The barter system suits local golf club
The newly renovated Fort Myers Beach Golf Club is eager to form community partnerships with prospective businesses by utilizing the barter system.
The general management team of Adolfo Diaz and Jill Newman has developed a ‘business to business promotion’ that invites local business owners and their employees free golf access in exchange for making their flyers visible to customers.
Diaz, the general manager originally from Miami, and Newman, the assistant GM and local beach native, have arranged 12 time slots on a reservation-only first come/first serve basis. Four slots are slated for 11:47 a.m.; four more at 2:47 p.m.; and four at 2:54.
“We’re all going through a tough time right now,” said Diaz. “We want people to come out and enjoy themselves and kind of forget about things. Our establishment is fun and should be fun. It’s kind of a thank you for everyone around here.”
Diaz gave more details on the promotion.
“There are rules to our registration and the application needs to be filled out,” said Diaz. “The business would be the member and the employee would be under that membership. So as long as their information and identification matches, they can come and play for free. We just ask them to put our flyers out there, spread the word about our golf course and we deeply appreciate it.”
Owner Chip Durpo started in the retail golf cart business and bought the former Bay Beach Golf Club three years ago, according to Diaz.
“Chip had a vision that he could make this a great golf course again and that’s what we are striving for,” he said. “The course design is actually the same, but we have new equipment like a fleet of new golf carts, a well-received hospitality cart and we’ve done major improvement in our renovated pro shop. It’s a championship course with all the fairways lined up and the greens striped out.
“Tom Manziano is our new golf pro. He’s been in Southwest Florida for 22 years and works on a per-appointment basis with hour-long lessons. He also does clinics on the first and third Friday of each month right on the course.”
But, long before the interior renovations, the group had to take the beach out of the course.
“When we originally bought it, there was less than 60 percent of grass coverage out on the course,” said Diaz. “It was like a sandbox out there. Hurricane Charley did a lot of damage. We improved it and now we’re about 95-96 percent covered.”
Then there is the charitable aspect of the business and the club has been busy.
Charity tournaments include an annual glow-in-the-dark Halloween event benefiting the Boys and Girls Club of America; a recent Fat Tuesday memorial with the Gulfshore Grill for long-time resident John Donovan; and tee times for local benefit-providing clubs like the Chamber of Commerce, Moose Club and Kiwanis Club. A ‘Blues fest’ involving 13 performers and a back-nine Frisbee disc course is lined up for early May.
Next year, Diaz is hoping to make the Chamber tournament in January into a celebrity event and expects Tampa Bay Buccaneer running back Earnest Graham, a Mariner High School graduate and University of Florida star, to be involved.
“He’s a good friend of my wife,” he said. “He does a lot for Mariner and I believe he just set up a foundation for underprivileged children. I’m going to try to work my angle for that if it doesn’t affect mini-camp or his season.”
The club has also donated gift baskets and/or gift certificates for the local Pilot Club, Humane Society, St. Andrews Catholic Church, Ostego Bay Foundation, Relay for Life, the Ronald McDonald House and Lee Memorial Health System’s Children Hospital.
“The gift baskets contain usually two to four rounds of golf, some golf balls, a glove, a towel and some tees,” said Newman. “It’s like a starter basket.”
So if you’re looking for a tee time, would like to register for their business-to-business promotion or simply get back on the ‘links,’ call Diaz or Newman at 463-2064 or go to www.FMBGolfclub.com.
And, don’t forget your colorful pants.