Golfers are a community, united by a shared enjoyment of the golf experience, on and off the course.
For Golf to thrive, we need to come together as a community and ensure golfers are at the heart of the Golf experience.
Step 1 – Decide to be “Golfer Centric”
Golfers are individuals
Golf is a Lifestyle
Golf is a Mindset
Traditionally the Golf industry has operated a “this is the experience you will get as part of our club”. For golf to thrive it needs to evolve to meet the needs of the new and diverse profiles of individuals and families entering the world of Golf, central to this evolution is the focus needs to flip from club and course centric to being “Golfer Centric”.
To be golfer centric is to ensure that all golfers have an equitable golf experience.
Focus on Equity
When looking at a Golfer Centric Experience, organisations should ensure they create and deliver and equitable experiences, the graphic below from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation – Visualising Health Equity, demonstrates the key difference between, equality and equity.
When looking at the golfer experience, it is important to recognise the difference between equality and equity, to ensure the needs of all golfer groups are met, within the golfer experience created and delivered by Golf Clubs and Venues.
Understand The Golfer Journey
Golf is a journey, from your first introduction to the last Putt of your life.
As Golf evolves and more people of all ages, from diverse backgrounds, abilities, with their own reasons and aspirations for entering the World of Golf, pick up a club for the first time, send an email or make that first call to a golf club, driving range or indoor studio, we need to be able to help them take that first step and find a path that works for them in to Golf.
Prioritise Member Retention
Member retention is key to growing golf. Central to retaining club members is the golf experience created and delivered by Golf Clubs and other Golf Destinations, each of which ceates its own unique experince based on the current membership, golf course and facilities.
Develop Member Pathways
Step 2 – Know your golfer
Historically, Golf has centred on membership of a golf club, with a 9 or 18 hole golf course, offering members and visitors the opportunity to participate in a range of individual and team competitive and social formats throughout the year.
The Golf Club experience has evolved over the lifetime of the golf club, usually created and delivered by volunteer committees.
Upon joining a club, members are informed what the golf experience is, when competitions take place, what teams represent the club in different county, national or friendly leagues and matches, qualification process for joining the teams.
Generally, members have minimal influence on the golfing experience, unless part of the organising committees.
The historical golfer profile is based on age, gender and ability.
The Golfer Profile is Changing…
Today, the golfer profile is changing. A combination of new national and international golf destinations, new technology and new entertainment based initiatives are extending the golf experience beyond the golf club and expanding the golfer demographic profile.
New golfers want access to the full range of golfing experiences and to choose which ones they want to consume, whenever they want to.
New indoor and entertainment focused golf experiences are driving a more golfer centric experiences, which is a step change in how golf clubs historically have operated.
For Golf clubs to provide golf experiences attractive to new golfers, while maintaining the golf experience enjoyed by existing golf club members and visitors, golf clubs should look to create cross functional teams who review their member profiles, the existing golf experiences they create and deliver and build upon the clubs foundation to identify gaps and develop additional golfer centric, player pathways and experiences.
An area of focus for Golf in recent years is attracting more women in to golf, a key area of expertise of the Golfer Experience Team, to learn more please go to our sister site https://womenonthetee.com/
Golf is evolving…
As the golf experience evolves and expands beyond traditional local golf clubs, the profile of a golfer is becoming more diverse with a broader spectrum of motivations to participate, Golf is resPonding, with a broader spectrum of golf experiences and destinations creating and delivering a more diverse golf experience on and off the Golf Course.
The Golf Venue Spectrum is a simple representation of golf destinations and purposes.
The Value of Golf
Over the last few years, the R&A, USGA, National Governing bodies, National Health and Social Care Organisations, Academic Institutions and not for profit organisations have sought to extend their understanding of the value of golf beyond competitive and social participation.
The outcome is that the Value of Golf for those that participate on and off the course, volunteer in organising committees, run new player introduction programs and support player development initiatives, contributes to an individuals well being and satisfies 5 principles of longevity, demonstrating an important role in well being, locally, nationally and globally.
The 5 Longevity and Wellbeing Principles are:
Step 3 – Know Your Organisation
Purpose and Identity
Central to an organisation is its purpose and identity, when it comes to Golf, there are many roles a golf club or destination can play within a local community or within the golf community as a whole.
As Golf evolves so can individual Golf organisations. It is up to each organisation, to look at its unique history, traditions and culture, and build on this to decide on its purpose and to form an identity based on the current and future membership mix and resources it has available to support its evolution.
Operating Models
The operating model within golf venues is evolving beyond volunteer committees, to include professional management teams, employed by owner operators or private members club to run the administration of the club and external non-member revenue generating experiences and a golf operations team responsible for creating and delivering the member and visitor golf experience alongside the club volunteer committees. Often the different professional teams and committees within golf clubs, work in their own silo, responsible for their area and its profitability.
It is rare to find a club working as one team, putting the golfer at the heart of every touch point in the club or venue experience.
Below is an overview of how some golf venue operating models work, with areas of responsibility siloed across the different teams.
Step 5 – Develop a Technology Strategy
As an industry, golf has been underserved by technology, however new platforms are providing the golf industry with the power to:
1. Democratise Golf, from connecting and enabling all golfers to be part of one community, to providing individual counties and clubs with the ability to facilitate a rich and inclusive golf experience for members and visitors alike.
2. Create a knowledge, best practice and education hub, to ensure all organisations and individuals involved in creating and delivering the golf experience have access to right information, education programs and support channels.
3. To partner with other governing bodies, to share knowledge and come together as one to serve the golf community.
4. Create a communication model which ensures all golfers have access to the right information to maximise their enjoyment from golf.
5. Create national, regional and county competitive and social experiences extending the golfer experience beyond clubs and counties.
6. Streamline the county experience, currently each county operates as its own silo, with its own technology platform, website design, communicaiotn model and unique annual calendar of competitions and events, and communication model.
The lack of access to skilled resources, understanding of technology platforms and how they can enhance the golfer experience alongside the hierarchical operating and communication model is prohibiting the growth of golf.
Technology offers the golf industry an opportunity to become one community, with a rich and extensive national, regoinal, county and local golf experience, leveraging the network of voluneteers and clubs around the World.
The Golfers Experience Team has extensive experience in leveraging technology to support transformation initiatives.
Step 6 – Design and Articulate your Golf Experience
Golf clubs and venues, generally focus on their course as the main marketing message.
Golf Clubs offer a unique golf experience, which has evolved throughout the lifespan of the club, created and delivered by volunteer committees, supported by professional management teams, to satisfy the needs of the club members.
While Golf Clubs and courses are physical, the value of a golf club is in its members and the community built around the club. It is these values and insights which are generally missing from golf club and venue websites.
Websites are the window to golf, and it is important that golf clubs and venues, look at the messaging and information on websites to educate, inform and engage current and future members and visitors to the club.
Golf clubs run an annual calendar of competitive and social events through the year, which provide different playing opportunities for club members of different playing abilities and aspirations.
When designing the golfer experience, from a competitive or leisure prespective understanding the golf profile mix is key to ensuring the golf experince meets the needs of the different types of golfer.
A golf experience gap analysis can be carried out across the golfer experience, created and delivered by individual organistions or from an over all national or international experience for both the competitive and social golfer.
Step 7 – Develop and execute your plan
Once your club has made the decision to move to a golfer centric club and assembled a multi-discipline team, engaged partners to work with you to evolve your club, the role of the multi-discipline team will be to develop and execute a golfer centric club evolution plan, draft concept below.
Change through Partnership
The Golfer Experience Team works in partnership with golf clubs and organisations to put the golfer at the heart of the golf experience.
Contact the Golf Experience Team to learn how we can help HERE
An area of focus for Golf in recent years is attracting more women in to golf. The Golf Experience Team has a unique insight into Womens Golf and Womens role in the future of Golf, to learn more please visit our sister site Women On The Tee
Also, please visit our Toilets On Golf Courses Website to learn more about the importance of Toilets on Golf Courses.
