Teaching golf is a skill that is underestimated by many.

"I want to grow the game."

A young club pro rang me last week looking for some advice as to how to grow his teaching business. It got me thinking about how the role of the club teaching pro has so utterly changed over the last forty years. When I was growing up, the local pro, Watty Sullivan, was attached to the Grange Golf Club and was revered in teaching circles. He had a thriving membership and could draw on them for regular lessons. They supported him in his shop, bought clubs from him, and it would be unthinkable that they would purchase elsewhere. 

“It was the ultimate cartel, and he was the only show in our town where driving ranges and YouTube golf were non-existent."

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Beware the "blooming" orchard!

Fast forward to an age of multiple driving ranges, multiple memberships of golf clubs, (in the boom times!), and more information about the golf swing than an actuary could decipher. The golf business was booming, and golf pros were happy to "pile em high" with a conveyer belt of customers all eager to stretch themselves this year and take that couple of lessons to learn that golf game thing finally. The "thirty quid for thirty minutes" age was born, and it has spawned itself into a Stephen King effigy. An even bigger monster has appeared in the shape of so-called "walk-in" lessons where fully qualified teaching professionals are offering group lessons for ten euros a pop.
The festive season for teaching golf professionals truly is one to behold as the excitement of Santa coming has them scrambling to offer five lessons for 99 euros. And you thought the spirit of Christmas was dead? Unbelievable value, if as a teaching pro, you want to lose weight in 2019 as you will surely starve using this flawed business model. Far from being sustainable, setting the market price for a lesson at this figure has obliterated the teaching landscape. The thirty-minute, one lesson fix might work (in terms of footfall) on a long summers night, but in the long winter months, the driving ranges are devoid of teaching pros. Lately, the scramble for indoor teaching facilities at golf clubs has reached epidemic proportions as club pros think this is the panacea for their ills, but in the public's mind, the price is set, and it will take a monumental effort to break their WiiFM (what's in it for me?) mindset. It is easy to be busy when turnover is high, the orchard is blooming, and the low hanging fruit is enticing, but for every day that passes and you fail to improve your teaching, technical, and marketing skills, you become one of the herd. Consider this, how many full-time teaching professionals are there in Ireland? Do nothing else but... teach? Start counting (don't include the impoverished ones, the make-believe ones, and the ones that will finally get another job)... it shouldn't take too long.

“Be the unicorn in a sea of donkeys!" 

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Commodity v Brand

There are two types of business model to consider on the path to teaching golf, either sell a commodity or sell a brand. Sounds very simple, and truth be told, it is an elementary concept. In the "COMMODITIES" world, market forces set the price. It is vital that you understand this; the price didn't appear out of thin air; it was set over time. The vendor (golf pro) initially offered a price, the purchaser paid it, and a contract was set. Another vendor offered a lower price, and the purchaser took that. And so on and so forth until you have a price that is too low for the vendor to make a living. BUT now the price is set in the minds of the purchaser. And that is near impossible to break, and so it becomes a race to the bottom with the inevitable consequences that are witnessed daily. This is a fundamental truth of economics, the basics of supply and demand. Turnover will keep Mr. Lidl happy, the golf pro offering single lessons, does not have time to improve the client, either their lack of success (which they will blame on the pro) or the inclement weather will send them scampering back to YouTube looking for the quick fix from hell. And with it goes that elusive turnover.

“This is another fundamental truth between forcing clients into long term coaching programs or allowing them to dictate single lessons;  the normal teaching pro has only got time to prescribe an aspirin, I have time to operate." 

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How to create brand ~ be "famous for a few!"

In the "BRAND" world, you create a brand, simple to understand but, of course, challenging to implement. It requires a lot of hard work in multiple areas outside of actually teaching golf and a timespan of at least three to five years. In this world, you create your own market by creating a tribe. You don't need everybody; you just need to be famous for a few. You just need to be positively remarkable to that chosen few!  You achieve this by creating a high value for this group, clear, concise video for the client the day after the lesson. Communication between lessons, you insist the client video themselves doing the prescribed drills so you can check them between lessons. Same day contact if they are struggling to understand the process. Your job isn't to please everyone; your job is to find those clients that can't live without you and to serve them better than anyone else can. This is how you separate yourself from the market. 

So how to create this elusive brand? 
(1) Write down exactly what you think you will need to improve your business? Remember, education is relatively free on the internet. One tutorial a day, every day. See you in two years, WOW! you are quite the expert! (and it was free!) It's like getting fit, losing weight, easy to say, difficult to do!  
(2) Pick a niche aspect of golf and become the expert on it. Become a polymath of all other aspects of golf. Become a marketing guru, there are an infinite number of tutorials online. Google it.
(3) What facilities and equipment will you need to create your Brand? Budget over time as to what is the most essential item you think you will need to start with? Save to buy this first! Or collaborate with fellow pros to purchase this equipment or facility! 
(4) Work out your USP (unique selling proposition or point). Every brand absolutely  needs one. You should have a consistent and repetitive message. And you need to broadcast it!
(5) Find a mentor, some member of your club with business experience that can help you; you will be amazed at how they will want to help you...if you ask! Find that genius business member in your club and trade lessons for their knowledge and help. They will be flattered. 
(6) Reinvest what you can afford back into your business. Replace lack of money with your time, there are plenty of knowledgable forums (mainly in the States) that you can join. The teaching side of the game is ever-changing as we discover new things through technology. The first rule of thumb, how you teach, will change over time. If you are not open to change, you will be grazing with the herd.

Customer service in stealth mode!

A client came into me a couple of years ago, and his opening line was, "I can't afford you, but my wife bought me this batch of lessons as a present." I nodded, smiled inwardly, and got to work. He was a complete beginner, but because I had a number of lessons to improve him, it was a straightforward task to get him started on the right track! The batch of ten lessons finished, and he thanked me for my efforts. A week passed, and he rang me again, enquiring if I would consider a discount. I explained that I wouldn't discount my efforts to improve him, so I would never discount the price. One month later, he rang again and said he would consider more lessons if he could pay for them individually. I explained that single lessons, in my experience, didn't work. Forcing the pupil to pay upfront tends to get their attention in terms of practice. Reluctantly, he agreed. Two years later, that pupil is still with me, his progression has been from beginner to a 16 handicap, then to a 12 handicap, currently a 7seven handicap. He has never, ever, mentioned price since. It is now irrelevant as my perceived value to him far outweighs any monetary considerations. The reason being... nothing beats being positively remarkable to your chosen audience.

"Start working on your brand tomorrow; you will thank me for it." 

A tale of two cities.

There are two golf clubs in Dublin that are a four iron apart. (Maybe a solid six- iron on a calm day.) One has a ten to twenty thousand euro (depending on who you believe) entrance fee; the other is free. Why is this? It's called perceived value. The price is not the problem for most people, they just can't afford it. This is the concept of brand, years of a persistent and consistent message has turned a working man's club into a jewel in the crown. It all boils down to BRAND.