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After several years of hosting the occasional day-care center, in 2003 Rockwood Golf Park took steps to grow the number of preschool and youth groups filling the park’s slower spring and summertime hours. Two years later, the Richmond, Va., range was running at full speed, welcoming up to 60 youngsters a day to the 12-acre sports park.
The spike in participation occurred after an aggressive grass-roots marketing campaign was launched, starting with General Manager Stacy Bolton hand-delivering a six-page, four-color informational binder to area day-care centers. “It was very effective, but very time consuming,” he says. A 10-minute appointment to drop off the packet and explain the park’s group programs would quickly turn into 45 minutes, most of it waiting for the activities director to find a child-free moment. So Bolton and his staff used the binders as the basis for a promotional package that was mailed to a database of 300 day-care centers culled from the local phone book. At more than $1 apiece, the mailer wasn’t exactly cheap, but “it’s definitely helped us tap into some new market share,” Bolton says. And it has delivered far more results than the basic flier the park used to distribute: From 2004 to 2005, the number of day-care centers that signed up for an outing in the peak season doubled.
Group outings are a boon for any range, but as Bolton has discovered, having regular day-care customers who can bring in crowds during slower weekday hours is like money in the bank. Here’s his tried-and-true method for winning their business.
Price it right. Bolton created a pricing structure that rewards repeat customers. On the first visit, the day care pays $4 per child. This cost drops to $3.75 on the second visit and to $3.50 on the third and every subsequent trip. “I cut them a better deal because they’re filling our slower times,” Bolton says. “Besides, it costs money to bring in a new customer, so I have no problem discounting a regular customer for repeat business.”
The per-child price covers a two-hour outing and includes an 18-hole round of miniature golf and one large fountain drink, although Bolton says most day-care staff ask for smaller cups—less mess. Outings can be customized to include longer visits and more activities depending on the age group. Bargain-priced lunch options include a hot dog ($2.50) or slice of pizza ($3) and come with chips, fountain drink and Popsicle.
Time it well. Ranges with multiple amenities can schedule two groups at once. Bolton says age and group size are his determining factors. For example, if a group of 5-year-olds is booked only for miniature golf, he schedules an older group at the same time for batting practice. “Sometimes we’ll do four to five day cares in a day. If they’re smaller groups, I’ll schedule them at the same time.”
Staff smartly. As a normal operating procedure, Bolton positions an employee at the batting cage and has another staff member monitor the miniature golf course, but otherwise, he doesn’t log additional labor for day-care groups. “We’re not the day care, they are,” he says. “We highly recommend every group has one adult for every 10 youngsters.” When booking the outing, Bolton makes a point to ask how many staff the center is bringing. If the child-to-chaperon ratio is low, he suggests they recruit additional adults, even parents, who can join in on the fun at no charge.
Offer value-added services. Giving away small, inexpensive trinkets adds another layer of excitement for the children. “Everybody who plays mini golf gets a prize off our prize wall,” says Bolton. Prizes range from plastic rings to bouncy balls to pocket-sized dinosaurs. Ranges could also hand out coupons for a free round of miniature golf to bring the children—and their parents—back. Whatever the takeaway, Bolton suggests making it a parting gift. The chaperones will appreciate not having to keep up with dozens of toys while on site, he says.
Stay in contact. Bolton regularly calls on previous customers and uses these conversations to update his records. “Who you deal with this year may not be who you deal with next year,” he says. Plus, regular communication will keep the range on the center’s preferred list of activities, and for Rockwood, it’s resulted in referrals and even unexpected customers outside the facility’s market.
After a second banner year—and a second mailer—Bolton is working on a low-tech flier to bring back last year’s customers and hopefully generate a few new ones. “We’re not going to get everybody all the time,” he says. “We just want everybody some of the time.”
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