With millions being spent by the game’s governing bodies, why haven’t more people picked up the sticks already? Royal Norwich Golf Club could have just found the answer.
It’s easy to argue that the past year or so has seen golf go through somewhat of a reform, so why aren't we seeing more people take to the greens?
By Charlotte Ibbetson
New rules have been introduced, dress codes have become more relaxed and we’ve adopted quicker, faster and more exciting formats of the game. Even at the highest professional level, we’ve seen men and women play side by side for the same prize money.
But with millions being spent by the game’s governing bodies the world over, why haven’t more people picked up the sticks already?
As an industry, we focus so much on getting people to the golf course or on the driving range, but perhaps it’s time we looked beyond the greens. With busier lives, more commitments and less spare cash to play with, people are demanding more from their leisure time than they ever have before: we want one solution that does it all – and that’s how golf clubs can really adapt.
According to Phil Grice, General Manager at Royal Norwich, and Chair of the Golf Club Managers Association, golf alone is not enough for today’s members. He commented: “You have got to create a community and a reason for people to be part of it. The world of golf is evolving rapidly, and the traditional golf club needs to keep pace with today’s faster-moving lifestyles.”
And that’s exactly what Royal Norwich have done. After suffering declining membership for 11 consecutive years, the Norfolk club have just opened a new 18-hole, genderless golf course, with a modern clubhouse due to open later in the year – both designed to the highest standards combined with a vision to encourage wider participation at every level of the game. The Stables, as the clubhouse will be known, has been built to offer outstanding facilities for leisure and business, with a host of meeting rooms, a restaurant, micro-brewery, bar, pro shop and changing facilities.
The new site will also include a 6-hole academy course designed to both encourage new players into the sport and limit playing time to under an hour – something which has been identified as key to growing engagement in the sport.
“The challenge of having an older clubhouse, with an older membership, an older mentality and an older golf course was leaving us cut adrift,” admits Grice. What’s emerging is an entirely new club, with a bold people-centric vision and a clear strategic plan, informed by market research and customer insights.
Grice explains, “We’ve looked at the technological world, we’ve looked at the time-based world, we’ve looked at what youngsters and families want and what fits today, more so than telling them what we offer and hoping they want it.”
“We’ve taken a top-down approach as to what we can do – and a bottom-up approach as to what people actually want.”
Is the transformation less of a revolution and more of a wider evolution in golf? We’ve seen that traditional memberships are dying, being replaced with flexible schemes instead. What worked years ago doesn’t necessarily work now – golfers have different lives and different demands.
“We believe that by creating a modern place to enjoy your leisure time, which is open and friendly, we will see Royal Norwich flourish ... And our approach seems to have worked as demand to play at the new course is extremely strong already and membership of the club is at an all-time high – having risen over 150% in the last two years.”
For further information on Royal Norwich and information on membership please visit royalnorwichgolf.co.uk.