Building Stronger Communities: Enhancing No Laying Up and The Fried Egg Experiences

Building Stronger Communities: Enhancing No Laying Up and The Fried Egg Experiences

The world of golf isn't just about the game; it's about the community that surrounds it. Two prime examples of vibrant golf communities I am a member of are No Laying Up and The Fried Egg. These platforms have carved out unique spaces in the golf world, offering fans a place to connect, learn, and engage with the sport they love. However, there's always room for improvement to enhance engagement and scale these communities. 

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No Laying Up is a multifaceted platform that includes a popular podcast, YouTube channel, merchandise, and an active social media presence. It offers a mix of golf news, course reviews, player interviews, and travel content, creating a comprehensive hub for golf enthusiasts.

The Fried Egg focuses more on golf course architecture, providing in-depth analysis and educational content about course design, maintenance, and history. It also features podcasts, articles, and events that cater to a niche but passionate segment of the golf community.

Both communities thrive on engagement, knowledge sharing, and a strong sense of belonging among their members.

Both platforms can leverage user data to provide personalized content recommendations. For example, based on a user's viewing history or article reads, the platforms can suggest related podcasts, videos, or articles. This feature not only keeps users engaged but also helps them discover content that aligns with their interests.

Improved Onboarding Experience

New users often feel overwhelmed when joining large, established communities. When I joined these communities, I did not know where to look, what to read, how to get active and felt lost. Implementing a structured onboarding process can help new members understand where to go and how to get involved. Here are some steps to improve the onboarding experience:

Welcome Guides and Tutorials: Create comprehensive welcome guides that explain the community's features, highlight popular content, and guide new users through their first interactions.

Onboarding Emails: Send a series of onboarding emails to new members, each focusing on different aspects of the community. 

Mentorship Programs: Allow users to opt in to match them with existing local community members with shared interests and background. This will both improve onboarding and connect members, which will increase engagement long term 

Most users access content through their mobile devices. Both platforms could benefit from mobile apps or improved mobile website experiences. Centralizing the different content channels and modalities to one intuitive app would go a long way to increase engagement. Additionally, I would implement push notifications for new content releases, upcoming events, and community interactions. Personalized notifications can keep users informed and engaged without feeling overwhelmed.

Golf is Local

Both No Laying Up and The Fried Egg can enhance their local presence:

Local Roosts Integration: The Nest Roosts operate as de facto brand representatives. In Atlanta alone, we have a Discord of 300+ active members that has become a community on its own. No Laying Up is losing out on potential additional revenue streams by not being more integrated into their Roosts outside of the broader NLU tournament.

Club TFE Local: Club TFE does an incredible job hosting events at courses most just dream of playing. They have immense potential to do more at a local level to engage their membership. Regularly scheduled local meetups and events can strengthen community bonds and provide more value to members.

Members-Only Perks: The Nest (NLU) and Club TFE (TFE) both provide incredible premium content for members. They have the potential to take this to the next level via perks that align with their mission and values. Links does a great job in their membership with perks, and I think NLU and TFE can do similarly, outside of just store discounts and a yearly gift. Tons of companies will jump at the opportunity for an engaged golf audience. This can be a strong incentive for users to engage more deeply with the platform.

NLU and TFE has vast amounts of content that can be difficult to comb through. They have the potential to develop a custom GPT bot built on the data already available within the community. This bot could answer questions for new members, provide personal recommendations, and point them to relevant information based on previous searches and content viewed. For example, NLU can scrape the Refuge message board, podcasts, blog posts, and more, the bot could serve as a comprehensive resource for both new and existing members. Club TFE can pull all their golf architecture deep dives and answer any question a user might have regarding what they’ve covered.

No Laying Up and The Fried Egg have built impressive communities that go beyond just following golf, creating a “3rd place” for golfers to connect, learn, and share their passion. By implementing these product improvements, both platforms can enhance user engagement, build stronger relationships with their members, and continue to grow their communities. As the golf landscape evolves, staying ahead with these enhancements will ensure that No Laying Up and The Fried Egg remain at the forefront of the golf community experience.