State of the Industry: Part II

Management company execs, suppliers look for silver lining

Golf Inc. State of the Industry survey results for management company executives and the industry’s product providers and vendors echo the less-than-optimistic forecasts of owners, managers, builders and developers.

Still, management company executives believe there are some reasons for optimism, despite their generally pessimistic responses to the majority of survey questions.

When asked to characterize the company’s business prospects for the coming year, responses were generally similar to those in 2008, with more than half predicting “good” or “very good” prospects.

Responses to other questions, however, revealed a less-hopeful attitude. Most respondees predicted belt-tightening in capital expenditures and staffing levels and many more than last year forecasted either slight or significant declines in greens fees and rounds in the coming year.

The responses from those who depend upon the golf industry’s health and buying power were similar, although in some areas the gloom and doom did not seem quite so overwhelming.

For instance, nearly half those surveyed called their prospects for the coming year either good, very good or excellent and nearly 30 percent anticipated either slight or significant increases in overall revenue for this year.

Here are the results of the survey of management executives, vendors and other industry professionals, with comparisons to the 2008 survey results:

Management executives

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Vendors and other industry professionals