From newsletters and member forums to face-to-face conversations, Chevin Golf Club General Manager Dan Housley shares his advice for improving communication and engagement.
Effective communication is an essential part of the relationship between a golf club and its members. When communication breaks down, misunderstandings can develop and minor issues can escalate.
Keeping members regularly informed, listening to their concerns and explaining the reasoning behind decisions are all important parts of maintaining those relationships.
We spoke to Dan Housley, General Manager of Chevin Golf Club, about how to keep members informed, encourage engagement and build trust.
How did you set out to improve communication at your club?
One thing I learned quite quickly in the role of General Manager was the importance of what we communicated. Telling people what’s happening isn’t enough – you need to explain why things are happening and the reasoning behind it. I set out to change the philosophy at the club so that we were bringing members on the journey with us.
What’s a key indicator that communication at a club needs improving?
I did a major survey in my first year to find out where all the pinch points were for members. The results showed that one of the key things was a lack of communication.
From there, we were able to plan improvements, but it was the information we collected that ultimately drove us to take action.
How do you deal with disagreements and pushback from members?
Ultimately, members aren’t going to agree with everything you tell them, but they are far more likely to respect the decision if they understand the reasoning behind it. Where possible, we use data-backed decision-making to come to the fairest outcome.
We also consider all the feedback from members, bringing those suggestions together to develop a document outlining plans for the future across all areas of the club.
Some issues are easier to resolve than others. At the moment, we’ve got three greens closed for drainage work, which is frustrating for members. However, when we have the data from an agronomist’s report saying we need to drain the greens in order for year-round play, it helps the members understand the reasoning and gives them peace of mind.
What steps did you take to encourage greater engagement from members?
One thing we found when we first started was that members were waiting for big updates, rather than regular small ones. So last year, we launched a newsletter that kept members regularly informed with updates both big and small from around the club.
I keep the captains, president and other key members involved in the articles, but also every member has the ability to contribute to it. It’s their club and, therefore, their newsletter.
What communication tools do you use to reach members?
The reason we introduced the newsletter is that the data showed only around 40% of members were opening the emails we sent out. So, we introduced some different methods to ensure we could communicate with everyone effectively.
We have focus groups, where selected members from each section of the club attend, then full member forums twice a year. More recently, we introduced a WhatsApp channel which provides a one-way communication stream straight to members’ phones. These different methods help us reshare information across our channels and our read rates have gone up and up.
How do you deliver updates about investments and longer-term plans where benefits take longer to emerge?
It’s a fine line to tread. Ultimately, you have to balance the future of the golf club with what members want in the here-and-now. They’re paying us their own money to play a decent amount of golf, so you have to weigh your messaging up and remain consistent to keep everyone on the right track.
How important is it for members to meet department leaders face to face?
Hugely. Being able to connect face-to-face is really important, and I’m not just talking about myself. I’ve recently hosted a Q&A with my head greenkeeper, and some of the members said to him afterwards, “Chris, we thought you just cut grass!”
Now they have a greater understanding of him and his role, so there’s more trust and respect for what he does.
What advice do you have for other General Managers trying to improve communication and transparency with their members?
Start small and be consistent. You’re not going to be able to introduce everything overnight. Even if you did, it’s likely going to overwhelm members and overwhelm yourself. Pick one thing that you want to improve at a time and commit to that.
The small things you do will feed into the bigger picture, and members will appreciate that more than being flooded with too much information at once.
I’m a believer in starting small, then seeing what’s working and taking it from there. Introducing the newsletter helped me realise that focus groups could be a good idea. Running those focus groups gave me the confidence to do member forums, which I find we get the most out of. But you have to try other things before you arrive at what works best.
Key takeaways
- Explain reasoning behind decision-making
- Listen to members and act on feedback
- Communicate regularly using different channels
- Develop a consistent approach, even if that means starting small
