Atlantic City bets on golf

Staff Writer, Golf Publisher Syndications

Atlantic City is undergoing a makeover.

The changing landscape of legalized gaming is forcing the legendary New Jersey resort to diversify. Golf courses, shopping and dining are all part of a transformation local officials hope will position Atlantic City to better compete with the expanding plethora of gambling destinations.

A quarter-century or so ago, when Atlantic City's casinos were just opening their doors, the closest (legit) competition was a world away in the Nevada desert. But these days East Coast gamers have multiple alternatives to a trek west.

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New Yorkers can hit Turning Stone or Foxwoods. Delaware has added slot machines to it's racetracks. Pennsylvania is gearing up to spread some 61,000 one-armed bandits across the Keystone State.

Suddenly gambling is not enough.

"Much as Las Vegas has become more than just a gambling destination, Atlantic City has to take a similar path," American Gaming Association President Frank Fahrenkopf says. "If you're not moving forward, you're falling behind. The opening of the Borgata casino a couple of years ago was the first step and now there is momentum in that direction."

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The Borgata is the closest thing A.C. has to a Vegas-style hotel. It's upscale and draws a younger crowd. Since the Borgata opened for business, Harrah's and the Tropicana have renovated and expanded.

For years the cornerstone of the local gambling trade has been day-tripping seniors from Philadelphia and New York, who come in busloads in what the locals unkindly call the "Blue Hair Express."

"God bless them," Teddie O'Keefe of prominent local marketing firm Smith O'Keefe says of the older visitors. "But we've got to start attracting younger people, who will stay for longer periods of time. We've started to focus on that, and that's how the transformation will come about."

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Harry Bittner, general manager at Shore Gate Golf Club and president of the Greater Atlantic City Golf Association, believes golf can contribute to elevating the destination.

"The fact that we've developed a first-class golf destination means tourists who don't have any interest in gambling can still come to the area," Bittner says. "A group of golfers can come in for four or five days, play some outstanding courses and sample the casino nightlife as often or as little as they want."

"It's only been within the past 10 years that the region has evolved into a golf destination," says Thom Pierre of Margate, an avid local player. "Golfers are still surprised what is available here. Everyone knows about the casinos, but there is more than just gambling around here."

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