The Golf Course Draw
Offering owners and guests link access tees up success for these two properties.
Guests of The Owners Club at The Homestead, in Virginia, and The Owners Club at Barton Creek, in Texas, can tee up on top-notch courses, even though neither resort has a course on-site. Their secret? Smart partnerships allow them to provide access to extra amenities without investing in upkeep.
The Owners Club at The Homestead is affiliated with The Old Course, which was founded in 1892 and has the nation’s oldest first tee in continuous use, and The Cascades Course, where 82-time-PGA tour winner Sam Snead launched his career. Both courses belong to The Omni Homestead, with which The Owners Club is a partner. Owners only pay a cart fee, and guests enjoy discounted green fees. Because of the courses’ high caliber, the club mainly draws golfers, but it also offers access to an outdoor pool, childcare, various indoor and outdoor amenities and on-site horseback riding to widen its appeal. “With such vast amenities at their doorstep to enjoy, families who do not golf have more options and those who do golf have the best of the best to choose from,” says Karen Williams, general manager at The Owners Club at The Homestead.
The Owners Club at Barton Creek provides access to four golf courses with varying levels of difficulty: Fazio Canyons and Fazio Foothills, which are more advanced, and Coore Crenshaw Cliffside and Palmer Lakeside, for more leisurely play. Because of their range, the courses attract a large number of groups and tournaments every year. “Around 70 percent of our owners come specifically to play golf,” says Eric Monkerud, club manager at The Owners Club at Barton Creek.
Resorts looking to expand their golf offerings may want to survey existing owners and guests first, advise both Monkerud and Williams. “Do plenty of research and listen to those who have failed and those who have succeeded,” Williams says. Decide on a type of course—such as an easier one for families or a difficult one for competitive players—in order to target a specific demographic. “As long as it’s affordable and something you can offer long-term, it’s a great added benefit for your owners,” Monkerud says.
Image credit: Courtesy of The Owners Club at The Homestead
