Golf Course Tours

How has this idea enhanced your club's operation, etc.?

Several weeks prior to our golf course opening after renovations, we set up the Golf Course Tours Event for our membership. The golf course was closed from April 1 until Labor Day, and it was tough for our membership to lose access for the entire summer. In addition, the Club welcomed a new Head Golf Professional just 2 days prior to the Club Tours event, and 2 weeks prior to the course re-opening. This event was a great way to introduce the new head professional, while educating our membership on the changes made to the course and how it will better affect their play and our course.

How was this idea implemented, and what have been the club members' reactions?

The Club set up 3 tours from 4pm-8pm on a Thursday afternoon. Each tour began at the cart staging area with light hors d’oeuvres and a bar for our membership to enjoy while preparing to travel the course. The membership then loaded into golf carts to follow our team around the course to several holes of the renovation that our team felt most impressive to hear about the process from the Architect, General Manager, our Superintendent, and our new Head Golf Professional.

The membership’s reactions were overwhelmingly positive. The tours sold out in a matter of 24 hours, and we had to add an additional two tours the following week to accommodate the members that were unable to reserve a cart. After a summer of our membership staying off the course, this helped to get them re-energized and excited about the course and practice range re-opening, rather than focusing on how long the course had been closed. An additional bonus included the membership stopping into our Tavern for dinner before or after their tour, which boosted our food and beverage sales for the day.