Google Ads

Google Ads that bring members. Not clicks.

Search, Performance Max and Shopping — built around what matters for your facility: the membership enquiry, the tee time, the sale. Google-certified, more than ten years in the account.

30 minutes · free · you get your three biggest levers in writing

My setup · golf club example

What counts as success — and what never does.

PrimaryMembership enquiry · taster course booking
SecondaryTee-time booking · call from the ad
NeverClick · impression · page view

The bidding strategy optimises for primary and secondary only. Everything else is reporting, not a goal.

Why Google Ads alone isn't enough.

An ad is only as good as the page it lands on — and only as smart as the tracking that feeds it. That's why Google Ads sits in the Reach stage of G.R.E.E.N. for me: after Groundwork, before Experience.

How the stages work together →
What I actually do

Setup depth instead of campaign fiddling.

Most golf accounts don't lose their budget to competitors but to search queries that have nothing to do with the course. That's where I start.

My setup standard

  • Conversion hierarchy in writing, before launch
  • Negative lists shared account-wide and maintained monthly
  • Location: radius plus exclusion of neighbouring regions that don't book
  • Ad schedule aligned with office hours when calls count
  • Consent Mode v2 and Enhanced Conversions
  • Brand campaign separated from the new-customer budget
  • Monthly report: cost per conversion, not per click
  1. 01

    Account audit first.

    I check existing accounts for search terms, exclusions, location and schedule settings before I move a single euro. Written result — what stays, what goes.

  2. 02

    The exclusions golf needs.

    “Golf” is also a car, a jacket, a video game. Clean negative lists and a keyword structure per audience — beginners, switchers, guests — keep the budget on golfers.

  3. 03

    Radius and season.

    A club sells within its catchment area, a resort in its source markets, a brand at the start of the season. Bids, schedules and budgets follow that rhythm instead of an annual average.

  4. 04

    Conversions that are real money.

    Enhanced Conversions, Consent Mode v2, offline import of the deals closed by the club office — so Google optimises for members, not form clicks.

  5. 05

    Performance Max and Shopping for brands.

    Product feeds structured by margin, asset groups per range, brand searches separated — so PMax brings new customers instead of just collecting existing ones.

From the account

Which search queries earn money — and which are just called “golf”.

Budget stays — golfers with intent

  • golf club membership near me
  • golf taster course weekend
  • handicap certificate course cost
  • learn to play golf nearby
  • book green fee sunday
  • corporate golf membership

Budget goes — negative list

  • vw golf gti used
  • golf lease deal
  • golf jacket men sale
  • golf clash tips
  • mini golf kids party
  • golf simulator buy
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Membership & taster coursesGuests, green fees & eventsIndoor & winter offers

Illustrative search terms and a schematic seasonal rhythm of a club — no account data, no measurements.

A club sells within its radius. So does the campaign.

Photo: own material, no stock
In short

The questions operators ask me.

Are Google Ads worth it for a golf club?

Yes — if the campaign steers towards conversions instead of clicks and the catchment area is tightly defined. The yardstick is member value: joining fee plus annual fees over the membership duration, measured against the cost per enquiry. The calculator on the system page shows it with your numbers.

What do Google Ads cost for a golf club?

Two items: the media budget that goes to Google, and the management. The media budget depends on catchment area and season; the setup runs as a sprint, after that I manage it on an ongoing basis. We discuss concrete figures in the discovery call — after a look into the account, not before.

FAQ

And what else matters.

Do you take over existing accounts?

Yes. The account remains your property; I work via manager access. The audit always comes first — what works stays; only what demonstrably loses budget gets rebuilt.

Who supplies ad copy and images?

I write the copy in club language, you approve. Photos of your own facility beat any stock image — you'll get a short brief of what I need.

How quickly will I see results?

First data within 14 days, reliable conclusions after 60 to 90 days. Optimising earlier would mean reacting to noise.

Does Performance Max make sense for a golf club?

For most clubs, no: too few conversions for the algorithm, location control too coarse. For retailers with a product feed, PMax is the standard. I decide that on the account, not on the trend.

How I work

Four steps — from first call to ongoing collaboration.

01

Discovery call

30 minutes, free. You describe the situation, I listen — and tell you honestly whether I can help.

02

Audit

I measure before I recommend: account, tracking, visibility, booking path. Written result, with priorities.

03

Setup sprint

Foundation first: tracking, structure, the first campaigns or pages. Fixed scope, fixed timeframe.

04

Ongoing support

Monthly leadership and execution, quarterly strategy review.

Prefer to start without a call? The golf marketing check gives you a first assessment in 15 minutes.

Sebastian Scholz putting — founder of Golfancy
Sebastian ScholzGolfancy · Hamburg · active golfer since 2016
Next step

Let's look at your numbers.

30 minutes, directly with me. You get your three biggest levers — in writing, whether we work together afterwards or not.

Book a slot nowOr write to me

30 minutes · free · you get your three biggest levers in writing