While the US President-elect’s use of Twitter is well known for all the wrong reasons, one Surrey golf club is showing others how to best use social media.
Farleigh Golf Club in Warlingham has been shortlisted for the Golf Club of the Year at the inaugural Hospitality Social Media Awards. The winner will be announced at a ceremony held at The Principal Manchester on November 23.
“Our mission is to put a club in every hand and social media is a key channel to help us achieve that,” said Megan McIntyre, group marketing director of the Foxhills Group, which owns Farleigh. “For too long, golf has been seen as a game for the wealthy establishment. Digital media – particularly social – allows us to reach people otherwise unwilling to explore golf clubs. The message that golf is fun and great for fitness is much easier to communicate when you can share a video of trick shots, retweet fitness tips on burning calories by playing golf, post member stories and successes, and highlight the inclusive nature of the game.”
The club has had a busy 12 months, launching a series of initiatives to appeal to potential new golfers such as Balls & Bubbles (a two-hole introduction to golf paired with Champagne tasting), yoga sessions, and a partnership with Crystal Palace FC Foundation to encourage juniors into the game.
The club’s busy events calendar, spearheaded by Head PGA Professional Steve Stiller, features family-friendly events, as well as those aimed at golfers of all levels.
To complement this activity, Farleigh launched a new website in February, which boasts a member portal and a news and events section, the new site has seen a 9% increase in visits and a 5.4% drop in bounce rate in its first ten months, showing higher engagement, as well as more visitors.
For more information visit www.farleighfox.co.uk or keep up to date with the club at www.facebook.com/FarleighSurrey or @Farleigh on Twitter.