I make a habit of collecting interesting marketing concepts that help golf courses differentiate themselves in these very competitive times.
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Some are gimmicks (a free hot dog and a Coke at the turn) and some are gold (offering free green fees for the rest of the year to any individual who books a good-sized corporate outing). Some are good and some aren’t, but I admire any new promotion a facility tries to attract or keep players … other than discounting. No one wins in a price war.
I came upon one idea recently that really grabbed me because it directly tackles one of the most common objections golfers raise: speed of play.
Bowling Green Golf Club in Jefferson Township, N.J., proclaims itself as “the home of the four-hour round.” And, they can prove it, according to their Web site (www.bowlinggreengolf.com/page/514-20788.htm).
They timed every round in one of their busiest months, August, and the average was four hours and three minutes.
According to general manager Bruce Salmon and the club’s Web site, here’s how they’ve accomplished this admirable goal:
- A facilitywide and staffwide commitment to faster play;
- Wider landing areas;
- Tree removal;
- Clearing underbrush;
- 10-minute starting intervals;
- No split starts (first tee starts only); and
- Trained marshals who enforce speed-of-play guidelines from the second hole on.
“It’s hard to tell how much impact the program has had on rounds because we’ve had horrible weather this year,” Salmon says. “But the feedback from players has been overwhelmingly positive. It helps to separate us from the competition in the area.”
In an age when many family-owned facilities like Bowling Green are struggling, this course took a hard look at how they could create a niche, did everything they could to implement a successful program and then marketed the hell out of it through public relations and word-of-mouth.
How can your facility do the same? GCN
Pat Jones is president of Flagstick, LLC.