5 Things Golf Clubs Still Get Wrong About Growing The Game

'Grow the Game' has been a central mantra within golf over the past few years, and it is clear that the sport has experienced significant growth. Golf has developed a cultural influence that stretches way beyond the sport itself into fashion, lifestyle, and wellness.

From the driving range and simulator scene to social media, coffee shop clubhouses and more relaxed formats, people are engaging with golf and drawn to the identity surrounding it. Golf is officially cool now!

That said, while golf has become far better at attracting people in, there is often still a disconnect when it comes to helping people to stay in the game, particularly when trying to make the transition to join a golf club as a member.

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As a coach I still see too many aspects of the experience that can feel intimidating, inflexible or unwelcoming to those new to the game. Here are some of the most common complaints I hear, but with some simple remedies too…

No Shallow End

Driving ranges are full, golf courses often aren’t. Taking the leap from the range to playing on a golf course is hard, and while a lot of clubs have academy programs for newer golfers that provide a few lessons and partial course access, it often still doesn’t feel enough to bridge the gap.

Unless there are other members who are newer to the game, or existing members who are friendly, welcoming and willing to help people feel comfortable, many beginners can still find the transition intimidating and isolating. It is one thing to learn to play golf, but to feel you belong at a club is something completely different.

Remedy

I would advertise among the current membership to recruit ‘Ambassador Members’ who receive reduced fees in return for taking new members out once or twice a month.

They can help smooth the path into club life in countless ways, from showing them how competitions work and which formats to join, to sharing when the course is quietest, how to navigate the course, where to leave their bag by each green, not to mention recommending the best item on the lunch menu!

While clubs have traditionally relied on volunteers for this, today’s tighter schedules mean this role should be formally recognised and valued. It is vital to the health of any golf club looking to retain and grow its membership.

Time Commitment Is Too Big

Time remains one of the greatest barriers to club and membership golf. Modern life increasingly revolves around convenience, flexibility and short windows of free time, and golf can still struggle against the perception that participation requires an entire day.

It is no coincidence that sports such as padel have experienced such rapid growth, they are social, accessible and, crucially, can fit neatly into a busy schedule. Many people who would happily commit to 60 or 90 minutes of activity after work simply cannot justify a 5-hour commitment once they travel, the round itself, and time in the clubhouse are factored in.

The rise of the ‘car park golfer’ also reflects this shift, with more players arriving moments before their tee time and leaving immediately afterwards, sacrificing much of the social element that has traditionally been at the heart of club golf, and in turn contributes to the decline of catering and hospitality at many golf clubs.

Remedy

Golf does not necessarily need to become shorter in its traditional form, but clubs may need to think more creatively about offering formats that better reflect modern lifestyles. Six hole roll-up competitions, cross country loops, relaxed evening shotgun starts with a fixed 90 minute playing window, or flexible mixed format social events could all help make membership golf feel more manageable and accessible.

The challenge is not preserving golf exactly as it has always been, but ensuring people can realistically fit the sport into the lives they live today. And while the sunshine months in the UK can feel over in the blink of an eye, I would encourage all clubs to invest in a beverage buggy that can take hospitality out onto the course, which will undoubtedly be appreciated by the car park golfers.

Perhaps a voucher for a new promoted drink or snack in the clubhouse could be given with any purchase made to encourage clubhouse use. As a tea drinker that could be shaken awake at 3am in the morning and still say yes to a cup of tea, I also think this service would be very popular in the winter months too.

Toxic Clubhouse Culture

I appreciate the word toxic has become a modern buzzword, often attached to almost anything people dislike or disagree with, but it does capture remarkably well how members, both new and old, can feel after negative experiences within a club environment.

Toxic clubhouse culture is rarely about one major incident and is far more often the accumulation of small behaviours that make newer members feel uncomfortable, judged or as though they do not quite belong.

I often say to the women I teach that when it comes to matters such as these, you never really leave school! And while these conversations are more often associated with women or beginners, plenty of men experience it too, because feeling excluded, judged or out of place is not really a gender issue, it is a human one.

Cliques, snobbery around ability or etiquette, dismissive comments towards beginners, resistance to change, or even simply making people feel as though they are in the way can all contribute to an unwelcoming atmosphere.

One of the biggest issues I see is rarely talked about and very off-putting - the assumption of knowledge that can exist within golf clubs. This is when longstanding members often expect newcomers to simply know how everything works, from competition entry procedures and tee booking systems to where to stand, how to behave or who certain spaces are for. For somebody new to golf or the club, that environment can feel intimidating very quickly.

Remedy

The hard truth of this issue, as in many aspects of life, is that you will always encounter difficult people or those you don’t get along with and those who aren’t welcoming. Then there is also the slim chance you may not be the delightful, easy going barrel of laughs you think you are! So when joining somewhere new, be sure to be clear on the type of golf you would like to play and the type of people you want to play with.

From the club’s perspective, I would again consider the idea of having members put their names down as volunteers to play with newer members, hopefully reducing the chances of them encountering the frostier groups who have their well established playing groups.

Not Enough Tee Times for Working Women

Not all golf clubs have moved with the times when it comes to understanding that women work. In fact, according to the Office for National Statistics 72% of women work, compared with 77% of men. So it really doesn’t make sense for golf club tee sheets to be midweek scheduling heavy and have prime weekend competition slots protected for traditional formats.

I have noticed several posts on golf forums where women question whether the practices at their clubs are normal - and, more importantly, whether they provide fair access. On multiple occasions, it’s been pointed out that these situations breach the Equality Act 2010, advising that if the club fails to address the issue, it should be escalated to regional authorities.

Remedy

When it comes to this issue, it’s not about suggestions to make things welcoming or nicer, it’s about following the law, which states that clubs must not discriminate on the basis of sex when providing access to facilities and services. While clubs are entitled to run separate competitions and preserve traditions, equal membership should mean equal access to the course and club life.

Many clubs have moved with the times and I believe have benefitted from doing so in terms of having a healthy, active membership and social scene. That being said, one thing I have found depressing is reading how women often consider themselves ‘lucky’ because their club ‘allows’ them to play at weekends or enter certain competitions.

It should not be considered luck to have fair access to something you are paying the same price for. The fact that too often women feel grateful for what should simply be standard treatment says a great deal about how low the bar has been set when it comes to women participating in sport and having hobbies.

Prioritising Tradition Over Experience

All of the above points link to this issue as tradition is undeniably part of golf’s charm and identity, but some clubs' determination to protect ‘how things have always been done’ stops them considering what modern members might actually enjoy or value.

Younger golfers and newer members are often looking for more than just competitions and formal clubhouse occasions. They value flexibility, community, inclusivity and social connection just as much as playing the game.

Music on the driving range, roll-ups and a more relaxed informal dress code at social events can often be seen as a gimmick that cheapens the traditions of golf, when in reality seeing people enjoy golf as a lifestyle in this way is what can attract people in the first place.

Remedy

The clubs adapting most successfully are usually the ones recognising that tradition and modernisation do not have to compete with one another. A club can still respect etiquette, competition golf and the history of the game while also creating a more relaxed and socially engaging environment. Clubs that are able to offer a blend of traditional and modern formats with more relaxed dress codes know that by doing this they are not diluting golf culture, but strengthening it for the future.

For someone like myself who has been in the golfing world for over 30 years, it has been interesting to witness a huge increase in participation. I appreciate many golf clubs have waiting lists and fully booked tee sheets, so it can be tempting to think there is little need to focus heavily on attracting and retaining new members, but popularity today does not guarantee loyalty tomorrow.

Many of the ideas discussed above are on the surface fairly simple and by no means reinventing the wheel. Yet in a post COVID world where customer service has declined across so many industries, people have become increasingly time poor, selective and quick to walk away from environments that do not make them feel valued.

We now live lives built around convenience and instant gratification. Golf clubs cannot simply rely on tradition or reputation to keep people engaged long-term. Clubs will thrive when members feel part of a community and invested in something beyond a membership fee. Golf clubs should keep asking themselves: in a modern world full of choices and options to engage with golf, what truly makes people want to stay?