Green fees

A shot of hope has arrived for the Gulf Coast golf industry mired in a decade-long struggle.

It comes from a bold move orchestrated by Manatee County-based University Park Country Club executive Charles Varah and his business partner, homebuilder John Neal. The duo's gambit: That it could reinvent Big Summer Golf Card, a business that sells individual golfers a seasonal card for preferred rates at a host of area courses from May through October. Membership is free for courses.

“There are a lot of golfers still out there, even though the industry is in decline,” says Varah, who oversees 50% of University Park for the Pasold family, which has co-owned it since 1980. “You have to create the right environment for them. Our job isn't to just sell the card. Our job is to go out and actively market these clubs to golfers.”