Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of HJR0062
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Full Text of HJR0062  100th General Assembly

HJ0062 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY


  

 


 
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1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The Annbriar Golf Course in Waterloo, Gateway
3National in Madison, Governors Run in Carlyle, Kokopelli in
4Marion, Rend Lake Golf Resort in Whittington, Stone Creek Golf
5Club in Urbana, and Stonewolf Golf Club in Fairview Heights
6offer some of the most beautiful and captivating courses for
7one to play golf on in the State of Illinois; and
 
8    WHEREAS, These seven courses currently operate as
9independent golfing destinations; if one wishes to visit each
10course it would require separate dealings with all seven in
11order to set up tee times and lodging; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Other states have linked their courses into a
13"trail" to boost tourism and thus revenue; Alabama created the
14highly successful Robert Trent Jones Trail; Iowa and Ohio have
15also connected many of their golf courses and have seen
16tremendous positive economic growth by doing so; and
 
17    WHEREAS, The success of linking golf courses into a
18statewide golf trail is dependent upon ease of use; ultimately,
19there should be one internet portal that would enable golfers
20to reserve tee times and book lodging at all seven golf
21courses; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Other states have already demonstrated that this
2concept can be tremendously successful and similar results are
3expected in Illinois; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Illinois State parks and lodges could utilize
5additional revenue streams; the additional revenue could be
6used for maintenance, repairs, and improvements or to enhance
7the image and marketing of said facilities; therefore, be it
 
8    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
9HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE
10CONCURRING HEREIN, that the Illinois Office of Tourism is urged
11to do a feasibility study on linking together the seven golf
12courses stated above into the Abraham Lincoln Golf Trail
13(ALGT); and be it further
 
14    RESOLVED, That the study should include, but not be limited
15to, the following:
16        (1) electronic tee time scheduling - at the start this
17    could be an 800 number that golfers would call, but the
18    move to a fully-automated, electronic tee time scheduling
19    system should take place as soon as possible;
20        (2) automated lodging/hotel reservations - the
21    convenience of automated bookings and reservations
22    encourages usage;
23        (3) 24/7 customer service assistance - until the ALGT

 

 

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1    had the ability to handle customer service itself, this
2    could be outsourced to a third party, which should have the
3    ability to schedule all tee times and make lodging
4    reservations at all courses that are part of the ALGT;
5        (4) ongoing training - customer service is the hallmark
6    of any successful organization; annual training for all
7    golf course staff is recommended;
8        (5) promotion - information about the trail can be
9    disseminated at the individual courses, advertisements on
10    the website, and paid advertising space;
11        (6) public relations "buzz" and "word of mouth"; and
12        (7) licensing merchandise - merchandise with a logo is
13    a natural for all member pro shops; and be it further
 
14    RESOLVED, That the seven courses listed above would be
15considered phase one of the ALGT; as the trail becomes
16operational, additional golf courses in central and northern
17Illinois could be added; and be it further
 
18    RESOLVED, That the study is requested to be completed by
19December 31, 2018; and be it further
 
20    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
21delivered to the Illinois Office of Tourism.