In these days, golf clubs are really excited, whether they will be able to retain their membership and acquire new ones. Seve’s golf club, The Shire London is not an exception. Personally, I am not a big fan of golf club membership (just call me a nomad golfer), but that is a different story.
I hear from many sources almost the same complaints about golf club membership:
- They only address the ‘pricing’ barrier to golf club membership instead of focusing on the game (=how can I have more fun in your golf club –> customer experience).
- Flexible golf club membership scheme fits more to our lifestyle.
- Clubhouses and golf courses are a minefield of rules.
- We want to pay for only those services that we are using in the golf club.
How can The Shire London manage the challenge?
The Shire London has just launched their new Three-Year Membership product. They eased somewhat the rules (complaint #3) by:
- Jeans in the artistic and spacious clubhouse are welcomed, as are mobile phones and laptops. I miss the mobile-friendly environment (is a must have in 2016!!) in the clubhouse (e.g. free Wi-Fi) and on the golf course (e.g. F&B mobile apps).
- There’s no Committee or Club Captain, but plenty of competitions and club teams to play in. Great!!
- There are no reserved spaces in the car park, no limit on the number of guests you can invite to play at the club.
The new golf club membership product enables all club members to play at sister club the West London Golf Centre free of charge on weekdays.
The offer gives a reduced-price pro-rata over the three years, the Three-Year deal at The Shire London also includes 10 complimentary golf cart hires per year, recognizing the fact that many of The Shire’s golfers like to play Seve’s course on a set of wheels. This represents a £350 per year bonus to Three-Year Members.
The new Three-Year deal also adds £100 value each year to our practice sessions, loading a giant £50 credit annually onto our range ball cards at both The Shire London and the West London Golf Centre.
If they really care about how people feel like in their golf club then the golf carts would be free for members. We have to create experiences that create fans (of our golf club) and build a successful relationship throughout the customer lifecycle.
What is good in the new Three Year Membership offer from customer experience aspect is:
The membership grants unlimited 7-day golf on the 18-hole Tour-quality Ballesteros Masters Course and the 9-hole Ballesteros Academy Course plus advance online booking privileges, discounts in the bar, restaurant and pro shop plus reduced conference and banqueting rates.
Although we can find signs of flexibility in this golf club membership product, but it is questionable whether people will be delighted to commit themselves to a golf club for 3 years in advance. With this offer, it seems like that The Shire London wants to avoid the hassles of the annual golf club membership renewals.
The new Three Year Membership at The Shire London, available from March 1st, 2016, costs just £3,600 in total, plus a £300 bar levy.
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