Wheeling, W. Va./Horsham, Pa. - LRA Worldwide CEO Rob Rush served as an instructor at the National Institute of Golf Management last week at the Oglebay Resort & Conference Center in Wheeling, W. Va. Rush, an expert in the growing field of Customer Experience Management, specifically as it relates to the golf industry, taught a class titled "How legendary golf brands create a unique customer experience" for a group of industry professionals.
The NIGM was created by the National Golf Foundation to provide an avenue for golf management professionals to "enhance and develop excellence in golf industry leaders through comprehensive curriculum combined with faculty and colleague interaction," according to the organizational mission statement.
Rush spoke at the Institute meeting last year, and was invited back for his insights into the industry provided by his firm's consulting work with the PGA TOUR's Tournament Players Clubs and Troon Golf, among others.
"In an era of predominantly flat-growth or recession for the golf industry, golf course managers are looking for any edge to distinguish themselves in a crowded marketplace with a serious supply and demand imbalance," Rush says. "Many operators - and this is not just in the golf industry - are recognizing service and customer experience as a way to separate themselves from the pack. Providing your members and guests with a consistent, exceptional customer experience is the single best pathway to developing lasting, profitable relationships. Nobody, not even courses with the PGA Tour brand attached to them, can expect to sit back, kick open the gates, switch on the golf carts and expect a run on tee times. The build-it-and-they-will-come model has long since passed."
Other topics covered at the Institute included "personality profiling and character traits," "successful marketing concepts," "women in golf," and "deciding when and what to renovate." The content was geared to course owners, investors, managers and superintendents.
Rush's presentation emphasized that exceptional customer experience need not only apply to luxury properties, as LRA's research has indicated that course conditions constitute only a few of the key drivers of golfer satisfaction. In contrast, eight of the top 10 post-round satisfaction drivers were based on service elements of the experience.
"Someone can always build a nicer course, with a bigger-name architect, on a more desirable piece of land," Rush said. "Something that everyone in the golf industry can concentrate on, from municipal courses, to high-end daily fee courses to private clubs, is the experience at their particular property. And that, ultimately, is what's going to keep the golfers coming back."
