Spring is stacked
There’s a run of events coming up over the next few weeks that your clubhouse should be all over. The Six Nations is in full swing, Mother’s Day and Easter are around the corner and then The Masters caps it all off in mid-April.
These are the kind of occasions that get people through the door - members, families, folk who might not normally visit the clubhouse on a Saturday. But only if you give them a reason to come. A bit of planning goes a long way and the clubs that treat these events seriously will see the difference on their bottom line.
Here are four you should be thinking about right now.
Six Nations
Rugby and golf have a massive crossover. If your club has a decent screen and a bar, you’ve already got the bones of a great matchday setup. The Six Nations runs through February and March and there are still big fixtures to come.
Put the games on, run a food special alongside them and make some noise about it on your socials. A burger and a pint deal during the Scotland game? That’s an easy sell. Even members who weren’t planning on coming to the club that day will make the trip if they know there’s an atmosphere.
The key is making it feel like an event, not just a telly in the corner. Get the times up on a poster in the clubhouse. Send a message to members. Make it easy for people to know what’s on and when.
And think about the food side. If you know 40 or 50 people are coming in for the kick-off, your kitchen can prep ahead instead of scrambling. That’s fewer wasted portions and a better experience for everyone. Pre-orders make a big difference here - if folk can order their food before they sit down, the kitchen stays ahead and nobody’s waiting 30 minutes for a pie.
Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day is Sunday 15th March this year and it’s one of the biggest dining days of the year across the UK. Restaurants fill up weeks in advance. But a lot of golf clubs don’t even think about it.
That’s a missed trick. Your clubhouse has a kitchen, tables and (usually) a cracking view. Why not offer a Mother’s Day lunch? It doesn’t need to be fancy. A set menu, maybe two or three courses, decent portions and a nice atmosphere. Families are already looking for somewhere to go and most places will be fully booked.
Promote it early. Get a booking system in place. If your club can handle 30 or 40 covers, that’s a solid chunk of revenue on a day when the course might be quieter anyway.
This is also a chance to show non-golfers what the clubhouse is like. Mums, partners, kids - people who might never have set foot in the place. A good experience on Mother’s Day could turn into regular Sunday lunches or even new social memberships.
Easter Sunday
Easter falls on the 5th of April this year and it’s another brilliant opportunity to bring families into the clubhouse. This one’s especially good if your club has any outdoor space or a garden area.
An Easter egg hunt is a no-brainer. Kids love it, parents love it and it gets people on site for a couple of hours. Pair it with a lunch offering and you’ve got families spending a proper chunk of their day at the club. Egg painting or decorating is another easy win - set up a table, get some supplies and let the wee ones go at it while the adults have a coffee. Or something stronger.
Think about what you can offer food-wise that ties into the day. A roast lamb special, hot cross buns with the morning coffee, an Easter-themed dessert. Nothing over the top - just enough to make it feel like the club has made an effort.
The golf course will likely be busy over the Easter weekend too. That means more rounds, more people finishing up and looking for something to eat. If you’ve got a streamlined way for golfers to order ahead while they’re still on the course, you can have their food ready when they walk in. No queue, no waiting, more time enjoying the day.
The Masters
Will Rory do it back to back Can anyone stop Scottie Sheffler? The Masters runs from the 9th to the 12th of April this year at Augusta National and there’s no bigger week in the golf calendar. Every golfer in the country will be glued to coverage and your clubhouse is the perfect place to watch it.
Set up a big screen, put the coverage on all weekend and create a bit of a Masters atmosphere. Some clubs go all out with green jackets, pimento cheese sandwiches and themed menus. You don’t have to go that far but a nod to the occasion goes down well.
The Thursday and Friday coverage overlaps with the working day so you might not get massive numbers in the clubhouse. But the weekend? Saturday afternoon when the leaders are coming down Amen Corner? Sunday evening for the final few holes? Those are moments people want to watch together.
Run a sweepstake on the winner. Do a Masters lunch special. Make it easy for members to come and hang out. The clubs that create an atmosphere around The Masters build something people look forward to every year. It becomes a tradition and traditions keep people coming back.
Make it easy on your kitchen
The common thread across all of these events is food. Every single one is a chance to serve more covers and bring more revenue into the clubhouse. But only if the kitchen can handle it.
That’s where a bit of planning and the right tools make all the difference. If you know what’s coming in advance - how many people, what they want to eat, when they want it - your kitchen can prep properly instead of guessing. Less waste, less stress, better food.
Pre-ordering is a game changer for event days. Whether it’s a Mother’s Day set menu or burgers during the rugby, letting people order ahead means the kitchen is always one step ahead. And golfers finishing their round on Easter weekend can have their lunch ready before they’ve cleaned their clubs.
If you want to see how Golf Scran can help your club make the most of days like these, get in touch. We’d love to chat about what’s possible.
