Set Your Course Apart From The Competition: Enhance The Golfing Experience

In today’s competitive market, golfing experts would say that the way to differentiate a golf course is to differentiate the golf course experience. Although imperative, a pristine fairway is not always enough anymore to set a course apart from its competition.

That is why Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is so important. What will distinguish a golf course is proactively recognizing the golfer’s needs and interests, and having the ability to build on an existing customer relationship with effective CRM capabilities.

Cypress, for example, has been innovative in marketing solutions that have been helping golf courses increase revenue through CRM since 2001. But some relationship marketing can be done without technology. Course managers can start with some simple tactics to keep its members and players loyal, coming back, and spending more time and money on the green. The following are some best practice ideas implemented by other course owners:

• Hand written thank you notes to renewed members
• Comment cards with incentives for filling out (free bucket of balls?)
• Special rates for women on opening day of fishing season and Mother’s Day
• Cold towels on a hot day
• Basket of apples on designated holes
• Cheerful music, fresh-cookies and flowers on the pro shop counter to engage all the senses
• Kids play free offers
• Fashion violations doled out by the beverage cart girls to violating customers who could claim a free shirt from the sale rack or half off other apparel
• “Shot of the Day” coupons, redeemable for refreshments, merchandise, rounds of golf or lessons, handed out by course marshals to golfers with the best and worst shots

According to the National Golf Course Owners Association’s Director of Conference and Trade Show, research shows that the “most effective way to motivate golfers to choose one course over another in a competitive market is through an engaging, well-trained staff.”

Perhaps:

• Free five-minute lessons from the head pro as he walks the driving range and introduces himself
• General Manager staged at the first tee to greet and thank customers
• Free drinks off the beverage cart, driven by the owner

The idea is to sell more tee times, so time should be taken to enhance the value of those tee times. Wouldn’t a consumer more likely return to a golf course attached to an unforgettable golfing experience?