Lac La Belle leverages Lightspeed to streamline operations and elevate golfer experiences.

A warm welcome—a gracious goodbye

According to Clint Higgins, Director of Golf Operations, the Club’s guiding principles are summed up in a simple phrase: “Here at The Club at Lac La Belle, we believe in a warm welcome—followed by a gracious goodbye.” And while welcomes and goodbyes matter, the secret to the Club’s success is found in the dash that connects them.

For Clint, the dash represents the space where he and his team have the opportunity to create unforgettable experiences. From the spectacular 18-hole layout, wildly entertaining Flatstick putting green, expansive practice area and curated pro shop to amazing hospitality experiences at the Rivalry Pub and Papa’s Porch, every customer touchpoint is designed to feel personal, intentional and premium.

“Our standard operating procedures are all focused on an end customer: our members and our guests. We’re going to go out of our way to make sure that your time here is memorable.”

Creating better golf experiences via technology

For Clint and his team, delivering on this standard of personalized, intentional service is significantly easier with Lightspeed.

Equipped with Lightspeed’s member management tools and real-time customer insights, the Club has a platform that enhances customer interactions, rather than one that replaces them.

“Lightspeed gives us the tools we need to deliver a high level of personalized service. From billing and booking tee times to tracking their play, tracking their spend and little touches like making notes on member profiles. All of this helps us make a member’s experience better and we can do the same thing with our public golfer.”

Faster reporting, better facility-wide insights

The less time Clint spends at his desk, the more time he has to do what he loves most: taking care of customers and ensuring golfers have the best possible experience at the Club.

That’s where Lightspeed’s fast, detailed, and user-friendly Business Intelligence tools make the difference.

“In years past, it would take me two to three hours to compile a report. With Lightspeed, I can literally do everything I need for a management meeting in five minutes. Run all my numbers. I can compare them to historical data from years past by week, by month. It’s instantaneous. I can do it at once behind the counter, go and report in a meeting, and then get back to taking care of our golfers on the course.”

And it’s not just Clint—every department benefits from Lightspeed. From inventory management in the golf shop to analyzing food and beverage sales to reviewing member data, the platform gives the Club a unified, reliable system to operate more efficiently and make smarter decisions.

The result? Day-to-day management has become significantly easier.

“Lightspeed is a good fit for our pro shop and retail operations because of its intuitiveness. It makes it easy for our merchandise manager to log, manage, and track inventory, discounts and overall spend per golfer.”

With better insights comes better planning

A key metric that Clint and his team have been able to track with Lightspeed is average revenue spent per golfer:

“In 2020 we did 12,000 rounds of golf. We’re on pace this year to do 20,000 rounds of golf. It’s a 66% increase. What we’ve also noticed and tracked is that our average dollar per spend has gone from $20 to a little over $40 per golfer. Knowing and planning that you have this revenue coming, helps us plan and forecast for other special projects.”

And that special project? An incredible new nine-hole par-3 course is currently under construction on a remarkable, sprawling, undulating piece of land adjacent to the 18-hole championship course.

Named Uncle Henry’s Backyard in honor of Henry Shufeldt, one of the club’s founding members, this new layout is the perfect “beginner and ender”—great for those just starting out, and equally valuable for seasoned players looking to sharpen their game. It’s more approachable for those who might be further along in life or don’t have the time or stamina for 18 holes. No long carries, water hazards, or deep bunkers. Just a welcoming space to enjoy the game

“It will be special. It ties back to our history, our intentionality and our overall experience for our golfers.”

With Lightspeed, the Club is equipped with the tools needed for future growth

With Uncle Henry’s Backyard slated to open soon, Clint sees even more opportunities for growth. From on-site accommodations to new recreational amenities, the future looks bright as the Club carries its proud legacy forward.

And as The Club at Lac La Belle continues to scale and find new ways to delight both members and guests, Clint is confident that Lightspeed is the platform that can support their growth story.

“I’m confident that as we move forward into the future and we bring in housing or stay in play packages, that Lightspeed is going to be that software that helps us on our property.”