Alastair Sinclair: How flexible golf memberships represent a wider understanding of consumer behaviour

The way that golfers consume the game is changing, and golf clubs and resorts are compelled to meet their expectations and adapt more than ever.

According to statistics released by England Golf in August, one in four adults played some form of golf during the previous 12 months – equating to 12.6 million people. More than seven million of them did so on a nine- or 18-hole course.

There are many millions playing shorter, off-course forms of golf, beyond the conventional club structure.

This presents challenges and opportunities for operators in the game. How can they attract golfers with different interests who are seeking greater flexibility, while generating predictable revenue and maximising the profitability of their facilities?

Alastair Sinclair, CEO and Co-Founder of PlayMoreGolf, believes the answer lies partly in rethinking how golf is sold.

PlayMoreGolf is a technology-based flexible membership platform that connects participating golf clubs through a points-based system. Rather than replacing traditional membership, it offers an alternative for golfers who want the benefits of belonging to a club without the financial commitment of full membership.

Golfers purchase an annual membership at a selected home club, receiving an allocation of points to book rounds. Their allocation includes flexi points that can also be used at other participating clubs.

The Hillier Hopkins Golf Clubs Report of 2024/2025 found that 40% of members’ clubs surveyed offered flexible membership options.

Beyond the immediate financial benefits, a flexible membership model represents a different approach to customer relationships. Rather than relying entirely on individual bookings, operators can encourage golfers to make a longer-term commitment to their facilities.

For resort operators, the lesson might be that not every round of golf generates the same financial return.

While accommodation packages and visitor green fees remain important revenue streams, a flexible membership scheme could provide another way to generate income from available tee times while encouraging golfers to return throughout the year.

“Flexible membership becomes a powerful product because they're saying they've still got this inventory,” Sinclair said. “They've got a blend of activities they want to do.

“What can make the biggest contribution and be the most profitable activity for me on my golf course?

“If you look at any subscription-type scenario, be it Netflix, Prime, gym memberships as well, to some extent they're not always predicated on how often they're being used.

“People might not necessarily use their full entitlement, and that means you've got additional revenue that sits there.

“This is why membership or subscription revenue as a discussion point is relevant, because you've got to look at what the consumer wants.”

Sinclair says that consumers have more choices than ever when deciding how to spend their disposable income.

Golf competes with restaurants, holidays, gym memberships and entertainment, all of which demand a share of the same leisure budget.

Subscription services have changed how consumers purchase and access products, and Sinclair believes golf can benefit from understanding and harnessing this shift.

“Someone will have an allocated pot for their leisure activities, and that pot gets competed for every year, every month,” he said.

“Is it going to be cinema? Is it going to be going out for a meal? Is it going to be golf? Is it going to be gym?

“Unless someone has absolutely put their flag in the ground to say, ‘I'm going to be a seven-day member’, it's a fluid environment. That's what you've got to be thinking about.”

This trend in consumer behaviour is equally relevant to golf resorts, which might consider whether their products reflect how frequently customers want to visit, how much they are prepared to spend and the level of commitment they are willing to make.

Flexible access could provide an alternative for golfers who want to return regularly without purchasing a conventional annual membership.

“People are telling you they're not now in a position where they can afford to come to the golf course on a Saturday morning at 9 am, as a full seven-day member would be.

“They've got different challenges. It might be appropriate for someone in their mid-50s plus.

“But anyone in that 40-year-old area will have different family pressures, and they're not in that position to get the value from a full membership.

“They'll want to consume it in a slightly different way.”

Sinclair argues that although digital platforms have made it easier for golf clubs to advertise directly to consumers, competition for the same customers is driving up acquisition costs.

Clubs can find themselves competing against neighbouring venues for online visibility, with price becoming the deciding factor when customers make their bookings.

PlayMoreGolf attempts to address this challenge by marketing flexible membership across its network, rather than requiring individual clubs to compete for the same customers through separate campaigns.

“If you look at the number of people that everyone records as taking up golf and now having an interest in golf, that uptake in golf is not coming into membership,” Sinclair said.

“It's coming into consumption within pay-and-play, predominantly.

“If you look at the participation statistics versus what your membership numbers are, that's not where people are moving into golf at the moment.

“Golf clubs are now in a position where they, either on their own or with the assistance of marketing agencies, are able to compete within the market because the technology is there.

“We're now seeing the beginnings of golf clubs not realising the competitiveness and bidding for eyeballs within a digital world, and that's driving costs up.

“As they become more competitive amongst each other, once you've captured those eyeballs, what's the difference you're going to make to ensure you're the winner who's converted that acquisition into a sale?”

For golf resorts and travel operators, this raises a question: how should they balance spending on attracting new customers with building relationships that generate repeat business and long-term revenue?

The participation figures show the different ways people now engage with golf. The traditional choice between paying for individual rounds and committing to full annual membership no longer reflects the preferences of every golfer.

Long-term planning might involve more than developing new facilities or increasing visitor numbers.

“There's no longer the mentality that you either sell golf as a one-time visit, or pay for the whole year for unrestricted use.

“We've been able to demonstrate that there is another way out there, and this is something that's going to have to be looked at more and more as we go forward.

“We're starting to see another generation coming through who's never actually had the demand put on them to say, you have to make that decision about either you can only come in here as a visitor once, or you have to basically give me all your money up front for the full year.

“For someone not within that generation, it's not easy to recognise that not everyone has to be like them. They have to make decisions that suit what the golf club needs over the next five, 10 and 15 years.

“We need to be thinking about who's going to come and join this place in 10 or 15 years. What is our 10-year plan?”

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