Pro Kids' CEO Martha Remmell turned to SDSU students to utilize their sports business knowledge in an effort to efficiently maximize use of the course and generate revenue to support their efforts with local children. Students responded to the challenge by utilizing the skills learned in their sports business MBA curriculum to develop a comprehensive development plan for the course’s management team.

Colina Park Golf Course and Pro Kids is one of the charter members of the World Golf Foundation's "The First Tee" program. Located in the heart of San Diego, Pro Kids has been serving children in the community since 1994.

Sports MBA students with Pro Kids CEO Martha Remmell

The mission of Pro Kids is to use golf as a vehicle through which kids can accomplish their dreams, thrive socially, excel academically, and become productive members of society with integrity, strong family values and a commitment to community. The Learning Center provides a classroom setting for the children; lessons are created in an effort to engage the children in a creative, enjoyable fashion while improving their academic talents. Center programming includes study lab, basic electronics, scholarship preparation, public speaking, résumé-writing, anger management, and leadership development. Pro Kids also provides a Merrill Lynch investing class, a Wells Fargo hands-on banking class, and an etiquette class at a four-star restaurant. The children are also placed on a learning path for the game of golf itself, and they can be found playing the course most afternoons.

To support this successful program, Pro Kids sought to generate more revenue from use of their public golf course. To accomplish this goal, Remmell turned to SDSU's Sports Business Management MBA students to devise a strategic plan.

The students in the Sports MBA program first looked into expanding the corporate market, both for businesses located in San Diego and companies in town for workshops or conventions. They also conducted a thorough study of local competitors and created a pricing strategy that will help Colina Park gain a competitive advantage based on its location and amenities.

Opportunities for expansion on the Internet were also researched and organized so that the course may more easily market itself to potential customers. In order to better serve their target markets, students used their marketing research background gained from the MBA program and formed a research process that will help Colina Park to better serve their target market. Several students spoke of the academic and personal rewards gained from working with the Pro Kids program.

"The project takes on a whole new meaning when you see the excitement of the kids on the golf course. It was also exciting to apply my knowledge from class to a real-world case this quickly. Only two weeks removed from our marketing research course, we were already being called upon to analyze the seventh largest city in America. Marty gave us a tremendous opportunity and we had a great time helping out the center." -Jesse Kirkpatrick.

Students celebrated the culmination of the project by participating in a golf outing with the Pro Kids members, an event highlighted by the stellar play of the younger members of the group. On nearly every hole, the Pro Kids golfers outplayed their SDSU counterparts, with the relative newcomers to the game sinking shots from all distances and directions.

"I watched one of the players in my group sink a birdie putt from forty feet, and as I slapped him five, I asked him how long he'd been a golfer. He looked at me and casually said, 'About four months.' These kids can really play." -Scott Minto.

SDSU is grateful for the opportunity to work with Colina Park Golf Course and proud to have established a working relationship that will continue with future Sports Business Management MBA classes. These students can expect to learn a great deal from their involvement with Colina Park Golf Course and Pro Kids Golf.

For more information regarding Colina Park Golf Course or the Pro Kids program please call (619) 582-4704. www.prokidsonline.org