Affordable four incentive designed to score more golfers

Golf has been touted as a budding star attraction in the tourism industry but courses in the region don’t have enough power to significantly draw visitors on their own says South West Shore Development Authority’s tourism development officer Julie Grandy.

“They are community golf courses, some are stronger than others,” she said.

“For instance, for the Yarmouth Links Golf Course to say come on down from Halifax and golf at Yarmouth Links - it’s only one golf course, it’s not going to make enough of an impact,” said Grandy.

The Affordable Four program pertains to the Clare Golf & Country Club, Yarmouth Links Golf Course, West Pubnico Golf & Country Club and River Hills Golf & Country Club. The initiative is targeted to visiting golfers from and around the Maritimes to increase green fee revenue at the four courses.

Grandy added that the local market is pretty well tapped for established courses.

“There are not enough people here really to make their membership base grow more. Their green fee market is untapped and that’s where they make a lot of their money,” she said.

The long-term project will start this summer and over the next two to four years it’s hoped there will be a significant increase in participant’s green fees.

The program is only available to visitors and can only be accessed through local hotels. It features unlimited golf for three days at any of the four courses for $75 (without cart).

“We think we’ll sell a couple of hundred this summer. We’re not going to sell 10,000 or 5,000 but this will be the first step and will start the partnership working. It will also allow us to figure out what some of the kinks are in regard to bookings and green fee times,” said Grandy.

The plan is for 50 per cent of the money generated to be reinvested back into the program for next year so that eventually a website and a brochure can be developed.

The courses offer great value, are only an hour and 45 minutes drive between each other at the most and boast the longest playing season in Atlantic Canada.

“There’s a lot of opportunity to grow those two shoulder seasons. It’s pretty exciting,” said Grandy.

The package is a good thing agrees David Di Tullio, manager of the River Hills Golf and Country Club.

“Especially now with tourism the way it is. We’re not going to get the Americans here; we might as well promote it to the people here (Maritimes) and work together. These are challenging times,” he said.