Golf Course Marketing & SEO

These weaknesses in golf course marketing are an opportunity for your club to gain access to a growing and affluent customer base. Golfers are very mobile today and willing to travel for a good game. Sometimes it's just the excuse they need to make a relaxing weekend of it. Your Web site can generate new golfers from a much wider geographic and service offering scope than your current print marketing campaigns. Golfers can be generated from far and wide.

Golf publications such as Golf Annual™ or Tee Off™ also generate visits as does membership in organizations such as Clublink™. They typically offer golf package deals and other good incentives for play such as frequent player programs using 2 for 1 green fees, 50% off on multiple games and other special offers. It's a good use of co-marketing or partnership marketing.

Strangely, these value offers are usually absent from golf club Web sites.

Search engine optimization usually involves generating good Web site content that customers and prospects want to see. It is very customer oriented. The content is required since it is usually descriptive text. The content then stimulates the need for appropriate and attractive graphics. The end result is good Web site content including copywriting that informs, stimulates action and leads to high rankings in search engine results pages.

Word of Mouth Marketing

Golfers who are online usually have sufficient disposable income to try a new course or to join your club. People planning a wedding, party or business luncheon will go online too. These are highly qualified prospects for your business and they are often opinion leaders who actively shape the values and attention of other people.

Since golfers are often married, the spouse's views and needs are a factor in whether they spend a vacation at or near your golf club. Your connection to local businesses and attractions will play a role in their choice. Search engine optimization usually involves linking to and from other local businesses Web sites. This generates further traffic to your site and raises your rankings and generally visibility on the Web.

The weaknesses of how golf clubs are currently using online golf marketing is an opportunity for your club to generate new business and even new investment should you be looking for investors.

One local Ontario golf course is the Orr Lake Golf Club located in Ontario, Canada about 90 miles north of Toronto. The course has a picturesque location next to a small lake, but it is still off the beaten track. The major highway passes about 10 miles east of the course. Many golfers need a reason to travel that far. We positioned this small Web site well and 2003 was and outstanding year for them, even though their major competitor had major renovations and a new building. Tourism in the area was down signficantly because of SARS and other bad publicity for Ontario tourism. Despite these problems, the Web site generated some good business. The site has numerous high rankings. A small investment and a minimal sized Web site worked wonders for them.

Golf Web site marketing using search engine optimization is a smart and cost effective means to build demand for your club's services. Prepare for the 2004 season right now by getting Bay Street SEO to develop your site.

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Google Update

It is an interesting situation given the site's PR of 4. This shows the pre-eminence of key authority sites to have links from and the effect Google's cooling off period.

The sites links have been deleted, however the PageRank has returned (May 06/04). It will be interesting to see if and when the site is allowed back in.