At Birdie Ops we're always looking for opportunities missed. Here's one that's all too common for golf course operators:
The score card.
They get re-ordered every year with no thought whatsoever to the true marketing value of a well-designed scorecard.
Scorecards are the #1 keepsake from a round of golf or a buddy trip. Golfers hang onto them, especially if they play well. For most golfers, all it takes is one circle on a score card or a string of 3s and 4s to make it worth keeping.
And yet, from a design standpoint most scorecards are awful examples of golf course marketing.
I'm looking at two, as we speak. One from a Golf Magazine top 100 golf course, and the other from the worst muni in the area. The muni actually looks more appealing, if you just look at the cards.
The scorecard for the expensive, Nicklaus-designed course is a cheapo, one-color card that is not on brand for that resort. It has the logo on the front, and that's it. It's brown and blah as can be.
There's nothing to tease or remind the player of the golfing experience. Nothing to help a player navigate the nuances of a Nicklaus ball-buster. No insider information whatsoever.
Not even a pretty picture. And believe me, that course has plenty of jaw-dropping views.
Most score card photos are absolute mis-hits. Here's what I mean by that...
They're empty overviews shot in broad daylight without a hint of the golfing experience. Just bland "signature hole" photos that won't ever get a second look. Or worse yet, drone shots.
There's no mood. No differentiating qualities. No feel good, "I remember when" imagery.
And not only that, many golf course scorecards don't even help players navigate ridiculous routings, where you have to drive your cart in circles through the neighborhood for 10 minutes to find the next tee box.
If nothing else, a scorecard should eliminate confusion.
And it should NOT make the game harder than it already is! The minute you put pin position illustrations like this on a score card, you're sabotaging both scores and the pace of play.
This is a particularly bad idea on golf courses that have small greens, or functionally small landing areas.
Let's face it... 90 % of the golfing public just needs to aim at the middle of the green. And the other 10% will figure it out quite easily with their range finders.
Even Scotty Scheffler understands the importance of aiming away from those sucker flags. Forget about it! If you must, save that info for daily pin position sheets.
A much smarter use of that scorecard space would be illustrations of the entire hole.
A good scorecard should improve the golfing experience and make a lasting impression. Yes, it's subtle, but when it's done well it's a valuable piece of a bigger, holistic approach to golf course marketing.
So before you re-order those old, outdated scorecards of yours, let's talk! Contact us here for a little more free advice on your golf course marketing efforts.
Comments