JOY TO YOUR WORLD

Happy Holidays to you.  Saying that and looking at the post title, you are assuming this is a post for the season….it is not.  This is a post about the game and what it means to the many golfers who play it.  As we get older we realize that life at times is a great challenge.  Sometimes the challenge lasts for weeks, sometimes many years.  When people face deep, fierce issues in life, they may turn to golf in order to get away from those problems, or just to breath some new air for a few hours.  Although golf as an industry has upped our service game over the years, I think we need to do more.  I believe we need to get to know our customers in a deeper way.  Creating value through relationships is a way your people can form the connection that not only brings people back to your club, but maybe more frequently.

  For some, golf is a game for a regular group of friends who take part of a day away from the job and other pressures to spend on your property.  Others come to the club to be with a child or grand-child, paying their love forward.  Still others come to the club to escape the deep challenges that surround them.  The point is there are many, many reasons people play.  The one common theme I believe, is the need to find joy.  Here are 5 thoughts about creating a joyful experience:

1. Create a service structure that is more than about up-selling
2. Teach your team how best to approach golfers, and develop questions to ask.  Let’s develop a human bond
3. Build FUN into the daily experience.  Golf is a game, and our role is to make the golfer feel valued and happy while on property
4. Put joy at the top of the “to-do” list for the entire staff.  Include this topic in every  staff meeting
5. It is important to have the entire team understand the mission and to work in synch, as a group, establishing an attitude that makes the golfer feel good about your club.

  As we move into a new year, getting to know your golfers better can be a great thing for those issues we face as an industry: adding rounds and golfers.  Let’s build a framework of joy around the club, be extraordinary when it comes to approach and attitude…….and watch the rounds grow.  We don’t know why your golfers are on the tee sheet today, so maybe it’s time to find out and add some extra joy to their world.

Happy Holidays!

Jack Dillon writes the highfives post.  He is a merchant, a speaker, and a lover of the game.  You can reach Jack at 407-973-6136, or at highfives81@yahoo.com.