Bobby Jones Links to Manage Ohio's Piqua Country Club

Bobby Jones Links (BJL), the golf industry's leading client-centric, boutique management company, proudly announces that it is now managing Dayton, Ohio's Piqua Country Club, a classic Midwest property with a player-friendly 18-hole golf course. The original six holes were designed and built in 1896 - just eight years after the first golf course opened in the United States. In 1920, renowned course architect Donald Ross redesigned those holes and added three more. Later, the course had more enhancements and renovations, including the addition of nine holes designed by Jack Kidwell. Piqua is Dayton's oldest golf course and Ohio's second oldest.

"We courted several other management companies and what led us to BJL was the attention to detail and their team's plan to orient their management strategy specifically toward our biggest needs," said Piqua Board President Chris Francis. "Piqua has a tremendous history and great opportunity to welcome in more local young families who want to be a part of a historic golf course in superb conditions as well as the swimming pool and other excellent amenities here. We're aligned with BJL to concentrate a push in our sales and marketing efforts and in elevating the food and beverage experience. We're excited to move forward with BJL (as well as with our new, highly respected general manager) and benefit from their expertise and best practices in these areas."

BJL will work closely with the Piqua's team to bring new programming, events, and attractions to enliven the member experience and raise awareness of the club's rich heritage and refined amenities to make the membership offering even more appealing to multigenerational families in the region.

"Our team's initial focus will be on enhancing the value proposition of being a member and highlighting all of the amenities, the legacy it has, and the benefits of membership," said Doug Hellman, Chief Development Officer for Bobby Jones Links. "We'll also explore new membership offerings and products to help make the club more accessible to a broader profile of members, especially younger members and families. We'll leverage our deep expertise in digital marketing and social media to ensure potential members in the surrounding area are aware of everything Piqua Country Club has to offer. The club has been primarily recognized for its fantastic Donald Ross designed golf course; however, our goal is to activate all its amenities to breathe new life into the club to make it one of the top lifestyle clubs in the market. Initially, we'll focus on food and beverage, taking a deep dive into the data to thoroughly understand what's driving the numbers. And, at the same time, we'll listen to the members to find out what types of events, menu items, programming and hours of operation they want in an effort to enhance member engagement."

Tree-lined bentgrass fairways, small undulating greens, and large mature oak trees are just a few characteristics of the classic layout whose history spans almost 13 decades. Elevated tee boxes offer visually stunning views of the rolling terrain and manicured fairways. With five sets of tees, the course is very player-friendly for golfers new to the game, but still quite challenging for low-handicap golfers.

Hellman added that the hands-on approach BJL takes with clubs allows their team to tailor its approach to provide a genuine and highly personalized culture. "We don't take a one-size-fits-all approach," he said. "It's not the services that we provide, but rather how we deliver them. Every club is unique. Piqua is in a smallish market, and it's an older club with a lot of traditions that have to be preserved. But at the same time, this board is very forward-thinking, and they know they have the responsibility to members to think forward and create the relaxed, comfortable, welcoming, and inclusive club that the next generation of members wants to join. We want to consistently pay great attention to detail, hospitality and ambassadorship to make Piqua Country Club the ideal home away from home for members."