The three keys: people, product and the feeling

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There are many positive values that will drive people to your property. There are also dozens of things that will drive them away, possibly never to return. This post is not going to focus on the dozens of mundane items. It instead will focus on three things that are the most important items to drive success for your property. Why, you ask, would I focus solely on three details that will bring golfers to your 1st tee all season long? Because they are what matter to your golfers.

As you work to maintain the success of the past two years, there is the need to consider the outside world, specifically the economy beyond your door. The world is more expensive. It is now even downsizing, with people being moved off of some payrolls. It is beginning to sound far too normal, and that is not so great for the business of golf moving forward. In considering all of the reasons why people play, and why they might play more, there needs to a tight focus. Let’s then focus on those areas that make sense to your economy: your people, your golf course, and the feeling golfers feel when they are out chasing the ball between your foul poles:

1)      It is essential to treat people right. Put people into the position where they can do their best work and become happy doing it. It is time to be on-purpose with developing people and providing incentives based on their sweat equity, combined with your growth. People treated well will pay it forward. Those not treated well will also follow your lead.

2)      The answer is the golf course. No matter your sales targets, the size of the restaurant or the amount of merchandise sold, the product is the golf course. It is the reason people come to see you, to lay down their credit card. Do all you can to make the property green and then easy to play—yes, easy to play. Making pars with a birdie thrown in is memorable. Losing balls while shooting a zillion, not so much.

3)      It is about thefeeling. Golfers come to play because they love to play. Sure, it can be an escape, a place to go to avoid the world. However, golfers come because they want to play, to test their mettle, to improve over their last best score. When your team sets up the day for good golf, moving to the side, your golfers will appreciate the experience and the freedom it provides. Thefeeling is what can bring them back. It is why they play. 

To focus on these three areas means to excel in what drives satisfaction. To have a team that is all about service, a golf course that is green, uncluttered and easy to play, can provide the last of the three attributes: a grand feeling, combined with the feeling of wanting to come back to play. When the team knows the mission and has skin in the game,there is reason to execute. Share the mission and then the rewards. It can all work in the great new circle of pushing success forward.

Jack Dillon writes the In My Opinion post. Jack is a consultant, coach, merchant and expert in all things golf. Jack is an author, now writing his second book, The Grand Tug of War: buying and selling in the real world. Jack can help you build a better team, improved service and better sales. He can also help your team communicate more effectively. Reach Jack at jackd@careerdividends.com. or at 407-973-6136. Jack lives in Orlando and on Zoom.