On the drive up, on the range, as you leave, Dobson Ranch pipes in upbeat tunes from various genres, helping different generations of golfers find their happy places. Sure, there are some old stalwarts who might prefer bird chirps and traffic noise, but for the most part, golfers at municipal Dobson Ranch are digging the new beat and vibe the last couple years. There are even bluetooth speakers on the golf carts. And most of the golfers take advantage of that, too.
And while music at a golf course or driving range or even on a golf cart isn’t totally unique any-more, it is unusual for a muni. It’s also just one of the many changes and improvements since Paradigm Golf Group took over the facility for the city of Mesa two years ago and upgraded the experience.
At Dobson Ranch, everybody is winning right now. The city of Mesa, which was losing money year after year from running its own golf operations, can now redirect funds to improve other parts of its parks and recreation services. And so far, Paradigm Golf, as part of the agreement, has spent nearly $800,000 on enhancements to the driving range/practice areas, restaurant, golf shop and golf course, which of course improves the asset for the city.
Paradigm Golf Group, which manages properties in Hawaii, Nevada, Arizona, California and Florida, is winning, too, by making a profit and growing the game at a course it has a 10-year agreement to manage. And golfers are winning by getting an affordable, welcoming golf club with exceptional practice and lesson programs. With the improved restaurant, they have a great place to hang out, too.
“They’re doing an incredible job. The agreement is going really well,” said Dyan Seaburg, former commercial facilities administrator and liaison for the city of Mesa to Paradigm Golf. “And they’re really community-focused. They don’t just want to be a golf club but a place for the community to come together.”
While bells and whistles add to the experience, it really is about the people — the management, staff and most importantly, the customers. It all aligns with Paradigm Golf’s tagline: “Happy customers plus a motivated team equals profitable growth.”
Welcome to Dobson Ranch
The difference between many golf course operations and Dobson Ranch is evident from the time customers walk into the shop. The staff behind the counter is more than attentive; they’re interested. They learn and remember customers’ names. They ask them about their day, offer to help in any way, and direct them where they need to go.
One morning, lead sales and service specialist Jacquelyn Porman introduced Dobson’s new Top-tracer Range, which blends modern technology with practice, to a customer looking to hit balls.
“It’s pretty easy to use,” she told him, but if you need any help, just let me know, and I’ll come right out.”
Paradigm Golf Chief Executive Officer and partner Joe Dahlstrom, whose background includes years of professional experience in Las Vegas, stresses that making customers happy begins by motivating employees. At Dobson Ranch, staff members are treated like family, paid a decent wage with incentive bonuses to encourage going above and beyond. They are all empowered to make decisions like offering discounts or even free future rounds of golf for customers who might have been less than pleased with their experience. And they are all encouraged to grow both professionally and personally. There are even programs in place for any employees who might be new to the game, to improve their own golf games.
But most of it boils down to a simple mission statement for Paradigm Golf: “When people are served with compassion, we bring light to their lives.”
Andrew Frazier, whose title is the “West Coast vice president of everything cool” — which sheds even more light about Paradigm Golf’s philosophy — said they wanted a simple approach that could be applied to any situation.
“If there’s a decision to make or there’s a frustrated customer, they can just look at that mission statement,” Frazier said. “How can I serve that person with compassion, hear them out, under-stand and try to see the good no matter what and find a way to brighten their day a little bit? That’s the goal.”
For example, if a golfer complains about pace of play, you won’t hear excuses from the staff at Dobson Ranch.
“There are so many people and companies that focus on being right,” Frazier said. “We just focus on what works and being nice to other people.”
Customer service is important, but how do you get them in the door in the first place?
Paradigm Golf has plenty of ideas. For one, Paradigm Golf is very active in social media with its podcast (The Golf Biz), parody music videos courtesy of Joe’s brother Mikey D (check out the Plumb Bob video, for example) and Dobson’s Instagram account (@DobsonRanchGolf).
But remember those capital improvements? They include adding 160 hardwood trees to the course with another 80 planned for next spring to help define an already well-maintained 6,712-yard park-land golf course designed by Red Lawrence.
The aforementioned Toptracer Range is a recent addition that takes whacking balls to a whole new interesting level. The technology allows golfers to get real feedback on their shots, including yardages and accuracy that can be seen on a monitor or their own phone app. They can even play different games, like guests do at popular Top Golf entertainment centers, and they can try their luck playing simulated courses like Pebble Beach and PGA National.
A new short game area and grass tees were added on the other side of the range. And best of all, the range is lighted, so guests can hit balls well into the night. And they do. It’s not uncommon to have to wait for a hitting station after work or as the weather cools, during the day, especially on the weekends.
The restaurant at Dobson Ranch (which was actually a working cattle ranch owned by the Dobson Family) was also updated. Now it has a sports bar feel to it, with pool tables, Golden Tee and plen-ty of big screen TVs. The menu was also upgraded with terrific tacos, generous sandwiches and burgers and chili con queso, for example.
And the golf shop is a real eye-opener. First off, it’s atypical. There’s a nice assortment of apparel and accessories, but one of the first things customers notice are huge bins of used golf balls that go for about a buck apiece. It’s just one of the ways Dobson Ranch tries to make golf affordable. Next to an indoor putting and chipping green, there’s also a whole wall of quality used clubs at affordable prices, but that’s just a small sampling. Below the shop are approximately 25,000 more clubs, collected over the years by Dahlstrom’s father, the late Joe Dahlstrom II, who was responsible for getting his kids into the game growing up.
That collection of clubs is one of the reasons Dobson Ranch can provide golf clubs at low cost or sometimes at no charge to anyone, including juniors, who want to take up the game.
Dobson is all about the community
The Pops & Jr. Youth Golf Program has introduced golf to hundreds of kids at Dobson Ranch. The summer program now extends into the school year with afterschool and weekend sessions. And there are also clinics and outings that benefit the Dobson Homeowners Association as well as a foster organization called Hope and a Future. All of this is at no-cost to the families or participants, and often include lunch and snacks.
Cheyanne Stewart grew up playing golf at Dobson Ranch, then competed as a member of the golf teams at Mesa Community College and North Carolina AT&T. Now the director of instruction for the Pops and Jr. Youth Golf Program at Dobson, she said that getting the kids in the game often brings in the whole family. And getting a few clubs to the kids starts the ball rolling.
“They get super excited about it,” said Stewart, who worked in outside services before becoming an instructor. “It’s low priced. We cut them down if need be, and regrip them. It’s only $5, $10 a club, which is a real deal. Kids starting out really only need three or four clubs. And we give them balls and tees as well.”
The best part, perhaps, is that the youngsters start asking the parents to take them to the course. And often, the rest of the family starts playing golf as well. Pretty soon, they’re all going to the range or the restaurant or even the course.
The bottom line is that over the last year, at Dobson Ranch, rounds are up, but most importantly all-around participation has increased dramatically.
“It’s been a wonderful first two years, and the city of Mesa has been great to work with,” Dahlstrom said. “We are very optimistic about the future and making Dobson Ranch the place to be.”
And everybody is winning.
