| One cannot discuss the nineties and the golf range | | | | time. Some of us were able to grow our |
| industry without talking about Family Golf Centers, | | | | businesses to new levels with the help of Family |
| Inc. In the roaring nineties, a company popped up | | | | Golf. All of us did our best to get near the |
| out of nowhere went public and set out to | | | | decision makers for the company. What many of |
| become the largest operator and owner of | | | | us saw very early on was a complete lack of |
| "family entertainment facilities in North America. | | | | focus on the operation of facilities. There was this |
| The company was known as Family Golf Centers, | | | | positive always-optimistic public image of the |
| Inc. and was traded under the symbol "FGCI." At | | | | company and then there was a totally |
| its peak, Family Golf owned or operated more | | | | disorganized, always frantic, and never quite |
| than one hundred and fifty facilities. Its portfolio | | | | achieving objectives operational side of the |
| included golf ranges, ranges with domes, pro | | | | company. An example of this frenetic operation |
| shops, food service, miniature golf and batting | | | | was the construction of an outdoor range and |
| cages. Additionally, they owned or operated | | | | dome facility in western upstate New York. The |
| several golf courses and more than thirty skating | | | | dome facility had a projected opening date, the |
| rinks. | | | | project manager was promised a ridiculous bonus |
| Family Golf built quite a few facilities from scratch | | | | for getting the facility open on time and on |
| but acquired most of their properties by buying | | | | budget. To save time and money he forced the |
| out existing owners and operators. There typical | | | | artificial turf installers to place the turf on an |
| deal was to offer the owner a substantial amount | | | | ill-prepared base with no drainage. The result was |
| of cash, even more in stock in FGCI and allow the | | | | that the dome opened on time, FGCI got its |
| owner to take back an exorbitant lease on the | | | | press release and the manager got his bonus. |
| property. Many range owners succumbed to | | | | That spring the artificial turf was swimming in |
| these alluring offers. The effect on the industry | | | | drainage because of unprepared base. Lost |
| was to drive up pricing for anyone else trying to | | | | revenue, expensive repairs and no one held |
| get into the business. Publicly Family Golf's | | | | accountable. |
| projections for revenue artificially inflated | | | | At the end of the greatest golf decade in history |
| expectations of anyone getting into the industry. | | | | all that remained of Family Golf Centers, Inc. were |
| For us folks in the golf range equipment business | | | | broken down facilities, class-action lawsuits, a |
| we all sought to grasp that brass ring of gaining | | | | bankruptcy sale of proportions never seen in the |
| exclusive supplier status from Family Golf. Many | | | | golf industry and thousands of people whole lost |
| of us were able to do quite a bit of business with | | | | money. Multimillion-dollar facilities sold for less than |
| the company and even get paid most of the | | | | fifty thousand dollars. |