_Mar/themodernapproach.jpg "The Modern Approach")
By Rob Carey
Innisbrook Resort’s efforts to attract more women to its golf academies are drawing more men as well
When Dawn Mercer began working in golf operations at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida, nearly 27 years ago, it never entered her mind that one day she might interact on the practice range with female players almost as frequently as with male players. But in 2015, the unfathomable has indeed become real.
Shortly after the golf industry’s “Connecting With Her” campaign—which helps facilities understand women’s motivations for buying and participating in golf—rolled out in 2012, Innisbrook committed to a few ladies-only golf academies for 2013 to test the waters. But as director of instruction, Mercer was actually somewhat hesitant about it. “I hated to think we would lose any men’s business over that time,” she admits.
Still, they pressed on, though the resort’s initial efforts were understated: a marketing message to previous resort guests plus a website enhancement to highlight the ladies-only academies. Yet these modest efforts were enough to tap into demand. Innisbrook drew 12 women to three sessions in 2013; 22 women across four sessions in 2014; and 25 women to five sessions so far in 2015. What’s more, with 70 male and female students expected to take part in Innisbrook’s four-day, three-night academies in 2015, Mercer believes that several more women will register for unrestricted academy sessions. This means that almost half of this year’s academy participants will be women.
Recent new business activity for Innisbrook highlights the fact that women are actively searching for group-based leisure opportunities. “We just had a group of eight ladies from Indiana and Ohio—none of whom have ever been here—sign up for an academy this spring,” Mercer notes. “And in 2014, 12 women from outside Chicago signed up together for an academy out of the blue.”
What’s more, the latter group will return to Innisbrook later this year on a three-day “practice and play” package Mercer created as a follow-up for academy participants, male or female. The package includes two hours of daily instruction specific to the players’ needs, followed by lunch and an afternoon round on one of Innisbrook’s four courses. Approximately one-third of academy participants return to the resort at some point, many of them on the “practice and play” offering.
According to Mercer, the resort’s golf-student surveys show the three main factors for choosing a golf school are: 1) quality of the course and practice facility; 2) instructor knowledge; and 3) the recommendation of a friend or colleague. That last factor presents a big opportunity to land more female customers.
“Women are so socially-focused that they’re natural promoters of products and services they like—it can be a restaurant, a hairdresser or a golf facility,” Mercer says. “If we give them a fun, relaxing experience where they also learn, other women are going to hear about it. And some of those women will either join that group the next time or come with their own group.”
When working with women in the academy, Mercer uses her own instincts as well as some tenets from the Connecting With Her campaign to give female players the experience they desire. “I am very hands-on with them, and it makes them more comfortable that a woman is doing that,” she says. While she does use male instructors to maintain a small student-teacher ratio at a sold-out ladies’ academy, Mercer handles the full-swing duties while her male colleagues focus on the short game and other aspects. “When a female student needs a posture or swing modification to work around certain body features, it’s definitely better that it comes from me,” she notes.
By using a schedule that’s not too tight or rigid, Mercer allows for social interaction during instruction that builds trust and affinity between female students and instructors. “It makes women more comfortable when they can talk about their children, their pets and other aspects of life outside of golf, even as they’re learning and practicing,” Mercer says. “They need to feel valued and cared for, rather than simply being talked at.” And with a fashion show component added to a lunch break during the ladies-only academies—with resort members modeling golf apparel and accessories—participants are introduced to items that would add enjoyment to their golf experience and which they’re inclined to buy.
Interestingly, Mercer has found that many aspects of the “social approach” work for male students as well. “Although a lot of men don’t mind if their golf-school experience is intense, it doesn’t necessarily have to be that way for them to get what they want out of it,” she says. “And it helps the resort long-term if every student feels some deeper connection and camaraderie with instructors and other participants.” Accordingly, the academy’s marketing message has been tweaked to evoke the overall experience students will have—effective learning that’s relaxed and enjoyable.
Even after students leave the academy, relationship building keeps them closely connected to the experience. Besides sending students their swing videos several weeks after the academy, plus a quarterly alumni newsletter, 60-second YouTube videos addressing different situations and a holiday card, Mercer stresses the fact that instruction never truly ends. Former students can email instructors if they’re having a problem in their game along with a photo or video, then a member of the instruction staff suggests drills.
“The student almost always says, ‘Oh yeah, I forgot you told me that while I was there,’ which reinforces the academy’s value,” Mercer notes “By giving a little more, we stand to get a lot in return.”
No doubt those types of returns are what any instructor or operator is seeking.
Rob Carey is a freelance writer and principal of Meetings & Hospitality Insight.