How to improve your (operations) score

Most golfers work to improve their scores with each and every round. They take lessons, practice, buy new equipment. They listen to friends, even though these friends will never help them shave a shot from their card. The point is so many golfers work very hard to improve their game, to improve their score. As a manager of a golf property, are you working to improve your score?  In what ways can you add rounds, increase the average ticket, get more golfers into your restaurant, increase outings and events, and in general sell more of everything?

Here we will look at ways for you and your team to improve your scores and the attitude members and guests have about your facility.  With the average golfer working hard on his/her game, can you do any less to provide an experience that will add members, add sales, build loyalty.  Here are five things to think about as you look to simply do more business:

1) Have a golf course that is easy to play. Why do people insist on creating golf courses for the greatest players when the role of the local golf course is to create fun, enjoyment, and a great day out.  Multiple tees, short holes, low rough, easy pin placements all can add up to more fun………and faster rounds

 2) Hire and keep nice staff. You and I can teach all aspects of running the golf operations but we cannot teach nice!  Your team drives the experience or they don’t. Please do not tolerate poor service, poor execution, or a poor attitude because hiring takes too much time and effort

 3) Teach sales: everyone on the team is in sales. No matter the department and no matter their role, anyone collecting a paycheck on your team should be in sales. Now teach all how to sell, how to promote all of your services, and how to upsell.  This is a 7-day exercise.  Never stop upselling

4) Do things competitors do not do. Think hard about cool and different things you would love to see when you play golf……write them down and go out and try them.  From free warm cookies, to free gift cards, to playing rounds with the pro and much, much more, keep thinking about things you would enjoy….and then swing away

5) As I mentioned at the beginning, golfers want to improve, and they sometimes go to great lengths to improve.  Develop an instruction program at your facility second to none.  Provide first class instruction at no or low cost.  It is fine to offer in a group setting and keep private instruction private, but the mission should be to help all play better for little money.  You can make a great deal more money with memberships, guests fees, and loyalty than you ever will from instruction. Bonus the teaching staff on rounds, # of members, or whatever benchmarks are that are most meaningful to you. When people play better golf, they play more golf.

One of your keys is to promote your property, promote every idea you have, and never stop.  People cannot buy what they do not know about.  Why not build a program based on creating a promotion(s), communicating the promotion(s) to staff, marketing the promotions(s) everywhere on property, on social media and on your web site.  Tell people why they should join your club.  Build a club filled with energy, fun, and especially the newness factor.  Create a good time every time and you may need to add parking.  Never allow your golfers to ask: “where’s the fun?”

Jack Dillon writes the highfives.  Jack is a speaker, consultant, and long-time operator. He has been in this industry for 45 years.  Contact Jack to speak to your team.  It is about getting better.  Reach Jack at 407-973-6136.  Jack lives in Orlando.