The SMS Marketing Playbook for Country Clubs
Discover how smart SMS marketing can turn empty tee times into packed events and transform your country club into the community everyone wants to join.
Discover how smart SMS marketing can turn empty tee times into packed events and transform your country club into the community everyone wants to join.
Are you scrambling to engage your members and boost your event attendance? You've likely poured your heart into creating an amazing experience at your club and course, but getting the word out for events and tournaments feels like a constant struggle.
Effective country club marketing is not about just listing your amenities and posting your events anymore; it is about telling a story and building a community. You probably feel like you are doing everything you can, but the old methods just are not bringing people through the doors like they used to. This is where a fresh approach to your marketing strategy can completely change your club's future.
Your members are mobile, but your communication is not. And the world has changed, and so has the way affluent consumers find their communities. They are not looking through physical mailers or magazines like Golf Digest. They are online, using a search engine to find a lifestyle, event, or experience that fits them, and you need to be there to connect with them in a new way.
Read on to learn the fundamentals, here in a nutshell:
Remember when an email announcement for a big event was enough for successful marketing? Those days are fading fast in today's competitive market. Your potential members are opening only 20% of the emails they recieve. And they're dialed into Instagram, not the boring Fortees app that spits out recaps of what's already on the calendar.
If your golf club is not visible in the mobile world, it might as well not exist for a large part of your membership.
The problem is that your audience has changed. It is not just about retirees looking for a quiet place for golf; you now have young executives, families with kids, and people looking for a vibrant social scene where members gather to learn what's new and what's next.
This generational shift means their decision-making process is different, requiring a more sophisticated golf club marketing approach. They research heavily online, read reviews, look at RSVP lists, and look at social media and community chatter to get a feel for the culture and vibe of the community. A dated website or content distribution gateway sends a clear message that your club might be out of touch.
Before you send out another email or white-label app promotion, you need a solid digital foundation. Think of this as getting your clubhouse in order before you host a big event. In a nutshell, you'll need a multi-tiered communication plan for messaging to reach members orbiting at high speeds: Event calendar, important annoucements, tournaments, outings-- anything and everything will need promotion in multiple channels.
Your website is often the very first interaction a potential member has with your club. What impression does it make? It needs to be a visually appealing representation of your brand, load quickly, and function flawlessly on mobile devices.
High-quality photos and videos are not optional; they are essential marketing materials. You are selling a beautiful experience, so show it off with professional visuals of your golf courses, dining areas, tennis courts, and member events. Your website design should make it easy for visitors to take the next step, with clear calls-to-action like Request Membership Information or Schedule a Tour. A great web design partner can help create a site that looks professional and converts visitors into leads.
You'll need a branded web application(APP) for the club as well—the place that mobile members go to learn what's new and what's next at the club. Most clubs have the branded gateway covered with vendors like ForeUp, Whish, Fortees and more. The Golf Pilot App branded solution is another resource for you to consider— free for all SMS Platform subscribers.
Sadly only 15% of clubs have the ability to text message their members. With 98% open rates in less than 3 minutes, your club will need to join the mobile revolution to reach members orbiting at high speeds. Check out the Golf Pilot SMS Platform for clubs to learn how easy it is to get up and running with your club with this modern communication toolset.
Encourage your current club members to leave reviews, as positive social proof is a powerful tool to attract potential members. Consistently getting new, positive reviews tells the search engine that your club is active and well-regarded, which helps your ranking and overall engine optimization.
Think about what your potential members are searching for, from golf enthusiasts to families looking for a summer pool. They might search for "private golf course with family activities" or "local wedding venue." Your website should have pages that address these specific needs, helping you appear in more varied search results and improve your digital marketing efforts.
With a solid foundation in place, you can start actively reaching new potential members. The idea is to use a mix of innovative strategies that build your brand and generate direct interest. It is about being in the right place at the right time with a message that resonates with your ideal audience.
You do not need to do everything at once. A solid marketing plan will help you pick one or two of these strategies, execute them well, and then build from there. Consistency is more important than trying to be everywhere and doing a poor job of it.
Your club is more than just a place to play golf; it is a hub of activity. Your content marketing should reflect this vibrant community. Start a series of blog posts on your website or a video series on YouTube that shows off the complete lifestyle your club offers.
Write about your chef's new seasonal menu or a new fitness class, or share story after story of member experiences. Create a video tour of a recent wedding held in one of your event spaces, or post a photo gallery of your latest member-guest tournament. This type of media content shows you are a thriving community, not just a property with amenities.
This content also helps your website rank higher in search engines for more terms. It establishes your club as an authority and a cornerstone of the local community. Every post is another reason for someone to visit your website and one of the most valuable resources in your marketing arsenal.
Organic social media is good for engaging your current members, but advertising is how you reach new ones. Social media marketing on platforms like Facebook and Instagram offers powerful advertising tools. They let you target people with incredible precision.
You can create ads shown only to people within a certain radius of your club who have specific incomes and interests, like golf, tennis, or fine dining. For example, you could run an ad for a membership open house targeted at married men and women ages 35-55 who live in affluent zip codes nearby. This is far more efficient than a newspaper ad that goes to everyone.
Use your best social media content, including photos and videos, in these ads. The goal is to stop them from scrolling and make them imagine themselves at your club. Always direct them back to a specific page on your website to learn more, get their email address, or sign up.
Let’s face it—your members live on multiple channels, and if you want your communication opened, read, and acted upon, you need to double up your distribution strategy. Email and SMS aren’t rivals; they’re teammates. Together, they can cover the gaps that one channel alone can’t.
Email excels at long-form communication, visuals, and storytelling. It’s perfect for newsletters, menus, and detailed event rundowns.
SMS thrives on urgency and brevity, with 98% open rates and 90% of messages read within 3 minutes. It’s ideal for reminders, last-minute updates, and quick calls to action.
By layering the two, clubs can learn members’ true communication preferences—who opens emails, who responds instantly to texts, and who needs both. Over time, your CRM or SMS platform can track subscription activation, click-throughs, and conversions to fine-tune which messages get which channel.
Tactics that work well:
Pairing Content: Send a full event invitation by email, then follow with a short SMS reminder: “Spots filling fast for Friday’s Wine Dinner 🍷. Reserve now—link inside.”
Automated Journeys: Trigger a welcome email with club benefits for new members, then send a quick text the next day introducing them to their golf or tennis pro.
Cross-Promotion: Embed the same RSVP link, video, or testimonial in both channels—repetition builds familiarity and trust.
Highlighting Value, Not Just Sales: Use email to showcase member spotlights or photo galleries, while SMS delivers instant reminders like “Congrats to our Club Championship winners! 🏆 See photos in today’s email.”
The golden rule? Give value before you ask for action. Share news, event highlights, pro tips, or behind-the-scenes updates. That way, your members don’t just see your messages as marketing—they see them as part of the club experience. When the time comes to RSVP, buy, or show up, you’re already top of mind.
Sometimes the best way to sell the club experience is to let people experience it for themselves. Hosting events for non-members is a great way to get qualified prospects onto your property. It removes the mystery and lets your club's atmosphere and fantastic guest experience do the selling.
This could be a wine-tasting night open to the public, a charity golf tournament, or even allowing non-member bookings for your event spaces like banquet halls and meeting rooms. When people have a wonderful time at a wedding or corporate event at your club, they become your best prospects. You can partner with local businesses or charities to co-host events to expand your reach even more, as these events provide a great opportunity for promotion.
Your happiest club members are your most powerful marketing tool. Their genuine enthusiasm for the club is more persuasive than any advertisement. A strategic marketing plan should include ways to encourage and channel this advocacy.
Consider implementing a formal member-referral program that rewards members for bringing in new people who join. The reward could be a discount on dues, a credit at the pro shop, or a special dinner. This incentivizes them to actively promote the club to their friends and colleagues.
You can also actively collect and showcase member testimonials on your website, in-app messaging, and social media channels. A short video clip of a member talking about why they love the club is incredibly powerful social proof. These authentic endorsements help prospective members see themselves as part of the community.
Connecting and communicating with members requires email addresses and mobile phone numbers. And with email open rates hovering less than 20%, you'll may want to consider the Golf Pilot Messaging Platform to boost engagement to 99%.
Who are you actually trying to attract to the club, or connect with at the club? If you say everyone, your marketing will appeal to no one. A deep understanding of your ideal member is necessary to create a successful country club marketing campaign.
A persona is a fictional character that represents your target member. Are you targeting Corporate Carl, the 45-year-old executive who wants a great golf course for business deals and networking? Or are you looking for Family-First Fiona, the 35-year-old mother who wants a pool, tennis courts, and family activities?
Your marketing message to Carl will be very different from your message to Fiona. Knowing who you are talking to helps guide all of your digital marketing, from the social media content you post to the ad copy you write. This detailed insight, outlined in a guide on creating buyer personas, is fundamental to a smart private club marketing strategy.
| Persona | Key Demographics | Goals & Motivations | Marketing Message Angle |
| The Legacy Golfer | Age 60+, established, high net worth | Wants pristine course conditions, tradition, exclusive community. | "Experience golfing tradition at its finest. A course respected for generations." |
| The Young Executive | Age 30-45, professional, married | Wants networking opportunities, prestige, a place to entertain clients. | "The ultimate setting for business and pleasure. Elevate your professional network." |
| The Modern Family | Age 35-50, has children | Wants family-friendly amenities (pool, tennis), social events for all ages. | "Your family's home away from home. Create lifelong memories with us." |
Critical to your communication success will be grouping your members into lists for targeted promotions and messaging. The tone, style, and content you create will differ considerably for each list, depending on the offer, promotion, or details. In fact, research shows that segmented SMS campaigns can drive 14% higher engagement and up to 30% more conversions compared to one-size-fits-all blasts.
Divide and conquer with lists like:
Member Category (equity vs. social vs. junior)
Activity Level (golfers, tennis players, pickleball fans, pool families, dining-only)
Event Participation (Nine & Dine regulars, tournament players, holiday event attendees)
Spending Behavior (pro shop buyers, frequent diners, lesson takers)
Communication Preference (quick alerts vs. promotions vs. recognition/celebration)
Family Status (families with kids for junior programs vs. adult-focused messaging)
Tactically, this means your Nine & Dine crowd might get a lighthearted “Date night on the course” invite, while your junior program parents receive a concise text about summer camp sign-ups. Your frequent pro shop shoppers? A flash sale alert timed for payday Fridays. The goal is simple: make every message feel relevant, personal, and valuable, turning your SMS platform into a trusted source of club updates rather than another interruption.
How do you know if your club marketing is successful? Modern digital marketing gives you a flood of data, but the secret is focusing on a few key metrics that truly gauge performance and help you meet your membership goals. With SMS, the good news is that engagement data is both clear and immediate—no guesswork required.
Here are the top metrics clubs should track:
Delivery Rate – Are your texts getting through? With SMS boasting 98% open rates compared to about 20% for email, you’ll quickly see if your database is clean and current.
Open and Read Rates – While SMS messages are almost always opened, measure how quickly they’re read (90% within 3 minutes is the industry standard). This helps gauge urgency and timing effectiveness.
Click-Through Rate (CTR) – If you’re sending links to event sign-ups or dining menus, CTR tells you who’s taking the next step. Typical SMS CTR averages 19%, compared to just 2–3% for email.
Conversion Rate – The ultimate test: did members RSVP, buy, or show up? Tie responses directly to promotions, events, and offers.
Opt-Out Rate – A spike here means you’re over-messaging or mis-targeting. Segment better, adjust tone, or reduce frequency.
Member Feedback & Surveys – Two-way SMS is an underrated metric: quick polls and single-question surveys can reveal member satisfaction faster than any annual survey.
Tactically, clubs should set benchmark goals for each campaign (e.g., 25% of dining-focused texts leading to reservations, or 15% of junior program parents clicking camp links). Review monthly, then adjust list targeting, timing, or message style to refine results. Over time, you’ll build a performance playbook that makes every text more effective—and every member feel more connected.
Transforming your club marketing from an outdated communication gateway to a powerful growth engine is easily within your reach. It starts with understanding that you are not just selling access to your golf course or tennis courts. You are selling a community, a lifestyle, and a premier destination for families and professionals.
By building a strong digital foundation, creating content that tells your story, and using targeted strategies to reach your members in a variety of ways, you can fill your club with a new generation of happy members. Your marketing should be as exceptional as the experience you provide.
Adopting these solutions designed for the modern era is how you build a successful country club. With the right strategic marketing approach, you can increase visibility, boost retention, and ensure your club thrives for years to come.
The Golf Pilot App was founded by Byron White, a 6X entrepreneur, author, and avid golfer. After one too many "who's in" texts spiraled into drama, he built a FREE APP for friends to plan, score, and play more golf—with less fuss and more fun!
Serving on club committees and boards gave Byron insights into the challenge of reaching and rallying members at scale. Our SMS Platform was born–chasing the success of his last startup that grew to 40,000 customers in five years.
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"Members actually read text messages. The Text + In-App messaging combo is the magic we didn’t know we needed. Our staff used to chase RSVPs for hours—now it’s all automatic in the app. Total game-changer."
Mike Dolan, Director of Member Services, Lost City Club
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