Every day, they come dragging their bags through the doors of one of the South’s most traditional, old-line private family-oriented clubs, The Country Club of Virginia in Richmond. Their golf shoes, polo shirts, and Bermuda shorts attest to their willingness to improve their game, at least for a few hours, on the fabled fairways of the club’s course.
Thwack. A member hits a long iron and hears the dreaded sound of a golf ball headed for trouble. Thwack. Instead of hitting the ball solidly in the blade’s sweet spot, he catches it slightly forward, on his club’s toe. It’s enough to inspire him to take drastic action. But instead of waiting for the member to decide to spend hundreds of dollars on a high-tech swing analysis, this club found a way to offer a more convenient and cost-effective way to begin looking for a solution.
In an effort to connect with more members while simultaneously helping them to improve their games, the Country Club of Virginia offered a “First Aid for Your Swing” promotion during its Labor Day cookout. More than 500 people attended.
During the cookout, a portable hitting net was set up to offer complimentary, five-minute golf lessons, complete with video swing analysis. With several of the club’s pros on site, more than 100 “check-ups” were given, and each member who had one left with a “prescription,” written by the golf pro, that highlighted areas that needed to be worked on and also provided contact information for the golf staff.
By tying an introduction to instruction into an established, well-attended event in this fashion, the club reported that it successfully booked a number of followup lessons.
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