Staying Power: Golf's Resiliency Will Help Area Courses Survive and Thrive - PressOfAtlanticCity.com

It took several new courses and the worst economy in nearly 100 years to produce a downturn club officials estimate between five and 15 percent. With the average course fielding around 25,000 rounds per year, most facilities seek to add perhaps 75 rounds per week in a nine-month season. That could be covered with two or three additional foursomes each day.

Nationally, it's worse. Jack Nicklaus laid off 60 of his 100 employees in the design division, according to Stephen Kay, the area's pre-eminent golf architect. Other areas are not buoyed by a multi-billion dollar casino industry and a golf association that spends $1 million annually, as the Greater Atlantic City Golf Association, does to entice out-of-state players.

"Golf has staying power that other sports and other industries don't have," Bittner said. "Look at the businesses that close in every other industry. Golf is going down a bit for the first time ever. People love to play golf. It's part of a social environment for people. The older they get, the more they are going to play.

"As soon as the economy comes back a bit, and we're already seeing it to some degree, people are going to go back to the courses. Right now you might have a guy in another state who didn't come out here last year because he was afraid of losing his job, and he agreed with his wife that they wouldn't go away. Now he figures he's been a good boy, it's time to have some fun. The flip side of all of this is, how long are people going to sit back and not spend money? They want to."

Bittner has a unique perspective on the industry. He sees the marketing end, with the nine GACGA courses marketing to Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and New York. He estimates that 70 percent of the players on the GACGA courses are visitors. The casino, hotel and golf industries here cross-promote one another. Customers can visit www.acgolfgetaways.com to get a quick on an Atlantic City Golf Vacation or they can purchase a tee time golf pass at www.acgolfvacations.com and click on the golf pass on the right hand side of the page.

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