Attracting coaches: Free room and board, a championship caliber course, factory team tie-ins (I can see it now... welcome to the Discraft Disc Golf Camp!), good vibes, flexible scheduling and meager paychecks. Duration would be up to the individual, and would work around their tournament schedules. Pros and factory reps would be welcomed and encouraged to stop in for demos, one-day seminars, and just casual rounds. Coaches could be payed by the hour, per client, salary, or "rented" through the camp (like a beautician would rent a chair at a salon; portion goes to the house). I've seen it work first hand at the previously mentioned Wakeboard camp (TWC)... Many "fringe" sport atheletes are happy enough to be able to "get by" doing what they love for little monetary gain. The coaches down there don't make a lot of money from coaching... and these are some of the best riders and coaches in the world... but they get to live their lifestyle, keep a roof over their head and food in their belly, and get to meet people from all over the world with the same interest as them every day. With the proper setup, I honestly don't think it'd be a problem keeping top-notch players/coaches rotating in and out of the camp. An added bonus is that the land is in west-central IL, between the QC and Peoria, which I would think would be a nice centralized hub for a touring pro to base out of.
Revenue: Revenue would come from several sources, and expense costs would vary determined by occupancy and coaching needs. Income would come from hourly instruction rates, bed and breakfast style over-night and extended stay rates, pro shop sales (with heavy online presence), local and national advertising income (signage and sponsorship), disc factory sponsorship, camp ground slot rentals for the RV'er, pay-to-play open sessions for locals/visitors, club and clinic/tournament fees, and onsite amenities (plenty of room for a go-cart track, paintball fields, coin-op video arcade, etc.).
Fees: Fees would be scaled to customer need... Single round, day passes, instructed rounds, over-night lodging, camper hookups, etc., would all have fees associated. I never batted an eye dropping more than $100 a day at TWC; where food, lodging, and 2 riding (coached and videod) lessons a day were provided (and this was back in the 90's... I'm sure their rates have gone up since). Instruction didn't end on the water though; you had the pros in the house with you, talking shop, cooking dinner, and BSing - just generally being the host while you relaxed and did as much or as little as you wanted with your time between water sessions. Other pros would commonly stop by TWC just to hang out, or for photoshoots or product testing, or to catch a pull behind one of their boats. Many would stick around all day, offering extra advice and encouragement to campers, some even heading out on the town with the campers for golden sodas and/or dinner... It was (is still, I hope, though I gave up boarding years ago) a great atmosphere and an exceptional learning experience.
Occupancy: I'm thinking two lodges and one commercial building; a barracks capable of handling 16 campers comfortably (up to 4 campers per room), with common room and dining area, and another building with 4 suites for a B&B style private stay. The commercial building would be a pro-shop/convienience store with private lodging upstairs for up to 4 coaches. 20 RV slips would probably be sufficient.
I know... a lot of pipe-dream hair-brain half-wit ideas, and probably not the safest investment model to jump on (nor will it likely happen, at least by me), but if it were built, would you come?
