Agenda Packets - 2002/07/22 - Laserfiche WebLink

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before the end of the 2002 season. We would sell what ever is left over next year and only purchase items that are in quick demand, i.e. gloves, balls, hats, etc. There seems to be far too much competition today in the golf merchandise industry forcing lower and lower mark-ups of merchandise and consequently a rise in the cost of goods sold. It would seem more logical to focus our efforts on the areas where we have a strong position currently and work to improve on that. Perhaps look at selling additional food and beverage items. The driving range provides a steady revenue stream. It would appear that it is the most successful part of the golf operations. There are definitely costs associated with the operations of the range complex. However, the revenues far out-weigh the expenses. We are definitely going to need to replace several sections of the safety netting surrounding the driving range. This is normal for this material definitely has a given life span. Our electric golf carts are in poor condition. They have been a part of the Bridges for the past six or seven years. Under normal conditions carts are usually driven three to five years. My initial thoughts were to recommend replacement for 2003. After speaking with our equipment manager we concluded that we should drive them straight into the ground at this point. As long as they remain safe and do not require significant maintenance dollars we should try to get at least one more year out of the fleet. This way we could utilize our capital equipment expenditures this year on updating our turf maintenance equipment then in 2004 look to replace the golf carts. This would soften the financial burden tremendously between years 2003 and 2004. Our equipment storage building remains without electricity. As much as an inconvenience this has become, I am more concerned with safety issues. We start each day when it is dark and it is very difficult moving about in the building. It is impossible to check fluid levels in equipment. This could lead to even greater problems. I would strongly recommend the addition of power to that particular storage building before the start of next season. SUMMARY Overall, it sure seems like a very busy place. However, golf rounds are down this year compared to last year at this point. This can be attributed to the late winter, employee strike and a very wet and cool month of May. The month of June was good for the Bridges and we are hoping for an even better July. We still have August as a great golf month. Perhaps we can luck out and have a very long and mild fall and keep ringing that register right through Halloween. This would help make up for the early part of the season. Our business rests almost entirely on the weather. If the weather is bad, so is business. The good news is that we are doing a very good job in controlling our costs. We are managing the entire golf enterprise with almost half the number of employees utilized in earlier years. Based on customer feed back, the course is in better