Advertising for Golf Courses – A Brief Look at Ballyhoo

Insert advertising buzzwords here.

Pitch, promotion, online presence, marketing, advertisingThat’s a load of ballyhoo. And we don’t mean that word metaphorically, or onomatopoeically… That’s literally what ballyhoo is:

Ballyhoo

Noun, plural bal·ly·hoos. a clamorous and vigorous attempt to win customers or advance any cause; blatant advertising or publicity.

So often we associate negative connotations with advertising – “clamorous” and “blatant” being just two of these associations. So how do we achieve the “winning customers” and “advancing the cause” part of this definition while leaving all the hoopla behind? (You’re going to have to check that one out on Dictionary.com; there’s only room for one definition in this blog post.)

Despite the less-than-stellar connotations these words often have, we can’t advise you to just ignore advertising efforts altogether – they’re a vital part of reaching new golfers, keeping ahead of the competition, driving your presence in the community, and increasing your revenue.

Those sound like good things. How do we achieve them?

There are plenty of original and creative ways to highlight your course and reach your audiences without feeling like you’re handing the reins to a stereotypical used-car salesman who will do whatever it takes to “advertise.”

Posting expert golf tips on YouTube is a great way to engage your audience with content that meets them where they are – on the golf course! Whether they’re new customers or loyal patrons, anybody might need help working on putting, driving, bunkers, and approach shots. You can let golfers know about your YouTube channel with on-site posters and QR codes, email blasts, or through good old-fashioned word-of-mouth. YouTube is accessible across generations and allows your course to build its reputation in the industry – for free.

You mentioned word-of-mouth advertising. How do we drive that?

Word-of-mouth advertising is the most effective and valuable type of advertising, and it’s also the only one you can’t buy. Luckily, we have some tips sourced from super-secret marketing masters about how to generate that invaluable WOM advertising. Making sure your golfers feel like more than numbers is the most important part of creating a dedicated, loyal customer base that will go out and rave about your course to their friends and family. Connecting with guests isn’t always easy, so make sure you clearly communicate how much you value your golfers every chance you get.

Ways to create these “raving fans” include rewards programs for repeat golfers, special discounts, complimentary tee times, invitations to exclusive tournaments or events, and sneak previews of new amenities or services. These ideas don’t have to be expensive, and can lead to seriously invested golfers that will naturally spread the word about your course – whether that’s online via review platforms like yelp or over dinner with friends and family.

WOM is great, but what if we want something more trackable?

foreUP Ad Services is the golf industry’s best-kept secret – we consistently (and trackably!) put clients at the top of Google searches with our proven foundational formula. These courses dominate the search results and their local competitors. 

Using the Google Formula to make your course #1

  • Ads built and maintained weekly at 100% Google optimization
  • Average ROI 32x higher than the all-industry average of Google Ads
  • Target potential customers with direct, timely results
  • Designed for the lowest cost-per-click and highest possible conversion rate

Even the best-advertised golf course will still fall short if it doesn’t have a rock-solid software solution to provide reliable, uncomplicated service to its guests. Click here to explore foreUP’s comprehensive course management suite!