Golf clubs scrapped their reciprocal playing agreements during COVID-19 and many never came back.
Now, there is a Canadian-based company ready to fill that void with a hassle-free process of booking reciprocal play and lodging options at public, private and resort courses across the globe.
Ultimate Golf Perks (UGP) is currently assembling a list of client clubs and plans to launch its online subscription program by April 1, said Connor McLean, the golf network’s founder and owner.
McLean was at the recent PGA Show in Orlando spreading the word of the upstart company that bills itself as a way for clubs to enhance membership experiences.
“Essentially, we’ve simplified and streamlined the reciprocal booking process,” McLean said, “What’ll happen is when your club joins our global network, members of that club will be able to log on to Ultimate Golf Perks website and book a course out of that extensive list.”
UGP has enlisted more than 200 clubs into the program just within the last six weeks, with a goal of partnering with 500 to 800 courses over the next three months. In total, McLean has plans to reach out to more than 6,000 courses worldwide.
“Once a golfer selects a tee time, they’ll pay for it immediately and UGP takes care of the entire payment process,” McLean said. “This simplifies a whole bunch of things, just simply because we take the entire headache outside of the golf shop. We’re allowing members of these clubs to book their own reciprocal times, which as it stands right now with a private club you need the golf shop to make that reciprocal tee time on the members’ behalf and that has many times led to a very poor experience for members.”
There is a $1,500 annual fee for clubs to participate in the Ultimate Golf Perks network, but courses can sign up by Jan. 31 and receive three months free – a $4,500 value.
“There are absolutely no contracts,” McLean said. “If at any point a club feels it’s not the right fit, it can cancel with no strings attached.”
An attractive “perk” for the clubs that join is they get to set their own reciprocal rate. A participating club must provide at least one tee time per week during its operating season.
“We’re not forcing clubs to come down 50 percent,” McLean said of green fees. “Golf is too strong right now. We’re also allowing them to incentivize more purchases by upselling services. This can be such things as cart, merchandise, and food and beverage discounts. It’s helping clubs bring in more revenue.”
Ultimate Golf Network will also help clubs promote stay-and-play packages and lodging.
“We’re really trying to incentivize people more to use club facilities,” McLean said. “It can be very expensive to market your stay-and-play options. A lot of the time clubs just get bypassed because they are not on the first page of a Google search. So, we’re really trying to highlight the clubs in our network and have members enjoy the facilities and services like spas, wine tours, whatever a club might have.”
For example, such courses as Summit Golf Club and Saint Thomas Golf and Country in Canada have signed on to UGP, and McLean said there was intense interest from pros in the United States during his three days on the floor of the PGA Show.
St. Thomas, designed by legendary architect Stanley Thompson, celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2024 and is regarded as one of the top 50 layouts in all of Canada.
“He’s our Donald Ross of Canada,” McLean said of Thompson. “Right now we’re a little brand, but we’ve been so encouraged by the response so far.”
McLean said he’s in negotiations with large ownership groups that have many clubs under their umbrella, so UGP could expand very quickly.
“With our program clubs essentially get to remove themselves from the reciprocal booking process and they get to add more revenue,” McLean said, “And members of those clubs in the network have value added benefits because now they get more golf with the membership at their club. What that does for the club is it helps retain and attract new members.
“I’m a member of a private club and I love playing different courses, and so do my friends who all thought this was needed,” he added. “It makes everybody money . . . and it’s just good for golf.”