Maximise the Season Without Losing Your Head
Author
Graeme Love
Back in Full Swing
What You’ll Learn:
- Time-saving tips for busy golf business owners
- How outsourcing can take pressure off during peak months
- Simple ways to protect your margins when you’re run off your feet
Intro
When peak season hits, the car park fills up, the tee sheets are stacked, and the bar is buzzing. That’s the good news. The bad news? Your to-do list just doubled, the pressure’s mounting, and there’s precious little time to catch your breath.
We spoke with Graeme Love, owner of Accounts.Golf, to get his no-nonsense take on how golf businesses can navigate their busiest months without losing sight of profitability or sanity.
Busy Is Good… Until It Isn’t
“There’s a real temptation to put your head down and just push through,” says Graeme. “But that’s when mistakes creep in.”
Graeme sees the same issues crop up every year: missed invoices, overworked teams, and financial reporting falling by the wayside. With so many moving parts; memberships, green fees, food and beverage, weddings, charity days, there’s a risk of spreading resources too thin and making short-term decisions that have long-term consequences.
“Managers are juggling everything. You can’t blame them,” he says. “But pulling people from one area to plug a gap in another just creates more inefficiency. You end up relying on people who don’t have the right skills for the task at hand.”
Outsource What Slows You Down
If it feels like everything’s urgent, it might be time to stop doing everything yourself.
According to Graeme, outsourcing doesn’t just lighten the load, it brings in the right expertise, fast. “Accountancy is a good starting point,” he explains. “It’s relatively easy to hand over and gives you clear oversight without pulling your team away from their day jobs.”
Other tasks, like payroll, stock control, or credit control, can also be outsourced with minimal fuss. “Outsourcing isn’t a distraction,” Graeme adds. “It’s a way to stop wasting time on things that aren’t your core business.”
Worried that it’s one more thing to sort out? Graeme challenges that idea. “Done well, it’s one less thing to worry about. It frees you up to manage people and customers, not paperwork.”
Quick Wins to Protect Your Profit
When you’re at full tilt, it’s easy to let the finer details slide. But that’s exactly when you need to be sharp.
“Margins are at risk when you’re not paying attention,” says Graeme. “Supplier costs creep up. You run promotions without checking the profit. Stock walks out the door without being recorded.”
His advice? Stick to the basics:
Stocktake regularly (especially in the bar and kitchen)
Review pricing in line with supplier costs
Tighten up wastage
Keep a close eye on how income is being recorded
“These aren’t big changes,” he says. “They’re just easy to drop when you’re busy and that’s when you can’t afford to.”
Plan Ahead, Even When You’re Flat Out
While the calendar might be bursting at the seams, taking even 30 minutes a week to review finances and spot patterns can make all the difference.
“It’s never too late to start,” says Graeme. “You wouldn’t run your marketing reactively, so why run your finances that way?”
Even simple weekly check-ins on cash flow, upcoming costs, and staffing levels can stop problems snowballing. And if the numbers aren’t your thing? Get someone in who understands them and the golf industry.
“Outsourcing gives you an independent sounding board,” Graeme says. “Someone who can help you make decisions based on facts, not gut feel.”
Final Thoughts
Peak season should be a time of opportunity, not overwhelm. But without the right support and systems in place, it’s easy to burn out, or miss out.
“Being overwhelmed isn’t a failure,” Graeme says. “But not doing anything about it is.”
If you’re flat out and flying blind, don’t wait until winter to sort things out. Accounts.Golf is here to help you maximise the season, stay in control, and protect your profits, without losing your head.
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Book a meeting with Graeme to talk about how Accounts.Golf can drive your business forward.