This morning I had to realize that Faldo Design provides two design brand options:
- Faldo Design,
- Sir Nick Faldo Signature.
What I liked in the Sir Nick Faldo Signature offer is that it provides a Golf Environment Organization (GEO) Certification as well.
The Vietnamese golf resort, the Laguna Golf Lang Co (Central Vietnam) has recently achieved the Faldo signature design status.
They are the first fully operational course in the world to be elevated into this premium category. Probably it is not accidental that Sir Nick Faldo considers Laguna Golf Lang Co as his flagship layout in Asia.
The Laguna Golf Lang Co is also participating in the Golf Environment Organization’s OnCourse program.
Laguna Golf Lang Co is part of Laguna Lang Co, one of the most far-reaching integrated resorts in Southeast Asia.
The 280-hectare community, which marks the first project in Vietnam for Banyan Tree Group, is framed by jungle-clad mountains and a three-kilometer beach running alongside the East Sea.
Faldo Signature Design – a social proof
Today’s smart and empowered customers are automatically looking for social proofs on your websites, social media channels, in your marketing materials.
It means that social proof is an essential part of the buyer’s journey. The popularity of social proof is that we customers don’t really trust companies and want to mitigate risks.
This is why so many golf clubs and golf resorts are utilizing their recognition (e.g. Golf Digest ranking, Today’s Golf ranking, World Golf Awards, Conde Nast Johansens, Leadingcourses.com, Tripadvisor, etc.) and awards in their marketing communication.
The big question is which social proof can really increase revenue and drive business growth. Not every social proof is equal.
When you think about selecting or generating social proofs for your golf resort or golf club consider this:
Can this award/title/media mention drive measurable behavior, conversions, revenue, loyalty, and advocacy for your golf resort/club?
Don’t try to create fake reviews or any other fake social proof, because your guests and customers will find it out very quickly thanks to Google and social media!
At the same time, I have a doubt if the Faldo Signature Design title it will motivate and convince golf tourists to select this golf course over other great Vietnamese golf courses (e.g. The Bluffs Ho Tram Strip, Ba Na Hills Golf Club, BRG Da Nang Resort, Vinpearl Golf Club Nha Trang, etc. ).
Another interesting aspect is what golf tourists find when they search for a golf holiday in Google.
- For the “Faldo Design” phrase Google found 7,740 results,
- For “Sir Nick Faldo” phrase there were 165,000 results,
- For “Nicklaus Design” there were 492,000 results,
- For “Jack Nicklaus” phrase Google found 8,170,000 results.
This tells me that golfers are not interested or don’t care about the works of Faldo Design.
In addition, I have not found any golfer/customer review of the quality and creativity of Faldo Design, just official announcements, PR articles, etc.
What is much more helpful is what guests are sharing about our golf resort.
If you want them to share positive reviews and images then you must exceed their expectations with a memorable and meaningful experience.
You can have the best golf course if the other elements of your service are not exceeding the guests’ expectations, then you won’t be in a better position.
For similar reasons, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel is so focused on its J.D. Power Guest Satisfaction Index results, because they understood that to stay in business they must provide a top-notch experience.