FGS building on first contract

Golf Course News, Jul 2002 by Rice, Derek

HERSHEY, Pa. - Freedom Golf Services (FGS), which was founded by former Gotham Golf Group vice president Allen Dupuy in January, has signed its first management contract. FGS will take over day-to-day operations of Crockett's Ridge Golf Club in Kingsport, Tenn. This includes a scheduled closure begun in May to allow for an extensive course renovation to improve playability and turf conditions.

The deal, Dupuy said, is the first of what could be many that FGS closes this year.

"We have an additional three to five properties with whom we are having discussions," Dupuy said. "Our goal over the next 12 months is to acquire three or four properties of any combination of management, lease or purchase."

Dupuy said the service FGS is seeing the most demand for is its golf course consulting or full-service management, which he said is understandable.

"We feel [this demand] can be directly attributed to the fluctuations in the nation's economy," Dupuy said.

That's not to say there aren't lease or purchase options out there for FGS, Dupuy said.

"We've received as well, albeit to a lesser degree, inquiries from parties seeking to lease or sell their respective courses," he said.

The economy, Dupuy said, was one of the main factors that led him to found FGS. He said he saw an opportunity to get involved with some good properties at good prices.

At Crockett's Ridge, FGS hired Chris Waller as general manager and Raymond Perez superintendent, both of whom have a long relationship with Dupuy and Dan Stonionis, FGS' executive vice president and also a former Gotham vice president.

Going forward, Dupuy said FGS has some clear objectives in mind as it grows.

"The vision for FGS is not to become the largest management firm or course operator in the nation," he said. "We simply try to operate each of our golf properties as if they were our own private venture, and therefore we never lose sight of the primary objective - driving bottomline net cash flow while being cognizant not to injure customer service."