Country Clubs in Today's World...

In the last decade the country club industry has been witness to a multitude of changes that have adversely affected the way in which they “need” to operate. Poor economic conditions have created added competition for discretionary spending in the private country club industry. During the last several years many private club owners/stakeholders have been questioning the vitality of the industry as a whole. The truth is, the club industry is simply evolving as the consumers desires change.

The aged paradigm of “doing the same thing, and expecting different results” is behind this industry. Club operators and/or owners must align their specific departments with the lifestyle changes that members are seeking in today’s country club environment. How many private country clubs are integrating family activities into their calendar? How close are the leaders of these clubs to their membership? Are survey’s and focus groups being utilized as a resource to communicate to the general membership?

In order to create value for members, today’s private country club model must be operated as a “business”. Being able to identify profit and loss centers, is a key success factor to a change strategy. As economics play a role in competition for discretionary dollars, so does targeting the correct demographic for your membership. Country Clubs must market to younger generations through all aspects, to augment their current membership rosters and provide vision/sustainability for the future. Through purchasing power, employee share programs, and proven communication methods the administrative and fiduciary responsibilities of a club can be immediately improved with the correct ingredients.

Clubs are failing today for a multitude of different reasons and unsuccessful models. Using some of the ideas mentioned above will create a relevance bridge between the leaders and the general membership. The more relevant a club is to it’s members, the more frequency, and additional dollars will be spent. With the level of competition and proximity, top performing clubs will be those looking forward…

3 Tips to Increase Dining Activity...

The majority of the clubs that we support are losing money in the Food & Beverage operation. In the dining operation of a country club in any market, as you always hear, customer service is a key success factor. You need to "sweat the small stuff"! Coming from the hotel industry, where we serviced anywhere from 4,000 to 6,000 different individuals a month, to the country club industry where we service the same "400" each month, the dynamics are quite different. Even though some of the learning & principles may be blended, the customer retention aspects are completely different. Here are some easy tips which have enabled us to increase our dining participation in a short amount of time:

1.) Dining Survey's: allowing your customer's to participate in dining surveys gives them ownership & responsibility. You are in business to serve them, why wouldn't you give them what they are asking for? They provide the input, and you provide the results. You can survey your customers either while they are dining, or electronically after they choose to dine.

2.) Change the Menu: especially at a country club. Changing the menu frequently (once a quarter), is a wonderful way to allow your customers to experience something "new" and "exciting". Give your customers a variety of items to choose from, change cuisine, advertise it well through e-mail blasts and social media and watch your numbers grow!

3.) Say Thank You!: Some times the most important part of someone dining with you, is telling them thank you. You would be surprised, how much positive feedback you will receive when you tell your customers thank you. Compile a list of everyone who dines with you that day and send out an e-mail blast thanking them! You can offer them a coupon, tell them about future specials and more!

These are just simple tips to make your business atmosphere a better one. There are many ways to create an "experience" for your customer, however communication is the key success factor. Communicating to your employees and customers will be your largest asset when attempting to grow your business base.