It’s no secret that the business of golf is going digital.
Thousands of North American golf courses use electronic tee sheets, point of sale software, online booking and other operational tools that are reshaping golf’s tech landscape.
But with golfers increasingly turning to digital channels to discover golf courses, engage with brands and seek out great booking experiences, is your facility committing enough time and resources to building a strong online presence fueled by digital marketing?
Let’s look at prevailing trends, survey responses from golfers across North America and data gathered from golf facilities using Lightspeed’s Digital Marketing Solutions to see why building a strong online presence is so important for revenue-focused golf facilities.
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Why does your online presence matter?
Consider the various parts of your facility for a moment: the golf course, the practice area, the clubhouse, the pro shop, the restaurant, beverage cart service, non-golf amenities and more.
All of these components work together to create an overall impression of your facility that golfers internalize and recall down the line. Your course’s online presence works the same way: it is the cumulative total of all online touchpoints golfers can have with your golf course.
From email marketing and social media accounts to your website, app, search results and more, these online touchpoints work together to create a holistic impression. The more effective these touchpoints are, the better chance they have at driving awareness, bookings and brand loyalty.
Where does digital marketing come in?
Digital marketing is an umbrella term used to describe all the tactics involved in building your online presence. If your online presence is defined by the sum of its parts, then your digital marketing executions are the parts themselves.
Why now is the time to embrace digital marketing
Recreational golf is on an unprecedented run of momentum. Participation has surged among key demographics ever since the pandemic drove more people to get out and try the game. This is especially true among 18-34 year olds, who make up the game’s largest customer age segment.
Crucially, golfers in this 18-34 age range have grown up with the internet and leverage digital marketing daily to discover brands, inform purchasing decisions, and book and pay for goods and services.
These golfers also represent your customer base of the future. Resonating with these customers through timely, tailored digital marketing efforts is key to generating awareness, building their trust, winning their business and becoming a course they want to play again and again.
Additionally, the dynamics of how golfers book tee times has changed.
With a majority of golfers now booking online, having a user-friendly online booking system is critical for revenue-focused golf facilities.
That said, offering online booking is only one part of the equation. Another challenge is driving golfers to your booking page as often as possible, via as many avenues as you can.
This is where a digital marketing strategy comes in: it helps you drive web traffic to your website’s booking page from emails, social media posts, ads, search results, etc. Expanding your online presence in this way creates more opportunities for golfers to find and book rounds.
Data-driven digital marketing
Finally, a major advantage of marketing via digital platforms like Lightspeed Golf, Facebook, Instagram and Google is how they make it easier for golf course operators to access objective metrics on what worked, what didn’t and why.
Data-fueled digital marketing can help you hone in on specific goals, track performance and make data-driven adjustments to the tactics that matter most to your facility.
Lightspeed’s digital marketing solutions helps courses drive growth
Golf facilities are demanding, fast-paced businesses, making it difficult for operators to commit the necessary time, capital and resources to improve their online presence.
This is why it makes so much sense to partner with a team of golf marketing experts that can help you execute across different channels and make data-backed decisions to improve your marketing over time.
Diving into the data
We looked at year-over-year (YOY) data2 from over a hundred different courses across North America that use Lightspeed’s Digital Marketing Solutions (DMS). The data indicates that the longer courses are live with DMS, the more success they have in driving engagement, sales and bookings.
This is especially true for facilities located in the northern parts of the USA and Canada who went live with Lightspeed’s DMS during the off-season: October, November and December.
Starting off right
With their season underway, northern courses that were live with DMS between 90 and 180 days saw a 155.7% increase in Facebook reach and a 505.9% increase in web sessions.
In that same period, northern courses saw a 11.9% increase in total sales, and a 13.9% increase in customers.
Performance stayed strong as their digital programs matured
Northern courses that were live with DMS between 90 and 270 days saw a 24% increase in total sales, a 21.7% increase in customers and a 30.5% increase in rounds over the previous year’s data.
Finishing strong
This growth trend continued with northern courses who were live with DMS between 90 and 363 days, with rounds, sales, green fees and customers all up year-over-year.
It’s time to put your facility out there
Diving into the world of digital marketing can feel daunting, especially in light of the day-to-day demands placed on operators and their teams. But by using the right golf management software and working with golf marketing experts, golf course operators can save time, stay focused on customer experiences and access the insights they need to stand out online and separate from the competition.
Lightspeed Golf’s transformative features can help golf courses deliver amazing customer experiences. Find out more at lightspeedhq.com/golf
[This post is sponsored by Lightspeed.]
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- Lightspeed Survey Data: This information is derived from the results of a June 2024 Lightspeed-conducted survey of more than 300 North Americans, using third party survey vendor User Testing.
- Lightspeed DMS Course Data: This data compares the year-over-year total sales, occupancy, social media reach and website engagement of North American golf courses fully operational with Lightspeed’s Digital Marketing Solutions (DMS) service for the period of July 1, 2022 to September 11, 2024. Data accuracy is subject to user entry.
