MOUNT Gambier can financially sustain only one 18-hole golf course into the future according to recommendations in a golf consultant’s report released last week.
The extensive report from consultants WellPlayed states the city cannot sustain the provision of two viable and thriving golf facilities and described the performance of the Blue Lake course as being in “serious financial stress: serious questions as a going concern”.
The report further states “it is unlikely that material improvement in financial performance can be achieved”.
The Queens Elizabeth Park Trust commissioned the report which highlights the economic problems surrounding the running of the Blue Lake Golf Links and states clearly that under its current management regime it is no longer financially sustainable.
The report puts forward a number of options, all of which had the probability of success rated as either low or moderate and the best option for success was for City Council to take charge.
This would involve operating only one 18-hole golf course but changes to leisure, recreation and short-form golf entertainment was necessary for today’s golf clubs to survive.
The report was clear when referencing the option of whether a golf club (Blue Lake) should take over the course it rated the probability success outcome as low.
It also virtually ruled out any attempt to reduce the 18-hole links course to nine holes suggesting it may cut costs but it would not be financially sustainable.
WellPlayed investigated the issue thoroughly and held discussions with some key stakeholders, including the Trust, City Council, Blue Lake Golf Club and Mount Gambier Golf Club, although admitting that in some of these cases, discussions were “limited”.
The wide-ranging report puts forward three major options and its assessment is quite blunt and to the point:
Internal – City Council controlling all aspects of the specialist areas – Outcome: Probability of success: low.
External – City Council engaging a single service provider, or member-based golf club (Blue Lake) to deliver all aspects of the specialist areas. Probability of success: low.
Hybrid – A blended approach where City Council may control some aspects of the specialist areas, whilst engaging one or more service providers to deliver other aspects of the specialist areas. Probability of success: moderate.
As a result, WellPlayed suggested that none of the above would work and that “change must be facilitated to continue to provide valuable golf participation to the community”.
In this, the report strongly recommends the entity best positioned to influence and lead change is City Council and council should work with the Trust, Blue Lake Golf Club, Mount Gambier Golf Club, local community and other relevant stakeholders to ensure a viable thriving and publicly-accessible contemporary golf facility and club can provide the following:
Is market-focused and adapting to stay relevant to succeed in today’s changing sport, recreation and leisure market.
Is customer-focused and friendly to women, families, younger generation, diverse groups and social golf clubs.
Focuses less on competition golf and introduces social, short-format and other golf-entertainment participation options.
Develops new business models to ensure greater facility visitation and revenue diversification and delivers high-quality customer and member experiences, especially hospitality.
Develops the expertise to achieve and regularly engage with customers and members via better communication and marketing and takes advantage of technology to assist it.
Provides valuable social, community, environmental and economic benefits and actively engages with its local community to create a community hub.
What all of the above means is that it is not sustainable for a golf club (Blue Lake) to operate the Blue Lake Golf Links profitably and it clearly believes City Council has a civic responsibility to take charge and bring together all the key stakeholders to produce one 18-hole golf course.
However, one key point is that it must meet the needs of today’s society and while golf participation is reducing and still delivers much to our ageing society, golf must adapt to the needs of the younger generation.
This means shorter forms of “golf entertainment”, bringing in more women, where clearly the growth area is, given only 1.7pc of the female population plays golf.
The consultants have thrown down the gauntlet and it is clear if golf is to survive in Mount Gambier there has to be less emotion and more focus on implementing change.
Finally, what Blue Lake members and the public should be asking is why the Trust offered the golf club the opportunity to run the course when, according to the consultant’s report, its chances of being financially viable were considered low?
FOOTNOTE: Information late this week suggests the Blue Lake Golf Club may yet take up the option to take charge of the Links course.
