By James A. Frank, Chief Content Officer, Find A Game
With the advent of the coronavirus, golf has been handed an unexpected gift. The silver lining to Covid-19, if such a thing is possible, has been the public’s need to get outdoors, exercise, and connect with other human beings. Which explains the recent explosion in rounds played, tee times purchased, and equipment sold.
How will you keep those people playing your course once the pandemic has passed?
Start by asking yourself another question: “Who are these new golfers?” Some of them aren’t really new but occasional players who now have more time to play. They know how to play (good or bad), but would like to be more comfortable with the social scene at your facility, and want to meet other golfers, join groups, take lessons, and so on.
And, yes, many of them are new to the game, or lapsed players trying it again. In both cases, they’re a great opportunity to grow your business because they’ve come to you.
So what can you do to win—and retain—their loyalty? Some suggestions.
- Think beyond the course. Newer, less experienced golfers are easily intimidated by the game. Meeting other (probably better) golfers. First-tee jitters. Not knowing the Rules and proper etiquette. Addressing these concerns is a great way to get them returning to your course rather than the one down the street. They’re also great candidates to use your practice areas, pro shop, and restaurant.
- Use technology. Email marketing, personalized text messages, easy tee-time booking… anything that connects you directly to the golfer is good. But it’s wasted if you don’t collect data on them and use it to refine your outreach.
- Instruction sells. Every golfer wants to get better. Since these customers have come to you, reciprocate with specially designed clinics and lessons. Include information on the Rules, etiquette, and the other “tribal knowledge” unique to golf.
- Discounts. Their schedules are unconventional. Offering them good deals will help fill the normally quiet times on your tee sheet.
- Wrap all of the above together. That’s what Advance Golf Partners does at many of their courses. Combining the driving range, clinics, access-fee-only tee times, and other amenities into a single program has proven extremely successful, adding as much as $500,000 and more to their bottom line per course per year. The money comes in as a recurring revenue stream, rain or shine, while the program’s software produces tons of data.
Says Pat Kelley of Advance Golf Partners, “It’s the best damn thing going.”
And these programs are perfect for holding onto the new and returning golfers. For a set monthly fee—charged automatically to their credit cards—they get unlimited range balls, free instruction, and other perks that increase their comfort level and keep them coming to your facility. The range and clinics help ease them into the social fabric of the facility and meet others like them. As they get more comfortable, they come around more often, become regular players, join groups, even bring the spouse and kids.
At this unique moment, doing any of the above will help your business. Going the extra step and creating an amenity-rich subscription program will keep golfers coming back and add a healthy revenue stream to your bottom line.
The pandemic will go away. Subscription programs will help these new golfers stay.
James A. Frank is Chief Content Officer for Find A Game, which offers public courses easy-to-use software that sets up and manages subscription-loyalty programs personalized to work at any facility. Find A Game has the endorsement of the NGCOA. For more information, email jfrank@findagame.io or check out the website at findagame.io.