Capitalising on an unseasonably mild winter, Teeofftimes.co.uk, the UK’s largest tee-time booking service, enjoyed a hugely successful festive period with almost 3,000 rounds of golf being booked between Christmas Day and December 28th.
More than 350 rounds were sold on Christmas Day alone with a further, 2,500 rounds being booked over the next three days as golfers swapped the couch for the course. The majority of these purchases were spur-of-the-moment decisions, with 61% planning to play within 36 hours.
The figures are indicative of a bumper November and December which has shown growth of 182% compared to the same period last year when the UK & Ireland was brought to a standstill for two weeks in December by heavy snow.
Teeofftimes.co.uk also enjoyed an impressive conversion rate during the festive season, with 16% of visitors to the site on Boxing Day going on to book, compared to the usual 5%. Most online travel sites report a rate of 1-3%. The size of groups also grew, with a large increase in the number of three and four-ball bookings being recorded.
Those clubs with a direct online connection to Teeofftimes.co.uk – provided through the established BRS connection and recently integrated Intelligent Golf connection – were able to seamlessly sell their available slots throughout the four-day period, maximising times when the office was unmanned. In fact, BRS clubs accounted for one in four of all bookings made.
The data from Teeofftimes.co.uk mirrors what’s happening in the retail sector, with both John Lewis and Next reporting double-digit increases in online sales despite difficult trading conditions on the High Street.Confirming the shift towards online, it is also significant that 24% of traffic was from mobile devices, with m.Teeofftimes.co.uk seeing a significant uplift in bookings.
Steve Hemsworth, MD of parent company Golfbreaks.com said: “Our results from the Christmas period prove just how important it is for clubs to get online, as that is unquestionably where increased demand will come from in 2012. Whether you are selling direct on your own site or through a specialised marketing partner like Teeofftimes.co.uk, there is a demand from members and visitors alike to book 24/7. Those who don’t embrace the use of technology will see their numbers suffer as a result.”
Almost 50 new clubs have joined the site since the end of October as they lookto gain incremental green-fee business. Stuart Collier, Director of Golf atStokePark, who joined the site in July 2007, said: “In December Teeofftimes.co.uk really helped generate some good levels of last-minute sales. The easy to use back-end system gave me the flexibility to drive business on the days and times when I needed it.”
For further information on joining Teeofftimes.co.uk please contact 0845 675 6004
Teeofftimes.co.uk www.Teeofftimes.co.uk