PART A - QikStixGolf

These pages of information are for the Golf Course Owners. It is broken down into 6 parts.
The introduction and parts A to E.
INTRODUCTION
PART A - Summary.
PART B - The revenue boost for your Golf Club.
PART C - Discussion of reasons why you may want to commit to QikStixGolf Rules.
PART D - Making the change.
PART E - How many more rounds can we squeeze into one day.
INTRODUCTION
We invite you to participate in a new and exciting rule system for playing the game of golf on your
facility. We believe that this new rule system will re invigorate the game of golf and will bring the
game into the 21st century.
The benefits to you and all golfers of all skills is absolutely vast.
We anticipate that QikStixGolf will improve your bottom line in a very positive way.
If you need more information or would like to talk to us, then please email us at
miket@qikstixgolf.com or call us toll free at 1(855) 326-3249 or 7136608799
PART A
Summary
The number one complaint of most golfers is not about the cost but how painfully slow the game
has become over the last 50 years. Rounds played in less than 4 hours were common 50 years
ago, but not today. Rounds now typically take 4-1/2 to 5 hours long and frustrate the golfer,
particularly if the golfer is having a bad day. If you can reduce the round to 3 hours or less, then
the beer at the end of a bad round of golf will come quicker and the golfer will be less inclined to
quit in mid round and more inclined to come back on another day and try again.
1.
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To streamline the game and make it enjoyable to all players of varying skill capacities.
2.
To shorten the length of time to complete a round of QikStixGolf.
3.
To bring new players to the game as the game has been simplified and should be more
enjoyable. Scoring should be at least 6 to 10 shots better when comparing to Traditional
golf.
4.
To reinvigorate the players that quit the game because of expense and slow play and
bring them back to the fold.
5.
Can run Traditional and QikStixGolf on the same course. The 18” diameter ring can be
centered over the 4-1/4” hole for expediency or placed at a new location on the green.
You can even rent a ring to individual groups for a small fee and they just return the ring
to the pro shop at the end of the round.
6.
The anticipated revenue increase will be shown in Part B, but it could be the difference
between struggling to stay in business and showing a handsome profit.
7.
Golfers will enjoy playing the game again as there will be less frustration. It is now easier
to knock off 10 strokes from your usual Traditional score which helps quicken the game.
Because you can tee the ball up on the entire golf course there will be less wear and tear
on your hands and joints because taking of divots will almost disappear. It will now be
easier to keep the fairways in better condition.
The number of 18 hole rounds per day can be increased by 50% because of the reduction in time
of play to 3 hours or less.
The greens may only need to be cut twice a week.
Bunkers will not need to be maintained or raked by using tractors ( savings on equipment and
labor ) because the ball can be placed on a tee if so desired. Small manageable buckets filled
with sand may be kept in the bunkers to help create a good lie if a player chooses not to tee the
ball up.
Fairways need not be fertilized often with chemicals and kept in pristine condition as preferred
lies can be taken. This will reduce maintenance costs and help the environment by reducing
chemicals in runoff to lakes and streams.
Less workers required as greens are cut less often and bunkers not maintained.
Less equipment required as greens are cut less often and tractors grading bunkers are
eliminated. Tractors in bunkers cause problems by compressing the sand and preventing heavy
rain collection from draining properly through the under surface pipes.
More individuals will take up the game because of the speedier rounds. Most women and senior
men will enjoy the game again because it is easier to play. This will benefit the game and the golf
course ownership. It is still golf but just a little easier!
The golf course owner of a private/public course will be able to attract more company
tournaments as the game will be quicker. It may be possible to hold three company tournaments
on the same day and therefore increase revenue.
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PART B
The revenue boost for your Golf Club
We will consider 3 different cases here. The Municipal Course, the Public/Semi Private Golf
Club/Course and the Private Golf Club.
The total number of golf courses worldwide is 35,000 and out of that, 15,500 are in the USA.
(A)
MUNICIPAL COURSE ( Typical Green fee $25 )
Because QikStixGolf should be almost twice as fast as Traditional golf, half as fastidious on
outdated rules and be very acceptable to old and new generations of golfers, then it could be
expected that the throughput improves.
If we assume the typical Municipal course turns over 20,000 rounds per year and with QikStixGolf
participation, the number of rounds may increase to::
21,000 in the first year, then revenue increase =
22,000 in the first year, then revenue increase =
23,000 in the first year, then revenue increase =
24,000 in the first year, then revenue increase =
25,000 in the first year, then revenue increase =
1000 rounds
2000 rounds
3000 rounds
4000 rounds
5000 rounds
x
x
x
x
x
$25
$25
$25
$25
$25
=
=
=
=
=
$25,000
$50,000
$75,000
$100,000
$125,000
It appears to be beneficial to the Municipal ownership.
(B)
PUBLIC/SEMI PRIVATE GOLF CLUB/COURSE ( Typical Green fee $50 )
Because QikStixGolf should be almost twice as fast as Traditional golf, half as fastidious on
outdated rules and be very acceptable to old and new generations of golfers, then it could be
expected that the throughput improves.
If we assume the typical Public/Semi Private course turns over 32,000 rounds per year and with
QikStixGolf participation, the number of rounds may increase to::
33,000 in the first year, then revenue increase = 1000 rounds x $50 =
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$50,000
34,000 in the first year, then revenue increase =
35,000 in the first year, then revenue increase =
36,000 in the first year, then revenue increase =
37,000 in the first year, then revenue increase =
2000 rounds
3000 rounds
4000 rounds
5000 rounds
x
x
x
x
$50
$50
$50
$50
=
=
=
=
$100,000
$150,000
$200,000
$250,000
It appears to be beneficial to the Public/Semi Private ownership.
(C)
PRIVATE GOLF CLUB ( Typical Annual Dues of $400 )
The typical private course has around 500 members and under Traditional rules cannot handle
more that this number because of congestion. Using QikStixGolf rules and operating under 6 and
7 minute tee time intervals, 600 members is easily achieved without congestion, however to be
conservative, we will assume a membership increase of only 25 in the first year.
If we assume that the number of members increases by
25 in the first year, then revenue increase = 25 members x $400 x 12 = $120,000.
It appears to be beneficial to the Private Course ownership.
PART C
Discussion of reasons why you would commit to QikStixGolf
Commentary from the National Golf Foundation..
“””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””
A total of 3.7 million people took up golf in 2013, however, 4.1 million golfers left the game,
for a net loss of 400,000 players. A net gain of almost 260,000 women golfers against a
loss of nearly 650,000 men. The biggest losses were in the 18-34 age group, where nearly
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200,000 people found something else to do with their spare time and their disposable
income.
An average of approximately 32,000 rounds were played per 18-hole equivalent in 2013.
"The average course was healthy at about 35,000 rounds per 18-hole equivalent" .
"The trend here is not looking very favorable."
“””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””
http://www.turfnet.com/page/news.html/_/construction-play-number-of-golfers-decline-in-2013r249
UPDATE
3/12/2016
There were 30,000,000 golfers in the USA in 2005, 25,000,000 in
2013 and now we are down to 24,100,000. Not good!!!
From the above statistics from the NGF, we can possibly derive the following.
1.
Women playing golf is in an uptrend. Never fight the trend or the Fed. Even more women
would join the game if they could play the easier QikStixGolf rules rather than the tiring overly
strict Traditional rules. Also women are more content to play on weekdays than men. This is ideal
to get more throughput on the slow days and help boost the average of 32,000 rounds per year to
43,000+.
2.
650,000 men quit the game last year. Some of the reasons are as follows.
Men typically are more hyper than women and like to play golf quickly. This is difficult to achieve
under current Traditional rules. Not so under QikStixGolf rules. A 2 hour QikStixGolf round should
be the typical outcome rather than the exception.
Putting is a grind under Traditional rules and the players have made it even worse by looking at
putting lines from 3 or 4 directions. This will not be the case under QikStixGolf rules with
continuous putting ( marking and remarking not encouraged ), not in the hole or ring after 2 putts
then pick the ball up and move on to the next tee box. Most importantly, short putts have been
made easier. I think a large percentage of these 650,000 golfers who have quit, could have their
fondness for the game rekindled with the new sensible rules.
3.
Men are very competitive by nature and not having to write down a score greater than 6
on a Par 3, or a 7 on a Par 4, or an 8 on a Par 5 alleviates some of the embarrassment of not
being a good golfer and can let the golfer feel better about his ability when playing with a
competent golfer. The average male golfer likes to advertise to fellow golfers that he is really
better than how he is scoring and limiting the score on any hole at triple bogey and 3 putts on the
green, surely will make him feel better. As an example, a competent golfer has a bad hole and
scores a double bogey 6 and the less competent golfer scores a triple bogey 7 by means of the
limitation coming into play. Heck, he only beat me by one stroke !!! Using this logic, I can
visualize a lot of uninitiated males trying their hand at the game and helping at reversing the
downtrend. Most amateur golfers currently limit their score on any hole to either a double or triple
bogey. So I ask, why shouldn't the rules reflect reality? QikStixGolf rules will reflect reality.
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4.
Beginning golfers and less competent golfers often express fear at playing with good
golfers. This fear would somewhat be alleviated by QikStixGolf having scoring limitations and
hence the good golfer not being held up by the erratic playing of the not so good golfer. I think
this issue should be addressed in the rules in a prominent position, that all individuals are
welcome to play the game regardless of their playing ability and state the reasoning.
5.
From PART E, we see the following.
10 minute tee time intervals Traditional, maximum output = 180 players per day or
approximately 65,000 rounds per year.
8 minute tee time intervals Traditional, maximum output = 240 players per day or
approximately 86,000 rounds per year.
7 minute tee time intervals QikStixGolf, maximum output = 324 players per day or
approximately 116,000 rounds per year.
6 minute tee time intervals QikStixGolf, maximum output = 360 players per day or
approximately 129,000 rounds per year.
A fine public municipal golf course in Houston ( Memorial Park) has an output of 60,000 rounds
per year ( at 10 minute tee time intervals ), which approaches the maximum of 65,000 rounds per
year. A reasonable assumption would be that we can increase the average output from 32,000
rounds per year to 43,000 rounds per year, which equates to an increase of 11,000 rounds per
year with the QikStixGolf rules in place.
However, the assumption that an increase of 11,000 rounds per year is most likely, is only
theoretical and is not necessary for QikStixGolf to work and be beneficial to the golf course
ownership.
The cost to the golf course ownership to change over to QikStixGolf rules is about $300 which
reflects the cost to build 24 rings. Rings cab be built or purchased.
The risk/reward ratio is very low. Risk is $350 and the reward is substantial.
If there is an improvement in throughput, then the reward can be modest to sensational.
The loss to the golf course ownership of returning back to Traditional will be higher maintenance
costs such as motorized equipment to rake the bunkers, more sand for the bunkers, more work
on the greens and extra work in maintaining the watered rough.
Adopting QikStixGolf rules appears to be a win/win situation for all involved with golf. The
ownership, the golfers and the environment.
PART D
Making the change
A few easy steps to change over to a QikStixGolf facility
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1.
Register with us online and you can print a sign off our website or get a sign company
( such as “Fast Signs” ) to make you a sign with the following wording.
“We are a QikStixGolf facility and please abide by the QikStixGolf rules”
OR
“We are using QikStixGolf Rules TODAY”
OR
“We are using QikStixGolf Rules THIS MORNING”
OR
“We are using QikStixGolf Rules THIS AFTERNOON”
Place this sign in a prominent position at the entrance to the golf course or Pro Shop.
2.
You will need at least 18 rings of 18” internal diameter.
You can buy these rings from us at the following rates.
Plastic rings at a cost of $65 each plus shipping costs if not in the Houston Metro area.
Plywood rings at a cost of $30 each plus shipping costs if not in the Houston Metro area.
Rubber rings at a cost of $ xx ( unknown at this time. )
You can make your own plywood rings and the material cost will be $7 per ring.
Approximate labor costs
One man for 8 hours to cut up 3 sheets of 3/4” plywood, cut out 24 rings and shape.
Then 10 hours to complete ( 4 hours to fill, sand and prime, 3 hours to paint with enamel, 3
hours to paint with polyurethane ).
At $20 per hour x 18 hours = $360 or $15 per ring.
Total approximate cost to make your own = 7 + 15 = $22/ring
You also can rent these rings from us at the following rates.
Plastic rings at $10 per ring per month plus shipping costs if not in the Houston Metro area.
Plywood rings at $5 per ring per month plus shipping costs if not in the Houston Metro area.
Detailed instructions on how to make the plywood rings.
Buy 3 sheets of plywood ( 4' x 8' x 3/4” ) from Home Depot. We recommend the hardwood
plywood at a cost of $50 per sheet.
Mark out 8/24” x 24” sections on the sheet and the center of each small piece. Using a skil saw
cut the sheet into 8 pieces. Repeat with 2 other sheets. We now have 24 pieces. Drill a 3/16” hole
in the center of each cut out piece so that a 16d nail will fit in the hole.
We suggest to buy a 4 x 8 x 3/4” sheet of ply for a work bench and leave it in the bed of your
pickup. Pull the sheet out so that it overhangs the tailgate by about 12”.
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Drive a 3” nail into the work bench sheet from the underside about 6” from the edge of the sheet.
Now the nail should be sticking upwards. Beware, don't prick yourself on this nail tip.
Place the 24” x 24” piece over this nail and check that you can spin or rotate this sheet easily.
We now need to scribe with a pencil two circles. One at 18” diameter and one at 21” diameter.
I use a piece of 1/8” plywood about 15” long and 4” wide to mark out the circles and drill 3 /3/16”
holes into this scribed piece. One for the nail to go thru, one at 9” and one at 11-1/2”. Place this
piece of scribe ply over the nail and then place a pencil tip thru the other holes, one at a time and
rotate the scribe ply so that you mark out two full circles. Remove this scribe ply and now we can
start cutting out the circles with a hand held jigsaw.
Cut the 23” outside circle first by using your left hand to rotate the 24” x 24” piece of ply while the
right hand is guiding the jigsaw on the scribed line. You should now have a piece of 3/4” ply which
is 21” in diameter.
The next step is to shape the outside edge of this circular piece of plywood so that a golf ball can
roll up this shaped or sloping surface.
Using a hand held electrical plane, place it on the outside edge and start rotating the circular
piece of ply so that we start shaving off the plywood edge. It will usually take at least 5 or 6
rotations to shape the surface. We want the outside edge to end up approximately 1/16” thick and
the inside edge to remain 3/4” thick, so it is important to not shave any material beyond the 18”
circle line.
When this is complete, drill a ½' hole about 1” away from the 18” scribed line so that you can
insert the jigsaw blade on the inside. Commence cutting on the 18” scribed line by rotating the ply
using your left hand. When this cutting is complete you should end up with an 18” inside diameter
and 23” outside diameter plywood ring which will be 3/4” thick on the inside and 1/16” thick on the
outside.
The next step is to smooth off this sloped face of the ring.
I use MH READY PATCH from Home Depot to fill the rough sloped face using a putty knife or
similar. In about 3 or 4 hours it is ready for sanding.
I then sand this surface using 100 grit sandpaper by hand with a small block of wood. I also sand
down all the rough edges.
I then paint the rings with a good solid primer. I use ZINSSER Bulls.Eye 1-2-3 Water based
primer from Home Depot.
In about 4 hours I then paint the rings with an enamel paint. I use RUST-OLEUM PROTECTIVE
ENAMEL from Home Depot which is oil based.
The next day, I paint these rings with a polyurethane finish. I use MINIWAX INDOOR/OUTDOOR
HELMSMAN SPAR URETHANE from Home Depot.
Quart cans for the patch, primer, enamel and urethane is sufficient for 24 rings.
3.
To install the rings on the green, simply drop over the flag and place on the grass surface
approximately centered over the hole or flag.
When a golfer putts the ball with sufficient momentum, the ball will roll up the sloped surface and
drop into the ring. If putted correctly, the ball will be constrained by the 3/4” internal edge of the
ring. If putted too firmly, the ball will pop out of the ring.
The idea behind the 18” diameter ring is that it makes short putts easier but it still requires touch
on longer putts in rolling the ball at the correct speed so that it enters the ring and does not
escape the ring. If an 18” diameter hole was used , then it would make putting a bit of a farce as
feel on strength of a putt would not apply.
4.
If an owner decides on not using a Traditional 4-1/4” hole, then a flagstick can be made
up temporarily using the existing Traditional flagsticks. It will be necessary to purchase some
smooth 3/8” steel rods and some duct tape. Cut the rods to a length of 3 feet and grind and bevel
one end to a point. Attach the rod to the flagstick by amply using the duct tape and allowing the
rod to protrude below the bottom of the flagstick by about 12”. This will allow 24” of overlap of the
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rod and the flagstick. This overlap will have duct tape wrapping combining the two separate parts
into one part.
The flagstick will be installed on the grass green in the center of the ring and the top of the metal
rod will be hammered so that the bottom of the rod is driven into the green by at least a depth of
6”, so as to provide substantial resistance to the wind.
5.
In time, the golfing community will vote on whether to stay with a ring or to change over to
a hole. The advantages for a ring, is the simplicity and the green remaining intact and it still
makes the golfer use feel on putts, plus the fact that the changeover to QikStixGolf can occur
immediately without any great investment.
The advantages for the hole is that a very firm putt will drop into the hole and not pass through it
like it would with a ring. The downside for a hole is the extra work required in installing the hole
and replacing the grass plug.
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PART E
How many more rounds can we squeeze into one day.
The scenario outlined below is for guidance only and to help the golf ownership to assess the
benefits of QikStixGolf versus playing under Traditional rules.
It is assumed that the first tee time is at 7am and that the golf course closes at 7pm.
Lets calculate the number of golfers playing in foursomes that can play in an hour given different
tee time intervals.
10 minutes
8 minutes
7 minutes
6 minutes
7:00
7:10
7:20
7:30
7:40
7:50
7:00
7:08
7:16
7:24
7:32
7:40
7:48
7:56
7:00
7:07
7:14
7:21
7:28
7:35
7:42
7:49
7:56
7:00
7:06
7:12
7:18
7:24
7:30
7:36
7:42
7:48
7:54
4
8
12
16
20
24
4
8
12
16
20
24
28
32
4
8
12
16
20
24
28
32
36
4
8
12
16
20
24
28
32
36
40
If we assume under Traditional rules that a round of golf takes 4-1/2 hrs, then the last tee time for
the day would have to be at 2:30pm so that the round finishes at 7pm.
This then gives 7-1/2 hrs of throughput.
If we assume 10 minute tee time intervals, then 24 players/hr x 7-1/2 hrs = 180 players/day.
If we assume 8 minute tee time intervals, then 32 players/hr x 7-1/2 hrs = 240 players/day.
If we assume under QikStixGolf rules that a round of golf takes 3 hrs, then the last tee time for
the day would have to be at 4:00pm so that the round finishes at 7pm.
This then gives 9 hrs of throughput.
If we assume 7 minute tee time intervals, then 36 players/hr x 9 hrs = 324 players/day.
If we assume 6 minute tee time intervals, then 40 players/hr x 9 hrs = 360 players/day.
It appears that changing to using QikStixGolf rules is a sensible decision as a large sum of
additional income will ensue, the golfers will be happier because of the speedier play and the
easier rules, and the golf course ownership will have less expenses due to less maintenance staff
and less equipment. A happier environment too!!!
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