No substitute for service with a smile

It’s the little things in life that count.

The smell of freshly cut grass, for example. Or finding the ball you thought had landed in the bunker sitting up nicely just short of it. Or, perhaps best of all, getting good, friendly service.

I was reminded of this last week when I paid a visit to Kingsfield Golf Centre, above, in Linlithgow. It might have been for business but it was still an absolute pleasure. That’s because, as well as being an awesome facility, it is also fantastically run.

Rob Arkley and his staff are one of the friendliest and most accommodating teams I’ve ever met in a decade working in the golf industry. You get a great welcome every time you go there and nothing is too much hassle. You are made to feel appreciated and that your custom is valued. And, at the end of the day, isn’t that what every consumer wants?

There are no elaborate tricks or gimmicks. Just good old-fashioned service with a smile.

And you know what? Because of that I’d rather drive an hour to practice at Kingsfield than 15 minutes to my nearest range where the words ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ are often as alien a concept as life on Mars.

Interestingly, according to Arkley, the vast majority of the coffee shop customers at Kingsfield are non-golfers – another thing the place has done well. At a time when every penny is a prisoner, it is imperative that golf clubs find other sources of income before it’s too late.

That means tapping into the non-golfer market. As the folks at Kingsfield will tell you, it can be a lucrative one if you get it right. So, it beggars belief that more clubs and golf facilities don’t even give the prospect the time of day.

I was speaking to a well-connected person who works in the Scottish golf industry the other week. He had spent the day at a club which goes out of its way to cater for golfers and non-golfers alike. As such, its tee sheet wasn’t the only thing that was full during his visit. So, too, was its restaurant, bar, shop, practice facilities. The whole place was abuzz.

Gone are the days golf clubs could afford to be just golf clubs. Now, they’ve got to be so much more.

His drive home then took him past another well-known club. At 6pm at night, its lights were out, its doors were locked, and its car park was empty. Clearly, its management had taken the decision that no golfers on the course means no reason to stay open.

What a shame.

The thing about Scottish golf is that there are so many clubs in small towns and villages. These places, to my mind, need to take advantage of that fact and make themselves the ‘go to’ place in their locales.

They need to be for more than just golfers. They need to be the place people go for dinner, for a coffee, to watch live sport on big screens. They need, in short, to become the focal point, the epicentre of life in their neighbourhood.

Where are you going for Sunday lunch? The golf club. Where should we meet for a cuppa? The golf club. Where’s showing the Champions League this week? The golf club.

Before you know it, your tills are full, your books are balanced, and you might even get a few new members out of it.

Not rocket science, is it?

Gone are the days golf clubs could afford to be just golf clubs. Now, they’ve got to be so much more. Not ‘should be’ so much more. ‘Got to be’ so much more.

Hamish Grey, chief executive of the SGU, told me at the tail end of last year that clubs must adapt to match consumer behaviour. It’s not just a good idea – it’s imperative.

Do you agree with Michael McEwan?

Leave your thoughts on this blog in our ‘Comments’ section below.

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Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor

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