Golf Major Championships Help Drive Sales at Golf Courses

It’s lastly right here: April by September is the season for golf main championships. This concentrated window of time is when the collective curiosity within the mens’ and womens’ skilled recreation peaks.

Contemplating these tournaments additionally fall throughout a interval which covers the prime months for leisure golf in North America, we crunched the numbers from 1000’s of programs powered by Lightspeed Golf to find whether or not golf’s main weekends had a constructive impact on gross sales when in comparison with regular peak season weekends.

Right here’s what we discovered.

Our findings

We in contrast Gross Transaction Quantity (GTV) knowledge^{1, 2} from over a thousand programs that use Lightspeed Golf over a interval spanning April 1 to October 31, 2023, and located that each retail and meals and beverage (F&B) gross sales elevated at US and Canadian golf programs on main championship weekends when in comparison with non-major weekends.

In the US, meals and beverage gross sales on main weekends elevated 3%, whereas retail gross sales elevated 9.3% when in comparison with non-major weekends.

In Canada, the story may be very a lot the identical, with common retail gross sales growing 11.7% and meals and beverage gross sales growing 16.3%.

Main golf = main urge for food

Main championship broadcast days on each the mens’ and womens’ facet of the skilled recreation coincided with days that ranked among the many prime 10 for day by day F&B gross sales at programs within the USA.

The identical could be stated for golf programs in Canada:

The Masters and US Open enhance

Whereas the common efficiency of main championship weekends when in comparison with different peak season weekends was spectacular, two main weekends particularly—The Masters and the US Open—coincided with spectacular numbers at Lightspeed programs in the US and Canada.

Masters Weekend | April 8-9

Regardless of touchdown on Easter Sunday in early spring, Masters weekend noticed above common gross sales at Lightspeed programs within the USA.

US Open Weekend | June 17-18

Massive names, a primetime broadcast and exquisite June climate all probably contributed to the above common efficiency throughout each retail and F&B at North American Lightspeed programs.

Golf main championships drive important viewer curiosity

Current US broadcast knowledge drives dwelling the draw, and the importance, of those tournaments.

Shifting the needle

Whereas the big-name contenders, the long-lasting venues and the viewing home windows of those tournaments have pushed numbers increased lately, there’s no denying that the majors are the needle movers in each the mens and the womens recreation every yr. Why?

1. Shortage: Main championship season is a brief window of time that incorporates solely a handful of tournaments
2. Gravity: Majors have a pull to them that different tournaments don’t. Very similar to common season baseball vs postseason baseball, they’re in a league of their very own
3. Neighborhood: Whereas ambivalence and frustration has set in among golf fans regarding the state of the men’s professional game in 2024, the majors are one thing they will all agree on.

These are the occasions that every one golf followers will watch, discuss, tweet about and obsess over from April by September.

When are the golf main championships in 2024?

As we head into the 2024 main championship season, here’s a refresher on the dates, venues and particulars that make these tournaments distinctive.

4 cross-promotional advertising ways to strive throughout golf’s main season

By using some inventive and well timed cross-promotional advertising methods, you’ll be able to capitalize on the curiosity and enthusiasm generated by golf’s majors and make your course a go-to vacation spot to each play golf and watch these wonderful occasions in 2024 and past.

1. Host a serious championship watch occasion at your course

Nothing amplifies the highs and lows of watching high-stakes sporting occasions like a gaggle setting. Look no additional than the revenue boost sports bars get during major-league playoff runs. And whereas golf could not have the identical broad attain or attraction as the largest North American sports activities leagues, the majors drive playoff-like ratings when in comparison with different golf tournaments. Why?

Organizing a serious championship watch occasion at your golf course is a inventive strategy to faucet into the playoff-like ambiance of those tournaments. It might elevate the viewing expertise and create a way of group round occasions that each informal and diehard golf followers care about. That stated, with a view to make it really feel elevated, it’s worthwhile to have a correct plan in place:

Scheduling and viewing home windows: Golf tournaments are marathons not sprints, so be selective with timing and prioritize the important thing viewing home windows: Saturday afternoon/night and Sunday afternoon/night. Not solely does this seize an important golf, nevertheless it additionally helps you capitalize on weekend foot visitors. As an alternative of going dwelling after their spherical, golfers can come into the clubhouse, eat, drink, socialize and watch the perfect golf of the yr.

Promotion: Don’t simply depend on foot visitors. Actively promote your watch occasion through social media, your buyer e-mail database, SMS advertising, your web site and bodily adverts across the clubhouse. Be clear on the main points, create pleasure and do your greatest to promote golfers on the communal factor.

Incentivization: Make your watch occasion an additive expertise. Run foods and drinks promos, run major-themed trivia or different video games with prizes on the road, create a particular set menu or create a signature cocktail. There are a variety of how to raise the expertise and make it enjoyable, so get inventive.

Setup, sound and sightlines: Whether or not you’re utilizing televisions in your clubhouse or organising a projector display, create good sightlines and viewing areas no matter the place individuals are sitting. Sound can also be additive right here, simply make sure that it’s at a stage the place patrons can nonetheless maintain regular conversations.

2. Run golf, professional store and/or F&B offers and promos on main weekends

Spring and summer time are seasons for North American golf programs to capitalize on peak climate, peak charges and peak demand. With golfers already itching to get out and play, working promotions and offers to coincide with main championships can assist your course stand out, drive purchases and faucet into the excitement that the majors create.

Operating some of these gross sales and promotions is way simpler and more practical with golf management software that helps you:

• Simply create, low cost, and modify stock gadgets in your retail POS
• Set promotions stay throughout your bodily and on-line shops
• Arrange distinctive promo codes
• Monitor gross sales efficiency and monitor developments

Promotional bundles: Main weeks are an ideal time to run particular bundles for patrons. From spherical and eating packages to professional store bundles and particular, limited-time gamepacks, there are many choices to contemplate.

Particular on-line offers: Drive extra on-line bookings and capitalize on the thrill of main weeks with limited-time offers for golfers who e book on-line. That is an particularly good transfer for Thursday and Friday twilight rounds, as you’ll be able to seize demand from prospects seeking to get a spherical in after watching early spherical main protection earlier than the weekend.

Meals and beverage promos: Our service provider knowledge signifies an uptick in meals and beverage gross sales on main championship weekends. By working specials on these choose weekends, you’ll be able to entice golfers to remain on web site after their rounds to eat, drink and watch golf.

3. Run a major-themed match at your course

Main championship weeks aren’t solely about watching golf: watching wonderful golf at wonderful venues can also be one thing that makes individuals need to get out and play themselves.

Look no additional than the Masters: after an extended winter in Canada and far of the US, seeing the professionals play Augusta is an unmistakable signal that the golf season has arrived and that it’s time to get out.

Operating a match in the course of the week of a serious is a superb strategy to create a way of group at your course and construct further pleasure to play golf throughout main weeks. Like all the time, working a profitable match comes all the way down to id, planning and execution:

• Theme: How will you tie your match to the week’s main championship? What do you need to get out of the match?
• Registration: How will entrants register for the match and the way will you retain monitor?
• Dimension, rounds and scope: What number of entrants? What number of rounds? What’s going to the meals and beverage element seem like?
• Scoring and format: Stroke play? Scramble? Shotgun begin? How will you monitor and show scores? How will you negotiate handicapping? Will there be hole-by-hole contests?
• Promotion and partnerships: How will you advertise? Is it potential to accomplice with native sponsors?
• Purchase-in and prizes: What’s going to go to the winners? Will you add a charitable element? What’s going to it price to enter?
• Information assortment and efficiency: How will you seize buyer knowledge? What are your key efficiency indicators?

Utilizing the suitable golf course management software with a tournaments and occasions module, seamless online booking engine and a strong tee sheet could make your life, and golfer’s lives, a lot simpler.

RUN AMAZING GOLF TOURNAMENTS AND EVENTS

4. Be energetic on e-mail and social channels

With the eyes of the golf world on these occasions all through the main championship season, referencing them throughout your advertising channels exhibits you’re invested within the broader recreation and provides your course an opportunity to point out off some model character.

From natural social media posts and advertising emails to your web site, discover a strategy to present your pleasure for the majors and remind prospects that your course is the right place to look at the rounds and satiate their very own yearning for golf.

So what’s the next step?

Searching for an built-in golf course administration software program, POS and funds system to assist your course thrive throughout main championship season? Talk to one of our golf experts today and uncover why 1000’s of golf programs select our platform to run and develop their companies.

^{1. Lightspeed GTV Information: This knowledge compares Gross Transaction Quantity (GTV) of North American Lightspeed Golf places that had been absolutely operational for the interval of April 1, 2023 to October 31, 2023 within the calendar yr 2023 (same-store GTV).}

^{2. It is a Key Efficiency Indicator. Consult with the part entitled “Key Efficiency Indicators” inside Administration’s Dialogue and Evaluation of Monetary Situation and Outcomes of Operation for the Three and 9 Months Ended December 31, 2023 out there on SEDAR at www.sedarplus.ca and on EDGAR at www.sec.gov for the definition.}

^{Editor’s notice: Nothing on this weblog put up needs to be construed as recommendation of any variety. Any authorized, monetary or tax-related content material is offered for informational functions solely and isn’t an alternative choice to acquiring recommendation from a professional authorized or accounting skilled. The place out there, we’ve included main sources. Whereas we work laborious to publish correct content material, we can’t be held chargeable for any actions or omissions based mostly on that content material. Lightspeed doesn’t undertake to finish additional verifications or hold this weblog put up up to date over time.}