Life is divided into three terms - that which was, which is, and which will be. Let us learn from the past to profit by the present, and from the present, to live better in the future.
I can't help but think, that this sums up the current state of play within golf. In a week which has seen the third golf club in Scotland close this year, we have to face up to the reality that golf participation is heading towards a crisis point.
If being honest, as society has evolved, golf has lagged behind. Or rather the public perception of golf has not kept up. If you approached a non golfing member of the public, their view of golf would be middle aged, pot-bellied men, dressed liked 1970's pimps, before adjourning to their private members bar for a Pimms, in their club blazer and tie.
Whether we like it or not, golf to many is still seen as elitist and this is a hurdle we need to overcome to bring in new blood.
We must also be realistic. There are certain clubs and courses that will never face financial or participation issues. If you turned around and told someone that they couldn't play the Old Course without wearing tartan trousers, they would go buy a pair just to play it.
On the other hand if you are a new club, inside a large community, you have a fight on your hands just to get anyone on your course.
Golf really suffers due to a lack of good PR/public perception. It still maintains its elitist, rich mans persona and this was shown last week when the R&A announced its honorary female members and chose Princess Anne over Kate Middleton. The latter would have raised both interest from a much needed younger audience as well as giving an air of a much more accessible sport.
Let's paint with a broad brush for a second. If you are male, middle aged and an established golfer, you are looking for an established club, a challenging golf course, driving range and good club facilities. However, if you are in your twenties, female, and looking to broaden your interests and horizons what are you looking for? Accessible facilities, that suit a beginner, but give you the ability to progress your skills and game, and support from other members.
So what is the answer? Is there an answer?
There is no one right answer for every club. Each club needs to look at the situation on its own merits. They need to stop thinking like a club and treat it like a business. They need to look at their current market and the markets that they want to expand into and perform a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) on their current procedures. They need to revisit their marketing and target their audiences appropriately with the desirable message.
And here we have another issue. Committees. My observations are, clubs that's have been managed and where the manager has been allowed to manage, are perceived to be more successful than clubs that are managed by committee.
Reality is, that on any committee personal agendas will always take precedence to good business. Some individuals fail to look at the bigger picture and in particular the long term situation, to the detriment of the clubs that they are involved in.
So in my opinion if you are a club that is facing membership or financial struggles, do your market research and employ good PR/marketing. This is a vital part of any business, and while your club is maybe committee run, it needs to function as a business to survive.
But let's be clear on this there is no fit all solution. You need to look at your location, membership, potential membership and community around you to find the answers you are looking for.
Ask not what your club can do for you, but what you can do for your club!
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