2007 marked the start of the global economic crises, which in-turn was the catalyst of a decreasing number of individuals taking membership at clubs. Since then, the club industry has suffered, with the variable of weather worsening the crises. Although the majoruty of clubs are struggling and good financial management critical to keep clubs operating, there are some clubs that are investing wisely, creating unique selling points which in-turn increases membership sales.
One club that has invested wisely is Reigate Hill Golf Club….
2007 marked the start of the global economic crises, which in-turn was the catalyst of a decreasing number of individuals taking membership at clubs. Since then, the club industry has suffered, with the variable of weather worsening the crises. Although the majoruty of clubs are struggling and good financial management critical to keep clubs operating, there are some clubs that are investing wisely, creating unique selling points which in-turn increases membership sales.
One golf club that has invested for a successful 2013, attempting to gain more of its local market share is Reigate Hill Golf Club.
Process of creating the Unique Selling Point;
The management at Reigate Hill Golf Club were looking for a way to improve their services and products and gain a unique selling point over their competitors. They then conducted an audit on the clubs strengths, weaknesses and potential openings. This was seen by the management staff as critical as it brought all ideas forward to come to a concluding direction all stakeholders of the club wanted to take; to be a stand out facility for golf excellence.
After establishing the direction and current position of the club, the management put a business plan together for the type of academy they wanted and with it, the type of PGA professional they wanted to run it. This highlights the importance of choosing the right PGA professional.
After making the Head Professional redundant, the club put a contract to tender for PGA Pros to put a business plan to the club, detailing what they could bring and what the club could expect. The contact eventually went to a team of Pro’s from the Burhill Golf Club, led by Hugh Marr (England U18 led coach). After taking their ideas on board, and working together, they designed a set of new facilities in stages of investment.
The next stage was the employment of a retail manager to run the Golf Shop which eliminated a previous problem the club faced, the head professional splitting his time between retail management at the Pro-shop and coaching. Now, the club had a fully employed retail manager, concentrating his full efforts on maximizing shop revenue. With the employment of both a team of PGA professionals and a golf retail manager, the golf club benefits from more available coaching hours and enhanced revenue from golf retail.
Problems Faces;
The biggest problem the Reigate Hill Golf Club faced when installing their new practice facilities and golf excellence plan was the weather, decreasing revenue collected from golf sales. This made the money for investment limited at times, with Mike Ducker, General Manager at the golf club underpinning the importance of managing the cash flow, stating it was critical to the success of the project.
Benefits so far;
Mike Ducker, General Manager of the Reigate Golf Club;
“We (Reigate Hill Golf Club) are now hosting a Nike Rookie Tour event along with the under 16 County Championships. We also have the England Girls, Surrey under 14s and, the under 18 South England squad running their monthly sessions here. None of which we would now hold without the improved facilities. The cherry on top is that Paul Casey now practices here when he is around. We’ve gained extra rental revenue from the Pros and the county squads who now practice here, not to mention a dozen or so new members directly because of it.”
Advice;
Mike Ducker explains that the key to mimic this success is the employment of quality PGA professionals. The Reigate Golf Club is fortunate to have some “truly top class” PGA professional coaches who have a genuine drive to succeed. The combination of golf clubs and PGA professionals vision is a critical relationship to achieve success in providing an excellent facility to develop, improve and cater to the elite golfers.
If you wish to mimic this example of success, please contact the CMAE.
