Among PGA TOUR’s Hawaii Swing, Brews Dragons for Municipal Golf in the Islands

A new year on the PGA TOUR kicks off with a little slice of paradise, first in Maui for the Sentry Champions Tournament at the luxury Kapalua Tourist Center and then Oahu for the Sony Open in Hawaii at the historic Waialae Country Club. In addition to the great golf, TV viewers get the sights and sounds of Hawaii: the sun, sand, surf and all the other attractions that make the islands a great tourist destination.

Mark Rolfing, a Golf Channel analyst called “Mr. Hawaii ”for its long-term connection to our 50’s^th state, recalls a time when nine golf events were televised in Hawaii across the various tours in one season.

“In my early years when I first came out here, Waialae’s Hawaiian Open was our state’s marketing brand, our little corner of the world,” said Rolfing ahead of this year’s competition seo. “Sponsored by United Airlines, Arnold Palmer playing, palm trees taking over, hula dancers dancing – these were people’s thoughts on what they were going to get when they came to Hawaii. And they did. Golf was a big part of that. ”

Although there are only four professional tournaments in Hawaii this year, golf is still extremely important to the state’s economy.

And while the sport has thrived amid coronavirus infection, with more than 55 million more rounds played nationwide in 2020 than the previous year, according to the National Golf Foundation, Hawaii’s public golf courses have been injured. Play across the islands is down by more than 35% compared to 2019, a by-product of slowly easing tourism restrictions, and resorts such as Kapalua have struggled. without visitors from the mainland.

But it is the golfing health of the Hawaiian city that is of particular concern to Rolfing, as there are very different challenges in city facilities like the six run by Honolulu City and County on Oahu anywhere in the city. the continental USA

“With tourism effectively shut down, there were no tourists to pay the highest rates to help subsidize the lowest local rates,” Rolfing said. “That’s a big problem. As I look into the crystal ball and say when tourism is going to return as we know it, it’s hard to say. Normally, you would look to local residents to make up for the lack of tourists. We cannot just do that in the economic situation out here. There are a few things that add to the problem. ”

Ala Wai Golf Course, located on the outskirts of Waikiki, with views of Diamond Head, the Koolau mountain range and the city skyline, just a few years ago was considered the busiest golf course in the world, making up to 200,000 visits a year. Golfers were eliminated in 6-minute intervals, sometimes as many as six players in a group. Play was largely local, but higher-paying tourists helped boost revenue and Ala Wai effectively subsidized the other five town courses. at Honolulu. Now, Ala Wai’s ability is down dramatically.

Rolfing, who is said to be a perpetual optimist, is concerned.

“I am concerned about cuts in operating and capital budgets, chilled workers,” he said. “The whole golf experience is always part of the Hawaii experience. If you start cutting staff and not making capital donations for maintenance… well, we don’t have many new courses here. Most courses have been here for a while. The facilities need capital investment and we need the staff to provide the experience that people are used to when they come to Hawaii to play golf. I’m concerned about major cuts that would affect the outreach experience here and ultimately impact the brand. ”

To make matters worse, Honolulu is in the midst of a major administrative change, starting at the top with Mayor Rick Blangiardi. Everyone who was in charge of the golf department and revenue services for the city is gone. Ala Wai has the same situation, as it is run by the city and the county, with four of its key employees no longer working. Part of Rolfing’s plan for the Hawaii PGA TOUR Open week is to meet Blangiardi while in Honolulu about the future of city golf in the islands.

“You have changed a lot in personalization and philosophy. These newcomers need to be educated and quickly get to grips with the situation so that they can make good decisions, ”said Rolfing. “I’m worried, but I think there are some good people. I think Rick will get it and quickly understand it. But it is going to be a challenge. I feel like the only way this is going to work from a long-term city perspective is by increasing revenue from visitor play. And the visitors will come back. It’s only a matter of time.

“But we must have the facilities that deserve to cut visitor levels if we are to maintain occupancy levels at the level we need for their residents, and the level to which they are used. ”

Things can move slowly in Hawaii, which is the pace of life.

But as the PGA TOUR visits the islands every year, not everything is paradise, and Rolfing’s message is very urgent.

“It’s important. As we begin to rebuild the economy and the base of outdoor tourism here, the decision will be for how we do it literally in the coming months, ”said Rolfing. “We cannot sustain the long-term economic base without tourism. I see it happening really fast, and golf is a big part of that debate. The economic impact of the golf industry as a percentage of our state’s total output is enormous. Therefore, it needs to be dealt with promptly. ”