I heard a report the other day that, in America, the average sized database for golf courses that actually collect the information is 750 names! That includes municipal courses that put through as many as 40,000 rounds. 750. That’s appalling. For an industry desperate about shrinking numbers of rounds, there is very little being done about engaging the current customer base and having them help build the business.
There is just so much you can do with a properly maintained database. You can run promotions. Promote your restaurant with specific theme nights. Offer discounts. Share golf tips. Engage in online contests.
The more information you have about your customers the better you can serve them. make sure you listen to their comments and act on those comments – if only to answer the queries. And think for a moment – if you were signed up to a database to a golf course and they knew your birthday and every year, on your birthday they sent you a gift of some sort (a commemorative ball, a hat, a complimentary cart for a round of golf), how would you feel?
Okay. Then just do it!
