A Nice Little Rib Joint

Greetings Golfers,

Though sunset is getting later, these are not good evenings to play golf … at least not here in Minnesota. So, I’ve been trying to find interesting stuff to watch on television. And, most shows that I’ve sampled are about as good as our weather.

So … I’m back to the Summer of 1967 … the time of 3 of my all-time favorite shows: The Avengers; The Saint; and The Prisoner. James Bond movies were big back then, so these shows were variations on the theme.

My favorite was The Prisoner. He was a spy who resigned, but couldn’t get away. They knocked him out and he woke-up on an island. Though everything is “perfect” on the island … he has no freedom … not a very good trade. And, there seems to be no escape. He is … The Prisoner.

I just read that when the star and writer - Patrick McGouaghn - started the show, he was the highest paid actor in England. But by the end of the show he was chased out of the country because the show made a lot of people angry. That blew my mind. I can’t imagine the show could be that upsetting.

Maybe a show that portrayed how crazy and sinister the dream of Utopia is … is just too much for Utopians. 

Promising everything to everybody is easy to do … but impossible to do. Whether it’s politicians or businesses.

I’m constantly bombarded with people trying to tell me how to run the golf course. Mostly it’s about how it should be run for their needs. If you added all the suggestions up … the final product would be Augusta National merged with Mall of America … and it would all be free or at least ridiculously cheap.

That’s probably the golf facility they would have on the island for The Prisoner. Might sound good at first … but the lack of freedom would take all of the joy out of it.

That island would not have a variety of golf courses. There would be only one for everyone. And it would try to appease everyone. That’s a poor model anywhere.

I prefer variety. Difficult courses … easier courses … short or long … cheap or expensive … fun or super serious … private or public … resort or muni … I could go on and on.

I compare us to a rib-joint. Great ribs with good sides and a charming little atmosphere to enjoy the dinner. However, here’s what would happen if I did what everyone suggested: One guy says that he loves our ribs, but his wife doesn’t like ribs … and she’d like French food. So, we’d add a mini-kitchen and maybe hire a chef. Then, somebody says “Ya know, the French thing doesn’t really work … but Mexican food is a natural fit”. So then we add that. Then, someone says that they love our ribs and it would be really fun to sit out at night under the stars eating ribs and listening to live music. 

Soon, the focus would not be on the ribs. Not enough time to make the special sauce and go through the proper process. Probably start microwaving the ribs and running French-Mexican-rib specials. Oh … and the bands are driving away the dinner crowd and bringing in raging alcoholics.

THE FUN HAS JUST BEGUN!  The expenses have gone crazy … the revenue is down … the atmosphere is terrible … and we’ve become an embarrassment to the community.

This model could only work on The Prisoner.

Well, hopefully the weather will improve and we can open. In the meantime … sit back and enjoy the Masters.
 

Cheers!

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com