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It has been well documented that golfers engage with the game in a wide variety of ways and are often less than fully satisfied with their experience. A 2018 Golfer Experience Study conducted by the USGA found that overall customer satisfaction with golf courses was at 69%, which was equivalent to experiences with the federal government and airlines, and below the satisfaction level of industries like hotels (75%) and full-service restaurants (82%). Because the operation of nearly 15,000 golf facilities across the United States represents over 70% of the $46 billion direct golf economy, strengthening the value proposition of golf courses and improving golfer satisfaction are critical needs.

In the USGA Green Section Record article “What a Golfer Really Wants,” we shared information from the initial phases of golfer experience research commissioned by the USGA. The article delved into the five stages of golfer engagement from selecting a course through interactions after departing the facility. The five phases – which contain more than 1,000 touchpoints – were identified through interviews, focus groups and surveys. This article focuses on how best to classify golf facilities based on the experiences they offer to their customers and members, and the implications for improving golfer satisfaction.

Primary Golf Facility Classification Categories

Traditionally, golf facilities have been classified by access (daily fee, private club, resort), ownership/management model (small business/individual owner, multi-club owner, municipal, private equity club), number of holes (9, 18, 27 or more), region, price point and a variety of other descriptors. Our research has determined that a better method of segmenting facilities to evaluate and benchmark golfer satisfaction is based on the type of experience provided. We propose a system of six classifications supplemented by secondary characteristics.

To understand the range of experiences that courses provide golfers, we interviewed owners and operators and then categorized facilities into the different types or segments. This step focused on differentiating properties based upon the customer experience's scope, primarily the revenue generating services and expense generating departments, to establish categories of green-grass courses that would account for the full spectrum of course types.

To properly place a course within a segment, features including practice facilities, golfer-support personnel, the scope of the golf shop, number and type of food and beverage offerings, non-golf event space and the presence of socializing options were examined. The balance between golf and non-golf activities, along with the presence of lodging or status as a globally recognized course, were also key considerations for classification. A seventh group that accounts for entertainment facilities that offer a golf experience without a traditional green-grass product – e.g., TopGolf – is excluded from this analysis because this study is focused on green-grass golf facilities.

Here are detailed descriptions for each of the six segments:

  1. Focused Facilities deliver a golf course with minimal amenities. They may or may not have a driving range and have limited practice areas. The golf shop would typically only sell items such as balls, tees, gloves and other essentials. Food is likely limited to a snack bar or vending area. Events, if any, would be held in temporary or multiuse structures.
  2. Enhanced Facilities deliver a golf course with a driving range, some practice areas and limited on-course services such as a starter or ranger. A simulator might be available for year-round golf. The golf shop would typically sell all essential items as well as some facility-branded items. Lessons from a golf professional would normally be available. The facility may have a restaurant with table service and made-to-order pub-style food. There are opportunities for post-round socializing including a full bar and multipurpose spaces for non-golf events are normally available.
  3. Comprehensive Facilities deliver a golf course with a driving range, full practice areas up to a complete learning center and player-support personnel are present throughout the experience. Caddies may also be offered. A simulator would likely be available for year-round golf. A full-service golf shop would typically sell a wide variety of facility-branded and unbranded items. Lessons from a dedicated golf teaching professional would likely be available for full player development. The facility would have multiple food outlets with various levels of on-course and off-course food and beverage options. There are opportunities for post-round socializing including a full bar and full-service food and beverage spaces for non-golf events are available.
  4. Lifestyle Facilities deliver a golf course with a driving range, full practice areas up to a full learning center and player-support personnel are present throughout the experience. Caddies may also be offered. A simulator would likely be available for year-round golf. A full-service golf shop would typically sell a wide variety of facility-branded and unbranded items. Lessons from a dedicated golf teaching professional would likely be available for full player development. The facility would have multiple food outlets with various levels of on-course and off-course food and beverage options. Extensive socializing opportunities associated with or without golf are available. Substantial recreational options such as swimming, tennis and family-oriented amenities are available. Many customers or members use the facility and don’t play golf – resulting in significant golf and non-golf revenue streams.
  5. Resort Facilities deliver a golf course with a driving range, full practice areas up to a full learning center and player-support personnel are present throughout the experience. Overnight lodging is offered. A full-service golf shop would typically sell a wide variety of facility-branded and unbranded items. The facility would have multiple food outlets with various levels of on-course and off-course food and beverage options. Extensive non-golf recreational options – possibly including a spa – are available. Many customers or members use the resort and don’t play golf – resulting in significant golf and non-golf revenue streams.
  6. Destination Facilities deliver a golf course and can offer amenity combinations of any of the five previous facility categories. They can be either public or private facilities. Their commonality is not in the location or size of the facility, but rather that they present an aspirational and highly sought golf experience. They are widely and internationally recognized top-tier facilities that have achieved an elevated status in golfers’ minds. The rates they charge and the challenge to access them match this elevated status.
     

The key differentiators of these six categories are:

  • The prestige of the facility and cost to access
  • The level of player services
  • The level of practice facilities and instruction available
  • Golf retail offerings
  • Level of food and beverage
  • Lodging
  • Non-golf activities
     

Note that characteristics of facilities in the Destination category may align with other segments. In these cases, the primary differentiator of a Destination facility is its high desirability, special or unique characteristics, premier status and/or elevated golfer experiences offered.

Golfer Satisfaction Differences by Facility Category for Key Touch Points

To explore the potential benefits of using this course typology, we conducted statistical analyses of the golfer satisfaction data collected during the 2018 Golfer Experience Study. Data from respondents who indicated a home course in their response were further analyzed to understand potential differences based on course-type preferences. Golfers that responded to the survey are highly committed to the game, the rules, and their performance. Due to insufficient quantities of Resort or Destination courses in the dataset, the analyses were limited to Focused, Enhanced, Comprehensive and Lifestyle course types.

To efficiently use the initially identified on-course touchpoints to explain on-course satisfaction, analyses culled 1,000 touchpoints to only 28 key drivers of golfer satisfaction and grouped them into course design, course conditioning, pace of play, player support and employee interaction categories. With 2,920 responses, differences between touchpoint categories were found based upon golfer demographics, behavioral considerations, and opinions about the game. Results indicate significant differences between the golfers who play various courses, with these differences influencing touchpoints and course operations. Understanding those differences can help facilities target their efforts to improve the golf experience in ways that will have the most impact on their specific customers.

Table 1 shows overall golfer satisfaction and satisfaction for on-course touchpoint categories on a 0-5 scale. Overall satisfaction was statistically higher for golfers from the Lifestyle segment than the other three segments and golfers from Comprehensive facilities reported higher satisfaction than golfers from Focused facilities.

Regarding individual touchpoint categories, there was no statistical difference in satisfaction with the employee touchpoints across the facility categories, but golfers from Lifestyle and Comprehensive facilities were more satisfied with course design, condition of fairways, condition of greens and tees, service, and with general touchpoints than golfers from Enhanced and Focused facilities. Golfers from Enhanced facilities also were more satisfied with service than golfers from Focused facilities. Golfers from Lifestyle facilities were more satisfied with pace of play than golfers from the other three facility categories.

Although we did not statistically compare satisfaction among touchpoint categories, numerical differences for average satisfaction across all facility categories ranked Design > Employees > General > Greens/Tees > Fairway > Pace > Service.

Opportunities for Improvement

In general, the cost to play golf increases from Focused facilities to Lifestyle facilities – as do golfer expectations – so it is not surprising that overall satisfaction increases with cost to play. However, there are clearly opportunities for improvement across all facility types for the Pace of Play and Service categories, which both average 3.5 points out of 5.0 – the lowest average scores of the touchpoint categories.

Pace of play includes a variety of aspects that, in general, are similarly rated for Focused, Enhanced and Comprehensive facilities, but are rated somewhat higher for Lifestyle facilities. Touchpoints include pace-of-play factors like pressure to adjust playing speed and length of wait at the turn or between shots, speed of players outside your group, and staff aspects including clear expectations and corrective actions to problem groups. Because there is near consistency across all facility types with the gap between level of satisfaction delivered versus desired, pace of play is an area that should be well understood and carefully managed for all facilities.

While the employee interaction touch points are highly rated and satisfaction doesn’t vary across facility type, the service golfers receive does vary, with Comprehensive and Lifestyle being more highly rated than Focused and Enhanced. This is not surprising due to the average cost to play these different facility types and the types of service offered throughout the different experiences. However, the root of the differences in the service category focus around establishing clear policies for pace of play and training the ranger to be friendly, have good etiquette and to treat all groups fairly. Courses across facility types should be able to perform well in these areas.

Course conditioning – including greens, tees, fairways, and general upkeep – is the clear differentiator in facility category golfer satisfaction rating with Lifestyle > Comprehensive > Enhanced > Focused. Acknowledging that different facilities have significantly different maintenance budgets due to limited resources from revenue differences, it is still important to note that presentation of the golf course is the biggest differentiator of satisfaction and is only behind to pace of play and ranger behavior in terms of the potential impact on golfer satisfaction. Given this fact, courses should work to understand how their course conditioning is perceived by golfers and focus investment in that area if the results suggest an opportunity for meaningful improvement.

Conclusions and Next Steps

This study demonstrates that a golf facility classification system based on the golfer experiences offered is useful to track golfer satisfaction and understand how a facility fits within the broader context of golf offerings. A specific facility could measure their golfer satisfaction across a variety of touchpoints to determine how they compare on average to the industry, how they compare within their facility segment and how they compare to the best-performing facilities in the industry. Measuring golfer satisfaction is the first step to identify gaps and areas for potential improvement.

Even without measuring golfer satisfaction, facilities can self-assess the groups of touchpoints that are most impactful to improving golfer experience and determine actions and improvements to maximize golfer satisfaction using the available resources.

The USGA offers tools to evaluate the satisfaction of a facility’s customers or members. Contact us at golferexperience@usga.org for more information. Once golfer satisfaction is quantified, the USGA offers a full suite of information, products and services to improve golf course conditions and operations – including pace of play – through the Green Section Record and the Green Section Solution Center.

David Pierce is the director of research for the Green Section.