Running a golf course is no joke. Especially with golf courses seeing consistent declines in profitability (aside from a 2012 surge), running a successful golf course is getting increasingly difficult. With the generational shifts occurring, trends are changing, as are tastes and lifestyles. That being said, there are many things golf clubs can do to increase profitability. Different clubs, whether they’re private or public, high-end or more affordable, will have different strategies that will work. Here are some general tips to improve your golf course management in this modern day.

Be Social

As old school as golf can get, we need to make an effort to get with the times. The declining interest in golf isn’t just a coincidence: traditional models of marketing and past clientele are not going to sustain your revenue or your growth. Hitting new demographics is essential with the boomer population aging. There are many ways to be effective on social media and you don’t have to sacrifice your brand or voice. In 2015, visuals are more effective than just words but it can be hard to get started, if you don’t know what you’re doing. Check out our previous blog post on using photos on social media to get a jolt in the right direction.

Create Community and Culture

High priced memberships and exclusivity are a thing of the past. While Baby Boomers often valued these two traits, the younger generations favor value and inclusivity. Host great events and create a culture for your golf course as a place to connect with others and have a good time. Be personable and cultivate a culture of inclusivity; be kind to the younger generations and get them interested in the sport of golf. While creating community isn’t the simplest thing to do, our previous blog post on building a community effectively should help you on your way.

Market to the Younger Generations 

If you’re thinking about current profits, let alone longevity, marketing to the younger generations is essential. Millennials make up about a quarter of our population and they’ve now surpassed Gen X as the largest generation in the American labor force. They’re the generation you’re going to have to wrangle, if you want to boost your revenue: especially if you want it to be continuous or sustained growth. Knowing what this generation likes can help you make small changes to your golf course management strategies that will help you survive these times. According to a Forbes article, How Golf Lost the Millennials, the biggest reasons millennials don’t play golf are because it is too time consuming, exclusive, lacking in diversity, expensive, and too complicated in its rules.

Evolve the Game…to a Degree

Staying true to the game is incredibly important; the love of the sport is why we do what we do. That being said, adding drills and exercises that can be fun on their own can be very effective. Find or – even better – create exercises and drills that people can play with other friends. For example, a golf shooting range can have contestants earn points depending on where their balls land in the driving range. It’s a great way to increase the instant gratification levels of fun, while being a great way to improve golfers’ accuracy. It also takes away the time consumption of playing an 18-hole course and the lower price point can also help more people play: people who are more likely to play in larger groups. Once an interest in golf is created, you have more of a chance to convince them to play the traditional game in its full glory. Adapting and staying agile is key to present day golf course management.

Looking for some help running with golf course management? Our cloud-based enterprise management software can give you a hand with the heavy lifting. Check out our secure, cloud-based platform here and run your golf course more efficiently and cost effectively.

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