Eric Garber is the Parks Coordinator for the Palm Beach County Recreation Department in Lake Worth, Florida.

Eric Garber on the importance of incentivizing golfers to join your database:

We all know that information and data are king, especially when it comes to marketing efforts. Whether it be old school flyers in the mail, email or on social media, having the right information is everything to being able to market your course effectively. So about 15 years ago we said, why not give the people who give us their email a discount on their tee time. The discount was $10 for creating that digital e-Club account, which meant filling out a simple form.

Eric Garber on the business impact of incentivizing golfers to join your database:

That email list, which launched in 2011, now has over 16,000 names, as we’ve also added names at the Cognizant Classic on the PGA TOUR (formerly the Honda Classic), Spring Training baseball games, and at FAU events. Around eight years ago, when online tee time booking became normal, these accounts were huge in a) helping with the booking, adjusting and/or canceling of tee times, b) getting any necessary messages across and c) allowing us to see consumption patterns. Whether it’s targeted emails for certain customers who we know play on Sunday mornings, we have that knowledge. And, because we have five facilities in our system, customers have essentially signed up for five mailing lists. All it took was a little ingenuity with the $10 discount and it’s gotten us to a great place.

If you would like to email the author of this Best Practice directly, please email EGarber@pbc.gov.