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Picture this.You open Netflix. But instead of a big “Start Watching” button, you’re asked to fill out a form, wait for someone to get back to you, and maybe, just maybe, you’ll receive a brochure.Sounds ridiculous, right?That’s exactly how most public golf courses still handle memberships today. Forms. Delays. Phone calls. And the reality is, the next generation of golfers has no interest in that process. They expect convenience, instant access, and flexible pricing. Because that’s what they’re used to in every other part of life, whether it’s Netflix, ClassPass, or their gym.It’s not a trend. It’s the standard. And it’s time public golf caught up.<h3>What’s Broken </h3>Right now, most daily-fee and municipal courses treat memberships like private clubs from 30 years ago:<ul><li>You can’t join online.</li><li>You have to pay for the whole year.</li><li>There’s no flexibility or trial period.</li><li>Pricing is one-size-fits-all. The result? You lose potential long-term players before they ever become regulars.</li></ul><h3>What Subscription Golf Looks Like </h3>This isn’t a discount program. It’s not a loyalty card.A true golf subscription means:<ul><li>Monthly billing (cancel anytime or after a short minimum)</li><li>Immediate access to play, not just perks</li><li>Clear usage rules (like one round or one range bucket per day)</li><li>Signup happens online or via an app, not through forms or phone calls It’s simple, flexible, and already working in the real world.</li></ul><h3>Real-World Examples That Prove It Works </h3>Desert Aire Golf Course (California) They offer unlimited 7-day golf for $185/month, or $160/month for seniors. The subscription renews automatically and starts the day you pay. No paperwork. No waiting.Arcis Golf (Multiple States) Arcis runs dozens of public courses and offers subscriptions from $65 to $99/month. Players can choose different tiers depending on their needs, from full access at multiple courses to unlimited range and twilight golf. You can join online instantly.Glendoveer Golf Course (Oregon) For $49/month, golfers get unlimited twilight play and range balls in the evening. It’s an affordable entry point for casual players who still want to feel like members.Alamo Golf Club (Texas) Previously offered unlimited range balls for $75/month. Simple, low-commitment, and popular with frequent practicers.<h3>But Isn’t That Too Cheap?</h3>It might sound low, until you think about the economics.Not everyone who subscribes is playing 15 rounds a month. Some just want the convenience. Others love the feeling of “belonging.” What you get is a healthy mix: some play a lot, some play a little. That balance is what makes it sustainable.And here's the key point: green fees are only part of the revenue story.According to the National Golf Foundation, only 50–60% of a golfer’s on-site spend comes from green fees. The rest comes from food and beverage, the range, pro shop purchases, and other services.So the more often they come to the course, even if they're not paying full-price green fees, the more money they spend overall.That’s the real power of subscriptions. You’re not just selling a round. You’re building recurring revenue and customer lifetime value. <h3>What This Could Look Like at Your Course </h3>You don’t need to overthink it. Here’s a simple example of how you could structure this at your club:Weekday Only – $159/month Unlimited play Monday through Friday. Perfect for retirees, remote workers, or weekday warriors. Twilight Access – $99/month Unlimited play after 3pm. Keeps your late-day slots filled and adds value without clogging peak hours. Full Access – $249 to $279/month Seven-day access, any time. The premium plan for your most engaged players. Practice Plan – $70/month One bucket per day, or unlimited after 4pm. A great option for beginner golfers, juniors, and those who just love the range. You control the rules. You decide how many to offer. You can even limit access to the first 50 or 100 members to generate scarcity and test demand. <h3>You Already Have the Audience </h3>Your tee sheet is full of names. Your database is full of emails. That’s your launch platform.You don’t need to run ads or build a brand-new product. You just need to send one good campaign with a clear offer, and make sure the sign-up process is fast, easy, and mobile-friendly.If you’re unsure, start small. Pick one tier, offer a limited number of spots, and see what happens. <h3>And No, This Isn’t Hard to Build </h3>You don’t need a custom app or expensive tech to get started. You can run this with tools you already have.<ul><li>Use your website or a simple landing page to explain the offer</li><li>Set up monthly payments using Stripe, Square, or even PayPal</li><li>Track members manually at check-in or through your existing tee sheet software</li><li>Send reminders and updates through email or SMS That’s it.</li></ul>You can go fully digital later, with auto-renewing subscriptions, in-app bookings, and real-time member verification, but the key is: you can start now, in a simple browser-based format.Just launch, measure, and improve.<h3>Ready to Explore This? </h3>We help public and daily-fee golf courses design and launch subscription models that actually work. That includes pricing, tech setup, member experience, and go-to-market strategy, all in under 30 days.If you're ready to shift from unpredictable rounds to predictable revenue, we’d love to talk.Click <a data-mce-href="https://growthgcc.com/contact" href="https://growthgcc.com/contact">https://growthgcc.com/contact</a> and we’ll help you get started.

The Future of Public Golf Memberships: Monthly Subscriptions That Actually Let You Play

Man Standing On Golf Field Against Sky During Sunset

Last Friday I played at TPC Sawgrass with Len Mattiace, PGA Tour winner, Masters runner-up, and a great friend of mine.We were talking about golf clubs and digital strategy when he asked me something I hear all the time: “Don’t most clubs already have someone who handles this stuff?”You know what he meant, social media, marketing, the website, maybe some Google ads, a few emails here and there. And I said: “Len, sure. But let me explain it to you in golf terms.”<h3>So, Let’s Talk Handicaps </h3>"I’ve played golf my whole life. I know how to swing a club. I’m a 9 handicap. So yes, I know how to play golf.But Len… you’ve won twice on the PGA Tour. You were runner-up at the Masters. There’s a difference between someone who knows how to play, and someone who plays at the highest level under pressure, against the best, and wins.That’s the same thing I see at most golf clubs. They have a “Jim”. Jim runs the newsletter. Jim handles the Facebook page. Maybe even updates the website when he has time.And look, Jim is solid. He’s a 22 handicap in the digital world. But in 2025, with tee time revenue at stake and third parties trying to own your customers, you don’t need a 22 handicap. You need a Tour player."<h3>&nbsp; The Gap No One Talks About </h3>Let’s break this down. The typical golf club doesn’t have anyone on staff who has spent 10 to 20 years:<ul><li>Driving online traffic in competitive B2B &amp; B2C environments</li><li>Turning visitors into paying customers</li><li>Using data to bring those customers back again and again</li><li>Building loyalty systems, retargeting strategies, and high-conversion sales flows</li><li>Understanding the full digital picture, from Google reviews to CRM to tee sheet optimization And it shows.</li></ul>Because while your starter is doing a great job and your superintendent is working miracles, your digital presence is often being handled by someone who simply doesn’t have the tools, training, or background to win.And in today’s golf economy, that’s where the game is being played.<h3>This Isn’t Just “Marketing” Anymore</h3>Your online presence affects everything:<ul><li>Who finds you</li><li>How they perceive you</li><li>Whether they book, and whether they come back</li><li>What they tell others</li><li>How much they spend</li><li>This is not just “posting on Facebook.”</li></ul>This is business strategy, reputation management, revenue optimization, and customer lifecycle mastery.<h3>So Yes, You Might Have a Guy… But Do You Have That Guy? </h3><ul><li>I’ve built, run, and scaled online businesses.</li><li>I’ve helped companies land key accounts, raise millions, and grow revenue fast.</li><li>I’ve done multiple exits and invested and built in golf tech. And now I also help golf clubs do what they were never shown how to do: win online. </li></ul>Not by trying every shiny tool. Not by blaming the weather or hoping for more walk-ins. But by taking control of traffic, tee times, customer data, loyalty, and reputation, because it’s all connected.I’m not just here to do your marketing. I’m here to drive your business.<h3>Final Thought: What’s at Stake</h3>Having a 22 handicapper run your course’s digital strategy might have been fine 10 years ago. But not now. Not when:<ul><li>GolfNow owns half the tee sheets.</li><li>Google Reviews decide your tee time bookings.</li><li>Your data is the difference between a one-time visitor and a loyal customer.</li></ul>You don’t need more noise. You need someone who’s played this game at the highest level.That’s what we do at Growth G&amp;CC.Let’s talk. Teemu Ruuska Founder&nbsp;

You Have a Guy—But You Don’t Have That Guy

<h3>You Might Not Notice It, But Golfers Do</h3>Your course might be open, your tee sheet might be filling up on weekends, and you might be doing “fine.” But meanwhile, something is quietly working against you.Your online reputation.Every day, potential golfers are pulling up your course on Google, Facebook, and golf apps, checking your photos, your comments, and most importantly, your reviews.If your Google rating is anything below 4 stars, you are losing business.This is not a guess. This is what players do now. They check before they book.And if they see a 3.4-star rating with complaints about greens, bunkers, or staff attitude, you’ve lost them, without a chance to respond.<h3>The Problem: One Bad Week Can Haunt You for a Year</h3>A run of poor maintenance after heavy rain An unfriendly check-in A group stacked too close behindThese moments might seem minor, but when they show up in a review, they live online forever.And the worst part?Most of the time, they’re not wrong. A lot of the complaints are about course conditions. And many courses are struggling to invest in maintenance, not because they don’t care, but because they don’t have the revenue to do it properly.So it becomes a cycle: Bad financials → bad conditions → bad reviews → fewer bookings → worse financials<h3>The Solution: Take Control of the Story</h3>You cannot stop people from reviewing your golf course. But you can do something far more powerful.You can guide the conversation.You can create systems that encourage positive reviews when things go well. You can collect feedback privately when something goes wrong. You can monitor your ratings and actively work to improve them, just like you'd monitor a turf schedule.<h3>How It Works: Real-World Strategy, Not Theory</h3>Let’s say your course is in great shape this week. Greens are perfect. Rough is clean. Staff is dialed in.That’s the moment to collect reviews.Here’s how you do it: <ul><li>Send a quick thank-you message to every player 2 hours after their round</li><li>Ask them how their experience was</li><li>If they had a great time, invite them to leave a review on Google</li><li>If not, give them a short form to tell you why—and offer a discount on their next visit for their honest feedback This does two things: </li><li>It turns satisfied players into promoters</li><li>It turns unhappy players into return customers, not angry reviewers And over time, your online presence becomes a strength, not a risk.</li></ul><h3>Why This Matters More Than Ever</h3>Online reviews are no longer just “nice to have.” They are part of your sales funnel.Just like your booking engine or your pricing model, your online presence is either driving revenue or repelling it.And unlike the old days, it’s not just Yelp or TripAdvisor. It’s Google, Facebook, Apple Maps, and tee time apps. It’s everywhere. And golfers are reading them.You have to be in control of the story they read.<h3>How Growth G&amp;CC Helps You Win the Review Game</h3>We help public golf courses turn their online presence into a competitive advantage:<ul><li>We set up automated messages to follow up with players after their round</li><li>We design feedback loops to catch issues before they go public</li><li>We create systems that help you build a five-star reputation over time</li><li>And most importantly, we help you fix the root issue: getting more profitable rounds so you can invest back into the course Because at the end of the day, most bad reviews are just symptoms. The real problem is a business model that doesn’t give you enough margin to deliver what players expect. We help you fix that too.</li></ul><h3>Final Thoughts: What Are Golfers Saying About You Right Now? </h3>Pull up your Google listing today. Read the last ten reviews. Are they helping you or hurting you?If you don’t like the answer, it’s time to take control.Because whether you manage it or not, your online presence is already shaping your revenue. And ignoring it won’t make it go away.Let’s fix the foundation. Let’s rebuild the experience. And then let’s make sure the rest of the world sees it the way your best players already do.Let’s talk.

The Silent Killer: How Your Online Presence Is Costing You More Than You Think

<h3>Your Website Is Your First Impression, and Your Salesperson</h3>For most public golf courses, the first interaction a potential player has with your club is your website. Not your clubhouse. Not your phone system. Not your starter.It’s your website.And whether you realize it or not, your website is working 24/7. Every single day. It’s either helping you grow bookings, or it’s pushing people away.If your website was a human employee, you’d probably fire it.<h3>What’s Actually Going Wrong?</h3>Most golf course websites weren’t built to sell tee times. They were built to exist. To list information. To show a few pictures. Maybe to tell your story.But if you’re a daily fee golf course, you don’t just need a digital brochure, you need a machine that turns visitors into bookings.Here’s what we see over and over again:<ul><li>The site is slow to load. People give up after 3 seconds.</li><li>The tee time button is buried or hard to find.</li><li>The booking process is confusing, especially on mobile. I would say 50 to 65 percent of your site visits happen on mobile.</li><li>The site asks people to create an account before booking. You know why Amazon has eliminated even the shopping cart? Well, there you go. You don't ask anything before you take the money. After getting the payment, you can ask them to fill whatever form you wish.&nbsp;</li><li>The design isn’t clear, clean, or professional. It doesn’t build trust or excitement. </li></ul>It’s no wonder so many courses struggle to increase direct bookings.<h3>Let’s Break It Down with Simple Math</h3>Let’s say 100 people visit your website today.How many of them are actually booking a tee time?For most courses, maybe 2 or 3 percent. Some even lower! That means you’re losing 97 out of every 100 visitors.Now, not all of those people came to book. Some were just checking course info or looking at rates. But a large chunk of them probably intended to book and gave up halfway.Why?Because the process was too hard. Too slow. Too confusing.And remember, the average golfer isn’t a tech expert. They’re using their phone. They’re in a rush. They’re expecting something simple.If your website makes them think, makes them wait, or makes them work, they leave.<h3>Conversion: What It Means and Why It Matters</h3>In marketing, the word “conversion” simply means turning a visitor into a booking or a sale.If someone visits your site and completes a tee time reservation, that’s a conversion.If they visit and leave without booking, it’s a missed opportunity.Even small improvements in your “conversion rate” can mean thousands of extra rounds booked per year!Let’s look at a modest example:<ul><li>100 visitors per day</li><li>2 percent book = 2 bookings per day</li><li>4 percent book = 4 bookings per day</li><li>That’s 730 more rounds per year, just from fixing your website</li><li>Now do the math at $80 per green fee. That’s $58,400 in extra revenue, without changing anything else about your operation.</li></ul>Now let’s look at a more realistic, high-impact case:<ul><li>300 visitors per day</li><li>Conversion rate improves from 2 percent to 6 percent</li><li>That’s 12 additional bookings per day</li><li>12 x 365 = 4,380 more rounds per year</li><li>4,380 rounds x $80 = $350,400 in new revenue </li></ul>Add F&amp;B, pro shop, and range spend, and you’re looking at well over $500,000 in total impact. These numbers are real. They happen when your website starts working like a proper salesperson, not just a trainee.<h3>How Growth G&amp;CC Helps You Fix This</h3>We help public golf courses turn their websites into actual sales tools. Not just digital brochures.What we do:<ul><li>Design clean, fast, mobile-friendly sites that are built for bookings</li><li>Create frictionless booking flows with smart calls to action</li><li>Eliminate barriers like forced account creation</li><li>Track drop-off points so we know where you’re losing potential customers</li><li>Help you own the full booking journey so you don’t lose revenue to third-party sites</li><li>Your website should be selling for you all day, every day. If it isn’t, you’re paying the price, quietly, invisibly, but consistently.</li></ul><h3>Final Thoughts: Is Your Website Helping You or Hurting You?</h3>Most clubs think their biggest problem is getting more players. But often, the real problem is that they’re already getting traffic, they’re just not converting it into bookings.If your website is outdated, slow, or confusing, you’re losing money every single day.Let’s fix that.Let’s turn your website into what it should be: your top-performing, always-on salesperson.

Why Your Website Is Your #1 Salesperson (And Why It’s Failing Right Now)

Stock aerial photo of Swaneset Golf Course Pitt Meadows, Canada

<h3>Is GolfNow Helping Your Course or Hurting It? </h3>For many public golf courses, GolfNow seems like an easy solution. Free software. National exposure. More bookings.But look closer and you’ll see the real cost.GolfNow doesn’t just help you sell tee times. It controls them. And that control comes at the expense of your revenue, your brand, and your long-term independence.The result? You fill your tee sheet, but make less money per golfer. You attract more players, but lose pricing power. You gain bookings, but lose the customer relationship.If you’re serious about maximizing revenue and creating a sustainable business, it’s time to rethink your relationship with GolfNow. <h3>The Real Cost of GolfNow’s Model</h3>GolfNow’s pitch is simple. Give us a few tee times and we’ll give you free software and marketing.But what you’re really doing is handing over your most valuable asset, your tee times.GolfNow sells those barter tee times at heavily discounted rates. You lose control of pricing. You lose direct access to the golfer. And you lose margin on every round.Courses report this pattern again and again:<ul><li>A 40 percent increase in rounds played</li><li>Only a 20 percent increase in revenue</li><li>More work</li><li>More wear and tear</li><li>Less profit</li></ul><h3>The Discount Trap</h3>Discounting sounds like a great way to fill your course. But here’s what really happens.<ul><li>Golfers are trained to wait for deals</li><li>Your loyal customers start booking through GolfNow</li><li>You lose direct traffic to your site</li><li>Your brand becomes associated with low prices</li><li>Eventually, your full-price rounds become harder to sell</li></ul>This is how pricing power erodes. Slowly, then all at once.<h3>Just Getting More Players Is Not the Goal</h3>A full tee sheet does not equal a healthy business.When those rounds come through third-party channels at reduced rates, you’re not building loyalty. You’re not increasing per-player spend. And you’re certainly not maximizing profit.In fact, low-revenue and high-traffic is the worst possible combination. It creates longer rounds, unhappy golfers, and a weakened experience across the board.Smart golf operations today are focused on quality, not just quantity. They optimize who plays, when they play, and how much they spend while they’re there.<h3>The Math You Can’t Ignore</h3>Let’s say your course does 40,000 rounds per year. Average green fee is 80 dollars.When golfers book directly, you keep the full amount and control the experience. Most golfers will also spend more on-site when they book direct.Average spending per direct golfer: <ul><li>80 dollars green fee</li><li>25 dollars in the restaurant</li><li>15 dollars in the pro shop</li><li>10 dollars on the range</li></ul>That’s 130 dollars per golfer.Now imagine 10,000 of those rounds are booked through GolfNow. They pay 60 dollars for the tee time, and spend less across the facility.You might earn 90 dollars or less per golfer.10,000 golfers multiplied by a 40 dollar difference is a 400,000 dollar loss.Now add the lost margin on F&amp;B, retail, and driving range.You are looking at 500,000 dollars or more in lost annual revenue.<h3>GolfNow Owns the Golfer. You Don’t.</h3>This might be the biggest long-term risk of all.When a golfer books through GolfNow:<ul><li>You don’t get their email</li><li>You can’t follow up with them</li><li>You can’t invite them back</li><li>You can’t build loyalty</li></ul>They’re not your customer. They’re GolfNow’s.If you rely on GolfNow for demand, your business is only as strong as their next promotion<h3>The First Step to Freedom: Drive Traffic to Your Own Website</h3>Here’s the hard truth.You can’t reduce your dependence on GolfNow if you’re not generating your own online traffic.This is why many golf courses feel trapped. They remove GolfNow and suddenly realize they never built their own traffic engine.The good news? This is solvable.With the right tools and strategy, it’s absolutely possible to drive consistent, high-converting traffic to your site.What that looks like: <ul><li>Search-optimized content so your course ranks locally</li><li>Social media campaigns targeting golfers in your region</li><li>Email and SMS campaigns to re-engage past players</li><li>A booking experience that works well on mobile and actually converts</li></ul>Most public golf courses don’t have this in place. That’s exactly where the opportunity lies.<h3>How Growth G&amp;CC Helps You Take Back Control</h3>We specialize in helping public courses transition away from third-party reliance and build a direct revenue engine that lastsWhat we do:<ul><li>We rebuild your online presence to drive traffic to your own site</li><li>We optimize your booking experience so more golfers book directly</li><li>We implement strategies to shift players from GolfNow to your own platform</li><li>We help you own your customer data and build loyalty</li><li>We increase total per-player revenue by improving the golfer journey</li></ul>In short, we give you the strategy, tools, and execution to take full control of your business again.<h3>Final Thoughts: Are You Ready to Be in Control Again?</h3>GolfNow built its business by taking control away from golf courses. Pricing. Inventory. Data. Relationships.It doesn’t have to be this way.There are smarter, more sustainable ways to grow your rounds, increase revenue, and retain your most valuable players.The first step is to start driving your own demand. The next step is to start keeping your profits.We help public courses do both.Let’s have a conversation about how your course can escape the GolfNow trap and start building something better.

The GolfNow Trap: Take Back Control of Your Club

<h3>The Problem: Your Tee Times Are Worth More Than You Think</h3>For years, public golf courses have stuck to static pricing, charging the same rate for tee times no matter the demand. The result? Massive lost revenue opportunities.The best-run courses don’t just fill up their tee sheet, they maximize the value of every time slot.&nbsp;And yet, most clubs continue to leave hundreds of thousands of dollars on the table.<h3>What’s the Real Impact of Poor Pricing? </h3>Let’s break down the numbers:Imagine a public course with 40,000 rounds per year and an average tee time price of $80.<ul><li>With proper dynamic pricing, a 10% improvement in pricing across peak and off-peak times could easily add $320,000-$800,000 per year.</li><li>But the real impact isn’t just in green fees—tee times are only 50-60% of the total revenue per golfer. That means every additional booking brings in F&amp;B revenue, pro shop sales, and practice facility usage.</li></ul><h3>The Total Revenue Loss from Poor Pricing </h3>If your average golfer spends:- $80 on a green fee- $25 in the restaurant- $15 in the pro shop- $10 on range balls Missing 10,000 tee times per year due to bad pricing isn’t just costing you $800,000 in green fees, but also an additional $500,000+ in lost secondary spending.That’s $1.3M in lost potential revenue.<h3>Dynamic Pricing Is Not a Silver Bullet </h3>Many operators hesitate with dynamic pricing because they assume it’s just about charging less when demand is low. That’s a critical mistake.Yes, lower off-peak prices help fill unused slots. But the real power of dynamic pricing is in increasing peak-hour rates.<ul><li>High-demand times (weekends, early mornings) should be priced at a premium.</li><li>Lower-demand times (midweek afternoons) can be strategically discounted—but not undervalued. </li></ul>Poorly implemented dynamic pricing can train your golfers to expect lower prices, leading them to wait for discounts instead of booking premium slots.<h3>How Pricing Impacts Course Condition &amp; Experience </h3>Many golf courses are already at or near full capacity (59% of public courses according to NGF data). So, why should they even care about dynamic pricing?Here’s why:<ul><li>Overcrowding during peak times creates poor golfer experiences, leading to slower rounds, less repeat business, and lower spending per visit.</li><li>Premium pricing for peak hours reduces congestion and allows for a better course experience, players paying more expect more, and your course should deliver.</li><li>Less wear and tear on the course by balancing play throughout the day instead of cramming every slot with lower-value golfers.</li></ul><h3>Real-World Example </h3>A well-run public course using smart pricing strategies raised its weekend morning rates by an average of 25%. Instead of scaring golfers away, they saw:<ul><li>Higher per-round revenue</li><li>Shorter, more enjoyable rounds</li><li>Happier golfers spending more in the restaurant &amp; pro shop</li></ul><h3>How Growth G&amp;CC Helps You Win </h3>At Growth G&amp;CC, we don’t just implement dynamic pricing—we optimize it for maximum revenue and player satisfaction.✔ Custom pricing strategies based on real-time data &amp; demand ✔ Balancing peak pricing while ensuring off-peak slots don’t devalue your brand ✔ Full golfer journey optimization to maximize per-player spend beyond the green fee ✔ Ongoing analysis &amp; adjustments to keep revenue growing without sacrificing golfer experience<h3>The Bottom Line </h3>Dynamic pricing done right doesn’t just increase green fee revenue, it optimizes the entire golfer experience and ensures they spend more across the facility.If your course isn’t actively optimizing its tee-time pricing, you’re leaving six figures of revenue on the table.Want to see how much revenue your course is missing? Let’s talk!&nbsp;<h3>Get in touch today with our team: <a data-mce-href="https://growthgcc.com/contact" href="https://growthgcc.com/contact">https://growthgcc.com/contact</a></h3>

Growth G&CC

Knowledge Base

The Future of Public Golf Memberships: Monthly Subscripti...

You Have a Guy—But You Don’t Have That Guy

The Silent Killer: How Your Online Presence Is Costing Yo...

Why Your Website Is Your #1 Salesperson (And Why It’s Fai...

The GolfNow Trap: Take Back Control of Your Club

The $1.3M Mistake: How Static Pricing Is Costing Your Gol...