Australia’s golf venues have been given a new roadmap to help boost their potential and play a more crucial role in their local communities.
Headlined by an interactive online dashboard, the Australian Golf Industry Council’s (AGIC) Maximising the Community Benefits of Golf report was built for general managers, facility operators and landowners to allow them to input their own data and generate a venue-specific community benefits analysis.
Underpinning the report are in-depth interviews with 15 venue operators – including Wembley Golf Course – who offer a range of golf options including traditional courses, short courses, driving ranges, indoor simulators and mini golf.
The report puts forward 10 key themes that can play a part in golf venues maximising their benefits to communities. These themes are: –
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- Promoting participation and visitation through diverse venues
- Establishing a welcoming culture and a workforce that is engaged and service-oriented
- Overcoming barriers with shorter formats and flexible pricing
- Tailoring offerings for targeted player groups
- Technology can enhance player experiences and utilisation and dramatically increase venue revenue
- Maximising social benefits via initiatives that deliver social interaction and participation
- Generating revenues through hospitality offerings
- Providing quality environments for players, community and ecosystems
- Packaging experiences with business partners
- Resourcing change and rewarding risk
Karen Lunn, Chair of the AGIC, believes the report can be an invaluable tool for clubs and facilities willing to put its findings into practice.
“This report is an extremely important contribution towards achieving our shared goal of more Australians playing more golf,” she said.
“The knowledge and experiences shared by the 15 differing venues who contributed to this report are invaluable and can only help other clubs and facilities better understand the benefits they deliver to their own communities.
“In doing so, they will identify other opportunities to help them maximise these benefits and create healthier, happier, more sustainable communities.”
Maximising the Community Benefits of Golf follows on from AGIC’s groundbreaking Community Benefits of Golf report of 2023 that revealed how golf provides $3.3 billion in total annual benefits to the Australian community, economy and environment.
Access both reports and the new interactive dashboard here.