When the going got tough at Centennial Oaks Golf Club, it didn't take long for members there to show just how tough they were, too.
Faced with declining membership, contracting banquet and tournament business and the threat of their club going the way of nearly net-800 golf courses that have permanently closed during most of the past decade, members at this club in Waverly, Iowa, decided it was time for some out-of-the-box thinking, according to a story in Cedar Valley Business Monthly. Exit Centennial Oaks Golf Club and enter the newly revamped Prairie Links Golf and Event Center.
The club changed not only its name, but also the way it conducts business and is going out of its way to attract new members.
When the limited liability corporation that signed the checks at Waverly went belly up earlier this year, a group of members quickly got together, drafted a new business plan and presented it to the rest of the membership for an expedited approval. That plan includes the option of buying equity membership in the club and shifting voting rights from a few people in the LLC to all equity members.
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The new business model also includes a variety of other non-equity golf and social membership levels that help drive business and raise much-needed revenue.
It became evident that something needed to be done when membership dipped by a third from an all-time high of about 230 just five years ago.
As the club moves into the future to attract more members and changing demographics, some things that continue to fit the new business plan are not changing. Among the carryovers at Prairie Links are superintendent Ryan Deur and golf pro Adam Miller.
Strictly a private operation, Prairie Links is planning to open its doors to the general public next month, hoping to capitalize on the Masters craze to attract new business on the links as well as in the clubhouse dining room.