Drentse Golfclub De Gelpenberg is second to none in member satisfaction

Leaving 2023 as the club with the highest member satisfaction score in the Netherlands, Drentse Golfclub De Gelpenberg (De Gelpenberg) is a prime example of dedication to putting the members first. But what have they actually done to be at the top of their league?

Being the golf club with the highest member satisfaction score in your area is quite impressive. Now, imagine being at the very top for four years straight measured up against 101 clubs in total. This has been achieved by Drentse Golfclub De Gelpenberg (De Gelpenberg) from the Netherlands.

Figure 1: The ranking of Drentse Golfclub De Gelpenberg benchmarked against other Players 1st clubs in the Netherlands for the period 2020-2023. Source: Players 1st

 

Soon to turn 55 years old, the golf club in Drenthe, Coevorden, has a reputation for having a grip on how to make their members happy. With an 18-hole par 72 championship course and a 9-hole par 3 course, the approximately 825 members, 75 business members, and 2000-4000 annual visitors are extremely well looked after.

Besides being a course suitable for hosting the ProGolfTour in recent years, the Dutch club has reached their top-performing satisfaction scores by also making sure all its other touchpoints are on point.

Like a tactical squad with the mission of making members smile

Starting in the position of Sales & Events Manager in 2017 and moving into the role of General Manager at De Gelpenberg in 2022, Niels van der Weerd has been at the golf club for quite a while. A couple of months after he walked through the facility's doors, the club set up an automated solution to gather experience feedback to become more data-driven.

Fast forward to today, focusing on putting the players at the center has paid off. All of the club areas have a satisfaction level above 80, and the club's overall Net Promoter Score of 67 exceeds the national benchmark by an impressive 40 points.

Figure 2: The ranking of satisfaction scores in various service areas at Drentse Golfclub De Gelpenberg. Source: Players 1st

 

And how has the club achieved this? Well, the recipe for their success is 'teamwork'.

Another focus area is doing what it takes to make every member enjoy their time at the club. Seniors, juniors, males, and females; everyone is welcome. Through the demographic filters in the Players 1st dashboard, they can make sure that each one is satisfied.

Besides using feedback to stay on top, the club has a bulletproof and simple must-do for their nearly 140 volunteers, 3 staff members, and plenty of partners: be welcoming.

Knowledge-sharing with the federation and other golf clubs

Three times a year, Niels van der Weerd sits down with the golf club president for no less than 3 hours, analyzing their feedback in detail. Then, they share the information with the Board and staff members, highlighting the areas needing attention.

But this impactful knowledge-sharing extends beyond the club itself, with the Club Manager also discussing their results with the Dutch Golf Federation.

This exchange of insights has proven quite useful for the Dutch golf club, which is also eager to engage with a network of other golf clubs. This is something that the federation also benefits from.

Feedback is just as valuable for the members as for the club

At De Gelpenberg, feedback has become truly valuable for their operations. But, the club also sees feedback as something for the members to hear. For this reason, the club shares insights with the members through magazines, newsletters, and other communication channels.

This way, the club ensures that all members feel heard and acknowledged. By sharing the management’s understanding of the areas they’ll look to improve while also shedding light on the reasoning behind why something is underperforming, the club can also potentially deal with detractors before they create issues at the club.

The Dutch course is currently scoring an average of 8.4 on Leadingcourses.com, the largest golf course review site of Europe. Source: Drentse Golfclub De Gelpenberg

The clubhouse at Drentse Golfclub De Gelpenberg has everything from a bar to meeting accommodation. Source: Drentse Golfclub De Gelpenberg

The courses covers more than 60 hectares. Source: Drentse Golfclub De Gelpenberg

Next to the iconic green flag of the golf club, you'll see the Flag of Drenthe, reaching all the way back to 1947. Source: Drentse Golfclub De Gelpenberg

Collaboration with the Golf Academy has resulted in their golf pro, Paul Karreman, being named Golf Professional of the Year in 2022 and 2023 at an event hosted by the Dutch Golf Federation, based on Players 1st data. Source: Drentse Golfclub De Gelpenberg

 

If you ask the general manager himself, the magic formula behind their success is powerful, yet so simple. When using data and putting the needs and wishes of members ahead of everything else, great results will follow.

 

Now, as the top-ranked club in member satisfaction, the club has ambitions to deliver the very best experiences for their guests as well. This goal motivated the club to initiate the Players 1st Guest Survey last year, with the benchmark showing that they currently rank 4th out of 25 golf clubs for guest satisfaction.