PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 08: Phil Mickelson of the United States plays a shot on the ... [+]
Even for the place Golf Digest dubs “the top public golf course in America,” the famed Pebble Beach Golf Links, brand building never sleeps.
Small business and independents can take a lesson from this historic company.
So, you want to golf Pebble Beach? Get in line. First, you and your golf partner have to book a room at the resort for $800 and up and then pay the $575 greens fee per person. Even at that pricey rate, 60,000 people do it a year.
But there was a more egalitarian back door. Pebble Beach had a par-three, nine-hole course that you could walk on for under $35 (I’ve done it many times). Same great views, amenities and history. This was a prime destination for youth golfers in the area. But only 10,000 rounds were played there a year.
So Pebble Beach decided to go in a different direction.
“It is a prime piece of golf real estate, but the quality of experience was not on par with the rest of Pebble Beach,” said John Sawin, vice president and director of golf for Pebble Beach Company. “We are always looking for new attractions, we are always looking for new draws.”
Sawin took time out from his duties at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the fabled PGA Tour event started back in the day by Bing Crosby, to talk to me not about history but the exciting future.
In December 2019 Pebble Beach and Tiger Woods announced their collaboration for a redesign of the par three Peter Hay course.
“Pebble Beach has always been a special place to me,” said Woods, a California native who came up through the youth golf ranks.
Why did Pebble Beach choose to partner with Woods, other than his fame as a golfer?
“Tiger Woods is the most prolific architect of short courses in golf today,” says Sawin. “He is going to create a welcoming course for juniors and beginner golfers.”
There is a problem in golf today: for many people it takes too long to play 18 holes and it costs too much money for the average family. Woods and Sawin are working to change that at Pebble Beach.
The project is expected to take less than a year to complete, with a grand opening expected in October 2020. Sawin is excited that one of the holes will be a re-creation of the fabled seventh hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links and will be available for rent for special events.
Sawin said no decision has been made yet on greens fees, but the price will be set to encourage more play from resort guests, golf fans and locals. In addition, youth golfers will not pay to play the par three course.
But what about you and your business? If there is a part of your brand that is underperforming, tear it up and create something better. One business I know that offers a popular college financial aid planning service for $4,000 is creating an internet-based training version starting at $400 so families of any means can afford it. If you have something that is not on par with the rest of what you do, go in a different direction and offer a new draw.
