Abby Messick is the Director of Golf at the River Marsh Golf Club – Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa & Marina located in Cambridge, Maryland.

Abby Messick on the importance of catering to your local audience when looking for return traffic:

We are a public golf course that is a part of the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Resort. For a number of years, we have incorporated several initiatives designed to attract a younger, dynamic crowd: From a golf perspective, we have incorporated glow golf challenges, including interactive glowing targets and a night-putting challenge. From a merchandising perspective, we have incorporated specialty gifts, handbags and jewelry to the product-mix in our golf shop. These offerings were added specifically to cater to the younger, non-golf audience.

Abby Messick on the business impact of catering to your local audience when looking for return traffic:

Since the pandemic began the course has remained open but the golf shop has been closed. As seen in many places across the country, the interest in golf has been huge, and we have moved some key merchandise into a temporary, outdoor shop in efforts to continue to cater to the local crowd. This mobile shop has allowed our staff to service the basic necessities for our golfers and range visitors, as well as cater to a new, non-golfing demographic due to our enhanced product offering. The dynamic of this setup has allowed us to continue to provide a service to a wider customer base, while supplying our staff the ability to establish rapport with a new clientele, converting them from casual shoppers to frequent customers. These extended offerings have increased shop sales, provided a shopping outlet for the entire family, and increased usage of our practice facility and golf course. This cycle has been crucial for our operation and has positioned us a welcomed stop for locals in our community. If you are a public resort, consider implementing these initiatives to cater to your local crowd, they may be your main clientele in the near future.

If you would like to email the author of this Best Practice directly, please email abby.messick@hyatt.com