One Club
The R&A today is re-launching its “One Club” membership platform with a diversified product the organization hopes will help it connect with more fans.
The R&A launched “The One Club” in 2017, a free membership platform with various amenities that was mostly focused around its premier event, the Open Championship.
Now, the organization has dropped “The” from the name of the platform -- in an effort to become more inclusive -- and also has expanded it to include more than just the Open, but also the AIG Women’s Open and other R&A events.
One of the primary drivers to sign up to this point has been the Open’s ticket ballot, which was introduced in 2020. One Club currently has 1.4 million members, said Georgina Lewis, the R&A’s director of marketing.
On top of the ticket ballot, members also have the opportunity to guarantee a spot at the Open through a hospitality package the R&A provides.
One Club will include other reward and benefits opportunities for members, as well as golf lifestyle content from YouTube personalities and a coaching network that includes, among others, Phil Kenyon and Dr. Bob Rotella. Other amenities include access to merchandise, equipment and travel discounts.
“With the Open, we've got that key window of seven or eight days and then the sort of the shelves are kind of a couple of weeks or so either side,” Lewis said. “But then it's almost been a little bit more difficult to keep that engagement going all the way through the year.”
Members also will have access to as many as seven R&A championships -- both live and non-live coverage -- through a new OTT platform that’s powered by Endeavor Streaming.
“Thinking around the core golf audience is still absolutely critical to us, but it’s also that new wider audience that we can appeal to,” Lewis said. “Thinking around the next generation. Just ensuring that golf is appealing and engaging for that younger generation.”
Mastercard, an existing R&A partner, is a presenting sponsor of “One Club.” The R&A had assistance from Two Circles on data support and management, while London-based TwelfthMan worked on website development. London-based MATTA is helping with the launch campaign and TeamUp worked on development of its membership brand.
