For many decades, golf was viewed as the sport of the wealthy, and belonging to a local club was a badge of prestige. These days, that is no longer entirely true. People from all walks of life love the sport, and enjoy being out in the open, walking in beautiful surroundings. Also, in some areas there is an over-supply of clubs. Thus, nowadays, the old idea of careful selection as to who could join and who should be excluded from a certain club – because only a chosen few could be admitted – has given way to the situation where many clubs are actively seeking new membership in an effort to keep their clubs profitable.
The changing situation with respect to golf club management
Running a golf club is a multi-faceted and complex business. The number one priority is to ensure that the actual course – the fairways and greens – are in excellent condition. Upkeep is expensive, but players won’t keep paying higher green fees for a course that isn’t in mint condition. Golf courses require a lot of land, and are subject to constantly increasing costs. Those clubs that continue to try to run their businesses along the lines that worked last century, may find that they are in danger of going out of business. Just like any other enterprise, golfers are looking for different services, and clubs need to keep up with their changing customer profiles. It’s becoming important to look at the needs of today’s golfers, at loyalty programs, and others way to keep customers joining and staying with a particular club.
Introducing successful golf club management
As much as concentrating on the condition of the course is highly important, first and foremost a club needs to be a profitable business. Thus, the management team needs to be aware of all facets that must be in place to run a successful concern. For example, cost cutting and cash flow, proper budgeting, as well as a well-trained and highly motivated team are pre-requisites for success.
For many golf clubs, a strategic plan involved keeping the actual clubhouse in good condition, and ensuring that the grounds staff members were good at their jobs. Little attention was paid to areas such as food and beverage, with many clubs believing that it was impossible to run these areas at a profit. Instead, food was provided as a requirement to satisfy members. This is just one area where proper management and an understanding of how all the moving parts of a golf club fit together, with each part needing to be managed properly and to maximum benefit of the club.
Golf club management is highly complex, and only the best run clubs will survive in a tough economy. Get in touch with Paradigm Golf Group for further information.
