Tradition Is Not a Business Model

When things are going well, everyone in golf suddenly feels like a genius. Tee sheets are full, memberships are stable, and revenue looks strong. It becomes easy to believe that the industry has figured it out and that growth will continue simply because people love golf.

When things get tighter, the narrative changes. Now the economy is the problem. Interest rates are too high, inflation is squeezing consumers, and golfers are more cautious with their spending. The same operators who felt brilliant during the upswing start blaming external factors during the slowdown.

The reality is much simpler than either story.

For many years, especially after Covid, golf benefited from strong tailwinds. Cheap money flowed into the system. People had more free time and disposable income. New players entered the game. Demand was high enough to hide inefficiencies. Weak models survived because conditions were forgiving.

Now the environment is different. Borrowing costs are higher, labour and materials are more expensive, and customer expectations continue to rise. The cushion that covered operational weaknesses is thinner. That does not mean golf is in trouble, but it does mean autopilot is no longer enough.

Historically, golf has relied heavily on inertia. Tradition, location, and habit have carried many businesses for decades. When demand is strong, that works. When the cycle tightens, those same businesses start to feel pressure because the underlying model was never optimized.

What stands out to me is how little attention is still paid to fundamentals that other industries mastered years ago. Business modeling, online presence, customer experience, lifetime value, and retention are normal concepts in hospitality, airlines, fitness, and technology. In golf, they are still treated as secondary.

I have yet to meet a daily fee club that has truly aligned its business model with how modern consumers behave. I have yet to see booking, upsells, follow-up communication, data usage, and retention working together as one coherent system. I am sure they exist. I just haven’t seen one in the wild.

This is not a criticism. It is an opportunity.

In a tightening economic cycle, the clubs that focus on experience, digital presence, and lifetime value will not just survive. They will separate themselves from the rest. The ones who continue to rely on tradition, hope, and an “I’ve been in the industry for 30 years” attitude will feel increasing pressure.

The next phase of golf will reward operators who treat it as a serious business that must evolve with its customers. That evolution does not require complexity. It requires attention to fundamentals and the willingness to modernize what has been ignored for too long.

If this resonates and you want an outside perspective on your club, book a 30-minute call. Sometimes a simple conversation is enough to see where the gaps really are. Just click this link and choose a time that works for you.

Teemu
Founder
Growth Golf & Country Club
Miami, FL, USA