Jason Winslow is a PGA assistant professional at Eastward Ho! Country Club in Chatham, Mass.
I came on board six years ago and was immediately put in charge of a men’s golf league that was fairly stagnant and only getting 12-16 players per week in shoulder season and 48 players total during our peak season. We developed a plan to change the formats of the league, introducing formats such as one best ball on the par 3s and par 5s and two best balls on the par 4s, or two best balls on odd and one best ball on even-numbered holes. Some other popular formats included having one best ball from holes 1-6, two best balls from holes 7-12, and three best balls from holes 13-18. Several others, including Team Quota and Net Stableford team points, went over well with our men’s league members. Another aspect of our restructuring is that we always try to have one of the professional staff members play in the group each week so we can all get some personal interaction with members. This has definitely helped with member relations and has even helped with our professionals giving swing tips to them. To cap off the reformatting, we also have a participation rewards program for the end of the season, and we recognize the leading money winner with golf shop credits.

Each year since taking over, the participation has increased. We now average 30-40 players in shoulder season and 50-70 players during peak season. The increased participation has been great, and we now have a lot of our lower handicap players returning to the league. With increased participation, the golf shop sees increased sales and more shop credit is paid out. Every off-season I try to come up with something new to introduce and keep things fresh, and I reach out to fellow professionals to share ideas.

If you would like to email the author of this Best Practice directly, please email jwinslow@eastwardho.net