For many General Managers and club owners, the marketing budget is often the first line item to be cut when times get tough and the last to be increased when business is booming.
It is frequently viewed as a “necessary evil” or an expense, rather than what it truly is: an investment engine.
Whether you are trying to fill tee times for your 18-hole course or drive traffic to your new, high-tech golf simulators, the question remains the same: What is the magic number?
How much should you actually spend to see a return, and more importantly, how do you ensure that money isn’t wasted?
The Industry Benchmarks: Finding Your Baseline
According to general industry standards (referenced by competitors and marketing agencies alike), a healthy business typically allocates its marketing budget based on a percentage of Gross Revenue.
- 1% – 3% (The Maintenance Mode): This keeps the lights on. You are likely just communicating with existing members and doing basic upkeep on your website. You won’t see growth here.
- 5% – 7% (The Growth Mode): This is the sweet spot for clubs looking to attract new casual golfers and increase F&B covers.
- 10%+ (The Aggressive Expansion): If you are launching a new facility—for example, a new indoor lounge with golf simulators—you need to be in this bracket to build initial awareness and market share.
However, throwing money at the problem isn’t the solution. A club spending 3% efficiently will always outperform a club spending 10% blindly.
The “Hidden” Cost: Marketing New Revenue Streams
Traditional marketing advice often focuses on Green Fees and Memberships. But the modern golf club is evolving.
If you have invested in golf simulators to generate off-course revenue during the winter or evenings, you cannot rely on your standard “maintenance” budget. These units require a distinct micro-budget.
Why? Because the audience for golf simulators might not be your typical Sunday morning member. They are younger, tech-savvy, and value entertainment.
To reach them, you need paid social ads (Instagram/TikTok) and influencer partnerships. Lumping this into your general budget often leads to under-promotion of your most profitable high-margin assets.
The Golfmanager Difference: Spending Smarter, Not Harder
This is where the software you use defines the efficiency of your budget. If you are using disjointed tools, you are likely wasting 20-30% of your marketing spend on “blind” advertising.
With the Golfmanager Marketing Module, you stop guessing and start targeting. Here is how our ecosystem maximizes your budget:
A. Segmentation is King
Don’t spend money sending a “Junior Summer Camp” email to your entire database of 5,000 people. It’s a waste of resources and increases unsubscribe rates.
Golfmanager’s CRM allows you to filter players by age, handicap, average spend, or last visit. You can send a promo specifically to
“Non-members who played on the golf simulators last month” to encourage them to book a lesson. Targeted marketing costs less and yields higher conversions.
B. Automation = Free Marketing Labor
Your time is money. If you have to upload email lists to Mailchimp every week manually, you are losing money.
Golfmanager integrates natively with many digital marketing tools. You can set up automated “Workflows.”
- Scenario: A player visits for the first time.
- Action: The system automatically sends a “Thank you” email 24 hours later with a 10% discount code for their next round.
- Cost: $0.
- ROI: Infinite.
The “Unpublished” Truth: Retention vs. Acquisition
Most articles will tell you to spend money on Google Ads to find new golfers. While necessary, this is the most expensive form of marketing.
The most efficient use of your marketing budget is Retention Marketing. It costs 5x to 25x more to acquire a new customer than to keep an existing one.
Instead of blowing your budget on billboards, use your funds to improve the experience for the data you already own.
- Use Golfmanager to identify “At-Risk” players (those who haven’t visited in 90 days).
- Allocate budget to SMS campaigns or personalized offers to win them back.
- If you have golf simulators, offer a free 30-minute trial to your existing green-grass members to cross-pollinate your revenue streams.
So… How Much Should You Spend on Marketing?
Ideally, 5-7% of your gross revenue. But the real answer is: Spend as much as you can effectively track.
If you cannot measure which booking came from which ad, you are spending too much. If you use Golfmanager, you have the data to turn that expense into a measurable investment.
Ready to see exactly where your marketing revenue comes from? Discover Golfmanager software by booking your free demo here.
FAQ: Golf Club Marketing & Budgeting
Q: What is the recommended marketing budget for a golf club?
A: Industry standards suggest allocating 5% to 7% of gross revenue for established clubs aiming for steady growth. However, for new facility launches or aggressive acquisition phases, clubs should consider increasing this budget to 10% or more to build market share effectively.
Q: Do golf simulators require a separate marketing strategy? A: Yes. Golf simulators appeal to a different demographic than traditional green-grass golfers—often younger, tech-savvy, and entertainment-focused. Therefore, they require a dedicated micro-budget focused on digital channels like social media ads and influencer partnerships, rather than traditional print media.
Q: How can golf management software improve marketing ROI?
A: Advanced software like Golfmanager improves ROI through data segmentation and automation. B
y integrating the booking engine with CRM tools, clubs can send targeted automated campaigns (e.g., win-back emails to inactive players) which cost significantly less than acquiring new customers, thus maximizing the efficiency of the marketing spend.
Q: Is it better to spend on acquisition or retention in golf?
A: While acquisition is necessary, retention marketing provides a higher return on investment. It costs 5x to 25x more to acquire a new golfer than to retain an existing one. Using management software to identify and engage at-risk members is the most cost-effective way to stabilize revenue.
