The Kansas City Country Club’s “Rascal Roundup” promotion encourages parents to get out on the tennis court with their kids to work on the fundamentals of the game.
The most natural entrees into club activities for families and their kids usually come through the established sports that are offered at the property. But even at properties where strong traditions exist for golf, tennis, swimming or other sports, the most successful staffs will continually be on the lookout for new ways to attract and engage new players.
The Kansas City Country Club (KCCC) in Mission Hills, Kan., has built and sustained a thriving tennis program in its tradition-rich, 122-year-old history. But the primary mission in Mission Hills has always been to continually strive to create new traditions while maintaining the successes of its past (“Keeping Everything Up to Date at KCCC,” C&RB, July 2011). “We are always looking for new and fun ways to get our members to participate in our wide variety of programming,” the club says.
THE GOAL: Encourage members of The Kansas City Country Club to participate in established sports within a family-oriented atmosphere. THE PLAN: Introduce “Rascal Roundup,” to get parents out on the court with their children for activities that emphasize fun while also teaching basic skills. THE PAYOFF: A structured environment was created for parents to enjoy a sport with their children at a very young age. The program also helped the club’s tennis pros find potential new adult players. |
And with today’s emphasis on providing activities that all members of the family can do together, that’s led to a renewed emphasis on encouraging parents to not just sign their kids up for clinics or tournaments, but to actively participate in their children’s introduction to the sports they enjoy.
For KCCC’s tennis program, that was successfully achieved with the introduction last year of a new “Rascal Roundup” promotion. Using QuickStart tennis balls and courts, in addition to balloons, targets, music and games, Rascal Roundup “helped to get parents out on the court with their children, to work together on the ‘FUNdamentals’ of tennis without knowing they are actually practicing skills they will use in the game.
“Rascal Roundup, while providing a structured environment where parents can enjoy playing a sport with their child at a very young age, has also given our tennis professionals an opportunity to interact with parents who aren’t regular tennis players,” KCCC reports. “They are then able to inform them about our array of options for parents at various skill levels, too.
“Parents and children alike enjoy these programs because they are useful and provide good interaction for families,” KCCC notes. “And the club enjoys programs like Rascal Roundup because it gets our members using the club, rather than going somewhere else for entertainment.”
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