Tee-Off Times_2013_Summer

Conference KeynotesCommand Attention

This is not the first time you have seen this team of “Three Toms and a Mike” from Eldorado Golf Course, Mason, take home the first place trophy from the MGCOA Golf Outing.

Great speakers headline Golf Business Conference

Mike Veeck, marketing trailblazer on“The Power to Change Yourself”

Jim Baugh from Golf 20/20“The Power to Change Your Industry”

TEE-OFF TIMES FALL 2013 2

1.800.398.0388 | www.jacobsen.com

Jacobsen is now serving golf & turf and municipal customers directly in Western, Central and Northern Michigan. Rest assured, with the direct backing of Jacobsen and Textron, we will provide you the highest level of service and support.

We stock a comprehensive inventory of genuine Jacobsen parts and pledge to get what you need in short order. In addition to standard equipment service, we offer full hydraulic testing/repair and employ the latest grinding technologies on all makes and models of reels. We also offer full mobile service.

This change is part of Jacobsen and Textron’s long-term commitment to provide Michigan customers with quality products and services. You’ll be hearing much more about the great things Jacobsen is doing in Michigan, and we look forward to working with you.

OUR WORLD-CLASS PRODUCTS

NOW HAVE WORLD-CLASS SERVICE

WWW.MGCOA.ORG FALL 20133

Board of Directors

PresidentJeff HoagScott Lake Country Club

Vice PresidentSusan VanderburgIndian Lake Hills

TreasurerBill FountainMajestic at Lake Walden

Past PresidentBob KoutnikFox Run Country Club

by Jeff Hoag, MGCOA President

Who is signing the checks at your golf course?

When a check needs to be writ-ten…who signs the check?

As an owner or general manager, do you just pay every bill that is presented to you? Does your su-perintendent ever surprise you with purchases, or does the pro just buy at his whim? I would sus-pect not.

When a check needs to be writ-ten…who signs the check?

During this season I have been a witness to some incredible con-versations and emails about golf course owners. Here are three of the most notable:

From one of our food service suppliers: “I have canvassed all the (our) leadership in Michigan and the feeling is that our resources (for supporting the MGCOA) are prob-ably better invested elsewhere. We would like to support all organiza-tions, but unfortunately we can’t.

From one of our golf course suppliers: “Although we support the MGCOA and all that they do, we feel like we get a better bang for our buck supporting the golf course superintendents.”

From one of our golf shop suppli-

ers: “We currently support the golf industry through our relationships with the PGA and their members.”

What are they really saying about golf course owners?

So after a little research by Jada in the MGCOA office, here are a couple of facts:

As it concerns the food service supplier, seven of our board mem-

bers purchased over $630,000 worth of goods from this sup-plier. What do you suppose our total membership purchases from them? Probably many millions. Yet the MGCOA is not worthy of their support. Maybe we need to not write so many checks to this supplier.

We could do the same research in all areas of our purchases and come up with similar vivid pictures about how much we as an industry and as the owners and operators spend with our suppliers. Unless we do something about it, they will continue to white us out of their checkbook and not respect the fact that if it weren’t for the owner/

News from the President

Kathy AznavorianFox Hills Golf & Banquet Center

Larry BowdenThe Natural

Ed ClarkSandy Ridge Golf Course

Jim DewlingTotal Golf Inc.

Frank GuastellaFranklin Golf

Toni JoersConcord Hills

Fred MawsonCorporate Tax Resources

Larry MooreU.S. Golf Cars

Carolyn OlsonElmbrook Golf Course

Steve RameyChisholm Hills

Dan RooneyGrand Haven Golf Club

Tom SchwarkSycamore Hills

Jon ScottGull Lake View

Curtis WrightCopper Hills Golf Course

3 WWW.MGCOA.ORG MAY/JUNE 2012

“Unless we do something about it, they will continue to white us out of their checkbook...”

operator they wouldn’t be getting that sale.

All three of these examples would leave you to think that the person writing the check is merely an afterthought to the supplier, just the person writing the check. However in my world, we don’t sign the checks without some thoughtful and careful consider-

ations about value and worth and that check is never written without the owners signing off or in fact signing the check.

We have some great suppliers in our industry, companies and indi-viduals that support the MGCOA such as US Golf Cars, Spartan, En-tegra, Coca Cola, Michigan Clubs Fund, EZGo, Van Eerden Foods Service, Corporate Tax Resources, Kapnick Insurance, Sohn Linen Ac-tion and others. They work with us, support the MGCOA and de-serve our support in return.

P.S. This year Scott Lake Country Club has received rebate checks from Entegra program totaling $452.00 and Coca Cola for $117.00 and I am looking to receive a divi-dend check for Clubs Fund for over $1,000. More than pays for the mem-bership doesn’t it.

Suppliers need tosupport the MGCOA


Jacobsen’s new commitment to MichiganJacobsen®, a Textron Company,

is now serving golf & turf and mu-nicipal customers directly in West-ern, Central and Northern Michi-gan. The new Jacobsen® dealer serving this territory in Michigan is simply called Jacobsen®. By serving customers directly, Jacob-sen® can provide the highest level of service and support.

Jacobsen® is making signifi-cant investments in Michigan, adding personnel and products, and stocking more parts locally. From placing an order to delivery and service, Jacobsen® wants ev-ery customer experience to be world-class. The area’s exclusive full-service Jacobsen® dealer is now serving customers in three key areas:

1) Parts Sales and Delivery – Jacobsen® stocks a compre-hensive inventory of genuine Ja-cobsen® parts and pledges to get

what customers need in short order. If the part you need is not in stock at our Michigan ware-house, we will drop-ship orders for next-day delivery.

2) Equipment Service – In ad-dition to standard service, Ja-cobsen® offers full hydraulic testing / repair and employs the latest grinding technologies on all makes and models of reels. If time is of the essence, full mobile service is also available.

3) Equipment Sales – Jacobsen® turf equipment maintains some of the most renowned turf in the world including Pebble Beach Golf Links, the Texas Rangers™ base-ball stadium and even The White House in Washington D.C.

Jacobsen® has been the indus-try leader in quality and inno-vation for over 90 years. Jacob-sen’s® current line-up of products includes the ECLIPSE™ series of

walking and riding greens mow-ers. The revolutionary mowers are the first of their kind to offer separate, adjustable settings for reel speed and mow speed on an easy-to-read LCD screen. This al-lows superintendents to quickly and easily set the frequency-of-clip to match course conditions. ECLIPSE™ mowers are also the industry’s only zero-hydraulic ma-chines, completely eliminating the risk of leaks.

This change is part of Jacob-sen’s® long-term commitment to provide Michigan customers with quality products and servic-es. It is our goal to become the premier turf equipment dealer in Western, Central and Northern Michigan and we look forward to serving you.

For more information about Jacobsen®, visit www.jacobsen.com or call 1.800.398.0388.


From the Executive Director

by Kate Moore, MGCOA Executive Director

20th annual golf outing fundraiser a success

Continued on page 6

Twenty years ago this August the MGCOA held its first golf out-ing as an association. Now, with hundreds of members and cor-porate members, the MGCOA can boast of a turnkey event with great participation and even better results. Owners and opera-tors joined with suppliers on this traditional day of great golf and fun at the 20th Annual MGCOA Golf Outing and Supplier Field Day this year held at Stonehedge Golf Course in Augusta. One of the Scott family’s Gull Lake View properties, Stonehedge is managed by Bill Johnson. The Stonehedge team had the course in perfect condition and play time was right on target. We want to thank Bill and his staff for the fantastic experience. Rick Col-

lick, Gull Lake View’s food and beverage manager saw to it that the outing participants had an outstanding meal from prime rib to cheese cake. Special thanks to Jon and Charlie Scott and their families for the generous contri-bution to this important MGCOA fund raiser.

Special thanks to Kapnick In-surance Group for the lunch, the NGCOA Preferred Suppliers for the dinner and US Golf Cars for the beverages. Spartan Distribu-

tors and E-Z-Go was our welcome and registration sponsor, Michi-gan Clubs Fund took care of the prizes and gift certificates. Let’s not forget the $10,000 Hole in One Contest, sponsored by TPI Golf. Coca-Cola sponsored our goody bags and new member Ja-

cobsen stepped up to sponsor the driv-ing range.

Team Eldorado (Mason), captained by general manager Mike Bell, was the big hitters this year scoring a remark-a b l e 5 8 . S e c o n d place overall went to the lobbyists. They proved that they get more prac-tice than most as their team scored

a 59. Joining them this year was Cary Campbell, managing partner of Walnut Hills Country Club (East Lansing). The first place mixed team came from our printer’s Team, Foresight Group (MGCOA’s supplier of printing for 15 years) as they shot a 62.

Many on hand to enjoya perfect day

Yo u r M G C O A e x e c u t i v e d irector Kate Moore d idn’ t dodge the bottom of the leader board this year. Just as I was bragging to everyone that we

couldn’t have lost because we didn’t have any “7”s on our score card, our name was announced once again for about the thirteenth time in the 15 years I have been with the MGCOA. Once again we have the auspicious ranking as the “winning losers.” I am sure to do better next year! Thanks to Debbie

Oberle and Todd Cotter (TPI Golf Inc.) and the only one in my family who will regularly play with me, my sister Leni Staley

for continuing to give up a good score to be on my team.

Closest to the Pin contests were sponsored by Flow-Rite C o n t ro l s a n d t h e w i n n e r s were Mike Bell (Eldorado Golf Course , Mason) , Mike Kidd (Foresight Design and Printing, Lansing), Terry Moore (West Michigan Golf Show – Show Span) and Tom Fenstemacher (Kapnick Insurance). Sharon Novase l o f Mich igan C lubs

Our hosts Charlie and Betsy Scott take home a prize from the Educational Support Foundation Raffle presented by MGCOA staff member Amy Lazet.

Honors for 1st place Mixed went to Foresight Team

Barry Beard (Midwest Golf and Turf) and Tom Gill (Spartan Distributers) throw some “punches” before the golf began.


Continued from page 5

20th annual golf outing fundraiser a successFund and Regency Group was the ladies longest drive winner. Max Howe from Indian Lake Hills Golf Course (Eau Claire) took the honor for the men. Sinking the longest putt Bil l Christofferson (Foresight Design and Printing, Lansing),. Longest Drive contests were sponsored by Michigan Clubs Fund. The Longest Putt was sponsored by TPI Golf, Inc.. We also want t o t h a n k C a ro l y n A l t f ro m

ShowSpan, The West Michigan Golf Show, for donating bottles of water and Coca-Cola for the soft drinks.

The MGCOA is very grateful to all of our premier sponsors: Kap-nick Insurance Company, US Golf Cars, Midwest Golf and Turf, TPI Inc, Spartan D i s t r i b u t o r s , E-Z-Go, Action In-surance Services, Coca-Cola, Michi-gan Clubs Fund and the NGCOA Preferred Sup-plier Group including TORO, Club Car and Entegra who sponsored everything from registration, put-ting green, lunch, dinner, cocktails,

Driving in for the day from Fenton Farms Golf Club in Genesee county is owner Chris White (left) who brought a team sporting the course’s logo shirts. Thanks for coming Chris!

Bob Stipcak (left) and his dad Dave Stipcak (far right; retired GM from Eldorado) flank the team from Timber Ridge Golf Course, East Lansing.

trophies, goody bags, hole-in-one contests and more. This golf out-ing has remained at the same price

for the past 12 years because of the support we receive from these companies and corporate member hole sponsors.


Van Eerden Foodservice is an independent, family owned, broadline foodservice distributor. We are based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We have provided quality foodservice products and services since 1920 to our customers. Quality and Value are still the heart of Van Eerden’s promise to customers. We welcome each customer as a member of our family tradition, culture and heritage.

We of fer a wide range of national branded products in all categories including a fresh cut steak program, fresh MI pork program, fresh produce, chemical program including dish machines, Paramount coffee program as well as a fresh seafood program.

Van Eerden’s go to market strategy is to be a resource for our customers with fresh food, fresh ideas, fresh solut ions and a fresh approach to your

Quality food service for MGCOA membersbusiness. Our goal is providing customer first focus from the back of the house to the front

of the house! To contact Van Eerden, call (616) 475-7406 or visit www.vaneerden.com.

Van Eerden Food Service greeted conference goers at the Michigan Golf Business Conference in 2012. Look for them again this year at the conference taking place Dec. 2-4 in Grand Rapids.


by Eric Rule, MGCOA Government Affairs Coordinator

Bolger investigation concludes

Legislative Bulletin

After almost a year of delib-eration and expectation, the one-person Grand Jury headed up by Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Rosemary Aquilina has finally wrapped up and it results in no charges being filed against Speaker of the House Jase Bolger (R-Marshall). The investi-gation stemmed from allegations of election fraud and misconduct after then State Representative Roy Schmidt from Grand Rap-ids switched parties at the last minute prior to the Primary and ran as a Republican instead of the Democrat he had previously been elected as. The allegations were that Bolger and Schmidt en-gineered the party switch as well as fraudulently securing a false candidate to file to run in a dis-trict in which he neither did not live, nor intended to run, an ac-tual campaign.

Judge Aquilina’s investigation concluded that there was “no presentment of an articulable crime or unlawful wrongdoing” in the case. While Bolger himself has maintained his innocence in actually seeking to break the law, he has apologized to voters of the state for becoming involved in the issue at all, whereas he should have been spending his time working toward the solu-tions needed for the state. After the ruling he again reiterated that he could not speak about the actual case, but vowed to again put his focus on fixing the state’s problems for its citizens. Schmidt however, cal led for those that sought the investi-gation, such as Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer (D-East Lansing), to resign, as the cost and time to the state was

completely unnecessary, as the investigation has now shown. Rest assured, Sen. Whitmer will not be resigning anytime soon!

One interesting shake-up that has occurred in Speaker Bolger’s office during this fiasco was the departure of long-time Chief of Staff Suzanne Miller-Allen from the office. Allen left to work for Blue Cross, and she was recently re-placed by long-time political staffer Norm Saari, who most recently served as Governor Snyder’s ap-pointments director.

SESSION TO PICK BACK UP IN SEPTEMBER

For most legislators and lob-byists it has been a nice, quiet summer. It has been one of the qui-etest in many years, save for those few legislators and lobbyists who have been working on the Medic-aid Expansion issue. That issue has been worked on most of the sum-mer in work groups and committee meetings throughout the break, and should come to a heated de-bate on the Senate floor at the end of August and probably into Sep-tember. Three plans were actually passed by the Senate committee recently, the House passed ver-sion, and two Senate versions that are viewed as more conservative in nature than the House version. Caucus retreats are scheduled pri-or to deliberation, and there will likely be much arm-twisting and speech making on the Senate floor before the dust clears on this issue.

The Medicaid Expansion issue has taken up most of the oxygen in the room. When that is resolved later this summer or early fall, there should be a plethora of other issues that legislators and lobby-

ists are looking to get done before the end of the two-year session next December. Among those are:

MAINSTREET FAIRNESSAnother summer has come and

gone with online retailers fleecing the Michigan Department of Trea-sury out of millions of tax dollars, but rest assured that free ride ap-pears to be coming to an end. The legislature appears to be ready to address this issue and begin the recovery of those tax dollars from the online giants. Amazon’s expansion into states, potentially including Michigan, with actual storefronts should make this a slam-dunk even if the legislature fails to act.

ROAD FUNDINGLike a broken record, the topic of

road funding will find its way into the spotlight. Why? Because find-ing $1.5 Billion isn’t an easy task and the problem is easier to ignore than to address. Tax increases and Republicans haven’t mixed well. It is likely that the issue will get press, but the trigger won’t be pulled until lame duck in 2014 or if legislators can find a way to put a proposal on the May or August ballot next year. Of major conse-quence to many businesses is the sales tax issue and how that may be resolved. Some have argued for an increase in the sales tax of fund the road improvements. While this may not be politically feasible at first blush, it could eventually be part of an overall tax scheme that reduces the sales tax rate but also implements a tax on services to cover the increased revenue needs. Hold tight, anything could happen next year, especially dur-ing Lame Duck.


Legislative Bulletin

by Tom Schwark, Owner of Sycamore Hills Golf Course in Macomb and chair of the MGCOA Government Affairs Committee

Open play is improvingI have noticed a marked improve-

ment in open play this year. Early on this season, it has been clear, that on nice days our open play has been significantly better than in the past few years. I am seeing new faces, and I am noticing more players, male and female in their 20’s and 30’s. This observation is supported by comparing golf rounds from May through July for 2012 to 2013. Our rack rate rounds for 9 holes and 18 holes are up for both weekdays and weekends. It isn’t like it was in the 1990’s, but an upward trend is certainly a wel-come sight.

You may have noticed that I se-lected the months of May through July for my comparisons. Like ev-eryone else in most of the U.S., our golf rounds were down significantly by the end of April. However, that was definitely weather related. But, with the improvement in open play, we have made up a portion of the deficit. I’m not sure we’ll be able to make up the entire difference. We would need a very special fall to do that. But, the improvement in rounds I see in May through June, I can attribute to an increase in play, not because of better weather. We have had more rain than normal this summer, but fortunately for us, our course has not flooded, although the river has often been very high.

We do have many women and children play our golf course. For instance, I have noticed many women playing in our Tuesday leagues. I checked with the pro shop for this article, and it turns out that 12 of our 18 Tuesday leagues are all women golfers. We have a total of 52 weekly golf leagues, and 21 leagues are all women, 28 leagues are all men,

and 3 leagues are mixed. Over 40% of our league play is women. The TGA is a children’s weekly golf camp that won the MGCOA Player Development Award last year. They bring up to 20 children each week for 10 weeks this summer to Syca-more Hills GC. Most of the children are between 6-12 years old. We also have Dakota High School that has brought out 120 children this sum-mer to their golf clinic. We also have a junior golf program that we run ourselves, and this program had 50 children attend for the six week period. We have run our ju-nior program for many years and try to limit our program to 40 chil-

dren. We don’t advertise our junior program, and yet the demand is strong enough that we have to cut off the limit each year at 50. That is over 350 children that have par-ticipated in various golf programs at Sycamore Hills GC this summer. Sycamore Hills GC is also the home golf course for six different high school boys and girls golf teams. We believe strongly in develop-ing youth golf as they will become our future golfers. Golf is certainly a family affair at Sycamore Hills GC and has resulted in an overall increase in play. I hope you are having similar successes at your golf course this year as well.

The MGCOA is excited to an-nounce their newest staff member Milt Senter. An avid golfer and seasoned business professional,

M i l t w i l l b e working primar-ily in member support and as coordinator of the Golden Pass-book to Michigan Golf. Milt will b e t r a v e l i n g around the state

this year meeting with Passbook courses and engaging others in involvement. You can contact Milt at [email protected] or by calling the MGCOA at 800-860-8575 extension 10. Welcome Milt!

New for the 2014 season the Gold-en Passbook to Michigan Golf will have a new look. Because of the gen-erous support from your golf course and others, we have almost 90 cours-es in the book and expect to expand it even more for 2014. To insure the

MGCOA welcomes Milt Senterbook looks and feels like the fantas-tic product it represents, the redesign will provide the customer with the knowledge and satisfaction that their product will stay intact and be more user friendly. The Golden Passbook will be printed and bound in three sections: East, West and North. When purchased the consumer will receive these as a set. These sections will not be sold separately by the MGCOA until after July 4, 2014 and then only unless there are remaining books (which is unlikely). The retail price will remain at $550 (which has been the price since 2006). If/when we sell a section of the book, each section will sell for $250.

As always, you will receive 2 Gold-en Passbooks 2014. We are excited about this redesign. The Golden Passbook is the major fundraiser for the MGCOA and we thank you again for your participation.

Not in the Golden Passbook yet? Give Milt a call and he will be hap-py to explain the program to you.

Milt Senter


Women, where are you?This article is edited from an

earlier version which appeared on www.theAPosition.com. For the complete story, see the MGCOA website.

For years you’ve heard that roughly 40% of all new players coming into the game are women. So then, why do women still represent only 22-28% of golfers? Unfortunately, there’s another statistic rarely discussed in the same breath: only one in four stays with the game. With over 50% of the population alienated by a sport to the verge of quitting at some point in their golf life, how can this problem be solved? National and state golf associations have pondered this but it can be a touchy, stereotypical subject.

Women give reasons but no one listens, with programs and efforts creating false fixes. Most men don’t understand how women play golf, so how can these issues be tackled when golf is still primarily a man’s domain?

On a positive note, the USGA and the PGA of America realize that cultivating women golfers should not be an afterthought and is a vital part of the industry. One particular economic statistic stands out: “Women spend about $4.6 billion, and they influence $15 billion dollars.” Since women make over 80% of all buying decisions and have an opinion in nearly 100% of them, isn’t it wise to seek their opinions? I did. Here are some suggestions course owners can

implement immediately:• Have someone on staff at all

times to welcome each woman who walks in.

• Develop shortened 9-hole rounds or 6-hole stretches. Add 8-inch cups for fun and faster play, along with Junior or Beginner tee placements 150 yards from the green. Provide family times during slower periods.

• Course setups should not assume all women play the same. Provide at least two sets of GAM-rated tees for women, even from the regular men’s tees. Consider Combo or Hybrid tees which combine holes from various tees to form different total course yardages.

• Conduct short women’s clinics and programs regularly. Charge a nominal fee, inviting the ladies to bring friends. Women are more comfortable in pairs or groups. Have Demo Days with specialized equipment formulated for women.

• Volunteer to speak at women’s meetings and let them know why they should play golf.

• Make the effort to stock good looking ladies apparel and put it on special. You can’t sell what you don’t have. Don’t just carry sizes 2 through 10....most women aren’t that small.

• Procure women’s golf books or articles and place them where women will see them. Request articles about women from local publications.

• Form a women’s committee to tackle issues, complaints, and suggested improvements.

Janina is a longtime competitive golfer, international golf and travel writer, and media consultant specializing in women’s business issues. Contact her at [email protected]

by Janina Parrott Jacobs

Guest Columnist


What greater honor than to be selected by your peers in the golf industry as the recipient of the Matthews Lifetime Achievement Award or the LyLe Leeke Distin-guisheD service AwArD. Each year since 1996 the honorees have been selected for recognition at the Michigan Golf Business Conference and Vendor Fair.

Please take a few minutes and reflect on those individuals you have come in contact with over the years. We are currently accept-ing nominations for these awards. Please call Kate Moore (800-860-8575) if you know someone who should be considered. You can also email your candidate to [email protected].

The Matthews L i fe t ime Achievement Award is present-ed to an individual or individuals

Time to choose the 2013 Awards of Honor and Recognition

whom over the span of a lifetime (or career in the golf industry) has provided steadfast leadership, out-standing service, and continued commitment to the Michigan golf industry. The award was named for W. Bruce Matthews, a golf course owner and ar-chitect, who spread his expertise throughout the fairways of Michi-gan. Past winners of the prestigious award include W. Bruce Mat-thews (1996), Everett Kircher, Boyne USA (1997), Bill Howard, Saskatoon Golf Course, Alto (1998), Daryl and Letha Scott, Gull Lake View Golf Course, Augusta (1999), the Kapnick Insurance Company,

Adrian (2000), Terry Moore, Grand Rapids (2001), Art McCafferty, Ann Arbor (2002), Estelle Dul, Fox Hills

Golf and Banquet Center, Plymouth (2003), Michigan Turfgrass Foun-dation, East Lansing (2004), Jerry

Charlie Scott of Gull Lake View receives the Lyle Leeke distinguished service award from brother Jim at the 2009 Golf Business Conference.

Continued on page 12


What your own online registration systemcan mean to your business

This is s good-news story for the golf industry’s relationship with the Internet. The Internet’s benefit to golf course owners and operators has primarily been

limited to club websites and basic email marketing to prospects for

tournaments or membership. And much of the marketing effort has been managed through third-party partners and marketing services.

Tournament business is very important to public courses a n d s e m i -private clubs, and even to some private clubs. Managed w e l l , i t c a n mean profitable repeat business to all of your c o u r s e ’ s o p e r a t i o n a l areas. It also exposes your course to new

prospects and partners. But the ‘managed well’ part takes a lot

time and energy.Online tournament registration

services have been available for a while through third-party event management services. These services are great, except that the event co-ordinator controls the registration and the flow of funds and the benefits to you start and end with tournament management.

The new model for online registration technology puts you in control of your tournament business:•You control your own course-

branded registration site so you see registration progress and all key measures in real time

•All payments get deposited in your bank account overnight and you pay the event their contracted amounts at the contracted times

•You control the collaboration of all key partners

More importantly, this new technology can become the platform for much more than tournament registration and management:• It can manage events beyond

tournaments: leagues, clinics, and camps

•You build your own database of players that can be marketed to for the future with integrated e-marketing tools

• It can be a powerful promotional tool allowing you to offer and control things like prepaid golf packages and gift certificates

Best of all, you can adopt this technology at your own pace and at very little up-front cost. Finally, a new Internet-based technology that really helps your business.

Golf EMS is a new corporate member of the MGCOA. For information on how to start up you member benefit with Golf EMS, contact James Morrow, President & Founder, Golf EMS Inc., 866-847-4762, [email protected], www.golfems.com

Matthews, East Lansing (2005), Rolla Frisinger, Game of Your Life Foundation, Coldwater (2006), Ron Otto, Garland Resort (2007), Jack Berry, Northville (2008), The Buick Open (2009), Sara Wold (2010), Daryl Kessler (2011) and Greg Johnson (2012).

The LyLe Leeke DistinguisheD serve AwArD is named after one of the founders of the Michigan Golf Course Owners Association. Leeke helped create a voice for golf course owners everywhere. The recipient is an individual who has displayed distinguished service to the Association and the golf industry. Past recipients are Lyle Leeke, Old Channel Trail Golf Course, Montague (1996), Cecil McKay, McKay Golf Properties, Lansing (1997), John Dodge, ROI Golf Management, Lansing (1998), Marcia Johnson, Cheshire Hills

Golf Course, Allegan (1999), Jeff Hoag, Scott Lake Country Club, Comstock Park (2000), Jim Scott, Gull Lake View Golf Course, Au-gusta (2001), Kathy Aznavorian, Fox Hills Golf and Banquet Center, Plymouth (2002), Meriam Leeke, Old Channel Trail Golf Course, Montague (2003), Lynn Miller, Indian Lake Hills Golf Course, Eau Claire (2004), Tom Schwark, Sycamore Hills Golf Course, Mt. Clemens (2005), Larry Moore, U.S. Golf Cars, Caledonia (2006), Dave Richards, Resort and Golf Mar-keting (2007), Bill Fountain, The Majestic at Lake Walden, Hartland (2008), Charlie Scott, Gull Lake View and Chairman of the Educa-tional Support Foundation (2009), Toni Joers (2010), Carolyn Olson (2011) and last year’s recipient was Kate Moore, executive direc-tor of the MGCOA.

2013 Awards of Honor and RecognitionContinued from page 11


Mike VeeckOwner, St. Paul Saints“The Power to Change Yourself – Fun is Good!”

Marketing trailblazer and “Fun Is Good” philosopher, Mike Veeck, joins the MGCOA Golf Business Conference lineup as keynote speaker, presenting on Tuesday, December 3.

Veeck hails from a baseball fam-ily – his lineage in the sport goes back at least a century. His grand-father was the President of the Chicago Cubs and his father was a Hall of Fame owner with the St. Louis Browns, Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox and the then-minor league Milwaukee Brewers. Veeck, himself, is part owner of six baseball teams and a consultant for one other. In 2005, Baseball America named him one of the 25 most influential people in baseball over the last 25 years.

Though his background is in base-ball, his ideas are not specific to the sport. Veeck has shared his creative philosophy with the NBA, 3M, and General Mills, just to name a few. His first book, Fun is Good, was re-leased in 2005 and describes how the simple approach of putting “fun” back into the workplace can bring out the best in your employees and keep your customers coming back for more. He has applied the Fun is Good philosophy to his own teams and it has helped them routinely reach attendance and customer service milestones while garnering national attention and awards for in-novative promotions.

Jim BaughJim Baugh Consulting“The Power to Change Your Industry”

Success is driven by an en-trepreneurial approach, great leadership and marketing skills

Michigan Golf Business Conference updateOpening and closing Keynote’s announced!

that bring people together to ac-complish common goals. While Jim is a consultant for various companies in the sports and rec-reation business, he has been a champion in growing sports par-ticipation at the grassroots level. Presently Jim works for the PGA of America and Golf 20/20 as a consultant for Get Golf Ready and other golf initiatives. Jim is the key figure in spearheading the largest industry–wide initiative to grow tennis participation: the

Tennis Welcome Centers. This former President of Wilson

Sporting Goods is also the founder of PE4Life, an initiative to combat obesity and the sedentary lifestyle of America’s youth while rebuild-ing quality physical education programs throughout America. Jim is a leader in initiatives to “Get America Moving” through na-tional and local programs. In May of 2011, inducted into the Sports Industry Hall of Fame as one of the pioneers, innovators and leaders who helped build and grow the sporting goods industry.

Start cleaning out that storage barnWelcome to MyMGCOA.com

The MyMGOCA.com website is an online portal that offers MGCOA members access to online classifieds, online event registration, Annual Membership Renewals, and much more.

EXISTING MGCOA Members are already loaded into the system. 1. Go to MyMGCOA.org2. On the top menu, go to MGCOA CLASSIFIEDS then select VIEW CLASSIFIEDS from the drop down menu3. From here you can view all the active ads.4. If you want to post a new classified ad, click on the NEW ADD button which is located on the middle menu (middle of the page). a. You will be taken to a login page - Username: Your email address that is on the MGCOA member roster - Password: 2013MGCOA (If you are not a member, you cannot post an ad) b. Once you log in, you will be redirected to the Select Category page. Select the category of your item you want to sell. c. Input your contact info, item details, and even upload images of your item. d. Hit Save e. All classified ad submissions must be approved by my MGCOA Admin personnel and may take up to 48 hours to approve. f. All ads by default are set to expire after 60 days. You can repost your ad after 60 days.

If you are not an existing MGCOA Member, you still can access our Online Classifieds Portal, but if you want to post an ad, you will need to become a full MGCOA member, or become a Classified Ad member for the nominal $75 a year fee.


A special thank you to thePremier Sponsors of our 20th Annual Golf Outing

Coca-Cola

E-Z-GO

US Golf Cars

Kapnick Insurance Group

Michigan Clubs Fund

Spartan Distributors

NGCOA Preferred Supplier Group

Foresight Group

Club Car

American Express

Entegra

ETS – ElectronicTransaction System Corp.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.and Allied Insurance

Pepsi

Toro

#1 Spartan Distributors E-Z-GO TORO #2 Club Car US Golf Cars

#3 Flex Checks #4 Course Logix U.S. Foods #5 Maner, Costerisan PC Jacobsen

#6 Corporate Tax Resources

#7 Action Advantage Group J.W. Turf, Inc. #8 Midwest Golf and Turf Club Car Jacobsen #9 Hospitality Asset Advisors #10 TPI Golf, Inc. SkyBirdie #11 West Michigan Golf Show – Showspan Inc. #12 Van Eerden Foodservice #13 Froggy’s Ball Service #14 Entegra Michigan Clubs Fund #15 Coca-Cola #16 Kapnick Insurance Group #17 US Golf Cars Gantec, Inc. #18 Sohn Linen

NGCOAPreferred Suppliers

MGCOACorporate Partners

Hole Sponsors


A Custom Design... Just Like Your Favorite Course

Personal Insurance • Commercial Insurance • Health Insurance • Mortgages • Financial Planning

JOE ROSSELL45445 MOUND ROAD, SUITE. 100 • UTICA, MICHIGAN 48317

(586) 739-9080 • (800) 462-9270 • Fax: (586) 739-3530E-Mail: [email protected] • Web: www.actionin.com

We’ll customize an insurance plan to fit your specific needs, providing the coverage to protect you & the customer service you deserve.

Let the ACTION EXPERTS analyze your needs


JW Turf in MichiganI would like to introduce our

company to the MGCOA family and thank them for the warm welcome as we have aligned with one of the most diversely focused and dedi-cated groups in the golf industry.

J.W. Turf was established in 1987 as one of the first John Deere Golf equipment distributors in the na-tion. High quality products, Parts and Service departments boasting over 73 years of industry experi-ence, and an unmatched dedication to superior customer service has made J.W. Turf the longest stand-ing golf equipment distributor in the Chicagoland area.

In 2012 J.W. Turf was thrilled to announce the expansion of our ter-ritory to include Michigan, Northern Indiana and Northwest Ohio.

In Michigan we are well aware of the challenges owners are faced with. We realize that quality of cut

by Alistair Lynch, JW Turf Inc.

on a mower, or the reliability of an older piece of equipment may be #1 priority to the grounds su-perintendent or owner, yet lands on a larger list of priorities facing courses in this business climate. The overall cost of doing business is growing annually, compounded with the trend of discounted golf, has made many capital improve-ments, including turf equipment, hurdles to achieve.

To team up and overcome these hurdles, we are focusing our efforts around the R.O.I. of older equip-ment. We see many courses spend more on annual repair than what the annual payments would be on a new fleet of equipment. We are trying to show the true cost of that business model and how it affects the bottom line. Many of the courses we visit have hour meters on equipment far past salvage value, yet thousands

will be spent annually in repair to keep equipment running. In addi-tion to the high repair bills, factors like: Time management of those who repair the equipment; The Su-perintendent who may see the shop more than the course some days in attempt to keep that old equipment running are never factored in. In ask-ing why, some say “It’s just easier to fix than replace”.

Working with John Deere, we have created a few programs going in to the fall to create lower risk for own-ers in replacing some of those older pieces of equipment. We are offer-ing “No pay until May”, “Five Year Warranty”, “Interim Tier-4 Pricing” on diesel equipment. We will con-tinue to listen to our customers and focus on the challenges on the road to success. Let us know what we can do to help you succeed. Good Luck with the rest of 2013!


If you’re not already participating in the MI Clubs Fund, what are you wait-ing for? Since 1981, the Clubs Fund has an excellent track record of keep-ing workers’ compensation costs low for its members. With insurance pre-miums on the rise, now is the time to get a quote from MGCOA’S endorsed workers’ compensation program.

One of the key goals of MGCOA is to diligently ensure that members have access to superior coverage and discounts on their insurance programs. With a tremendous track record, the Clubs Fund is structured to be your long term insurance part-ner by providing upfront savings in addition to returning the underwrit-ing profit back.

Here’s a sampling of what members have to say about the Clubs Fund:

“We work hard to prevent inju-ries and controlling our workers’ compensation claims and in return we’ve received substantial savings on our premiums. Safety is a key focus of the Fund; they have a dedi-cated loss control consultant to work with us to help improve upon our own safety program.” Bill Fountain, OwnerThe Majestic at Walden Lake, Hartland

“We have been in the MI Clubs Fund since 2009 and are very

Superior insurance coverage with a discountpleased with the superior customer service. Not only do we recognize the tremendous growth on our return – which takes hundreds of dollars off our premium, we are also pleased with the many services available to help our club.”Russell Hoaglin, Club ManagerMarshall Country Club, Marshall

“The initial premium was very competitive! And after only three years in the Fund, our profit re-turns have already grown. We are very satisfied with our participa-tion in the MI Clubs Fund.”Gilda Johnson, OwnerLake Forest Golf Club, Ann Arbor

“The MI Clubs Self Insurance Fund has proven to be the best option for our workers’ compensation insur-ance coverage. We appreciate the professional service and are happy with the premium returns. It is easy to see the long term savings our company will receive with the Fund!”John Bultema, ControllerRailside Golf Club, LLC, Byron Center

Now’s the time to find out how the Clubs Fund can benefit you! Contact us for more information at 800-686-6640 extension 246 or visit www.miclubsfund.org.

The Michigan Clubs Self Insur-ance Fund, administered by Regency Group, is owned by its members and operates simi-lar to an insurance company – providing the same employer protection and paying claims to employees injured on the job. The Fund saves members money by operating with reduced over-head, aggressively managing its claims and through loss control efforts that are specifically de-signed for the club industry.

How the Clubs Fund WorksThe money that is not used to

pay for claims, and any invest-ment income, is returned back to the members over time. As the Fund ages, members receive prof-it returns from a number of Fund years. The Clubs Fund is protected from large losses by the purchase of excess loss insurance, further enhancing stability and profit-ability. Over the Fund’s history, members have received surplus premium returns equal to 50 per-cent of the premiums they’ve paid.

October 15 & 16, 2013Suburban Collection Showplace

Novi, MI

Attend for Free with User Code GC2013.

Register at michiganrestaurantshow.org

MGCOAMembers

If not, send us an email so we can add you to the list. Sim-ply email Jada and say,“...add me to your enews list”. Simple.

[email protected]

Are you receiving the monthly enews notices and legislative alerts from the MGCOA?


Club Car andTurf Equipment Dealer

and Distributor

www.midwestgt.com800-555-8189

The West Michigan Golf Show is the best way to showcase your Golf Course, with thousands of golfers looking to spend theirgolfi ng dollars. Your competition will be there, make sure you are there too! www.WestMichiganGolfShow.com for detailed demographics and

a complete brochure. Call 1-800-328-6550 now for best booth placement! Or email [email protected]. Don’t wait!

26th Annual26th Annual

DeVos Place, Downtown Grand Rapids February 14-16, 2014February 14-16, 2014

TM

Imagine 12,000 Golfers,

…with You!

Scheduling trips, booking tee times and buying golf equipment


• Networking & Education – Newsletters, and email updates – Michigan Golf Business Conference and Vendor Fair – Golf Industry Legislative Day at the Capital – Annual Golf Outing and Supplier Field Day – Education Programs, Events and Webinars – all include special MGCOA member registration rates & invitations – Great networking opportunities to share with & learn from other golf industry executives & managers – Member discount to ServSafe certification through MI Restaurant Association and free admission to the food show – Standing Educational Support Foundation trustee open to all members by appointment

• Industry & Operations Resource Center – Michigan Golf Business Buyers Guide – Directory of member courses on line by location and alphabetically – MGCOA is your call center for all issues and concerns related to our industry 800-860-8575 – Free insurance evaluation from partner Kapnick – Planet Green recycling program benefits Educational Support Foundation – Free subscription to all members to Tee Off Times quarterly newsletter – Monthly members-only email newsletters – Member benefit Michigan Clubs Fund money saving workers compensation program

• Supplier Programs & Buying Groups – Measurable member benefits via rebates, discounts and added values

• Marketing & Player Development – MyMGCOA.com Classified sales website – National Golf Outing collaborator and promoter – GolfEMS free software solution for outings and tournament – Created MIGolfLeague.com, internet-based league management system and state league championship – Provides $1,500 grant for Player Development program of the year and $1,000 grant for Entrepreneur program – Developed “Guide to a Successful Golf Outing” which is distributed to all event and meeting planners, association executives and legislators annually listing your golf course – Golden Passbook to Michigan Golf coupon book for up to $10k in golf rounds and more

• Legislative Affairs – Lobbying for Michigan golf industry (MGCOA lobbyist voted top in State) – MGCOA manages the Michigan Golf Alliance – Attend legislative meetings on your behalf and Monitors, Evaluates, Fights for Issues for you – Biweekly legislative newsletter to members – Sits on State of Michigan Water Task Force – Property Tax analysis and legislative initiative – Legislative Support and Resource Center – Standing Committee of Government Affairs open to all members by appointment

Membership Doesn’t Cost…It Pays!

Call 800-860-8575 to sign up


603 South Washington AvenueSuite 303Lansing, MI 48933(517) 482-4312www.mgcoa.org

Address Service Requested

Tee-Off Times is published by the Michigan Golf Course Owners Association, editor – Kate Moore. MGCOA offices are located at 603 S. Washington, Suite 303, Lansing, MI 48933. Phone (517) 482-4312, Fax (517) 267-8984. Articles written by outside authors do not necessarily reflect the view or position of the MGCOA. MGCOA’s position on key issues will be clearly stated. Manuscripts are accepted at the approval of the editor who reserves the right to reject or edit. Appearance in the Tee-Off Times does not constitute endorsement of the advertiser, its products or services, not does Tee-Off Times make any claims or guarantees as to the accuracy or validity of the advertiser’s offer and reserves the right to reject any advertising deemed unsuitable. Advertising rates and other information available upon request.

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDLANSING, MI

PERMIT NO 1096

Tee-Off Times

MGCOANational Golf Course Owners Association Chapter

Documents

Tee-Off Times_2013_Summer