Integrating Golf Programming and Technology for Improved Results

Junior Academy membership up more than 100%

Attrition rates dropped by 75%

School Holiday Camps have 100% booking rate

?

The Challenge

·??????? Plymouth Golf Centre (PGC) identified an opportunity to develop a top class junior academy.

·??????? The net attendance at the junior academy was growing, but 4 to 8 children were leaving every month.

·??????? Existing resources lacked a clear pathway from beginner to golf course.

·??????? Academy needed support for a ‘whole golfer’ approach.

·??????? Parents Weren’t engaged in the child’s progress.

·??????? The team were confident in their golf coaching but needed support to deliver engaging lessons that kept parents happy and children coming back.

·??????? Retained junior members tended to be from golfing families.

The Solution – Orbis Coaching Programmes & GLF. Connect

·??????? The Orbis coaching programme provided a clear Pathway for learners.

·??????? High quality learning resources for every child inspire confidence from parents and engagement from children.

·??????? Parents access information on the child’s learning on the Orbis app, including attendance, learning progress and PGC safeguarding information.

·??????? Attrition rates at PGC dropped to 1 or 2 golfers per month.

·??????? Lessons that include physical literacy and golf’s core values deliver more than golf, engaging students and parents in the wider benefits of the game.

·??????? Junior Academy numbers have more than doubled, with over 100 junior members paying a monthly subscription.

·??????? School holiday camps now sell out at a record rate.

·??????? 80% of members are from non-golfing households.

?

“I’m thrilled with the progress we’ve made. I genuinely think that PGC is now one of the best places to experience golf in the South West, and Orbis products are a huge part of that success.” Sam Stephens, Golf Operations Manager.

?

Plymouth Golf Centre is a 32 bay driving range, fitted with Trackman Range facilities. The Academy at PGC utilises the range facilities and also benefits from a high quality short game area set up for practicing chipping and putting. The centre also includes an on-site Costa Coffee, American Golf retail centre and a Footgolf course. The centre is set up to encourage anyone to try golf, but also provides high quality practice and learning facilities that are perfect for every level of golfer.

The Junior Academy at PGC features Orbis Golf Prorgammes in all of its junior tuition while the Academy as a whole uses Orbis GLF.Connect software to run the administration, payments, scheduling, student communication and reporting, along with the GLF.Connect coaching functionality for one to one lessons.

?

MISSING LINKS

Sam Stephens, Golf Operations Manager at PGC moved to the venue in 2015 after spells coaching at a number of member clubs. He also worked as a regional development officer for the U.K’s leading junior golfing charity, the Golf Foundation. When Sam took over the golf operations at PGC he quickly identified a clear opportunity to develop the junior coaching services.

“There was a hole in the market for a junior golf programme that was well resourced and showed clear pathways from first lesson to the course. I was aware of several programmes that did different parts well, but until I saw the Orbis programme, there was nothing that covered everything that I wanted.”

The pandemic accelerated the demand for coaching services across the Academy, with demand for Junior Academy spaces growing at a similar rate. Sam and the team also implemented an outreach programme into local schools, providing a steady stream of new golfers into junior coaching. Despite the growth in new referrals to the Academy, attrition rates were high and overall numbers grew more slowly than expected.

“It was clear that we needed to engage students better. Our coaching was good but we had to offer more than good golf coaching to keep students’ attention and to drive their parents’ desire to keep them coming back.”

?

JUNIOR & PARENT ENGAGEMENT

When Sam introduced Orbis coaching programmes into the Academy there was an immediate impact on retention rates. Students were more engaged in lessons, the programmes provided a clear pathway from first swing to the course and coaches were able to communicate the benefits of the programme to the students’ parents in a clear, engaging manner.

JUNIOR & PARENT IMPACT

·??????? Fun games and non-golf activities make for a more enjoyable experience.

·??????? Juniors and parents are able to engage with progress using each student’s hard back resource folder

·??????? Clear pathways provide a sense of achievement and progress.

·??????? Parents value ‘whole golfer’ approach. This incorporates exercises focussed on physical activity and ‘golf values’ such as honesty, respect, confidence, perseverance, and golf skills.

·??????? Parents feel informed and reassured by tracking progress through the GLF.Connect app. This includes safeguarding, bookings, payments and the student’s progress.

?

“Engaging parents in the child’s learning has been such an important part of the process. Firstly, they can see that the child is having fun, but they can also access the programme through the app and see progress charted in the child’s resource folder. The ‘Whole Golfer’ approach that is at the heart of the programme really does engage parents and drives continued participation.”

?

BUILDING A THRIVING JUNIOR ACADEMY

Following the successful implementation of Orbis junior programmes, the Academy is now thriving. There are over 100 junior members who pay a monthly fee and attend a session every week. In addition, every school holiday programme is booked well in advance. Sam continues to provide outreach sessions into local schools, finding a rich seam of interest in trying the game. Where these referrals used to be the most likely participants to leave the programme after a few sessions, attrition numbers are now at 1 or 2 students per month.

The junior Academy has become so successful at retaining these students and engaging their parents, 80% of the Junior Academy members are now from non-golfing families.

“The junior programming really is second to none. There’s no-one else in the market doing such a complete job of providing for coaches, parents and the junior golfer.”

STREAMLINING OPERATIONS

Orbis services have streamlined the whole operation of Academy services at PGC. Not only does the Junior Programming provide an invaluable resource for engaging students and parents, the Orbis GLF.Connect app integrates with the system, delivering a frictionless user experience from booking through to coaching feedback.

In addition to improving customer experience across the Academy, PGC coaches and management report on the benefits of using the systems. Depending on the level of experience of coaches, or the time available to plan, the programming resource books can be followed to the letter, or it can be cherry picked to deliver a lesson that follows the pathway but is individual to the coach. This has led to every level of coach feeling supported in their work and being better able to deliver on the targets of the Academy.

“Operationally Orbis makes my life so much easier. GLF.Connect reports on every aspect of the Academy, I can make strategic decisions based on exact data and I can be certain that all of my students are receiving a first class experience. In short, Orbis helps my Academy run better, look better and make more money.”

?

ONGOING SUPPORT

The team at Orbis is continually updating information, writing additional coaching programmes and working with their partner organisations such as PGC to ensure that delivery on the ground matches the expectations of their classroom development. Working with Sam at PGC Orbis has been able to adapt and improve their programming offer and continue to look for ways to help every venue improve.

“The support of the team at Orbis is a huge help. They’re a group of people that I really enjoy working with. Working closely with the team and implementing the Orbis programmes makes me feel part of something much bigger and I get real satisfaction from knowing that we’re working at the leading edge of the industry.”

?

?