News

Last Update :7/22/2016

The Ascendance of‭ ‬Independence - Golf Business Article

July 2016

The Ascendance of‭ ‬Independence

theascendanceofindependence.jpgBy Steve Donahue

By focusing on pace of play, playability and sustainability, brothers Giff and Alan Breed have transformed Virginia’s Independence Golf Club into an award-winning course with a bright future

To say Independence Golf Club has undergone an extreme makeover would be the understatement of the century. Brothers Giff and Alan Breed purchased the Midlothian, Virginia, club in October 2013. Its Tom Fazio-designed golf course—originally designed to host a major championship—took five hours to play, so the Breeds hired architect Lester George to overhaul the course.

“We told Lester this isn’t about winning awards,” says Giff Breed, Independence’s owner/president and winner of the NGCOA’s Award for Innovation and Leadership. “This is about pace of play, playability and sustainability, and every single decision we make has to pass through the needle of those objectives.”

Every goal was reached, making Independence playable and fun for everyone. By eliminating half the bunkers (43), George made the course more strategically viable and shortened rounds from five to four hours. The one-hour improvement allows 10 more primetime groups at an average revenue of $300 per foursome, yielding a daily revenue increase of $3,000, transforming Independence into a popular, profitable, playable facility. Meanwhile, the remaining bunkers were converted to more sustainable Better Billy bunkers.

Original bunkering and severe features also produced an exorbitant maintenance budget. George removed about 750 trees and ball-snatching bushes cluttering the course and obstructing views. He widened fairways, reducing rough areas. The remaining rough height was lowered, and seven acres of rough was converted to mulch. Protective and saving bunkers were added, and traffic patterns for carts and walking were re-routed.

And that’s just for starters. “We know golf is our face, so it has to be really, really good,” Breed says. “Then we turned our focus to the physical structure.”

When the Breeds purchased Independence, it had a 2,500-square-foot clubhouse, halfway house, lodge, three cabins, junior clubhouse and maintenance facility. Instead of offering country-club food, Independence partnered with a local restaurateur for Tavern 19, a brick-oven pizza concept with a farm-to-table garden, where half the produce goes to the needy. They added 12 taps of beer and renovated the entire interior of the clubhouse, with Breed’s wife doing the redesign. They replaced the pro shop with Shagwell’s, a clothing store. A partnership was entered with top-100 club-fitter Andrew Hobson, who works in a trailer in the parking lot.

Independence also added a 3,200-square-foot ballroom for large weddings. The lodge and cabins will soon be utilized for weddings and in-law suites.

Independence’s biggest partnership is with Lexus of Richmond, which offers preferred parking for golfers who drive a Lexus. The dealership also picks up customers’ cars upon arrival, then services and washes them while the golfer plays, and returns them before their rounds end. Beverage carts are Lexus CT hybrids, “decked out like NASCARs with various logos of our partners,” Breed says.

Breed, in fact, has partnerships with seemingly every business in the mid-Atlantic region for every aspect of Independence’s operation. “We’re really trying to create a lot of excitement here,” Breed says. “A friend said we’re one clown short of a circus.”

Independence also has a Fazio-designed par-3 course with regulation and kids’ 8.5-inch cups. The latter cups have also proven popular for adults, as has the nine-hole, par-36 FootGolf course George designed. “We’re going to have fundraisers on the FootGolf course,” Breed says.

Independence offers many more recreation options to the community. The driving range is used for concerts, fireworks, soccer tournaments and other community activities. Besides being available for corporate and social events, a lawn area adjacent to the patio doubles as a croquet course. A teaching academy and limited overnight lodging were also added, providing many corporate or educational outing options. The club holds junior golf camps, with plans to also host art, culinary and music camps, a scholarship program, and possibly drone races, zip lines, laser tag, paint ball, Fourth of July activities and camping sites.

“We act a lot like a minor league baseball stadium,” says Breed, adding Independence is also considering a First Tee program with forecaddies.

“There’s a lot of fun stuff going on but the golf course remains pristine,” Breed says. “We’re not doing anything funny or goofy on the championship golf course. It’s a really good test. Twenty-five percent of our people walk. It’s the same price whether you walk or ride, which is great.”

Keep an eye out for Phase Two. “We hope to have commercial real estate out here,” says Breed, “and then create a 60-room inn overlooking the ninth green.”

Steve Donahue is a Connecticut-based freelance writer.



[ More News ]


Join NGCOA Mid-Atlantic - Great Membership Benefits!

The Golf Property Analysts 2024 Market Report

The Cost of Golf - There Might be a Better Way

Click to Watch the Video - Lee Coble Receives USGA Dey Award

NGCOA MA Mouns the Loss of Frank Edward Herrelko Jr.

Lee Coble Honored by USGA

Members Take Charge at Lakeside Golf Club

NGCOA Seeking Events Manager - click for info

Middle Atlantic PGA Section Announces 2023 Special Award Winners

Partner News: Better Billy Bunker Buzz

NGCOA Announces Education Highlights for Golf Business Conference 2024

The Federal Club in Glen Allen, VA seeks General Manager

Bayville GC gains Audubon certification

Cost Versus Value - They're Not the Same - Why Does it Matter?

Williamsburg National GC (36 holes) Seeks Director of Agronomy and Grounds

Accountability & Fiscal Responsibility in Club Governance

Bunkers - Do They Really Matter?

2023 NGCOA MA Annual Award Winners Press Release

NGCOA MA Annual Meeting Registration Open, The Crossvines Winery and Poolesville Golf Cousre, Wednesday, October 4th

Current Golfer Mindset and it’s impact on Facility Planning

Sagacity Golf Partners with NC GCOA

Virginia Beach Golf Trips Made Easy

Custom Williamsburg Golf Trips with Golden Horseshoe, Kingsmill & Condos

Ready to Sell?, Aerification and Prof. Jakubowski on Golf Turf and Water

For Sale: The Crossings Golf Club, Durham, NC - Hilda W. Allen Real Estate

Save the Date - October 4th, NGCOA MA Annual Meeting at Poolesville GC

Club Tax Assessments, The Concept of Value and RSM's Phil Newman on Finances

NGCOA MA / NC Summer Newsletter - click here to read

Reminder: The Latest from Golf Business Advisors!

Call for Offers - Westchester CC (FL)

Golf Acquisition Opportunities (3) - FL, PA, & NY

National Golf Day - 2023 - Outside the Box

Golf Course Acquisition Opportunity - Country Club of Otterkill (NY)

Debt - The (not so) Silent Club Killer

The Cost of Golf - Is it $ustainable?

National Golf Day Registration Open

​Private Club Governance & Management - Defining Roles

Virginia Golf Colleagues Mourn the Loss of Paul Michaelian

NCA Webinar on Your Club's Real Estate Tax Assessment

Golf Property Analysis & Valuation - 2nd Edition Now Available

Erik Larsen incorporates traditional elements into St. Johns (FL) Golf Course to Rave Reviews

Choosing the Best Management for Your Club or Golf Course

Measuring Performance, Selling Solutions, Clubs, Fraud & a Hotline, & The GPA Practice Tee

Fall Issue of Mid-Atlantic Golf Business Newsletter Joint with NC GCOA - Click Here to Read

Register for the 2022 NGCOA MA Annual Meeting, November 2

Selling in Uncertain Times - Develop a Strategy

Just Listed by Hilda W. Allen Real Estate, Inc.

Some Reponse to Why Clubs are Closed on Mondays

Save the Date NOW for Golf Business Conference 2023

Summer Issue of Mid-Atlantic Golf Business Newsletter Joint with North Carolina GCOA - Click Here to Read!

Golf Property Analysts - Private Club Planning, Golf as it was meant to be, Is It Time to Sell?

A Consumer/Culture Based Approach to Private Club Planning

Transparency at Private Clubs

The Golf Pro Crisis & Its Impact on Clubs

Golf Property Analysts - Your Club's Tax Assessment

Hilda Allen - the source for golf course sales and advising owners

NGCOA Mid-Atlantic Annual Meeting Set for Nov. 2 at Independence GC in Richmond

Fairfax County Park Authority seeks Golf Course General Manager

Announcing Facility BMP Virtual Workshop and Prize Contest

Another Beautiful Listing by Hilda Allen Real Estate!

Just Listed by Hilda Allen - The Frog GC in Georgia, a Fazio Design

National Golf Day 2022 - Information and Registration

Mattaponi Springs Golf Club in Ruther Glen, VA Seeks General Manager

Larry's Interview on TurfNet Renovation report Podcast

Golf Leagues - A Lightspeed Guide to Growing Business

Register your course for Women's Golf Day - June 7th

Download the Pellucid Presentation at the Annual Meeting

Golf Property Analysts - Time to Sell?

New Listings and Recent Sales from Hilda Allen Real Estate

Hanover Golf Club sold to unidentified local buyer

Club Master Planning - A Market Based Approach

January Abstract OtR: '21 Sol Scorecard is 6 birdies, 2 pars!

Damon DeVito Named the 2021 Mid-Atlantic Golf Leader

Golf Course Acquisition Opportunity - Maryland - For Sale By Auction

Sep Weather, Aug Util; steady, solid results against strong "20 comps"

Employee Retention Tax Credit May Save You Thousands $

Glenwood Golf Course redevelopment gets planning commission approval

Google's New "Local" Ads Provide Big Advantages to Golf Courses

The Appraisal Journal - Valuation of Private Clubs for Tax Assessments

Morning Read and Sports Illustrated Announce Editorial Partnership

Is it Time to Review Your Golf Property Tax Assessment?

 



Join Our Email List