The Next “Must Play” Destination

In these troubled economic times, golf clubs the length and breadth of the country are looking for new ways of selling their ‘product’.   One way that’s been embraced by some clubs is the formation of an alliance, often including local hotels or guest houses, to create a genuine golfing ‘destination’.

Of course, we’ve always been able to book in to a guest house and arrange tee times at a few local courses and tour operators have obviously built their businesses around providing that kind of service.
But what’s been lacking has been the definition of a destination, a brand to get behind which establishes the area as a golf tour option in the minds of golfers.  Suddenly there’s something to market where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Some collaborations are more formal than others, with their own website and, occasionally, local government support.  The likes of England’s Golf Coast in the North West and Golf East Lothian showcase their golf courses and local accommodation providers as a collective offering.  For golfers looking for variety, the prospect of a single base from which to trip to different courses will certainly appeal.

One of the newest we’ve seen is the collaboration of three terrific courses in Dorset – Ferndown, Parkstone and Broadstone – to create a Dorset Heathland Tour.  At the other end of the country, Highland Golf Links combines golf at three world-class courses – Royal Dornoch, Nairn and Castle Stuart. Dornoch and Nairn aren’t exactly next door to each other, but their respective golf clubs are within easy reach for a party staying in the area.

Adding an additional twist, Thorpeness Hotel and Golf Club in Suffolk and nearby Aldeburgh Golf Club have created the Suffolk Ale and Golf Trail. Staying at Thorpeness Golf Club’s 36-bedroom hotel, golf at the two clubs is complemented by a visit to Adnam’s Brewery and Distillery at Southwold or the Green Jack Brewery in Lowestoft.

I’m sure every region in the country can think of an angle, whether it’s location, style of courses, famous landmarks, historical significance, the local city, cultural attractions, other sporting opportunities; there is always going to be something around which an alliance can create an identity that appeals to the travelling golfer.

I suspect more will follow suit over the next few years, so you can look forward to hearing about the next “must play” destination.  Quite often it’s just a case of being presented with the idea – as I said earlier, the golf clubs already exist, but they might not spring immediately to mind as a golf tour.

Remedying that fact might prove a worthwhile exercise for many clubs looking to drum up new business. There’s a welcome PR angle for local, golf and even national press, and, with a brand to get behind, the marketing can be much more professional, and dare I say it, successful.  Forming an alliance may also put together a team made up of all the participating clubs and local businesses, bringing greater commercial expertise and injecting energy to the project.  Of course, collaboration won’t be for every club and won’t be the panacea for all ills. There certainly has to be a meeting of minds and a willingness to invest the time, energy and money to make it happen successfully.  But as Gary Player likes to say, “Change is the price of survival”.