10 tips for a successful junior golf program

Introduction These ten tips were written with one outcome in mind, “to get more kids playing golf at our clubs. This is why we are all here in the business of golf, to grow the game, to get more members and create a second home for many of our members. Creating a club which fosters a true sense of belonging, starts with a successful junior golf program. There is no denying the fact that Australia has some of the best and most accessible golf courses in the world, but how many are actually clubs in the true sense of the word? How many invest in their future membership, how many clubs allow for family memberships, how many have an annual kids calendar of events and how many have a Board endorsed junior golf program? Dare I say, not as many as there should be. There will be a time when all of our memberships “dry out, and these 10 easy to follow steps have been created to assist clubs with the foundations for creating their next wave of memberships, their next life member and their next family who comes to the club each Sunday for lunch. These insights are not sacred, they are not anything really new to clubs in terms of innovations, but what they are is structure, format and clearly defined stages of success to create an all-encompassing program for the future of their club. These steps for success will apply to those clubs who are looking to implement, modify their existing program or simply want re-enforcement of the great job they are already doing at their club. Regardless of your clubs position with junior programs, they key is to stick with them, invest in them and promote them! And remember, a junior program is not a money making exercise, it’s an investment into the future of your club. One FUN, FUN, FUN! Keeping these kids entertained is the MOST IMPORTANT part of any junior program. Why? Because if these kids get bored, they wont come back, they will tell all their little friends in the playground that golf isn’t cool. And what kid wants to do something that isn’t cool? I’m an adult and I don’t like doing these that aren’t cool or boring! So make it FUN. So how do you make golf fun for kids? How can you keep these little rascals entertained for an hour each week… here are some ideas for you to try; Play games that have nothing to do with golf, but involve them having the club in their hand. This creates a subconscious affiliation with the tools of the trade, it breaks any unfamiliarity with the club down to ‘that thing that I used when we were playing that game, I know how to use this! Aaahha!’ The best non-golf but golf game I have seen is ‘Cops & Robbers’ where we printed out images of cops and robbers and stuck them between two poles on the putting green and used them as putting targets, 10 points for the robbers and 0 points for the cops… a great way for them to practice their accuracy, whilst having loads of fun. Use props. Build a scarecrow and put it on your range for the kids to hit at, make a sandcastle in the practice bunker, anything can be used to detract them from the laborious technique of golf. Bring special guests down to the club to keep them entertained, ask the local police station to bring a car down for them to have a look at, or perhaps have a kids DJ playing on the practice range. Clowns are also great to have around the kids while they are playing golf, they are a great form of entertainment. There is usually an employee at the club who can do this for you. Don’t do just golf activities. Have some other games and activities for the kids to play with when they get tired or bored. That way they still feel involved and part of the fun. Finally, and most importantly, make sure that your instructor is funny, friendly and patient… then FUN will come naturally. Two REGULATIONS Regulations are the foundations to any successful program. Parents expect your teachers to have the answers to everything about the program, and you must deliver. Some of the things that you should prepare before you start any program are: 1. Who is teaching the program; does he/she have experience teaching children? 2. Do they have a working with children certificate? 3. If a child is sick, can they make up a class? 4. What happens if my child is injured, is the teacher a first aid trained? 5. What is the dress code? 6. Can I use the clubhouse whilst my child is in the program? 7. Can we use the practice facilities after school to practice? 8. Do you have a family membership? 9. Can we do private lessons in addition the program? As a club, you may need to relax many of your existing and traditional rules and regulations to accommodate for the new kids at your club and their parents watching. One of the most common regulations which is the first the be adjusted is dress code for the kids and parents and the other being clubhouse use for the parents. Invite them in! Your teachers should all be first aid trained and have working with children certificates, display them in your kids corner in your golf shop, and promote your teachers accreditations in all of your marketing, peace of mind is a great seller. Be prepared and promote these frequently asked questions (FAQ’s) in your publications. Three TIMING Timing has a two fold process; Dates & Sessions. Dates refers to the planning stages of the program through scheduling your program and special events around the following kid related events and dates. 1. School Holidays 2. Long Weekends 3. Sporting seasons, do you know when the summer sport season starts? Through simple investigation into the above mentioned dates, you will get more kids to your program, the alternative is that you coincide with football/cricket season and only a couple of kids show up. The second area of timing is the sessions, how long will each program go for? 30 minutes, 60 minutes, longer? Will the program be a 4 week intensive training, or spread out over 12 weeks to allow for kids to grasp the sport? The structure of the program is so critically important to the initial intake of children. Parents will often determine whether or not their children will participate based on these timings. Not sure how to structure them? Ask the parents, working with them will work in your favor. Another key area to consider in timing is how will the program be managed by the club, will the programs clash with any major events held by the club, will you have resources all year round to adequately cater for the kids program? Careful understanding of timing is crucial, once you commit to the program, your committed for the long term. The consequences for your club can be catastrophic for the future successes of other junior programs. Kids will talk about any failures your program has, especially online. Four PREPARATION Don’t wing it, parents and kids will know! So prepare for each session individually and set some goals for the entire program. This will allow your new program to; Have a manageable curriculum for your students Set clear systems for instruction for your teachers Set clearly defined goals for each student each week and at the end of the program. Maybe use this information to prepare progress reports for each student and supply them to each parent? Prepare for children of different ages, skill levels and cultures participating in your programs, do you have a plan for this? This plan could be in the form of advanced clinics for older children, or perhaps teaching children in a language other than English if your local demographics demand for it. The more diverse and flexible your program is, the more activity and ongoing participation you will have. Have you prepared for when the weather isn’t favorable? Do you have an inside area for the children to practice or perhaps a golf DVD to watch? Do you have extra equipment and kids hats and drink bottles just in case someone brings a friend along? Imagine the instant acceptance the other kids would give this child if he was able to walk straight into the program. Imagine if you could not, and the child had to share? Prepare for the worst case scenario to achieve the best case scenario. Kids will have fun and parents will appreciate the time and effort. Five JUNIOR MEMBERSHIP This is where the investment into the program comes back to your club, this is when the affiliation, the bond of the child turns from a participator, to a member. The ultimate outcome for any junior program. But without options for junior membership at your club, the child and parents will do one of two things: 1. Go to another club 2. Quit golf and play another sport So make sure you have some options and promote these to the children and parents a week or two before the program is finished. The best example of Junior Membership is at The Eastern Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia. They have a fully functional development program for their juniors which is as follows: Stage One: Junior Golf Academy – Three programs catering for different skill levels. Children from the age of 4 – 16 can participate. Stage Two: Sub-Junior Golf Program – Designed as a bridging program into Junior Membership at the club where the child can join from age 8 and use the practice facilities and course outside of competition times under the supervision of an adult. Stage Three: Junior Membership – Children from the age of 12 can join and use the course and practice facilities. They also receive a free lesson from the junior coach to get them on their way. www.easterngolfclub.com.au Has your club got a family membership option? Usually, parents will join if their child has a passion for the game, so give them a couple of options, don’t forget mum. The more practical, flexible and value filled your junior membership options are, they more return you will get. Remember, you are trying to build a life member, not a quick buck. Six COMMUNICATE Keep in contact with the children on a regular basis. You need to keep them excited about the golf program, even when they are not actually participating. How? Here is how… 1. Email i. Get their email addresses (yes, even 5 year olds have email addresses) ii. Use a free email management service (like Mailchip) to create fun and colourful emails that will grab their attention iii. Structure the emails on a specific day, so they know when its coming. If your program is held on a Saturday, send your email off on a Wednesday. It will give them something to look forward to and they will talk about it in the playground. 2. Facebook page specific to just children i. Post photos and videos from the weeks program on the page to get them using the page frequently – tagging the kids in the photos and videos will give them instant notifications on their smart phones (yes, they have these too!) ii. Facebook pages are a great way to build engagement amongst the children and begin conversations between them iii. Put junior membership options on the area and offer children’s clothing and golfing equipment on the page. 2. Website i. Give them a “secret username and password just for kids so only they can access the area of the website ii. Upload photos and videos iii. Post information about membership, upcoming kids programs and club events iv. Have social media share buttons on all photo albums and videos – expand your viral reach… kids will talk about the program online through their communication channels Most importantly, keep them engaged, so that they expand your viral reach for the program. You will get more children just through word of mouse. Seven SPONSORS Every golf company in the world wants to be affiliated with a junior golf program… capitalize on it. There are two critical elements to this chapter; One, what do you want? Two; what do they want? What do you want? Product to value add your junior program Junior golf clubs Food and Drinks – Healthy options of course Hats, gloves and accessories The more that you can add into your program the more value filled it is, and the more likely that parents will say, ‘wow, that’s great value!’. Giving the child a golf club and some golf balls will allow them to grow an affiliation or bond if you will with the game in their own time. They will be more likely to practice in their own time and share the activities with their friends. What do they want? Promotion Affiliation Reports on where their donation/sponsorship money is going Return on investment You should co-endorse their adult products in your golf shop to assist with the companies brand exposure, perhaps put a ‘Kids Corner’ in your shop with the full range of products from your suppliers. Show them that your club value their sponsorship Through understanding these two core principals, you set solid foundations to a long lasting relationship with suppliers and sponsors of the program, and the better off your program will be for it. Eight RESEARCH Your not the only club with a junior program. Other clubs want your children to join, this is a lucrative market, you need to know what is out there. So, now that you know that… you need to research what they do, how they do it, when they do it and how much they charge for it. Do a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats) analysis on them, where does your program sit amongst their performance? Some of the key areas which you need to research are: Price Program structure i. Times ii. Dates iii. Days iv. Curriculum Advertising/Marketing Market penetration – how many kids are in their program Once you have researched all of this, ask yourself these same questions and see where your program sits with others. How attractive is your program compared to the others in the local area? Are their gaps in their program which you can capitalize on for your programs? Such as lack of attention to the medium skill level market, perhaps you can set up an intermediate program for children if this is the case. What is your point of difference, what are the key areas which makes your program stand out to the parents and children? IDEA: Set up Google Alerts for all the local clubs and junior programs so that any online information about them comes directly to your inbox as it occurs. Nine PRICE The right price point for your program will ultimately determine the success of your program for the parents. Kids these days are often doing 2-3 activities/sports a week, thats about $60-$80 a week each kid! ($4,180 per annum!) Now multiply that by 2-3 kids… so getting the right price point is so important. So, how can you offer a quality program without the price tag? 1. GET SPONSORS (Chapter 7) 2. Don’t treat these junior programs as a money making exercise, run them at a break even… making money is not why you run a junior program. Consider price points, like when you go shopping for clothes, such as: Price Children Length Includes $19.90 1 1 week Glove, Hat & Drink Bottle $99.00 1 12 weeks Products RRP @ $250 $199.00 3 12 weeks Products RRP @ $250 Through bundling the price of your programs for the parents the price is more appealing for them to consider. If a parent can save $3-4 a child each session over a 12 week program, that’s a $48 saving per child! Finally, when marketing your price you MUST sell the individual price per child per session, per week. Parents need to know how much the program is going to cost within their weekly budgets, so make it simple for them! Ten SPONSORS The final tip for success. AND the most important. Your club must have a long term commitment to the program to the growth and development of juniors at your club. This commitment must come from the Board of Directors of the club, this is the only way that your club will maintain a consistency in the program, and establish longevity. When proposing your junior commitment outline to your Board the last nine (9) keys areas, it will answer all of their questions, doubts and everything in between. They will vote with confidence on the future programs at the club and know that the program and future junior members of the club are in safe hands. A club wide commitment doesn’t just come from the boardroom table, it requires every staff member to have an understanding of the importance of junior programs at the club – they are the future of your club. So think of ways to involve everyone at your club, how can your restaurant help? Hot Dog stand with a chef on the putting green? Family meals Kids cooking classes? What about the golf shop staff – do they have balloons and a kids corner in the golf shop for the kids to visit each time? Your course staff can help out by making some FUN obstacles in out of play areas, such as dirt mounds, bunkers and targets for the kids to hit at. Your office staff can help with publications and communication to the kids and their parents, promote junior and family membership options. Finally, your members can assist – get them to donate old golf clubs so you can cut them down and make sets for the kids, donate balls and old practice equipment. Commitment to the program will build better relationships with the kids and their parents and ultimately build a stronger bond between them and your club. Do this right, and you will get a member for life. For more info or help contact Peter Vlahandreas at peter@easterngolfclub.com.au Please click here to read Golf Industry Central’s new Autumn mag in full screen-viewer