Golf club websites - any thoughts?

D Hayes

What do you think makes a good golf club website?

I'm trying to figure out how to make our club website more useful and to get people coming back to it on a daily basis.

Number 1, in my opinion, is that it needs to be updated frequently (daily) with course info and scores.

It probably needs to be updated weekly in relation to upcoming events, fixtures, open comps etc.

Photos always help - hole by hole run through, photos from social events etc.

For members, inter-club (Bruen etc.) team information would probably be useful.

How about a rules section, or a rule of the day? It's one of the most talked about subjects on this forum, so may work well.

For visitors, info on special offers, green fees, upcoming open/invitational comps are probably the first thing they would look for.

For potential members, what info would be useful here?

Any club sites doing the above well at the moment?

All comments welcome, thanks.

bustercherry

buysellswap wrote: »

What do you think makes a good golf club website?

I'm trying to figure out how to make our club website more useful and to get people coming back to it on a daily basis.

Number 1, in my opinion, is that it needs to be updated frequently (daily) with course info and scores.

It probably needs to be updated weekly in relation to upcoming events, fixtures, open comps etc.

Photos always help - hole by hole run through, photos from social events etc.

For members, inter-club (Bruen etc.) team information would probably be useful.

How about a rules section, or a rule of the day? It's one of the most talked about subjects on this forum, so may work well.

For visitors, info on special offers, green fees, upcoming open/invitational comps are probably the first thing they would look for.

For potential members, what info would be useful here?

Any club sites doing the above well at the moment?

All comments welcome, thanks.

First of all why does someone need to come back to it daily? IMO there is no valid case for me or any member to be on my club's website daily.

Also why does it need to be updated daily? It should only be updated when it is relevant.

Rippeditup

buysellswap wrote: »

What do you think makes a good golf club website?

I'm trying to figure out how to make our club website more useful and to get people coming back to it on a daily basis.

Number 1, in my opinion, is that it needs to be updated frequently (daily) with course info and scores.

It probably needs to be updated weekly in relation to upcoming events, fixtures, open comps etc.

Photos always help - hole by hole run through, photos from social events etc.

For members, inter-club (Bruen etc.) team information would probably be useful.

How about a rules section, or a rule of the day? It's one of the most talked about subjects on this forum, so may work well.

For visitors, info on special offers, green fees, upcoming open/invitational comps are probably the first thing they would look for.

For potential members, what info would be useful here?

Any club sites doing the above well at the moment?

All comments welcome, thanks.

Would you look at developing some social plugin's which can help make content more relevant (Twitter daily updates on the course conditions etc/Facebook photos updates). This also helps with the old Google ranking.

People use these services daily so fit into their browsing habits. As they say fish where the fish are.

PARlance

buysellswap wrote: »

What do you think makes a good golf club website?

I'm trying to figure out how to make our club website more useful and to get people coming back to it on a daily basis.

Number 1, in my opinion, is that it needs to be updated frequently (daily) with course info and scores.

It probably needs to be updated weekly in relation to upcoming events, fixtures, open comps etc.

Photos always help - hole by hole run through, photos from social events etc.

For members, inter-club (Bruen etc.) team information would probably be useful.

How about a rules section, or a rule of the day? It's one of the most talked about subjects on this forum, so may work well.

For visitors, info on special offers, green fees, upcoming open/invitational comps are probably the first thing they would look for.

For potential members, what info would be useful here?

Any club sites doing the above well at the moment?

All comments welcome, thanks.

Could I ask why the goal is to get more daily visitors to the website?

Don't mean to be harsh but I used my own clubs website for 2 things (at a push). Booking being 1, and the odd time I'll look through the scores (but I'd normally do this on howdidido)

As a visitor, I have been disappointed by a lot of golf clubs websites that I've been onto but it I have never once failed to book a round based on the website.

As a potential member, I didn't take much notice of the various websites either.

It's such a small country and most golfers playing the game could pretty much could rattle off the top, middle, bottom rung course in each county.

My point is that focusing on website improvements may cost time and money and I'd be surprised if it gets much of a return.

This has to be one of the worst golf websites I have come across but I am still dying to play the course.
http://www.theeuropeanclub.com/home.html

I think most clubs have the basics covered
Green Fees, Booking, Membership rates etc.

One thing I would say is that most golf courses could throw up a pdf of their course guide for visitors to have a look through. It'd be fairly cheap to do and "nice" for visitors to have a look at before the play. That said, with Apps such as Tour Caddie out there, you can see a hole by hole flyover on nearly every course in the country. So as I said, it's a nice to have.

That was a bit of a downer, apologies.

On a positive note, I think it'd be far better to turn your attention to social media such as facebook & twitter.
Now, these aren't going to bring new members or visitors flocking either, but facebook in particular is a good place for current members to interact and view photos etc.
It is also a window to the club open to many, and if I was joining a club and it had an active page with a bit of a buzz around it, it would factor (a small bit) into my decision.
You have a much better chance of getting peoples attention on FB rather than doing major work on a website and hoping you'll create an interactive community. I don't think any club in the country has a website that members are drawn to go back daily, and I think there's a good reason for that.

PARlance

Rippeditup wrote: »

Would you look at developing some social plugin's which can help make content more relevant (Twitter daily updates on the course conditions etc/Facebook photos updates). This also helps with the old Google ranking.

People use these services daily so fit into their browsing habits. As they say fish where the fish are.

^^^^This
(Could have saved myself all the waffle)

mike12

Would agree as long as it easy to book and the comp results( I hate clubs that don't post up open comp results) are up the only think i would look for if a fly over of the course, Carne has a super one. http://www.carnegolflinks.com/flyover.html
For my own clubs website think it is much the same, team news and comp results are all i would look at.

Mr. Larson

Content is King. Keep it updated like you say. Spend time on getting top quality static content (galleries, hole by hole preview etc. etc.) to ensure you're selling the course/club to visitors. Have a Members section and visitors section. Post Open results in the Open section so visitors can see the scores, do it promptly. Members section, ensure you have results which are updated promptly, preferably in table format as it's easier to read, include comp name, date, # of holes, tees of the day, player, handicap, score, CSS. Also ensure you have an Interclub page. Keep it updated, generate interest and buzz, have a Club Matchplay phase, update draws in excel/pdf and track results on matchplay through to completion. Have a competitions page too, local rules, club news, men's section, ladies section, juniors, sponsors, who the committee members are etc. etc. Good idea to set up a FB page and Twitter account and get links to both and ensure both are also Active. Use each one to promote the other. Just a few ideas.

bustercherry

Also don't fall into the trap that you need a separate mobile site/app.

dan_ep82

Course conditions for the day during bad weather and good quality pictures for people thinking of playing there.

D Hayes

Thanks for all the replies, much appreciated.

bustercherry wrote: »

First of all why does someone need to come back to it daily? IMO there is no valid case for me or any member to be on my club's website daily.

Also why does it need to be updated daily? It should only be updated when it is relevant.

PARlance wrote: »

Could I ask why the goal is to get more daily visitors to the website?

Don't mean to be harsh but I used my own clubs website for 2 things (at a push). Booking being 1, and the odd time I'll look through the scores (but I'd normally do this on howdidido)

Our site is updated daily with course info, e.g. is the course open or closed due to weather? What competition type is in play, etc. I think it's important to have this updated daily for members. The pro can update this first thing in the morning. It saves him having to field 50 calls first thing if the weather is dodgy.

bustercherry wrote: »

Also don't fall into the trap that you need a separate mobile site/app.

That's a good point. In fairness to who re-designed our site recently, they made it "responsive", which means it fits the screen properly on mobile and tablets.

Thanks for the suggestions re; social media - we don't currently have profiles set up, but it's on the To Do list.

PARlance

dan_ep82 wrote: »

Course conditions for the day during bad weather and good quality pictures for people thinking of playing there.

Ya I'm always surprised just how few photos of the actual course are on clubs websites.
Hate clicking into a "Gallery" tab on a course site only to see 100's of pictures of the lads at the Captains Day meal etc... That is useful for the members but a "Course Gallery" would be an nice add on for visitors.
Why not stick up a few of each hole, a pretty inexpensive thing to do in the grand scheme of things.

Rippeditup

PARlance wrote: »

Ya I'm always surprised just how few photos of the actual course are on clubs websites.
Hate clicking into a "Gallery" tab on a course site only to see 100's of pictures of the lads at the Captains Day meal etc... That is useful for the members but a "Course Gallery" would be an nice add on for visitors.
Why not stick up a few of each hole, a pretty inexpensive thing to do in the grand scheme of things.

I agree, Less of the members laughing around a newly planted tree and more on course content..

Maybe also a pro's corner where the local pro can do a video/commentary on A) Either a members swing Just random tip of the week.

By using social media with updated regular content you add to the "Google Juice" which makes your site rank higher on the search listings but also it gives a home for people to interact around your courses content. By then plugging this back in to the site it will add more interaction without any major changes to the site.

AGC

bustercherry wrote: »

First of all why does someone need to come back to it daily? IMO there is no valid case for me or any member to be on my club's website daily.

Also why does it need to be updated daily? It should only be updated when it is relevant.

I would check my own club's website on a daily basis as it is updated daily.

PARlance

Not sure if this is off topic of not, maybe Buysellswap can shed some light on it?

Do clubs see their websites, or having a good website with all the bells and whistles, as something that will attract significant amounts of income?

My own thoughts would be that most green fees & membership is attracted through word of mouth, marketing deals, the quality of the course and facilities etc.
I would have the website well down the list as a minimal influencer myself.

The only real market that I would see as a lucrative one where a website plays a part, would be the overseas golfer coming here for a holiday.
I mentioned the European's website earlier and that I thought it was very poor, but that it didn't matter to me as it is a course that I want to play from hearing so much about it elsewhere.
However, I'm sure they may lose out on quite a bit of business from golf tourism. I.e If a group of Americans were given a short list, I'm sure they'd log on and have a look at the site. The European may be losing out due to it's basic site in this case. Other top drawer courses that wet their appetite a bit more via the site may win out.

Not sure if I have a question
Comments?

OP, I think you are missing a trick in terms of not being active on social media, it's a valuable too to get your marketing activities out there and attract income that way.

Golfgraffix

bustercherry wrote: »

Also don't fall into the trap that you need a separate mobile site/app.

Not sure i would aggree with this, a native app allows you have much more interaction and when used cleverly with a responsive website can be very effective.

I guess it depends on what the required result is but if you are after selling more tee times, then i would say a native app is a must. Simple things like geoeanble push messages are a huge bonus. Imagine a quite Tuesday morning with say 6 empty tee times, you could advertise them at a 10% reduction but only to people within say 10 miles of the club.

Considering a full app for Android and Iphone can be bought for as little as €550 it is quite a cheap option.

I was going to say that Ballybunion was the best Irish site that i had seen but it looks a little weird today http://www.ballybuniongolfclub.ie/

J

Mr. Larson

If you have a website that will work on a touch device you don't absolutely to make the seperation. Certain multi-choice drop-down menu systems that require mouse-hover don't work well on mobile devices.

Golfgraffix

PARlance wrote: »

Do clubs see their websites, or having a good website with all the bells and whistles, as something that will attract significant amounts of income?
.

65% of overseas golf tourists to Ireland will base their decision on where to play via digital media.

J

PARlance

Golfgraffix wrote: »

65% of overseas golf tourists to Ireland will base their decision on where to play via digital media.

J

Knew you would have the pitch facts on it J

Golfgraffix

PARlance wrote: »

Knew you would have the pitch facts on it J

LOL

I will leave it there i dont want a ban for advertising !!!!!

J

bustercherry

Golfgraffix wrote: »

Not sure i would aggree with this, a native app allows you have much more interaction and when used cleverly with a responsive website can be very effective.

I guess it depends on what the required result is but if you are after selling more tee times, then i would say a native app is a must. Simple things like geoeanble push messages are a huge bonus. Imagine a quite Tuesday morning with say 6 empty tee times, you could advertise them at a 10% reduction but only to people within say 10 miles of the club.

Considering a full app for Android and Iphone can be bought for as little as €550 it is quite a cheap option.

I was going to say that Ballybunion was the best Irish site that i had seen but it looks a little weird today http://www.ballybuniongolfclub.ie/

J

You would disagree because you are selling native apps to golf clubs

I don't see how geoeanble push messages are a huge bonus. Nice to have for certain businesses but really not massively important to your average golfer. There is nothing you have stated that can't be done via email and/or text message; in fact it would be more beneficial to send it to your entire mailing list rather than just a few non-members within a 10 mile radius.

People would know this though if they sat down and mapped out user personas for apps/sites before trying to build unnecessary functionality.

bustercherry

AGC wrote: »

I would check my own club's website on a daily basis as it is updated daily.

What would they be updating it with? Weather and course conditions? If I'm not playing I don't need to know that. Comp results? Most people will play once a week and that 26 points will not change into 44 no matter how many times you look at it

Golfgraffix

bustercherry wrote: »

You would disagree because you are selling native apps to golf clubs

I don't see how geoeanble push messages are a huge bonus. Nice to have for certain businesses but really not massively important to your average golfer. There is nothing you have stated that can't be done via email and/or text message; in fact it would be more beneficial to send it to your entire mailing list rather than just a few non-members within a 10 mile radius.

If i was interested in special offers from a club and wanted to made aware of well priced tee times, then it works. Why send a tee time for 1 hours' time to someone 2 hours away.

To do that by text cost money, to do by email you are hoping that someone checks it within the time frame, to do it by push is free and instantaniuos.

Selling apps is about 5% of our busines so not hugely important but native does work and very well for Golf courses.

bustercherry wrote: »

People would know this though if they sat down and mapped out user personas for apps/sites before trying to build unnecessary functionality.

Every course we have ever worked on has done this and decided that it does warrant the spend.

I think many golf courses in Ireland tend to suffer from a type marketing paralysis. Clubs here spend about 1% of revenue on marketing, in the UK it is closer to 3.5% and in the US closer to 4.5%. But it is changing, I remember clubs railing against websites in general, then it was Facebook.

J

bustercherry

Golfgraffix wrote: »

If i was interested in special offers from a club and wanted to made aware of well priced tee times, then it works. Why send a tee time for 1 hours' time to someone 2 hours away.

True but again very few people can't just drop everything decide to play because there is 10% off a green fee; they play because they have suddenly have found some free time. IMO there is not a viable return on investment for individual clubs to implement this.......

Golfgraffix wrote: »

To do that by text cost money, to do by email you are hoping that someone checks it within the time frame, to do it by push is free and instantaniuos.

But it's not free, you have to pay for the App Development/Testing/Branding/Design/Maintenance etc..... You have to promote the app and so on. Also most smartphone users will be picking up their emails so again I don't agree with that argument.

Golfgraffix wrote: »

Selling apps is about 5% of our busines so not hugely important but native does work and very well for Golf courses.

As opposed to a proper webapp/responsive website?

Golfgraffix wrote: »

Every course we have ever worked on has done this and decided that it does warrant the spend.

Probably best not getting into you work to be honest.

Golfgraffix wrote: »

I think many golf courses in Ireland tend to suffer from a type marketing paralysis. Clubs here spend about 1% of revenue on marketing, in the UK it is closer to 3.5% and in the US closer to 4.5%. But it is changing, I remember clubs railing against websites in general, then it was Facebook.

J

Agreed but again I would argue that a native app offers no more than the delivery mechanisms that already exist. Content is key and pointless functionality on websites/apps does nothing to improve marketing.

dan_ep82

IMO,

Between a good site and a good social network page the app would never be needed.

On the site

• Book Tee Times/ Comps
• High Quality High Resolution pictures of each hole,perhaps even a few per hole. All you need is a good camera and a decent day. I hate trying to get a look at a course via the Gallery only to find tiny pictures or medium size and shocking quality.
• Upcoming and previous Comp results/ dates and times
• Detailed Membership Info with prices
• Facilities Overview

Facebook/Twitter etc

• Current Course conditions in rough weather
• Special offers if any
• Pictures and quick review of results of previous comps
• Daily Local Rules

I'm sure they're more you can/should add. Mainly when I'm looking at the site for a particular clubs its to check images for the course,scorecard,book a tee time or looking for membership prices (when I was looking)

Golfgraffix

bustercherry wrote: »

As opposed to a proper webapp/responsive website?

When I am talking about golf websites/apps i should clarify that i am more familiar with resort/hotel courses than true members clubs, i guess there is a difference in what they expect to get from the online presence.

But in realtion to the web remember that only 20 percent of consumers’ time on mobile devices is spent on the web. A massive majority, 80 percent, is spent in native apps.

As users we spend an average of 158 minutes each and every day on our smartphones and tablets. Two hours and seven minutes of that is in an app, and only 31 minutes is in a browser.

J

D Hayes

dan_ep82 wrote: »

IMO,

Between a good site and a good social network page the app would never be needed.

On the site

• Book Tee Times/ Comps
• High Quality High Resolution pictures of each hole,perhaps even a few per hole. All you need is a good camera and a decent day. I hate trying to get a look at a course via the Gallery only to find tiny pictures or medium size and shocking quality.
• Upcoming and previous Comp results/ dates and times
• Detailed Membership Info with prices
• Facilities Overview

Facebook/Twitter etc

• Current Course conditions in rough weather
• Special offers if any
• Pictures and quick review of results of previous comps
• Daily Local Rules

I'm sure they're more you can/should add. Mainly when I'm looking at the site for a particular clubs its to check images for the course,scorecard,book a tee time or looking for membership prices (when I was looking)

Great list, thanks. This is the kind of thing I'm looking for.

D Hayes

PARlance wrote: »

Not sure if this is off topic of not, maybe Buysellswap can shed some light on it?

Do clubs see their websites, or having a good website with all the bells and whistles, as something that will attract significant amounts of income?

I think it's a relatively low-cost way to show-case your course. For example, someone made the point earlier about the European Club website not being up to standard, which I agree with. However, the European Club is one of the best courses in Ireland, and you could almost say it doesn't require a website to attract visitors.

On the other hand, for courses in the 50-100+ ranking in Ireland, I think an active website, with up-to-date photos, news, etc. will certainly help attract societies, green-fees, weekends away, especially if aimed towards groups in other counties who may not know that much about the club in the first place.

PARlance wrote: »

OP, I think you are missing a trick in terms of not being active on social media, it's a valuable too to get your marketing activities out there and attract income that way.

100% agreed - that's top of the To Do list.

Also, I've noticed that Facebook advertising works wonders for driving highly-targeted traffic to other websites I'm involved in. It's something I'll be recommending for the club website too. It's very cheap, and you can specify exactly who you want to aim the ads towards. E.g. single male in Dublin, aged 20-50 with interest in golf.

Golfgraffix

buysellswap wrote: »

Someone made the point earlier about the European Club website not being up to standard, which I agree with. However, the European Club is one of the best courses in Ireland, and you could almost say it doesn't require a website to attract visitors.

Perfect point, before you decide on anything you need to really understand what you want from you your website.

I remember showing our stuff to the European Club and they loved it all but then finished off with but we are the European Club and we dont do marketing. As a sales guy there is no coming back from that but they knew exactly waht they did and did not want.

J

Mr. Larson

Golfgraffix wrote: »

Perfect point, before you decide on anything you need to really understand what you want from you your website.

I remember showing our stuff to the European Club and they loved it all but then finished off with but we are the European Club and we dont do marketing. As a sales guy there is no coming back from that but they knew exactly waht they did and did not want.

J

If anything, the state of the European Club website and the lack of photos etc. adds to the lure and mystique of the place. Does for me anyway. So in a weird way the website being cat is a good thing . It's almost like, we don't need to pimp it up because it speaks for itself.

bustercherry

Golfgraffix wrote: »

When I am talking about golf websites/apps i should clarify that i am more familiar with resort/hotel courses than true members clubs, i guess there is a difference in what they expect to get from the online presence.

To be honest it makes no difference. Most clubs should have their own members section/separate site anyway which is hidden away from public view, so the member persona is covered. In reality a members club and resort would still have a casual golfer persona visiting/viewing the webapps/sites. I suppose the resort would rely on larger numbers of this persona in attempt to generate more revenue.

Golfgraffix wrote: »

But in realtion to the web remember that only 20 percent of consumers’ time on mobile devices is spent on the web. A massive majority, 80 percent, is spent in native apps.

In fairness I the device usage stats you are quoting and interpretation are dubious to say the least. Native apps could likely be classed under some of the following categories: Phone, Text, Social, Networking, Mail, Games, Photo , Browser, Entertainment, Other.........

You are interpreting these statistics just to try and prove you argument but in reality it's not like comparing apples to apples. If you put it this way:
- On average a user spends 30% of their time using Text, Social Networking, and Mail Apps.
- Plus 20% of their time browsing.
- But only 5% of their time on other apps. Arguably less than 1% time using any 1 app.

Then targeting the native app channel makes no sense as opposed to the other 50% of consistent communication channels. Certainly a large amount of statistics now show that users download apps and only use them once before removing.

Golfgraffix wrote: »

As users we spend an average of 158 minutes each and every day on our smartphones and tablets. Two hours and seven minutes of that is in an app, and only 31 minutes is in a browser.

J

Again I think you can't just say use the 2 hour etc... argument to argue you need an native app for marketing without breaking down the 2 hours etc... into what people are actually using the apps for. This is sort of argument was touted 4 to 5 years ago when we didn't have the same level of usage statistics for devices.

PARlance

Do we have usage stats for individual Apps now Buster? It was my understanding that it's still an area that provides little in terms of reporting.

I'm with you on your thoughts re the App, and agree that a small % of Apps are making up that 80%... but knowning J, I won't say much

And at the end of the day, if people/clubs want it and he's providing a high quality product then fair dues.
The world is kept spinning by businesses providing services/goods that consumers don't necessary need, why change that now I suppose.

I would say that 90%+ of the clubs here should not see it as a priority, I'd see it as an "add on" for the club that has it all and has the time & money to spend. As for an ROI, that's hard to quantify, but "being the Jones" may be enough of a return for some clubs.
I would guess that this is reflected in J's targeting and seems to tie into the % breakdown of his revenue mentioned earlier.

Meritor

I do not know anything about golf. I have not ever played that.
However, as far as business website is concerned, I can provide input.
Someone here just mentioned that its upto the business owner to decide how to promote the business.
From the discussion going over here, I can see that both local and foreign customers are the target.
Now, the questions to be asked..
Foreign customer:
1) How will foreign customer know about the your Golf Club?
a. If your club is listed with all tourist information agencies including government tourism department.
b. Advertisement at airport/Railway Station/Bus Stop etc.
c. Online Marketing/advertising
d. SEO of your website
e. Ask someone who has visited Ireland earlier.

2) Once they know, how will they get more information about the golfclub?
a. By call
b. By Email
c. Will ask someone who has already visited your place.
d. Read online review.
Now the next question arises, do all the above means provide sufficient information?
If yes, then no need to build a website.
If no, then you really need to build a website (of course responsive) which provides all required information.
You also need to make sure that it must be visually appealing.
Coz when someone land on your website, he should find it interest to stay on it and read about it.
Therefore, your landing page must have an appealing picture of golf course and a catchy one liner.

Now regarding the native app for mobile:
App won’t help you much to attract new customer unless you build a gold game and promote your club through it.
However, it will definitely help to retain your members.

bustercherry

PARlance wrote: »

Do we have usage stats for individual Apps now Buster? It was my understanding that it's still an area that provides little in terms of reporting.

Plenty of studies, statistics, analytics etc.... published on smartphone/tablet usage.

PARlance wrote: »

I'm with you on your thoughts re the App, and agree that a small % of Apps are making up that 80%... but knowning J, I won't say much

Again you have to make the App "Sticky" by implementing features of benefit and not because it's trendy to have an app.

PARlance wrote: »

And at the end of the day, if people/clubs want it and he's providing a high quality product then fair dues.

Like I say I'm not getting into individual cases and it was "not" directed at GG but just in general.

PARlance wrote: »

The world is kept spinning by businesses providing services/goods that consumers don't necessary need, why change that now I suppose.

Yeah but the consumers are not paying or certainly would not expect to pay so it's unnecessary expense.

PARlance wrote: »

I would say that 90%+ of the clubs here should not see it as a priority, I'd see it as an "add on" for the club that has it all and has the time & money to spend. As for an ROI, that's hard to quantify, but "being the Jones" may be enough of a return for some clubs.
I would guess that this is reflected in J's targeting and seems to tie into the % breakdown of his revenue mentioned earlier.

Again I'm not talking about GG work. The discussion is on a Golf Club websites and probably went a wee bit of a tangent.

PARlance

Meritor wrote: »

Now regarding the native app for mobile:
App won’t help you much to attract new customer unless you build a gold game and promote your club through it.
However, it will definitely help to retain your members.

Golfers are a different "customer".
They will seek advice from peers (fellow golfers, trade magazines, reviews, forums etc.) as the main source of decision making.
Hank in Florida isn't just going to go onto google and pick the best SEO'd course or nicest website for his trip to Ireland.
He'll know from his peers that he should play Ballybunion over Ardfert.

They above quote is pretty much everything that I think is wrong with businesses and their "need" for an app.... Let's create the next Angry Birds and everyone will buy our yogurts....

bustercherry

Meritor wrote: »

I do not know anything about golf. I have not ever played that.
However, as far as business website is concerned, I can provide input.
Someone here just mentioned that its upto the business owner to decide how to promote the business.
From the discussion going over here, I can see that both local and foreign customers are the target.
Now, the questions to be asked..
Foreign customer:
1) How will foreign customer know about the your Golf Club?
a. If your club is listed with all tourist information agencies including government tourism department.
b. Advertisement at airport/Railway Station/Bus Stop etc.
c. Online Marketing/advertising
d. SEO of your website
e. Ask someone who has visited Ireland earlier.

2) Once they know, how will they get more information about the golfclub?
a. By call
b. By Email
c. Will ask someone who has already visited your place.
d. Read online review.
Now the next question arises, do all the above means provide sufficient information?
If yes, then no need to build a website.
If no, then you really need to build a website (of course responsive) which provides all required information.
You also need to make sure that it must be visually appealing.
Coz when someone land on your website, he should find it interest to stay on it and read about it.
Therefore, your landing page must have an appealing picture of golf course and a catchy one liner.

Now regarding the native app for mobile:
App won’t help you much to attract new customer unless you build a gold game and promote your club through it.
However, it will definitely help to retain your members.

Agreed but I still don't see how it would definitely retain a member. Most of the useful features like course updates, comp results...... could be achieved via social networking etc.. without the need and expense to maintain a native app.

PARlance

bustercherry wrote: »

Plenty of studies, statistics, analytics etc.... published on smartphone/tablet usage.



Again you have to make the App "Sticky" by implementing features of benefit and not because it's trendy to have an app.



Like I say I'm not getting into individual cases and it was directed at GG but just in general.



Yeah but the consumers are not paying or certainly would not expect to pay so it's unnecessary expense.



Again I'm not talking about GG work. The discussion is on a Golf Club websites and probably went a wee bit of a tangent.

Ok, I'm with you on your thoughts on this by the way.

You seem to know your stuff, that's why I asked if there were more detailed means on analysing App usage.

From what I see there's very little going on in this area.
Yes figures are available for downloads of apps, but in terms of usage from there on, I don't think there's much analysis available?

Afaik, the Mobile Operators are the only ones that can access this data, and from what I can see, they don't use it or share/sell it on.

bustercherry

PARlance wrote: »

Golfers are a different "customer".
They will seek advice from peers (fellow golfers, trade magazines, reviews, forums etc.) as the main source of decision making.
Hank in Florida isn't just going to go onto google and pick the best SEO'd course or nicest website for his trip to Ireland.
He'll know from his peers that he should play Ballybunion over Ardfert.

They above quote is pretty much everything that I think is wrong with businesses and their "need" for an app.... Let's create the next Angry Birds and everyone will buy our yogurts....

I don't think it's wrong but ultimately the stickiness of these apps reduce after a short period of time. They are used to create brand awareness but it's an expensive and as you pointed out you need to know your target audience.

Loire

I think it might help the OP if we gave sites we thought were good. I'm not a member there, so can't speak for the member's pages, but I do like http://www.cobhgolfclub.ie

Dbu

Make feel like a d.ick in this place last year, due to the snobbish carry on there by some 'old school' members

But there website is nice and 'friendly'....

www.monkstowngolfclub.com

D Hayes

I think the best looking golf club sites are the ones where the photos do the talking. Big background images of the course.

Examples: Lahinch, The Island, Portmarnock.

They don't necessarily have the best content, but they have the wow factor, especially for first time visitors.

I'm also a fan of Clontarf GC website. Looks great.

golfwallah

buysellswap wrote: »

What do you think makes a good golf club website?

I'm trying to figure out how to make our club website more useful and to get people coming back to it on a daily basis.

Number 1, in my opinion, is that it needs to be updated frequently (daily) with course info and scores.

It probably needs to be updated weekly in relation to upcoming events, fixtures, open comps etc.

Photos always help - hole by hole run through, photos from social events etc.

For members, inter-club (Bruen etc.) team information would probably be useful.

How about a rules section, or a rule of the day? It's one of the most talked about subjects on this forum, so may work well.

For visitors, info on special offers, green fees, upcoming open/invitational comps are probably the first thing they would look for.

For potential members, what info would be useful here?

Any club sites doing the above well at the moment?

All comments welcome, thanks.

There is no one answer to this question, IMO, simply because every golf club’s situation is not the same financially or as regards existing and potential new customers, location, how well it’s known, etc.

It may be obvious to a few clubs but many clubs are struggling financially and finding it hard to retain and recruit members, let alone attract casual golfers and societies. Word of mouth will only reach a limited part of the potential market and advertising can be expensive, so it makes sense to give attention to your website and other social media.

The answer is to develop a solution that best suits the issues your club wants / needs to address. And the starting point, IMO, has to be clear analysis of the club’s current income position, where it wants to be and then application of “STP Marketing” (Segmenting, Targeting & Positioning) to get there.

If increasing revenue is the priority, you need to look at the problem from a customer viewpoint. For example, do people even know your course exists, where it is, what it looks like, membership rates and more importantly, is it offering membership packages that will attract potential members with different golf spending budgets and time availabilities?

For example, most member clubs derive the bulk of their income from members with only a relatively small percentage coming from visitors. Therefore, with a limited budget, the main priority for the website would be how to retain / attract members. Existing members need access to timesheet, results and other club news, whereas new members need to be able to find your club on the web without knowing its name and then easily find out how much it costs to join, whether they can afford it, how it stacks up with the competition, etc. If the site isn’t easily found or doesn’t enable them to find what they want quickly, they will move on.

This makes investment in good site design and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) well worthwhile, as it will make your site easier to find on Google, etc. - even on a limited budget.