“Golf & Golf Clubs Are Doomed”
All you hear in the golf world at the moment is how another club is shutting down, or how its on the brink, how golf clubs just simply can’t get enough members. How people aren’t playing golf anymore.
We went out and played a course last weekend, it was a really nice course, and I literally saw no one else out playing, and that’s… well it’s sad really isn’t it.
According to a radio show last year it seems that everyone who would normally be taking up the game of golf is apparently choosing cycling instead.
Every conceivable reason for why numbers are dwindling has been thrown into the mix, except in my opinion, one.
And sure I know some golf courses and resorts are thriving! And that’s awesome! Today I am talking about those courses that are struggling.
You will hear the usual…
Golf is an expensive sport… True…but if people are going to cycling as this radio show suggested… well a nice road bike can cost £5k… and the lyrca outfits aren’t exactly cheap either.
Joining a club is a big investment, buying the kit, practice and paying for lessons etc, it all adds up for sure.
But some clubs are absolutely thriving! So why are they full, while others can’t get members even if they drop their prices to next to nothing?
Golf is not a welcoming sport…. I agree with this… it’s intimidating getting into a golf club.
I once enquired about joining a club and had to have an “interview” with some 86 year old guy who would judge whether or not I was a good fit. He didn’t like me because I didn’t wear a tie to our meeting. I wear a tie to weddings… that’s it. I get it, you want to make sure that you have a great membership and a great culture in the club. But there are other ways to do it.
And even once they say you are a member… well then you’ve got to somehow break into the various cliques… who by the way don’t like new members.
But let me add, once you are in, its awesome! It’s like being part of a team again. You meet great people and have a lot of fun. I am talking about that initial hurdle to getting in.
Golf is especially not welcoming for new players… and don’t even think about playing a round with a member if you haven’t ever been on the course before. You can literally feel the eye rolls.
It’s a tough sport to learn… I also get this…. However for me part of what makes it so addictive is that it’s a tough sport to learn. You always want to get better.
The dress code is bonkers … Agree and disagree… The collared shirt thing, shorts of certain lengths and material, and the hole socks issue for me is bizarre (Yes I have been told to change my socks before playing… they were ankle socks, didn’t go high enough). I guess it comes from maintaining a high standard, but really times have changed. I like to look good as much as the next person. I get not wearing a Man United football top…. well I mean why would you have one anyway.
Also… and yes this important….Most golf clothing is absolutely horrendous… put on a t-shirt and it looks like your 6 years old wearing your dad’s shirt. But some brands are making some AMAZING looking and fitting golf gears!! And I love grabbing new golf gears..new tops, shorts, caps, shoes, I mean literally anything.
It takes too long… I can understand this as an excuse… but I often finish and want to play more. And the release of Golf Sixes have launched to counter this, but I haven’t heard of a huge uptake in clubs, but then I really haven’t done much research on this.
Right… so we have finished with the common reasons people give for not playing the sport. Now lets get on to the reasons people aren’t talking about…. the business sides of things…
The Golf Club Business Model
I think one topic that has been touched on but maybe not enough is the clubs business model. If you are someone who is thinking about taking up the sport seriously, you have to invest in all the equipment and then you then walk into a club and they say we need a £1,500 joining fee AND £1,200 for the year.
I mean… I know the golf club has to charge membership to run… that’s fine, but crazy high joining fees seem like a massive barrier to entry. Especially if you are a club that’s struggling for members. If you are full and have high demand then sure, prices go up, and joining fees are fine. You’re a business after all. Where demand is high you can charge more. If that’s you, thats awesome!
BUT reducing fees is NOT the answer here. If clubs get into a race of who can charge the cheapest… they will all be out of business (If clubs are relying on a joining fee to run their business there are bigger issues).
They need to pay people to keep the course in top condition, to do improvements, to create an amazing place for you to play.
People are happy to pay more if they feel they get value. If they pay more and the course is crap then they will be pissed off. Pay more and get a nicer course that’s not as crowded on weekends, and a nicer club house experience and they don’t mind.
But at least offer a trial membership, at least offer a monthly payment option.
At least offer ways for people to actually get involved.
Also, provide ways for people to actually IMPROVE. If people improve at the sport they won’t leave. Provide teaching, provide practice balls, help them improve and include it as a part of the membership.
There are a whole world of other reasons that people give for the sport declining in numbers.
But I think there is one reason that no one is looking at and that golf clubs aren’t willing to admit…
Golf Clubs SUCK at Marketing and Selling!
Golf Has A Marketing Problem
A golf club is a business. It needs to run like a business. They need to market and sell. If they don’t…. Well, there will be no business left.
Just because a golf club exists does not mean people will use it. This is not a “build it and they will come” scenario, or actually more of a…. “We exist so people will come”.
I live in Surrey and there are something like 118 golf courses! People have a lot of choice here. Why are they going to choose you?
The marketing in the golf world is literally from the dark ages, or worse, the club does no marketing at all. Then sits there scratching their head wondering why no one is coming in.
This is where golf clubs are getting heavily, if not completely, reliant on online tee booking sites. Which then leads to a race to the bottom of price because thats all they are being compared on.
And then they moan that those sites take a cut… Don’t moan… they just did your marketing for you… I’m surprised they didn’t charge you more!
Sure we all know that most golf club websites are truly, truly awful, and yes that needs to change (a topic for another day), but I am not even talking about that here.
I am talking about how are you appearing in front of your ideal members each day?
If you are reading this and you don’t work for a golf club, but perhaps you’re a member, perhaps you’re a nomadic golfer, have a think for a moment… what was the last piece of content you saw from a local golf club? Can you remember? How about a club in your area you don’t follow on Facebook yet, ever see their content?
If you are a golf club manager, or the owner of a club, let me ask you this…
What are you doing to drive new golf club members?
How are people hearing and seeing your golf club and then making the decision to come in and find out more information?
How do you create a consistent flow of leads each and every week?
Are you using Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, Google Ads, and other online platforms to drive new leads?
Are you putting out exciting and engaging content every week, every day?
I know people will say.. “Chris, I’ve tried Facebook Ads and they didn’t work for us, we didn’t get a single new member!”
Sure… that might be true, but that just means you had the wrong plan. Facebook ads are one of the cheapest ways to get new members, when you do it right.
And if you have tried Facebook Ads, then that’s awesome! Because I immediately know that you are willing to try. You are already ahead of most because you gave it ago.
Lots of clubs won’t have even tried Facebook Ads. And if that’s you, I hope reading this gives you a little kick up the backside and gets you to explore them.
I have not written this to make anyone feel bad, but if you are a manager in charge of your clubs membership, or perhaps you are the owner of a club or group of clubs and you are reading this and it’s making you feel a tad uncomfortable… I don’t mind. Because that means you probably know you have to do something about it! And if you are still reading this then I know you are someone who knows they want to do something more to grow their club.
You might not be sure what you need to do, and that’s ok, the tactics and strategy can be figured out. But the first step is realising that you need to something.
Start Here
I want to leave you with an action, something you can do right away… so lets start here…
- Figure out who your ideal members are – Create that audience on Facebook, click here for a tutorial video
- Create great content
- Boost that content on Facebook to your ideal audience.
Beyond that you can then create an awesome offer that you can then also boost to that audience to get them to take action! (Again we can talk offers etc on another day)
Let’s Connect
I am going to be writing a weekly piece around the world of marketing, sales, random business thoughts and ramblings. We will talk strategy, tactics, how to’s and more. From Facebook & Google Ads to sales and business models. So if you are in the golf world and like to join in these types of conversations, make sure we connect. Include in your message that you read this.
Click here to connect with me on LinkedIn!
Share It
Also if you know someone who would find this valuable, then please share it. My hope is that it could help more people get into the game of golf and help more golf clubs thrive!
Ready To Grow Your Golf Club?
If you want to increase your membership, get more green fees, more society days booking with you then click here, fill in your details, and let’s arrange a time to have chat.
On the strategy call we will dive into your current challenges, what you are doing right now, what your goals are and we will see if we can help you achieve them.
