Growing Golf Club Membership Sales in an Uncertain Economy

It is without question the entire industry of private clubs has seen a major change in recent years, both in the amount of interest in memberships and the ways in which clubs manage lead generation of new prospective members. 

For many clubs, the years of COVID proved to be incredibly fruitful in the number of new memberships gained and a time when organic incoming leads played a large role in growing a clubs membership base. However, these results are changing as the world has adjusted to life after the pandemic.

Now the economy is seemingly more uncertain than ever, and while some golf clubs continue to flourish and add to their waitlist, other clubs have seen a steep decline in the organic leads they had during COVID and find themselves with objections to membership from leads who fear for the economy. 

What can private membership clubs do to protect themselves in an uncertain economy and how can they reassure and re-capture the attention of potential members who may be wary of buying a golf club membership?

Capstone Hospitality leads in private club membership sales and has helped golf clubs all over North America throughout COVID and, especially, now selling memberships in the post-COVID landscape. Through our expert knowledge of the unique markets of private membership clubs and experience in selling golf memberships, we know exactly how clubs need to define their value proposition and advertise themselves despite circumstances beyond their control. 
At this moment, clubs that want to succeed with hesitant prospective members should take steps to inwardly evaluate their offerings and put together an ironclad membership marketing strategy to fill their pipelines and continue the success from the years of COVID.

1. Perform an Assessment of Your Golf Club Membership Process

When faced with uncertainty, it’s imperative you have a strategy set that works for you, not against you. If you haven’t changed your lead generation process or fine-tuned your membership marketing since organic interest slowed down post-COVID, then you are at a disadvantage. 
This also requires having the means to track leads, evaluate the success of your diverse array of lead generators and use data in your decision making. Capstone helps clubs assess their current strategy and brings data and analytics to every recommendation. With our proprietary CRM and Lead Generation Center, we help clubs refine and improve the way they pursue and track membership sales leads.

2. Evaluate Your Membership Categories

One area that private membership clubs struggled with before COVID and continue to grapple with is streamlining their membership categories. Prospective members respond best to a handful of clearly defined membership categories that tell them exactly what the benefits are at each level and their respective pricing.
Too many different types of memberships can lead to confusion, and some members who can’t easily identify which membership level is right for them will fail to ever make a decision. Our experts can help you simplify your membership categories in order to offer the amenities that members want most at your club; this will also help you upsell membership levels that current members may not even realize they want.

3. Consider Increasing Initiation Fees

Initiation fees are a smart way for clubs to insure themselves against economic downturns in several ways. First, it guarantees a source of revenue and has the ability to hold members on a waitlist to their word and decrease the likelihood that they pull out of membership. 

Take the time to assess your initiation fee strategy: When was the last time you increased? How much was the increase? Does it align with the competitive clubs in your market?

At Capstone, we have found that initiation fees have a direct correlation with attrition. The more members have paid in initiation fees, the less likely they are to resign their membership at sight of first change or bad experience. Increases to your initiation fee will also allow for your capital reserves to build and can be used for maintenance, renovations, or adding in new amenities. Our experts can help you find the sweet spot to keep members committed.

4. Use a Waitlist to Your Advantage

In times of uncertainty, a long waitlist can feel like a safety net. The knowledge that you have reached a waitlist and have plenty of interested parties to step in should you face a wave of resignations at the first sign of trouble can be comforting, but that doesn’t mean you should stop selling. 

Clubs with waitlists must continue to be proactive and aggressively sell memberships to maintain and grow upon the current list. Another imperative key to this strategy is implementing a non-refundable deposit at signing to guarantee that those on the waitlist go through with membership once they come off of it. This protects your interests in a way that’s vital, particularly in uncertain times. 

The Takeaway: Increasing Membership Strategies During Uncertainty

The most important thing private membership clubs can do in an uncertain economy is work to be a proactive club, not reactive. Taking carefully consideration to protect yourself through a waitlist and initiation fees are just two ways to combat these new times.

It’s imperative to take these steps now to continue to highlight the value proposition of your membership and remain competitive in your marketplace. If you don’t, then you may find that your competition remains ahead of the curve while you’re left searching for the proper strategies.

For assistance in evaluating your current sales process, membership categories or assessing whether your initiation fees are at the level they should be, take action with the team at Capstone Hospitality. We’re in the business of helping private clubs maximize their membership sales, no matter the challenges they are faced with.