Page 14 - BusinessWest April 1, 2024

Tom Baron says the Topgolf simulators at MGM Springfield have benefited from the recent surge in interest in the sport.
Staff Photo
“Our club is doing tremendously well,” she said. “We’ve seen a surge in membership, and last year our membership count was the highest it has been since 2008. Post-COVID, we’ve seen an increase of 21% in our membership level. Every year, more and more people are inquiring despite the dues increases that have been necessary since COVID changed the world.”
Other factors benefiting the industry include everything from demographics — Baby Boomers are retiring in large numbers, and many are looking for things to do — to the younger generations embracing the game in some form (maybe not 18 holes every Sat- urday, but nine holes here and there and an hour of practice), to remote work schedules, which make it slightly easier to get out for
a round than being in the office five days a week.
And these factors are benefiting not only courses, but other
components of this business as well, from retail stores to the grow- ing number of facilities with golf simulators; from driving ranges to mini-golf courses.
Dave DiRico, the mostly retired owner of Dave DiRico’s Golf in West Springfield and a former club pro, can speak to all aspects
of the business and the current trends. He told BusinessWest that his simulators are booked solid in the winter months (not so much when people can play for real), and that those who took up the game during COVID or returned to it are sticking with it — and buy- ing new equipment while they’re at it.
He’s also seeing and hearing that tee times have been nearly impossible to get in these early days of spring (and more difficult to get in general) and that private courses are at capacity and, in some cases, even have waiting lists.
“I see the game in a very healthy place,” he said. “The golf courses are busy, and the membership in most places is full — or, if they’re not full, they’re nearly full. Young people are getting into the game, and they’re staying with it. The signs are all very positive.”
All this is a far cry from where things were in the years leading up the pandemic. What was a struggling business now has a good lie, as they say in this sport, and it is looking to take full advantage and do some scoring. For this issue and its focus on sports and leisure, we talked to representatives of many facets of the golf busi- ness about how the sport has rebounded and why they believe the good times will continue.
Out of the Rough
Tom Baron, senior manager of Food & Beverage at MGM Springfield, who oversees the Topgolf facility on the property, told BusinessWest that the simulators there can provide users with a seemingly endless stream of information to digest and analyze as they work to improve their games.
“They instantly give you the ball’s spin rate, the clubhead speed, whether the clubface was open or closed, the ball speed, the arc ...
“I see the game in a very healthy place. The golf courses are busy, and the membership
in most places isfull—or,if they’re not full, they’re nearly full. Young people are getting into the game, and they’re staying with it. The signs are all very positive.”
14 APRIL 1, 2024 << SPORTS & LEISURE >>
BusinessWest