Clubhouse Europe

ALL-ELECTRIC & HYBRID SOLUTIONS

The dawning of a new day, and all of nature peacefully awakens the soul of the course At Toro, we strive to

Welcome

Looking forward to 2023

It is a pleasure and privilege to be writing this welcome for the first time as President of CMAE. It was truly an honour to be elected at the AGM held at The European Conference in Tenerife in November and I look forward to working with the Board and excellent team at CMAE in ensuring we keep moving forward as an Association.

I would though like to start by giving a big thank you to outgoing President James Burns who has led the Association for the past three years and what a three years they were. During these unprecedented times James led the Association in a calm and collected way, and we did not stand still with many new initiatives forming and now becoming part of the yearly calendar. On behalf of all the “family” thank you James.

Despite the many new challenges which have hit us all both at home and at our Clubs I do feel as an Association we can look forward in a positive mindset. Our MDPs continue to be fully subscribed, with a total of 17 being planned for next year including the highly successful Sports and Recreation MDP in London planned for August and the MDP Food and Beverage in Switzerland in March.

I would urge you as you plan your 2023 training budgets to consider the talent in your teams and how many could benefit not only from the education but also networking opportunities these bring. As the saying goes “ a problem shared is a problem halved” and there are many unique initiatives being discussed in the Club world to cope with the new challenges.

The European Conference mentioned earlier was very well attended and a full report starts on page 9. The Board have been looking at Conference and how we can make the most of our time together and will be going out to the Membership in the near future to ask your opinions They truly count, so please do reply if you are a regular attendee or not.

As hopefully you are all now aware the CMAE team is now up to four with Craig Cotterill joining us as Commercial Director – welcome Craig – as well as Toby Johansson stepping up to lead us as CEO and Michael McCormack taking on the vital role of Director of Education

We are also looking at how we can develop Debbie Goddard who has been with us for 12 years and whom we feel has some unleashed potential within the team. I look forward to working closely with all of them

Finally, 2023 will also be a year that CMAE will at long last be able to celebrate its first 20 years, a little bit late but hopefully worth the wait. Further details will be released soon with a celebratory dinner planned for late April

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you, your families and Clubs a Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year.

David Balden CCM

9 CMAE European Conference

Industr y inter view

time

Welcome to the 100 Club

Business Initiative of the Year

Mortonhall Golf Club’s emerging Greenkeeping equipment rental business has won the 2022 Club Awards Business Initiative of the Year. The club’s Peter Flowers shares details of the successful venture.

Cost of living demands rethink of memberships

Clubs around the world are busy putting campaigns and initiatives in place to mitigate against the rising cost of living Ian Knox, Head of European Tour Destinations, reports

31 A word with... Phil Waine

Welcome to Trump International Golf Club, Dubai and to the Director of Golf Operations His commitment? To exceed all member and guest expectations.

33 Food trends for 2023

The eating out market is set to be a challenging landscape to navigate in 2023, but the demand for enticing menus and offers still remains strong, according to new research

36 Getting it done

News fr om t he fr ontline

NEWS IN BRIEF

CMAE hosts US managers for prestigious BMI International

Leading club managers from America gathered in Edinburgh for the 2022 Club Management Association of America (CMAA) Business Management Institute (BMI) International Conference from 6-11 October The event, organised and hosted by the

CMAE storms ahead at 2022 Club Awards

Congratulations to all CMAE clubs who entered the 2022 Club Awards, with par ticular congratulations going to The City of London Club, Mor tonhall Golf Club and Roehampton Club •Turn topage 22for more details

CMAE, saw around 100 club management professionals from major US golf, countr y, city and dining clubs attend the f ive-day programme, to enjoy a combination of keynote present ations, interactive sessions, round t able debates and networking

BMI International takes place at various places across the world bi-annually • Photos of the event can be viewed on CMAE’s facebookpage at this link Image courtesy of Kenny Smith, Kenny Smith Photography

CMAE welcomes new Commercial Director

Craig Cotterill has been appointed to the position of CMAE’s Commercial Director, t aking responsibility for the operational management of CMAE’s corporate par tnerships

The Commercial Director is a new position, created in line with CMAE’s strategic plan published in June

Craig comes with a wealth of experience, having recently held roles as Head of Commercial Par tnerships at the NEC Group and Par tnerships Manager at the Golf Club Managers Association

• Turn to pages 15-16 for more details

New launch for PGA Professionals

The Club Management Association of Europe (CMAE) hosted the European Conference on Club Management from the 5-8 November in Cost a Adeje, Tenerife

Delegates travelled from across the UK, Europe and as far as South Africa and the US to attend the event which featured a programme of inspirational keynote sessions, workshops and excellent networking oppor tunities, culminating in the closing Gala Dinnner

•Turn topage9 for aConferenceReview

CMAE 2022 European Conference hailed a success Ballybunion GC streamlines standards

Ballybunion Golf Club in County Kerr y has embraced a Safety and Compliance platform from Obbi Golf which helps ensure that safety, compliance and training st andards at golf clubs are up to date at the click of a button

Matthew Trousdale, Head of Course Data, Training and Health & Safety at the clubs, said: “Prior to Obbi our H&S was a cumbersome process because it was paper based This resulted in a slower onboarding of new team members as well as inef ficient record keeping in terms of H&S Obbi has helped us overcome these challenges ”

• For more details see page 37

Golf Genius Sof tware has launched its ‘Golf Shop’ product across international markets, aiming to help create new levels of ef f iciencies for PG A Professionals worldwide

With functions to manage special orders, club repairs, demo and rental sets, staf f scheduling and customer profiling, the Golf Shop product combines numerous features that enable golf retailers to deliver greater customer value, save time and create more revenue

“We recognise that golf professionals and specialist retailers are always looking for a concise and ef ficient ser vice to run their shop operations, so we came up with a solution,” said Craig Higgs, Managing Director for Golf Genius International “We pride ourselves on listening to our customer ’s needs and Golf Shop is a biproduct of this approach; it ’s there to help manage the workload of staf f, streamline retail communications and provide PGA Professionals with useful information about their customers ”

• More details atthe link below calendly com/golf-genius

Management Development Programmes

The CMAE’s Management Development Programme (MDP) is the leading education programme for club industr y professionals and provides the pathway to the european Club Management Diploma (CMDip) and the global Cer tified Club Manager (CCM) cer tifications.

The CMAE MDP is a series of courses focused on the core competencies of club management designed not only for those working as club general managers, club

secretaries and in other senior positions at sports, city and business clubs today, but also for those who aspire to these roles in the future

MDPs COMING UP – JANUARY, 2023 - DECEMBER, 2023

Watch out for new MDPs coming up. (Information correct at time of going to press) Full details available on CMAE’s website. (See ‘Get Involved’ on opposite page for links and contact details.)

JANUARY

MDP 1 – Club Operations 23-27 January; Manchester, England

Part 1 is a week long course targeted in particular towards those managers who are either new to a post, recently appointed or simply want to enhance their knowledge so that they may better serve their club committee, owners and members At the end of the week, those taking the course will have an excellent grasp of the basics in every area of club business, and will have established a valuable network of support for their career in this industry.

FEBRUARY

MDP 2 – Building & Managing the Club Team 6-10 February; Edinburgh, Scotland.

The Part 2 week-long course builds on the foundations of Part 1 to focus on strategic and business planning, performance and service standards, and the professional and communicative skills to develop every aspect of both the individual’s performance and that of their club At the end of Part 2 there is an option- al examination to attain the CMAE Diploma in Club Management

Elements include: a business plan for your club, successful committee strategies, communication and influence, team building, managing performance, conduct or capability, investigating underperformance, service standards, managing conflict, time management, lumina spark, case study and an optional diploma examination

MARCH

MDP 1 – Club Operations 6-10 March; Dublin, Ireland

Details as per 23-27 January; Manchester, England.

Food & Beverage Management 20-24 March; Montreux, Switzerland

This course is applicable to clubs with all levels of turnover and those working with contract caterers, providing insights into the delivery of food and beverage services within successful clubhouse operations It takes an in depth look at F&B operations from a management and control perspective and includes menu trends, service delivery, evolving legal requirements, themed events and marketing

The course will also enable managers to deliver training sessions for clubhouse staff, to ensure that service excellence is the norm at the club.

APRIL/MAY

MDP 1 – Club Operations Riyadh (dates to be confirmed)

Details as per 23-27 January; Manchester, England

JUNE

MDP – Parts 1,2&3 12-16 June, Dubai

Details to be confirmed at time of going to press

MDP – Golf Spanish 19-23 June, Sotogrande

Hosted in Spanish, the course focuses on managing golf operations, diving deep into subjects such as course rating and handicapping, working with greenkeeping departments, fleet management, retail and customer service, academies, sustainability and golf architecture amongst other topics

AUGUST

MDP – Sport & Recreation Management

7-11 August, London

This course is aimed at Managers who wants to have a wider view of sports, fitness,recreation and wellness operations

By attending this course, delegates will experience all parts of the club world when it comes to these elements.

The course will cover many areas within racket sports, aquatics and junior programming as well as recreational sports but also listen to the trends with-

in wellness and fitness.

Delegates will have a thorough understanding of the history, evolution and future trends of the wellness in clubs, to make better decision for the future for their clubs and their committees.

MDP 1 – Club Operations

21-25 August, London

Details as per 23-27 January; Manchester, England

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER

MDP 1 – Club Operations

30 October – 3 November, Scotland

Details as per 23-27 January; Manchester, England

NOVEMBER

MDP 2 - Building & Managing the Club Team 13-17 November, Manchester

Details as per 6-10 February, Edinburgh

MDP - Golf Management

27 November – 1 December, St Andrews

This course is aimed at Managers with particular responsibility for successful golf operations By attending this course, delegates will learn to maximize their working relationship with the key personnel employed in this area of the business, including the Course Manager, Professional and Club Manager

The course will cover in detail areas such as agronomy, golf shop operations, merchandising, fleet management, tournament operations and business planning to fit with the club’s overall aims and traditions.

Delegates will have a thorough understanding of the history, evolution and future trends of the golf industry, to better serve their clubs and committees

DECEMBER

MDP 1 – Club Operations

4-8 December, Dublin

Details as per 23-27 January; Manchester, England

STOP PRESS…

Following the success of this year ’ s first ever MDP course on Golf Management held in Spanish, the CMAE is delighted to announce that 2023 will see its inaugural MDP held in French More details will follow

• www cmaeurope org/mdp-courses

Reflections on MDPs by Michael McCormac CMDip

As we approach the end of 2022 I have reflected on what an incredible year it has been for CMAE A total of 22 MDP Programmes were hosted as well as Summits, Workshops and Webinars On top of that we had our European Conference in Tenerife, supported a hugely successful BMI in Scotland and ran a taster event in Estonia! It was a great achievement by the team and we would not have been able to do it if it was not for the support of the CMAE Board, Education Policy Committee, a team of great Presenters and most of all our amazing CMAE Family Thank you all so much!

GET INVOLVED

CMAE plans Budapest MDP

The CMAE’s Management Development Programme will head to new territory in 2024 with its Part 3 Strategy and Leadership course taking place in Budapest, Hungary.

The course will take place on 22-26 January, 2023 and is aimed at managers wishing to enhance their management style and those who want to tap into their leadership potential.

Michael McCormack CMAE Director of Education, said: “We are delighted to be expanding

As we advance into 2023, we are full of enthusiasm and focus We have set ourselves a lot of goals that we want to achieve whilst continuously seeking ways to improve our Association for the good of our Members

We already have a full schedule of planned MDP Programmes Some of which have been announced and are filling up quickly, others to be announced very soon We really look forward to welcoming all of the delegates onto these programmes and assisting them on their educational journey

We also have a large European cohort signed up for

World Conference in Orlando which is great to see No doubt it will be another incredible week of first class education and networking

We all at CMAE want to take this opportunity to wish you and your families and friends a wonderful Festive period and hope you have a very peaceful new Year

Michael McCormack CMDip Director of Education, Club Management Association of Europe (CMAE)

our educational footprint and bringing our Management Development Programme to this new destination, and it’s fantastic to have the support of Tamás Révész and his team at the Hungarian Club Managers’ Association. We look forward to bringing our flagship program to the beautiful and historic Budapest in Hungary.”

Tamás Révész, President of the Hungarian Club Managers Association said: “We are honoured that the CMAE is organising an MDP3 course in

Troon General Manager achieves CCM

The CMAE is delighted to announce that Paul Booth, General Manager at Troon’s Al Hamra Golf Club has gained the internationally renowned Certified Club Manager (CCM) certification

Paul, who is a PGA Professional has been the General Manager at Troon for over 15 years and was previously Director of Golf at Abu Dhabi City Golf Club.

Commenting on his success Paul said: “To join a distinguished group of industry professionals is an absolute honour. It has been an incredible learning experience which has allowed me to develop my career while working in various locations around the world, having been fortunate enough to participate in educational sessions in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Scotland, as well as the United States of America.”

CMAE CEO Torbjorn Johansson said: “We are delighted to see Paul becoming CCM He has a huge appetite for education and he has been involved in training in four different parts of the global club industry community It’s a lovely example of the global family and a globally recognised certification ”

Budapest in 2024 It is a great pleasure for us to motivate Hungarian professionals to participate in such an important training and networking programme, which is essential for an open-minded manager in today’s changing and challenging world.

“We are delighted to have the opportunity to show attending professionals the magic of Budapest with its medieval as well as modern architectural masterpieces along with its cultural and culinary experiences We look forward to welcoming you in 2024!”

CMAE hits 70 CCMs as Paul Crowe receives accreditation

General Manager at Royal Winchester Golf Club has gained his Certified Club Manager (CCM) certification.

Paul’s success with the CCM exam raises the number of Certified Club Managers in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa to 70

Paul said: “I’m genuinely thrilled to have attained my CCM qualification It has been a demanding process requiring focus and dedication but it has been really worth it

Originally from Ireland, Niall has been based at the French Chateau for over five years, having joined from St Anne’s Golf Club, Dublin, where he was Club Manager

Niall said: “I am delighted to have achieved the world renowned qualification of CCM It is the pinnacle of club management qualifications and for me represents excellence in our industry. The journey to finally receiving my CCM has been thoroughly enjoyable and one I would highly recommend to any club manager throughout the world.

“The networking opportunities you gain through the “tribe” whilst completing the MDP programme is invaluable in your career and you will be sure to make friends for life ”

“It is imperative when managing a club that you keep up to date with best practice and continue to learn I would strongly recommend this path to anyone wishing to be the best they can be within our industry. The best aspect, from my point of view, is the interaction and networking with your peers, and now friends. If you have day-to-day issues, you always know that there is a group of fellow professionals you can call on for help ”

Niall Carroll, CEO at The Condor Club, Chateau du Coudreceau, is proud to have gained his Certified Club Manager (CCM) certification

Paul Crowe,

CMAE European Conference hailed a success

In November 2022 we met on beautiful Tenerife, Costa Adeje for a few days with presentations and activities to do more of a full conference The weather did what it was promised and delivered sunny and warm days which meant that a lot of delegates too the opportunity to go for a swim or even go whale watching

Playing padel turned out to be the most popular activity and when you weren’t playing your networking started Country vs country turned out to be the most competitive as well as getting the most feeling out in the open.

We will not go into who won or not, but a few people left the activity happier than some.

For the golf we were happy to see a participant all the way from Pakistan, being supported by the

The 2022 European Conference on Club Management took place on 5-8 November in the sunny climes of Cost a Adeje in Tenerife. And the feedback proves it was yet another success for all involved.

colleagues to not worry for any misses that potentially could have taken place. (which it didn’t of course)

As always when people from across the countries meet, evenings are extremely important and also this time. When going to a Spanish territory, timings for evening meals are different to us that live up north

Worth remembering and also embrace the opportunity

Conference had a theme this year – Family –which is a term for being a part of CMAE, being a part of a club, being a part of a community where we can share difficulties and triumphs

We were lucky to have presenters from many different countries and with many different presentation styles.

When all delegates rated the speakers, we did get a clear picture. Jeffrey Kreafle, CEO at Congressional Country Club was top scorer in all categories, besides overall value where “Heart in the Boardroom” with Monique Landmann scored highest.

Final event we spent together at the La Calabacera, the Banana Plantation which will be a memorable event for everyone attending In the middle of all banana plants, a long table was put and great food was served

It was great to have spent two years doing the conference online, but even better to meet in person

For future events, see news that will be communicated in early 2023

Details of 2023’s event will be released shor tly

A word with... Craig Cotterill

A great question and I’ll try and be a succinct as I can in terms of the career journey over the last 30something years. I’ve worked within the commercial space for the majority of that time and started that journey within the hospitality sector. This gave me a great grounding in customer service and managing customer expectation. In 2012 I was fortunate enough to become an ambassador for the 2012 Olympic Games as my then employer (IHG) were a second tier sponsor This gave me my first experience of commercial sponsorship, and since then I’ve worked as a consultant within professional football, cricket and in recent years golf It was whilst working within golf that I became aware of CMAE’s education programmes, and when the opportunity to work for the association came around, I jumped at the chance to apply

What will your role be?

The role is quite a broad one. It’ll see me working in various areas of the association to broaden its membership base across all of the territories and industries that we can potentially cover in terms of club management education I’ll also be working closely with the team at The European Club Education Foundation (ECEF) to further promote the work we do to give access to education through bursaries I’ll also be supporting the CMAEE and their goal to increase membership and engagement across their region However, my main focus will be on our commercial partnerships and developing our existing relationships We already have a great portfolio of commercial partners that add great value to the association, but I want to explore how we can develop that further. The partners have a wealth of experience in their area of business and our members can benefit from that insight and knowledge.

Biggest challenges?

Well, I’m four weeks into the role so I’m still really lifting the lid on what our current position is, but I’d say we ’ re already in a great place I think for me the challenge will be to continue to evolve our commercial offering to partners and members to keep us relevant and of value moving forward

Most fun parts of the new job?

Without doubt the people I’ve only been in post a few weeks but the CMAE family and everyone involved have given me a great welcome. Everything we do is done with a sense of enjoyment and fun, even though we ’ re a serious education provider!

Busy! I think going into 2023 there are many things that I can be working on in terms of projects. The CMAE and CMAEE have plans to grow but importantly at the right pace with quality always at the forefront of our thinking We could try an execute many things at the same time but end up delivering

an average experience for our members and commercial partners So planning will be everything and all the exciting developments will come in timeand I can’t wait to see the plans we have realised

What attracted you to the CMAE? Why the move?

I think CMAE have established themselves as a place to come and receive the best education possible if you are a club manager or aspiring to be in that role in the future In my opinion, that’s because we ’ re a modern, relevant and inspiring organisation to be a part of, both as a member and an employee As an association we have a clear understanding of who we are and what we provide and that clarity and quality was a huge pull for me I worked previously for the Golf Club Managers Association (GCMA) as Partnerships Manager and this gave me some great insight into the CMAE (many of the current members of this association are also members of the GCMA). I think the role at CMAE is almost an extension of my GCMA role. I’ll be responsible for a much wider remit, again another reason I was attracted to the job. I also feel that given the CMAE is not exclusively golf, we have a great opportunity to leverage a wide breadth of experience from private members clubs to tennis

What would you expect your diary to look like in a month’s time?

Welcome Craig! Please tell readers how you come to be in this newly created and exciting role with the CMAE?

The CMAE is pleased t o announce t hat Cr aig Co tt er ill has been appoint ed t o t he newl y cr eat ed position of Commer cial Dir ect or. Cr aig t ook time out t o t alk t o Clubhouse Eur ope.

clubs through to yacht clubs, and all this knowledge is inside this association

You’re an ambassador for Slip Slap Swing. How did that come about?

I am indeed, and very proud to be! I was approached by Michelle Baker (CEO) when I was at the GCMA Michelle wanted to widen the Slip Slap Swing Campaigns reach within golf The campaign works with golf clubs to raise awareness of sun protection to golfers and greenkeepers, aiming to keep skin

cancer of the fairways Michelle had no idea at the time that when I was 29 I lost my father to melanoma He was a keen golfer himself So in a heartbeat I knew that not only should golf get behind the campaign but I also needed to on a personal level I’m delighted to be an ambassador and that the campaign is now supported by the R&A and the GCMA and hundreds of golf clubs are now accredited I know Michelle has big plans for 2023 so I would ask everyone to look out for the great work that the Slip Slap Swing campaign does. • https://www.melanoma-fund.co.uk/slip-slapswing/

UP CL OSE AND PERSON AL

I think this is a great question, as these emerging markets are a bit of an unknown in terms of their commercial appeal to partners As the associations Commercial Director, I will be taking a strategic look at our current structure and how we can evolve it to accommodate these new affiliate partners As an association we continue to talk to these markets and are actively working with them to develop an offering that suits theirs and our current situation. I think once we have clarity around how this will work, we can then discuss with any business how they could become involved as a partner

Do you belong to any clubs? I recently moved house, so am looking for a new golf club

Hobbies? Holidays – Walking our two dogs –Gardening with my wife!

If you had to change careers, what would you love to be? Pilot

How do you relax?

People watching in a coffee shop window

Thoughts on CMAE’s European Conference?

On a personal level the Conference was great, and as it was my second week at the CMAE it was a great way to meet people from the association. As I mentioned, the welcome I had was tremendous and I was made to feel part of the family very quickly Importantly for me I got to meet a number of the commercial partners face to face Some of them had travelled from America and all over Europe to get there The location was fantastic Tenerife in November was warm which added to the overall experience for everyone The Conference itself was full of quality speakers and I know from feedback that delegates really enjoyed the content and had many “Golden Nuggets” to take back to their clubs

For me, one of the highlights was to see the CMAE family coming back together, sharing ideas, thoughts, and experiences since they last met. That’s the power of the European Conference and the CMAE – the peer-to-peer networking and support

In recent years CMAE has expanded into the Middle East. How do you see growth of commercial par tnerships across such broad boundaries?

Club Mirror magazine’s Club Awards, now in their 30th year, welcomed 400 hundred guests to an evening of festivities, applauding the commitment of clubs across the country to constantly improve their offering for members

Managing Director Sean Ferris said: “It’s clear that sport is a common denominator across every club in the land, whether that’s playing it or watching it in the clubhouse Sports clubs, we salute you all ”

Building entertainment programmes, enhancing catering operations and refurbishing the club and facilities were prominent in this year ’ s entries, and the judges also noted that some of the more traditional activities are seeing a huge resurgence in popularity

Sports Club of the Year

Roehampton Club, one of many sports clubs entries, was proud to win Southern Sports Club of the Year, with Chief Executive Marc Newey CCM CCE FCIMSPA collecting the accolade on stage

The club invested £1m in a new airhall to provide 10 indoor courts during the winter It has also invested £400k in new solar panels with a forecasted payback of four years using 90% of generated electricity, and a further £150k was invested in additional drainage systems to capture rain and ground water for re-use.

Investment in members is clearly evident, and the club develops its youngsters in every sport to be stars

of the future with hundreds having swimming, golf, tennis and squash lessons every term

The club also hosts 100 disadvantaged school kids each week to develop their tennis and squash skills while being taught maths by their teachers in between the sports. We provide the kids with a nutritious tea free of charge afterwards!

“Post pandemic the demand to join us has increased to such an extent that we now have a three year waiting list,” said Marc

Chair man of CMAE England Region Edwar d Plunke tt (pictured above lef t) and Roehamp t on Club’s Marc Newey CCM CCE FCIMSPA (above r ight) were bo th wor thy winners in the 2022 Club Awar ds. And a good time was had by all (r ight)!

Refurbishment Club of the Year

Further plaudits went to Chairman of CMAE England Region Edward Plunkett for an extensive refurbishment project at The City of London Club.

Like the rest of the country, the 190 year old club acutely felt the loss of Prince Philip in 2021 and then Her Majesty the Queen earlier this year.

“His Royal Highness became an Honorary Member of the club in 1952 and accepted patronage of the Club in 1974,” says Edward, CEO of the club “Prince Philip actually visited the club on several occasions which is not always the case with royal patrons ”

The club was due to name its largest accommodation suite ‘The Duke of Edinburgh Room’, but following his death it was decided to call it ‘The Prince Philip Room’ so that the club could make a tribute to the man rather than his title.

“All in all, it has been a seismic period for the club over the last 12-18 months and the club is in a great position to move forward and write a new chapter as we head towards our double centenary in 2032,” said Edward

Business Initiative of the Year

CMAE’s Mortonhall Golf Club also walked away a title, Business Initiative of the Year, thanks to it enterprising Greenkeeping equipment rental business

Nominated by Council Member Peter Flowers, 2021 saw the Edinburgh club pivot from being a renter of equipment to being an owner, renting assets to others

The club purchased one of the first tractor-mounted VGR Top Changer (VGR) devices in the UK This innovative machine uses high pressure water and vacuum effect to inject sand into greens and other areas of the course.

“Mortonhall has used this not only to improve significantly the health and quality of our own greens,

increase time members play on ‘good greens ’ but also to generate significant additional revenue for the Club by providing VGR services to other golf clubs and athletic organisations across the Central Belt of Scotland and UK,” said Peter “Cash payback of the £28 5k investment was less than 18 months ”

CLUB AWARDS 2023 – OPEN FOR ENTRIES

Congratulations to all 2022 entrants, finalists and winners. And for CMAE members who haven’t entered the Club Awards before, could this be your year? Contact info@clubmirror.com for more details.

Foo tball Club of the Year was Conse tt AFC (lef t) with Golf Club of the Year going t o Bush Hill P ar k Golf Club (above) and For mby Golf Club (r ight)

Below: Young Ambassador of the Year saw Nicola Benne tt, PG A Pr ofessional at Bush Hill P ar k Golf Club and Golf Foundation Ambassador, welcomed on st age Watch her hear twar ming inclusive V T at this link –www youtube com/watch? v=gODY-Uwxikk

AND THE WINNERS ARE…

Bar Manager/ Bar Steward of the Year

•Paul Collier & Lynda Callaghan, Bellingham ExSer vicemen’s & Social Club

•Neil Way, Cheltenham Motor Club

Bowls Club of the Year

•Penn Bowling & Social Club

Business Initiative of the Year

•Mor tonhall Golf Club

CAMRA Club of the Year

And the Super Round winners are…

•Barnton Cricket Club

•Cheltenham Motor Club

•Dobcross Band Social Club

•Marden Village Club

Catering Club of the Year

•Cobham Spor ts and Social Club

Charity Club of the Year

•Consett AFC

CIU Club of the Year

•Hereford Richmond Place Club

•Herne Bay Ex-Ser vicemen’s Club & Institute

•Lindley Liberal Club

Committee of the Year

•New Eltham Social Club and Institute Society

Community Club of the Year

•The Holbeck

•The Village Club RAOB

Cricket Club of the Year

•Blackpool Cricket Club

Diversity Club of the Year

•From the Nor th –The Holbeck Moor FC

•From the South – Phoenix Ar ts Club

Enter tainment Club of the Year

•Phoenix Ar ts Club

•Stansted Mountfitchet Social Club

Family Club of the Year

•Tattenhall Recreation Club

Football Club of the Year

•Consett AFC

Golf Club of the Year

(Under £1.5m turnover)

•Bush Hill Park Golf Club

Golf Club of the Year (Over £1.5m turnover)

•Formby Golf Club

Innovative Club of the Year

•The Holbeck

Manager/Steward of the Year

•Maurice Champeau, Crookes Social Club

Marketing Club of the Year

•Tiver ton Constitutional Club

Refurbishment Club of the Year

•City of London Club

Rugby Club of the Year

•Canterbur y RFC

•Cheltenham Rugby Club

Social Media Club of the Year

•Har tford Golf Club

Spor ts Club of the Year

•Nor th – York Spor ts Club

•South – Roehampton

Spor ts & Social Club of the Year

•Cobham Spor ts and Social Club

Turnaround Club of the Year

•Coombs Wood Spor ts & Social Club

•RAF Association Club , Banbur y

Website of the Year

•BBC Club

King of Clubs

•Cobham Spor ts and Social club

The

of

around the globe is proof of their value to their members and their importance within their communities Masters of their own destiny, Clubland manages to change and adapt according to the needs of its members and whatever economic climate they find themselves in. The

Presented at the Club Awards 16 November, 2022 Athena, Leicester

Business Initiative of the Year

Founded in 1892, Mortonhall Golf Club is the oldest course in the City of Edinburgh over which golf is still played and is regarded as one of Scotland’s premier clubs. With its immaculate greens and fairways, lined with mature trees the course is a superb championship test of 6530 yards, boasting unrivalled scenic views across Edinburgh, the Firth of Forth and the Pentland Hills

In mid-2021 the club pivoted from being a renter of specialist equipment, paying for the use of some greenkeeping and sharpening equipment, to purchasing that equipment for own use and as a revenue generator through the rental of these assets to other clubs This has delivered substantial benefits to the club

Mortonhall is delighted to be contributing to its community of local golf and sporting clubs through the sharing of new-technology expertise and sharing of access to capital-intensive specialist assets, a trend which is expected to continue as golf clubs move forward with increasing levels of professional management and respond to today’s cost challenges

In 2021 the club purchased one of the first tractormounted VGR TopChangers in the UK This innovative machine uses high pressure water and vacuum effect to inject sand into greens and other areas of the course Mortonhall has used this not only to improve significantly the health and quality of our own greens, increase time members play on “good greens ” but also to generate significant additional revenue for the club by providing VGR services to other golf clubs and athletic organisations across the Central Belt of Scotland and UK. Cash payback of the initial investment was less than 18 months.

Using the VGR TopChanger replaces the traditional coring & sand treatment of the club’s greens. To date, some 200 tonnes of sand has been placed

into Mortonhall’s 18 greens and 2 putting greens using this technology. Some 30 tonnes of sand has been put into the aprons. The increase in volume and the greater depth of sand injection delivers a vastly improved soil structure by reducing the level of organic matter. Drainage improvements and better durability to cold weather lengthens the playing season Firmer greens and better root health deliver better and more consistent speeds Water and chemical use are reduced, enhancing the sustainability of the course Green recovery is typically 3-7 days after treatment, resulting in fewer rounds lost, better satisfaction amongst members and visitors, and preservation of visitor fee income

After the benefits of the VGR treatment became apparent at Mortonhall the club’s greenkeeping team marketed the VGR services, initially to local golf clubs. As the reputation of the benefits spread the number and variety of clubs availing of the ser-

vice has grown, with clubs typically renting the services for 2 days each year.

A full service is provided by Mortonhall’s greenkeeping team with a checklist being provided for precision and clarity along with an agronomic assessment for suitability and recovery timescale. The only requirement of the client club is to provide water at source and wet or dry sand of their choice and a helping hand when loading Often all 18 of a club’s greens can be treated in a single day

Golfing customers include North Berwick Golf Club (West Course), Willersey Golf Club, Greenock Golf Club, Aberdour Golf Club, Broomieknowe Golf Club and North Shore Golf Club Interest is increasing amongst other sports, with VGR services already provided to Dunfermline Football Club, Musselburgh Rugby Club and Watsonians RFC.

There is currently a limited availability of VGR and equivalent machines in the UK, with many

Mor t onhall Golf Club’s emer ging Gr eenkeeping equipment r ent al business has won t he 2022 Club

Awar ds Business Initiative of t he Year. The club’s P e t er Flowers shar es t he de t ails.

TopChanger

orders being delivered into the US pay-and-play market which places a high value on the economic benefits of VGR treatment as fewer playing days are lost due to poor greens

The blade-sharpening machine for mowers, purchased on a financing agreement, has an annual cash cost broadly equivalent to fees previously paid to third parties for the sharpening of our mower blades Purchasing this long-life asset has established the basis for long-term cost savings as well as improving productivity through having convenient and prompt access when sharpening our own equipment. Mower downtime is also reduced. Sharpening services are offered to third parties with annual income expected to be close to the annual financing cost and an income which is expected to be sustained for the next 5 years

Taken together, these initiatives ring the following benefits:

• Improved quality and health of greens at Mortonhall Golf Club

• Members have more “good green ” days through faster recovery and better drainage

• Significant non-golf income to the benefit all Mortonhall Golf Club members

• Long-term savings on sharpening costs and a sustained income from providing sharpening services to other clubs

• Lower mower downtime due to better access to sharpening

• Greater visitor satisfaction and more capacity for visitor fee income as fewer days impacted by green maintenance

• Improved greens and playability at client clubs

• Sharing the high value VGR asset is an efficient use of capital across the golf industry This assists other local clubs that may not be able to purchase machine on their own

• Mortonhall’s green team gain training and expertise in this emerging technology and in training staff at other locations

• The Club’s reputation for greenkeeping is enhanced

Cost of living demands rethink of memberships

Membership across the network of European Tour Destinations’s 28 golf venues has increased by an impressive average of 10% over the last 12 months as golf continued to enjoy post-pandemic demand

However, with many members’ household expenditure spiralling this year, these destinations are well aware of the danger of becoming an expendable luxury

Ian Knox says: “A recent survey found that just over half of 13,000 respondents viewed golf as a necessity rather than a luxury, so despite the positive figures we are seeing in the annual audit of our venues, it is not a time to be complacent ”

The company has explored the strategies of four of its leading clubs – England’s London Golf Club, China’s Hidden Grace Golf Club, Austria’s Diamond Country Club and Finland’s Linna Golf Club - on how to retain new and existing members while also accessing new demographics

London Golf Club

London Golf Club has never had as many members as in 2022.

A strategy which started before the pandemic has increased member play from 35% to 65%, while the number of corporate rounds per year has halved to about 4,000

The key to retaining these members, says Ben Stimson, the club’s Director of Golf, is adding value – including offering options such as family membership which extends beyond a player’s household to relatives such as grandparents, uncles/aunts and cousins

“Family membership has been really successful,” he explains “It has only been existing members adding it, so they can play with their sibling or grandparent for example. We haven’t marketed it externally.

“At most clubs, family membership is just for the core nucleus or same household, but we wanted to

be more flexible It has all the same benefits with full playing privileges on both courses It works out a lot cheaper than individual membership ”

The Kent venue, which hosted the 2021 Cazoo Classic on the DP World Tour, has also appointed a dedicated executive to take care of its 615 members.

“The business has evolved significantly over the past three years, ” continues Stimson “Right now

Golf clubs around the world are busy putting campaigns and initiatives in place to mitigate against the rising cost of living. Ian Knox, Head of European Tour Destinations, repor ts.

Ben S timson

London Golf Club, England

we ’ re not looking for more members as we ’ ve been inundated We’re just focusing on looking after the existing ones, so when it comes to renewals in March, people think ‘I need to be a member’

“We’re doing lots of things that makes them feel valued, such as having dedicated tee time slots for members, enhancing the competitions calendar and offering better prizes.

“We also do regular reciprocal visits to other clubs, and our membership executive plays golf once a week with different members to get their feedback and find out what people want ”

Hidden Grace Golf Club

Hidden Grace Golf Club (formerly Genzon Golf Club) in Shenzhen, China, has had to react to the different requirements of an increasingly younger membership

The venue, an exclusive private club known for its exceptional level of service, achieved an impressive 96.5% level of satisfaction in its latest member survey (November 2021).

However, with 15% of new joiners aged under 30 and a third in the 30-40 age bracket, there has been a subtle shift in expectations.

“These younger members are very discerning consumers and have even higher expectations of the club,” explains Ali Kong, General Manager of Hidden Grace Golf Club, which has hosted the Volvo China Open and the Shenzhen International on the DP World Tour

“Shenzhen is a young, vibrant city where people

head to fulfil their ambitions. They can very quickly accumulate wealth Success is no longer something that’s only reached in later years

“Although we offer an exquisite level of service and give members unique experiences through themed activities and exhibitions, it is imperative we stay relevant to our new audience,” continues Ali

“Our club culture is greatly valued We aim to provide an aspirational lifestyle that brings members a strong sense of belonging

“For example, every new member has an elaborate welcoming ceremony, which is a celebratory occa-

sion tailored to the individual’s preferences, and they can invite friends and family to witness it ”

Hidden Grace Golf Club’s membership is built on a member only and pure referral structure, whereby existing members recommend individuals whose nomination must be seconded – a system which not only upholds the integrity and exclusivity of the club and presents a point of differentiation among neighbouring venues, but also makes a Hidden Grace Golf Club membership extremely sought after, bordering on indispensable

Diamond Country Club

At Diamond Country Club in Austria, an influx of young families to the area has prompted a new approach to attracting beginner and casual golfers.

In 2021, the venue – host of Austria’s national Open since 2010 – launched a ‘€1 a day’ offer, where non-members can play its 9-hole Park Course and use the driving range on a flexible, relatively inexpensive basis

So far 150 people have signed up to the deal, which is paid either monthly (€30) or annually

Hidden Grace Golf Club, China

Diamond Countr y Club, A ustr ia

“It broadens the spectrum of people who visit the club and gets more people into the game, ” explains Christian Guzy Jnr. “Thanks to improved public transport links to Vienna, which is now just 20 minutes away, there are many young families moving here It’s a sector we really want to target in the coming years

“Golf can be a tough sport when you first start playing With the option of an affordable, public course, it gives them a chance to reach a point where they want to play regularly and then hopefully become a full member

“We want to tempt people here, then keep them around and ensure they are not scared when the first option they see to play regularly is around €2,000.”

The Park Course has seen around 3,000 rounds from non-members since it opened two years ago, and averaged 450-500 rounds per month in the summer of 2022 – an increase of around 25% compared to the two previous summers

It is also a younger demographic taking advantage of the ‘€1 a day’ offer, with 40% aged 30-40 compared to 9% of existing members in that age range

“We’ve had a very positive response, ” adds the venue ’ s General Manager, Stephan Vogl. “People are surprised that it’s possible to play golf at this rate.

“We also recently held an open day where we had 50 to 60 families – around 300 people – come along. Of course, it depends on whether a person or family is motivated to play, but there are plenty of things we can control to give the best chance of that happening

Linna Golf

“It has gone better than we could have ever hoped for ”

That’s how Linna Golf’s CEO Esa Honkalehto described the club’s strategy to attract more young people

In 2018, the Finnish venue devised a plan to increase the number of members under 30, offering two new “ season ticket” options at reduced rates. Anyone under 20 can join for a third of the price of full membership and those aged 21-29 pay two thirds

Both options give full access, including unlimited free balls at the driving range, and the take-up has been so successful the under-30s category now comprises 25% of the club’s membership

“We didn’t realise how fast and strong the snowball effect would be,” continues Honkalehto

“We knew that if we could attract young people with a flexible option, the strength of our product –the playing experience and the level of service –would keep them here

“There were many players out there who belonged to other clubs or who hadn’t found their home club. In effect we stole those floating players, then they told all their friends who came too.”

The strategy has not just created a vibrant sense of community but could also have long-term benefits

“Many young players who have been on the reduced rate buy a share in the club when they turn 30,” says Honkalehto. “They are so dedicated to us that they want to be a permanent shareholder and member

“They come to Linna for the best course in Finland and the highest level of service

“We pay close attention to what our members –especially the younger members – want, whether it’s competitions or social events Listening and having discussions is crucial ”

Finally – a proactive network in unsettling times

There is no escaping the fact that the global economic landscape looks unsettled heading into 2023, and although there has been on average a 10% increase in membership subscriptions across the European Tour Destinations network in the last 12 months, our venues are not being complacent despite the ongoing high demand for golf

“Minimising attrition is always important,” Knox said “But with the global economic landscape looking increasingly unsettled heading into 2023, it’s vital that venues have strategies in place to maintain strong numbers and ride out the storm ”

MORE INFORMATION

European Tour Destinations is a global network of world-class golf venues across 19 countries on three continents, closely aligned to The European Tour Group

(€365) In the last 12 months 40 of those have upgraded to become full members of Diamond Country Club.

for Linna Golf, which recently bought out its rental lease in order to invest in real estate on site.

Linna Golf, Finland

Swe dish Sweetsp ot is p ar t of a glob al e or t to change golf

Swedish tech company Sweetspot has been chosen by The R&A, golf ’s governing body, to provide business systems at Golf It!, its new community-focused golf and entertainment venue. The first facility will open in Glasgow in the summer of 2023 and will, among other things, include a nine-hole course, adventure golf and golf simulators

With the concept Golf It!, The R&A – which has160 a liated organisations, including national federations – aims to change the sport fundamentally The concept’s first facility will be located on the banks of Hogganfield Loch in the North East of Glasgow with the purpose of making golf more accessible and inclusive To achieve their goal, The R&A has carefully selected partners they consider the best in each area

Golf It! is a significant investment that will make golf a more inclusive and accessible sport – for everyone The venue has been specifically designed to attract a new audience to the game Therefore working with a system that provides a clear understanding of behavior and how people interact with their activities is of paramount importance This is where the Swedish company, Sweetspot, comes into the picture The deal between the two parties extends over five years, where Sweetspot will develop and establish business systems on behalf of Golf It!

After a thorough and robust scoping process, the Sweetspot platform was the only system we found to have the capability to achieve our business goals Our aim is to provide customers with the right product, at the right time and at the right price, which will ultimately make the game more accessible and a ordable With Sweetspot we believe we can achieve this goal, says Russell Smith, General Manager of Golf It!

Sweetspot will create an overall solution for the whole concept that includes a checkout system where The R&A can follow di erent types of consumer behavior The focus will be on revenue management and increasing the accessibility for more golfers by applying dynamic pricing

– We are delighted to get the opportunity to work with the largest golf organization in the world It ’ s a great recognition of our company and product. They share our vision to modernize golf to get more people to experience the sport we love, says Henrik Ahlin, CEO at Sweetspot.

The R&A is investing £200 million over ten years in developing golf and supports the growth of the sport internationally

A word with... Phil Waine

Using the feedback from 59club’s Mystery Shopper feedback over a five-year period has enabled us to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the business at all touch points of the golfer’s experience. From here, we have been able to conduct our internal training around the areas of opportunity that have been collectively flagged within the audits. For example, upsell training in the retail department combined with product knowledge seminars and utilizing our preferred vendors such as ‘Taylormade’ to conduct additional training

We were also able to highlight potential staff shortages within certain areas of the operation and used this indicator to schedule staff amendments and instigate additional recruitment Using the Mystery Shopper feedback, we can highlight and justify to our ownership the areas of recruitment required to ensure the Trump brand standards are provided on a consistent basis, and to also benchmark our experience against other leading golf facilities.

In addition, feedback has been used for supporting justification around staff recognition awards such as employee of the month/quarter/year, combined with annual performance reviews

We deliver our annual membership survey with 59club and without doubt it’s the most important satisfaction survey that we conduct each year at the facility We deliver the survey in May each year and it is active for around a 3–4-week period We feel it is important to provide members with a constructive communication platform to express their opinion on the membership experience and to highlight the strengths and areas of opportunity from their own personal standpoint. Members can also remain anonymous when conducting the survey which allows them to feel comfortable when expressing certain views

Each year we have received excellent feedback and there is always a new concept or idea that appears within the comments that we have implemented Once the survey is closed, the results are distributed to the membership via a newsletter communication with the action plan attached Since we launched the membership survey in 2019, we have seen an increase in overall membership satisfaction each year, with 2022 being our record satisfaction score

On the back of the 2022 Member Survey action plan, we have outlined further facility enhancements and renovation projects for 2023 to ensure we can continue the member satisfaction trend into next year

In addition, we also deliver a daily guest survey, which is sent to each non-member just 24 hours after their round of golf On completion, each participant will receive a personalized response from the golf team within 24 hours of receiving their survey response This is an opportunity to address any concerns from the golfer, and to potentially encourage repeat play by applying a Promo Code for the next visit

In addition to the staff training, we align all satisfaction survey scores to individual and departmental annual KPI’s and include these within the annual business plan at the start of the year All survey scores are reviewed monthly and benchmarked against the budget, prior year, and industry averages. They are included within all owner and management reports.

The action plans and training implemented on

the back of the satisfaction scores from members, guests and mystery shoppers has been supported with positive trends on commercial performance year on year. We have seen growth in areas such as merchandise spend per round, membership and green fee in all non-member round segments In addition, the Golf Club has received prestigious global accolades within the golfing industry in recent years and continues to be nominated in 2022. We feel the service provided by 59club has been a huge support mechanism to help us achieve these goals

The current Director of Golf role involves a lot of administration tasks and attending meetings so there is a limited amount of time where I can personally oversee all touch points of the operation firsthand We operate a floodlight facility on the Par 3 Course which means we have tee times starting from 6am in the morning until 9pm in the evening with over 70 thousand rounds of golf accommodated during the year The 59club software we implement at Trump International Golf Club, Dubai basically provides the team and I external feedback on the golf experience we delivery on a daily basis throughout the year The information received can be measured and allows us to make key strategy decisions based on factual data received from all golf round segments

MORE INFORMATION

59club are leaders in Customer Experience Management ground-breaking Myster y Shopper Audits, Customer Satisfaction Sur veys, and Employee Training Programs For more information visit www 59club com

Welcome to Tr ump International Golf Club, Dubai and to Director of Golf Operations, Phil Waine. His commitment? To exceed all member and guest expect ations, and all with the help of 59club’s Myster y Shopper. Phil explains.

Looking ahead –food trends for 2023

The eating out mar ke t is

Research from food company Bidfood shows that 45% of consumers consider eating out a “fundamental activity” in their lives, and 70% say eating and drinking out is still “the treat they most look forward to”

But with consumers having increasing amounts of choice on what, and where, they can eat and drink out of home, it’s more important than ever to stay ahead of the game by understanding the key trends that are influencing consumer choices

Bidfood’s research on 2023 food trends and the factors driving consumer choices out of home reflect a number of contrasts and commonalities

Consumers apparently hunger for adventure yet at the same time yearn for the comfort and reassurance of nostalgic flavours and dishes. They value quality and a great experience when they eat out, but take a more conscious approach to counting costs, calories and the impacts of what they eat

Popular choices for 2023 will be innovative takes on pizzas, dishes that are a little more adventurous (like Cuban, Sri Lankan, Pan-African and Unusual Fusions) and classic or vintage dishes Sustainable and foraged ingredients also feature, along with vegan and vegetable-based dishes that celebrate the power of plants and vegetables

Drink trends will follow similar themes to those identified for out of home food trends, according to the company. Consumers have a taste for

They are cost, sustainability and calorie conscious and many are still looking to drink mindfully and moderately.

Bidfood has identified some inspiring drink ideas for many of our 2023 trends. Mindful drinking, In the Spirit (Signature Serves and Trending Spirits- rum and tequila) as well as RetroLove cocktails are the key drink trends we ’ re highlighting for 2023

Tequila and rum are the two key trending spirits set to grow in 2023, but consumers are also attracted to Signature Serves and cocktails that give them something a little different that adds to their eating out experience – think flavoured martinis, and unique cocktails with unusual ingredients

Bidfood’s research found that 37% of consumers opting for a cocktail when out for drinks always or almost always go for a signature cocktail if one is available.

• Bidfood.co.uk

adventure, whilst being attracted to the comfort and reassurance of vintage and nostalgic flavours.

Could your club do more for the environment?

Delphis Eco’s study of 2,000 adults found that 76 per cent of responders felt sustainability and climate change were very important to them But it also emerged 56 per cent of us feel too many businesses are ‘greenwashing’ for marketing purposes rather than in a concerted effort to make a real difference to the planet

Mark Jankovich, CEO of Delphis Eco, said: “Hospitality venues can only buy what is available to them, so it’s important we give them options and help them understand how making the right purchasing decisions can help their own environmental pedigree.

“It’s clearly important to customers that hospitality venues do business in the right way and this aspiration can only become stronger alongside the headlines we see linked to climate change and the erosion of our planet’s resources

“We want to make sure we are doing all we can, by ensuring we ’ re leading by example Our cleaning chemicals are non-toxic, plant-based ingredients, yet they are extraordinarily powerful and do an exceptional job All our packaging is made from 100% recycled plastic, and we offer refills These are all elements which impact our margin, but we feel it’s the right way of doing business ”

Mark and his team have recently been recognised for the production of their ecological cleaning range, receiving the highly coveted Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development 2022.

The company was deemed to be ‘ a business making an outstanding contribution to sustainability and one of only a very few companies to be singled out for recognition through these prestigious awards’

According to Mark the journey to secure 100% recycled packaging was painful and lengthy

“We wanted to evidence that if we, as a small SME could lead the way in driving the effective recycling of packaging and give second life to single life plastics, then this was a major signpost for larger manufacturers, who have subsequently followed suit,” he said “We are deeply honoured to win the Queens Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development and everyone within our team is immensely proud of the achievements over the past few years and in how we are really making a difference.”

Mar k Jankovich

Getting it done

the ar t of productivity

Truly productive people aren’t focused on doing more things; this is actually the opposite of productivity If you really want to be productive, you ’ ve got to make a point to do fewer things.

1. Create a smaller to-do list. Getting things accomplished during your workday shouldn’t be about doing as much as possible in the sanctioned hours It may be hard to swallow, but there’s nothing productive about piling together a slew of tasks in the form of a checklist Take a less-is-more approach to your to-do list by only focusing on accomplishing things that matter

2 Take breaks You know that ache that fills your brain when you ’ ve been powering through tasks for several hours? This is due to your brain using up glucose Too many people mistake this for a good feeling, rather than a signal to take a break Take a walk, grab something to eat, workout, or meditate – give your brain some resting time. Achieve more productivity during your workday by making a point to regularly clear your head. You’ll come back recharged and ready to achieve greater efficiency

3 Follow the 80/20 rule Did you know that only 20 percent of what you do each day produces 80 percent of your results? Eliminate the things that don’t matter during your workday: they have a minimal effect on your overall productivity. For example, on a project, systematically remove tasks until you end up with the 20 percent that gets the 80 percent of results.

4. Start your day by focusing on yourself. If you begin your morning by checking your email, it allows others to dictate what you accomplish Set yourself in the right direction by ignoring your emails and taking the morning to focus on yourself, eat a good breakfast, meditate, or read the news

5 Take on harder tasks earlier in the day Knock out your most challenging work when your brain is most fresh Save your busy work – if you have any –for when your afternoon slump rolls in

6. Pick up the phone. The digital world has created poor communication habits. Email is a productivity killer and usually a distraction from tasks that actually matter For example, people often copy multiple

people on emails to get it off their plate – don’t be a victim of this action This distracts everyone else by creating noise against the tasks they’re trying to accomplish and is a sign of laziness If your email chain goes beyond two replies, it’s time to pick up the phone. Increase your productivity by scheduling a call.

7. Create a system. If you know certain things are ruining your daily productivity, create a system for managing them Do you check your emails throughout the day? Plan a morning, afternoon, and evening time slot for managing your email Otherwise, you’ll get distracted from accomplishing more important goals throughout the day

8 Don’t confuse productivity with laziness While no one likes admitting it, sheer laziness is the No 1 contributor to lost productivity In fact, a number of time-saving methods – take meetings and emails for example – are actually just ways to get out of doing real work. Place your focus on doing the things that matter most as efficiently and effectively as possible. Remember, less is more when it comes to being productive during the workday

Incr easing pr oductivity at t he club is a golden chalice. But contr ar y t o popular belief, jus t checking t asks of f a t o-do lis t isn’ t necessar il y t he answer.

Ir ish club inst alls innovative sof tware from Obbi Golf

Along with general greenkeeping duties, I

am Head of Course Data, Training and Health & Safety (H&S) at Ballybunion Golf Club. I am responsible for collecting and tracking everything from green speeds and surface firmness to soil temperatures and clipping yields I also oversee training and Health & Safety with our Greenkeeping team

Ballybunion is one of the most sought-after golfing experiences in the world Members and guests who play Ballybunion expect exceptional conditions Our team are always focused on how to consistently exceed the expectations of members and guests

My working life traditionally involved a range of jobs, from course set up and cutting greens to repairing pitch marks. Our H&S, however, was a cumbersome process because it was paper based. This resulted in a slower onboarding of new team members as well as inefficient record keeping in terms of H&S Obbi has helped us overcome these challenges

The whole transition was a very smooth process The training documents provided by Obbi were very beneficial, including an easy to navigate website Our team enjoyed logging in and working through the training and H&S manuals, which has helped our team become more cohesive and efficient

We started off the whole process by doing 1 to 1 training with all team members. With the help of Obbi Golf, we could show the team how to log in to their account and then how to navigate around the site and access training documents. This then allowed us to see where everyone was in their online training journey

The Obbi Golf system is incredibly user friendly and the support from the Obbi team has been fantastic The benefits were clear right from the beginning

Over the Summer, we concentrated on fully training our greenkeeping team This proved to be very successful, and we now intend on moving on to our other departments in the winter months and to be ready for the start of next season

Our Greenkeeping team had 24/7 access to all aspects of H&S, and individual log in details means they can get all informationon the go. We found there was healthy competition amongst the team to read and complete training documents. The introduction of QR codes to report any problems or faults

with equipment, has made life easier for our management and mechanics team They are now alerted immediately to any issues This means better planning, such as ordering new parts and keeping a track of any troublesome faults The team are now more aware of checking equipment before and after use and looking out for any problems

If you asked me to describe Obbi Golf I’d highlight the following attributes:

• Accessible 24/7.

• Streamlined Health & Safety in one place.

• Induction to new team members is easier

• Increased flow of communication between myself, the greenkeeping team, management team and our equipment manager

• An extension to the Ballybunion GC team Obbi has streamlined our Health and Safety & Training policies and we are working together to reach the highest possible standards in Health and Safety and Training

Obbi Golf CEO, Gareth Macklin, said: “We’re operators ourselves and were trying to find a platform to integrate lots of the things that are out there. Obbi Golf covers everything around people – from on-boarding of staff, HR, training and communication.

“It handles processes from quality checks, machine checks, weekly fire checks and audits Plus, from a safety perspective, it covers risk assessments, accident reporting, insurance documentation We identified that there are lots of individual solutions out there – from Excel, pen and paper and individual apps – but we wanted to make things far easier and bring it all together ”

MORE INFORMATION

Obbi Golf has won multiple awards for innovative product of the year and has been named one of the top fif ty most innovative companies in the UK and Ireland

• www obbi golf

Ballybunion Golf Club, Ireland, have endorsed a Safety and Compliance platform from Obbi Golf, designed to help ensure the safety, compliance and training standards at golf clubs are up to date at the click of a button. Matthew Trousdale, the club’s Head of Course Data, Training and Health & Safety, explains.

Ballybunion Golf Club embrace Obbi Golf sof tware

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