Q & A spotlight: Ron Hass, owner, Avalon Golf Links, Burlington
A: What’s interesting is that rounds are down on the full spectrum of courses — from municipals to high-end courses. The thinking used to be that in tight times people would just play a less expensive course. This year, the consensus I get from talking to course owners is that the number of rounds played by Northwest golfers will be down significantly. The main reason is the economy.
Q: What about Avalon?
A: In our heyday, we’ve done as many as 47,000 rounds a year. Last year we did 33,000. This year we expect probably 30,000.
Q: What else has hurt you besides the economy?
A: We chose this site in 1988 because it was less than one hour from both Seattle and Vancouver. One huge problem is that no one can sail through the border anymore. The weak Canadian dollar hasn’t helped either.
Q: Do we now have more courses than demand for them?
A: Yes. We have gone from being undersupplied to severely oversupplied in pretty short order. It’s especially noticeable up north (Skagit and Whatcom counties) and on the Kitsap and Olympic peninsulas. In the Seattle area, the Taylor Creek course in Maple Valley closed, and so did that big driving range outside Kent.
Q: Talk about the nature of the golf-course business.
A: It’s a strange business. You’re dependent on the weather and the economy. Meanwhile, your course needs food and water and upkeep every day. A course’s reputation is built on its worst day, so you have to stay on top of things. I walk some holes at our course every day. What’s appealing about this business is that you are selling recreation and you’re typically getting to experience the customers’ best sides. People play golf because they want to enjoy themselves. They are happy to be at a golf course, and that usually makes for an enjoyable work environment.
Q: Didn’t you pass on a lucrative offer to sell Avalon once you got permits to build it?
A: Yes, an $8 million offer. Stupid me. I was too romantic. I had always had the ambition of building and operating a 27-hole golf complex. But don’t get me wrong — I still love coming to work every day.
Q: Name things you’re proud of at Avalon.
A: Every Tuesday we have a champagne golf clinic for women, and between 30 and 70 show up depending on the weather. Eric Ferrier of our staff gives the clinic, and it always includes mention of a rules or a golf-etiquette situation. Then the women get one of the nines all to themselves. Once a month we have a couples night with nine holes of relaxed play, dinner and a band. There’s a different theme every month. Right now I’m trying to find a Western band.
We always let juniors play for half price. Our caddie program has enabled five kids to go to college on Evans scholarships, and three of them wouldn’t have been able to go otherwise. We also let golfers play for free on their birthdays. Some folks show up every year.
Q: How did you get started in golf?
A: When I was 7, I got to play by picking up paper in the parking lot at Juanita Golf Course in Kirkland. The course had only one maintenance employee, and the owner was a wonderful guy who assigned kids to jobs and let them play for free. Older kids got the more important jobs like mowing. As a kid I also caddied at Inglewood and then worked on the driving range at Sahalee for Paul Runyan, the first pro. My dad always encouraged my golf and golf employment. He figured it was a good way for a kid to learn manners and how to deal with people. I probably flunked but I got hooked, and here I am in the golf-course business.