Why members matter at Farleigh Golf Club
Farleigh Golf Club is situated in the heart of Surrey. Set in 350 acres, the club is home to three nine hole courses, a restaurant and clubhouse that hosts a wide range of events annually. All of this ground to a halt when lockdown was introduced, meaning that the club and all of its amenities had to close down. James and his team jumped into action, knowing that the next few weeks could be make or break for the club.
With membership renewal just around the corner, the timing of lockdown was not good. However they came up with a special deal for members of the club - if they paid for their renewal upfront, they would receive 12 months for the cost of 10. Furthermore, any months that were lost to COVID-19 would be given back as credit, when they went to renew in 2021. This was offered on an individual basis; if somebody is currently still shielding, be it due to their age or health issues, they also get it given back as credit. This paid off. Members showed their faith in their club, and Farleigh saw a shift with a number that usually paid through monthly direct debit, switching to the annual payment to support their club.
For James and his team, communication was the most important aspect during this time; they wanted to keep their members updated as often as possible. They sent out a minimum of two bulletins a week, updating their members on health and safety, new rules and regulations and most importantly, when they were finally allowed to reopen. They also made the effort of calling all their members individually over the phone which was really appreciated and sent out surveys, to gauge what their members' concerns and thoughts would be when they eventually re-opened.
James stressed that their survival has been about finding balance between the members, societies and functions. Weddings are traditional a good revenue stream, but with a COVID-19 cap of 30 people in attendance, the club took a hit when a number of weddings and parties were consequently cancelled. They offered full refunds wherever possible, and have a number of weddings re-arranged for 2021. The introduction of a marquee in the grounds, however, has opened up a number of new possibilities for this Summer.
James said: “It’s been a gradual reopening process but communication was key. Keeping people in the know has helped to build even better relationships with members.”
As soon as you enter the club, it is a reassuring picture: there is antibacterial gel, clear signage directing the one way system and mapping out social distancing and the tables in the restaurant are socially distanced. Since lockdown, they’ve gained seating and the marquee encourages members to sit outside.
For James and his team, lockdown has provided a lot of thinking time, especially in terms of development of the club. The golfing community as a whole has been sharing ideas and thoughts on reopening. James’s contacts in Denmark were particularly helpful in this regard, as they were about two weeks ahead of the UK in terms of COVID-19 measures; it was very useful to see what was working.
Not surprisingly, social media has proved its worth throughout the pandemic, and the club has reviewed its messaging to adapt to the circumstances. For example, their social media used to be very offer-centric but now is a lot more content driven, as during lockdown people from the surrounding area liked what they were doing and took the opportunity for engagement.
Bulletins continue going out once a week, and a club app is being developed which will help to centralise operations, benefiting the club, members and visitors alike. It will be able to send out push notifications instantly, members can book through it and there will be a live GPS for pin sheets.
The individual communication and phone calls with members during lockdown has helped to develop these new ideas and the members are happy to input into what they feel is working and what could change. They are recognised as an invaluable resource when it comes to attracting new members, and when people apply to join they are introduced to a number of these club ambassadors.
Ultimately, Farleigh understands that the club-member bond is invaluable, and it is using this period of uncertainty to further grow and develop these relationships. It’s clearly working. Not only have they maintained numbers, but there’s been a surge in membership. Activity at the club has also increased, with the number of competitors in the club championship more than doubling, from 56 in 2019 to an impressive 108 this year.
James said: “We’re a members club. We really value our members and I think the clubs that will do really well are the ones that will put their members first. We pride ourselves on being a very forward thinking and proactive club, on being the home away from home for members. We want to make Farleigh a part of someone's life; we want them to know that through all the recent hardship that they can come here. It’s been brilliant to have the members back.”
https://www.farleighfox.co.uk/
