Rob Hary, a two-time Minnesota PGA Section Junior Golf Leader, is the PGA head professional at Minnesota Valley Country Club in Bloomington, Minn.

Four years ago I reviewed our tee sheets for Friday guest play after 5 p.m. We host 27,000 rounds in seven months, however, I found that there were only 20 guests who played after 5:00 p.m. on Fridays during the summer and only 348 members. I went to the golf committee with my survey results and instituted a “Play Nine and Dine” program for our membership. It allowed a member to play nine holes with up to three guests at no charge after 5:00 p.m. as long as they stayed for dinner after golf. The next season, we had 242 guests and 416 members play on Fridays after 5:00 p.m. Nine and Dine continues to be popular and the tee sheet is usually booked from 5-7 p.m. with members and their guests. Our member feedback has been nothing short of spectacular!

After implementing the Nine and Dine, we increased guest play on Friday after 5 p.m. by over 1,000 percent, golf car revenue by 330 percent, food & beverage sales grew to $10,857 and golf shop sales were $2,210. All of these remarkable increases were directly related to the Nine and Dine program. I encourage you to review your tee sheets to determine if you can implement a Nine and Dine program that your members will love.

If you would like to email the author of this Best Practice directly, please email rhary@mvccgolf.com