HEATHROW, FL – Three days of stimulating and edifying presentations at the recent 2024 Proponent Group Summit included several sessions underscoring the Business Value of Golf Instruction. BVGI, as it’s known, is an ongoing research project involving a consortium of thought-leading industry players.
Taking part in Proponent Group’s annual conference of teachers and coaches were 20 sponsor companies—many of them tech-driven—that serve this fast-changing industry segment. Also on hand were consultants who help guide the golf MCO community toward optimal deployment of golf professionals, using BVGI principles. Their extensive data now shows that golfers involved with a facility’s instruction team are dramatically more supportive of that facility’s revenue and business performance overall.
Proponent Group member Bob Usher, 2024 South Florida PGA Teacher of the Year, gave a 50-minute slide presentation titled “Measuring Your Value and Making the Case for a Raise.” Usher, who runs the instruction program at prestigious Grey Oaks Country in Naples, Florida, described how the Grey Oaks controller has formulated a simple method for measuring the spend rate (and retention rate) of members who work with Grey Oaks coaches on game-improvement—versus those who don’t. Point-of-sale numbers show non-lesson-takers spending an average of $3,847 at the club on hardgoods, apparel and food-and-beverage while the lesson-takers spend $9,497—compelling stats no matter how you parse them.
Later in the conference, presenter Mike Aldrich explained that a “culture of improvement” can be essential to the success of a golf facility, because golfers who improve their skills simultaneously ramp up their enthusiasm and engagement. Over four years as head instructor at a club in Tennessee, Aldrich sent invitations for coffee and/or a swing assessment to every new member upon their arrival, easing their acclimation. Using multiple means of communication, he would tirelessly celebrate any and all notable successes his students achieved—including such milestones as winning a member-guest flight, breaking a scoring barrier for the first time, earning a college scholarship or shooting their age.
Beyond summit presentations, Proponent Group uses its weekly “Member’s Minute” video and email to report on BVGI developments. Informal discussions with leaders in golf organizations like the NGF, the PGA and the LPGA Professionals further advance the industry’s understanding of this phenomenon. At the upcoming PGA Show in January, Proponent will debut a “BVGI 2.0” update for its members and affiliates, unveiling the next wave of aggregated data points
About Proponent Group:
Proponent Group is the only organization solely focused on helping golf’s dedicated, full-time instructors grow their businesses and build their careers. Founded in 2007, Proponent Group recognizes that even accomplished teaching professionals need a unique array of professional services to build their teaching brand, create job security and grow compensation. For more information about how Proponent Group has benefited more than 1,400 instructors worldwide, visit proponent-group.com.
