Something for everyone at Golf Sudbury courses.

It's springtime again and for thousands of recreation seekers, that means another season of navigating through Greater Sudbury's vast network of holes and hazards.

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No, driving on Sudbury's roads hasn't become an Olympic sport just yet, but driving into the fairway at one of the Golf Sudbury network's four courses is just the kind of exercise the city's hibernating duffers have been aching for.

Golf Sudbury is the new name Terry Ames is marketing his network of Sudbury golf courses under, and it's more than a snappy moniker.

It includes Timberwolf Golf Club, Cedar Green Golf Club, Pine Grove Golf Club, StoneHill Golf Club, Discount Golf Supercentre and the Timberwolf Practice Academy.

Having a joint membership to Golf Sudbury has several advantages, according to Ames.

"We are now able to offer green fee players and tournaments unlimited options and great golf value at any level," he says. "Cedar Green and Pine Grove both enjoyed unprecedented growth in memberships, partly because of this vision."

Golf Sudbury has memberships and green fees to appeal to any price range. Each tiered membership gets the golfer access to each course below their home course's "level." A Timberwolf membership, for example, gives the golfer access to all the facilities at all four courses. A Cedar Green membership gives full access to that course, Pine Grove and StoneHill, with a discount for Timberwolf, and so on.

The addition of the StoneHill property over the winter of 2005 prompted Ames to look at centralizing his operations.

"Total E Golf, a fairly new company, had the answers for us," he says. "We have a gift card and loyalty program that can be used at every facility and in every department. Membership information is now shared by every POS (point of sale) system, including pictures. This is important because members of Golf Sudbury can play multiple courses depending on their membership level."

The central system also allows the company to build up a customer database it uses to tailor weekly advertising and marketing campaigns.

Also, once a golfer has played one course, they begin collecting loyalty points at all courses, and can view their handicap and player profile online.

The addition of StoneHill also created the need to unite all of the Sudbury properties under one brand.

"Most of our marketing and promotions will revolve around Golf Sudbury," says Ames. "We want to grow the game, promote the game and offer everything that is golf in Greater Sudbury."

Everything that is golf period can be found at the Discount Golf Supercentre at the Timberwolf Practice Academy on Maley Drive.

The 9,000-square-foot store is the result of the 2001 amalgamation of two Discount Golf locations.

Golf Sudbury now has 250 power carts between the four courses, and uses a 12-cart trailer to move them between courses, protecting them from those pothole-ridden streets.

"We also supply tournament carts to several other courses in the area," Ames explains. "This allows us to maximize the profitability of carrying such a large inventory of carts."

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Ames says Timberwolf should be ready to open in the first week of May. The much-improved StoneHill should open May 1 to allow for work started last fall to be completed, and Cedar Green, fingers crossed, will be ready for play mid-April.

www.golfsudbury.com

By CRAIG GILBERT

Northern Ontario Business