A handful of local golf clubs are looking to a Stafford-based marketing initiative to drive in more golfers.
Six Richmond golf clubs have signed on to participate in the Virginia Golf Trail, a statewide tourism initiative that lets golfers browse courses across the state and book outings directly from the website.
The clubs have to pay to be part of the trail, which is headquartered at the Cannon Ridge Golf Club in Stafford County. The site launched in October and is modeled after the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Alabama.
The Virginia Golf Trail received $100,000 in funding from the Stafford County Economic Development Association, according to the Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star.
Terry Gleason, the Virginia Golf Trail’s chief operating officer, said that many avid golfers travel to South Carolina, Florida and Alabama to play and that it made sense to have something for them in Virginia.
“People from the Northeast flock to these courses, and they have to drive though Virginia,” he said.
“Our mission is to bring more tourism to the state of Virginia through golfers.”
Jim Mason, director of golf at Pendleton Golf Club in Goochland County, said his course is trying to attract golfers.
“We feel our location is good for a lot of people traveling down 95,” Mason said.
“We’re working with another company that books packages and that’s done really well, so were hoping once Virginia Golf Trail takes off it will drive a lot of business our way.”
The Federal Club in Hanover County was one of the first to join the Virginia Golf Trail. Owner Anne Gail Jennings said the club wants to attract more members.
“It’s nice to get the top-notch publicity and association with better courses throughout the state,” Jennings said.
The Federal Club switched from private to semi-private in January in 2010 while it was in bankruptcy. Jennings said the trail is a good way to spread the word about the club to new golfers.
“The additional advertising and exposure was a factor,” she said.
The other Richmond courses on the trail are Independence Golf Club, Providence Golf Club, the Country Club of Petersburg, Highlands Golf Club and the Spring Creek Golf Club.
Along with golf courses, 22 restaurants, 16 hotels, and five wineries have come on board. The Richmond hotels include the Jefferson, Doubletree, the Omni and Hyatt Place.
Gleason said the goal is to have 30 to 40 courses, 70 hotels, 50 restaurants, 20 wineries and about 20 other types of tourist attractions in the near future.
Gleason couldn’t disclose exact numbers but mentioned the trail’s revenue comes from memberships and company sponsorships.
He added that revenue for the trail is expected to bring just over $9 million to Virginia, with $2.2 million of that coming from golf and the rest from shopping, lodging, gas and food.
“How can it not work?” Gleason said. “The state itself has so much to offer.”
A handful of local golf clubs are looking to a Stafford-based marketing initiative to drive in more golfers.
Six Richmond golf clubs have signed on to participate in the Virginia Golf Trail, a statewide tourism initiative that lets golfers browse courses across the state and book outings directly from the website.
The clubs have to pay to be part of the trail, which is headquartered at the Cannon Ridge Golf Club in Stafford County. The site launched in October and is modeled after the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Alabama.
The Virginia Golf Trail received $100,000 in funding from the Stafford County Economic Development Association, according to the Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star.
Terry Gleason, the Virginia Golf Trail’s chief operating officer, said that many avid golfers travel to South Carolina, Florida and Alabama to play and that it made sense to have something for them in Virginia.
“People from the Northeast flock to these courses, and they have to drive though Virginia,” he said.
“Our mission is to bring more tourism to the state of Virginia through golfers.”
Jim Mason, director of golf at Pendleton Golf Club in Goochland County, said his course is trying to attract golfers.
“We feel our location is good for a lot of people traveling down 95,” Mason said.
“We’re working with another company that books packages and that’s done really well, so were hoping once Virginia Golf Trail takes off it will drive a lot of business our way.”
The Federal Club in Hanover County was one of the first to join the Virginia Golf Trail. Owner Anne Gail Jennings said the club wants to attract more members.
“It’s nice to get the top-notch publicity and association with better courses throughout the state,” Jennings said.
The Federal Club switched from private to semi-private in January in 2010 while it was in bankruptcy. Jennings said the trail is a good way to spread the word about the club to new golfers.
“The additional advertising and exposure was a factor,” she said.
The other Richmond courses on the trail are Independence Golf Club, Providence Golf Club, the Country Club of Petersburg, Highlands Golf Club and the Spring Creek Golf Club.
Along with golf courses, 22 restaurants, 16 hotels, and five wineries have come on board. The Richmond hotels include the Jefferson, Doubletree, the Omni and Hyatt Place.
Gleason said the goal is to have 30 to 40 courses, 70 hotels, 50 restaurants, 20 wineries and about 20 other types of tourist attractions in the near future.
Gleason couldn’t disclose exact numbers but mentioned the trail’s revenue comes from memberships and company sponsorships.
He added that revenue for the trail is expected to bring just over $9 million to Virginia, with $2.2 million of that coming from golf and the rest from shopping, lodging, gas and food.
“How can it not work?” Gleason said. “The state itself has so much to offer.”
Virginia has a lot of wonderful golf courses, though I’m a bit of a skeptic about whether this golf trail initiative will prove valuable for the participating courses or for the state at large. There are now over two dozen golf trails in the US and Alabama, so building a brand for the Virginia trail will be quite a challenge. Although the courses on the trail are all good, it’s unfortunate that not a single one of the top 15 public courses in Virginia (as defined by Golf Magazine) have joined. Here is an article we wrote about the trail… Read more »
Why can’t this be developed with private money???
Does this mean that the Country Club of Petersburg and Highlands are no longer private clubs and have instead opted to go down the semi-private path like the Federal Club? I would love to know what their membership are saying about this. Perhaps this was inevitable.