Teravista Golf Club

In December 2009, Newland Communities hired Eagle Golf to manage the operations of Teravista Golf Club in Round Rock, Texas. Since the club’s beginning, Newland had spent upwards of $800,000 per year to operate Teravista. Even though the golf course is a marketing tool for the community, Newland wanted to operate the golf club at a break even number. Right out of the gate, Eagle Golf had a strategic plan in place to deliver exactly what Newland requested. The plan involved creating more volume, adding additional programming and increasing resident participation.

The first order of business was to bring in a full-time sales director. This move paid off and equated to over $330,000 in tournament sales, up from $140,000 the prior year. Teravista’s catering business was able to report a steady growth north of $100,000. The sales force made an immediate impact due to a brand-new presence in the Austin and Round Rock communities. Relationships were nurtured with the local chambers of commerce and Teravista became a destination of choice for charities, schools, businesses, and many other golf and catered functions.A Player Development Program was immediately put in place and had as many as 225 members at its peak and $75,000 in total revenues for the year. Eagle Golf was able to pass on expense savings and rebates from national preferred vendors and achieved $100,000 savings in total operating expenses in 2010. The Teravista team focused on resident participation and drew an increase of over 10% in resident play.

The club saw many financial successes, but none were big as the $200,000 improvement from prior year in EBITDA. Teravista Golf Club was nominated for Austin’s FAME “Golf Club of the Year” and given the Wedding Wires “Bride’s Choice Award” for 2010. Not too shabby for a golf club that once cost the owners close to a million dollars to operate.