Turning the page on 2025 brings the promise of a new season at the club and an opportunity for growth. What better way to jumpstart the New Year than with a boost in new membership?
As membership and sales teams set their target goals for the months ahead, developing a multifaceted game plan that combines proven strategies with a dose of creative marketing is the best approach. Heather Schadt, Director of Membership at Bogey Hills Country Club, explains how the St. Charles, Mo., club is adopting this plan for 2026.
Built-in networking
Call it old-school marketing, but member referral remains one of the most effective tools for bringing in new business. Schadt firmly believes that prospective members can benefit from their friend’s personal introduction to the facility and its amenities.
“When our existing members are enjoying their experience and inviting guests to events, we continue to grow,” she says. “It is simple but true: satisfied members are our most effective ambassadors.”
To entice its membership to serve as in-house stewards, Bogey Hills has traditionally granted monetary incentives for referrals. But thanks to a new idea generated during a round table discussion at Club + Resort Business’s Engagement Summit last fall, the club will be shifting to gifting experiences in 2026. Now when a member’s referral results in a new member, they will receive complementary tickets to a wine dinner, culinary experience, or an event of their choice.
“I loved this idea and brought it back to my membership committee and general manager,” enthuses Schadt. “Our fiscal year starts March 1, so I am in the process of getting the marketing started for it.”
Establishing a solid digital profile is another must for today’s clubs, one that requires periodic updates to maintain a fresh presence. Prospective members want to know what makes a club stand out from neighboring facilities and what their dues can provide them, which can be communicated via the club’s online presence. Schadt likens the initial tool of user engagement, the website, to a gateway that offers a glimpse into the club experience.
“Through photos, videos, and storytelling, we guide prospective members on a visual journey designed to inspire then to take the nest step and connect with us,”
she says.
To enhance Bogey Hills’ website, original content was recently enhanced with a golf course video, featuring dramatic aerial shots that follow the golf ball’s journey across the club’s fairways. According to Schadt, several potential members have commented on this video during their tour or on the phone. Further supplementing its digital footprint are the club’s public Facebook— content links back to specific landing pages on the website—and Instagram pages.
“This multi-platform approach helps with our SEO,” says Schadt, noting that Bogey Hills yields prominent results in local country club searches.
Open for business
The traditional open house model, with its standard format of a meet-and-greet and facilities tour, has given way to more intimate gatherings that allow for a personalized experience. Bogey Hills recently held its first open house mixer, hosting six prospective-member couples in a relaxed environment. Guests had an opportunity to mingle with department heads and membership committee members, as they sampled cocktails and passed hors d’oeuvres. After brief opening remarks from the general manager, the couples were divided into small groups that individually toured the clubhouse.
The impact of this small-scale introduction to Bogey Hills proved its usefulness, with two couples joining that same night and a third one committing the following week. As a result, Bogey Hills plans to implement quarterly open house mixers into its annual recruitment strategy plans. Schadt is confident that this will provide “a steady flow of opportunities for prospective members to discover and experience our club.”
Even after adopting customized approaches for membership recruitment, clubs still face challenges for securing new placements, including what is characterized as ‘comparison shopper mentality.’ Schadt believes this tactic is counterintuitive to the very essence of the club-going mentality.
“Membership is about the experience and emotional connection you feel when you are at the club,” she explains. “When prospective members approach their search as pure price shopping, they’re fixating on a single amenity and calculating cost per use rather than considering the value of the full membership.”
Instead, conveying the personal side of joining the Bogey Hills family has become Schadt’s mission, one that she associates with walking into the clubhouse and feeling at home. “Our staff takes pride in learning everyone’s names and making sure you have an exceptional experience while onsite,” she says. But it’s not only the Bogey Hills employees who provide a warm welcome, but the members themselves, many of whom introduce themselves to those on tour.
“They offer their own testimonials and welcoming conversation that no marketing materials could replace,” she says. “These interactions speak volumes about who we are as a club, and they prove more persuasive than any amenity comparison chart.”
