Fall 2023 | Tri State Golf 55 Sometimes it’s fun and enlightening to learn about the behind-the-scenes companies that make our golfing experiences so satisfying. One such company that is making golf more fun - and helping golf courses and practice facilities increase revenues at an impressive rate - is the Ponta Vedra, FL-based Power Tee. Helmed by UK-born husband and wife team Martin Wyeth and Clare Dibley, Power Tee offers a breakthrough solution in the form of golf hitting stations that feature a proprietary auto-teeing system that always ensures a desirable lie and speeds up practice in teaching sessions with automatically teed balls at desired heights. Golf industry heavyweights like 2003 U.S. Open champion Jim Furyk and legendary teacher Rick Smith are huge believers and Power Tee, but the biggest fans are the owners and operators of courses and facilities with the driving range space that suddenly need less mowing and maintenance and also see golfers hitting more balls, bringing more people with them, and spending more in the pro shops and on food and beverages. That all represents more success Wyeth pioneered this concept in England and across the UK and, today, an impressive 80 percent of the standalone practice facilities in the UK feature Power Tee hitting stations. Now, the Power Tee team is looking to spread its magic formula across North America where a growing number of properties are discovering the benefits of having reliable practice stations that don’t help the painpoints of tedious or costly grass maintenance. These properties also see the bottom line improve by making their ranges function faster and more efficiently. As golf participation continues to grow and off-course golf activity reaches an all-time high, Power Tee’s business has escalated. In the past two years, multiple customers have doubled and tripled their initial Power Tee orders due to increases in customer demand and revenue related to their innovative automatic tee systems. For example, The Golf Zone Family Fun Center (a Golf Range Association of America Top 50 Driving Range) in Honeybrook, Pa. recently became a Power Tee convert. Owner Steve DiMarco and his team signed on for 12 Power Tee units at the 2023 PGA Merchandise Show in January. Just 30 days after installation, The Golf Zone ordered 14 more machines bringing their total to 26. “We are thrilled to have Power Tee installed at The Golf Zone. We were looking for ways to enhance the guest experience when hitting balls. Power Tee is the answer. So far, they have been a resounding success, so we added more,” says DiMarco. Another Power Tee believer is Nancy White, who has owned Mulligan’s Golf Center in Harrisonburg, Virginia for 20 years. The double-decker Mulligans range features teeing stations with TrackMan Range and 20 Power Tee stations on the lower level. The first six Power Tee stations paid for themselves easily, so expanded to 20 stations and it’s made the practice and hitting experience so much more fun for our customers,” White said. “We’ve seen a lot of players who used to be stubborn about only hitting off of natural grass learn to really love the feel of hitting off of the Power Tee mats. They really enjoy it.” Power Tee isn’t just for standalone ranges. Charles Raulerson, former PGA Tour player and owner of Fleming Island Golf Club in Fleming Island, Florida, had Power Tee installed to accompany the Toptracer Range units at the daily-fee course’s gamified Top of Tee practice area. In the first six months, Fleming Island saw a 25- to 30-pecent increase in revenue and now Raulerson is one of the biggest Power Tee advocates. “Our next frontier of expansion is dailyfee courses, resorts and private clubs who appreciate technology and gamifying the practice process and making practice time more productive and enjoyable for their members and guests,” Wyeth said. To learn more, visit PowerTee.com. GOLF TRAINING Power Tee Drives Surprising Revenue For Courses And Practice Facilities Honeybrooke’s The Golf Zone Among Properties Enjoying a Financial Boost
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