Does your club know where it wants to go? If not, then the embrace of technology will likely offer little substantive improvement. It will really offer little more than the short-lived thrill that comes from the embrace of new gadgetry.
It’s possible to lose sight of this practical wisdom in evaluating the role of new technology. At present, it seems that technology advances at a rate with which we can scarcely keep pace.
We commonly hear a growing list of buzzwords: digitization, advanced analytics, process automation, cloud-computing, machine learning, genomics, artificial intelligence, the internet of things—on it goes. Is your club failing to keep pace? The temptation is to go out and get that shiny new technology tool and put it to work.
The problem with this approach is that it mistakes the means for the end. The old marketing maxim reminds us that people might in fact buy a quarter-inch drill bit at the hardware store, but what they really want at home are quarter-inch holes in the walls. Now is the time for clubs to take a similarly long view of how technology should fit into the club’s emerging needs.
The 2020 Agenda
Technology should be viewed by clubs as a thoughtful chart or map for their future course, not as a one-off application that offers a unique benefit. Clubs that are thinking strategically about their future should also consider technology’s role in a strategic and integrated way.
As clubs develop a technology plan to align with its own long-range strategic goals, it should consider the role that technology will play in achieving a range of objectives in these three key areas:
1. Improving club members’ experience
2. Boosting the efficiency and effectiveness of club operations
3. Enhancing the club’s capital stock by investing in or upgrading facilities, equipment and infrastructure
Technology will play an integral role as clubs seek to maintain, manage and expand their capabilities to deliver in all these domains.
The Key Technology Drivers: Digitization
Delivering enhanced products and services to members, optimizing the resources required to do this and upgrading the previous generation of systems and processes will all require a family of technologies that have blossomed in the 21st century.
These drivers are all linked to information technology, which has exponentially increased computing power and storage capacity as it has shrunk in size and cost. The result, “digitization,” reaches into all aspects of society: public organizations (like businesses and schools) as well as clubs and private lives (touching leisure, lifestyle, health and self-actualization).
The building blocks of this new world look something like this:
Advanced analytics: Data has now become almost entirely digital and very big. Clubs are utilizing this data to better understand their members, the club and its operations and the larger environment in which it operates. Managers and club leaders increasingly want to drive their decisions with data and predictive analytics.
Intelligent process automation: Work consisting of repetitive tasks and time-sensitive workflows is an attractive target for automation. Many of these processes can now be powered by software, sensors or systems that free human resources for other more productive applications while cutting costs. Clubs are using automation in the back office to improve productivity and effectiveness, as well as in member-facing applications to deliver members easy self-service options (like managing tee times and bill payment) and new experiences like interactive trail mapping for intrepid hikers and bikers, or customized workout routines for improving physical fitness and reducing stress.
Artificial Intelligence: As sensors proliferate, data grows, and the flow of communications across the grid facilitate constant adjustments, club systems get smart and their machines learn. The results for club managers have been impressive: controlled access to club facilities, improved flow of traffic and parking, irrigation delivered to the precise sprinkler head and the conservation of resources like electricity and water.
Integrated communications: The internet has brought with it a great democratization of communications, so that the flow of information is no longer one way. Outbound messaging for clubs is dramatically enhanced by email, website options and through social media. Members, for their part, have joined the conversation and this adds a new dimension of authenticity and immediacy to the club image and brand. In the new web of communications, outbound club messaging is mixing with the more viral currents of members’ inbound chatter. The role of search engine marketing and content management is now a more daunting task for club communicators.
The Internet of Things (IoT): Technology is increasingly connecting and integrating the many moving parts that make up our physical world. Geospatial technologies, in particular, can now literally see and sense the big picture. Now, with so many intelligence devices, like surveillance satellites, security cameras, physical sensors, smart cars and software-enabled networks in place, the infrastructure for the IoT is gaining momentum and connecting people, places and things. In the IoT, people are connected with their ever-present phones (which increasingly serve as locational devices), their homes and their data; it’s linking a broad range of financial,
health, travel, shopping and recreational interests and activities in ways that are yielding lifestyle benefits related to better health, security and happiness.
Technology is a big wave of change that is now cresting over the private club industry. The following table illustrates how technology trends are emerging in a range of applications across many different clubs. The result is smarter usage, better experiences and stronger connections among members. Technology is not the only tool, but it’s frequently the right one to help usher members into the future.
Technology Trends: Private Club Applications
| Club Technology Initiatives | Focus |
| Golf simulators are valuable to clubs to improve member skills and simulate exceptional golf experiences that are fun, challenging and increasingly social. Midland Country Club in Midland, Mich., uses simulators to bolster practice and off-season utilization to the delight of members. | Increased club utilization; improved member experience. |
| Facial recognition is used to improve security and control club access. Bel-Aire Bay Club in Los Angeles controls access to its coveted beachfront “Lower Club” using camera-controlled access powered by facial recognition intelligence. The Granite Club in Toronto likewise has special areas—one dedicated for childcare—that only is accessible by authorized personnel or certain membership classes. | Automation; security; better staff utilization; advanced analytics; artificial intelligence. |
| Multiple social media channels give clubs enhanced visibility, publicize events and build brand image. Baltimore Country Club utilizes Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest to achieve different communications objectives like promoting the golf program, showcasing innovations and overall institution building. | Integrated communications; membership participation and engagement. |
| Real-time data feeds allow better food, reduced water usage and the balancing of energy consumption with club utilization patterns. The Country Club of Virginia in Richmond, Va., has a “dashboard” screen that helps monitor and measure F&B operations and related member satisfaction. Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, Va., uses “peak energy savings” pulling electricity from the grid when rates are favorable. | Data analytics improve decision making and outcomes. Artificial intelligence controls costs. Member experience improves and resources conserved. |
| Digital tracking of people and cars works to coordinate arrival and exit routines as well as smooth clubhouse flow. The Union League of Philadelphia does this by combining beacon technology and a club-branded app for smartphones. | Geospatial data process; Internet of Things applications to facilitate services while minimizing wait-times and potential service breakdowns. |
| Business intelligence platforms can connect all club data from all of the multiple systems, in one central set of online dashboards. In Springfield, N.J., Baltusrol Golf Club’s automatic data integration platform creates real-time reports to understand and improve club operations. | Data-driven decision making; integration of systems; advanced analytics; improved operations; insights for club leaders and staff to improve member experience. |
| Club operations and processes are being improved by digital means. Automated accounts payable uses options that include virtual cards, mobile apps and ACH payment services. Payroll tasks, human resource functions and software management are likewise streamlined by digitization and automation. Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club in Menlo Park, Calif., has endorsed the efficiency and effectiveness of “ditching paper.” | Automation; better staff utilization; cutting costs; digitization. |
| On-demand F&B service and member satisfaction surveys are controlled through tabletop devices. Interlachen Country Club in Edina, Minn., introduced Tablee technology for poolside food orders, blending it with personalized service. Humm tablets are used for quality control and improving member satisfaction at The Polo Club of Boca Raton, Fla. | Intelligent process automation, seamless customer service; real-time service between members and servers; track requests and response time; immediate member feedback. |