Monday, November 16, 2009

Loyalty Program 2010 - Part 2

Thank you to those who have begun to comment about the proposed changes to MCG’s Loyalty Program. Some interesting points have been made and to clarify this is a concept and not a final program. Based on the comments so far we have posted another poll and we hope you vote. We are trying to improve the program but several of you have raised the issue of whether we need to change the program at all.The following is in response to several of the questions that were raised in the postings:

  • What are the new point requirements: The new points system is not fully developed because it has to be based on an entirely new scale since you will now earn points for every dollar spent at MCG golf facilities including the golf merchandise and food and beverage. We believe this will be better than our current program because we will be able to offer different packages and choices. For example, the lowest awards may be the choice of a free golf cart, free range balls, or a sleeve of golf balls. The high end of the awards may include a choice of a free month of green fees, a new set of Titleist irons, or a weekend golf get away. Again these are not final but we hope it will give you a better idea of the flexibility and benefits we are trying to build into the program. We welcome the feedback and any suggestions you may have in the awards area.

  • Do not see the value in paying for the Silver or Gold level - The Silver level costs $125 and includes a free handicap, free green fee, and $5 off every plus other benefits. The green fee value depending on when it is used can range in value but if you assume a weekday in-season rate of $30 and assume a handicap fee of $25, that leaves a net cost of $70 divided by the $5 discount leaves 14 rounds to play for the membership to pay for itself. The break even number changes according to when you use your free round of golf. Also the math for the Gold membership is about the same and the savings after that is $10 per round. It is also important to reiterate that the 14 rounds can be played at any of the MCG facilities.

  • The program finally rewards nine-hole rounds - This is correct and something we have been trying to work on. However, would the nine-hole golfers be happy if we find a way to reward loyalty under the current program if the consensus is not to change the program?

Thank you for your continued feedback and input that is helping to decide and shape a Loyalty Program that works best for you.

9 comments:

Unknown said...

Without the details on rewards, it's still very hard to evaluate. I'm interested in free rounds of golf, not free carts or irons or hot dogs. Under the current plan, I can play a free round after spending somewhere between $150 - $200. I'd like the new plan to have similar cost/benefit or keep the current plan.

Unknown said...

Please make it non expiring so that points can build up over time.

I also agree that it is hard to evaluate w/o seeing the points scale. Such a system could, however, encourage major equipment purchases at MCG courses. If one bought a 600+$ set of irons and received 2-3 free rounds of golf with the resulting points, I'd go for that over another vendor.

Anonymous said...

The blog archive poll shows that the number of rounds played is influenced by the time per round, the expense, and other obligations. SENIORS have the time to play, limited other obligations, and will play if the cost is not prohibitive. They should be an important constituency for the MCG Loyalty Program.

As a senior, I don't value the handicap, so my math shows that I will have to play 20 rounds to get four freebies worth $5 each on the Silver Plan. This doesn't look wise. I would prefer to stick with the plan as it is. And I should think that you would try to construct a Loyalty Program targeted at Seniors, to fill as many perishable weekday tee times with seniors as you could.

c3norm said...

My wife and I, both seniors, play twice a week on Montgomery County courses. We always play on weekdays because of flow of play and cost. We normally try to ascertain which course is least crowded by referring to the tee time web page and booking a time accordingly. It would certainly help if we had access to statistics relative to course usage. The current loyalty plan works well for us in that we essentially get a free game each time we play five rounds, since we never use our free game on Fridays. Any improvements to this program that would benefit us would be greatly appreciated and probably encourage us to play more often. Note that due to our flexibility, given the appropriate incentive, we would gladly fill any "empty" slots, which would be beneficial to both us and the County.

Unknown said...

The proposed changes sound good to me. I would like to be able to check point totals online so I know before I get to the course if I have a free round available.

Anonymous said...

I liked the program this past year. I earned free golf and carts. The proposed plan sounds good if it includes free golf or reduced rates. My golfing partner and I consistently chose MCG courses over others in the area just because of the loyalty program. We already did the math and are ready to pay for the gold. It's nice to see something for the 9 hole players too.

Unknown said...

Since we are a group of seniors who play almost every week at the MCG Courses it would be great if there was a reduced rate for ones that want to walk the courses, now it is the same price if one rides or walks.
There should be more rewards and activities that are available to sign up for during the golf season, and special rates for early Spring and Fall.

Anonymous said...

I see potential with the changes you are trying to make but I di have a suggestion. I don't know what will be entailed with this changeover............
Is there anyway that the new "system" in the off season and invite participating golfers to go to the course of choice to get themselves set up within the new system. Should there be information sharing on our part, it would make things easier if we do this in the off season.
I went to 3 different courses at the beginning of last season and had to stand in line much longer than normal due to your "new system" I don't blame the staff at any of the courses because I understand, thats what they were supposed to do... Offer the program and set people up within the program.
I signed up as it seemed like a good thing but I was there to play golf, not stand in line. I think if this can be done before the start of the season it would make things smoother when warm weather gets here.

Unknown said...

I repeat below what I said several months ago, since it still applies. In particular, it seems like it would benefit both Montgomery County Golf and Seniors (who have flexibility when they play) if you somehow offered us special rates during off hours.
The proposed Program is clearly not as good as last years, unless you want to promote other goods and services. In our case, we mainly want to play golf and would not increase our other purchases.

Previous response:
My wife and I, both seniors, play twice a week on Montgomery County courses. We always play on weekdays because of flow of play and cost. We normally try to ascertain which course is least crowded by referring to the tee time web page and booking a time accordingly. It would certainly help if we had access to statistics relative to course usage. The current loyalty plan works well for us in that we essentially get a free game each time we play five rounds, since we never use our free game on Fridays. Any improvements to this program that would benefit us would be greatly appreciated and probably encourage us to play more often. Note that due to our flexibility, given the appropriate incentive, we would gladly fill any "empty" slots, which would be beneficial to both us and the County.