By Greg Ellison

(Feb. 27, 2020) Besides bolstering marketing capabilities at the Ocean Pines Golf Course in light of the clubhouse construction project, the association’s recently approved budget for the new fiscal year includes $20,000 to purchase a video simulator for club fittings and other applications.

With funding now approved, Director of Golf John Malinowski is researching golf simulator vendors.

“I’ve narrowed it down to two vendors and there’s three machines,” he said. “I’m trying to get the most bang for our buck.”

The initial goal is to find a simulator unit that fits the space.

“We’re just trying to work through the numbers and make sure everything fits in the specs we have,” he said. “I think that’s where we’re headed, but we haven’t signed anything yet.”

Malinowski said the reason a video simulator was wanted was its usefulness inside the pro shop.

“First and foremost, it was to try and help fit the clubs and sell more merchandise,” he said.

To pull in additional revenue, the golf simulator unit could include software for use during subpar weather.

“One of the companies I’m looking at … you could actually play Ocean Pines on the simulator,” he said. “It gives us an opportunity, especially in the wintertime, where we can try to run some leagues. Essentially, it would be like an indoor driving range.”

The revenue potential will begin to come in focus once funding becomes available after the fiscal budget begins on May 1.

“It will definitely be here … my guess is sometime in May is when we get things up and running,” he said. “We’re sitting in a good spot now that we’ve got a new clubhouse.”

Malinowski said with the new clubhouse operating this spring, the golf course is prepared for a profitable season.

“We’ve been trending up in the right direction and this seemed to be like the missing piece,” he said.

Malinowski said the revamped aesthetics at the golf course are likely to encourage players to linger longer after hitting the greens.

“It opens up a whole lot of possibilities that we haven’t had with a 50-year-old building that was run down,” he said. “Nobody wanted to do anything there, it was small, it was cut up and it smelled.”