Texas Native Leading PKF Consulting's New Division

Texas native Tim Wyman, previously with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Orange County, CA, has returned home, spending the past month laying the groundwork to ramp up the Dallas-based operation as PKF's newest director. He tells GlobeSt.com that he will solo for awhile, then add another consultant this year. The immediate plan calls for tapping professionals in other PKF offices to assist in the roll-out of consulting services for existing and new courses, he adds.

Retiring Baby Boomers "gives some strong hope for the future" of the industry, Wyman says, as does the rebound of corporate tee time as a client perk after a long lull that began with 9/11. "There is an improved economy and people are starting to get out and play," he says.

Wyman says Dallas is the logical homeport for the new division due to its central US positioning, delivering easy travel to both coasts. Though new course development is part of the plan, Wyman expects the initial focus will be conducting operational reviews and formulating turnaround plans for struggling facilities, particularly in overbuilt regions like the South and West. According to Wyman, last year's rounds were down--like it's been since 9/11--at the US' 17,000 courses. He says strong markets will continue to be Southern California, Las Vegas and Hawaii while course owners in Texas, Florida and South Carolina are facing uphill battles in overbuilt regions as they await the population to catch up with the number of facilities, whether they are stand-alone or part of a mixed-use development.

"As has been well publicized, the golf industry has experienced dramatic shifts for the past 10 to 15 years," Dave Arnold, PKF's CEO for the East, says in a press release. "With the golf course construction boom of the 1990s, overdevelopment has become a real issue. While the golf economy is on the mend, there still are numerous challenges ahead."

Wyman, who will work closely with PKF's brokerage division, also will conduct appraisals and work with lenders. "I will be helping people make wise decisions," he says.

Wyman was a senior consultant in Pricewaterhouse Coopers' golf and real estate practice. His background includes stints as a research analyst for Club Corp. of America and KPMG's golf group.