By Cathy Harbin^*

Creating New Adult Golfers At Your Facility - "Get Golf Ready"

The main focus of the "Get Golf Ready" program is for new golfers to learn the game in a fast, fun and affordable way.

The comforting, non-intimidating environment is particularly attractive to women, as 61 percent of the participants last year were women.

The program walks them through how to play golf in a non-threatening atmosphere with an on-course experience as part of each lesson. It is designed to overcome the gap between practice and the first tee, which is another fear factor. http://www.playgolfamerica.com/ggr

On-course experience breaks down the barrier of intimidation. There are also graduate outings with mentors who help the beginners feel even more confident and comfortable going out on the course to play.

With "Get Golf Ready," women who are beginners can prepare themselves to play golf on their own. The "Get Golf Ready" participants stated in surveys that their favorite part of the program was their instructor. This further enforces the need for a kind and compassionate instructor to help break down the intimidation barriers.

The main focus of the "Get Golf Ready" program is for new golfers to learn the game in a fast, fun and affordable way.

The program walks them through how to play golf in a non-threatening atmosphere with an on-course experience as an important component of each lesson. It is designed to overcome the gap between practice and the first tee and increase the confidence of a new golfer getting on the course. The on-course experience is a part of this confidence building as it breaks down the barrier of fear and intimidation. There are also graduate outings with mentors who help the beginners feel even more comfortable going out to play. With "Get Golf Ready," beginners can feel prepared to play golf after they have completed their lessons.

The participants told us that their favorite part of the program was their instructor. As a result, the follow up from their instructors was a key to the success of player retention. This further enforces the need for a kind and compassionate instructor to help break down the intimidation barriers.

The business impact of "Get Golf Ready":

The goal of "Get Golf Ready" is to create lifetime golfers, and it has been effective at doing so. We have found that 84 percent of golfers who graduated have played a round of golf following the program, averaging about 11.7 rounds in their first year. They are also coming back to the range and take more lessons.

These new golfers are spending an average of $800 in their first year on equipment, golf, apparel and range balls. These numbers show that the program's curriculum is working, and we are achieving our golfer retention goals.

It is easy to make the numbers add up. One "Get Golf Ready" program for eight participants and five hours creates nearly $160 per hour in lesson revenue. Additionally, 30 new golfers spending an extra $800 at your facility can add over $23,000 in additional revenue.

The program participants have enjoyed the fact that they learned to play in a warm, friendly and comfortable setting. http://www.playgolfamerica.com/ggr

Six ways "Get Golf Ready" works:

1) It works for the participants: 97% of all participants said that the program met or exceeded their expectations and 94% are likely to recommend it to a friend

2) It works for retention and growing the game: 84% of GGR participants have played golf since they graduated from the program. This is double the retention rate when a new player enters golf without a structured program

3) It works for diversity: 58% of the participants are women and 25% are minorities

4) It works for the golf instructor: With an 8-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio, an instructor can make up to about $160 per hour

5) It works for the golf course: With just 30 participants, a golf course has the potential to make over $23,000 in additional revenue

6) It works for the golf industry: In the program’s first two years and with nearly 35,000 participants, an additional $19.9 million in revenue was generated for the industry

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Credits

Originally posted by CathyHarbin on 21 May 2010.
All contributors: CathyHarbin, MarleneStone,

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