For most golf clubs, country clubs, athletic clubs, and social clubs, their website is the first point of primary contact with future members. For a lot of people, they are much more comfortable interacting with you electronically rather than phoning up your club and asking for an appropriate person to talk to.  Not only is this convenient for potential members, but a website’s content can save you a lot of time.

Your club’s website is most likely the club’s number one sales and marketing tool for driving membership sales. Your “members section” of your website is equally important.

Here are some key items that you SHOULD have on your club’s website:

Simple Navigation

Keep it clean and simple. If your customer can’t learn about your services and facilities, how do you expect them to show further interest in your club?
Have some people not familiar with your club review the navigation. Can they easily find the information they need?

Contact Information

There’s nothing more annoying than going to a website looking for contact information, and it not be quickly and easily visible.

The Contact page should be part of your main navigation menu. Your address and main phone number should also be on the front home page, either at the very top, or in the footer (bottom of page).

Your Contact page on the public section of your site should have a detailed list of contacts in various departments such as the Membership Manager, Event Coordinator, Pro Shop, Food & Beverage, and any key department that a potential customer might need to talk to.

The private (password protected) member section of your website can have an expanded list of key personnel. Restaurant reservation line, where to book lessons, tee-times etc.

Content

PUBLIC SECTION

Home/landing page: Value proposition. Display briefly what is unique about your club, facilities, where is it located, membership availability and event bookings.

Membership information sales page: The type of memberships you have available, advantages of membership, and show the costs or have a “call to action” button where membership costs are quickly available. Don’t have people wait over the weekend to get the information they need before making a decision to join or take a tour of your club. Who is the key contact (ie. Membership Manager). Be up front!

Event or facility rental page: Available venue spaces that can be booked. How many people they can hold. Have a links to pdfs for weddings, tournaments, or event packages.

Facilities page: Show photos and descriptions of your facilities such as golf course, tennis courts, swimming pools etc. Your clubhouse amenities and restaurants are also major components when deciding on joining a club.

Guest information: Let the guests of your club know what to expect. Include your dress code, cell phone policy, directions to the club, and anything that might not be obvious.

MEMBERS SECTION SECTION

  • Event or Booking Information
  • List of Programs
  • Restaurant Menus & Hours
  • Key Contact Information
  • Updated Calendar of Events
  • Membership Directory

Photos & Videos

Original, professional photos should be taken for use across all of your marketing and information tools including your website, newsletters, brochures, social media and PowerPoint presentations.

Remember to take photos during the appropriate season. For golf courses, take a large number of photos when your club is looking its best. The same goes for outdoor dining facilities, skating rinks, curling rinks, or any other facility that is impacted by seasonal weather.

Photos and videos should show your members participating and enjoying your club’s facilities and club culture.

Videos are more impactful than static photos. They are great for telling stories about the culture of your club. Have members tell their personal story about why they joined your club, and why they enjoy being there. Use these videos in both the public component of your site as well as social media.

Don’t forget to take some photos or videos of outside events such as golf tournaments, athletic competitions, weddings and other functions.

Testimonials

Are members satisfied at your club? How about the couple that got married at your club. Ask people for testimonials and display them on your website. Also ask them if you can display their photo next to their testimony.

Clear Calls to Action

There should be a clear calls to action on your web pages. Under the “membership” area, have a button that says: “TAKE A TOUR OF OUR CLUB” or “RECEIVE OUR MEMBERSHIP PACKAGE”. These buttons will lead to brief forms that the user will fill out, and you will contact them shortly.

If you have event space to book out to the public for weddings, parties, meetings or tournaments, have a calls to action that will be directed towards your event coordinator.

Social Media Links

Include links to your social platforms at the top or bottom of your website. Most adults follow various corporations, organizations, or clubs on social media. Don’t ignore them. And it’s free!

Blog and Vlogs

A club blog or vlog (video blog) is a valuable tool for providing information to members and non-members. They can also help with the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) of your website.

Your blog/vlog subjects could include; why have an event at your club, tips on event planning, things to consider when buying a membership, turf care information, golf tips from pros, cooking tips from the chef.

You can share your blog/vlog material through other channels as well such as newsletters and social media.

Conclusion

Your website is your number one marketing tool. Don’t take it for granted!

Consider hiring a professional to design your website that is reflective of your brand. A professional can make a website that is attractive, user friendly, viewable across all platforms (computers, tablets, smart phones), and is easily updatable by you.