How to get more green fee visitors to your golf club

A golfer who has to phone during office hours, or email and wait for a reply, will often book somewhere else. Put your visitor tee times online with the real price, let golfers book in a few taps, and send a confirmation straight away.

Taking payment when they book also tends to cut no-shows: a golfer who has paid usually turns up, or cancels in time for you to sell the slot again. Make your cancellation rules clear before they pay.

“Price on request” puts visitors off. Show your green fees on your website for every day and time they differ, say what's included (buggy, range balls, twilight times), and keep them the same as your booking system shows. A visitor who sees one price on your website and another when they book loses trust in both.

Rather than a blanket discount, price the tee times that don't sell: a lower rate on quiet weekday afternoons, a twilight rate in summer, or a special price on a day the course is quiet. Keep peak times at full price. Review it each month against what actually sold.

Visitors want the same answers every time: the dress code (on the course and in the clubhouse), whether you have buggies and a range, where to park and check in, handicap requirements, and when visitors can and can't play. Put them on one clear visitors page, linked from your home page and your booking page.

• Keep your Google Business Profile up to date: opening hours, photos, your website and a booking link.
• Check your club's details on golf apps and booking sites, and correct anything out of date.
• Ask your county union, local tourism sites and nearby hotels to link to your visitors page.
• Give each course on your website its own page with its holes, par and yardages: golfers search for the course by name.

Good photos of the course in summer, a scorecard and a hole-by-hole guide help a visitor picture the round. They also give search engines something worth showing.

A society day brings a group at once. Say on your website that you welcome societies, what a society package includes and how to enquire, and answer enquiries quickly. Societies that enjoy the day come back the next year.

Golfers trust other golfers. Ask visitors to leave a review after their round, thank people for good ones, and reply calmly to criticism with what you've done about it.

Look at where your visitor bookings come from and which tee times sell, month by month. Then put your effort into the channels and prices that bring golfers back.

Tee Time gives clubs a tee sheet with online booking and card payments, special prices for quiet times, a club website whose green fees come from the tee sheet, and counts of where your visitors come from. There's no subscription. See what Tee Time does for golf clubs.