Generate Revenue With A Winter Coaching Break

    Now the clocks have gone back and the dark nights are upon us things will begin to slow down. So now is the perfect time to look into an overseas coaching trip – the perfect winter revenue driver. Here, Neil MacRae from TGI Golf Travel explains.

    The life of a PGA Professional is very seasonal, summer booms with long hours and plenty of people at the course, followed by a slowdown in the winter as the nights draw in and time on the fairways is at a premium.

    But the winter doesn’t have to be a time when you lock up early and accept there won’t be as much money ringing through the till. There are some great opportunities to make additional revenue, what’s more it can be done with the sun on your back!

    There’s no need to spend the entire winter stuck in the shop with fewer visitors making less purchases when you could be out in the sunshine earning additional cash on a teaching break?

    During the winter when the nights have drawn in, the air is cold and your golf course and Pro Shop are particularly quiet the thought of spending a week in the sunshine teaching your valued customers and getting paid for it is rather appealing.

    Especially now that things across the world are beginning to open up and travel restrictions are lifting. People are desperate to get away to see some sunshine and experience foreign travel once more.

    However, if you haven’t planned an overseas coaching break before it can be quite a daunting prospect – where to go? Who to invite? How to market it? How to pay for it?
    This is where companies like TGI Golf Travel can help. With expert and experienced staff who have helped countless PGA Professionals to book successful coaching trips abroad and can do the same for you.

    Over the years we have sourced and have agreements with numerous venues that are specifically geared up for hosting coaching parties, so there’s plenty to choose from.
    That’s your starting point, choosing the venue, then it’s a case of finding a date that works for you and from there we can put together a package for you to sell to your customers.
    Once we have the package we suggest adding a ‘Coaching Fee’ which is the price you charge for your teaching time – usually £100 per head for a 5-7-day trip.

    We would then add this to the package cost, so all customers see is the charge for the trip, no breakdown of costs. We will then collect all the money, so customers pay us direct. Once we have all the payments, we then separate the ‘Coaching Fee’ and pay it directly back to the PGA Professional. Don’t forget, as the coach the Pro also receives free accommodation.
    If you don’t have a selected group to take with you and would like to market it to your club’s membership we can also assist in that area by providing marketing material.
    It is important however, to ensure you have the right mix of people in your group. For example, if you take two couples along with a group of four young, single lads the mix may not work too well (see my tip tops later.)

    Before you depart we will work with you to put together an itinerary, so you have dedicated time on the range, chipping green, putting green and tee times. All that’s then left for you to do is head out to sunnier climes and enjoy your time with your guests.

    Turkish Delight

    One PGA Professional who did just that is Jon Earl from Ifield Golf Club in West Sussex. He has taken a group of members away to visit the Sueno Deluxe Resort in Turkey on two separate occasions, and enjoyed great success.

    He said: “The two trips I’ve taken out to Turkey have been excellently received by my members and I’m constantly being asked when there’ll be another one.
    “We kept each day quite fluid with practice or coaching in the morning and golf in the afternoon. I spent each morning on the range helping my guests with any guidance they needed and staged a couple of clinics to help with certain areas.

    “In the evenings we’d stage fun events like quizzes or bowling and always enjoyed dinner together. We had lots of fun prizes too such as who hit the water the most, just to keep it fun and everyone involved.

    “The guys at TGI Golf Travel made everything so easy. I’d never taken a group away before, so they gave me plenty of guidance in what to do, how to plan it, how to market it etc, I really didn’t have to do too much.

    “Even when it came to marketing the trip they had everything in place to help out with Email Marketing templates and posters. However, once word got out that I was taking a trip abroad it filled up so fast we didn’t need to market it in the end, but it was nice to know they had me covered.

    “It proved to be an outstanding way of building relationships with my golf club members, reinforcing the importance of a PGA Professional to a club too. Once we got back I had so many people asking when I was planning another and how they’d love to come with me. Unfortunately Covid then hit so we haven’t been able to get away, but I’m speaking to the team at TGI Golf Travel now to start planning one for 2022.

    “I would highly recommend it to any PGA Professional – why not get away in the winter months when it’s quiet, get some sun on your back, build your relationships and make a little bit of extra revenue too?”

    Neil’s Top Five Tips For Planning An Overseas Coaching Break

    1. Stick with on-site golf – having it all under one roof will save you the cost and headache of logistics. If you have to travel each day to your chosen golf course, there’s a good chance of delays or someone missing the bus, ruining the day for the rest of your clients.
    2. Get a good mix of clients – Give your group every chance of working well together.
    3. Mix up the days – you clients won’t want to just smash balls on the range all day or spend hours on the putting green. Mix it up with some morning lessons, afternoon golf.
    4. Don’t make it too intense – Don’t leave your guests shattered by the end of the day
    5. Gear the itinerary to the group – If you have a group of 20-30 year olds don’t give them the same itinerary you’d give to retired couples.

    TGI Golf Travel is part of the TGI Golf Partnership, but its services are available to everyone, not just TGI Golf Partners – although Partners do receive discounts and other benefits.

    Find out more by visiting tgigolftravel.com or contacting the team today on 01506 353500 or email sales@tgigolftravel.com. GR

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    As an avid golfer since the age of eleven Dan lives and breathes all things golf.  With a current handicap of eleven he gets out and plays as often as his work life (and girlfriend) allows. Dan confesses to still being like a kid at Christmas when it comes to seeing the latest golf equipment. Having served as GolfPunk’s Deputy Editor, and resident golf geek for the past 13 years and working for golf's oldest brand, John Letters Dan brings to GOLF RETAILING an excellent understanding of the sector.