Social Media Requires Relevance/Commitment/Professionalism

Don MacKay’s thoughts on service and friendliness being the key to retaining golfers is a traditional one, even if those aspects might need to be enhanced even more in this challenging era for golf course operators.

Carrying on with our series with the owner of Muskoka Highlands in Bracebridge, Ont., and new president of the National Golf Course Owners Association, he also recognizes the importance of using new vehicles in not only luring existing golfers, but also attracting new ones.

“First of all, we’ve got to treat the golfers we’ve got really well. The new golfer that’s coming out is not going to come to us easily. We’ve got to compete for their attention and I think that’s where social media platforms come in,” said MacKay, adding that golf course operators need to explore such mediums at various levels.

“I think we’ve got to develop strategies, both nationally at the NGCOA, for relevance and also at each course,” he said. “I’m working with that right now and the Golf Muskoka initiative is working with a social media platform.

“We’ve got to realize that the day of the dial-up phone is done. People are using smart phones. They’re using information sources that are not traditional,” added MacKay.

“I still think word-of-mouth is probably the strongest way to get people to play your course, but right behind that are going to be the new social media platforms – the Twitters and Facebooks and stuff like that – because that is the way that people are talking these days.

“That’s the new word-of-mouth,” said MacKay.

If they haven’t already, golf courses will likely rush to social media out of necessity, but MacKay warns that careful consideration should be exercised and commitment to it is necessary.

“We’ve got to get into that stream properly. The worst thing you can do, I understand from the social media people, is just get into the stream to say you’re in it,” he said.

“You’ve got to get in. You’ve got to maintain your presence. It’s got to be professional. People are going to see everything you say once you hit that Tweet button. You’ve got to be careful to utilize those media methods on a very careful basis,” added MacKay.

The social media platforms are just the latest in tools for businesses to promote their products, just like fax machines were 25 years ago.

“I remember in 1984, having to convince my boss at the time that we had to put fax machines in our offices,” said MacKay, pointing out that faxes have since given way to e-mail, which is now giving way to instant messaging.

Social media is just the latest way to communicate and even that is likely to evolve as time goes on.

“Why are people on Facebook?” he asked.

“They’re part of a community. They set up all their friends and they become part of a community, so if golf can take a good model from the information age, let’s be a Facebook for an athletic endeavour,” he said.

“If the golf industry can respond faster to the information technology shift, then I think we’re going to get further ahead more quickly,” he said.

We’ll carry on with our discussion with MacKay next week.