WEBVTT - INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLE 2 – GOLF TO THE RESCUE! 0:00:03.240 --> 0:00:05.880 You know, for the for years, the industry has been 0:00:05.880 --> 0:00:07.960 trying to figure out what's wrong with the game of golf. 0:00:08.560 --> 0:00:12.080 You know, is it too hard, it takes too much time? 0:00:12.119 --> 0:00:14.560 And what was really wrong with it is people had jobs. 0:00:15.240 --> 0:00:17.599 Now that people are working from home, yeah, you can 0:00:17.640 --> 0:00:22.479 get a lot done, uh until twelve o'clock, one o'clock, 0:00:22.520 --> 0:00:24.959 two o'clock, but then they're racing to the golf course. 0:00:25.000 --> 0:00:29.760 And there's a lot more optimism, uh in the golf world, 0:00:29.800 --> 0:00:32.680 in the golf industry. It's great to see, you know, 0:00:32.720 --> 0:00:36.800 the amount of participation. Um My, my son has started 0:00:36.800 --> 0:00:39.159 playing golf during this because this travel sports have been 0:00:39.280 --> 0:00:41.239 been canceled and so, you know, there's just a lot 0:00:41.320 --> 0:00:44.000 of different reasons people have come into the game. Four 0:00:44.080 --> 0:00:48.080 months ago, we was you know, I felt like gloom 0:00:48.080 --> 0:00:52.239 and doom. And today, you know, you're telling yourself, how 0:00:52.280 --> 0:00:56.200 can it be this good? That was just hopeful, I guess, 0:00:56.600 --> 0:01:00.880 you know, uh, and I feel like it is. You know, 0:01:00.920 --> 0:01:04.679 it is good. So it's coming out of this bad 0:01:04.720 --> 0:01:07.000 spot because it's good. I mean, it's a it's a 0:01:07.080 --> 0:01:11.800 good thing. The golf course has been pretty extraordinarily busy. 0:01:11.840 --> 0:01:14.039 There's a there's a big local membership here and people 0:01:14.040 --> 0:01:16.120 who come down here on holiday for the summer and 0:01:16.160 --> 0:01:19.640 they're having a field day because in normal times, you know, 0:01:19.680 --> 0:01:21.319 it's not as easy for them to get out because 0:01:21.319 --> 0:01:24.240 there's so many tourists. Now it's like they're playing every 0:01:24.280 --> 0:01:27.680 single day because an old said, Maddie, you make hay 0:01:27.720 --> 0:01:30.240 when the sunshines, and that's what all the local golfers 0:01:30.280 --> 0:01:32.400 are doing. They're they're they're playing a lot of the Gulf. 0:01:36.440 --> 0:01:48.680 Put another log five, nobody here is getting time. Welcome 0:01:48.680 --> 0:01:53.080 to the fire Pit with Matt Chinella. Thank you to 0:01:53.160 --> 0:01:56.720 Joe Horowitz, who wrote and recently recorded that song for 0:01:56.760 --> 0:02:01.200 this podcast. The story we tell in season on episode fift. 0:02:02.360 --> 0:02:04.080 Good to be back and I hope you and your 0:02:04.120 --> 0:02:07.280 families are staying safe out there. Some of you know. 0:02:07.400 --> 0:02:10.760 We started this podcast in April, not long after the 0:02:10.800 --> 0:02:15.160 country went into quarantine, and on April eight we dropped 0:02:15.280 --> 0:02:19.120 episode two, a round table with industry leaders who provided 0:02:19.120 --> 0:02:21.760 perspective on the state of the game in the midst 0:02:21.919 --> 0:02:25.160 of a global pandemic. If you go back and listen 0:02:25.200 --> 0:02:28.360 to it, it's somber. It's as if the group was 0:02:28.480 --> 0:02:31.560 in shock, and fair to say they were all scared 0:02:31.600 --> 0:02:34.680 for their business and had concerns for the future of 0:02:34.720 --> 0:02:39.160 the game. Here's Josh Lesnik back in April as president 0:02:39.240 --> 0:02:43.600 of Kemper Sports, which manages over courses in States, and 0:02:43.639 --> 0:02:47.480 that includes everything from nine whole municipals to stream Song, 0:02:47.800 --> 0:02:52.400 Sand Valley and abandoned dunes. How many months can a 0:02:52.480 --> 0:02:56.400 small business go with basically zero revenue? You know, you're 0:02:56.440 --> 0:02:59.520 talking at daily fee golf courses that are closed. You 0:02:59.560 --> 0:03:02.240 have zero or revenue. You know, can you afford to 0:03:02.320 --> 0:03:05.200 keep the superintendent and afford to keep some staff to 0:03:05.280 --> 0:03:10.200 keep the golf courses alive. Tom Pashiley, president of Pinehurst 0:03:10.240 --> 0:03:13.320 in North Carolina, had some membership play in mid April 0:03:13.960 --> 0:03:16.960 and rigs of barstool, of course, but as he said 0:03:17.000 --> 0:03:20.080 back then, the cradle of American golf was being rocked 0:03:20.200 --> 0:03:24.440 by the pandemic. We've gone from undred employees down to 0:03:24.560 --> 0:03:27.280 two hundred employees. A lot of those are on the 0:03:27.320 --> 0:03:31.560 golf maintenance staff just to keep the nine courses mode. Certainly, 0:03:31.600 --> 0:03:34.360 it's a it's a reduced maintenance practice then you would 0:03:34.360 --> 0:03:38.360 normally have. But we're trying to keep the courses in 0:03:39.080 --> 0:03:41.320 good enough condition so that when we are able to 0:03:41.360 --> 0:03:43.960 reopen to the outside world that that everybody will have 0:03:44.000 --> 0:03:47.680 a great experience. Lou Thompson, owner of for Students and 0:03:47.880 --> 0:03:51.600 subject of episode twelve on this podcast, was flying blind 0:03:51.680 --> 0:03:55.040 into what's already a short season in ross Common, Michigan. 0:03:55.640 --> 0:03:59.480 You know, you've got a hundred and fifty employees, You've 0:03:59.480 --> 0:04:03.000 got a man in two golf courses, you're not gonna 0:04:03.000 --> 0:04:06.920 get to open. It's a pretty grimsome thought that goes 0:04:06.960 --> 0:04:09.840 through your mind that you're gonna have to to take 0:04:09.920 --> 0:04:13.760 care of them forces and take care of your employees. 0:04:13.800 --> 0:04:17.280 You can. I couldn't go and just say, hey, guys, 0:04:17.440 --> 0:04:20.360 you're done. I still have to have people to take 0:04:20.400 --> 0:04:22.200 care of the plights and the courses and keep my 0:04:22.240 --> 0:04:26.560 place up. So yeah, it was a pretty grin deal. Uh, 0:04:26.920 --> 0:04:29.200 scary as hell. Do be honest with you whenever you're 0:04:29.240 --> 0:04:33.200 setting up thinking about it. Meanwhile, John Ashworth, who has 0:04:33.320 --> 0:04:35.479 least and led Go to Hill Park for six years, 0:04:35.839 --> 0:04:38.839 a four thousand, four hundred yard thirty dollar green feet 0:04:38.839 --> 0:04:42.279 in Oceanside, California, did his best to see through the 0:04:42.320 --> 0:04:46.120 smoke and seemingly set the stage for the situation. The 0:04:46.160 --> 0:04:48.840 game is in now. I think people are gonna have 0:04:48.880 --> 0:04:53.279 a lot better attitude and just a different perspective on 0:04:54.040 --> 0:04:58.080 having the freedom to actually play golf. You know, I 0:04:58.120 --> 0:05:01.320 think that's gonna be uh, it's gonna be a liberating 0:05:01.440 --> 0:05:04.359 experience once people can come out back out to the 0:05:04.360 --> 0:05:07.680 golf course. And then there was Marty Carr, founder and 0:05:07.800 --> 0:05:11.640 CEO of car Golf Travel, an international travel business based 0:05:11.720 --> 0:05:15.000 in Dublin which customizes golf trips at a wide variety 0:05:15.040 --> 0:05:20.239 of budgets, but also manages several clubs throughout Ireland. Hopefully, 0:05:20.240 --> 0:05:22.039 hopefully at all it all it was back. I think 0:05:22.080 --> 0:05:24.120 I think this year is probably this this this season 0:05:24.200 --> 0:05:26.640 is probably going to be a very tough strugger for everybody. 0:05:26.640 --> 0:05:28.680 But I think, you know, I think things move on 0:05:28.720 --> 0:05:30.520 pretty quickly. I think it's very hard in the eye 0:05:30.560 --> 0:05:31.800 of the store to see the end of it, but 0:05:32.120 --> 0:05:34.479 I think things would pick up, and probably golf would 0:05:34.480 --> 0:05:38.039 pick up much much quicker than meny other industries. That's 0:05:38.080 --> 0:05:41.440 one thing they all said, if they could get open, 0:05:41.800 --> 0:05:44.920 they had a chance. They knew that as long as 0:05:44.920 --> 0:05:47.760 they could get a set of sensible regulations, the game 0:05:47.880 --> 0:05:50.520 could ride a wave of opportunity all the way to 0:05:50.560 --> 0:05:55.240 the beach, and by June or shortly thereafter they were 0:05:55.320 --> 0:05:58.640 all opened and it's as if golf is our only 0:05:58.680 --> 0:06:02.280 option for a safe out or activity. Mike Stertura of 0:06:02.360 --> 0:06:06.560 Golf Digest recently tweeted that Golf Data Tech reports rounds 0:06:06.600 --> 0:06:11.600 played in July were up over last year. US golf 0:06:11.640 --> 0:06:15.279 equipment sales reached the all time greatest single month and 0:06:15.320 --> 0:06:20.280 retail sales since the company started tracking data in the 0:06:20.360 --> 0:06:25.120 year Tiger one his first Masters balls are up. Putters, 0:06:26.279 --> 0:06:34.240 wedges seventy, woods are up sixty and irons. As to 0:06:34.360 --> 0:06:39.480 Chura said, if it's not nailed down, it's selling. And 0:06:39.520 --> 0:06:42.279 so I got the buddies trip of round tables back 0:06:42.320 --> 0:06:46.960 together again to check in on their business, same order throughout. 0:06:47.120 --> 0:06:49.680 So we start again with Josh Lesnik of Kemper Sports, 0:06:49.839 --> 0:06:53.479 who has been pleasantly surprised by this endless summer of golf. 0:06:54.480 --> 0:06:57.880 I'll be honest, I'm not even sure I had that hope. Really, 0:06:58.080 --> 0:07:01.240 I don't think I could even think about it. Um 0:07:01.240 --> 0:07:04.120 from that standpoint sitting there in April, you know, with 0:07:06.520 --> 0:07:10.240 of our golf course is closed and no idea how 0:07:10.320 --> 0:07:13.680 long all these restrictions state by state we're gonna last. 0:07:13.800 --> 0:07:20.000 And umb I really had no I couldn't even hope 0:07:20.040 --> 0:07:23.880 for the turnaround that's really happened in terms of rounds 0:07:23.880 --> 0:07:28.440 of golf, interest in the game of golf, golf becoming 0:07:28.560 --> 0:07:36.120 known as h a safe, healthy way to get outside 0:07:37.000 --> 0:07:42.640 um during the pandemic. Tom Pastilely of Pine says they're 0:07:42.680 --> 0:07:46.040 back to one thousand employees, which is up eight hundred, 0:07:46.280 --> 0:07:50.040 still down five from pre quarantine. I look back at 0:07:50.120 --> 0:07:54.120 how somber we were in April and and trust me, 0:07:54.160 --> 0:07:57.239 there's still plenty of things that have had to happen 0:07:57.320 --> 0:08:00.360 that we're not We're sad about employee that are no 0:08:00.440 --> 0:08:04.880 longer here, but seeing people return to pinehurs, seeing them 0:08:04.960 --> 0:08:10.080 enjoying being outside, seeing them play golf, seeing seeing you know, 0:08:10.160 --> 0:08:13.320 hundreds of people in the cradle every afternoon has given 0:08:13.440 --> 0:08:17.240 us more reason to be excited. So so it's it's 0:08:17.280 --> 0:08:21.200 still difficult because our our business is also dependent on 0:08:21.320 --> 0:08:24.360 corporate business. We've got a lot of meeting space and 0:08:24.440 --> 0:08:28.400 so that side of the business has really languished, and 0:08:28.640 --> 0:08:31.960 we don't know when gatherings of large groups inside is 0:08:31.960 --> 0:08:34.120 going to be able to happen again. But in the meantime, 0:08:34.920 --> 0:08:38.280 golfers that the path has kind of been cleared for 0:08:38.280 --> 0:08:41.600 for the golfers to come here, and uh and and 0:08:41.640 --> 0:08:47.240 we just enjoy seeing them enjoying pine Hurst. The logo 0:08:47.360 --> 0:08:50.640 of Forest Dudes is a deer. And going back to April, 0:08:51.080 --> 0:08:54.400 Lou Thompson was staring into the headlights of an oncoming car. 0:08:55.000 --> 0:08:59.360 You know, Jim was best June we've ever had in history. Uh. 0:09:00.640 --> 0:09:03.320 I don't remember exactly the numbers, but I think we 0:09:03.400 --> 0:09:08.439 were probably up in June, and then the first of 0:09:08.559 --> 0:09:12.760 July we were able to open up the lodge and 0:09:12.800 --> 0:09:17.840 everything and restaurants are limited seating, and we were probably 0:09:17.920 --> 0:09:24.880 up dirty percent in July over last year. Uh. Come August, 0:09:26.320 --> 0:09:29.959 you know, we're projecting that we're gonna be up tween 0:09:30.080 --> 0:09:33.480 forty and forty five percent in August this year over 0:09:33.600 --> 0:09:37.360 last year, which is realistically we can't do some more. 0:09:38.280 --> 0:09:42.400 I mean, you know what it's and whats of is 0:09:42.480 --> 0:09:45.959 so strange about this is every day is a record 0:09:46.040 --> 0:09:49.320 day for us. You know, we do three hundred and 0:09:49.360 --> 0:09:53.800 dirty last Friday, Well, just coming Friday, we've got three 0:09:53.920 --> 0:09:57.240 forty on the books. You know, next Saturday, we've got 0:09:57.280 --> 0:10:02.839 three sixty books, uh, known for two courses and that's 0:10:02.840 --> 0:10:05.560 all we didn't get on. As for John Ashworth at 0:10:05.559 --> 0:10:08.880 goat Hill Park, he did what he does best. He 0:10:08.920 --> 0:10:12.600 took a shitty situation, rallied the community and together they 0:10:12.679 --> 0:10:17.600 made several significant course enhancements. You know, we're always trying 0:10:17.600 --> 0:10:20.520 to improve it because it needs a lot of improvement. 0:10:20.679 --> 0:10:24.400 And uh and we were able to. Yeah, we had 0:10:24.440 --> 0:10:27.400 some volunteers, you know, we had we didn't have volunteers days, 0:10:27.440 --> 0:10:29.960 but we we let it known in our little crew 0:10:30.000 --> 0:10:33.360 of guys. You know, if you want to come get dirty, 0:10:33.360 --> 0:10:37.440 we've got plenty of jobs to do. Yeah, and we 0:10:37.520 --> 0:10:41.040 had a lot of takers. Meanwhile, Marty Carr of car 0:10:41.120 --> 0:10:43.960 Golf in Ireland reports the Irish have picked up right 0:10:43.960 --> 0:10:46.760 where they left off, which is loving and playing the 0:10:46.760 --> 0:10:50.760 game of golf. I think, you know, as John Ashford 0:10:51.120 --> 0:10:53.800 identified that, you know, hopefully golf would be part of 0:10:53.840 --> 0:10:59.400 the solution. And clearly there has been an incredible increase 0:10:59.440 --> 0:11:02.360 in interest in in in Gulf given the fact that 0:11:03.000 --> 0:11:05.520 there was a very limited amount of other activities. Golfs 0:11:05.600 --> 0:11:10.640 first back, we've seen an explosion in the new members 0:11:11.120 --> 0:11:15.200 joining clubs because we opened up here post COVID with 0:11:15.240 --> 0:11:17.120 the requirement that you had to be a member, and 0:11:17.160 --> 0:11:20.960 then slowly but surely with member guests and now everybody 0:11:21.000 --> 0:11:25.040 can play. We opened up at reduced capacity. So notwithstanding them, 0:11:25.080 --> 0:11:29.920 the challenges have increased demand and reduced supply, and golf 0:11:30.040 --> 0:11:34.079 is very busy here of courses, obviously depending on where 0:11:34.080 --> 0:11:36.559 they're located. There's still another a lot of courses that 0:11:36.600 --> 0:11:39.120 haven't seen a huge bounce. I would say that that's 0:11:39.120 --> 0:11:41.439 probably the telling sign that they don't really have a 0:11:42.040 --> 0:11:45.680 huge future. But for the most part, the urban golf 0:11:45.720 --> 0:11:48.200 courses have seen a huge bounce. In fact, they're probably 0:11:48.200 --> 0:11:50.960 trading on priority with last year, despite the fact that 0:11:50.960 --> 0:11:53.240 they were closed for two and a half months. So 0:11:53.720 --> 0:11:55.400 I know the n g F came out there recently 0:11:55.440 --> 0:11:58.160 saying that that the rounds are up. I would say 0:11:58.160 --> 0:12:02.199 we're definitely up fift. But it does very convenued to 0:12:02.280 --> 0:12:05.760 venue depending on location, which brings us back to less 0:12:05.840 --> 0:12:08.480 nick onjust how good is it out there right now. 0:12:09.320 --> 0:12:10.560 I don't know if you were called. There was a 0:12:10.559 --> 0:12:14.199 study done by the n GF about all the latent demand. 0:12:14.200 --> 0:12:18.280 There wasn't golf people who played before they had kids 0:12:19.480 --> 0:12:23.280 and for one reason another work, kids, everything, they didn't play, 0:12:23.320 --> 0:12:25.480 but they wanted to get back out there, and even 0:12:25.559 --> 0:12:30.040 other people that that may be watched on TVV like 0:12:30.240 --> 0:12:34.200 the idea of being outside walking getting some exercise, but 0:12:34.280 --> 0:12:36.520 hadn't taken it up. There's a lot of latent event. Well, 0:12:36.559 --> 0:12:39.600 those people are playing golf now, and it's seen at 0:12:39.600 --> 0:12:43.880 the golf courses. It's seeing with our PGA professionals giving lessons. 0:12:44.160 --> 0:12:48.040 It's seen with the equipment companies, uh selling out of 0:12:48.080 --> 0:12:54.319 equipment and even golf balls. Um, it's look, we lost 0:12:54.840 --> 0:12:57.120 twenty million rounds of golf in the spring when the 0:12:57.160 --> 0:13:00.240 rounds were goes not we kemper sports. We the industry 0:13:00.679 --> 0:13:04.120 lost something like twenty million rounds. Never thought we could 0:13:04.160 --> 0:13:10.400 ever make it up. Um, but we're gonna. We're gonna 0:13:10.440 --> 0:13:13.480 come awfully both, if not exceed to make up the 0:13:13.600 --> 0:13:16.680 lost rounds because we have this in season in a 0:13:16.679 --> 0:13:22.680 lot of the country. Um. Just boom, It's amazing. I 0:13:22.720 --> 0:13:25.720 asked pastially of pine Hurst. If a buddy's trip rocked 0:13:25.800 --> 0:13:28.800 up to the Carolina Hotel right now, would they notice 0:13:28.840 --> 0:13:33.200 a difference from previous trips. Absolutely, they'll they'll notice differently. 0:13:33.240 --> 0:13:35.760 You know, everybody will have their masks on. As long 0:13:35.800 --> 0:13:40.240 as masks are required and and so that you'll see 0:13:40.360 --> 0:13:42.480 and they'll be required to wear masks. Is they're kind 0:13:42.480 --> 0:13:45.640 of indoors throughout North Carolina. We've got a date coming 0:13:45.720 --> 0:13:49.640 up September eleven is when the governor revisits our status 0:13:49.679 --> 0:13:52.000 with with all these things. So if if they come 0:13:52.040 --> 0:13:54.800 after then hopefully things are loosened up a little bit. 0:13:54.840 --> 0:13:57.920 But you know, we're taking it all very seriously. And 0:13:57.960 --> 0:14:01.120 so they're gonna see signage telling them, you know, it's 0:14:01.120 --> 0:14:05.200 a space out. They're gonna see our breakfast buffet that 0:14:05.320 --> 0:14:08.640 is world famous is now being served by employees. You're 0:14:08.640 --> 0:14:12.000 not able to decide, you know, what portions you want. 0:14:12.000 --> 0:14:14.160 You can ask for it, we'll provide it for you. 0:14:14.200 --> 0:14:17.839 But yeah, there'll be subtle things, um that they'll notice. 0:14:17.840 --> 0:14:20.200 And I think what we're finding is people appreciate it. 0:14:20.280 --> 0:14:23.440 People want to feel safe. They're anxious, and when you 0:14:23.520 --> 0:14:26.240 get to the place and you see that folks are 0:14:26.240 --> 0:14:28.760 taking it seriously, it puts you a little more at ease. 0:14:30.000 --> 0:14:32.960 At Forest Dunes, which is quite literally in the middle 0:14:33.000 --> 0:14:37.160 of Michigan, which also makes it very remote, lou Thompson 0:14:37.240 --> 0:14:40.880 says that's exactly what's working in his favor. I was 0:14:40.960 --> 0:14:43.440 up there a couple weeks ago with a friend of 0:14:43.520 --> 0:14:46.560 mine and he said, you know how many people here 0:14:46.560 --> 0:14:48.240 to day? And I saw, how about three hundred? And 0:14:49.720 --> 0:14:51.720 that just blows me away because I feel a lot 0:14:51.720 --> 0:14:54.680 more the only ones up here. You know, we're spread 0:14:54.680 --> 0:14:58.720 out over twenty acres. You know, tea times are back 0:14:58.760 --> 0:15:01.680 to you know, they're not just a on top of everybody. 0:15:01.840 --> 0:15:04.040 And he said, it's just amazing to me that the 0:15:04.120 --> 0:15:06.520 story hundred fifty people here to die and I feel 0:15:06.520 --> 0:15:08.520 like we're the only ones out here. You know, It's 0:15:08.560 --> 0:15:13.360 it's pretty good. You know. I feel very comfortable being 0:15:13.440 --> 0:15:17.720 up there playing golf. Uh And I feel very comptful 0:15:18.080 --> 0:15:22.000 dinning outside, even with people around, because you know, I 0:15:22.080 --> 0:15:24.520 just don't feel like we have me exposer that's obviously 0:15:24.720 --> 0:15:29.120 particiarly have insight. John Ashworth is all about seizing this 0:15:29.240 --> 0:15:32.360 momentum and running with it. I think we've got this 0:15:32.400 --> 0:15:36.120 big opportunity. You know, if there is a renaissance in 0:15:36.240 --> 0:15:40.760 golf to capture a new spirit for the game, if 0:15:40.800 --> 0:15:43.560 you will, you know, that is more of this. Goat 0:15:43.640 --> 0:15:50.560 Hill Park Winter Park nine recreational golf community golf using 0:15:50.600 --> 0:15:53.240 the golf course as the center for a community, you know, 0:15:53.480 --> 0:15:55.760 versus back in the nineties, which I happen to live 0:15:55.840 --> 0:15:57.840 through as well, when it was always like it's build 0:15:57.880 --> 0:16:01.120 a big country club, that's you know, gonna hosted tour event, 0:16:01.320 --> 0:16:04.720 and you know, I'm going to have the biggest, hardest 0:16:04.720 --> 0:16:09.000 golf course. All these billionaire you know, Dot Com guys 0:16:09.080 --> 0:16:14.000 or whatever that you know, did all that stuff. Marty 0:16:14.040 --> 0:16:17.320 Carr says that in Ireland, the courses usually sought after 0:16:17.400 --> 0:16:20.200 by the big game hunters of golf are busy, but 0:16:20.280 --> 0:16:23.960 it's because they've drastically reduced their green fees for locals. 0:16:24.800 --> 0:16:29.840 The tourism courses remain challenged because they can't replace the 0:16:29.840 --> 0:16:32.800 the tens of thousands of overseas tourists who will come 0:16:32.800 --> 0:16:35.720 in here and pay the premium rates. So many of 0:16:35.760 --> 0:16:38.440 them have put together a rate for members of Irish 0:16:38.440 --> 0:16:42.240 golf clubs and they have seen an increase in play, 0:16:42.280 --> 0:16:46.680 but the yield will be significantly down. The municipal courses 0:16:46.720 --> 0:16:48.680 and the and the and the courses that offer access 0:16:48.680 --> 0:16:52.040 around Dublin would have seen a significant increase in play 0:16:52.160 --> 0:16:54.920 at a rate, and and then some more of the 0:16:55.000 --> 0:16:57.680 rural courses probably haven't seen that much so, to be honest, 0:16:57.680 --> 0:17:00.320 you depending on what segments you're talking about it, there 0:17:00.320 --> 0:17:03.520 has been differing impacts. I asked les Nick if he 0:17:03.560 --> 0:17:06.040 thought that because of the evolution of the industry over 0:17:06.080 --> 0:17:09.399 the course of the last two decades, is golf better 0:17:09.440 --> 0:17:13.360 positioned to keep more of this tsunami of interest beyond 0:17:13.600 --> 0:17:18.520 the pandemic As rounds were dwindling, and you know, we 0:17:18.600 --> 0:17:22.200 had this great oversupply of golf courses in the United States. 0:17:22.200 --> 0:17:26.400 We just built too many golf courses and demand wasn't 0:17:26.480 --> 0:17:29.919 keeping up with the supply, and so golf course owners 0:17:29.920 --> 0:17:32.200 were getting together, like, you know, we need we need 0:17:32.240 --> 0:17:34.119 to change the industry a little bit. We need to 0:17:34.160 --> 0:17:36.560 make it more welcoming. And I wasn't getting We were 0:17:37.160 --> 0:17:40.320 sitting around kind of talking about, you know, what's wrong 0:17:40.359 --> 0:17:42.600 with the game. How do we make the game more fun, 0:17:43.000 --> 0:17:48.600 more friendly, more inclusive. And the industry did a great 0:17:48.720 --> 0:17:52.840 job of doing that. Um, you know, all the all 0:17:52.880 --> 0:17:55.120 the things you're talking about, just making it more fun, 0:17:55.400 --> 0:17:59.199 short courses, music on course. Knowing that we need to 0:17:59.280 --> 0:18:02.880 treat people when they walk into our pro shop. We 0:18:02.960 --> 0:18:05.000 just need to treat people better. We need to treat 0:18:05.040 --> 0:18:07.360 beginners better. We don't want to scare them away from 0:18:07.359 --> 0:18:11.560 the golf course. We want to bring them in to golf. 0:18:11.760 --> 0:18:15.440 And the industry really had changed over let's call it 0:18:15.480 --> 0:18:19.159 the last decade or or a little more, um so, 0:18:19.320 --> 0:18:21.239 for that type of demand. Now, let's say, I mean 0:18:21.320 --> 0:18:24.600 top golf is a perfect example. Top golf. People are 0:18:24.680 --> 0:18:27.080 learning the swing, they're learning the game, they're getting that 0:18:27.119 --> 0:18:30.800 feeling of hitting a good golf shot. But unfortunately, still 0:18:30.800 --> 0:18:35.800 our industry can't in many areas, can't do social functions 0:18:35.800 --> 0:18:39.560 of larger than a certain number um and you know, 0:18:39.640 --> 0:18:42.600 driving ranges can be closed things like that. But those 0:18:42.600 --> 0:18:45.360 people are now coming to the golf course for that 0:18:45.600 --> 0:18:52.080 socially distanced, touch free golf experience, and well that stick. 0:18:52.320 --> 0:18:54.439 You know, I think some of it will. It's not 0:18:54.520 --> 0:18:57.800 realistic to think that this boom will last forever. I 0:18:57.800 --> 0:19:01.000 think offices will open up again, people start working, there 0:19:01.000 --> 0:19:04.640 will be baseball games you can go to, there will 0:19:04.680 --> 0:19:07.280 be kids sports again, and parents have to go to 0:19:07.320 --> 0:19:11.000 their kids sporting games. You know. So it's unrealistic to 0:19:11.080 --> 0:19:14.240 think that people can continue to play this amount. But 0:19:14.320 --> 0:19:19.040 the industry is certainly ready to welcome all these people 0:19:19.160 --> 0:19:20.760 and treat them in the way we need to treat 0:19:20.800 --> 0:19:24.440 them to bring them back. Meanwhile, Pastilely and pine Hurst 0:19:24.480 --> 0:19:27.520 continue to benefit from the revolutionary moves they made a 0:19:27.560 --> 0:19:30.200 few years ago by adding a putting and Part three 0:19:30.240 --> 0:19:34.560 course to their front porch. The cradle has been amazing, 0:19:34.640 --> 0:19:37.320 and thank goodness we have it, because, yeah, all this 0:19:37.480 --> 0:19:41.480 new participation, what what better of course to learn the 0:19:41.480 --> 0:19:44.119 game on? Then a short course and then the cradle 0:19:44.400 --> 0:19:47.879 where there's no intimidation, where it's all about fun and 0:19:47.920 --> 0:19:50.280 so the you know, last year we thought we were 0:19:50.320 --> 0:19:53.880 setting records for rounds on the Cradle, and so far 0:19:54.000 --> 0:19:59.159 this summer we're up and rounds played on the Cradle 0:19:59.240 --> 0:20:02.080 over a number that we never imagined we can top. 0:20:02.200 --> 0:20:06.240 It's it's been so good and and a lot of 0:20:06.280 --> 0:20:08.879 them are people who are who are staying with us 0:20:08.920 --> 0:20:10.880 at the resort. A lot of them are people who 0:20:10.880 --> 0:20:14.240 were just passing through and and they're they're able to 0:20:14.280 --> 0:20:17.280 get their piece of the pine Hurst experience at the 0:20:17.280 --> 0:20:21.600 putting course. This will do is super popular right now. 0:20:21.720 --> 0:20:25.080 So thank goodness, thank goodness we made the changes we 0:20:25.119 --> 0:20:27.320 made when we did, because it put us kind of 0:20:27.359 --> 0:20:30.280 in a in a great position to take advantage of 0:20:30.320 --> 0:20:33.000 all these new people who have been coming into the game. 0:20:33.080 --> 0:20:36.480 For sure. Forest Dudes opened their new ten hole Part 0:20:36.520 --> 0:20:40.199 three course on August one. You know something that I 0:20:40.320 --> 0:20:43.840 thought was pretty cool, Matt. We had to we had 0:20:43.880 --> 0:20:48.040 to build a shoe rack at the tea box because 0:20:48.280 --> 0:20:50.600 when we told some of the guys to start with 0:20:50.720 --> 0:20:53.639 the rules, you know, have fun if you want to 0:20:53.680 --> 0:20:57.440 keep shoes off playing music. Well, after about an hour 0:20:57.520 --> 0:21:00.480 we had about a hundred pairs of shoes all over 0:21:00.520 --> 0:21:03.520 the ground and didn't stand that. So the next week 0:21:03.560 --> 0:21:06.240 we built in shoe racks too, so people's got a 0:21:06.240 --> 0:21:11.960 replace to put their shoes. So exactly what I wanted. 0:21:12.359 --> 0:21:14.840 You tell people if you want to go there. But man, 0:21:14.960 --> 0:21:21.400 everybody hits the deck and the shoes dart climbed. And 0:21:21.600 --> 0:21:24.639 the best part is it's not unlock. It's a certain 0:21:24.720 --> 0:21:28.200 nights group. I mean sixties seven year old man's kicking 0:21:28.200 --> 0:21:30.800 the shoes off. You know, six year old kids are 0:21:30.880 --> 0:21:35.000 kicking their shoes off. You know. It was just it 0:21:35.080 --> 0:21:38.159 was just pretty cool, just set there to pavilion and 0:21:38.280 --> 0:21:42.080 experience that. I asked Ashworth and then Car if some 0:21:42.119 --> 0:21:44.720 of the new rules and regulations have a place in 0:21:44.760 --> 0:21:48.080 the game. Post COVID. Everyone's kind of getting used to 0:21:48.119 --> 0:21:51.080 the pen in the hole with the with the foamy thing. 0:21:52.440 --> 0:21:54.840 Although I will say, you gotta get that phone down 0:21:54.880 --> 0:21:56.720 a little bit. Man. I feel like I got kind 0:21:56.720 --> 0:22:02.040 of screwed it. Grizzy had a bumplipout. I know it, 0:22:02.920 --> 0:22:04.800 but no, I mean at the goat we do that. 0:22:04.960 --> 0:22:07.040 It's just, you know, I never thought i'd be into it, 0:22:07.160 --> 0:22:08.879 and I didn't know if I am into it, but 0:22:08.920 --> 0:22:11.359 it's sure, Yeah, I think that's speed up play, you know, 0:22:12.080 --> 0:22:17.760 for sure, U Rakes and the bunkers. You know, I 0:22:17.760 --> 0:22:19.720 don't know if if you if you don't have rakes, 0:22:19.720 --> 0:22:23.880 and you probably have to like everybody's bumping it, which 0:22:23.880 --> 0:22:26.120 I don't really like, to be honest with you. So 0:22:26.680 --> 0:22:32.840 I don't know if I like that one. Um more walking, right, 0:22:33.440 --> 0:22:36.879 I think a little bit more walking, you know. Um 0:22:37.200 --> 0:22:39.480 Less hugging, which I don't know if that's a good 0:22:39.480 --> 0:22:44.440 thing or bad. But um, I miss a good hug. 0:22:45.520 --> 0:22:47.359 I missed I missed the hug at the end of 0:22:47.400 --> 0:22:51.080 the round, the high five bro hug. Yeah, yeah, I 0:22:51.119 --> 0:22:53.440 miss that. I I kind of like the idea of 0:22:53.480 --> 0:22:55.560 the flag leaving the pin and the whole people are 0:22:55.880 --> 0:22:57.720 maybe we used to be optional before and it was in, 0:22:57.800 --> 0:23:00.520 it was out. I'd like to see things like the 0:23:00.520 --> 0:23:04.120 bunker's facing in the bunker and then smooth it over 0:23:04.200 --> 0:23:08.159 your foot's sartainly speeding up the game. And rounds are 0:23:08.240 --> 0:23:11.439 much faster over here now than they were at pre COVID, 0:23:11.600 --> 0:23:16.160 no question, which is saying something because rounds in Ireland 0:23:16.200 --> 0:23:20.119 were already pretty fast. On the subject of speed, here's 0:23:20.160 --> 0:23:24.679 Lesnik again on planning a trip in full alert. If 0:23:24.720 --> 0:23:29.760 you want to go to Streams Song, Abandoned Dunes, Sand Valley, 0:23:29.840 --> 0:23:32.119 if you want to go next year, I mean book 0:23:32.480 --> 0:23:36.000 right now for next year. You can't. You can't get 0:23:36.040 --> 0:23:38.720 in this year. It's it's it's near impossible, as you 0:23:38.840 --> 0:23:41.320 found out. And I've tried to, you know, make tea 0:23:41.400 --> 0:23:44.920 times for people, and we're talking next June at Bannon. Dudes, 0:23:45.000 --> 0:23:47.919 it's hard to get times for people if the group's 0:23:47.920 --> 0:23:50.840 big enough, so you know, you really it looks like 0:23:51.400 --> 0:23:54.280 interest in the game of golf and interest in destinations 0:23:54.320 --> 0:23:57.680