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.

How to Run a Successful Golf Membership Drive

As one of the premier golf course operations companies in the Carolinas, we get asked a multitude of questions on what makes your golf membership drives so successful at your semi-private and private country clubs? As you can imagine this is not a simple answer, but here are simple tips that assist our company in providing clubs with a competitive advantage.

1. Customer Service: As elementary as this may seem this is the first factor that we look at as we enter into a club operation. When you enter the doors at one of our managed clubs, you feel a sense of belonging, and your asked "how may we serve you today?". This immediate sense of importance that the potential member/member experiences is a key success factor in creating/maintaining a successful golf membership drive. Every task we perform, we are asking our clubs how does this effect our membership? You never miss customer service until you are not receiving it. We make those around us simply feel like they are our only "customer", and that they are the reason we are here.
2. Market Yourself: Utilize the current membership as a means to achieve your maximum exposure of potential new members. Find yourself "raving fans", or "cheerleaders" to influence your membership into helping the club grow. These are key people in your membership or staff that truly have a unique passion for your organization and would like to see it grow to it's full potential. Use social media as a site specific marketing tool to capture a completely diverse market share that you normally would not be able to penetrate. Most people fail to see the inherent value of social media and how it allows you to connect to your consumer.
3. Communication & Follow Through: You must be a high level communicator. The majority of the clubs that we manage, in our initial evaluation one department is never talking to the other. This creates a wide array of challenges for not only your staff but also your membership and is a reason why members are resigning from your club. The staff fails to follow through with the member because they are either un-aware or do not care. Either way it has already set you up for failure. Develop a problem and action sheet, where a problem is recorded on one end and an action on the other to help ensure these things to go unattended.
4. Accountability: Holding the clubs staff accountable for what tasks they are performing is a key success factor. You cannot manage what you cannot measure. Measure everything you do as a means to improve yourself and those around you. The majority of clubs we walk into haven't had a P&L in "X" months, who are completely unaware of their current financial status.
5. Totality: Having a successful membership drive or club turnaround initiative, is not a any "one thing". It is a complete overhaul of operations, evaluation & training of staff, and customer service revamp. You cannot just do one thing great and expect others to follow, everything must be executed with excellence.

Our business model includes all of the above information and much more. We have proven strategies and methods that are effective in turning clubs around into profit centers. With our staff we have over 175 years of golf course operations experience. We use marketing methods that work and draw members in to each of our clubs. As elementary as these tips may seem, it is often the most simple things we need to do to keep a customer!

5 Helpful Tips for the New Golfer by J.M. Soden

#1 - Leave the Mechanics on the Range

The development of an effective golf swing takes time and a lot of practice. However, fine-tuning and adjusting your swing mechanics are best left at the range. When on the course, you want to feel as natural as possible when making a swing. That requires fluid movement in your hips and weight transfer to generate power and consistency. If your swing mimics a robotic version of connect the dots, you will lose power, accuracy and any flow of consistency in your game. Before each shot, take a deep breath and let your muscles remember what you've done on the range. Don't think about it, just relax and hit the ball. In addition to resulting in a more enjoyable round, you will also likely speed up your game and alleviate some of the pressure that comes when golfers behind you are peering over your shoulder.

#2 - Learn the Basic Rules

Golf is a game of honor and integrity. The lengthy rule book may be intimidating, but it is vital to the sport. Familiarize yourself with the basic rules of golf before taking a course. This not only includes stroke counting and penalties, but also proper etiquette. Don't worry about memorizing every rule in the book. If playing with more experienced golfers, rely on their knowledge of the rules to help you out. The more you play golf, the more familiar your understanding of the rules will become. Carry a rule book in your bag, should any unusual circumstances arise, but for the most part you should concentrate on hitting the ball straight and counting your strokes.

#3 - Invest in a Decent Set of Clubs

Your uncle's hand-me-down set of golf clubs might have been a nice gesture, but technology in golf clubs has come a long way in the past 20 years. Attempting to play golf with real woods and rusted blade irons might trigger a sense of nostalgia, but it also might frustrate you so much that you may run for the hills. Check sporting goods stores for starter sets or basic golf sets. There is no need to invest in a premier tour-level set of clubs until you know that you enjoy the game, but purchasing a nice set of woods and irons will help you hit the ball more consistently and possibly farther than your uncle's old set that you found in the garage.

#4 - Avoid Over-Swinging

Over-swinging is easily the most common flaw in swings of new golfers. The natural tendency to want to crush the ball usually results in more harm than good. It also frequently results in players lifting their heads early and slicing, doffing or completely missing the ball. At the range, I've often heard that ignoring the yard markers is a cure for over-swinging, as if the markers serve to entice a player to swing harder. Instead, try swinging your hardest and see how far the ball actually goes. Make sure you notice how far right or left the ball strays from your target as well. Then, concentrate on keeping your eye on the ball and taking an easy swing. Bring the club back and focus on making contact with the ball on your downswing. You might be surprised at how accurate and far the ball will travel with your seemingly effortless swing.

#5 - Always Plan Two Shots Ahead

As a new golfer, your primary focus is probably just attempting to hit the ball closer to the hole than the shot before. However, you can do yourself a favor if you can plan in advance. For example, consider a dogleg right fairway. If you hit the ball down the right side of the fairway, you will be closer to the hole on your second shot, but your path may be blocked by a row of trees. However, keeping the ball on the left side of the fairway presents you with a longer second shot, but gives a straight shot at the flag. In many cases, a golf course does not necessarily award the player who hits the ball the farthest, but rather the player that manages the course the best.