf course, really what has to be done,” he advises. “And that probably involves the architect and having a well-known or a good architect in place. A lot of times we will match a superintendent up with an architect when we realize the needs of that superintendent, whether it be bunkers, tees, enlarging greens or whatever it happens to be. We think that’s very important.

“The next thing is to get a qualified builder that is capable of doing the work and getting the project done in a timely manner to prevent any unneeded upset of the course and delays in play. That’s the key when I’m visiting with superintendents and what I try to steer them towards.”

Scott Wogomon is a free-lance writer in Tonganoxie, Kansas, and has worked on the maintenance staffs of three Midwest golf courses. The former sports editor was associate editor for GCSAA’s Golf Course Management magazine and is senior writer for the Kansas Golf Association.