How does PGA Play move on from FAGL?
Find a Golf Lesson – launched in September 2021 – was something of a test platform. Sitting on the public pages of the PGA Member website, it was very much about proof of concept before the full launch of PGA Play. We also wanted to test whether PGA Members wanted this type of service or support from their Association – without them, we wouldn’t have a product.
The idea of finding a golf lesson near you is still at the heart of what we’re offering, but PGA Play is now a dedicated, stand-alone platform. Users can search for lessons with their nearest PGA Pro as well as consuming a range of content that will inspire and educate. The experience is far superior and, as we move through different phases, we’ll add more choice of services (including custom fitting) and better functionality.
What we also wanted to do was create a consumer platform with its own brand and identity, with the clear aim of making PGA Play the go-to for golfers looking for lessons and instruction.
Can you briefly describe the research that you conducted to establish how golfers search for lessons online
We spent a lot of time looking at the analytics around search and uncovering what exactly people are looking for regarding golf lessons. We looked at what else was out there and what the opportunity was, and we used that information to help inform our plans. Ultimately, it is our Members who deliver thousands of golf lessons every day so it’s certainly right that we should be providing golfers with the means to connect with their nearest PGA Professional. One of the biggest takeaways was the sheer number of golfers out there without any particular affiliation or loyalty to a specific club and its attached Professional. This clearly represents a massive opportunity for PGA Play to help independent or nomadic golfers without a home club to find the instruction they need.
Which other industry bodies are you collaborating with?
That’s actually one of the most exciting aspects of PGA Play – we’ve had lots of very positive conversations with all of the key stakeholders in the game and I’m delighted that there is very much a willingness to collaborate for the common good.
To what extent does a PGA Member teaching a golfer help them to become that figure of trust from whom they will go on to buy equipment and other products as well?
One hundred per cent – golfers trust PGA Professionals to be experts on all aspects of the game. Of course, that means coaching and instruction, but custom fitting and equipment more broadly is an area in which our Members really add value, often marrying up lessons and custom fitting to help golfers improve their performance.
It’s also about after-care with equipment. Buying locally from your Pro gives you a personalised after service, with repairs and additional tweaks that need to be made.
How will you be able to demonstrate the value of this initiative to your Members?
PGA Play represents an opportunity to provide a tangible benefit to our Members, so the lesson search and lesson enquiry metrics are obviously the most significant. This will grow into custom-fitting and retail enquiries.
All of this is being measured and reported on and will be presented back to PGA Members to demonstrate the value. It’s also about the power of the audience growth, as well as the brand growth in promoting our Members.
In addition to that, PGA Play will also deliver a number of secondary commercial benefits to the Association – such as on-site ads, partner promotion and the creation of a consumer database – that will enable us to add further value to our Members through the investment of any funds generated back into the platform for more marketing and promotion.
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