Experience is critical for any type of event. But when an average customer only attends once a year, the impact of a great—or potentially bad—experience is magnified.

Zach Carlson, Director of Strategic Insights for the PGA Tour, says this is one of the challenges his operations team faces at every event.

Although the PGA Tour will host nearly 50 tournaments in 2026, the average golf fan only attends one event in person each year, and many will only spend a single day at the course. This differs from sports like hockey, baseball, or basketball—where it's common for fans to attend multiple games per season because they have more opportunities to choose from.

"So, if a fan has a bad experience on-site, other sports might have a chance to make up for it. But we don't have that opportunity, which puts immense pressure on us to ensure everything is as perfect as possible so they'll want to come back next year," Carlson told CX Dive.

When event opportunities are scarce, the experience must be excellent from start to finish. Needs range from smoothly guiding everyone to their destinations in an orderly fashion to efficiently resolving various issues that arise on-site.

According to Carlson, the audience at PGA Tour events is very diverse, ranging from families to business professionals. Some come to watch their favorite players compete, while others simply want to gather with friends. Given such a varied audience, the goal is to remove as much friction as possible for as many people as possible.

Many fans arrive via shuttle buses, so the experience begins before customers even reach the golf course. From there, clear wayfinding signage and the team's rapid response based on real-time feedback are crucial for smooth operations.

The PGA Tour also ensures that when customers raise issues, a complete feedback loop is closed.

"If you're not going to take action on feedback, then don't bother collecting it," Carlson said.

Starting with navigation

Guiding large crowds of fans to the golf course and then directing them to the correct holes across vast grounds is a challenge in itself.

"We've considered this experience from start to finish," Carlson said. "Many times fans come in on shuttles. When you arrive at the main entrance, you're ready to enter, so the signage system is crucial to ensure that as you walk in, you clearly know where to go to find the experience you want."

Shep Hyken, a customer service and experience expert, believes the shuttle ride itself can be a key part of the experience. While the average person understands that golf courses don't have enough parking to accommodate 20,000 fans, that doesn't make a 10- to 15-minute ride feel any less inconvenient.

Hyken says the PGA Tour handles its shuttle service well.

Hyken has personal experience with this. Although he was initially hesitant about attending a local event, the entire journey was smooth enough that it didn't detract from the overall event experience.

"I accepted it, and I was pleasantly surprised," Hyken told CX Dive. "The line to board the bus wasn't long, and getting in and out wasn't difficult."

According to Carlson, the PGA Tour puts significant thought into the layout and signage design that fans see after arriving at the course. Since customers have already spent time on the shuttle, they should encounter minimal obstacles when heading to areas of interest on the grounds.

Carlson says technology has greatly aided the PGA Tour's wayfinding efforts. Signage is good for general directions, but the Tour's mobile app helps fans track their favorite players' positions on the course.

Always closing the loop with customers

A good feedback loop should provide customers with a channel to contact the brand, and the brand confirms with the customer after resolving the issue.

The PGA Tour strives to ensure every experience is smooth, but some issues are unavoidable. The Tour's goal is to minimize problems while rectifying any inconveniences for fans.

"Early in tournament week, from an operational standpoint, you might not fully know which food and beverage areas need the most staffing," Carlson said. "Obviously you plan, but sometimes you notice that a particular drink tent behind the 17th hole is being overwhelmed by fans because that's where they want to be that day."

Carlson says when fans wait 15 minutes in line just to buy a beer, that's undoubtedly a bad experience. To address such friction points, QR codes are placed on-site, allowing fans to submit feedback directly through the PGA Tour mobile app. These codes are "strategically placed where people are most likely to need them."

"The feedback goes directly to an operations team member who is sitting there reviewing incoming messages—understanding where attention is needed and ensuring it's addressed first, not just for that fan, but for all fans," Carlson said.

Using an overwhelmed beverage tent as an example, Carlson says the first priority is to send additional staff to that tent and reorganize the queue to get the area flowing again.

Fans are also kept in the loop. Carlson says the PGA Tour confirms that the operations team has received their feedback, and once the issue is resolved, informs the customer, possibly even offering additional compensation to make up for the poor experience, such as a free beer.

"Every opportunity to close the loop with someone who submitted feedback, showing them they were heard and that their issue was addressed—this encourages more fans to continue the process and helps improvements compound," Carlson said.

Customers want issues resolved immediately

Golf courses cover vast areas, but even in remote corners, quick problem resolution remains critical.

According to Carlson, TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, is a particularly large course. During a tournament earlier this year, the operations team missed routine maintenance on the only restroom behind the 4th hole—a location that becomes extremely busy once top players reach that area.

"That's actually a great spot to watch golf, but yes, it's the only restroom within a considerable distance," Carlson said. "So if that restroom is in poor condition, it's a very bad experience for everyone."

Fortunately, the operations team received several requests early that morning and resolved the issue before it got out of hand, Carlson said.

Hyken believes speed is the top priority for any customer experience issue. American consumers have been shaped by speed, from travel times to delivery windows—and when it comes to restrooms, there's no room for delay.

"If we have to wait because there aren't enough restrooms, that's friction," Hyken said. "If there's a problem, it has to be fixed. I have a five-step process for handling complaints, and the fifth step is 'emergency action' because that rebuilds confidence. Solving a problem means you're back to normal. Emergency action shows you have the will to take care of the customer."

The PGA Tour operations team's work doesn't end after the 18th hole.

According to Carlson, after each event, the PGA Tour uses its "Voice of the Fan" program to start improving the experience for future tournaments. This program is a standardized post-event survey built in partnership with Qualtrics.

Carlson says the program helps the PGA Tour standardize data from events at different golf courses and use that data to create smooth experiences across all venues. It also ensures that customers who didn't encounter friction during the event can still share their feedback.

"I think the post-event survey is one of the first ways we tell fans: Hey, we care about your experience today," Carlson said. "We want to hear from you."