A TALE OF TWO GOLF CLUBS
A parable story
You can’t miss Stonylands Town Golf Club if you take
the winding back road out of town. But if you are in any
doubt, the signboard says it all: “Stonylands Golf
Club. Member of the Federation of National Golf Clubs. Est.
1924. Secretary: J S Peasworthy, BSc.” There follows
in smaller letters, “Private Property” and without
apparent irony, “No ball games”. The style of
the sign is almost identical to the original 1924 version,
as you can readily see in the photographs of The Opening
displayed in the clubhouse foyer.
Had you been in the Club Committee recently, you could
have participated in some lively discussion. The Club wanted
a website. Or at least, they realized that they needed new
members. The Committee had been doing some thinking. Membership
was declining. Income was declining. With most members being
over 55, ill-health and death were chipping away at numbers.
Replacement applications for membership were just not keeping
up. Maybe a website was the answer. Of course, there was
the unspoken wish that new members would be People Like
Us. People who behave well socially. Fit in easily. Good
solid professional types. And preferably those who know
plenty about the game already. Novices can be so, well,
difficult.
“Text on a screen”
Slowly, the shape of the website was hammered out in discussion,
though Secretary Peasworthy tended to dominate. “We
already have a brochure, and since this Web thing is just
text on a screen, we can use that as a basis for the site,”
he said.
Let’s take a tour of the site as it finally emerged
…
On the homepage are two photos: the clubhouse and one showing
the greens. Some of the Committee had argued for pictures
of members. However, as Secretary Peasworthy said, “After
all, the Club IS the Clubhouse and the Greens. Let these
Speak for Themselves.” (He tends to capitalize words,
both in speech and writing.) Certainly in the clubhouse
photo, the parked cars speak for themselves – of success
and wealth.
The welcome letter
Despite this, the Secretary thought that a welcome letter
from himself should be an essential part of the homepage.
This runs to a full 750 words and would benefit mightily
from proof-reading and editing down in size. But Secretary
Peasworthy, though charming, polite and kind to animals
(and members of the Club), is not really amenable to having
his writing edited and proof-read. He is in truth a better
speaker than writer, and can hold an audience well on the
History of Golf for 40 minutes.
Other pages of the site
The Committee was unanimous in wanting the entire rules
of golf posted on the site. Or, that is to say, the Federation
of National Golf Clubs version of the rules, which vary
ever so slightly from those of the Association of National
Golfing Clubs. To explain why they belong to the Federation,
there is also a detailed retelling of The Split –
how the Federation and the Association had come into being
many years ago.
There’s a page about the Club’s dress-code
too. Sometimes Secretary Peasworthy needs to have a polite
word with members who do not comply. “So important
to keep up standards. Scruffy dressing implies disrespect
for the Game and the Club.” And if you need to read
the Committee Minutes, why, there they all are, online.
“Games I have enjoyed”
The Committee was insistent that there should be some people-related
content somewhere on the site. So we can read a profile
of Secretary Peasworthy plus photo taken in his clubhouse
office, besuited, with his golfing trophies and BSc diploma
behind him on the wall. And each member of the Committee
has contributed a page on “Games I Have Enjoyed.”
They all interpreted this to mean “Tournaments I have
Won”, and with much use of golfing jargon, we are
led hole by hole, to the inevitable denouement. Few manage
to avoid a somewhat triumphalist streak, and many include
rather pejorative references to other lesser sports or non-golfers.
Most of the stories sound oddly similar. None are less than
1200 words, and the contribution from Oldest Member, James
McFadden, tips the scales at over 3000 words. However, other
members of the Club were immediately enthusiastic about
these stories. Because they understood and enjoyed them,
they said, “These will surely attract new people to
the Club.”
Lady members and youth
The Club regards itself as quite forward-looking. Why, there
is even a woman on the committee now. After all, they permitted
‘ladies’ to join as full members back in 85.
A few members left over that decision, and chose instead
to take the hour’s drive to Bleakwoods Club, where
a time-traveller from 1932 would fit in immediately.
They do have a youth session once a week. Sadly it tends
to be children of the members, especially as they must bring
their own golfing equipment.
Disappointment
Nine months since the website went online, and the Committee
are rather disappointed. There are indeed five new members.
But three joined because they knew other members socially,
another moved to town and drove past the Club daily, and
one found the Club in the Federation’s yearbook. “This
new-fangled Interweb thing doesn’t really work,”
was the consensus at the latest Committee meeting. You’ll
find their discussion in the latest online Committee Minutes.
Meanwhile, in a completely different valley …
Just 20 minutes drive and you reach the next valley and
the town of Freshfields. The golf club is easy to find –
they asked the town council to erect signs at key locations.
The entrance board is clear too: “Freshfields Community
Golfing Center. Free trial session – book now”
(followed by email, website URL and phone number). The graphic
design is lively and attractive, and a photo-collage of
faces reflects the diversity of golfers using the club.
Planning their site
Freshfields also sensed a need for a website last year.
Team Leader Jon brought together the center’s staff,
coordinating group and any members who wished to contribute.
He also invited representatives from several other golf
clubs who had websites, to share lessons they had learned.
Dominique, a reporter on the local paper and a keen golfer,
was asked to advise on effective communication principles.
Over coffee and pizza, they brainstormed ideas and looked
at existing golf websites using a data-projector. Jon emphasized,
“Really, we are here to promote golf as a game, rather
than just ourselves.” Ideas for the site slowly came
together. Before it went online, they tested reactions to
it – not from their members, but by asking a range
of non-golfers. They made a number of changes based on this
feedback.
What does a tour of the Freshfields site show?
The homepage is short and attractive. A photo-collage of
members’ faces of all ages gives a sense of family
and demonstrates that the membership “looks like Freshfields”.
Under the Freshfields Community Golfing Center heading and
logo is the strapline “I never knew golfing could
be such fun!”
Personal stories
The navigation menu takes you to enticingly-titled inner
pages. Dominique emphasized the need for personal stories.
These include ‘Meet the staff’, with short profiles
and photos of each member of the team, from Jon the team
leader to Maria the cleaner. It’s somehow fun to know
that Jon plays drums in a tribute band, that coach Roberto
breeds tortoises, and Maria loves painting in watercolors.
“Why we love golf” covers a range of members’
stories. No jargon though. No hole-by-hole accounts of games.
Dominique helped them shape their stories, and did proof-reading
and revision. “Use humor as much as you can,”
she advised. “Be self-deprecating. Use direct speech
where possible. Look how magazines tell a story. And also
try to counteract the awful stereotypes that people have
about golfers.” Several members felt inadequate in
writing skills, so Dominique wrote their stories as interview
features. Each story is enhanced with a photo, a personal
profile, and a two-minute video clip. Let’s look at
several:
• Katie writes movingly of how golf has been a life-saver
to her as a single mum. She can leave baby Sergio in the
center’s daycare facility, and find peace and relaxation
with her friend. She never dreamed of being a golfer, until
she was given a free golfing token by that friend. And she
benefits from the center’s low pricing for those not
in work.
• Darren shares why he has found golf so pleasurable
for many years. He paints an enticing picture. The breeze
on his face. The smell of the grass. The animals and birds.
The satisfaction of a shot well-placed. The friendships
made. The sense of belonging to something both local and
worldwide.
• Golf gave Cheng a new sense of release and purpose
after the death of his wife and a time of depression. “I
have found so many new friends,” he writes.
• Candice (15) started golf after a multiple fracture
of her ankle while playing basketball. Doctors told her
to choose a new sport. “So I did,” she says
simply. “Now three of my mates come along too.”
• Denzel (17) was mixing with a bad crowd when a
golf training session was held at his school. He was hooked,
and after only one year, shows the potential to become professional.
“Man, I was real messed up. Golf has turned my life
right around.”
All of them are honest about themselves and their reactions.
Sometimes, they get frustrated with the game. Sometimes
life is too busy to play. Those new to the game can find
the rules strange and frustrating. But a common factor in
every story is the discovery of friendship and purpose.
This is probably helped by one of Jon’s informal club
rules: “Every time someone you don’t know comes
into the center, invite them to your table and offer them
coffee. This club is about them, not you.”
Youth and publicity
Freshfields wants to reach out to youth. Members and staff
take volunteer sessions in local schools and youth clubs,
and offer regular youth training at the center. These sessions
can be requested through the site.
The website also has a range of online games (and game
downloads for mobile phones) ranging from Tetris to several
golf-oriented games. Many younger people first arrive at
the site through these games.
There’s also a free screensaver that members can
download – it’s a good conversation starter
at work or home. Club members are encouraged to invite friends
to the center, and can use ready-made contact cards with
the club’s URL.
Jokes and blogs
A page of golfing jokes and cartoons demonstrates that the
club doesn’t take itself too seriously. The coaches
run a question-and-answer section to help golfers with problems.
And there are two blogs. One about golfing news and developments
is mainly for members. But the other, about local community
issues, demonstrates a commitment to the town, and draws
outsiders into the site.
Result!
Freshfields was already growing before the website went
live. But the site has dramatically enhanced overall growth,
and new visitors to the center have increased by 80%. It’s
not that the site is somehow magically doing all the work.
It gives site visitors a sense of community and welcome,
and introduces them to club staff and members, showing that
they are normal people who have found a game that is fulfilling.
It draws people to free trial sessions, youth training,
and other activities. Then face-to-face relationships with
real people take over.
They are now considering the possibility of buying land
on the other side of town near the industrial sector and
housing projects, for a second golfing center with a special
focus on helping marginalized youth and families. The town
council is giving active support to the project. “Our
website is now integral to all we do,” says Jon.
This parable is not, of course, about golf. Apologies to
golfing friends: there never was, to our knowledge, any
such split between national golfing federations!
This story may be freely reproduced in
print without any conditions other than acknowledgement
of the source: IntenetEvangelismDay.com. Please retain the
paragraph above that points out this is not really about
golf, and please point readers to InternetEvangelismDay.com/design
as a page that will help church websites to reach outsiders.
Please modify spelling (US spelling has
been used, as it is the most common online) and amend characters’
names to reflect your country’s usage if needed. To
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There is a hi-res version of the photo
at http://ied.gospelcom.net/images/golfballhires.jpg which
is royalty-free subject to the conditions on the Stock Exchange
page: www.sxc.hu/photo/530013, Credit the photo to Brad
Harrison.
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