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nowing the score is half the battle when it comes to advocating for yourself and your programming. It’s the primary reason Player Engagement Consultants strongly encourage PGA of America Golf Professionals to track the value of PGA Jr. League, PGA Family Golf, PGA Coach and other tools each year.
Incremental revenue stacks up quickly and might otherwise go unnoticed. Did any PGA Jr. League players sign up for your other coaching programs? What about their parents or siblings? Did you track the leads generated through your PGA Coach Profile? How many of those leads did you convert to full-time students?
The Player Engagement team created the Value Tracker to do the heavy lifting for you. Collect your data throughout the year and plug it into the form to get a full picture of your results. Meredith Lobeck, PGA, LPGA; Tom Durbin, PGA; and Matt Moretti Jr., PGA, utilized the Value Tracker this past year and showcased some impressive results.
Lobeck (pictured) serves as the PGA of America Director of Player Development at Granite Bay (California) Golf Club, but she’s been coaching PGA Jr. League programs in previous roles since the program’s inception. She’s clear on prioritizing relationship building and a fun-centered culture.
“The old adage, ‘If you build it, they will come’ holds true here. It’s my sixth season here at Granite Bay, and the numbers keep growing,” Lobeck says. “I can’t say I’m doing anything crazy different …. We’ve just created fun. I’m one big huge kid myself, and I like the kids to have fun.”
Through her in-house league, her parents know exactly what to expect both schedule- and experience-wise. PGA Jr. League parents and grandparents have started taking lessons to keep up with their players. Because Lobeck opens her registration up to the public after club membership has an opportunity to register, she sold two new memberships in 2024.
“PGA Jr. League helps non-members see the club in a different light,” she explains. “We have a weekly email we send about what’s going on at the club. If they’re non-members, they can’t do those things. It piques their interest and they want to get involved. We are always showing the value of being a member at Granite Bay.”
Durbin, who works as the PGA of America Head Golf Professional at The Ooltewah (Tennessee) Club, also opens his registration to the public after giving members the first crack. He upgraded two social memberships to general memberships, and he sold two new memberships to families in the community who joined solely because of PGA Jr. League.
“It’s good for PGA Professionals who are not currently offering PGA Jr. League to see this, because it shows them if you do it one time, these are the kind of results you can get,” says Durbin. “People have already asked if we are doing it next year, and we might expand our number of teams.”
Noticing a trend? Moretti, PGA Associate Assistant Golf Professional at Corning (New York) Country Club, also reported two new families joining and one family upgrading their membership as a direct result of PGA Jr. League. Of the 10 students he converted from PGA Coach Profile leads, one also purchased a membership.
“Without hesitation, I’m grateful for the support and enthusiasm the Corning Country Club membership continues to show for my PGA Jr. League program,” he says. “Too many members to count have approached me to tell me how happy it makes them to see the ‘next generation’ of golfers learning the game at CCC. Up to four days a week they see the players in their brightly colored PGA Jr. League uniforms utilizing the practice facilities, learning the game and most of all having fun! They recognize these golfers' importance to the long-term health of the game and the Club.”
Player Engagement products help to drive value to your facility, but that impact can be hard to visualize without data. The Player Engagement Value Tracker helps you tell a better story – and sometimes that impact is about much more than the bottom line.
“PGA Jr. League has been transformative to me, too,” Moretti continues. “I have been coaching sports since 1987 in many classifications and at many levels. Working with these kids has given me an appreciation that has only recently taken hold of me.”