Genius idea #11

…It’s so weird, I check into a hotel and always find complimentary coffee close to the front desk.

The Jiffy Lube where I get my oil changed?  Same thing.

Nearly every office I visit at my day job (Sales and Consulting) offers me coffee when I arrive?

I understand why public golf facilities don’t do this…but have never understood why 0.00% of the Private ones I’ve visited don’t have a couple of pump-up coffee dispensers in the Pro Shop?

Be different.

Taking advantage of a captive audience

I love working downtown.  

The people, the atmosphere, the palpable authenticity of local mom & pop restaurants going up against the Goliath-themed chains.  

One thing I can't stand though...is trying out a new place, only to be 'gouged' by short-sighted owners trying to take advantage of a captive audience;  their new customer.

This very thing happened last week as I paid for my lunch with a customer and noticed a $2.95 charge for iced tea on my bill.  Plain old Lipton?  Yes, but I think the menu did say, 'freshly steeped each day', but $2.95?  Deliberate decisions like this make me never want to come back despite an otherwise good experience.  

In the fight to gain and retain members, clubs do things like this more times than not it seems.  Beer, for instance, at my old club after service charge was $4.53 per bottle!  Buy a six-pack - $27.18.  And no, this wasn't the triple-filtered stuff made with hops imported from some 'sustainable' farm in the mid-west.  This was good ole' Coors that you could buy at six convenience stores on the way to the course...and not surprisingly, that is what many did (you don't want to know what a beer with three adjectives cost - trust me).

Unlike the number of restaurant choices on a given street, to some degree,  members do have a choice.  If you've ever interviewed a resigning member, chances are it wasn't one thing that made them decide to leave, it was death by 1,000 cuts.   Sensible pricing shouldn't even be an issue.  

"But our F & B typically loses _____________ per year, we have to make it up somewhere".

If this is the reality at your club, chances are there are a lot more burgers and chicken sandwiches being eaten on the way to the club, than at the club. Ditto that for 'smuggling' that inevitably goes on when your club throws common sense out the window.  

One thing everyone talks about, outside of the otherwordly conditions, manners, and civility a day at the Masters tournament provides, is the  indelible impression the Augusta food and beverage pricing leaves.  Contrast this with the NFL, NBA, and MLB who often charge three to four times what Augusta asks of their patrons.

In the club world, be Augusta.

Your course is too long...for Women

Amateur women have gotten a bad rap for many years when compared with their male counterparts. The biggest complaint men will lodge against females, among other things, is slow play, but is the assessment fair?

For the most part, no.

While many courses have at the very least: ‘championship/back’ tees, ‘white/member’ tees, and senior (mens) tees, women usually have just one choice ~ and frankly, it’s probably too long.

The ‘average’ amateur female swings somewhere in the neighborhood of 65-75 miles per hour compared to the 85-95 miles per hour swinging male. Imagine the daunting feeling of rarely reaching a par 4 or par 5 in regulation? This is the reality for many women who are forced to play 5,300 + yard courses, that may seem short to the eye, but play brutally long.

Here are a few thoughts to consider (assuming a swing speed of 70 mph):

A 330 yard, par 4 = 180 Driver + 150 (perfectly struck) 3 wood for a female. This equates to a 425 yard, par 4 (Driver + 3 wood) for the average 90 mph swinging male.

The only problem? Hardly any course has their ‘white’ tee players teeing off from this distance for a par 4, with most averaging 350-390 yards. So what does the ‘average’ club do? Put their white tee male off a an ‘equitable’ 380 yard tee box vs. their 330 yard female. (Stay with me here) What does the average male play into a 380 yard hole? Driver + 6 or 7 iron. Fair? Hardly. What should the proper equitable distance be for the corresponding female? 295 yards.

Let’s try a par 5 now. For most white tee male players, 500 yards is a fairly average length three-shotter (Driver + 3 wood + SW). The corresponding female tees are usually around 440 yards for the same length hole (Driver + 3 wood + 7 iron!). Where should the tee box be placed in fairness if you were trying to replicate the same shot values? 410 yards. Assuming you are a male reader, would you like to trade places?

It gets worse when you consider most women amateurs don’t have the height or spin to hold greens when compared to men with the same iron in their hands. In truth, females should probably hit their approach shots with 1-2 clubs less to be fair…but I don’t know a single female that would ask for that kind difference. So they suffer, or more tragically, quit the game in frustration. Wouldn’t you if hitting 3-4 greens in regulation was the best you could physically do?  Imagine adding 14 extra shots to every round or rarely having a chance for a birdie?

What does this translate into distance-wise per the correct tee box for the average female? About 5,000 yards (which really should be the maximum) or 20% less than the ‘white’ tee box assuming a par 72.

The following would be a good guide to work from for future female tee box builds:

Par 5: 370-410 yards
Par 4: 250-290 yards
Par 3: 90-130 yards

This would place most courses in an optimal, 4,700-5,000 yard range depending on terrain.

"One formula has a golfer estimate the average distance that his or her 5-iron shot will travel — an honest average, not the ultimate 5-iron — and then multiply that number by 36. If golfers were realistic, that would put most in the 5,300 to 6,300-yard range".  - Bill Pennington

Golf industry leaders need to look in the mirror, especially when so many are bemoaning the lack of players in the game. If more courses were retro-fitted to the preceding recommendations, I firmly believe more women would stay in the game, play at a quicker, more enjoyable pace, and furthermore, would not be made to feel inferior because of the unfair demands the majority of golf courses place upon them.

Honor them with these instead of trees

99 out of 100...

99 out of 100 members prefer the taste of freshly made soup simmering over the stove for hours vs. the canned, microwave variety.

Ten things

1. It's always Mr. or Mrs. until they tell you different.
2. If you make eye contact, always speak.  Always.
3. Never take a compliment without giving a sincere one back.
4. Say something positive each time you interact.
5. Ask, don't tell.
6. Anticipate, don't react.
7. Listen without trying to justify or defend.  
8. Work on the problem as a we.
9. Every member of your staff should carry a small notepad in their back pocket.  Whenever a member lodges a complaint, makes a request, or gives a compliment, they should be trained to write it down immediately while in the presence of the member.  Get everyone in the habit of doing this and following up quickly. Membership happiness will certainly increase. 
10. Buy 12 thank you cards for each staff member that interacts regularly with the membership, with the goal to write one note of thanks per month.