Goswick Links

In May 2021 we were approached by Goswick Golf Club, a top 100 course on the Northumberland coast with a well-established customer base of members and visitors. Their sales were already very high due to the excellent reputation of the course, but they were keen to develop their visitor revenue further with the implementation of a dynamic pricing strategy.

Analysis

Our initial work involved a full analysis of their sales via REPORTS.GOLF and an examination of their tee sheet utilisation. This enabled us to identify areas where the course was being heavily utilised, and where visitors should be encouraged to play in order to avoid too much disruption to the members. This was followed by a comprehensive competitor analysis that identified the opportunity to increase their green fee prices to a much higher level for green fees, societies, golf tours and members’ guests. This would not only enable them to generate a higher yield for their tee times but also to reinforce the value of the membership to their core customer base.

Dynamic Pricing

A new price structure was proposed and then implemented in their tee booking software following a consultation with the committee. The performance of the new prices was monitored as the season progressed and further price rises were possible through the identification of their high conversion rate. The ratio of web users to bookings exceeded the national average, despite their already high average rate which illustrated the scope to move the dial further.

Results

Over the main golfing season, the club benefited from an increase of 118% in visitor revenue versus what had already been a busy year in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. By the end of  the season, the average green fee had increased by £21 per person, and the average sale price was up by £48 per booking with this greater proportional gain being achieved through a higher average group size of 2.42.

In the off season, planning for the following year has been carried out alongside the club with further growth forecasted through the development of the new strategy with additional pricing increases planned for the next year.