Another Spectacular Golf Season in the Mecca
By Greg Johnson –
From the outside looking in, the golf season in the Gaylord Golf Mecca is coming to a spectacular fall closing. And early indications are it looks that way from the inside looking out as well.
The 16 golf courses and 21 lodging partners of the Mecca had another fantastic year. As the 39th year of working together comes to a close, the great passion for welcoming golfers to Northern Michigan remains the same.
Paul Beachnau, the executive director of the Mecca, said the early buzz on the season is that it has been great. “The golf industry is in a really good place right now and we continue to see golf travel and people planning to include golf as part of their primary travel plans,” he said. “We have seen the national trends of millennials and women increasingly playing golf in Gaylord as well.”
Beachnau said the area golf courses enjoyed the weather and the extra golf it produced in September and into October, and he said the area enjoyed a great weather year.
“All in all, we had a really solid season where the weather worked with us and the cooperation among our members was strong and united,” he said. “We’re wrapping up the 39th year and heading into the 40th, and that’s exciting. Everyone continues to do their part in keeping Gaylord golf on the map, and they continue to improve their properties and make their courses better, too.”
Beachnau, who was one of the founders of the Gaylord Golf Mecca, said he remains excited about the future. “I couldn’t have predicted all that has happened in the last 39 years, and that keeps me excited,” he said. “What I have learned, though, is that working together to bring golfers to the Mecca has helped everyone involved to be more successful.”
As the Gaylord Golf Mecca heads into its 40th year, the cooperative marketing group has a lot to look forward to. With 16 courses and 21 lodging partners working together to bring golfers to Northern Michigan, the Mecca is in a good position to keep that momentum going.
