FOCUS TODAY - May 2002

Curling Anyone?

The introduction of curling as an Olympic sport at the recent Winter Games in Utah generated considerable interest, primarily from those who (1) were curious about curling and (2) those who wondered why it would even be considered an Olympic sport.  Now the question arises:  Can private clubs take advantage of the higher profile of curling?

Curling was a popular activity at a few private clubs both in the U. S. and Canada even before the Olympics�and don�t tell the participants it�s not a sport.  A member of Exmoor Country Club, Highland Park, IL, was on the U. S. women�s Olympic curling team.  Curling at a private club is done indoors, usually in a separate building.  Curling may comprise a separate category of membership or, in at least one case, may be set up as a separate operation leasing space from the club.

Representatives of clubs that have curling say the financial results can range from modest loses to break even to net income, in one case as high as $75,000 annually.  The main attraction, however may be that curling offers northern clubs a winter activity that (a) draws some members who might otherwise stay away during cold weather, (b) produces additional food and beverage revenue, and (c) enables the club to employ a few more staff members year-round.

To the novice, curling looks a lot like shuffleboard on ice.  The playing surface, usually called a sheet, is about 140 feet long by about 15 feet wide.  The objective is to stand at one end of the sheet and slide a granite stone weighing about 40 pounds into a circle at the other end.

Curling, as one of our sources put it, �is a very social game,� meaning the participants tend to purchase and enjoy beverages as they curl.  �Our golfers think of it as a lot of drinking with a little curling thrown in,� another source said.  Compatibility between full and curling members varies from club to club. In one case, the club picks up a full member or two from the curling ranks every year.  Another source told us the curlers �are beer-and-shot� people while the country club members drink wine.

Clubs offer seasonal memberships to curlers, with dues generally ranging from $290 to $350 for a season.  Full members of the club also may participate at reduced dues, from about $200 to about $250.  In at least one club the curlers become social members, meaning they also can use the main clubhouse.  Interest among full members varies from club to club.  At one club, for example, about half the curlers are full members.  In another, less than 20 percent of the curlers are full members.

Bob La Riviere of Lewis/Cimco Refrigeration Company, Phoenix, AZ, a provider of construction and consulting services for curling, says that with some strategic marketing the sport can provide a �second season� for golf and country clubs throughout the U. S. and Canada.  �You give them something in the summer and something in the winter,� he said.  Curling also can provide another recreational option to make the club more appealing to membership prospects.

Curling does not have to be confined to winter, according to La Riviere.  He said southern clubs catering to large numbers of retirees might find that members originally from the North would welcome the addition of curling during the hot summer months.

A club might even want to offer curling memberships to members of other area clubs that do not have curling, he added.

La Riviere said a curling rink should have a minimum of two sheets.  Four sheets would be preferable.  The curling operation could be housed in a permanent building or a temporary bubble-type structure.  The base flooring could be concrete slab or sand.  In addition to the required room for refrigeration equipment, La Riviere suggests the facility have a bar and limited food service, a few lockers, and a pro shop to sell curling equipment and apparel.

La Riviere estimates the cost of building a four-sheet curling club, with a permanent structure and concrete base, at $1.2 million, excluding land.  He said it is relatively easy to select a facade for the curling building that is compatible with a club�s other structures.

The clubs from which the PCA drew its information all have permanent structures for curling.  The buildings can be used for other purposes after the curling season.  One club uses the curling building to store and recharge its leased golf cars during the summer.  Another club has an indoor day camp for members� children during the hot summer months.  Other possibilities:  indoor driving range for golfers during inclement weather, indoor soccer for adults and children.

A typical curling facility (four sheets) will requires a full-time staff of at least three people, exclusive of food and beverage personnel.  �Normally a four-sheeted facility, operating from noon to 10 p.m., would have one ice maker and one helper, and one secretary/manager,� La Riviere said.  One club has put its locker room manager in charge of curling as the golfing season comes to a close.  Other clubs use clubhouse or golf course maintenance staffers.

Because it is not known how long the recent surge in popularity will continue, curling may still be eyed suspiciously by full members who believe club resources could be better spent on other activities and facilities.  Take the case of a country club that entered an arrangement with a separate curling club about 20 years ago.  The country club leased a building to the curlers five months a year in the hope that many curlers would become full members of the country club.  It didn�t turn out that way.  Prior to the Olympics the number of curlers was dwindling gradually, leading to speculation the curling would �go away� in a few years.  The club had even thought about buying out the curling club, giving it enough seed money to relocate.  The post-Olympic interest in curling has delayed, if not completely altered those plans.

To learn more about curling visit the Web page www.curling.com.  The page is Canadian oriented, but it has good information on the basics, as well as links to curling associations in the U. S. and other countries.  For more information about construction of curling facilities, as well as ways to market curling to current and prospective members, contact one of our sources for this article:  Bob La Riviere, Lewis/Cimco Refrigeration Company, Phoenix, AZ, 623-556-1473, [email protected].