I arrived at the golf course on a Wednesday at 4:45 p.m. and noticed something strange: the parking lot was full. I figured there must be an outing or event going on. The mystery continued as I approached the driving range and saw it was packed. "What's going on?" I wondered.
Curious, I texted the course superintendent, asking, "What the heck is going on here? This place is packed, music is playing, and people are everywhere." He replied, "It's the Golf League."
As courses have benefited from the COVID boom, I've been around long enough to know participation could begin to wane just as it did during the "Golf Depression," when there were more course closures than openings and golf was losing more and more players every year.
With that in mind, now's the time to work to prevent that waning and try to retain golfers and, if your course can handle it, attract more players.
The Power of Golf Leagues
Thanks to the local golf league, El Prado is seeing a substantial boost in players and revenue. Kevin Knutson, the General Manager at El Prado, has 168 golfers over 27 holes from 5 p.m. to a little after 7 p.m. on Wednesday evenings, previously the slowest time and day before introducing the golf league. Oh, and by the way, his F&B (food & beverage) revenue improved drastically on Wednesday evenings. Most Wednesday evenings, they have to kick golfers out of the bar at 10 p.m..
What's the Golf League?
The golf league is comprised of 6 flights with 14 two-man teams. Players are flighted based on their skill level. Players pay upfront for the whole season, and the price for each two-man team is extremely reasonable. The league runs for 13 weeks, where players play a 9-hole match against all the teams in the flight. It's a Ryder Cup format where Player "A" plays against Player "A" from another team, and Player "B" plays against the other team's Player "B." It's 9 holes of match play: 1 point for a win, ½ a point for a tie, and 0 points for a loss. Additionally, the best ball of each team plays the best ball of the other team for another point. Points accumulate over the season to determine the winner at the end of the 13 weeks.
Managing Attendance and Payments
Life happens, and players might miss a week due to vacation, work, etc. It's the responsibility of the team member to get a replacement or let Kevin (aka the golf course) know that they'll be absent. Kevin maintains a list of replacements, so it's rare that they don't have a full 168 players each week. Golfers start showing up after 4 p.m. to check in, and one member of each team grabs the scorecard for the match, which indicates their starting hole. Uncollected scorecards signal a team's absence. Moving to a prepaid system for the whole season eliminates long payment lines, and golfers love the convenience.
How the League Operates
After collecting their scorecards, players hit some balls to warm up—if they can find a spot on the driving range. An announcement is made, and players head to their starting holes. El Prado is fortunate to have 36 holes, so they can use 27 holes for the league with a shotgun start while keeping regular play on the remaining 9 holes.
The Origin of the League
Back in 2011, the USGA highlighted three major issues with golf that contributed to its decline: 1) Golf is too expensive, 2) Golf is too hard, and 3) Golf takes too much time. Kevin's golf league addresses all three issues:
- Affordability: Each week costs about $20 for 9 holes, a cart, and range balls.
- Accessibility: Teams are flighted by skill level, making competition fair and enjoyable. Match play ensures that one bad hole doesn't ruin the round.
- Time Efficiency: With 9-hole matches starting at 5:10 p.m., players can finish a round quickly, similar to a softball league.
Kevin started the league with 36 players in the first year. Twelve years later, it has grown to 168 players. Remarkably, this growth has been driven solely by word of mouth, with no advertising.
Beyond Golf: Building Community
This league is more than just 9 holes of golf every week; it's about building a community. One team even flies in from Arizona every week to play. Participants get to know everyone; the league is about having fun. If anyone joins for reasons beyond fun, they're refunded and asked not to return—this has only happened twice in 12 years.
Conclusion
Building a sense of community over this great game ensures golfers will keep coming back. The pandemic gave golf a boost, and now it's up to all of us to sustain that participation. I hope this story inspires you to find new ways to keep golfers engaged and coming back to your course.
