Private Golf Course Turnaround – John Brown’s Hybrid Solution
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The Private Club Model Isn’t for Everyone Anymore
KPI Golf’s John Brown discusses a special private golf club turnaround in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
This private club had been operating as a private golf course for over 30 years until the club was beginning to lose members.
The net loss of members was caused by standard attrition and people aging out of the system, but the club’s mistake was that there was no marketing structure in place to replace them.
Data-Driven Decisions are Key
John and his team began with some exhausting market research and an analysis of the club’s “play footprint”. He quickly realized that 94% of the club’s member rounds were being played on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
By virtue of the data John and his team was able to compile, they were able to achieve buy-in with the club’s ownership that changes needed to be made. They bought the club and elected to covert the structure to a unique hybrid system.
The club was private on Tues, Thurs, and Sat…and open to the public on the other days. This wonderful solution meant that almost all members were given their preferred times on preferred days. Filling in the gaps with outside play brought a tremendous revenue windfall for the club.
Today the club is thriving.
Devil is in the Details
In this conversation, John gets into some of the details of the execution of this plan and how staffing played a pivotal role in the club’s transition.
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