Golf is recreation, so in theory your subject lines could be light-hearted. Then again, poor play can cause people misery and significant improvement tends to be challenging. Those are two good reasons for a coach to write subject lines that are encouraging / empathetic / inspiring / motivational. Here are some ideas.
Ask a question—for example: “Big numbers on the scorecard last weekend?” “Working hard on the range and still not hitting it better?” “What’s your target score for 18 holes?” “Got a friend who wants to join you for an introductory golf lesson?” “Which part of your golf game is working and which isn’t?” “If your handicap went down 7 strokes, would you be more fun to play with?”
Answer an FAQ they’ve been wondering about: Something like, “Come for a TrackMan analysis and here’s the very first thing we’ll check” will get a lot of emails to open. Or try, “We’ve got five new demo drivers—including one nobody will give back.” Remember, you’re not 100 percent trying to get players in for a TrackMan session or to get them testing a demo driver, you’re 100 percent trying to get them to open an email. What they find when they open it could include other content, including an offer or a promotion.
Give them fresh news about your coaching journey: If you think about your professional bio, it contains all sorts of experiences and training opportunities that helped make you the expert you are. When you next take advantage of such an opportunity, turn it into a subject line that sets up a brief anecdote, then a call-to-action. “I Just Spent 3 Days With a Coaching Legend—Here’s What I Learned” is a hard email not to open. Opening that email and reading it will take some golfers from a ‘maybe’ to a definite ‘yes’ on whether to book instruction with you.