3 in 4 golfers pick their course based on online reviews

A survey of 4,000 golfers has found that a huge three in four of them will read online reviews before deciding which new course to play.

The Golfshake research found 80 per cent read online feedback and almost all of them will make their decision based at least partly on that information.

The research also found that the rate of golfers going online to read course reviews is doing up quickly, with use of the term ‘course reviews’ on search engines increasing by over 400 per cent in just two years.

“The importance of online reviews and ratings is becoming ever more apparent,” said Golfshake digital strategist Owen Davies. “Research by two economists from the University of California discovered that when a restaurant improved its customer rating by just half a star, it was significantly more likely to be full at peak times of the week.

“Our findings are reflected elsewhere, with a recent survey from Invesp Marketing discovering that 90 per cent of consumers read online reviews before visiting a business.”