Dairy Creek Golf Course
How a struggling site in California’s central coast changed course—from dilapidated to destination.
Dairy Creek Golf Course was struggling prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, largely due to severe water supply challenges. So, when county officials decided to convert the course from 18 holes to nine, Dairy Creek was looking for ways to utilize the remaining land as a source of revenue.
On land that was formerly part of Dairy Creek’s front nine, the facility developed Swing Time powered by Toptracer Range, a 10-bay covered structure with lounge seating, big screen TVs, heaters, full-menu F&B service, and lighted targets in the outfield.
Swing Time thrived during the height of the pandemic as a safe, outdoor activity, and remains one of the most popular recreational venues in San Luis Obispo.
Sales: Dairy Creek made back all of its capital expenditures in just 14 months. Operators were initially concerned that Swing Time might hurt usage and sales at the existing grass tee range, but that facility actually saw a 110% increase in revenue after the installation of Toptracer on the newly built range.
Dairy Creek offers pre-paid reservations online, which are highly recommended as bays can sometimes be booked solid a week in advance.
Customers: Dairy Creek’s director of operations, Josh Heptig, says Toptracer is attracting more guests and introducing golf to new people: “It’s really cool to see how the community is embracing this.” Some of the new players have also transitioned to the grass range as well as the course, which has contributed to the newfound success of those facilities.
Programming: Instructors have hosted clinics and long drive competitions using Toptracer. Dairy Creek also leases bays to local businesses to use as a creative space for meetings—they project presentations onto the TVs and use the sounds system as needed. Some even use Toptracer games as a team-building exercise.
Staffing: Dairy Creek has increased its part-time staff by 53% since 2020 thanks to the impact Toptracer has had on its whole business.
Dairy Creek Golf Course