Ivor Griffiths - Head of Marketing

As the elected Head of Marketing for the New Forest Golf Club, I am committed to providing strategic direction and coordination of the marketing operations in the best interest of the membership and to contributing to the overall success of the Club.  Should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me at  ivorgriffiths@sky.com.

Planning for Success

The New Forest Golf Club has been in existence since 1888 and is a great place to be with friends and family to enjoy the pleasures of golf.  Located alongside the village of Lyndhurst which has a recorded history going back over a thousand years, the Club wholeheartedly embraces the history and the heritage of the area, and is looking to build on the solid base that has provided a friendly club environment for mens, ladies, senior and junior golf over the past 120 years. The continuation of this is a major priority and to succeed we must plan, create and deliver the service members and visitors need in a proactive and profitable manner.   We have the unrivalled reputation for friendship, social activities and golf competitions. We must build on this to continue the good health of the club.  Giving support to all standards of golfers is a key issue and we aim to make the club more accessible to the whole community, by developing closer links with local agencies and acknowledge that the sharing of ideas and resources, coupled with closer cooperation will benefit all those involved. It is important our club is viewed positively and that we can demonstrate the club offers the game of golf to all, regardless of age, gender or background in a well managed and controlled way through good management and staff.  We want to be known as a club that is welcoming to all, embracing and supporting the needs of players, members and volunteers who are at the heart of our club.  All of the aforementioned was reason for the NFGC Council to sanction the compilation of a Marketing Plan to focus the Club on matters that need to be addressed in order to achieve success. The Marketing Plan produced during November 2007 contains 11 subject areas and is accompanied by an 'Action Items' document which details and monitors the progress of specific items within each subject area.  There are 85 separate Action Items and our planning to complete these is well underway and much progress has already been made.

Key Objectives of the Marketing Plan

Our Club supports the agenda that is being driven by the governing bodies of golf in England in order to achieve more people playing, more club members, more volunteers and more opportunities for players to get better. Our key objectives are:

 

 

Our Club Core Values

Core Values detail our beliefs which enable us to work towards the common goal of success for the Club.

Customer Focus......

Ensuring that our actions, attitudes, policies and procedures help to support, improve and protect the Club

Energy & Commitment......

Continuously striving to drive through change and improvements whilst keeping our promises and following through on our commitments

Openness......

Openly and honestly sharing information, resources and best practise in a timely manner and ensuring there are no surprises

Mutual Support......

Looking out for each other and treating the thoughts and feelings of all members with equal respect

Responsibility and Accountability......

Taking ownership of the issues and people we manage

• To create an environment and structure in which people can play, develop and enjoy golf
• To ensure that the benefits of the golf club are equally accessible to people of all abilities
• To encourage juniors and women into the game of golf  
• To foster and further develop relationships within the local community and other sporting organisations to encourage people of all ages to try golf as a sport and pastime that will ensure the continued growth and health of our golf club
• To encourage local sponsors to assist in the development of golf
• To further develop the organisation, coaching and playing opportunities for all sections within our golf club
• To develop and implement a plan to attract new volunteers into the golf club and to support existing volunteers
• To communicate effectively and regularly with all appropriate bodies and members of the club regarding golfing matters and opportunities
• To examine the facilities available at the golf club in order to identify any gaps in provision and to subsequently develop and implement an action plan
• To continually monitor and evaluate all golf initiatives and plans in order to assess their impact and to identify where resources and funding can be best allocated for the benefit of the club

Mission and Vision Statements

Essential tools of marketing are Mission and Vision Statements.  Clearly and concisely written they should not be underestimated. The Mission statement describes our existing values and why we exist, whilst the Vision Statement expresses the destination of the Club. Together, they convey our direction and communicate our intentions, motivate management and membership to realising a common vision.  We now have ours and they are:

 

Our Mission......

'dedicated to providing an enjoyable golfing experience in a unique forest setting'

 

Our Vision......

'to be the chosen provider of golf in the New Forest'

Customer Feedback

As an organisation that provides a service, it is vital to know how we are doing so we have devised a simple Customer Feedback form which is available in the Clubhouse for all members and visitors to complete, alternatively you can use the Webmaster & Feedback button on the navigation bar. We welcome any feedback we receive, it is important to us as it helps us to focus on things we need to continue to do and on those things we need to change.  So please take a few moments of your time to give us your comments.

 

Brand Identity

During the development of the Marketing Plan it was clear that a fresh image should be implemented to embrace the change of direction and give new impetus to the Club.  This is reflected in our new green and white banding visual identity which will be portrayed on all documentation and signage.

Main Entrance Signage

The Club visual identity scheme has been incorporated into our main entrance signage.  The design from our Marketing team was passed to our supplier, Lush Signs of New Milton, who produced two aluminium signs which have been erected back-to-back to allow viewing from both the Lyndhurst and Southampton routes.

 

Club Flag

The Club flag has been hoisted and reflects our new visual identity scheme.

Tee Marker Blocks

Replacement Tee Marker Blocks have been procured and displayed appropriately on the course, each will in due course incorporate an engraved plate showing a donated sponsor.

 

Car Window Stickers

To assist with 'mobile advertising' the Marketing team developed and produced a car window sticker for members and visitors to display in the vehicle.  These are available from the Clubhouse, The Office  or The Shop.

 

Club News

Periodically, the Club News will be issued by our Golf Manager to inform members about news, events and key issues.

 

What do you think?

A double sided card is available from the rack just inside the Clubhouse entrance, which asks visitors for their thoughts, feelings and suggestions against specific areas of our facilities as well as general ideas for improvements.  This helps us in our continuous aim to meet your needs and expectations.

 

Tri-fold Leaflet

A tri-fold leaflet is available from the rack just inside the Clubhouse entrance, which contains information about the Club, the Clubhouse, the Restaurant, Venue Hire, the Shop, the Course.