“I’ve actually looked for a driving range site in high-growth New Tampa for the last 10 years and never found affordable property,” said Place. “So I leapt at the chance to own a beautiful public course just three miles east of I-75 on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.
“Selecting the course was the easy part, “continued Place. “I don’t play golf, but after 12 years in the golf range business, I know a diamond in the rough. I ask our golf range customers what they thought of Pebble Creek.”
Golfers loved the course layout and convenient location. Built in 1967, the course is not crowded in by subdivisions as many newer courses are today. Homes are set back well off the wide fairways. Water comes into play on virtually every hole. Mature trees and wildlife abound.
“The most difficult part was making financial sense of the purchase,” according to Place. “Most golf courses are not very profitable.” So, to make the numbers work and to afford improvements, Place sold Pebble Creek’s 7-acre driving range to a townhome developer.
Funds from the range sale are already going into a $1 million upgrade of the course and clubhouse. Brand new GPS-equipped golf carts, landscaping improvements, an expanded maintenance staff and equipment upgrades were the first step. New Champion Bermudagrass greens and Celebration Bermudagrass tees will follow. Other planned improvements include a remodeled clubhouse, expanded banquet facilities and outdoor patio dining. Just about every area of the course and its facilities will be touched from cart paths and bridges to a re-modeled pro shop.
Place is gambling that the improvements and attention to customer service and marketing will pay off in the long run. “We are local and family owned,” said Place. “We can do things that the previous corporate owner could not do or did not have in its corporate strategy. A huge difference is that I have to make this work – my livelihood and reputation are on the line. Moreover, I never want to go back to my corporate job.”
