Woburn Golf Club has renewed its long-term partnership with Club Car, citing growing revenues from corporate golf and excellent levels of service among the key reasons.
The high-profile Buckinghamshire club recently signed an extension to its three-year deal until 2013 with Club Car, the world’s largest manufacturer of four-wheel electric vehicles.
“We have a strong relationship with Club Car so ultimately it was an easy decision to make,” said Jason O’Malley, General Manager of Woburn Golf Club. “We trust the brand and have great confidence in the strength of the product.
“When we looked at the renewal of our fleet, Club Car acted extremely positively in responding to our fleet requirements – both from our customers and staff’s perspective – and budgetary circumstances, ensuring we are able to maximise our sales opportunities.
“We have recently invested £3.5 million in our clubhouse, so possessing a fleet of smart, robust, reliable and multi-functional golf cars is vital to complementing our high-end image.”
The extended lease deal, which originated in 2008, is for 50 electric-powered, emission-free Club Car Precedent vehicles for use on-course by golfers, plus half a dozen utility vehicles for starters/marshals (now four- rather than two-seaters), driving range ball collectors and on-course beverage retailers.
Woburn Golf Club has identified a number of revenue streams for its Club Car fleet with corporate golf days playing an increasingly important role in boosting the bottom line.
“We have always enjoyed a healthy amount of sales revenue from golf-day packages and, over the last four to five years, a growing number of sales from corporate business,” said Jason O’Malley. Car hire was up 11.2%, with usage per round rising by 5%, in the first half of 2011 compared to the same period 12 months earlier.
“Clearly this is where a significant amount of business is to be gleaned – and it would be crazy for operators not to push their golf cars during such events, particularly when you add upselling in to the equation,” insisted Jason O’Malley.
“Kevin Hart (Club Car, National Account Manager for Europe) and his team always act proactively in terms of what they can do for us to enhance the service offering we already receive – and that approach is incredibly important to us. They also regularly support our golf days.
“This tells us that Club Car is not simply a supplier to Woburn Golf Club, it is a highly valued partner.”
Woburn Golf Club www.woburn.co.uk/golf
Club Car visit www.clubcar.com