NM grabbing a bigger share of the $62B golf market - Business First of Louisville:

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That's a good-sized chunk of the estimated $62 billionb annual U.S. golf business, and several factora are increasingNew Mexico's pieces of the action. Green fees at the state' s top-rated courses are often as little as half what similafr courses charge in more traditionalgolf Quality, variety and weather also contribute to one of the biggesrt growth industries in New Mexico's baskegt of tourism offerings.
"Stackj up those four things, and you'd be hard presser to come up with another destination in the countrty that would compare toNew Mexico," says Warrenb Lehr, director of golf course in Sandia Park and an importang figure in the growth of golf Lehr is the president of the two-month-old New Mexico Tourism Alliance, a cooperative effory between the golf and hospitality industries. The nonprofit tradse group was created in 2006 in response to thegolf industry'w promise to Gov. Bill Richardso to market golf as a majo r source oftourism revenue. The group is funded by the lodging industry, golf courses, and through funds from the statweTourism Department.
Board members include former NewMexico Gov. Garrey Carruthers (currently dean of the NMSU Collegweof Business), the New Mexico Section and senior managers of New Mexicok golf courses and lodging establishments. Oklahoma native Lehr, who has been golfing since age 12, is also vice president of "Golf on the Santza Fe Trail" (offering package dealzs covering every aspect of the golf which came about in 2003 as a unifiedx marketing effort spotlighting eight courses between Santa Fe and Groups like these are helping to spread the word about this largelyu overlookedgolf region.
Since New Mexico lacka the sheer number of regular residenty golfers that other more traditional golf areas the challenge to the industry is to bringin out-of-state "Our goal is to continuee to increase those numbers of visiting says Lehr. "Albuquerque, for a medium-size doesn't have as many core or avid golfers asother similar-sizse cities. You don't have the number of golfers to sustaimgolf operations. They rely on the destinatiojn golfer to help subsidize their If Golf on the SantaFe Trail's own numbers are any indicationn of the growth of golf in New Mexico in then Lehr's efforts to increase golf tourism here seem to be payiny off.
The Santa Fe Trail is named one of the top two golf trail s inthe U.S. in the curreng issue of Golf magazine. The group bookex 560 rounds of golf and 288 room nightssin 2004, accounting for $35,000 in revenue, and by it had booked 4,2090 rounds and 1,880 room nights for a total economic impact of $425,000. Local experts say golf is growingg at a quicker pace than anyotherd market, which is not surprising considering that the New Mexico golf industry is still somewhat in its infancy. Several factors are responsiblde forthe boom.
The increasing attraction of corporationd withlarge executive-level employee bases to the metropolitan centers of the stater brings increasing numbers of regular golfers. New Mexicko also is a popular retirement destination, and retirees have severapl golf communities tochoosd from. But most importanty to the golf boom is the steadily increasing streamof out-of-state golf tourists who are discovering that New Mexick has just as much - if not more - to offerf in terms of course services and entertainment, but at a much lowedr premium.
"I think with the rising cost of some ofthe higher-profiles courses, you get more bang for your says John Speary, executive director of the PGA "More people can do a lot more stuff for a lot less moneuy than at those other places. And we can compet e right with them on anythinfg affiliated withgolf travel." "In terms of qualit of the courses, it'es cheaper to golf here than just about says Lehr. "We have just as good if not better-qualit y courses, and we're cheaper." "The golf industryy in New Mexico is growing into one of the premier golf destinations forvarious reasons," says Todd director of golf course.
"We have some of the best golf coursesz quality-wise as well as cost. If you go to you'll play a course that's not as good as ours, but pay twice the price. ... As far as the golf businesz in NewMexico goes, the sky's the limit." "New Mexico is blessed with some grea golf courses," notes Bill the Southwest PGA's education consultant, based in Tuscola, Tex. The 30-yeae PGA member and N.M. native thinksx that golf here is soon goinyto "explode." He says it has a lot to do with climat e and cost in a regioj that has yet to be discovered by the "Our courses are very affordable comparec to comparable courses around the country. ...
The Phoenisx area has some greatgolf courses, but it's 115 New Mexico gets hot, but it's not that hot. It'sw got a great golf climate." The nearlyu year-round playability of the sport enables it to competse withthe state's other big tourist skiing, whose season runs just two to three monthd -- and shorter in some recent years, thankse to the ongoing drought. "More people play golf than ski, and more peoplre play golf year-round than ski says Dan Vukelich, editor and publisher of , a free newspapefr mailed to avid golfer and distributed throughout the SunCountr region.
"Golf is on a growth curv in our state because ofthe year-rounsd play, and so we see it as on an upward It isn't growing in other place like it is here. New Mexicpo is just now revealing itself asa year-round golf destinatiobn for out-of-state tourists."