Why Testimonial Videos Should Be Top Marketing Priority for Private Golf Communities

The decision to join a private golf community isn't made overnight. Some people are five years out and they start to research regions, narrowing down communities they'd like to visit, maybe planning to rent for a winter to test the fit. Others might be six months from retirement with three communities lined up based on friends' recommendations.

Either way, the stakes are high. These people are choosing where they'll spend a significant portion of their life and a substantial amount of money. Cost matters—for some people, money is not an issue, for others it's THE issue.

Most people start with a general idea. They know they want Naples, or Charleston, or Scottsdale. But they don't know which communities and clubs fit their budget. They don't know what the golf is really like. They don't know the value of the real estate or if the lifestyle will actually work for them.

They're in exploration mode. And they're doing most of that exploration online.

Word of Mouth Only Gets You So Far

We all like to rely on word of mouth. First from friends and then from online reviews by total strangers. We want authentic accounts of what an experience or product is like. But even then, for how effective third-party testimonials can be, you never really know what a place is like until you visit.

The problem? No one wants to waste their time visiting communities that aren't real contenders. When someone's comparing 20 golf communities across the Southeast, or Southwest, they need some indicators that help them narrow the list. This is where video testimonials become your most powerful asset.

The "People Like Us" Factor

High-quality testimonial videos do something your glossy brochure can't. They introduce prospects to the actual people who live there. The viewer can hear their voice, read their body language, and look into their eyes.

When done well, these videos let members tell their story. What they went through in their search. What other communities they considered. What concerns they had. Why they ultimately chose your club.

When a prospect watches someone who sounds like them, who had similar questions, who went through the same decision-making process—something clicks. They think, "Those people are like us. We're wondering the same things. We should go check it out."

That's the goal. Not to close the sale through video, but to earn a spot on the short list of communities worth visiting in person.

Dispelling Myths Before They Become Deal-Breakers

Here's the thing. Private golf communities are not for everyone. But how does anyone know unless they do the research and explore the possibilities? After all, prospects have a lot of concerns. Like any other country club, they worry about stuffiness. About whether they'll fit in. About costs spiraling out of control. Some younger prospects may have lifestyle concerns. When they hear "private golf community", they picture a senior living center with a golf course attached.

Testimonial videos give you a chance to address these concerns without being defensive. When a member talks openly about what they were worried about before joining, and then explains how those concerns were unfounded, it's credible. Far more credible than anything that shows up in your marketing collateral.

Transparency matters here. If your community has a specific culture or lifestyle, showing that honestly will attract the right people and save everyone time by deterring the wrong ones. Think of it this way: a prospect who watches your videos and thinks, "That's not for us," has done both parties a favor!

What Makes Testimonial Videos Work

The best testimonial videos feel like conversations, not commercials. They're not scripted pitches delivered by members who've been coached on talking points. They're real people talking about their experience with the candor and detail that only comes from authenticity.

Berkeley Hall Golf Club in South Carolina gets this right. Their member stories feature couples and individuals talking about everything from their search process to what surprised them about the community after joining. The videos aren't overly produced. They don't feel staged. The members come across as genuine.

If you're considering a move to the Lowcountry and you watch a few of those videos, you walk away with a clearer sense of who lives there and whether you'd fit in. That's the standard. Not perfection, but authenticity.

Strategic Member Selection

Here's one of the smartest uses of testimonial videos: attracting more of the members you want. If your community is trying to appeal to younger families, feature younger families. If you're drawing empty nesters from the Midwest, put those members on camera. If you've recently attracted members with specific interests—pickleball, sailing, a vibrant social calendar—show them talking about what drew them in.

This isn't manipulation. It's alignment. You're giving prospects an honest look at who they'll be spending time with. You're making it easier for the right people to self-select.

The Opportunity You're Missing

Few private golf communities invest in high-quality testimonial videos. Maybe they're trapped in old marketing thinking—believing that reputation and word of mouth are enough. Maybe budget is a concern. Maybe leadership assumes the community's status speaks for itself.

But here's what's happening. People spend hours researching online before making major decisions. Video is the dominant medium they consume during that research.

When your prospective members are comparing communities, they're looking for content that helps them make a confident decision. If your competitors have compelling testimonial videos and you don't, you've handed them an advantage.

More importantly, you're forcing prospects to rely on incomplete information. They'll visit anyway—maybe based on a friend's recommendation or a single glossy brochure—but they won't be as prepared. That means more mismatched visits. More prospects who don't convert. More time wasted for everyone involved.

What We've Seen Work

The clubs that prioritize testimonial videos don't just get more inquiries, they get better inquiries. People who show up with a sense of your culture. People who've watched members talk honestly about the lifestyle and thought, "That's exactly what we're looking for."

Those are the conversations worth having.

Your prospects are online right now trying to figure out which communities they want to visit. Find members who genuinely love living in your community and are willing to share their story. Ask them about their journey—what they were looking for, what concerns they had, why they chose you.

Above all else, keep it real. Keep it honest. Put it on your website where people can find it.

The prospects who watch those videos and say, "That's us"—those are the people you want to meet.