By Steve Spike | MySpikeTravel.com

Whitney Crouse, founding partner in the highly-successful Bobby Jones Links golf management company, has one of the more pragmatic takes on golf in a post-pandemic world.

“When the pandemic finally abates,’’  said Crouse, who’s company manages and owns more than  courses and clubs around the world.  “I don’t necessarily expect golf participation and rounds to continue at the same high level we have enjoyed in 2020 and 2021. People will return to some of the other activities they enjoyed before COVID.

“No one in the industry really knows how much of this gain will stick – it’s all speculation. The hopeful sentiment is many golfers will have a rekindled interest in the game as a result of the past two years.’’

The way the golf industry will retain the golfers it has gained – and continue to grow the numbers, Crouse told me, is to create “emotional loyalty.’’

“We must deliver exceptional customer service and, not only that, create unique, memorable experiences every day at our properties so that our courses become an easy choice when customers are deciding how to spend their leisure time or where to host their next business meeting or special occasion celebration.’’

Bobby Jones Links’ portfolio includes such courses the highly-acclaimed he Ooltewah (Tenn.) Club; the Georgia Club in Statham, Ga; the Donad Ross-designed Hope Valley Country Club in Durham, N.C; a Bay Point, a Jack Nicklaus design, in Panama City, FL.

This past fall, the Atlanta-based company signed with the City of New York to manage Ferry Point Links in The Bronx. The facility closed this past November and will reopen this spring with Bobby Jones Links Ferry Point Links will close for the season in November and reopen in the spring. Bobby Jones Links will be responsible for managing day-to-day golf operations, instructional programs, community outreach, agronomy and maintenance, and the course’s food and beverage operations.    

“We look for clubs where we can make a difference,’’ Crouse said. ”That could be helping a developer sell more homes and homes for more, selling more memberships for a private club, making food and beverage profitable at any club, improving playing conditions, implementing marketing or social media programs, enhancing member retention through programming, or providing the systems, training, and resources that a club needs but does not have.

“We want our members, guests, and customers to walk away from any experience at any of our courses knowing they had a great time and received superb service. That sounds trite, but those universal goals never change. However, making them happen consistently takes a Herculean effort and years of hard work. If it was easy, everyone would offer it.’’

To that end, Crouse said his role in Bobby Jones Links is part business development and part strategy.

“The latter is, developing the new ideas and plans to keep Bobby Jones Links constantly moving forward and innovating.  As my BJL partners and team members will note, many of these ideas are not so great and get me a ‘What were you thinking?’ in response. But I firmly believe you fail forward, and we have done just that since we founded this company with just two golf courses 20 years ago. The biggest risk is not taking one at all.’’

Bobby Jones himself couldn’t say it better.

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