'Divine 9' steps up efforts to market golf and lodging

Marketing of The Divine 9 a confederation of golf courses in Carson City and Douglas County is getting more horsepower this year.

Thirteen reporters from golf publications, television stations and generalinterest newspapers in Nevada and California fanned out to play the nine courses last week, and organizers of the event were hoping for some favorable publicity.

The media event comes on the heels of the introduction of a shiny new Web site for The Divine Nine it's found at www.Divine9.com and a major sales success for the program last summer.

A three-year-old program to market packages one round of golf, complete with cart, at each of the nine courses sold out for the first time this summer, says Candace Duncan, executive director of the Carson City Visitors & Convention Bureau.

The packages, limited to 200 golfers, are priced at $295.

Participating courses are Carson Valley Golf Course, Dayton Valley Golf Club, Eagle Valley East and West Golf Courses, Empire Ranch Golf Course, The Golf Club at Genoa Lakes, Sierra Nevada Golf Ranch, Silver Oak Golf Club and Sunridge Golf Club.

The new Web site allows visitors to book hotel-and-golf packages, and the owner of one participating business says she has high hopes for the new features.

Joyce Harrington, owner of The Bliss Mansion Bed and Breakfast, says past marketing programs haven't generated much golf-related business at her establishment.

That may change, Harrington believes, as the Web site makes it easy to book hotel rooms along with golf dates.

The $100,000 annual marketing budget for The Divine 9 a budget contributed by participating golf courses and hotels also pays for tourism specialists from the Carson Valley and from Carson City to attend golfrelated consumer shows throughout the West.

The current program has its roots in a simple brochure developed a decade ago, a publication listing area golf courses and distributed to lodging properties.