Kapalua Resort’s Plantation Course in Maui, a Troon operated property, is among the hundreds of courses that are part of the new Access loyalty ecosystem. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
PGA TOUR
Golf is more than a hugely popular participation sport for many Americans. It’s a lifestyle. And Troon, the world’s largest golf management company, has created a new loyalty ecosystem that combines a robust rewards program with a tee time booking engine and an online retail experience.
The free-to-join platform, called Access, is designed to benefit both golfers and golf course operators. Golfers can get meaningful savings, flexible rewards from play and purchases, and an integrated ecommerce shopping experience that includes dozens of leading brands, including TaylorMade and Callaway. The upside for golf courses is sustained demand, repeat play and deeper customer relationships through what the company terms a “long-term growth engine.”
“If you think similarly to what Bonvoy is for Marriott or what Hilton Honors is for Hilton, Access is that for golf courses,” said Troon Chief Digital Officer Jeff Ma, a former Microsoft executive. Ma joined Troon in 2024 to head a team tasked with leveraging technology to improve the golfer experience as well as operations at the expanding portfolio of facilities the company manages nationwide.
Access is the evolution of Troon Access, a loyalty program the company introduced two years ago.
“I wouldn’t say this is the end, but now we feel like it’s close to a full program,” said Ma, noting that it’s not limited to facilities within the Troon portfolio. More than 200 courses are part of the platform, which is powered by Troon and intended to be flexible and frictionless. “Similarly to how Marriott develops brands and develops all sorts of other partners, we want to work with different courses and different brands.”
By way of example, Ma gives the hypothetical of a regular golfer who automatically earns points every time plays his local municipal course in Scottsdale, Arizona, and books tee times at GolfWithAccess.com. And instead of buying that new driver at a retail store, he collects more points for making the purchase at the Access Shop. The points that are accumulated over time might be redeemed for a round at Kapalua Resort’s Plantation Course in Maui or at the Mauna Lani Resort on Hawaii’s Big Island.
Troon North in Scottsdale, Arizona, is another of the Troon-operated courses within the Access network. But the platform isn’t limited to facilities in the Troon portfolio.
Troon
“We have a couple other (regions) besides Scottsdale that we’re having significant traction in,” said Ma. “And people are thinking about our points when they book golf. They’re thinking about where they play golf based on wanting to accrue access points.”
As Access members accumulate points, they progress through various tiers (Silver, Gold and Platinum) that unlock accelerated earning rates and greater redemption flexibility. Points can be applied directly during the tee time checkout process.
There are also subscription-based levels – Access Platinum and Access Premium+ — that feature year-round savings on tee times at participating courses, automatic loyalty tier upgrades, guest savings passes that can be shared with friends, and exclusive offers within the Access Shop.
“You can book a tee time, invite your playing partners, earn points automatically, and apply those points toward your next round, all in one place,” said Ma. “It removes friction and makes loyalty part of the booking experience itself.”
Ma envisions potential future partnerships with major financial services companies – such as the points-rich cardholders of an American Express or Chase Sapphire — that could let golfers convert existing rewards into tee times across the Access network.
Course operators, meanwhile, can join at no upfront cost and get free access to marketing tools — automated confirmation emails, tee time waitlists, retargeting capabilities — that are typically sold as standalone software products. “We get paid based on delivering you more business,” Ma said.
With so many consumers being immersed in golf as a lifestyle, Ma sees the Access platform as a way to deepen that engagement even further. And sees Troon as uniquely positioned to implement this new ecosystem.
“Ultimately, the big thing is how do we help golfers play more golf and how do we help golf courses make more money?” he said. “As the dominant third-party management brand in golf, this is an important thing for us to do. Golf needs this and we’re trying to do this in a very transparent way where we really help courses make more money. Not a ton of that money is flowing to us yet, but hopefully eventually it will. But we don’t have to think first about how we make a lot of money ourselves. So, that’s the unique proposition for us.”