As with many Northern courses, Shorewood Golf Course in Green Bay, Wisconsin, has a robust league program during the spring and summer months. However, the management team wanted to build on the league play and encourage those players to visit the course more frequently. What emerged was the concept of league memberships.
Shorewood’s league membership, which costs 25 percent less than a full membership and is valid throughout the league season (April through August), is offered to all golfers who play in leagues, whether they’re privately managed or coordinated by course officials. Members are entitled to discounts of 20 percent in the pro shop and restaurant, and they receive invitations to special, member-only events. “By offering the league membership, you generate additional revenue that you otherwise wouldn’t realize,” general manager Rick Warpinski notes.
In addition to generating incremental income and enticing league members to play more frequently, the program has helped Warpinski and his staff sell more regular memberships. “Once the league membership group experiences the benefits that come with membership, they often convert to the full season the next year,” says Warpinski, who points out that membership sales have increased by 15 percent to 20 percent, and the retention rate remains high.