Inspired by the conversation How Do The Best Golf Resorts in the World Create "WOW" Experiences For Guests?, featuring Michael Rodger (CTO at Cabot ), Scooter Buhrman (General Manager at Tobacco Road), Jordan Powell, PGA (Director of Business Operations at Sand Valley ), and Glenn Gray (Chief Growth Officer at Buffalo Groupe).
Golf travel is booming.
According to the National Golf Foundation, more than 12 million Americans have hit the road to play golf each year since 2022, up from roughly 8.2 million in 2018.
Golf travel is now the second-largest segment of the U.S. golf economy behind only facility operations, generating more than $30 billion in tourism-related spending off the course and another $10 billion in greens fees, merchandise, and food and beverage from traveling golfers. Nearly half of all golfers (47%) say they expect to play golf on a trip in the coming year. (NGF: Travel's Expanding Golf Economy Impact)
For the best resorts in the world to stay competitive in an environment with over 1,000 options for golfers, they go far beyond just high-quality golf.
1 in 3 destination decisions are driven by a recommendation from a friend, meaning breaking through with memorable experiences is critical.
To ensure their properties fall in the "promoter" category - here are 4 ways some of the best resorts in the world create "WOW" customer experiences
1. Signature flourishes become brand identity
Cabot's Michael Rodger described their three signatures golfers can expect: a locally baked cookie on the first tee (different recipe at every Cabot location), a gong cup that sounds when you make your first putt, and the Cabot couch overlooking 18.
"Their likelihood to recommend our courses goes up if they have those little flourishes they can talk about when they go home."
Given that recommendations drive a third of all destination decisions, even little things like cookies or the Gong in the cup move the needle. Those investments can be chalked up to customer acquisition and brand.
2. Obsess over the details guests cannot articulate
Sand Valley's Jordan Powell, PGA described a guest journey engineered down to friction points most guests never name.
The team tested 75 to 100 showerheads before they chose one. Then they removed every flow restrictor. The reason: after 36 holes of walking dunes, guests come back covered in sand. The shower has to do real work.
Most guests will never know that decision was made. They will only know it's the best shower they have ever taken at a resort. And that subconscious quality compounds.
An elevated food experience is also key to the guest journey.
The fridges in each cottage are pre-stocked with frozen pizzas and ice cream sandwiches. The hot dogs and beer at the turn are $1 each. Yes really.
You could be spending $350 on a round of golf, but an unbelievably affordable cold beer and delicious bite at the turn may be what steals the show.
3. The starter is a setup specialist for the entire experience, not a queue manager
At Tobacco Road, GM Scooter Buhrman trains starters to read first-time players who are visually intimidated by the course. They give them more context, more information, more setup. That courtesy is an operational tool that earns the rate.
4. The "instagram-able" moments guests photograph are the moments that travel
Glenn from Buffalo Group put it simply: guests forget golf shots, but they remember the drink at the turn, the merch, the cleverly named cocktail. And they post it.
"It's that meal or that drink or that cigar that they walk away from and say, okay, I can clearly remember that."
Every menu, merch wall, and brand partnership is a content opportunity. If it's not photographable, it's invisible.
The takeaway
In a market where recommendations drive a third of bookings and a single trip can capture more than half of a golfer's annual spend... the best operators are investing in out of the box ideas to deliver a "WOW" experience.
Full conversation: How Do The Best Golf Resorts in the World Create "WOW" Experiences For Guests?
Data: National Golf Foundation — Travel's Expanding Golf Economy Impact, Golf's Travel Boom and the Hidden Loyalty Engine, Why Golf Trip Recommendations Hinge on Consistency.
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