Are you a golf club operator struggling to keep both members and tourists happy?
Do you worry that prioritizing one group could alienate the other and hurt your bottom line?
This article explores how St. Simons Island, Georgia, a premier golf destination, has become a masterclass in managing this dual-market dilemma. You’ll learn how local courses like Sea Palms Resort and the King and Prince Golf Course navigate operational tensions, mitigate risks, and turn potential conflict into strategic advantage.
In this guide, you’ll discover:
- The core tension between resident members and tourist golfers
- How operations and insurance must adapt to serve both markets
- Proven strategies that foster coexistence and long-term growth
Two Very Different Golfers, One Shared Fairway
The biggest challenge for St. Simons Island golf courses is satisfying two customer profiles with conflicting needs.
On one hand, you have high-value tourists. These are visitors with limited time who seek premium experiences and are willing to pay top dollar. On the other hand, you have loyal residents. These are members who expect consistent access, community benefits, and dependable year-round service.
Here’s how these two groups compare:
| Feature | The Tourist Golfer | The Resident Member |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Motivation | A peak, memorable vacation experience | Consistent access, community, and value for dues |
| Spending Habits | High per-visit on green fees, merchandise, and dining | Lower per-visit, but provides steady annual revenue |
| Tee Time Needs | Prime times during a short trip | Regular, convenient weekly access |
| Course Expectations | Championship-level polish | Tolerance for routine maintenance if overall quality is high |
| Pace of Play | Slower, often unfamiliar with the layout | Faster, more efficient play due to course familiarity |
This tension is the daily reality for semi-private courses. They must juggle schedule demands, manage expectations, and balance the value of predictable member revenue with the high-margin upside of tourism.
Walking the Operational Tightrope
The challenge of dual-market service is clearest in how St. Simons Island clubs operate.
Courses like Sea Palms Resort are often at the center of this friction. These clubs have to decide how to allocate tee times, manage pace of play, and uphold service standards that satisfy everyone. A single poor visitor experience could result in a missed future membership opportunity. At the same time, frustrating loyal members can damage the club’s long-term stability.
Private clubs like Frederica Golf Club and Sea Island Golf Club also play a role. Their exclusivity enhances the island’s reputation as a high-end golf destination. This reputation draws tourists who support semi-private courses, creating a market that allows different types of clubs to cater to different priorities.
In essence, the success of one part of the ecosystem helps support the whole.
Risk Management in a Dual-Market World
Serving both residents and visitors is not just a scheduling puzzle. It also introduces serious risk exposure.
Courses that open their gates to non-members increase their liability. According to Travelers Insurance, which underwrites golf-specific insurance programs, the top risks include:
- Slips, Trips, and Falls: These account for 44 percent of all bodily injury claims and are more likely with unfamiliar visitors navigating clubhouses, parking lots, and uneven terrain.
- Golf Cart Accidents: Tourist players may misuse carts or simply lack experience, increasing the likelihood of collisions or tip-overs.
- Liquor and Food Liability: Serving alcohol and meals to non-members introduces broader exposures that may not exist in a members-only model.
This is why Travelers developed the Eagle 3℠ program, specifically for golf operations like these. It provides coverage that standard commercial policies may exclude, such as protection for greens and fairways, or limited pollution coverage for pesticide use.
Insurance decisions must evolve alongside operational ones. If you are serving two markets, your risk plan needs to cover both.
Three Strategies to Keep the Peace and Grow the Business
The best clubs don’t pick sides. They build systems that value everyone.
1. Dynamic Tee Sheet Management
Modern scheduling software allows clubs to manage access intelligently. You can protect specific times for members, use dynamic pricing to monetize peak demand from tourists, and adjust based on seasonality and traffic trends. This ensures both groups feel prioritized without compromising revenue.
2. Cultivating a Unified Culture
Great clubs treat every guest like a member for a day. This means consistent, high-quality service from the first impression at the bag drop to the final experience in the clubhouse. Staff training plays a huge role in creating a seamless, welcoming culture for all.
3. Transparent Member Communication
Tourists are not just tolerated—they are part of the financial equation that makes member life better. Club managers who clearly communicate the benefits of visitor revenue help members see how tourism keeps dues affordable, pays for course improvements, and sustains long-term excellence.
Where Golf Communities Grow Stronger, Not Divided
St. Simons Island shows that clubs do not have to choose between members and guests. With the right strategy, they can serve both and thrive.
If your club has felt the strain of trying to please two very different groups, you are not alone. Many course managers wrestle with the fear that welcoming tourists will erode member loyalty.
Now that you have seen how St. Simons balances this act through smart operations, risk planning, and culture-building, you can apply the same principles to your own course. Whether you are improving your tee sheet policies or reassessing your insurance, every step brings you closer to a more resilient club.
Curious what the right insurance mix looks like for your course?
Your next step is to explore semi-private golf coverage that protects both sides of your business.
