Caddies: Why don't we use them?

As the cost of fuel keeps going up golf courses will be hit on a number of sides as far as their operations costs or costs to keep the golf course and clubhouse in outstanding shape. 

Where do the costs of fuel effect golf curses?  Well primarily in the maintenance equipment.  Those tractors burn a lot of fuel everyday.  But there is one operations costs that is also costing these golf courses higher costs and that is in electricity costs.  And the biggest drain of electricity are the electric golf carts, which brings me back to the fuel costs associated to the many facilities using gas driven golf carts.

Now I know that these golf cart manufacturers have spend millions, if not billions, of dollars on justifying their existence and proving in their point of view that golf carts serve the golf course better.  And show how the bottomline can be improved.  And all of it is true especially when fuel was a lot cheaper.

Now the golf carts have provided more people to play the course for many more years and before the carts the only way to get around the course was to walk and carry your bag, pull or push it on a wheeled cart or hire a caddy.

All of these were done away with by the golf carts.  Again, there is nothing wrong with having the golf carts, but doesn’t it make scene with the fuel costs to have an option for those of us who care about the environment and want to experience the health benefits of golf by letting us use caddies. 

The benefit of caddie’s goes much further than just someone to carry a bag of clubs.  They help your game and help to enjoy the day.  And the only green house gases emitted would be from what they had for lunch.

 

Golf courses have one of two decisions to make, both of which will cause a ‘lose-lose’ situation.

They can pass on the rising costs onto the golfers through the green fees, which will drive off golfers.  Or, secondly, they will have to cutback on the quality of the course or clubhouse which will cause the golfers not to want to play there.

 

Caddies will provide a third option to carts and carrying a bag.

 

Now the argument for caddies has been that they are too expensive and the health benefits and so forth make having caddies more expensive than the lease on the golf carts.  But, with the rising cost on fuel these costs are now back to being equal.  And now, with the company I have found that manages caddies,  the caddies are much, much less than the golf carts.

 

Caddies provide jobs and being a caddie can be a great job for college and high school students. Lets look at bring the caddies back as an answer to a solution that is facing golf and will help keep the costs of golf down.

 

I recently interviewed the owner of the Caddie Golf Club, www.caddieclubgolf.com  and they are bringing caddies back to golf.  For those of us who like a great walk of the course for our daily exercise the opportunity is back to have a caddy.  Plus if you have a round of business golf planned or a business golf outing having the caddies as part of our outing really adds that extra touch of class and value.  Caddies: Why don’t we use them?

 

Check them out.

Scot Duke

President

Innovative Business Golf Solutions, LLC.

scot.duke@innovativebusinessgolf.com

www.innovativebusinessgolf.com