Clubs have long been cautious when it comes to adopting new technology. That hesitation has often been rooted in a desire to protect the member experience, but it has also left many operations struggling to catch up.
At Forsyth Country Club in Winston-Salem, N.C., Communications & Technology Manager Carly Wilson has helped redefine how a club can strike the right balance, introducing new tools, building buy-in, and showing that technology can support hospitality without overshadowing it.
“The strategy really boils down to balance,” says Wilson. “With technology, silence is a good sign. Members aren’t going to say, ‘Wow, this app is amazing.’ But if they’re not asking, ‘What’s wrong with the app or the tee sheet?’ that means it’s working.”
That focus on member experience has guided Forsyth’s approach to communication. Email remains central, but the club has shifted toward more targeted messaging and supplemental tools.
“We’ve increased our overall email open rate from the 40s to the 80s just by being intentional,” says Wilson. “If you send a note to the entire club, it tanks your numbers. But if you send it to the exact group who cares about that topic, you know they’ll read it.”
Push notifications and segmented interest groups have helped tighten the flow of information even further, while social media has become an extension of the club’s personality. “Our members are so much fun online,” says Wilson. “We’ll post live coverage from a bagpiper at a member-guest, or let them vote on a kids’ movie night. It’s casual, interactive, and it keeps them engaged.”
Building that consistency has taken time, but the results are clear. Engagement has grown sharply, and members are more likely to respond to posts and share their own experiences. The lesson for other clubs is straightforward: consistency and relevance matter more than volume.
The back end of technology integration is often where clubs run into challenges, and Forsyth is no exception.
“Integration means different things to different people,” says Wilson. “Just because two systems play nicely together doesn’t mean it’s seamless. Sometimes there’s extra work on the back end, but it’s worth it if the member experience improves.” That willingness to accept some tradeoffs has allowed the club to combine the strengths of different systems and deliver more effective solutions without overwhelming staff or members.
Educating the team has been another critical piece. Forsyth created a technology committee that brings together department heads, line staff, and managers to share what’s working and where improvements are needed.
“I was afraid it would turn into a complaint circle,” Wilson admits. “But instead people said, ‘This works, can you show us how?’ It has become a space to learn from each other and surface ideas I’d never see otherwise.”
By making technology a shared responsibility, the committee has created buy-in and given staff a greater sense of ownership.
Looking ahead, Wilson sees data as the next frontier. Clubs already collect information across golf, fitness, dining, and events, but much of it lives in separate systems.
“We want to make data-driven decisions about everything we do,” she says. “Right now we have fitness data, golf data, dining data—all in different places. Tools that can pull that together and make it actionable are at the top of the list.”
Artificial intelligence and automation are also beginning to play a role, though Forsyth’s focus has been on small, practical steps. “Sometimes it’s as simple as teaching someone to schedule a report instead of pulling it every day,” Wilson explains. “Those little wins save time and stress so staff can focus on the work they do best.”
The lesson from Forsyth is that technology should serve as a quiet partner, not a centerpiece. Clubs don’t need every shiny new tool, but they do need to evaluate how systems work together, how staff can be supported, and how data can inform decisions.
As Wilson puts it, “What matters is making technology work quietly in the background so hospitality can stay at the forefront.”
