What are the benefits of a Golf Course App
November 16, 2015Golf Course Apps: 5 things to avoid
November 17, 201562 ways that the RIGHT app can be a major asset your golf course
62 BENEFITS OF A RIGHT GOLF COURSE APP
As you know, running a well maintained golf course is an expensive business and maximising customer spending is one of the primary objectives for golf course managers and their marketing department.
With precious recourses needing excellent rate of return and so many options out there in the market what do you choose? There are the tried and tested traditional methods as well as the new kids on the block of social media and apps. All of these, if done/chosen correctly, can reap great benefits to the club owners. But with the newest member of the bunch, golf course app, making headway into golf club budgets, how do you choose what works for you?
WHY EVEN HAVE AN APP?
Here are just a few reasons as to why a well designed app should be standard part of your income generating marketing.
- Everything that you have at your course/club can be showcased in one place.
- A great app enhances club profile.
- Seen as current and relevant.
- Done correctly apps are visually appealing and enhances club brand.
- Excellent marketing tool if elements are carefully chosen.
- Enhances your social media efforts by bringing social proof (i.e. Don’t just have your social media person tweet “it’s a great day out on the course” – the right app allows people to see the golfers themselves tweeting “it’s a great day out on the course”!
- Brings you closer to your members/better communication with them.
- Apps can be distributed in the form of gift cards for people to download. This can be free or paid. Making it useful as promotion items in the pro-shop, events and even golf shows.
WHAT SHOULD I INCLUDE?
When selecting your golf course app, there should be two primary objectives met:
We have spent months researching golf course apps, talking to golfers, club owners and golf marketing specialists and have come up with a list of the best items to include in a golf app that would be useful for the golfers whilst generating income for the club.
So here are the 62 reasons (specifically) why the right golf course app is a very powerful marketing tool. We have broken down into sections, that our research concluded that a golf club should have to maximise both downloads and ROI.
- It must be appealing and useful for the golfer (so they will download it and use it!).
- It must generate income (and pay back its initial set up cost in the shortest time possible).
We have spent months researching golf course apps, talking to golfers, club owners and golf marketing specialists and have come up with a list of the best items to include in a golf app that would be useful for the golfers whilst generating income for the club.
So here are the 62 reasons (specifically) why the right golf course app is a very powerful marketing tool. We have broken down into sections, that our research concluded that a golf club should have to maximise both downloads and ROI.
Club and Course Info
1. Enhances profile2. Informs and raises awareness of all club offerings
3. Brings tradition to life
4. People are interested in the history/making of the courses
Course Guides
5. Golfers No.1 reason for downloading the app6. Can save clubs money on paper versions of the course
7. GPS location of the hole which helps the golfer
NB: With our app there is no additional cost to course to have these created because we can use already paid assets and we can update hole locations to ensure GPS accuracy.
Flyovers
8. Keeps with current trend9. Showcases the course(s)
10. Accurate representation of the course
11. Helps the golfers with their game
12. Flyovers have multiple uses and can be used on website/social media too
13. Sponsorship on hole flyovers which means initial costs covered and then generates income later
(NB:With our app it is native which means it is built into the app and it will play off line, also we can use already created flyovers, which can be graphically enhanced/voice over added)
Photo Gallery
14. Showcases the course15. Uses already purchased assets (or can have new ones taken)
16. Can be used to involve golfers in the form of running competitions (best photo of the month, etc)
Push Notifications
17. Sends messages direct to phone/end user18. Great for promoting events, sales and deals
19. Special offers for app holders (also encourages download/use)
20. Increases club income
21. Communication tool – not just promotion but for letting know of club news/course closure/etc
22. Suggestive selling (are you hungry -why not check out our menu?)
Tee Bookings
23. Easy, convenient way to remote book24. No having to look up your website or wait at reception desk
25. Saves staff time
26. Enhances customer experience (no waiting)
27. Encourages “in the moment” booking – i.e. after a round with friends they can book another round together whilst enjoying a 19th hole drink or even down their own local!
Score Cards
28. Useful to your golfers29. Reduction in purchasing of paper cards
30. Environmentally friendly
31. Encourages repeat play (teams/groups and individual improvement)
32. Can host tournaments (club level)
33. Sharing enhances golfers/members experience
Social Networks
34. Free exposure and social proof (very valuable!)35. Exposure amongst golfer’s own network
36. Brand awareness
37. Free promotion
38. Adds to your own social media efforts
39. Keeps them in the app
40. Golfer’s share their great experiences
Pro Tips
41. Helps the golfer42. Showcase the in-house Pro
43. Advertises their services/fitting/pro-shop
Member’s Login
44. Personalisation45. Special offers to members only – incentivise them to download
46. Easy access for the member to gain access to updates/premium info
Food & Beverage
47. Increased revenue via:- Awareness (knowing what you actually have)
- Promotion
- Suggestive selling (via push notifications)
48. Lets people know of new menus
Event Calendar
49. Increased revenues via promotion which will enhance footfall50. Keeps your club at front of mind
51. Able to promote all events, not just golfing days
52. More likely to be referred by golfer’s own network (word of mouth selling)
53. Sponsorship
54. Get additional income from paid sponsorship (this can easily cover the set up and running costs)
55. Reciprocal talking point “have you seen our new advert in x club course app”
56. Free to download apps can issue plastic “credit” cards that can be placed at the sponsor's premises too
Weather
57. Information for the golfer, aka, how to dress for the day58. Convenience for the golfer as they do not need to switch app –for example they can view the weather and book a tee accordingly
Location and Directions
59. Enable new players and people coming to events/tournaments to easily find you. Also keeps them in the app which will allow you to send push notifications/let them see all your offerings.Contact Area
60. Direct communication between golfer and club.61. Simple contact form plus all other contact options
62. Convenient for the golfer
SUMMARY
The right app makes a great marketing and sales tool and can bring enhanced revenue streams from a whole number of different ways, summarised below:
- App sales (if not give for free)
- Sponsorship/in app advertising
- Increased sales from the promotion of the Pro-Shop
- Increased sales from the promotion of the food and beverages
- Tee bookings
- Promotion of events will increased footfall/sale of tickets at events
- Free social media by people playing the course(social proof) will lead to increase number of people playing
- Utilises, at no extra cost, the golfer’s own network
- Decrease purchasing in things like scorecards and course guides
- Decrease in staff costs/better use of staff time (remote tee booking, etc)
CHOOSING THE RIGHT APP
If you choose an app that only has a few options like contact details, course guides and flyovers, whilst they are very useful to the golfer they, by themselves, do not generate income. It is the unique combination of having the features outlined in the article which makes the app a powerful marketing tool.CHOOSING THE RIGHT SUPPLIER
This is just as vitally important as it not only your reputation at stake but your money too!There are a number of different companies now offering apps; some are companies that specialise in flyovers or CGI that create a wrap around app, some simply add apps to their list of services and outsource the creation of the app should a client want one and other companies are specialising in creating apps for golf courses.
We are a latter company and specialises in app development and with the Golf2Win Course Buddy App we have an offering that we believe no other company can match.
UNIQUE COURSE BUDDY APP BENEFITS
Not only does it include the 62 different benefits and can generate income in all the ways mentioned in the summary but our app comes with these other added benefits below:- A native app, not just another web app. This means that areas like flyovers and scoring are not dependent upon WiFi which makes it much more user friendly plus with native apps you can send push notifications (web apps are unable to alert your customers of upcoming events or suggestive selling).
- Designed to be a lifelong app, not something that will be out of date in a couple of years (or even by the winter season as the hole position would have moved...)
- Free updates throughout the years. Here at Golf2Win we are committed to continue to be at the cutting edge and as new technology emerges our apps have the ability to flex and grow without you having to have a whole new app created, this includes listening to feedback and streamlining how things interact/work for our clients (you!)
- Unlike off the shelf web apps, which usually have just one introduction splash screen that you can put an image of your choice, our customisable screens giving your app it's own unique feel.
- Specialised bolt-on options available.
- Upgrades and new add-ons created to allow courses to the ability, at a very cost effective price, to keep up with new, emerging technology.
- We use your current assets, therefore maximising what you have already paid for. We also have the specialist skills to create any asset that you require (flyovers, promotional videos, photography, graphics,etc).
And this makes it at least 69 great reasons to talk to us about having your course start its income generating campaign!
