10 Ways to Bring More Visitors to Golf Clubs

With the promise of warmer (and drier!) weather on the horizon, the thoughts of many golfers will be turning towards the courses they may want to visit as the year progresses.

But how do you choose the courses you want to play, and what should they be doing to attract your business?

Website

Regular readers will know that I have a real bee in my bonnet about the quality of golf club websites. In this day and age there is absolutely no excuse for having a clunky, outdated website. At the very least, clubs should now be providing a hole-by-hole guide, a course flyover and a section dedicated to visitors. If you find none of these things it probably tells you everything that you need to know about the course.

It is a simple and relatively cheap process for golf clubs to arrange a drone flyover of their course. It is even easier to provide a straightforward hole-by-hole guide - these should be minimum requirements.

So the first thing I suggest is that you do an internet trawl of the area you plan to visit and check out the quality of the websites. And don’t just check out the course - have a look at the pro shop, the clubhouse, the menu, the practice facilities. You should also check out reviews. Visiting golfers will always tell you exactly what they found, warts and all. If there are lots of negative reviews there is always a good reason.

Social Media

Courses that really want to attract visitors will be active on social media, regularly posting updates about their course, telling would-be visitors about special offers, open days and suchlike. In 2024, this should not be an "added extra" - it should be a requirement that is recognised by every club in the land.

The Welcome

First impressions are everything. When you walk into the pro’s shop, you want to see somebody with a smile on their face, an individual who makes you feel welcome. 

All too often, golfers report that they are greeted as if they were lepers. The best courses will ensure that the club pro greets you with a smile, asks whether you have played the course before and, crucially, give you some advice about how best to tackle the nine or 18 holes you are about to play. 

If you feel that they are only interested in taking your money, don’t go back - and take the time and trouble to hit social media or the club’s own website to let other golfers know how your experience went. And, of course, if you had a good time and a warm welcome, you should be singing that from the rooftops too.

Green Fees

This, of course, is the most thorny subject of all and golf clubs the length and breadth of the land have a difficult balancing act to perform. 

When we visit a golf course, none of us want to feel that we are being ripped off. So what represents good value for money? It is fair to say that not many of us would begrudge paying £30-£50 for 18 holes, but an alarming number of clubs are now routinely asking visitors to fork out in excess of £100 for the "privilege" of playing their course. 

If you are being asked to pay a three-figure sum you really need to do some research beforehand, and there are many ways of doing this. Your starting point should be checking out the course reviews here on Golfshake. This will tell you how much you can expect to pay, whether our team believe it represents value for money and will give you an honest view of the course in question. 

There is a huge amount of competition out there to attract your business. Golf clubs that want you should be offering a deal that includes coffee and a bacon sandwich and a meal when you finish. And this really need not cost you an arm and a leg.

Tee Times

If you are a golf club manager and need to attract visitors to help balance the books this is another tricky area. You don’t want to upset your members by offering peak-time tee times to visitors but at the same time you also need to keep some decent times available for visitors. If you are searching for a course and find that there are never any morning times available then it might be a course to avoid.

Driving Range

Check out the driving range in advance if you can. Good clubs will be happy to post lots of images. You really don’t want to turn up and discover that the mats are threadbare, the balls are like bits of stone - and you are charged a fortune. In fact, the best clubs should be offering you a bucket of balls as part of your package. Managers, please take note!

The Weather

There are some courses you simply shouldn’t go near if there has been a sustained period of rainfall. The best clubs will be happy to tell you about the condition of their course - and whether all 18 holes are open, with proper tees and greens. If it has been wet, check in advance that you will be able to use your trolley. For some of us, being told that we have to carry our bag is a non-starter. 

Buggies

If you need to use a buggy, check in advance that one is going to be available - and that the cost of hiring it for 18 holes is not prohibitive. I have seen clubs charging upwards of £30 for buggy rental - and that is surely too much when it comes on top of having to pay a substantial green fee. Bear in mind that most golfers who use buggies do so because they have no choice due to physical limitations.

Food

Another one of my bugbears is golf clubs that serve food you wouldn’t give to your dog. In 2024, it is inexcusable. The menu should offer good, wholesome food at reasonable prices. Since returning to the game this year, I have been appalled at the prices some clubs charge for a pint of beer - how can anybody justify charging around £7? They can’t! Period.

Clubhouse

The clubhouse and changing rooms will always tell you a lot about the course. If they are shabby and rundown, the odds are that the course will be too. If the changing rooms and toilets are fresh and gleaming then you can expect everything else to be too.

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