A few days ago, I talked with Knight Schwandt (VP of Sales, Club Caddie) about how he sees golf clubs’ success in personalizing their services and making their marketing activities data-driven. You can read the details here.
Do golf clubs recognize the significance of data-driven marketing?
By now, I’m confident that every golf course operator has, at the very least, heard about the value and benefits of data-driven marketing. Using data to drive marketing isn’t anything new.
It’s been talked about for a long time, and as a direct result, the software companies and tools available to golf facility operators have gotten better than ever.
The software is more connected and easier to use, and there are more options today than there were a decade ago.
The biggest challenge facing golf course operators today isn’t whether or not they see value in data-driven marketing. The most common challenges are that they don’t have the right tools in place, they simply don’t have the time, and/or they haven’t prioritized capturing the data.
These are all things that Club Caddie will streamline for you.
To what extent & depth can golf club management software – like Club Caddie – help understand customers?
The reality is that no two golf operations are the same. That being said, when it comes to software to manage your facility, many great options are available with foreUP, Club Prophet, Eagle Club Systems, Lightspeed, and many others.
What we’ve done at Club Caddie that really sets us apart is we’ve focused on building a system that is simple enough for the clubs that have basic needs but also robust enough for the clubs that require a complex solution, all while having a single customer record that is tracked across your entire operation.
All at a reasonable and transparent price.
We often see non-integrated setups where the golf operation runs different software than the restaurant.
This means that you may know when I play and what I buy while I’m at the golf course, but you have no idea if I’ve ever stopped in the restaurant for any food or drinks or what my favorite meal or beverage is.
Club Caddie gives you that connectivity across the entire operation so you can fully understand your customers.
What price optimization techniques are most used by U.S. golf clubs in 2023? What would you advise to them?
I would estimate that 90% of all daily fee, semi-private, and off-course facilities across the U.S. have implemented price optimization in some way, shape, or form.
Common examples include off-season vs. peak-season rates, weekend vs. weekday pricing, prime time vs. twilight pricing, resident vs. non-resident pricing, etc.
My biggest advice is two-fold. First, know and understand your data. If you don’t know where to start, ask your GMS provider for help.
The more you know about your facility and market, the better you’ll be prepared to implement price optimization. And second, as an industry, we’ve spent much time focusing on dropping rates in under-utilized areas.
Price optimization doesn’t have to equal price degradation….don’t be afraid when the data tells you that you should increase rates in certain windows. Industry data is telling us that there is more money to be made.
Share examples of data-driven marketing strategies of golf clubs!
The more data you and your staff can capture, the more options you have to be strategic and targeted with your marketing campaigns.
Some of the more simple “set it and forget it” examples include birthday club, defector campaigns, lunch/dinner specials, thanks for stopping by, and so on…..
Very little data is needed, and you can have these running in the background, so as golfers meet certain criteria, they are automatically added to these segments.
Again, the more data you have, the more strategic you can be.
For example, every year, Titleist does a free personalization offer….so what better group to target than the golfers at your facility that you know have purchased Titleist golf balls from you?
Or if you’re running a special on Caesar Salads in the restaurant, what better group to market to than those who have purchased a Caesar Salad in the past?
The point I’m trying to make is this. If you have the right tools in place, the options for targeted data-driven marketing are unlimited.
What were the most interesting questions during the Golf Inc Strategies Summit 2023?
The Artificial Intelligence topic has recently been front and center across the globe, and the 2023 Golf Inc. Strategies Summit was no exception.
There was a lot of talk about AI and the role it will play within the golf industry in 2024 and beyond.
In reality, tools like ChatGPT are already in use today, helping operators craft email messaging and newsletters, writing emails to the customer base, and helping gather market and industry data.
Club Caddie has a lot of surprises in store for 2024 and beyond. Keep a close eye on our website as we share a recorded webinar and additional information about AI’s role in the future and what we’re doing to help you stay ahead of the technology curve.
How does Club Caddie help you create personalized customer journeys?
This all goes back to the data topic. Club Caddie was built through the lens of course operators. Our team uses the software daily to manage their club in Michigan, so we have the unique perspective of being on the other side of the counter every single day.
This has resulted in a feature-rich, all-in-one solution that tracks your customers from
- your website,
- through your golf shop,
- around the course,
- into the restaurant and
- back to the parking lot.
You know when they played, what they bought, how much they spent, what they ate and drank, and so on.
Now imagine a world where you had all of this data on each of your customers……imagine the possibilities to create memorable and very personalized experiences for those customers.
The reality is that this isn’t possible without having a fully functional end-to-end solution that makes capturing this data possible and easy.
At what conferences can we meet you and Club Caddie in 2023 and in 2024?
You can find us at all of the upcoming events listed below:
- 2023 Michigan Golf Course Owners Annual Business Conference | November 27th-29th, 2023, in Battle Creek, MI, at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel.
- 2024 NGCOA Golf Business Conference | January 22nd-24th, 2024, in Orlando, FL, at the Rosen Centre.
- 2024 PGA Merchandise Show | January 23rd-26th, 2024, in Orlando, FL, at the Orange County Convention Center
If you’re eager to see what Club Caddie golf club management software can do for you, click here to request a product demo.
This article is brought to you by Club Caddie.
