Bjaavann Golfklubb-Kristiansand, ranked among Norway’s top golf destinations, round off the 2024-season on a high note, focusing on players’ feedback and a renewed drive to do even better next year. At Bjaavann, outstanding service, a vibrant community, and a well-maintained course come together to deliver a great golfing experience.
Bjaavann Golfklubb-Kristiansand is wrapping up the 2024 golf season on a high note and is now among the clubs in Norway with the highest member satisfaction thanks to their commitment to member-driven improvements and feedback on the Players 1st dashboard.
While using the member survey – currently ranking on 4th place out of 69 golf clubs who survey their members in Norway – and business intelligent tools, the club has been able to track and respond to member preferences better than ever, leading to improved satisfaction, smarter decision-making, and an overall better experience for its growing community of golfers.
Positioned in beautiful surroundings next to the Lake Bjaavann, the club has been making its mark since 2006, when the course was first introduced as "The Norwegian Beauty." Martin Stallemo, the manager at Bjaavann Golf Club, is confident about what makes their club stand out from the rest.
Coming from a 45-year career in hospitality, Stallemo knows everything about how to give a top-notch service. He brings service and hospitality insights to club management, and it has brought great success so far. The general manager and all the other employees are highly praised in the comments of members’ feedback. Under Stallemo’s leadership, Bjaavann Golf Club has seen remarkable improvements. In just one year, the club rose from 14th place to 4th among the clubs who use Players 1st’s member survey.
As a member’s club, Bjaavann Golf Club values truly listening to its members. Since implementing the Players 1st member survey in 2021, the club has consistently received good scores and praiseful comments from the members. The Players 1st survey has been a helpful tool to identify and prioritize what matters most to members and provides a foundation for strategic decision-making and planning, ensuring Bjaavann remains one of the top destinations for golf in Norway.
Bjaavann Golf Club’s commitment to improvement shines through in its rising Net Promoter Score (NPS), which has steadily increased over the past four years, now standing at 70, well above the national benchmark.
With its response rate of 36%, the club is celebrated for its beloved “diamond,” the course itself. The greenkeepers are hard working at Bjaavann, and their dedication is evident, as the quality of the greens has steadily improved, reflected by a rise in satisfaction scores since the club began surveying members.
The club’s ongoing commitment to maintaining a high standard on the course is clear to see, especially when Stallemo looks at members' satisfaction, underlining that the course doesn’t just look well-maintained – it truly is.
The role of the greenkeeper, who directly accesses Players 1st data, is essential for success. This transparency allows the greenkeeper to monitor and address real-time course feedback, leading to faster and more targeted improvements. With the head greenkeeper having access to the feedback, the updates and real issues on the course can be more easily solved without slowing down the process.
With Norway’s unpredictable weather and an impressive 26,000 rounds played yearly at Bjaavann, course upkeep is challenging. Regular feedback makes it easier to monitor members’ opinions. Recently, the feedback has highlighted that the bunkers could be of higher quality – this has now been prioritized for improvement for the next season.
What the future holds
The future for Bjaavann Golf Club is bright and promising. With 1118 current members and a remarkable 32% growth rate this year, the club’s popularity continues to climb. Currently focused on member feedback, Stallemo and his team are considering adding a guest survey, allowing them to get insights from all golfers at Bjaavann. Stallemo believes this will help them improve the overall experience and keep up with best practices observed at other clubs.
As the season winds down at Bjaavann, the club is fortunate to still offer its members a unique golf experience. With the club’s Trackman simulators, golfers can sharpen their skills over the winter, while Stallemo and his team take the opportunity to analyze the past season and use the data to prepare for the next.
In addition to the customer experience dashboard, Stallemo values the Players 1st business intelligence tool, which organizes survey data for strategic use. He uses this data to tackle operational issues, such as no-shows for tee times, by presenting factual evidence to both members and staff. The problem of unavailable tee times caused by no-shows has recently been a focus. By sharing data-driven insights, Stallemo encourages transparency and strengthens trust among stakeholders.
At Bjaavann Golf Club, many of the most critical sides of a great experience come together: excellent service, a beautiful and well-maintained course, and engaged members. This strong foundation, combined with a data-driven approach to member feedback, ensures that every year brings continued improvement and innovation.