New Year Checklist for Your Golf Club

It’s the first week of 2022, and it’s very likely that the last two years have been revenue strong despite the external COVID uncertainty.  There are many members and prospective members that have made their New Year Resolution and getting better at golf is a likely goal for them in 2022.  As you look to begin the new year with a strong foundation of strategy and planning, here’s few items to make sure you take care of early.

Website Dates and Details

I know it’s only the first week in January, but your website continues to be the most likely place your members and prospective members visit to interact with your club. If you think it’s not that big a deal to be advertising your Black Friday sale on the website, you might want to revisit that plan. The relevancy and accuracy of the website information has a direct correlation with the perceived professionalism and attention to detail your club finds acceptable. New members are likely to be less than impressed with your club if they are unable to find current and accurate information. Here’s a few places to look:

1- Goodbye 2021 Rates- Make sure your references to 2021 are merely historical. Every rate on your website should be reviewed for accuracy and updated to reflect your new, increased prices and costs for 2022. Nearly all clubs have raised some, if not all of their rates, make sure your rates reflect these increases as early as possible in 2022.

2- Review your Promotional Activity- Did you have a new member incentive that expired on December 31, 2021?  Any and all incentives that have expired should be reviewed and be current. 

3- Visit EVERY Page- Assign the review of each and every page of the website to a member of your team that you know has the attention to detail required to recognize old and outdated content. If you don’t visit every page of the website and review for accuracy, you’re going to wind up embarrassed by the content at some time this year.

Current COVID Protocols

With the emergence of the latest variant, it is highly likely that your state and/or local policies are adopting revised standards. Make sure you understand these evolving expectations and understand the impact that these may have on both members AND your staff. Staff members with school age children are likely to be impacted significantly if schools revert back to distanced learning. What are your policies going to be if this happens?  Have you shared these policies and expectations along with how you will help them balance the demands of work and home life. According to the data released at the end of 2021, women continue to be the most impacted demographic during this extended pandemic with employment rates remaining below the pre-COVID levels.  Having a plan for all employees, especially the women on your team, is a great way to begin proactive communications in the new year.

Social Media

Is this the year that you change the quality, frequency and content of your social media channels?  You might be one of the few that are highly educated and competent in this area already, but if you still think there’s room for improvement, this is a great time to review your social media content for the same dates and promotional accuracy as the website.  You might even look to engage the appropriate members of your team in social media strategy education online. There are many classes available in this area, including a lot of free online content that is easily available with a few search queries.

Members Review

You might not believe in the Pareto Principle, but it is still a good idea to know the 20% of members bringing you 80% of your financial results!  Easy areas of concentration include when reflecting back on 2021 include:

• Members that had the highest number of Guest Rounds
• Members that referred the most members
• Highest annual spend in food and beverage
• Highest annual spend in retail overall

These quick lists could allow you, or another member of your team, to give those members on these lists a little extra attention early in 2022:

• Personal phone call to your top 100 members in each category- this is easy, and strengthens the relationship these members have with the club
• Small gift or club credit to members that spend above a defined threshold
• Send them a specialized survey asking how you make change in 2022 to further improve their experience

Summary

You only have a short window of time to display your team’s engagement, attention to detail, and overall professionalism to your members and prospective members.  The earlier you check the items off this list, the better you’re able to impress those looking to interact with your club.
 

Want to know how our tools can help you grow your golf club? Send us an email today. 

For more information, please contact:

Lance Merrihew
707-779-2592

707-779-2592

Lance@totaleintegrated.com

About Total e Integrated

Total e Integrated is a leading provider of end-to-end business management solutions for recreation, retail, hospitality and community organizations. For over 20 years Total e Integrated has helped organizations to integrate departments, automate marketing, streamline operations and boost revenues with our innovative solutions and expert consulting services team.