Templates

These templates are copy-paste ready for GoHighLevel. Every merge field that contains curly braces is shown inside a code span so it renders safely — paste them exactly as written and GHL will resolve them at send time. Work through them in order; do not jump to Templates 2–5 before the Trust Bridge has been sent and metrics are healthy.

Subject: Important update — our emails are moving to a new address

Hi {{contact.first_name}},

Quick heads-up before anything else lands in your inbox.

We’re moving our emails over to a new address:

  info@mail.{{custom_values.club_domain}}

All the same team, same messages — just a cleaner, more secure setup.

One thing that would really help:

Check your junk folder this week. Until our new address has built up a track record, some email providers may be a little cautious — if you spot one of our emails there, mark it as “not spam”.

Optional, but it can help: add info@mail.{{custom_values.club_domain}} to your contacts.

That’s it — nothing urgent.

Thanks for bearing with us,

[Name]
[Role], {{location.name}}
[Phone number]

Email format guidance

The format of the first send matters as much as its content. Mailbox providers assess the structural fingerprint of an email alongside its content. Start with the lowest-friction format and graduate as reputation builds.

The three tiers

Start at Tier 2. A small logo aids recognition, which lowers complaint rates — a direct deliverability win. Save the full newsletter format until the domain has earned it.

Lightly-branded HTML: what it means in practice

• One logo at the top: small (ideally under 30 KB), with an alt attribute set to the club name. If the image is blocked, the member still sees the club name.
• System-safe fonts only: Georgia, Arial, or Helvetica. No web fonts in the first month.
• Single-column layout, no background images, no hero image filling the entire width.
• Every HTML send must include a fully formed plain-text alternative part — GHL supports this; verify it is set before sending.
• Never use a single large image as the entire email body. This is treated as spam by every major provider.

Reply is the hero CTA

The reply signal is the single strongest trust indicator available to a new sending domain. When a member replies, their mailbox provider records an active two-way conversation — the clearest possible signal that the email was wanted.

• Make "hit reply" the primary, most prominent call to action in the Trust Bridge.
• Add-to-contacts is a secondary nudge only. Adding a sender to contacts creates a local address-book entry on that device; it is not a Gmail allow-list and it does not guarantee inbox placement for future sends. Never imply it does.
• The first email's job is replies and reputation, not showcasing the club's design system.

Value-capture variant (optional)

Keep the frictionless primary ask exactly as written — "reply with the word Received" is deliberately zero-effort and maximises reply volume. Optionally, add a PS that invites a richer reply:

PS — if you have a spare moment, I would also love to know: what is 
the one thing you would most like to see improved at 
{{location.name}} this season? Just add it to your reply — I read 
every response personally.

The trade-off: an open question produces fewer total replies than the one-word ask, but the replies it does produce are longer, more personal, and genuinely useful member intelligence the club can act on — and a longer member-written reply is at least as strong a trust signal as a one-word one.

Recommendation: A/B this across clubs rather than guessing — run the plain ask at some clubs and the PS variant at others, and record reply volume and reply quality in the fleet log (see Per-Club Runbook).

Template 1 — Trust Bridge (true plain text variant)

Purpose: Establish the new sending identity, generate authentic reply signals, and prime members who were not reached by the Step 0 Intelligent Golf broadcast.

Audience: Tier A only — members who clicked, replied, booked, or engaged by any measurable action within the last 30 days in Intelligent Golf. This is the highest-trust segment and the one that will generate the reply wave the domain needs.

Timing: Day 1 of the ramp, after authentication is fully verified and suppression list is imported. Send to Tier A only; do not blast the full list.

GHL throttling note: GHL has no native send-rate throttle — it will attempt to burst the entire queue immediately against Mailgun's shared-pool rate limits (~300/hr on Flex). Manually batch Tier A into hour-sized chunks and schedule them at staggered times. Never one-shot the full list.

Subject line:

Update to {{location.name}} member communications

From name:

{{custom_values.general_manager_name}} at {{location.name}}

From address:

info@mail.{{custom_values.club_domain}}

(e.g. info@mail.highgategc.co.uk — the sending subdomain, never the root domain)

Reply-to:

info@mail.{{custom_values.club_domain}}

Must route to a monitored inbox. Never a no-reply address.

Body (true plain text):

Hi {{contact.first_name}},

I wanted to send you a quick personal note before our main club 
communications start arriving from our new system.

We have upgraded the platform we use to send member emails here at 
{{location.name}}. Our previous system served us well, but the new 
setup gives us better tools to keep you up to date with everything 
happening at the club — from course conditions and competition 
results to events and member news.

Because of this change, future emails from {{location.name}} will 
arrive from this address:

  {{custom_values.from_email_display}}

There are two things that would genuinely help us, and I would be 
very grateful if you could take 30 seconds to do them:

1. PLEASE REPLY TO THIS EMAIL with the word "Received" — just hit 
   reply and send that single word back to me. This tells us the 
   new system is working correctly, and it helps your email 
   provider recognise us as a trusted sender so future updates 
   land in your inbox rather than junk.

2. ADD THIS ADDRESS TO YOUR CONTACTS — add 
   {{custom_values.from_email_display}} to your address book or 
   contacts list. This is a helpful secondary step, though it is 
   no substitute for that reply signal above.

Your membership details, preferences, and booking access are 
completely unchanged. This is simply a behind-the-scenes update to 
how we communicate with you.

If you have any questions at all, please reply to this email or 
call us on {{location.phone}}.

Thank you for taking the time — it genuinely makes a difference.

Warm regards,

{{custom_values.general_manager_name}}
{{custom_values.general_manager_title}}
{{location.name}}
{{location.address}}
{{location.phone}}
{{location.website}}

---
You are receiving this email as a member of {{location.name}}.
To manage your preferences or unsubscribe: {{contact.unsubscribe_link}}

Template 1 — Trust Bridge (lightly-branded HTML variant)

Recommended for most clubs. Identical purpose and audience as the plain text variant above. Use this if the club has a recognisable logo, wants a slightly more polished first impression, or the GM voice is naturally warmer.

Everything below the header logo is plain live text. Do not add a hero image, styled button, or multiple CTAs.

Subject line: same as plain text variant.

From name / address / reply-to: same as plain text variant.

Structural notes for GHL email builder:

• Insert the club logo at the top, centred or left-aligned, constrained to a maximum width of 200px. Add alt text: {{location.name}}.
• Body font: Arial or Georgia, 16px, dark grey (#333333) on white.
• No background colours, no button elements, no footer image strip.
• Unsubscribe and postal address in a plain-text style footer, 13px, light grey.
• Enable the plain-text alternative tab in GHL and paste in the plain text version above.

Body (HTML content — live text only, rendered in the builder):

Hi {{contact.first_name}},

I wanted to send you a quick personal note before our main club 
communications start arriving from our new system.

We have upgraded the platform we use to send member emails here at 
{{location.name}}. The new setup gives us better tools to keep you 
up to date with everything happening at the club — from course 
conditions and competition results to events and member news.

Future emails from {{location.name}} will arrive from:

  {{custom_values.from_email_display}}

Two things that would genuinely help us right now:

1. Hit reply and send back the word "Received" — this tells us the 
   system is working and helps your email provider recognise us as 
   a trusted sender so you never miss a club update.

2. Add {{custom_values.from_email_display}} to your contacts as a 
   helpful secondary step.

Your membership details, preferences, and booking access are 
completely unchanged.

If you have any questions, reply to this email or call us on 
{{location.phone}}.

Warm regards,

{{custom_values.general_manager_name}}
{{custom_values.general_manager_title}}
{{location.name}}
{{location.address}}
{{location.phone}}
{{location.website}}

Footer (plain-text style, below the body):

You are receiving this email as a member of {{location.name}}.
Manage preferences or unsubscribe: {{contact.unsubscribe_link}}

Seed panel — internal note (do not include in template): On the Trust Bridge send only, send to your real personal inboxes (Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, Yahoo) at staggered intervals across a 2–3 hour window before the Tier A send. This is a placement diagnostic — you are checking that the email arrives, that formatting renders, and whether it lands in spam. Take natural, non-scripted actions: read it, reply if it lands in inbox, mark as not spam only if it genuinely landed in junk. The seed panel is a one-time diagnostic on sends #1–3 only, not an ongoing warm-up engine. Never automate it, and never use dormant inboxes — they carry a dead-list penalty risk.

When members reply: the response protocol

The Trust Bridge will generate a wave of replies — and where those replies land, and who answers them from where, determines how much extra reputation the club banks. Replies to the subdomain address route via Mailgun inbound into GHL's Conversations inbox. They do not appear in the manager's Outlook. If nobody is watching Conversations, members get silence after doing exactly what the club asked them to do.

The rules:

• Every club has a named reply owner — one person responsible for the Conversations inbox during the warm-up.
• Same-day SLA on every member reply, including the one-word "Received" replies.
• The first response always goes from GHL Conversations — never from the manager's own mailbox — so the thread stays on the new sending identity.
• Exception: genuinely personal or sensitive matters (a complaint, a health issue, a fee dispute) may move to the manager's own email after the first acknowledgement from Conversations.

Stock response — "Received"-style replies:

Thank you, {{contact.first_name}} — received loud and clear, and the 
new system is working perfectly. See you at the club soon.

Stock response — replies that raise a question:

Thanks for your reply, {{contact.first_name}} — and for the question. 
I have passed it to the right person here at {{location.name}} and 
one of the team will come back to you today. If it is urgent, you 
can always call us on {{location.phone}}.

Before the first send:

• Verify LC Email reply routing delivers inbound replies to the GHL Conversations inbox
• Verify LC Email reply settings are not set to forward inbound replies to an external address — if forwarding is on, managers will reply from Outlook and every follow-on signal is lost (see Setup Runbook)
• Confirm the named reply owner has Conversations access and knows the same-day SLA

Template SMS — Neutral transition notice

Send this one-off SMS in parallel with the Trust Bridge email, ideally within the same 2-hour window on Day 1. It rides the club's existing SMS consent and primes members who may not check email promptly.

This is a strictly neutral service message. It must not contain:

• Any offer, promotion, or incentive
• A "Reply STOP to opt out" line (adding one reframes this as direct marketing under PECR, pulling it into the higher-consent regime and potentially exposing the club to fines under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, which raised the ceiling to £17.5m)
• Any language that implies the member did something wrong ("you haven't opened our recent email")

If the club wants to include a STOP opt-out, the message must be rewritten as a marketing SMS and evaluated against the club's lawful basis for that channel before sending.

Approved wording:

{{location.name}}: We now send member emails from 
{{custom_values.from_email_display}}. Please check your junk folder 
and mark it as safe if it arrives there. Questions? Call us on 
{{location.phone}}.

Keep it under 160 characters if possible so it sends as a single SMS segment. Abbreviate only where it does not reduce clarity. Do not add a URL shortener.

Template 2 — Weekly member update (Tier A / early Tier B)

Purpose: Establish a regular sending cadence with genuinely useful, member-relevant content.

Timing: From Day 2–3 onwards for Tier A (once Trust Bridge reply signals are healthy); introduce to early Tier B once spam complaint rate is below 0.10% and hard bounce rate is below 0.50%.

Format: Simple HTML with a plain-text alternative. Maximum one header image. High text-to-image ratio. Links through the branded custom tracking CNAME (link.{{custom_values.club_domain}}).

Subject line options:

This week at {{location.name}} — {{custom_values.week_date_range}}

Your {{location.name}} member update — {{custom_values.week_date_range}}

Course news, competitions and upcoming events — {{location.name}}

From name:

{{location.name}} Members

(or {{custom_values.general_manager_name}} at {{location.name}} if a named sender is preferred)

From address:

info@mail.{{custom_values.club_domain}}

Body:

Hi {{contact.first_name}},

Here is your weekly update from {{location.name}}.

---

COURSE CONDITIONS

{{custom_values.course_conditions_update}}

{{custom_values.temporary_measures_if_any}}

---

COMPETITION NEWS

{{custom_values.competition_results_summary}}

Full results and updated handicap movements are available via the 
member portal: {{custom_values.results_portal_link}}

---

UPCOMING EVENTS AND FIXTURES

{{custom_values.events_list_this_week}}

{{custom_values.next_major_event_teaser}}

---

BOOKINGS AND MEMBER SERVICES

{{custom_values.booking_reminder_or_info}}

To view your booking slot or check availability:
{{custom_values.booking_portal_link}}

---

That is everything from us this week. If you have any questions or 
there is anything we can help with, reply to this email or call 
the clubhouse on {{location.phone}}.

See you on the course.

{{custom_values.general_manager_name}}
{{location.name}}

---
{{location.name}} | {{location.address}} | {{location.phone}} | {{location.website}}

Manage preferences: {{contact.preference_center_link}}
Unsubscribe: {{contact.unsubscribe_link}}

Content rule: Keep all promotional content out of this template during the first month. It is a member-service update. Promotional content (pro shop sales, guest day offers, twilight deals) should not appear until Week 3 at the earliest, and only once Postmaster domain reputation is "High" or "Medium" and complaint rate is comfortably below 0.10%.

Template 3 — Event / fixture reminder (single CTA)

Purpose: Drive genuine clicks — the second most important positive engagement signal after replies. A specific event with a real booking deadline is ideal: it gives members a time-sensitive reason to click that they actually want.

Timing: From Day 4–7 onwards, once Tier A metrics are healthy and Tier B is being introduced.

Format: Simple HTML with a plain-text alternative. One main CTA link. No URL shorteners. No attachments.

Subject line options:

Reminder: {{custom_values.event_name}} — booking closes {{custom_values.booking_deadline}}

{{custom_values.event_name}} at {{location.name}} — places still available

Don't miss {{custom_values.event_name}} on {{custom_values.event_date}}

From name:

{{location.name}} Events

From address:

info@mail.{{custom_values.club_domain}}

Body:

Hi {{contact.first_name}},

A quick reminder that {{custom_values.event_name}} is coming up on 
{{custom_values.event_date}}.

{{custom_values.event_description_2_3_sentences}}

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Date:           {{custom_values.event_date}}
Time:           {{custom_values.event_time}}
Format:         {{custom_values.event_format}}
Entry:          {{custom_values.entry_details_fee_or_free}}
Booking closes: {{custom_values.booking_deadline}}

{{custom_values.event_additional_details_optional}}

TO RESERVE YOUR PLACE

Click the link below to book before {{custom_values.booking_deadline}}:

  {{custom_values.event_booking_link}}

If you have any questions about the event, reply to this email or 
contact the pro shop on {{custom_values.pro_shop_phone}}.

We look forward to seeing you there.

{{custom_values.general_manager_name}}
{{location.name}}

---
{{location.name}} | {{location.address}} | {{location.phone}} | {{location.website}}

Manage preferences: {{contact.preference_center_link}}
Unsubscribe: {{contact.unsubscribe_link}}

CTA rule: The booking link must go to the club's own booking system or website — never a URL shortener, never a third-party redirect domain. If GHL custom tracking is active, the link routes automatically through link.{{custom_values.club_domain}}. Verify this is configured before sending.

Template 4 — Member service update (genuinely informational)

Purpose: Build trust and demonstrate club responsiveness with a factual update members need. Service messages carry a lower complaint risk than promotional emails and can be introduced to broader segments earlier in the ramp, provided they are genuinely operational.

This template must not be used as a vehicle for cross-selling or upselling. The moment a service message contains a promotional element, it becomes direct marketing under PECR and requires the same legal basis as any other marketing email.

Format: Plain text or simple HTML. No images required. One plain-text link if further information is needed. No CTA button.

Subject line options:

Important update: {{custom_values.service_update_topic}} at {{location.name}}

Member notice: {{custom_values.service_update_topic}}

Action required: {{custom_values.service_update_topic}} — please read

(Use "Action required" only if the member genuinely needs to do something.)

From name:

{{location.name}} Member Services

From address:

info@mail.{{custom_values.club_domain}}

Body:

Hi {{contact.first_name}},

We are writing to let you know about an important update affecting 
your membership at {{location.name}}.

WHAT IS CHANGING

{{custom_values.service_update_description}}

WHEN THIS TAKES EFFECT

{{custom_values.change_effective_date_or_period}}

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO

{{custom_values.member_action_required_or_nothing_required}}

For full details, please visit: {{custom_values.further_info_link}}

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch. 
You can reply to this email, call the club on {{location.phone}}, 
or speak to a member of staff at reception.

We appreciate your understanding.

{{custom_values.general_manager_name}}
{{custom_values.general_manager_title}}
{{location.name}}

---
{{location.name}} | {{location.address}} | {{location.phone}} | {{location.website}}

This message was sent to you as a current member of {{location.name}}.
To update your preferences or unsubscribe: {{contact.unsubscribe_link}}

Appropriate content for this template: course closures, system changes, booking access updates, AGM notices, committee rule changes, safety notices. Keep these completely separate from any promotional content.

Template 5 — Preference centre / repermission

Purpose: Give members control over what they receive, reduce future unsubscribes and spam complaints by allowing members to opt down rather than opt out entirely, and — where needed — refresh consent or soft opt-in records.

Timing: Week 3+ on the engagement-gated ramp (or Day 35+ on the fallback 30/60-day calendar plan). Never send this in the first two weeks.

Legal note: If the club is relying on the PECR soft opt-in for existing membership communications, this template is a preference management tool, not a consent mechanism. If fresh explicit consent is needed (for instance, where original consent evidence is unclear), the subject line and body must be adapted to make that clear. The "charitable purposes" soft opt-in introduced on 5 February 2026 under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 applies to charities only — verify the club's legal status before relying on it.

Format: Simple HTML with a plain-text alternative. One main CTA (preference centre link). Short and direct.

Subject line options:

Tell us which {{location.name}} emails you'd like to receive

Your communication preferences — {{location.name}}

A quick question about your {{location.name}} emails

From name:

{{custom_values.general_manager_name}} at {{location.name}}

From address:

info@mail.{{custom_values.club_domain}}

Body:

Hi {{contact.first_name}},

We want to make sure the emails you receive from {{location.name}} 
are genuinely useful to you — and only about the things you 
actually care about.

You can now update your preferences so that you only hear from us 
about the topics that matter to you:

  - Course and conditions updates
  - Competition news and results
  - Club events and social calendar
  - Member services and booking updates
  - Dining and clubhouse news
  - Junior and family golf
  - Offers from the pro shop

You can select any combination — or none at all if you prefer not 
to receive marketing communications from us. Either way, we will 
still send you essential membership notices (such as your renewal, 
AGM details, and any urgent course or safety information) as these 
are necessary for your membership.

TO UPDATE YOUR PREFERENCES

Click here: {{contact.preference_center_link}}

It takes less than a minute.

If you have any questions, reply to this email or call us on 
{{location.phone}}.

Thank you,

{{custom_values.general_manager_name}}
{{custom_values.general_manager_title}}
{{location.name}}

---
{{location.name}} | {{location.address}} | {{location.phone}} | {{location.website}}

To unsubscribe from all {{location.name}} marketing communications: 
{{contact.unsubscribe_link}}

Note: Essential membership notices (renewals, AGM, safety and 
course-closure alerts) will continue regardless of marketing 
preferences.

Copy rules for the warm-up period

These rules apply to all five templates and override any general agency email defaults during the warm-up. Every team member producing or scheduling email for a club migration must follow them.

When to graduate to the full newsletter format

The full newsletter format (Tier 3 — hero image, styled buttons, multiple CTAs, promotional sections) is appropriate once all of the following are true:

• Google Postmaster domain reputation is showing "High" or "Medium" consistently for at least 7 days
• Gmail spam complaint rate has been below 0.10% across at least three sends
• Hard bounce rate has stabilised below 0.50%
• The Trust Bridge has been sent to and well-received by Tier A and Tier B
• At least one round of engagement-gated ramp expansion is complete (see Ramp Schedule)

Graduating too early is the single most common warm-up mistake. A wave of glossy promotional emails sent to a domain with fewer than two weeks of sending history will generate complaints from the less-engaged tiers and can undo the reputation built by the Trust Bridge.

Merge field reference

All custom_values fields must be populated in the GHL sub-account settings before any campaign is launched. Verify these as part of the pre-launch QA checklist.

Metrics — quick reference

Monitor these daily during the warm-up. Postmaster spam-rate Pass/Fail is the primary Gmail signal; the Gmail domain reputation dashboard was retired on 30 September 2025. Use Mailgun analytics for delivery, deferral, and bounce data — not GHL's in-platform view. Do not judge the warm-up by open rates: Apple Mail Privacy Protection pre-fetches tracking pixels, inflating measured opens by approximately 40–50% for that segment.

For the full ramp decision tree and escalation procedure, see Ramp Schedule and Deliverability Monitoring.