Pellucid Corp. reports that for the first quarter of 2006, the Weather-Adjusted Rounds Performance Index finished at 109 meaning rounds played eclipsed favorable weather trends for the first time since Pellucid started tracking this measure in late 2004. The underlying numbers to the index were a 14% increase in Golf Playable Hours (GPH) for the first quarter in 2006 compared to an 8% increase in rounds played as reported by Golf Datatech.

For those playing along at home, Pellucid performs % Utilization factoring on the GPH figure which is then compared to the rounds played number to produce the index. An index between 95-105 means the industry at a national level performed in line with the weather while an index greater than 105 indicates overperformance and an index less than 95 indicates underperformance.

Pellucid’s currently provides the industry’s only tracking of the critical measure of weather-adjusted rounds performance. Pellucid President Jim Koppenhaver comments on why weather-adjusting rounds performance is critical to interpreting industry performance and what the Q1 results suggest, “Without factoring in weather impact, the golf industry for years has been both unduly optimistic and pessimistic in trying to determine real rounds performance. What the Q1 results suggest is that we’ve had favorable performance in rounds played at the national level, aided by favorable weather but, net, we’ve done slightly better than weather alone would have suggested.”

Supporting the overall favorability, regional breadth of positive results was also encouraging as 8 regions showed gains in GPH for the first quarter vs. the same period a year ago compared to 5 declining regions for a positive advance/decline ratio of 1.6:1. Rounding out the picture was one region which was neutral (+/-2%) and the remaining 10 regions were still not in playable days based on Pellucid’s model inputs.

The business benefit of knowing weather impact vs. guessing at it is best summarized in this recent testimonial from an existing facility owner/operator who was an early adopter of Pellucid’s weather capabilities, “I don't know how many subscribers are using your weather impact reports or how. We had an unusual event recently when an (unsolicited and proposed) buyer attributed our 30% revenue increase this year.