Mount Pleasant golf courses see increased business with warm weather
This mild spring has done more than just increase the number of dog walkers and rollerbladers around town.
Local golf courses in Mount Pleasant have also seen an increase in business because of warmer temperatures in March and April.
Jeremy Lawless, director of operations at Riverwood Resort, said it is more business than typically budgeted for.
“The nice weather has been beautiful for us in a business sense, because more people want to be outside,” Lawless said. “There’s nothing better than being able to be out on the golf course in early April. It’s basically a bonus month of golf.”
The weather also allowed Riverwood to save on labor costs. Lawless said the company did not have to spend as many hours cleaning the course after winter.
“This has to be the best course conditions we have had in April in a long time,” Lawless said. “Without the heavy snow melt we have normally had in the past, we opened up early and haven’t had all the overflow from the winter.”
Jon Conklin, head golf professional at Bucks Run Golf Club, said the relatively dry spring has been vital in maintaining course conditions as well.
“What we are seeing right now is actually the course is in better shape because it is not as wet and we can get carts out on the course faster,” he said.
But because of the lower rates in April, Jason Clark, general manager at Pohlcat Golf Course, said they do not generate as much revenue as they do in the summer, despite the increase in business.
“From an overall standpoint, we still don’t make a heck of a lot of money because our prices are lower,” Clark said. “But traffic is good and it's revenue we didn’t have last year.”
Those lower spring rates are appealing to college students. All three courses said they see the most Central Michigan students in the early spring, before school is out and before prices rise.
“The spring time is definitely when we see the most CMU students,” Lawless said. “They all have that itch to play. And being so close to campus, they are coming out here in bunches and having a great time.”
Clark said most of their business is driven by word-of-mouth. Pohlcat has hosted several fraternity and sorority events and relies on good feedback from customers. Both the CMU club golf team and the Mount Pleasant High School team use the facility, which creates more business for the course.
This is the first year Pohlcat is in the CMU employee discount card program and Clark said he is expecting to see more faculty and administration on the course as well.
