Small golf courses are the bread and butter for their local communities, but local communities don’t always pay the bills. This is particularly true if you have a short active season since you see a lot of snow.
It takes money to keep your doors open, which means you need to bring in regulars and out-of-towners alike. The good news is that there are many ways that you can revamp your golf course to compete with the big leagues. While the right approach for your business will depend entirely on your business needs, here are a few top ideas to help you revamp your course:
Improve Course Conditions
First things first, the course itself. If you need to, go visit a top-rated golf course and take note of the course conditions, and work to recreate them at home. Sometimes, it can be as easy as upgrading your lawn mower to a zero turn lawn mower that can turn at the drop of a dime to get every corner faster, and more efficiently.
Other times, it will mean digging to improve the drainage so your course is ready to be used even after heavy rainfall. Or perhaps you’ll need to renovate your course’s bunkers. Either way, work on cleaning up and fixing up your course first. This will make a huge difference to the experience of your members, and might just encourage more to visit frequently.
Upgrade the Locker Facilities
Sometimes, all you really need is a fresh coat of paint. With locker rooms, however, you will first want to invest in a deep-dive deep clean. This means going around and removing any dirt, mold, or mildew that’s built up over the years. This alone will make the space sparkle, but it will still look relatively outdated.
This is when something as simple as a new paint job for the lockers can work wonders. That, and new benches, hair dryers, and so on can help revitalize the space and make it feel more luxurious.
Make the Clubhouse Luxurious
Gold is a fairly luxurious sport, which means that the clubhouse or lounge room in your facility should match. The good news is that it’s actually far cheaper than you think to upgrade this space. Look at second-hand markets and auctions, for example, to find solid wood antiques for far less than you would expect. You can even get paintings, brass décor, and more to bring that rich decadence.
Even if antiques aren’t the vibe you’re going for, using the second-hand route can help you save while building a fresh and luxurious new clubhouse that will have more members regularly visit. Add in a bar (or revamp it with some new décor, and definitely some new drinks), and you can increase revenue.
Create (or Improve) Your Practice Facilities
Those who attend golf clubs regularly do so because they want the practice, so improve the practice facilities on your site – or, alternatively, create them.
For example, you can create a short-game area that helps golfers improve their short game. Just remember this area will need to be extra hardy, since chipping is still common and the area will be worn down quickly. The best part about establishing a short-game area is how few clubs offer it. That means you’ll immediately be in the company of big names like Kedleston Park or Royal Cinque Ports.
