England Golf and Players 1st continue to empower clubs through member insights

Now entering its third year, over 300 affiliated clubs have engaged with Players 1st as part of the Membership: Give it a Shot campaign. This collaboration offers retention support through the Players 1st Members Suite of experience surveys, providing clubs and the federation with ongoing information on members' opinions and experiences at golf clubs.

Through analysis of over 70,000 member responses, England Golf have gained unprecedented insights into the factors influencing the golf club member experience, including those with the greatest impact on satisfaction and loyalty.

One of the key factors highlighted in 2022 and early 2023 is the perceived efficiency and quality of the club's governance. We will be utilising this information within our updated governance toolkit for clubs as we continue to improve our support offer to our affiliated clubs, especially relating to the elements of club life that affect membership retention.

Matt Draper, Club, County, and Membership Director

England Golf

Golf club members in England have highlighted specific areas of governance that play a crucial role in shaping an exceptional club experience. These areas include the effectiveness of the club's Board of Directors or Management Committee and their receptiveness to member suggestions.

Clubs utilising the Players 1st Member Experience Survey can collect feedback on these aspects and track the development of their scores, as well as benchmarking against other clubs nationally, regionally, and within specific facility and course categories.

A consistent 58% response rate from the first two years of the partnership for the member survey demonstrates the expectation of club members to have their say, with the surveys becoming an effective engagement tool for the club management. We look forward to a growing number of clubs taking up this opportunity to strengthen club-member relationships and continuing to all work together to improve the golf experience for everybody.

Amelia Lewis, UK Regional Manager at Players 1st

"Through our continued close working relationship with Players 1st, and further analysis of member surveys throughout 2023-24, we will continue to highlight the statistics and facts to benefit golf clubs in reviewing and improving their membership experience," adds Matt Draper.

Affiliated clubs can access a free 12-month subscription to the Players 1st suite of membership surveys. Clubs wishing to renew the Players 1st support for a subsequent year can access a subsidised subscription which is guaranteed until 30th April 2024.