Case Study: Syndicated Scorecard & Pencil Printing for Golf Courses

1. Introduction

Every golf course needs scorecards and pencils as a daily operational supply. Individually, these costs are modest—but over many rounds and many courses, they add up. Golf courses often pay premium rates for small-run custom scorecard orders, and for branded pencils, they lack leverage to get good unit pricing.
By syndicating scorecard and pencil printing across many courses, a cooperative can negotiate volume discounts, standardize quality, reduce ordering complexity, and lower per-unit cost.

2. Benchmarking Costs

Scorecards

• Some commercial printers advertise as low as $0.12 per custom, two-sided scorecard for bulk production. OJ Graphix

• A mid-tier print shop shows an offset price model of “$17 + $0.01 per piece” for scorecard printing. M13 Print

• Tournament software scorecard vendors list 1,000 custom printed scorecards (2,000 panels) for $145 (logo + printing) => per card ≈ $0.0725 (if each “sheet” yields two cards) golfassociates.com

• Many printers require minimum runs (5,000+, etc.) for custom designs and charge setup and design/die cost. The Scorekeeper Company

Given these, a conservative blended estimate for custom scorecards (color, good stock, folding or perforation) is $0.10 to $0.20 per card.

Pencils

• Custom imprint wood pencils can be had in bulk: 500 custom one-color pencils costing less than $200 ⇒ unit cost ≤ $0.40 each. Totally Promotional

• Promotional pencil suppliers show pricing of ~$0.21 per pencil at high quantities (5,000) with standard imprint. southernhospitalitycustompromos.com

• Higher-end or smaller runs, or specialty finishes, raise cost.

So for typical golf-branded pencils, unit cost might range $0.20 to $0.50 depending on quantity, imprint complexity, and shipping.

3. Estimate Annual Usage & Spending (for one course)

To model, we need assumptions about how many scorecards and pencils a course uses:

• Suppose an 18-hole course hosts ~25,000 rounds per year (varies by region).

• Each round uses one scorecard (or one fold of card). Some players keep cards, some discard; extra cards needed for spares and adverse conditions. So ordering maybe 30,000 scorecards/year.

• Pencils: perhaps 1 per round plus extra for pro shop, resale, staff, spares → e.g. 35,000 pencils/year.

Using cost estimates:

So total ≈ $12,350/year in this baseline case (this is illustrative; real courses with fewer rounds or more conservative usage might spend less).

In more modest settings (10,000 rounds/year, 12,000 cards + 14,000 pencils):

• Scorecards: 12,000 × $0.12 = $1,440

• Pencils: 14,000 × $0.25 = $3,500

• Total ~ $4,940/year

Thus for many courses, annual budget is likely in the $5,000–$15,000 range depending on size, round volume, and spare inventory practice.

4. Syndicated Printing Program Concept

Program Structure

• Form a printing cooperative (e.g. under eGolfVillage).

• Members commit estimated annual usage (scorecards + pencils).

• Cooperative negotiates with large commercial printers and promotional suppliers to get volume discounts, reduced setup fees, standardized design templates, and consolidated logistics.

• Cooperative handles design, branding, and distribution; courses order through shared portal rather than individual print shops.

Key Benefits

• Lower Unit Pricing: Larger print runs unlock better pricing tiers, reducing cost per card and per pencil.

• Reduced Setup Costs: Shared design/die/setup costs spread across many courses.

• Quality & Consistency: Standard templates, branding guidelines, material specifications.

• Simplified Logistics: One invoicing portal, predictable deliveries, consolidated shipping.

• Upsell / Ad Revenue: Option to sell ad space on unused margins (e.g. local sponsors) to offset cost.

5. Financial Impact (50-Course Syndicate)

Assumptions for Syndicate

• 50 participating courses

• Average “baseline case” annual usage per course: 30,000 scorecards + 35,000 pencils

• Baseline per-course cost (without syndicate): $12,350/year as above

• Expect to achieve 25–40% cost reductions through volume deals and shared setup cost efficiencies

Aggregate Volumes & Savings

If some courses have higher/lower usage, this average will vary. Also, overhead cost of the cooperative and logistics must be netted out.

6. Implementation Roadmap

7. Risks, Considerations & Mitigations

• Usage Forecast Error: Some courses may over- or under-order; buffer inventory needed.

• Design & Customization Differences: Some courses want distinct layouts or branding; limit customization tiers to maintain volume.

• Shipping & Logistics Cost: Distribution to 50 locations might eat some savings; partner with printers with shipping advantage.

• Quality Control & Turnaround Time: Ensuring color, paper quality, on-time delivery across many courses.

• Member Churn / Participation Risk: If some courses leave, the volume drops and per-unit costs may rise.

8. Case Study Example

Let’s consider a region (e.g. Colorado + Utah cluster) with 50 courses participating.
By pooling orders, the syndicate negotiates a custom scorecard run at $0.085/card and pencils at $0.18/each (versus typical $0.12 card + $0.25 pencil).

• Scorecards cost = 1,500,000 × $0.085 = $127,500

• Pencils cost = 1,750,000 × $0.18 = $315,000

• Total = $442,500

• Baseline (non-syndicated) cost = $617,500

• Savings = $175,000/year, or ~$3,500 per course

Additionally, if ad space or sponsorships are sold on unused scorecard real estate, that could offset further.

9. Conclusion

A syndication approach to scorecards and pencil printing presents a strong opportunity for cost reduction, operational simplification, and quality standardization. For a group of 50 courses, annual savings in the $150,000–$200,000 range are plausible.

This complements the fuel syndicate model — courses that already participate in fuel aggregation can bundle printing services under the same cooperative umbrella, increasing value of membership and enhancing the economies of scale across all procurement categories.

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