There are many helpful responses being submitted concerning Growth of the Game of Golf in Connecticut. We have identified many of the reasons for the drop in organized golf membership and the following are a few of the responses (in Blue Font) with names and club names omitted. We will post others in the future.
This is in response to your question about ideas to help grow golf. I am in my 2ND year of membership at a private club. Prior to joining I played at public courses mostly in SE Conn. I still play in 9 hole league once a week. I enjoy playing different courses but do not do as much traveling around as I did before. The things that are attractive about the club I belong to may help to answer your question.
1. Quality of the course - both layout and maintenance.
2. Cost controls - members own and run the club with a careful eye on not wasting the members money while not lessening the quality of the course.
3. Reputation of the course and the members.
4. Members are fun to play with.
5. Guest policy which permits me to continue playing with my old golf buddies.
6. Golf only - no pools or tennis courts.
7. Excellent professional staff and greens keeping crew.
8. Prospective members on the waiting list gain playing privileges.
9. Rules of conduct are established by the membership and are enforced.
The above club does not have a full-service restaurant and the kitchen is leased by a restaurateur. There is over a 12 year waiting list to join.
A big difference between my generation, the boomers, and the younger guys is they have much more responsibility for raising the kids.
I read your article on the changing golf industry. In it you made a point of attracting more women and minorities to grow the golfing middle class and help the private-club culture. But the real question is how does a minority or a woman find out about private clubs that are looking for members? Often times we, do not travel in the same circle as private club members, and these private club members don't play public courses. So, although you make a valid point, the real challenge will be to get the message out to the target audience.
Many private clubs are currently running some type of new member initiatives, but this golfer makes a great point - the word only goes to the club's current membership - if the membership is dwindling, or if members are displeased with the club's direction, why would they ask a friend to join?
Also, for the most part these "deals" are just not good enough if clubs truly want to grow membership. Reduced initiation fees or payments spread over time are just not good enough if the club still raises dues and increases restaurant minimums. The following is from a club that recognized their problems and really catered to their customers.
My background and training is in marketing and sales. So as President, mitigating losses due to the declining golf market was obviously a priority. Over the past four years I have studied the industry, our Club, our membership and our competition. We put several membership programs in place that I am happy to report have allowed us to retain and grow our membership. Our objective was to invest in retaining and building membership versus greens fee because members are weather proof. We also wanted to make our product attractive, but not give it away which is a problem that I see in the industry. The following is an example of our successful programs.
Young Executive (YE) program: In 2006, we only had eight members in our under 29 demographic. We developed and introduced the Young Executive program in 2007 to build what is virtually our future. For young men and women age 32 and under, we offered full membership for $1200. We also became very flexible in the payment plan by allowing them to pay $100/month. In the first year we attracted 40 new members. We also offered short workshops on contemporary business issues to the YE’s. The YE program has been a home run for many of the following reasons:
- We have a higher level of competition in our tournaments
- Our tournaments are more fully subscribed
- The YE’s may be getting a break on membership cost but they return it in their higher than average spend rate on food and beverage.
- We assigned a mentor to make sure each YE’s first year was stellar.
- We asked each YE to get involved in the Club in return for the low admission price. We just elected one of our YE’s to the Board.
- YE’s are great marketers. They continue to attract more membership to the Club than any other demographic.
This club also offers lunch and dinner to the public. The cost of lunch or dinnner is very reasonable. Another private club is offering a $1,600 membership to members 31 and under. No initiation, no minimums, no assessments and full playing privileges. The CSGA and GHIN offer eClubhouse websites at no charge to your club. This is a terrific tool for your club - easy to use - and gets your club's message out.
I thought the article hit all the key reasons for why clubs like mine seem to be losing traction. They have not changed with the times and are suffering for it, as the article states. I belong to a club in SC as well and I see some similarities in their problems. One is the quality of people who work at the club. In spite of programs that have been developed at the college level to train golf course managers, I see a major shortfall in the talent and creativity of those who run the clubs with which I am familiar. I travel to visit golf course communities across the southern U.S. and good quality service is more the exception than the rule.
Another major issue is cost to members, as your article points out. Because I spend a lot of time away from CT during the golf season my average cost per round has run as high as $450. I've often joked that I could play Pebble Beach a few times a year for the same price, airfare included. There is a tremendous lack of creativity in clubs on how to address this, and most of it goes to the notion (mistaken, I believe) that most people are willing to pay a ridiculous premium for the "private club" experience. But what is the "private club" experience if you can't just walk up to the course and get a game within 20 minutes or so, can't have food that is competitive with restaurants in the area, and can't be treated substantially different than you are at a high-end daily fee course? I think many clubs are trying too hard to put lipstick on the pig, and when pushed, all they do is try another color of lipstick. What is required is way-out-of-the-box thinking, not nibbling around the edges.
I am on the membership committee and I have proposed that we affiliate with local real estate agents representing sellers of houses. We would offer the sellers a discounted initiation fee that they could advertise to potential buyers, whether they are golfers or not. In this market, any distinction for sellers can't hurt in moving the house. If the buyer doesn't play golf, we can offer a social membership, or if they aren't interested at all, then they can handle that with the seller in the price negotiation. But if the buyer does spring for it, the seller wins (they have sold the house), the buyer wins ("free membership") and the club wins (new member and ongoing dues).
One additional thought, not very well formed on my part, but perhaps private northern and southern golf courses need to start considering affiliations where a member of both might pay just one set of dues (let the accountants figure out how to allocate). I pay something like $250 per month in SC and nearly $600 (with food minimum) in CT; I don't think people feel that is sustainable. But maybe $600 for both might save one of the clubs from losing me totally. Or maybe clubs can charge me only for the months I use the facilities. Something, as they say, is better than nothing.
I read your article and felt the need to reply.
In 2005 I joined a club for the first time in my career. It offered many advantages to “pay as you go” golf at public or semi-private courses.
I left the club after two years of membership as did my playing partners as did others that I knew casually. When I called to disengage, I was asked for specifics such as name, member #, etc. Not one mention of why or what can we do get you to reconsider. My thought was that this was a clerical position and the Pro would surely inquire into my leaving and discuss possibilities. Not only did I not get a phone call, but the 8 or so others who left did not either.
The club had a “good ol boy” air to it which filtered all the way through the assistants and head Pro. I think business as usual is no longer acceptable at courses such as the one I joined. Head Pros and their assistants need to become business minded and not just think about recruitment but also think about retention and how best to serve the customers of the course and how to keep them engaged and interested. Run the course like a business!
I don't usually wouldn't respond to these things, but I thought my
observations might be useful. I joined a club 5 years ago at
the insistence of a friend of mine who is a member. My wife was
pregnant at the time, and I was hoping to hold on to my membership,
so my son could get involved. I never felt like I was really a
member. Almost like a 'd' member. My wife never felt comfortable going
to the restaurant. The "old guard" obviously were the most important
members and it showed. The staff, everyone, knew the pecking order. I
understand that is somewhat understandable, but my dues were the same
as anyone else's. My initiation fee was accepted, why did I feel that
I was a second class member. I think clubs should make an effort to
not only to recruit new members, but also keep the ones they just
came aboard. Obviously, I am not a member any longer.
In respond to your article, I find that most golfers get bored with playing
the same course all the time and play different public/private courses to
change and challenges of different course conditions. They also look for
opportunities to playing private country clubs through tournaments or as a
guest of a member of that club because they either "can't afford memberships
and all amenities attached to it" or don't want to be tied down to playing
the same course".
My suggestion for Private Country Clubs is allowing non-members to play
their courses on Mondays or any other slow day at a time when the grounds
crew is mowing and working to maintain the course.
I believe the answers to you questions are within grasp. It is a
matter of asking your customers and having the courage to rethink the
business model such that you will get the recreational golfer more
invested. The model must address the eternal question: "What is in it
for me" and perhaps then we will see how more recreational golfers
(some of the 25 million) start paying monthly dues and getting more
serious about this game we all love.
I have a foreign membership in Northern Ireland where I've witnessed a member-club environment. Although I don't currently have a "country club" membership locally, I have seen enough of those locations to have an opinion on their operations compared to what I see overseas. Although the N Ireland course is private, you can make a tee-time (albeit at a high rate and restrictive times). Their restaurant is open to the public (it has a separate entrance). All of the courses in Ireland participate in competitive "Open Days" where the course has a competition open to all players with a handicap, similar to your CSGA One-Day tourneys. The difference is that these are held on a Saturday, and at what are normally thought of as private courses.
In summary, I think it would be helpful if: 1. Private clubs opened their facilities to public in limited form for dining, or competitive matches. 2. CSGA One-Day tournaments should be considered for weekend dates. 3. Courses should promote competitions and handicaps to grow the number of users that are part of the course's community, and then possibly membership.
