Question

Topic: Customer Behavior

Etiquette By Caddies On The Golf Course

Posted by Anonymous on 7/3/2013 at 8:49 AM ET 125 Points
I have been asked to speak on etiquette to the caddies at the local Golf Club. Management have received complaints that they get too familiar with the golfers, that they invite themselves to the 19th and that they solicit tips - sometimes making a nuisance of themselves.
I was also asked to cover basics like hygiene, cellphone etiquette, behaviour in the dining room, etc., but it is the familiarity situation that needs most of the input.
Firing the caddies would not change the situation as this behaviour can also be seen as culturally embedded. It would be good to understand that the caddies need to adapt to the client base.
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by SteveByrneMarketing on 7/3/2013 at 2:21 PM Accepted
    What are you looking for from us?
  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 7/3/2013 at 5:14 PM Accepted
    Perhaps bring in a local concierge to provide service etiquette?
  • Posted by Gary Bloomer on 7/3/2013 at 9:47 PM Accepted
    Your managers need to man up and deal with this issue themselves; it's really not a marketing question ... althought it could be because it's to do with positioning of the club. AND it's to do with condtioning of what is and what's not acceptable on and off the course.

  • Posted by Moriarty on 7/4/2013 at 3:39 AM Accepted
    What you need to do in your talk is to deal with the issue of why the caddies are making a nuisance of themselves. Are they underpaid? Is it a cultural thing for caddies to expect tips and friendships? What have the managers done about this problem in the past, and did it work - and if not, why not?

    One reason I can see for them wanting to get personal is to get themselves hired again - where the precise opposite is actually truer. These guys are operating from a sense of desperation. Are the caddies paid by the round (as it were) is this their only income. Or do the management have some kind of basic stipend/retainer for them (I'll bet they don't).

    Can the management organize some kind of accreditation for the caddies so that the golfers don't have to choose blindly? After all, some golfers like a chatty caddy, some like one who will offer a tip, some don't. All these could be put on a score-sheet with a bar chart. That way golfers will get the caddy they need - not just the loudest or pushiest one.

    And so on ...
  • Posted by mgoodman on 7/4/2013 at 2:29 PM Accepted
    Good gig for you. What do you want from us?
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