“We’re Too Busy” vs “This Is Incredible”: What Two Golf Conversations Revealed?
Two conversations yesterday really got me thinking.
The first was with a golf club manager. I offered the idea of Club Clean Pro providing a demo day at their club — a simple, no-pressure way for members to experience what we do.
Their response?
“We’re far too busy to discuss Club Clean Pro providing a demo day at our club.”
The second conversation couldn’t have been more different. It came from the Sovereign Plus Golf Day we supported at Goodwood:
“It’s incredible how good clubs look after you’ve cleaned them. They’re cleaner than the day I bought them!”
Same service. Same outcome. Two completely different reactions.
And it made me ask a bigger question: when did golf management get so busy that they dismiss something members and guests would genuinely appreciate — especially when it can be delivered at zero cost to the club?
What actually happened at Goodwood (and what we needed from the club)?
Here’s the part that matters.
We arrived at Goodwood fully self-contained:
- Our own water
- Our battery-powered ultrasonic cleaning machine
- Our team
- Our full setup and process
We asked for nothing from the club!
No access to power. No staff time. No complicated logistics. No disruption to play. We set up, we delivered the service, and we left the area as we found it.
And yet, the welcome was warm. We were looked after with bacon rolls and coffee (which, honestly, is a small gesture that says a lot about a club’s culture). The players absolutely loved the service and the feedback was genuinely complimentary.
One comment in particular stuck with me!
“We’ve been given a lot of free stuff at this event — your club cleaning service is the one we really value.”
That’s a powerful reminder that “free” isn’t the point. Useful and memorable is.
The round itself? Mainly dry, a bit windy — typical British golf day conditions. And still, the response was clear: people were impressed by the results.
So why does “too busy” happen?
I don’t think most club managers are being dismissive on purpose. I think “too busy” is often shorthand for one of these:
- It sounds like extra work Even if something is “free”, clubs have been burned before by suppliers who say it’s simple… and then it becomes a project.
- It doesn’t fit the mental model of what a club should prioritise Golf clubs are juggling memberships, course conditions, staffing, food and beverage, events, societies, compliance — the list never ends. Anything outside the usual categories can get filtered out quickly.
- The value isn’t tangible until you see it “Club cleaning” can sound like a nice-to-have… until you see a set of clubs come back looking better than new in minutes.
- There’s a perception risk Some clubs worry that bringing in a service might look “too salesy” or might annoy members. Ironically, the opposite tends to happen when it’s positioned properly: it feels premium, thoughtful, and member-first.
The real lesson: value has to be communicated in the club’s language!
That’s the bit that’s stuck with me most.
The contrast between “too busy” and “this is incredible” tells me something important about how we communicate value.
Because the value isn’t “we clean clubs”.
The value is:
- A premium experience for members and guests
- A sponsor-friendly activation that adds real engagement
- A genuine “wow” moment that people talk about after the round
- A service that makes the club look organised and member-focused
- A solution that doesn’t add workload (when delivered properly)
If a club manager hears “demo day” and imagines admin, planning, emails, staff coordination, and risk — they’ll say no.
If they see “we bring everything, we need almost nothing, members love it, and it costs the club £0” — it becomes a very different conversation.
I’m genuinely curious: what’s the barrier?
If you’re a club manager or a member, I’d love your honest view.
What’s the barrier to saying yes to a service that members and guests genuinely appreciate — one that can be delivered without cost to the club?
- Is it time?
- Is it perception?
- Is it past experience with suppliers?
- Is it simply that it’s easier to say no than to explore something new?
Email me at Len@clubcleanpro.com. I’m not asking to argue the point — I’m asking because understanding the real barrier helps us communicate value in a way that respects the reality clubs are dealing with.
