PALM SPRINGS, California — Golf has been on a roll since the pandemic three years ago. It will end at some point, but Ben Rodny thinks it won’t end this coming golf season in the Coachella Valley.
Rodny, who is in charge of sales and marketing at the Indian Wells Golf Resort, said, “We made our budget for this year and our business plan for next year with the idea that things will continue to grow.”
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which stopped many activities, including other sports, golf has grown a lot. This can be seen in the number of rounds played across the country and the group sales business that places like the Indian Wells Golf Resort are getting.
Before the pandemic, fewer games were played and fewer people played golf. But after the pandemic, things changed. But the pandemic seemed to make people go outside and do something that was legal in most parts of the country. In 2020 and 2021, the number of rounds played went up by 20%, but in 2022, the gains were smaller.
The National Golf Foundation says that the number of rounds played so far in 2023 has gone up by 3.8% as of the end of September. But in the Palm Springs area, games played so far this year are down 2.9%. This is because of lost rounds due to bad weather, like Tropical Storm Hilary in August, which flooded some courses and closed them for weeks. But the NGF said that golf in the Palm Springs area grew by 6.4% in September compared to the same month in 2022.
Lots of people who work in the golf business in the Coachella Valley see some signs that the rise might be slowing down, if not stopping.
Kurt Burmeister, general manager of La Quinta Country Club, said, “We plan for it to level.” “Growth is happening, but not as quickly as it has been the last three years.” These are the same signs for the season as the last three years, though.
In the 2022–23 season, more than 400 rounds were played every day at the 36-hole Indian Wells Golf Resort. However, Rodny says he is beginning to notice that the game’s growth is slowing down.
Rodny said, “What I’m noticing is that rates are starting to go down, which we didn’t see last year. This is especially true on the group side of the business, with golf tournaments and other smaller events.” “We could have given them a million-dollar price last year, but all they said was “send me the contract.” Now there’s some pushback, and our clients who want to put together a high-level event are telling us about it. They could do it with us or with one of the other top players in the Coachella Valley.
A golf cart that goes around and around at Indian Wells Golf Resort (Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun)
Are prices still going up?
The Indian Wells Golf Resort, like many other courses in the desert, changes its prices throughout the season. This means that green fees go down when there are fewer players, like on Fridays and Saturdays in January and February, and up when there are a lot of players. In 2022–2023, the most you could pay for a round was $299. Rodny thinks that price will go up in the coming months.
“Our starting price is between $249 and $259.” I actually think we’ll break the $300 mark this season in January and February. Roger said, “I can’t tell you how much by.”
On Saturday, November 18, 2023, golfers at Ironwood Country Club in Palm Desert, California, gather on the putting green before going out for a round.
Some golfers say they have to change their plans because prices keep going up.
As of right now, Fred Barnett of Palm Desert has changed his plans for friends who are coming down for a week or ten days in February. “The prices keep going up, so they might come down for the same number of days but not play golf as much.” It’s not just golf, either. And the hotels as well.”
Barnett said that his friends are ready to pay around $150 for a round, but it’s getting harder to find that price in the desert during the busy season.
“If you skip one round of golf, you can pay for two nights in a hotel, because four rounds at $150 each cost $600,” Barnett said.
Barb Garcia from Indio said, “I just can’t afford to play as much these days.” “The price of golf isn’t the only reason. Everything costs more, like food, petrol, and everything else. I need to cut back on something, and golf is it for me.
“The less popular courses cost $175 a round, and the more popular ones cost $300 a round,” Rodny said. “But the golf resort is really still in the game because the hotels are so full of group business.”
At La Quinta Country Club, the number of members who play is more important than the number of guests who pay to play. Burmeister said that the club has cut back on events that aren’t just for members in response to more play and longer waiting lists for membership.
“We now care a lot more about our members.” “Over the years, we’ve done a lot of business with outside groups. The American Express PGA Tour event is one example of that,” Burmeister said. “And we are sure we will do that. We still do weddings, but not as many of them. We also promised to follow through with that plan. So from an operational point of view, we have become more focused on our members. This could mean that our dues go up in the future, but for now it’s more about providing better services to our members.
Burmeister also said that La Quinta Country Club has been able to make long-term plans thanks to the extra money they’ve been making from more golfers in the last three years.
Burmeister said, “Our project for next year is already set: a new irrigation system.” “That money has already been set aside.” “We already understand that.”
He knows that the game’s cycle might be coming to an end, even though the rise may have slowed down in the desert. He doesn’t know when that will be, though.
Rodny said, “The wave has to crash at some point.” “And then get up again.”
