GolfNow Rewards and Loyalty 2015 (What a difference a year makes!)

[David in FL]

Anyone who's spent any time on this forum knows that I've always been a HUGE proponent of GolfNow.  Even before they treated me to the opportunity to play a round with Graeme last year....

.....but, how things have changed.  Previously, once you had booked your first 10 rounds, they didn't charge any additional booking fees for the remainder of the year, and the following year.  Meaning that as long as you book at least 10 rounds every year, you'll never pay a fee again, and get the benefit and convenience of their service as well as their rewards program which provides for some pretty decent freebies throughout the year.  No more.  Starting this year, EVERY round booked is subject to a $2.49 fee for each player.  Yep, almost $10 per 4-some....and it applies no matter how many rounds are booked.

I know that I'm only one guy, but I'm one guy that does have a little history with GN and although I don't expect any change, or even a response, I couldn't help but let them know my feelings.  I thought that I'd share with you the email that I sent to their Director of Customer Service and VP of sales, both of whom I've met and with whom I've corresponded before.....

Charlotte,

What a difference a year makes.  I'm sad.  I feel as if I've lost a close friend.  A friend for whom I've been a loyal, ardent supporter and yes, even a brand ambassador for many years.  A friend who I always felt genuinely appreciated my loyalty and returned it with appreciation and respect.  No more.

I can't begin to tell you the disappointment I feel in the decision to charge booking fees for every reservation.  As you know, for many years now I've booked something in the order of 100+ tee times a year, virtually all for 4 players.  To think that GolfNow wants to charge me $1,000+ for the "privilege" of booking my golf this year is insulting, and I won't do it.....and no, the program that "rewards" me with gift cards for stuff that I don't use doesn't change that.  Heck, even if I used Srixon or Cleveland equipment, the cost of booking the golf exceeds the value of the rewards received and I can do the math.

I'm a businessman too.  I understand the need to continue to generate revenue and the need for continuous, year-over-year growth.  I also understand that along with attracting new, unique customers, it's always desirable to increase the revenue generated by each individual customer.  But.....and it's a big but.....when you try to do that without offering additional products, services, or perceived value in exchange, there's a likelihood of driving loyal customers away, and into the arms of the competition.  Sadly, that's where I'm going.  I've just booked my first 2 tee times with Golf18Network and will continue to do so, as long as they continue to reward my loyalty, with respect, appreciation, and loyalty of their own.

Sincerely,

David......

Former Brand Ambassador, GolfNow

Interestingly, the Golf18 site has jumped at the opportunity, and is advertising that they are now the only site that will continue to waive booking fees once you've booked 10 rounds.  Sounds like they understand the importance of separating yourself in the market place.

As I said, I really don't expect any response from GN, let alone any action, but if I do get something back, I'll share it here.

[boogielicious]

Anyone who's spent any time on this forum knows that I've always been a HUGE proponent of GolfNow.  Even before they treated me to the opportunity to play a round with Graeme last year....

.....but, how things have changed.  Previously, once you had booked your first 10 rounds, they didn't charge any additional booking fees for the remainder of the year, and the following year.  Meaning that as long as you book at least 10 rounds every year, you'll never pay a fee again, and get the benefit and convenience of their service as well as their rewards program which provides for some pretty decent freebies throughout the year.  No more.  Starting this year, EVERY round booked is subject to a $2.49 fee for each player.  Yep, almost $10 per 4-some....and it applies no matter how many rounds are booked.

I know that I'm only one guy, but I'm one guy that does have a little history with GN and although I don't expect any change, or even a response, I couldn't help but let them know my feelings.  I thought that I'd share with you the email that I sent to their Director of Customer Service and VP of sales, both of whom I've met and with whom I've corresponded before.....

Charlotte,

What a difference a year makes.  I'm sad.  I feel as if I've lost a close friend.  A friend for whom I've been a loyal, ardent supporter and yes, even a brand ambassador for many years.  A friend who I always felt genuinely appreciated my loyalty and returned it with appreciation and respect.  No more.

I can't begin to tell you the disappointment I feel in the decision to charge booking fees for every reservation.  As you know, for many years now I've booked something in the order of 100+ tee times a year, virtually all for 4 players.  To think that GolfNow wants to charge me $1,000+ for the "privilege" of booking my golf this year is insulting, and I won't do it.....and no, the program that "rewards" me with gift cards for stuff that I don't use doesn't change that.  Heck, even if I used Srixon or Cleveland equipment, the cost of booking the golf exceeds the value of the rewards received and I can do the math.

I'm a businessman too.  I understand the need to continue to generate revenue and the need for continuous, year-over-year growth.  I also understand that along with attracting new, unique customers, it's always desirable to increase the revenue generated by each individual customer.  But.....and it's a big but.....when you try to do that without offering additional products, services, or perceived value in exchange, there's a likelihood of driving loyal customers away, and into the arms of the competition.  Sadly, that's where I'm going.  I've just booked my first 2 tee times with Golf18Network and will continue to do so, as long as they continue to reward my loyalty, with respect, appreciation, and loyalty of their own.

Sincerely,

David......

Former Brand Ambassador, GolfNow

Interestingly, the Golf18 site has jumped at the opportunity, and is advertising that they are now the only site that will continue to waive booking fees once you've booked 10 rounds.  Sounds like they understand the importance of separating yourself in the market place.

As I said, I really don't expect any response from GN, let alone any action, but if I do get something back, I'll share it here.

Thanks for posting.  I started using GolfNow the end of last season.

[No Mulligans]

Businesses try to maximize profits, or revenue, or EBITDA... maybe this is a mistake, maybe not.  It's nothing personal, it's just business.

If you believe in the supply and demand curve, of course changing your price is possible going to change demand.  That is so basic it's silly to even mention it.  That alone doesn't mean raising prices is a mistake.

[David in FL]

Businesses try to maximize profits, or revenue, or EBITDA... maybe this is a mistake, maybe not.  It's nothing personal, it's just business.

If you believe in the supply and demand curve, of course changing your price is possible going to change demand.  That is so basic it's silly to even mention it.  That alone doesn't mean raising prices is a mistake.

Agree.....and again, I'm a business executive, so I get that.

From a disinterested business perspective though, it drives me to suspect that they're struggling to attract unique customers at the level they previously did, likely in the face of greater competition.  That leads to a greater emphasis in trying to increase revenue per customer, even if that means a net loss in total customers.  That's not necessarily a bad thing in the near term, but unless additional goods, services, or value is added, continued growth tends to be unsustainable long term, as eventually you reach the point of pain for the customers that you do retain....

[billchao]

That's a shame, @David in FL . I never had the opportunity to use it, but I know you've been a GolfNow proponent for a while. Thanks for sharing.

[Fourputt]

Businesses try to maximize profits, or revenue, or EBITDA... maybe this is a mistake, maybe not.  It's nothing personal, it's just business.

If you believe in the supply and demand curve, of course changing your price is possible going to change demand.  That is so basic it's silly to even mention it.  That alone doesn't mean raising prices is a mistake.

Anyone just starting to use the service for the first time probably won't even know about the fee change, so it's less likely to affect new customers, or occasional users who never really took advantage of that feature.  Only those like David who used it almost exclusively for booking golf will really be affected, and I guess it just depends on how many react negatively as he has.

I've never used them, so I don't have a dog in this race anyway, but I'd probably do the same thing - look for an alternative.  Here in CO I get the golf discounts I need from the Colorado Avid Golfer passport.  I play some of the courses they have the best discounts for, but I play my home courses most often, so golf now or other online booking sites really don't offer anything I can't live without.

[dkolo]

Anyone who's spent any time on this forum knows that I've always been a HUGE proponent of GolfNow.  Even before they treated me to the opportunity to play a round with Graeme last year....

.....but, how things have changed.  Previously, once you had booked your first 10 rounds, they didn't charge any additional booking fees for the remainder of the year, and the following year.  Meaning that as long as you book at least 10 rounds every year, you'll never pay a fee again, and get the benefit and convenience of their service as well as their rewards program which provides for some pretty decent freebies throughout the year.  No more.  Starting this year, EVERY round booked is subject to a $2.49 fee for each player.  Yep, almost $10 per 4-some....and it applies no matter how many rounds are booked.

I know that I'm only one guy, but I'm one guy that does have a little history with GN and although I don't expect any change, or even a response, I couldn't help but let them know my feelings.  I thought that I'd share with you the email that I sent to their Director of Customer Service and VP of sales, both of whom I've met and with whom I've corresponded before.....

Charlotte,

What a difference a year makes.  I'm sad.  I feel as if I've lost a close friend.  A friend for whom I've been a loyal, ardent supporter and yes, even a brand ambassador for many years.  A friend who I always felt genuinely appreciated my loyalty and returned it with appreciation and respect.  No more.

I can't begin to tell you the disappointment I feel in the decision to charge booking fees for every reservation.  As you know, for many years now I've booked something in the order of 100+ tee times a year, virtually all for 4 players.  To think that GolfNow wants to charge me $1,000+ for the "privilege" of booking my golf this year is insulting, and I won't do it.....and no, the program that "rewards" me with gift cards for stuff that I don't use doesn't change that.  Heck, even if I used Srixon or Cleveland equipment, the cost of booking the golf exceeds the value of the rewards received and I can do the math.

I'm a businessman too.  I understand the need to continue to generate revenue and the need for continuous, year-over-year growth.  I also understand that along with attracting new, unique customers, it's always desirable to increase the revenue generated by each individual customer.  But.....and it's a big but.....when you try to do that without offering additional products, services, or perceived value in exchange, there's a likelihood of driving loyal customers away, and into the arms of the competition.  Sadly, that's where I'm going.  I've just booked my first 2 tee times with Golf18Network and will continue to do so, as long as they continue to reward my loyalty, with respect, appreciation, and loyalty of their own.

Sincerely,

David......

Former Brand Ambassador, GolfNow

Interestingly, the Golf18 site has jumped at the opportunity, and is advertising that they are now the only site that will continue to waive booking fees once you've booked 10 rounds.  Sounds like they understand the importance of separating yourself in the market place.

As I said, I really don't expect any response from GN, let alone any action, but if I do get something back, I'll share it here.

Yeah, their booking fee is ridiculous. It's very much bait-and-switch when it's going to be charged no matter what, yet they advertise a lower price on the listing before tacking on the fee. GolfNow is rarely a good deal for me because I prefer to walk, so it's usually cheaper to go play at these places paying the walking fee than it is to get even a Hot Deal where they bundle the carts in, never mind the full price listings, which are crazy expensive.

I also never liked that GolfNow required 10 reservations as opposed to 10 greens fees. In other words, if I booked a foursome, it only qualified as one reservation towards the 10, as opposed to 4, even though they charged the same booking fee for every person in the reservation. So booking each person without that tee time individually would have cost the same, yet yielded 4 times the points towards the reward level.

Eh, whatever, now I'm just venting.

[David in FL]

Anyone just starting to use the service for the first time probably won't even know about the fee change, so it's less likely to affect new customers, or occasional users who never really took advantage of that feature.  Only those like David who used it almost exclusively for booking golf will really be affected, and I guess it just depends on how many react negatively as he has.

I've never used them, so I don't have a dog in this race anyway, but I'd probably do the same thing - look for an alternative.  Here in CO I get the golf discounts I need from the Colorado Avid Golfer passport.  I play some of the courses they have the best discounts for, but I play my home courses most often, so golf now or other online booking sites really don't offer anything I can't live without.

Not really.  While it's true that I've noticed the change, everyone is affected by it, as it significantly increases the cost of the service.  People, including new customers will evaluate the service provided in light of the cost, and will decide whether it represents a good value or not.  As cost goes up, without a change in value, there will be fewer customers, old and new, that will use the service.  Again not necessarily a bad thing short term....and something I've done myself... but difficult to sustain growth long term.  Savvy new consumers will also shop competitors in choosing who they do business with and, perceived value being equal, will tend to go with the lower price point.

[Dave2512]

Bummer but will still use GN because some courses offer lower than regular rate on GN. Just looking at a course I play the GN rate today is $36 and if I walked into the clubhouse and was helped by anyone but the pro it would be $41. The pro at the course I play most often changes the fees on the fly when the course is slow. He will use GN to cannibalize his normal fee structure because he knows a lot of people use it. In the summer when temps keep people indoors he was using GN to draw people in with $22 fees with cart. While I am certain he would honor that for walk-ins if I didn't look at GN I probably wouldn't know. The HotDeal rewards will still make it worth it if you book enough. I used every one I earned last year and doing the math it was more than my booking fees would have been.

[Divot Master]

I am curious, does anyone know if GolfNow also charges the golf courses a cut of the rates they collect from us?  Obviously, they need to make money to stay in business, but I'm not sure I like the idea of double dipping.  And as has been mentioned previously, I think the fee disclosure comes a little too late in the booking process, does feel a bit like bait-and-switch.

[inthehole]

David,

Fellow GN Power User here too.    I've booked close to 100 rounds on GN each of the last 3 years.   In my area, I've noticed a dramatic decrease in the number of courses who chose to participate in GN.   It's telling - without exaggeration, I bet it's approaching 50% of the courses that were on in 2013 are no longer on GN.   The booking fee is ridiculous, but I only book super cheap Hot Deals, so I deal with it ... it's still much cheaper than the tee sheet rate.      Plus as you've said, the rewards were dramatically better in 2013... I financed 4 free ($100) rounds at a Vegas course last year with my buddies due to the large number of bookings I had throughout the year ... those days are long gone.

I too have started to use other online booking sites - golf18network.com and activegolf.com are the two that seem to have the most bookings in my area.    Hope GN will see that people are not happy with the changes instituted in 2014 & make changes that impact customer satisfaction ...

[DeadMan]

I tend to use golfnow to see what tee times are avialable and then book directly with the course. Guess I'll keep doing that then.

[foreplay]

Coming from a golfer that booked 175+ rounds through GolfNow last year, I am also saddened that GolfNow will not be waiving booking fees this year. While the rewards are nice, I really don't need Srixon/Cleveland equipment, so I could care less whether or not I receive those rewards.

Just my 2 cents.

[No Mulligans]

Agree.....and again, I'm a business executive, so I get that.

From a disinterested business perspective though, it drives me to suspect that they're struggling to attract unique customers at the level they previously did, likely in the face of greater competition.  That leads to a greater emphasis in trying to increase revenue per customer, even if that means a net loss in total customers.  That's not necessarily a bad thing in the near term, but unless additional goods, services, or value is added, continued growth tends to be unsustainable long term, as eventually you reach the point of pain for the customers that you do retain....

It's hard to say what's going on without more info...  Have they ever made a profit?  Cash flow problems?  Pressure from investors?  New CFO?  Golf courses struggling and consequently giving them a smaller piece of the pie?

Remember when Netflix raised their prices?  That was an example where a price change failed.  I responded to that by cancelling my subscription (along with a lot of others.  They changed their prices again after and I then subscribed again.

[k-troop]

It's hard to say what's going on without more info...  Have they ever made a profit?  Cash flow problems?  Pressure from investors?  New CFO?  Golf courses struggling and consequently giving them a smaller piece of the pie?

Remember when Netflix raised their prices?  That was an example where a price change failed.  I responded to that by cancelling my subscription (along with a lot of others.  They changed their prices again after and I then subscribed again.

I have no idea the cause of GN reaching for new revenue from the same customers, but I have a guess.  I used to book tee times almost exclusively through online booking sites (golf512, golf now, a few others that I can't remember) but now (it seems) nearly every course has an online booking service directly through their website, and it usually offers comparable discounts.  Many of the booking engines on individual course websites are "powered by", but I can't remember the last time I booked a time directly through GN (or another similar site).  Not being a loyal customer of one of these sites, I don't see the utility in booking through them vs. directly through the club.

This has been my experience over the last four years playing courses in Hawaii, Augusta GA area, Phoenix/Scottsdale, and SoCal.

(I also frequently find that my active duty military status gets me better rates than what's even posted on the websites, so that may be affecting my opinion of their usefulness.)

[Crim]

That sucks, but I love when someone can take the initiative, nice e-mail.

I personally have never been able to find a great deal on Golf Now. I check every week in the summer for the Minneapolis area and so far I've never used it.

[David in FL]

I received this response this morning......

Good Morning David –

Thank you for your detailed feedback, it is certainly appreciated.

I have been in this position for four years now and over those years, formed relationships with our most loyal customers all over the country. And I must say, you are one customer that I have really enjoyed working with and getting to know. With that said, I can certainly sympathize with how you feel.

As you know, GolfNow continues to evaluate effective ways to provide value to our loyal customers. Unlike most sites, we do offer a loyalty program and do our best to provide escalating perks and benefits to those who repeatedly book through GolfNow. For instance, the once in a lifetime opportunity to play with US Open Champion Graeme McDowell at his home club of Lake Nona. Or, the Super Bowl promotion we are currently working on which will surprise one lucky top booker in the Phoenix area. Lastly, we drop ship PGA/USGA/LPGA/Champions Tour tickets to our best customers each and every week just as a way to say “Thanks”.

We would like to extend you a Free Hot Deal for taking the time to provide your feedback and also for your years of loyalty. We will continue to evaluate our loyalty program and hope you are able to take advantage of our broad selection of tee times and great values. Please know that I will escalate your feedback to the appropriate parties as I always do.

Thank you for your business and play well,

Charlotte Daughan

About what I expected....though honestly, it reads like a cut and paste, somewhat canned response.  That indicates that I'm not the first to speak up, and probably won't be the last.  Interestingly, even the offer of a free round isn't particularly generous, because, unless I want to play alone, one or more of my buddies is going to have to buy one of the "Hot Deals".  For those that don't know, the Hot Deals is how the courses pay for the service, by giving GN a handful of tee times that GN then owns, and can sell for themselves.

Ah well, things change, and life goes on.  If they ever change this particular fee structure, I'll keep them in mind, but for now, my business belongs to a service who won't charge it's higher level customers a fee for using their service.

[Dave2512]

Hot Deals are always mid day times here so I struggle to use mine. I've blown a couple booking a foursome and playing alone rather than lose it if the expiration date was near. I have a $200 I need to use before March ends.