Newsletter System Guide

Overview

The Newsletter System helps you build an email subscriber list and send targeted campaigns. Collect emails at check-in, through your scorecard, or via a sign-up form on your website. Then send promotions, event announcements, and updates directly to your players' inboxes.

Plan required: Standard plan or higher.

Before You Start

Standard plan subscription active
Course email configured for sending
Content plan for your first campaign (subject, body, CTA)
Familiar with email marketing basics (unsubscribe compliance, CAN-SPAM)

Step-by-Step Setup

1

Enable Newsletter Collection

Go to Dashboard → Manage → Newsletter tab. Toggle "Enable Newsletter" to ON. This activates email collection on your scorecard and check-in flow.

2

Configure Collection Points

Choose where to collect emails: during check-in, on the scorecard goodbye page, or via a standalone sign-up form. Enable opt-in checkboxes where appropriate.

3

Create Your First Campaign

Click "New Campaign". Add a subject line, write your message, and include a call-to-action (e.g., "Book Now", "Join Our Tournament"). Preview on desktop and mobile before sending.

4

Send a Test Email

Send a test to your own email first. Check formatting, links, and images. Then send to your subscriber list.

5

Track Results

After sending, monitor open rates, click rates, and unsubscribes in the campaign analytics dashboard.

Configuration

Building Your List

Check-In Collection: Add an optional email field to kiosk and mobile check-in.
Scorecard Opt-In: After the game, players can opt in to your newsletter on the goodbye screen.
Import Existing Contacts: Upload a CSV of existing email subscribers.
Duplicate Prevention: The system automatically deduplicates email addresses.

Campaign Features

Rich Text Editor: Format emails with images, links, buttons, and styled text.
Templates: Choose from pre-built templates (event announcement, promotion, newsletter roundup).
Scheduling: Send immediately or schedule for a specific date and time.
Unsubscribe Link: Automatically included in every email for CAN-SPAM compliance.

Campaign Analytics

Open Rate: Percentage of recipients who opened the email.
Click Rate: Percentage who clicked a link in the email.
Unsubscribe Rate: Track opt-outs per campaign.
Subscriber Growth: Chart showing list growth over time.

Example Scenario

Scenario: How Putter's Paradise Built a 2,000-Subscriber List in 3 Months

Illustrative example with projected results. Not based on a specific customer.

Putter's Paradise in Phoenix enabled email collection at their kiosk check-in with a simple "Get exclusive deals" opt-in. They sent bi-weekly emails with upcoming events and promo codes. Within 3 months, they had 2,000 subscribers and their tournament attendance tripled.

2,000

Subscribers in 3 Months

38%

Avg Open Rate

3x

Tournament Attendance

$4,200

Revenue from Email Promos

Tips & Best Practices

Tuesday at 10 AM

Emails sent Tuesday-Thursday mornings get the highest open rates. Avoid weekends and Mondays.

One CTA Per Email

Focus each email on one action: book a tee time, sign up for a tournament, or use a promo code. Multiple CTAs dilute results.

Clean Your List

Remove bounced emails quarterly. A clean list means higher deliverability and better open rates.

Subject Lines Matter

Keep subject lines under 50 characters. Use action words: "Save 20% This Weekend" beats "Monthly Newsletter #4".

Video Walkthrough

Video walkthrough coming soon.

FAQ

Standard plans support up to 5,000 subscribers. Premium plans support up to 25,000. Enterprise plans have no limit. Contact support if you need more.

Basic segmentation is available: you can target all subscribers or recently active players. More advanced segmentation (by visit frequency, spending, etc.) is on the roadmap.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Cause	Fix
Emails going to spam	Sending domain not verified or content triggers spam filters	Avoid spam trigger words in subject lines. Keep image-to-text ratio balanced. Contact support for domain verification help.
Low open rates (<15%)	Poor subject lines, bad timing, or stale list	A/B test subject lines, send during business hours, and clean bounced emails from your list.