Elgin Golf Club: How Improving is as Simple as Listening.

“We expected a 30% response rate. We got 57%. That tells you something.”

For John Duguid, Club Manager at Elgin Golf Club, that statistic wasn’t just a pleasant surprise, but a turning point. Set in the scenic north of Scotland, Elgin Golf Club is a member-centric club with a full calendar and a full tee sheet. But the club isn’t just busy, it’s actually listening closely.

With over 39,000 rounds played last year and nearly 5000 visitor rounds, Elgin remains proudly member dominant. “We don’t have a huge amount of space for visitors because our members love to play, and they do often,” John explains. “And that’s fine. That’s who 
we are.”

But in a club with high engagement comes high expectation. And for John and his team, meeting those expectations means gathering feedback that matters.

The Power of Real Participation

Elgin Golf Club had used feedback tools before, printed forms, older platforms tied to Scottish Golf, but it wasn’t until partnering with Players 1st that things changed.

“We were amazed,” John says. “We expected 25–30% response rate. But we got over 50%, I think it even hit 57%.”

More than just a high number, it was what the number represented: meaningful engagement. “It gave real credibility to the results,” John explains. “It validated what we were hearing anecdotally, and in some cases, corrected our assumptions.”

The high turnout wasn’t by accident. “The built-in reminders are brilliant,” he says. “Every time a new reminder went out, there was a fresh wave of responses. It really maximizes the value of the exercise.”

From Gut Feel to Data-Backed Decisions

One example? The bunkers.

“We knew some people were unhappy with them,” John recalls. “But you never know, maybe they just landed in a bunker and had a bad shot. The survey confirmed that this wasn’t isolated frustration. It was widespread.”

More importantly, the data transformed observations into action. “We always had a hunch about what needed work. But now we had data provided by volunteer golfers to back up our observations.”

Even better, the feedback wasn’t just critical. “We were also reassured to see that in most areas, we were exceeding national benchmarks,” says John. “The members recognized what we were doing, and they appreciated it.”
The club also achieved a Net Promoter Score of 73.

Leveraging AI for Real-Time Strategy

One of John’s favorite features of Players 1st? The built-in AI Assistant.

“We asked it to show us our ten strengths and ten areas for improvement,” he says. “From there, we built short-, medium-, and long-term goals.”

What would normally take weeks of reading, sorting, and analysing was condensed into something far more actionable. “It let us move straight from feedback to planning,” says John. “We’ve even built a tracking process to measure our progress over time.”

Culture Shift in Real Time

At Elgin, feedback is no longer a passive activity, but it’s a strategic tool. “We’ve already held a Q&A session with members to talk through the survey results and the actions we’re taking,” John shares. “We want to close the loop: ‘Here’s what you said, and here’s 
what we’re doing.’”

The club now plans to make member surveys an annual fixture, shifting from winter feedback to end-of-season timing, when member reflections are more relevant and grounded in a full year’s experience. “Members don’t always think about the last 12 months,” he smiles. “Sometimes they just think about the frost on the ground today.”

Advice to Other Clubs?

“There’s no point guessing,” John says. “If you’re going to invest in your course, your clubhouse, your equipment, make sure it's backed by data. Especially for member-owned clubs like ours, it has to be members-led.”

And the simplicity of Players 1st? “It just works,” he says. “From the surveys to the AI to the national benchmarks, it’s clear, user-friendly, and powerful.”

“It’s not about being perfect. It’s about improving. And you can’t do that without listening."