No, there is no formal application process to host Get Golf Ready for PGA Members. To get started, simply decide that Get Golf Ready is the right adult introductory golf program for your facility’s overall player development strategy.
There is no fixed pricing for Get Golf Ready. However, $99 is the recommended price for a series of 5 introductory group lessons. However, this is just a guideline, and you have the flexibility to adjust to your specific product offering and facility needs.
Some facilities charge as little as $50 for a mini-version of Get Golf Ready, while others charge $199. The key is to keep the program accessible and affordable.
It’s recommended that you agree to provide clubs for any students who might not have them at first, free of charge. These customers would represent the perfect opportunity for a follow-up equipment sale after they have successfully completed your Get Golf Ready program.
Again, Get Golf Ready maintains significant flexibility for each of you and your facility. The program is advertised as five lessons. However, some members shorten the program to 4 or extend it to 6.
Ultimately, you’ll want to offer a series of group lessons that keep the customers coming back to your facility and build confidence and a sense of community. Your program should allow time to review the facility layout, cover the basics of the game, and include an on-course component in each session.
Again, here, Get Golf Ready maintains the flexibility to suit each PGA Member and facility’s specific needs. In general, Get Golf Ready should aim to build confidence and comfort for your customers.
Get Golf Ready should acclimate students to your specific facility layout and cover the basics of golf (including putting, short game, full swing, how to play) and golf etiquette. It is also highly recommended that each lesson contain an on-course component.
For specific curriculum and suggested lesson guides, review the Get Golf Ready Program Manual.
You should schedule your entire season of Get Golf Ready introductory events, including any exposure events or follow-up programming, in advance. More is better!
When it comes to scheduling, providing customers with choices is critical to gaining their business. It’s recommended that you provide a multitude of options for customers to choose from, even if you don’t ultimately end up running all your events as scheduled.
For example, provide a variety of programming on weekends, weekdays, mornings, and afternoons. If you are unable to run a specific session due to low customer participation, you can still ask those who were interested in the class if another date/time works for them – whereas you may have missed that customer entirely if you hadn’t initially provided a convenient opportunity for them to learn the game at your facility.
Regardless of the number of Get Golf Ready events you schedule, it is imperative that you schedule them in advance. It is simply not enough to say, “Yes, we do Get Golf Ready,” when a customer asks about introductory clinics and is not able to offer any specific, structured opportunities.
To promote your Get Golf Ready events, it is recommended you utilize the following resources:
- The Marketing Resource Center contains both physical and digital marketing materials for facility signage, community outreach, and digital promotion. You can access both stock and customizable materials to print on your own, send to a local printer, or send directly to your local Office Depot for PGA-partner preferred pricing. Each marketing piece you create should have a call to action.
For full details on marketing and promotion of your player development activities, review this guide to facility signage, community outreach, and digital promotion.
Retaining your Get Golf Ready students is the key to creating new, long-term customers for your business. You should follow up with every Get Golf Ready graduate and invite them to continue their golf journey with you and your facility. A few examples of programs to retain Get Golf Ready students include:
- Get Golf Ready 2, Get Golf Ready 3, or other follow-up group classes
- Get Golf Ready or beginner-friendly leagues
- Play-with-the-pro opportunities or on-course playing lessons
- Individual instruction
For every Get Golf Ready program your facility runs, with at least three students, you are eligible for 2 PGA Required MSR Credits. For each of the three additional students in your Get Golf Ready program, another professional besides yourself is also eligible for 2 MSR Credits.
Should you have any questions regarding implementing Get Golf Ready at your facility or would simply like to discuss how to get the most out of the program, please reach out to:
- John Newkirk, PGA– Director of Operations, Player Development via email at jnewkirk@pgahq.com or by phone at (561) 624-7617.