THE GOLF CLUB
MANAGER I S S U E 1 6 | J U LY 2 0 1 8
THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE GOLF CLUB MANAGERS’ ASSOCIATION
EDUCATION
SERVING THE PERFECT PINT
QUICK, PRACTICAL TIPS ON CARING FOR CASK ALES GCMA
MEET OUR NEW CHAIRMAN W E S P E A K T O R OYA L NORWICH’S PHIL GRICE
BEST PRACTICE EVERY MONTH: SPECIAL FOCUS ON FOOD AND BEVERAGE
INTERVIEW
CHRIS SPENCER THE EXPERIENCED GENERAL MANAGER ON SWAPPING NORTH BERWICK FOR GLASGOW
ED U C AT E | I N FO RM | I N S P I RE ‘
CONTENTS I S S U E 1 6 | J U LY 2 0 1 8
GCMA
CAREERS
04
GCMA chief executive Bob Williams
32
14
Meet the incoming GCMA chairman
Why GCMA recruitment can help your club
INDUSTRY
EDUCATION
20
34
What’s the key to a great F&B provision?
42
How to deal with gross profit calculations
How golf is becoming a family affair
INTERVIEWS
REGIONAL
24
60
Meet the Manager: Scotscraig’s David Landsburgh
64
Jon Hall on taking out the trees at Headingley
Glasgow’s general manager Chris Spencer
24 34
64
WELCOME
THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE GOLF CLUB MANAGERS’ ASSOCIATION GCMA Bristol & Clifton Golf Club, Beggar Bush Lane, Failand, Bristol, BS8 3TH Tel: 01275 391153 | hq@gcma.org.uk CHIEF EXECUTIVE Bob Williams - bob@gcma.org.uk COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER Mike Hyde - mike@gcma.org.uk GOLF MANAGEMENT RESEARCHER Jim Cunning - jim@gcma.org.uk EDUCATION COORDINATOR Niki Hunter - niki@gcma.org.uk MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY Ann Jones - ann@gcma.org.uk EDUCATION AND MAGAZINE ADMINISTRATOR Debbie Mereweather - debbie@gcma.org.uk FINANCE ADMINISTRATOR Shirley Edmondson - shirley@gcma.org.uk BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Tash Johnson - tash@gcma.org.uk COMMUNICATIONS EXECUTIVE Marie Taylor - marie@gcma.org.uk PRESIDENT JR (John) Jones 2018/19 CAPTAIN Cameron Dawson BOARD OF DIRECTORS Gary Steele, Phil Grice, Eddie Bullock, Amy Yeates, Andrew Rankin THE GOLF CLUB MANAGER IS PUBLISHED BY: SPORTS PUBLICATIONS LTD 2 Arena Park, Tarn Lane, Scarcroft, West Yorkshire, LS17 9BF, UK Tel: 0113 289 3979 | info@sportspub.co.uk PUBLISHER Tom Irwin - t.irwin@sportspub.co.uk EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Dan Murphy - d.murphy@sportspub.co.uk OPS DIRECTOR Will Shucksmith - w.shucksmith@sportspub.co.uk EDITOR Steve Carroll - s.carroll@sportspub.co.uk CHIEF DESIGNER Andrew Kenworthy - a.kenworthy@sportspub.co.uk DESIGNERS Vicky Jones - v.jones@sportspub.co.uk Emmi Parry - e.parry@sportspub.co.uk Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, but the publishers cannot accept responsibility for omissions and errors. All material in this publication is strictly copyright and all rights are reserved.The views expressed in The Golf Club Manager do not necessarily represent the views of the company or the editor. Every care is taken in compiling the contents but the publishers assume no responsibility for any damage, loss or injury arising from participation in any offer, competition or advertising contained within The Golf Club Manager. THE GOLF CLUB
MANAGER I S S U E 1 6 | J U LY 2 0 1 8
THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE GOLF CLUB MANAGERS’ ASSOCIATION
EDUCATION
SERVING THE PERFECT PINT
QUICK, PRACTICAL TIPS ON CARING FOR CASK ALES GCMA
MEET OUR NEW CHAIRMAN W E S P E A K T O R OYA L NORWICH’S PHIL GRICE
BEST PRACTICE
EVERY MONTH: SPECIAL FOCUS ON FOOD AND BEVERAGE
INTERVIEW
CHRIS SPENCER THE EXPERIENCED GENERAL MANAGER ON SWAPPING NORTH BERWICK FOR GLASGOW
ED U C AT E | I N FO RM | I N S P I RE ‘
001 GCMA July 18 Cover.indd 3
26/06/2018 12:23
ON THE COVER: Glasgow Golf Club general manager Chris Spencer
I S S U E 1 6 | J U LY 2 0 1 8
T
he golfing world seems a far better place when the sun is shining. Following one of the wettest periods at the beginning of the year we have now enjoyed one of the warmest Junes for a long time. While not being an avid Twitter participant I do try and follow as many members – or at least their clubs - and it makes excellent viewing when seeing the glorious images of the course at club championships. This month, Mike Hoare made the decision to stand down from the Board at the June Meeting. Many things will have been written regarding Mike and his length of service on the National Committee and, more recently, the Board of Directors. But my recollection has to be focused on the level of support he has provided for me. The role of chief executive of our association is one that very little prepares you for. Having previously managed golf clubs for over 20 years, I thought I had covered most areas of golf club management. So, when taking up the challenge of GCMA the support and solid guidance that Mike provided was invaluable, especially in the first couple of years. However we all have a life span and I know Mike has been deliberating over the chairman’s role for quite some time – and finally felt this was the time to move on. I wish Mike well for the future and sincerely thank him for his valuable guidance. As one door
closes another opens and it is with positive anticipation that I take the opportunity to wish our recently appointed chairman Phil Grice a warm welcome. Many of you will have read about Phil’s present role at Royal Norwich, which is a most interesting project. I am sure Phil will approach the challenge of the GCMA Chair role and relish the further development of our Association. I am really looking forward to working alongside him. In the same vein, the co-opting of Andrew Rankin and Amy Yeates to the Board until the next AGM is an extremely positive step forward. Again I wish them well and look forward to working alongside them. Bob Williams – chief executive
“It is with positive anticipation I take the opportunity to wish our recently appointed chairman Phil Grice a warm welcome“
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What you
NEED TO KNOW Relevant news, opinion and expert insight from around the industry. Plus what’s happening around the UK in the world of the GCMA
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The month in
PICTURES
1
Dyke GC’s Martin Yeates drives off as we held our National Golf Day at Broadstone last month. Nearly 50 members made the journey to Dorset and, with sensational weather to help, the
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course was presented in superb condition. Nearly everyone in attendance was made to feel welcome by staff and members, several of whom actually headed out onto the course to provide valuable ball-spotting duties.
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2
Key to the National Golf Day are, of course, the winners and Iain McColl celebrated winning the Founders Cup, which is presented to the player who records the best Nett Score.
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His 75, off a handicap of six, gave the West Hill secretary the prize and he was presented with the trophy by 2018 national captain Cameron Dawson, along with the host club skipper Dave Shenton.
3
The main prize is the Greenshields Memorial Trophy, which is won by the player with the best gross score. Ian Slater’s excellent 73, recorded from a two handicap, gave him the victory and the North Downs secretary was delighted to take the honours.
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This GCMA club is famous for…
OLD FOLD MANOR This Barnet course, run by general manager Trisha Leonard, can look back on 1,000 years of history...
Y
ou are about to step into history – or so the rather large sign dramatically states as you walk up the 18th at Old Fold Manor. There’s a big regeneration scheme in the pipeline at the Barnet club, in the Chiltern & Home Counties region, but it’s something rather older that grabs the attention of many visitors. The moat that guards the green, and should send shudders into the swings of those holding a nice medal card, was created as long ago as the 10th century. It’s deep enough, if the buoys surrounding the front are anything to go by, and regarded as one of the best-preserved of its type. Even if Old Fold Manor ever got bored of golfers fatting balls into the water, they couldn’t alter the site. It has been protected since an archaeological survey of the course back in 1991. The club say the 18th green, and car parks, was once covered by a manor house owned by the De Mandevilles. They arrived in England along with William the Conqueror. A family of London merchants snapped it up in the 13th century. Since then, the area has had
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some very famous visitors. Queen Elizabeth pitched up in 1558 and Oliver Cromwell also stayed the best part of a century later. It’s thought the Battle of Barnet in 1471 – one of the final acts of the long-running War of the Roses – took place on land that now includes the course. Henry VI and Edward IV went at it in a skirmish that saw 25,000 soldiers wielding their weapons in the fog. It was Edward who eventually won the day after a vicious, bloody, four-hour ordeal.
So next time you’re playing the Harry Colt design, a former Open qualifying venue, make sure you take a good look around your surroundings. For you never know whose footsteps you are treading in.
What is it that makes your club special? Every club has something that makes it unique, that sets it apart from everywhere else. Why not let us know what it is? Email s.carroll@sportspub.co.uk
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@RainBirdGolf
Rain Bird has been a huge help for dialing in our system. They made it a much easier transition during the restoration. Stephen Rabideau, CGCS | Director of Golf Courses, Winged Foot Golf Club
Winged Foot Golf Club brought incredible precision to their irrigation. To prepare for a major championship, this prestigious club recently completed a historic restoration. By partnering with Rain Bird, they also received hands-on help implementing new intelligent irrigation practices. From dialing-in nozzle settings in their Central Control to setting up a Rain Watch™ system that responds to microclimates, a dedicated commitment from Rain Bird made it easier for the club to protect their water source and defend their turf. See more renovation stories at rainbird.com/RenovationPartner.
GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL
Captain’s corner
CAMERON DAWSON
Y
ou may have been wondering why there hasn’t been a ‘Captains Report’ in recent issues or maybe you hadn’t even noticed, and that is the point. We’ve agreed that articles will appear only when there is something to say – leaving more room for members’ input and information. Some may say I have already said enough, but more of that later. I am now in my third month as national captain and I have begun the usual tour of the regions, giving short presentations on matters either close to my heart or of national relevance. Time constraints at most regional meetings mean that I cannot always pursue my personal campaign to improve how clubs treat gender equality and my desire for a handicap system that is also gender free. I am sure many members are quite pleased about that, really. But as requested by HQ, and with my happy agreement, I have been covering two subjects that are slightly related to this. These are the role of national captaincy and the election of new faces to the board. Both of these require members either to put themselves forward for consideration or be put forward by others. Each requires people with the skills and time to do the role and it would be really beneficial if the past captains and existing board
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had a list to choose from that included younger and gender diverse candidates. Anyone chosen would, of course, be those who most suited the positions. In the case of the captaincy, this does not mean it has to be your region’s turn but rather somebody who can represent and promote the association at regional, national and international levels. It does require a significant time commitment. I have 84 days this year, but I have chosen to attend all the events to which I am invited as well as leading all the matches. That is not an absolute requirement of the position and it could be done with fewer days’ attendance. I will be asking every regional manager to give me at least one name who could be considered – if not for 2020 then for future years. If you think you have the qualities required please let your regional manager know in confidence. You will be asked to provide a brief CV, but that is only to allow the past captains to make a considered decision. After all, it is pretty likely that most will not know you. And while the commitment is undoubtedly significant there are a few benefits, in addition to the educational value of attending meetings and being part of the board. Since April, I have played Royal Porthcawl, Pyle & Kenfig, Royal Cinque Ports, Prince’s, Ganton,
Moor Park (three times), Bamburgh Castle and Sunningdale – to name just a few. There is much more to come. Regarding the positions for directors, the time commitment is much less and involves attending around four board meetings a year, usually in central London. For the most part, it is manageable in a day by train and there are email communications
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Our national captain reflects on his first three months in the role and sounds the rallying cry for volunteers...
Cameron Dawson playing Moor Park following the AGM
and conference calls when, and if, matters arise that require urgent decisions. The skills you can bring to the role will be the main deciding factor determining selection. The association are looking for at least two directors at the next AGM as the rules dictate that two, who have served their terms, must stand down. If you think you fit the bill, and
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would like to be considered, please contact chief executive Bob Williams at HQ. As I said earlier, I do have some strong opinions about equality, and even the running of the association, and I am not afraid to pass on those views. However, I never intend to offend or upset anybody. In my magazine interview in April, I was trying to say that too
many clubs had the captain’s selection procedures that I described and that was aimed at them and not our past captains’ committee. I in no way said, or meant to say, that is how our past captains’ behave. They can, however, only choose from the list of members they are given. As I’ve already stated, I implore regional managers and individuals to think about nominations. Your association needs you. I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at future meetings, and matches, and having a good laugh while taking in the invaluable education we receive. I think I am now up to date on GDPR, enlightened about flexible memberships and embracing Facebook advertising. I will leave you with what I consider one of most useful things I have learned so far as national captain. It’s how many pairs of underpants you need for each trip! As someone with an A-Level in further pure maths I have come up with a simple mathematical formula that you can all use. U=D2–1. Where U = number of pairs of underpants required. D = number of days you are away x2 (cleanliness at all times) – 1 (the pair you are wearing when you set off). You can, of course, convert the equation to socks (simply change the U for an S).
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GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL
Phil Grice steps up to the
GCMA CHAIR
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The general manager of Royal Norwich has replaced Mike Hoare as the new chairman of the association
P
hil Grice, general manager and director of Royal Norwich, has been named as the new chairman of the Golf Club Managers Association. Formerly communications and marketing director, Grice, 48, has replaced Mike Hoare, who has decided to stand down after an illustrious 25-year involvement with the association. Having learned the game at Turnberry, Grice is hugely experienced in golf club management, following roles at Haste Hill, Kingswood, Silvermere, Sprowston Manor and Lexden Wood. He was appointed general manager at Royal Norwich in 2011 and is leading the club in their historic relocation to a new venue at Weston Park. Grice has gained a wealth of experience at Royal Norwich, which he believes will stand him in good stead for his new role. “Over the last three year period of my career I have had to learn many new skills, adapt to changing circumstances, and implement the findings of huge amounts of research,” he said.“I have also been on fact-finding missions to a significant number of clubs and spent time with plenty of my peers in the industry picking their brains about what makes their particular facility stand out, but also exploring their personal challenges. “I hope to use that perspective David Morgan at Gullane
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“I love the history of our industry, so I was honoured to be on the board, but to be appointed chairman is an even greater personal honour” of what is happening across our wider industry to challenge why we currently do what we do – much of which is very much on the right lines – and help to ensure that we continue to cater for the needs and demands of the modern golf club manager.” Having been invited to join the GCMA board of directors at its inception, the scale of his new appointment isn’t lost on Grice:“I love the history of our industry, so I was honoured to be on the board, but to be appointed chairman is an even greater personal honour. “As a member, I also understand the expectations that our members have for our association, and I hope to guide the GCMA to deliver services and benefits that will allow them to fulfil their personal potential, and to help drive the golf industry forward. “I hope that members feel they can pick up the phone, or come and talk to me. As a serving manager I am passionate about
the success of our association, and you can never have too much constructive feedback.” Paying tribute to the outgoing chairman, Grice said:“Mike has been a fantastic guiding hand on the tiller of the GCMA, and it should never be underestimated how much of a steadying influence he has been over such a long time. Over many years his attendance at meetings, travelling to and from GCMA events or simply being on the phone to the CEO and board have seen him being one of the best servants the GCMA has ever had. I’d like to echo the association’s best wishes, and thank him personally for all he has done for our association.”
Two more new faces join the board Grice’s new role as chairman has been supplemented by two new appointments at board meetings after Andy Rankin and Amy Yeates were both formally co-opted as directors.The pair had been invited to attend meetings in a non-executive capacity since the beginning of the year. Yeates, the current GCMA Manager of the Year, has just taken over as chief executive of Moor Park, in Hertfordshire, having moved from Fairmont St Andrews. Rankin, who has been involved in the Diploma in Golf Club Management, is a course leader and senior lecturer at Bucks New University.
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GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL
Charting a way forward for
WOMEN IN GOLF The GCMA are one of the early signatories of The R&A’s new Women in Golf Charter. But, as leading figures tell Steve Carroll, the association is already leading the way in promoting gender diversity in club management
The attendees of the first GCMA Women’s Golf Leadership Group meeting at Foxhills Club & Resort
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T
he business case for getting more women in leadership has actually been broadcast for a long time,” said Marie Taylor. The coordinator of the association’s recently-formed Women’s Golf Leadership Group is talking following the launch of The R&A’s Women in Golf Charter last month in London. The Charter is a concerted bid from the game’s governing body linking together with organisations and associations across golf – to try to increase the number of women and girls participating in the sport. Key to that is encouraging more to work in the industry and that means changing attitudes that have remained largely set for decades. “The conversations in industry so far have largely been in circular discussions with not much action and women are reporting the same issues in their way,” Taylor added. “It’s not just men – awareness of the specifics required to make change happen sits with women too. “But the greatest barrier to actual change is the entrenched male culture, often so entrenched that it’s outside many people’s conscious awareness.” That’s quite a lot to try and change but, alongside The R&A, the GCMA has actually been ahead of the curve. The number of women members of the association has increased almost 100 per cent in five years. Acknowledging that trend, the association established the Women’s Golf Leadership Group this year to help achieve a more inclusive culture within the sport.
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What is The R&A Women in Golf charter? The Women in Golf Charter is designed to inspire an industrywide commitment to develop a more inclusive culture in the sport. Adoption of the Charter will require national federations and other golf bodies to build on current initiatives and develop new projects that will focus on encouraging more women and girls to play golf and stay in the sport as members. It also calls on signatories to take positive action to support the recruitment, retention and progression of women working at all levels and will set individual targets for national associations for participation and membership – with annual reporting of progress. Martin Slumbers, The R&A chief executive, said:“We are asking the golf industry to recognise the real importance of increasing the number of women and girls playing golf and empowering more women to enjoy successful careers at all levels of the sport.”
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“Our involvement (in the Women in Golf Charter) has been led by our own circumstances”,explained GCMA chief executive Bob Williams. “I know there are more and more women coming into golf club management. “There is a shift and things don’t happen overnight. “But there are more women becoming involved in playing the game. “Collectively as associations and organisations, we have to break down the barriers within the golf club.” From this backdrop, it was little surprise the GCMA were one of the early signatories to the Charter, which aims to inspire an industrywide commitment to “developing a more inclusive culture within golf and allow more women and girls to flourish and maximise their potential at all levels of the sport”. So what will that actually mean in practice? Becoming a signatory to the Charter requires an undertaking from national federations and
organisations to support measures that increase participation for women, girls and families. Those who have signed will be asked to take positive action to support the recruitment, retention and progression of women who work in golf. It will also aim to develop an inclusive environment for women and girls within golf. That’s very positive reckoned Amy Yeates, the GCMA’s current Manager of the Year, who already takes great pride in mentoring the next generation of managers – both female and male. “It is fantastic, it is a real call to action to everyone in the industry no matter how small their involvement to play their part in making golf more inclusive,” she said of the Charter. “For The R&A to invest £80 million in the next 10 years is a serious statement that the sport has to change. “For me, the most notable part of the Charter is how comprehensive and far reaching its impact intends to be.
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“The participation goal is a valid and obvious point but it also focuses on increasing the number of women in every level of governance. “Charters are only as strong as the people who support them but there is a real sense of momentum and desire to make a change. “I was fortunate enough to attend the Women’s Golf Leadership Group and I have to say the energy was remarkable. “It was wonderful to see so many sectors and levels of the industry represented, you really felt that you were part of a bigger movement. “Every initiative no matter how small will take one step further to realising the goal of the Charter.” What Yeates hopes most of all is that, in the future, a Charter won’t even be required. She believes that the real success will be seen when things have changed to the point where it is simply an industry standard to make golf inclusive and welcoming to all. Williams, meanwhile, remains hugely optimistic about the ongoing work being undertaken by the GCMA – all with the aim of making the Women’s Golf Leadership Group even more inclusive.
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He explained:“That’s what we want it to be, and not just for golf club managers but for people who work and have leadership roles within the game. “They can then influence. If we can get them together, share knowledge and respect one another’s views, then I think we have got an opportunity.” Taylor, charged with leading that programme, agrees and believes relationship building, along with effective networking, is vital. “My previous perception was that women weren’t networking within the industry as much as they possibly could. “But the Women’s Golf Leadership Group is drawing a crowd from all sections of the golf industry, from all areas and all levels as well. “This, and the Charter, has the potential to make some real, effective, changes if we are all going to collaborate together. “So far, the conversations have been very much of that nature. “As the GCMA, we are uniquely positioned to support leadership development for women already working in golf clubs so they can take those golf club management positions and see it as a role that they could and would like to do.”
THE GCMA’S PLEDGE We are proud to be an early signatory to The R&A’s Women In Golf Charter. The men and women we support in management and leadership positions around the UK Regions are passionate about the development and future of the game. We recognise that to successfully manage the clubs we need to strive towards sustainable gender diversity. As well as being an early signatory to the Charter, we are pleased to be providing specific support for the female members of our association and women in the industry by: • Creating a collaborative and cross industry network under the banner of The Women’s Golf Leadership Group • To establish a Women In Leadership programme as a key initiative for developing a platform for female leaders in golf club management • To appoint at least one female director to the Board of the Association in 2018 and look to increase this over the next two years • Develop a programme to raise awareness among the golf club community about the unconscious bias/differences that women working in golf face everyday
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How golf is becoming a
FAMILY AFFAIR With the Women in Golf Charter now launched, a research project from The R&A reckons this could be a defining year for the sport…
W
ith more events, dedicated participation initiatives and coaching activities available than ever before, opportunities certainly knock for females of all ages and abilities in 2018 to get into golf. While many of us are aware of the statistics – women and girls’ golf in the UK lags behind other European countries at only 14% of club membership in Great Britain and Ireland – there is a new feelgood factor about the game that could inspire more female golfers onto the fairways. “I do see a change, everyone seems to be working hard to encourage women and girls into golf,” said Scotland’s Pamela Pretswell, a consistent Ladies European Tour (LET) performer. “There seems to be a lot of initiatives, like #ThisGirlGolfs. “At golf events, you also see more juniors coming along, especially at the LET events where there are clinics for the girls and other activities. It’s good they are getting access to players at an early age to see what a girl can go and do. When I was growing up, I didn’t really have that access to pros.” The inaugural Girls Under-16
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Open Championship, staged at Fulford at the end of April, offered further optimism. Then there was the inspiration of Jenni Falconer, a working mum and beginner golfer, spreading her new love for the sport to her large social media audience through a tie up with the PGAs of Europe. The TV and radio presenter handled her nerves to play in the Golf Sixes Pro-Am, which this year offered an innovative mixed event featuring Charley Hull and Georgia Hall.“It’s a brilliant new sport for me, I’ve enjoyed it so much and this is only the beginning,” she said. “I hope that more women and girls come and take up golf too. It’s time out, away from all other stresses, in the fresh air and as much as it tests your patience when things go wrong, it also gives you the greatest buzz when things go right.” New R&A-endorsed research illustrates how important the role of the mother can be to capitalise on the significant growth opportunity that exists for golf if it can attract more women, girls and families. The research report analyses the factors which can increase whole family participation in the sport, including women and girls, and details a number of useful practical
recommendations for national golf bodies and clubs to help encourage more women and girls to play. The R&A commissioned the International Institute for Golf Education, based at the University Centre Myerscough, to carry out the research. The key themes identified in the report, which was produced by Dr John Fry and Philip Hall, include: The importance of establishing the optimum environment for family participation by being aware of the changing needs of the ‘modern family’ There is a direct link between equality in sports participation and wider measures of gender equality, such as the number of women in influential decision-making positions at various levels in golf Parents are the chief factor underpinning families’ likelihood to play golf and that their motivations for their children taking part include having fun, improving health and developing friendships – not on competition “The report brings together for the first time in one place the key academic and industry research articles conducted on family sports participation,” said Fry.“The process involved searching scientific databases containing more
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than one million citations, peerreviewed research papers and selecting the most appropriate evidence based studies that can help underpin strategies to increase participation in golf.” The research is supplemented with case studies of best practice, analysis from a number of industry experts and offers a series of practical actions which golf clubs can adopt. “Notably, the traditional method of golf does not meet the needs of the modern family,” added Fry.“We have a new consumer looking for quick access and smaller versions of sport. Clubs and facilities have to meet their needs, with the role of the mother and parents also very important.” Pretswell certainly feels the sport is evolving, adding:“My dad played off scratch when he was younger,
so he really helped me, but at the same time my mum and my brother played golf as well, so we could all go as a family which made it fun. But there are now more mums who have access to golf and can take a bigger interest. “We perhaps think it is harder than it is to attract female players to golf, but if clubs offer the right product and opportunities, like family memberships or memberships for those under the age of 30, then there is a great potential for the sport.”
Key statistics and trends There are thought to be as many as 36.9 million latent female golfers around the world Latent female golfers are worth up to $35 billion to the golf industry The main reasons given for nonparticipation in golf are cost (37%), the impact of family responsibilities (30%) and the amount of time taken to play (17%) (Syngenta, 2016) Female PGA and trainee PGA professionals make up less than 3% of all PGA pros in Great Britain and Ireland (Kitching, 2017)
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In the
LOOP 1. Why not name the date? Montrose have... What’s happened: Montrose Golf Links have decided to rename their Medal course The 1562 Course. What does it mean? It will be interesting to see if this catches on elsewhere. Montrose is made up of two courses – the Medal and Broomfield – and has three associated golf clubs: Montrose Caledonia, Montrose Mercantile and Royal Montrose. With the Open at Carnoustie on the very near horizon, the club have decided to relaunch their Medal course as The 1562 Course in order, they say, to better recognise 450 years of golfing heritage at the east coast venue. It so happens that, just after the Open, the club will stage Montrose Open Week – and that will see the first competition played over the relaunched course. Coincidence? Almost certainly not, especially as the Montrose Open will also finish on a Sunday for the very first time. Jason Boyd, PGA professional and operations manager at Montrose Golf Links, explained the change,
The news you need to know from the last month in the golf industry…
saying:“The idea is to bring an important piece of golfing history into the public’s consciousness. Golf was first recorded here in 1562. “It is a special place and The 1562 Course is a direct link to the golfing past that established this great game. “We intend to celebrate that fact this summer through a series of special events.” Should it prove a financial boon for the club, it will only further emphasise the importance of
getting your club’s branding right as a way of bringing in new custom. How many of your clubs with long histories would think of following suit? 2. England Golf drive new sustainability commitment What happened: England Golf announced a partnership with the GEO Foundation, the not-forprofit organisation dedicated to supporting sustainability in and through golf.
@GCMAUK Tremendous day @broadstonegc for our National Golf Day – thanks to @BroadstoneGM and the members for making us so welcome (and for ball spotting
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duties!). Course was in excellent shape... @GCMAUK Shot Clock Masters definitely
a move in the right direction for the game of golf @RandA @EuropeanTour @ThePGA @ EnglandGolf @GCMAUK @SimonJoyce3
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What does it mean? The partnership will help promote the business benefits of good environmental management to England Golf’s affiliated clubs. They will get a discount on subscriptions to OnCourse, a web based programme for club and course management. Nick Pink, England Golf chief executive, said:“Our goal is to help clubs unlock a range of new business opportunities by providing high quality guidance and tools and sharing best practice across the sport. “We believe that OnCourse will help clubs embed sustainability into their operations, to discover new efficiencies and ways to enhance their courses. “At the same time, it will enable us to better measure and promote the real social and environmental value of golf in England.”
countries participated, in more than 900 venues, with thousands of women enjoying a day of golf and sharing their experiences on social media. A number of GCMA member clubs took part, including Frilford Heath, who held a fun competition and introduced a dozen new ladies to the sport. Elisa Gaudet, the founder of Women’s Golf Day, said:“I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved with Women’s Golf Day. The positivity and enthusiasm shown by the golfing community across the world just blew me away. The game of golf has transcended national borders and the incredible women involved in the game across the globe showed the world how much we all have in common.”
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Richard Piggott, secretary at West Middlesex, in Chiltern & Home Counties Scott Clark, manager at Boyce Hill, in East Anglia Christine Langford, director of golf at Thorpeness, in East Anglia Rory O’Keeffe, manager at Stapleford Abbotts, in East Anglia Steve Norton, manager at Ramsdale Park, in East Midlands Tom Sharpe, assistant at Luffenham Heath, in East Midlands Vincent Torgah, assistant at Agape Golf Schools, in Ghana Vincent Doyle, manager at Leigh, in North West Keith Dyer, honorary secretary at Worsley, in North West Liz Moor, secetary at Seahouses, in Northern
3.Women’s Golf Day proves a huge success What happened: The third annual celebration of women and girls golf – Women’s Golf Day – was held on June 5. What does it mean? Some 58
Happy #WomensGolfDay! Great to see such fantastic online visibility for all the activities going on around the world today. @GCMAUK
Welcome to our newest GCMA members
Alan Hogg, chief executive at Kingsbarns, in Scotland Melanie Dobie, manager of Merchants of Edinburgh, in Scotland Ryan Bezuidenhout, manager of The Oxfordshire in Southern
Delighted to attend the launch (R&A Women in Golf Charter) and proud for our Women’s Golf Leadership Group to sit alongside.. @GCMAUK
The following have joined the GCMA as affiliate members: Lizzie Taylor, Neil Lubbock, Amber Cockram, Nick Paris, Mike Shepherd, Shelley Coventry, Neil Lythgoe, Peter Todd, Andrew Dyce, Lara Johnson and Paul Spence-Walpole.
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The interview
CHRIS SPENCER Chris Spencer had one of the most sought after management jobs in golf – secretary at North Berwick. But he made the move to another historic venue, Glasgow Golf Club, to become general manager. He tells Steve Carroll why he’s embracing a new challenge…
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ou’ve been in post for just over six months. How have you found it? I’m enjoying it very much. It’s a very different challenge but that was part of the attraction of taking the role. It’s one of the oldest clubs in the world – the 9th oldest – so there’s a lot of history and tradition that goes with that. But they are facing some significant challenges ahead if they want to continue being one of the premier clubs on the west coast. I suppose you’ve been asked by a lot of people why you moved from North Berwick? It wasn’t an easy decision to make but there were a number of factors which played a part, one of which was to move nearer to our children and grandchildren. I’d been at North Berwick for
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Glasgow Golf Club Glasgow Golf Club is the ninth oldest golf club in the world, having been founded in 1787.The club operate a parkland course at Killermont, on the north bank of the River Kelvin around five miles from the city centre.They also have the championship Gailes Links in Ayrshire.The latter hosted Open final qualifying for four years and was regarded by designer Willie Park Jnr as one of his finest creations.
nearly 11 years and there was the realisation ‘had I done as much as I could and would a new challenge be what I was looking for?’ I think North Berwick has achieved a huge amount – not only in the time I was there but also leading up to that – which has firmly established its place in the top 100 in the world. I am very proud of what I achieved but the time was right to move up and do more work at a strategic level. Glasgow Golf Club gives me that. I enjoyed getting my hands dirty but I felt it was time to move to another prestigious golf club and to do things at that strategic level. People think ‘I must be bonkers. Why leave?’ but I left North Berwick with my head held high, proud of what I achieved, and I still have a huge amount of feeling for the place. It’s nice to be able to have run two
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very old, and prestigious, golf clubs. Glasgow consists of two clubs – Gailes and Killermont – and it seems they serve very different markets? They are two very distinct clubs. Gailes is a club within a club. There is no requirement at Gailes to wear a jacket and tie and we take visitors. Killermont is members and guests only. There is still a jacket and tie culture and it’s very traditional. At Gailes, you are surrounded by Western Gailes, Troon and Prestwick to name just three. Where do you see the club’s place in that market? Our research has shown we are in the top 40 golf courses in Scotland but we’re only the 7th best course in Ayrshire. When you look at that from an overseas perspective, and especially a North American perspective, we’re not going to attract huge amounts of those golfers unless they happen to have heard about the place. We have found that 75 per cent of our market comes from the UK, 20 per cent from Europe and five per cent from America. Whether that would improve if we went up the course rankings and got into the top 30, and maybe 5th in Ayrshire, only time will tell. That’s the long-term view. We want to make sure that, wherever people come from, they enjoy their experience and are well looked after. Is there a temptation, with two courses with two very different memberships, to treat them as separate – even though they are under the same umbrella? They are very different and you have to treat them very differently, but within the tradition and the rules that govern Glasgow Golf
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Club. At Killermont, visitors can’t just pick up the phone and say ‘I’d like to come and play’. That is the opposite end of the spectrum to Gailes, which has hosted national and international tournaments like the Amateur Championship and Open final qualifying. Visitors are more than welcome there. So how do you deal with balancing the two? When I am at Gailes, I tend to focus purely on there. That gives me focus and allows me to consider what we need to look for in terms of development and levels of service to the members and visitors. When I’m at Killermont I look at the bigger picture. I think it’s right to treat them very separately and very differently – because they are. But that’s part of the beauty and the challenge of the role. They are two very distinct characters. Gailes is a wonderful golf course… It is and a lot of work has been carried out recently to improve it further. A lot of the heather has been trimmed back. But it still has the character and, if you are wayward, you can find yourself in heather a foot deep. Just off one or two of the fairways, though, it has been trimmed off to an inch. You can find your ball but you might not necessarily be able to get a long iron or a rescue at it. You will, at least, be able to get the ball back into play. If you’re in the ankle deep heather, you might not even find it. Some of the trees have been taken away and they are looking at taking it more to the original design. As with a lot of courses, things have changed, bunkers have been moved and tees put in, so we are
looking at how we can bring it back as well as improve the drainage and the quality of the course. You’re not afraid of taking on big issues. Tell me about the issue of equality there? Just before I started the committee put out a paper to the members discussing open membership – looking at how ladies can join as well as family membership. We collated responses from the membership up until the end of January. A good percentage were in favour of open membership and ladies joining. Glasgow is very much a traditional gentlemen’s golf club. There are certain areas of the Killermont clubhouse where you have to wear a jacket and tie and it’s almost a lunch club in a lot of respects. They are approaching a crossroads and the club realise that to continue to be successful they have to diversify and they have to diversify their membership. Some were dead against it. Some of the members have been there for up to 50 years and so I understand that side of things. Quite a few of the members gave it some really detailed consideration, made suggestions and said we should look at ladies joining and being part of open membership. They gave my council some options so we could sit down and develop a little bit further – rather than just saying ‘yes I support it’. It’s such a fundamental change for the golf club that there is also an opportunity to review other membership categories. The club has an opportunity here to be at the forefront of total integration. Whether the members will go for that, we will wait and see. Speaking to other secretaries who are going through a similar process
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at men-only clubs, it’s very much at the forefront of The R&A’s mind. The numbers of ladies who want to join traditional men-only clubs are going to be few and far between to start with. But if we can show we have different initiatives in place to encourage junior girls, ladies, mums and wives and others who want to join, we could put Glasgow Golf Club at the forefront. What do you need to look at to help the club continue to flourish? We want to attract the mid-20s to the mid-50s. Our subscription
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“Our research has shown we are in the top 40 golf courses in Scotland but we are only the 7th best course in Ayrshire”
is nearly £2,000 a year so we are looking for successful and affluent people, who expect a certain level of service. They are looking for people to meet them on the front door, which Killermont used to do 20 years ago, but it’s not as though we are reinventing the wheel. Not everyone wants to wear a jacket and tie but we still need to cater for those members who have always supported the club. We also need to have facilities that are modern, bright and welcoming to families. Now you’ve been in the role for
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“At Glasgow, if everything comes off as I hope, that would be something pretty special”
a few months, what other plans do you have in mind? It’s going to take a lot of time to develop the facilities we have got, because obviously we have got two courses, and develop the service that complements that. It’s the same at Gailes. We’ve got a wonderful clubhouse and a stunning main dining room but we’ve got to make sure that everything throughout – and behind the scenes such as the kitchens – is of the same standard. These are the challenges and the membership is realising that this is the way we have got to go. We had regional qualifying for the Open for four years, until last year, and know that unless we become a mixed club we won’t be hosting any more prestigious tournaments organised by The R&A. But this isn’t going to be a oneyear quick fix. This is probably going to take three to five years to 10 years to
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make sure it is done properly, to make sure the facilities are invested in and, hopefully, we can start to see a growth in the number of junior girls and perhaps ladies who want to come because we are making it a modern-style club. It’s a wonderful club, ultimately… It is. There are lots of different things
Who is Chris Spencer? Chris began working in the golf industry in 2002 when he became general manager of Strathmore Golf Centre. After two years as general manager/secretary at Clitheroe, he became managing secretary at North Berwick in February 2007. Chris spent just under 11 years in East Lothian before taking on the post of general manager at Glasgow Golf Club at the end of last year. He is a single figure handicap golfer.
that can go into the melting pot to create this offering of Glasgow Golf Club being the premier club in the area. We don’t have the land to develop so we can’t have a spa, tennis courts, bowling greens or things like that, but we can take that concept and see what else we can develop. Sounds like you made the right decision to go to Glasgow? I think I have. I have no regrets at all about the decision to leave North Berwick. I will look forward to going back and enjoying North Berwick and everything that goes with it. I wish the team there continued success because it is a special place to work and golf. I know I have played a very small part in its history. But, at Glasgow, if everything comes off as I hope, that would be something pretty special.
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The GCMA offers a recruitment service for golf clubs to advertise management vacancies, as part of the association’s commitment to providing career opportunities for its members. The GCMA journal and website are trusted channels for golf club management vacancies. ADVERTISING PACKAGES: Magazine adverts include website listing for duration of vacancy ¼ page advert |£850 (+VAT) ½ page advert | £1450 (+VAT) Full page advert | £2450 (+VAT) Website only for duration of vacancy |£750 (+VAT) Non-manager roles: ¼ page advert | £250 (+VAT) e.g. Assistant / Food & Beverage Manager / Clubhouse Manager Includes website advertising for duration of vacancy
Recruitment
■ Targeting a database of skilled candidates ■ Next day website listing and email to all GCMA members ■ Reliable industry knowledge to help with creating your advert ■ Professional support from start to finish ■ Increasing recognition of the importance of GCMA membership HOW TO ADVERTISE: If you wish to advertise a vacancy, please contact Tash Johnson: 01275 391153 | tash@gcma.org.uk
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Moseley Golf Club, in Birmingham is a private members’ club with a parkland course established in 1892 and designed by Harry Colt. The club has a rich history and is proud of its much admired course. We are at the start of an exciting transformation programme and therefore require an exceptional person to take on the role of Director of Golf. We are looking for a charismatic leader who will be our agent for change. Region: Midland Apply by: 26 February 2018 Salary: Competitive
GCMA.ORG.UK/RECRUITMENT The Berkshire Boyce Hill Berkhamsted Carnoustie Beaconsfield Wakefield Littlehampton Sandiway Wimbledon Park
MOSELEY GC ::: DIRECTOR OF GOLF
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PRACTICE Advice on golf club management issues – from finance to clubhouse rules and employment law to staff morale – from our panel of experts
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We’re more than
JUST A GOLF CLUB After a succession of franchisees, Belvoir Park made the bold decision to take their F&B provision in-house four years ago. General manager Jim Cullen tells Steve Carroll how they’ve made it a big success…
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here’s some security in having a franchisee. It’s an area of the business that you don’t have to worry about on a dayto-day basis. If what members are getting doesn’t meet the mark, you can always bring in a new operator – although that’s not always the best solution. But food and beverage provision could be a significant proportion of a club’s revenue. For those that go it alone, and leave the comfort blanket of a franchised business, the risks of taking on extra responsibilities can be outweighed by the rewards. Belvoir Park took their provision in house four years ago and have since developed a reputation for excellent dining. Found close to Belfast city centre, food and beverage now forms a crucial part of the club’s business. We asked general manager Jim Cullen, who is also GCMA regional manager for Northern Ireland, why they made the switch, what the results have been and got his top tips for clubs thinking of doing the same…
The terrace at Belvoir Park
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What is it about your F&B offering that has been so successful? We moved away from a franchise and this is our fourth year. It has certainly taken us a lot of time and effort to get it to where it needs to be. Our turnover is probably around £700,000 a year and we focus on good quality food, with added value. We look at the trends in the marketplace. We make sure the menus are attractive. We have specials on every day, which change every day – and sometimes twice a day – to make it interesting. We have created a nice coffee culture within the golf club as well as a business lunch
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Belvoir Park offer sumptuous food
trade. We have a lot of members who are business people and want somewhere to take their clients. Getting into Belfast can be a problem in relation to parking, so coming to the golf club is a big plus for them. It’s got lovely views and the restaurant is fantastic. There is a wow factor as there’s a great 180 degree of the golf course, Cavehill Mountain, Black Mountain, Belfast city centre and the famous Harland & Wolf. It just is a fabulous place. What is the key to a good F&B offering? You’ve got to be at the top of your game as far as the quality of the food is concerned. If the quality of food is good, people will certainly come and they will pay the money for it as well. We offer good, simple, wholesome food, with deep flavours. It’s honest and with a fine touch. We provide traditional
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food, a la carte, bistro and some homemade produce such as scones and pastries. We make it attractive for people to come and I suppose that’s the key factor. You make it sound very simple. I imagine there’s a lot of hard work that goes into that… That’s where your staff come in and why I, as general manager, need to be totally reliant upon the structures we have in place and the food and beverage management team. We have two duty managers and two duty supervisors, so we always ensure there is a key person on board at all times to make sure everyone is looked after. It’s hard work to keep on top of it. We commit to a food and beverage management meeting every week, for a minimum of one hour, to discuss what’s on and the next two weeks’ diary . We look at
the menus and change them as regularly as we possibly can. As a food and beverage business, you need to be aware of what your members want and are looking for. Good quality food is certainly attractive and it has to be added value for them as well too. You sound like a restaurant rather than a golf club. Was that the intention? It was always our intention from day one. We never liked the term ‘we are only a golf club’. We wanted to take it a step further. We have an absolutely magnificent facility and we wanted to make sure we accommodated all our members, guests and visitors. Our location is five minutes from the city centre, so it was always our intention to be more than simply a golf club, and more than simply golf club food. It had to be something different.
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Belvoir Park
When you do something different, and you prepare high quality food, you can get the keener price as well. That’s how it is built, but it is also built on service. Our staff are trained in the WorldHost programme. They are all trained to look after people when they come in, make sure the service is good, make sure people feel welcome and are looked after. We were very aware when we had the franchise that we were losing business. The turnover wasn’t there and the quality wasn’t there. I started in 2012 and within a year we went through two franchisees. We made the decision that, if we wanted to move it forward, we needed to control it ourselves. We knew the market existed and we knew the members would come back if we supplied good
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quality food and it was treated as a restaurant. That’s what happened. They were very supportive from day one. But we had to be sure we had a good quality head chef and a good team around him as well. There’s often comfort in having a franchise. Was it daunting to go it alone? Absolutely. It scares the living daylights out of you. You have to make a commitment to your club council, and management team, to say ‘we can make this work’. We made a commitment that we would give it the time required and make it work. We also understood this would not happen overnight and realistically budgeted for a loss in year one. Our key focus was to source good quality people. We had to find a good quality
head chef and a good quality hospitality manager. Members asked ‘why do we need a hospitality manager?’ It took them a while to understand that we needed someone to run that side of the business. I can overview it but I can’t be there 24-7 running the food and beverage section. I didn’t have the skillset either. I needed to bring in people who had that skillset. But it wasn’t easy. It’s a tough trawl and you need to take risks. Now it’s a fundamental part of your business… It’s a big chunk of our revenue. The challenge we have is maintaining gross profit, which is always a constant battle. You have to be wise about how you do things. Controlling the wages cost is also a big issue. You grow from a very
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small bar team to, all of a sudden, an F&B service team and kitchen staff of more than 30 – quite quickly and dramatically. You have got to cover those costs. We took advice from restaurateurs around Belfast. We got them to talk through a business model that would work, and how it would work. There was a big learning curve, not only from club managers and duty managers but also from the serving staff. It takes a bit of time for people, whom you may have employed for 10 or 15 years, to come to terms with their role and job description changing. We were asking them to do different things and we were asking them to step outside of their comfort zone. That can be the hardest fight.
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Presumably there were all kind of new things to learn – gross profit, managing stock, loss and people? You have to manage that business. From a club manager’s point of view, I have experience in managing businesses and you look at what it’s going to contribute for the club. You look at what your expectations are. We will not achieve the gross profit of a normal restaurant in the city centre. That would probably be 70 to 75 per cent plus. Our gross profit is running at 62, which is acceptable to our business. But we know the members won’t pay (restaurant prices) and that, with the discounts we give, we have got to make sure there is still good quality. It’s pressure on your bottom line and you’ve got to control your
wages costs. We introduced key performance indicators and we monitored our turnover every week. We constantly reviewed our gross and nett turnover and allowed for VAT. We looked at our gross profit on a weekly basis, our wages cost on a weekly basis and we looked at our bottom line. You need to keep on top of that and it does bring another avenue of information that you have to collate, join together and monitor. If you don’t do that it can run away from you very quickly. What advice would you offer to managers looking at taking on their F&B offering – or just trying to improve it? There are a couple of core things. It’s knowing the expectations of your customer base and understanding what your
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members want. We do run it as a restaurant, and we put on functions, but we don’t necessarily have a lot of success with big band nights. We know that. We also know we are very successful at gourmet nights and a la carte nights. We offer a la carte on a weekly basis and have a gourmet night four to six times a year. It’s fine dining and selling a five-course menu for just under £50. They sell out and we know we have a membership base that wants high quality food and wine. You have to understand your customer base and what they want. If you feel you are ‘only just a golf club’ and you want to serve basic burgers, fish and chips and lasagne and chips then that’s fine, so don’t try to be something you are not. But you might find it difficult to make money from that, or a good contribution, so you’ve got to understand your customer base. You’ve also got to be realistic.
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We will not achieve 70 per cent plus gross profit. It is impossible for us with the discounts we give to members. We can offer a great gourmet night but we also know we have got a lot of senior members, for example, who want good wholesome food. We have members who come in on a Wednesday and just want liver and onions, with chips. We still supply that, and price it accordingly, but we also make sure we can still make a reasonable profit. Crucially, you’ve got to measure your performance on a regular basis. If you don’t do that, it can very quickly run away from you. You’ve got to be adventurous and try different things. We have tapas nights and certain theme nights. We’ve moved away from the formal black tie night at New Year and the first event we had was a street market theme. The second was a gangsters and molls theme and last year it was the circus.
That takes it away from the day-today things you are used to doing. People will change and will adapt. The excitement brings that bit of interest from the members, and more importantly enhances enthusiasm from the staff. Belvoir Park Belvoir Park is a club with a distinguished history. Designed by Harry Colt and founded in 1927, it’s just two miles from Belfast city centre and half an hour from Royal County Down. The club have hosted the Irish Open and Irish PGA Championship, among others, and the championship parkland course meanders through 163 acres of mature woodland. Many famous golfers, including fourtime major champion Rory McIlroy, have rated Belvoir Park as one of the best inland courses in Ireland. Visit belvoirparkgolfclub.com
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£3.50 (retail Profiting from price vat incl) ÷ EXPERIENCE excl) £90 (wholesale price o
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÷ £1.20 = £2.92 (selling pric of container vat excl) ÷ Numb One of the UK’s premier F&B consultants, Steven Brown, of InnFormation, guides you through the minefield of calculating gross profits and margins…
÷ £1.20 = £2.92 (selling pric rice of container vat excl) ÷ ED U C AT E | I N FO RM | I N S P I RE
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£3.50 (retail price vat incl) ÷
M
any of you reading this that know me will find my next comment difficult to believe, but at school, and when I was a lad, I was a complete dunce when it came to arithmetic (or what in the modern idiom is now referred to as Math). Naturally I blamed the teacher for my inability to grasp the core essentials of the subject, and it wasn’t until I became an area manager for a brewery company that the error of my ways was pointed out to me. My then boss asked me to calculate the gross margin (%) of a particular product a pub was retailing. I sat for 30 minutes trying to work out how to turn the calculator on when he appeared at my shoulder and asked if I was
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having a problem. This wise gentleman immediately grasped the situation of my inadequacy and took me under his wing. Under his expert guidance he made the subject of figures come alive and revealed a whole new world to me that has now served me well for the best part of my working life in advising F&B businesses in golf clubs about PROFIT. It seems that numbers can, if handled correctly, reveal so much about the ability of a business to not only survive but to prosper as well. The revelation that all products, when priced up for a retail sale (VAT inclusive), will generate not only a GROSS PROFIT (£s) but a GROSS MARGIN (%) as well enabled me to know instantly if a business was operating profitably and, just as importantly, to accepted industry norms.
Of course this detail in itself is not the be all and end all of whether an outlet is profitable or not, far from it, but it is a practical exercise that I, as a self-employed consultant advising golf clubs on profitability, assiduously apply to the data they provide me with and, what’s more, reveals so much about their business, enabling me to provide them with tried and tested solutions on how to make them even more efficient. Before, however, I reveal the secrets of the dark arts of math, can we just accept that while proprietary owned golf clubs reading this article will not recoil in horror when I mention the P word, or PROFIT, members clubs will quite rightly point out that both the laws of the land governing the way in which they are allowed to operate, and their clubs own constitutions, prohibit them from
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”Numbers can, if handled correctly, reveal so much about the ability of a business to not only survive but to prosper as well”
making a profit. Now while I fully appreciate that, I think I can safely assume that it is not their intention at the outset to make a loss either. But if calling “PROFIT” a “POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION TO THE BOTTOM LINE” (a snappy title I think you will agree) is a more acceptable way of dealing with the matter, I bet they all still want to make some money from their food and beverage operations! So, however you title it, the net result is the same – all clubs need to measure their food and beverage business by the amount of GROSS PROFIT (no escaping the P word) that they make on EVERY item they sell, which in turn will generate a GROSS MARGIN (or percentage). Here then is the key to the family jewels – the all important formula for both.
PROFIT (£) AND A GROSS MARGIN (%) The formula consists of a four stage process and can be applied to both food and beverage sales alike. Firstly, let me describe the process and then illustrate it by showing you a practical example.
HOW TO CALCULATE A GROSS
STEP TWO
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STEP ONE RETAIL PRICE (vat incl) ÷ 1.20 = SELLING PRICE (vat excl) EXPLANATION: Before calculating the GROSS PROFIT of any product, you must remove the VAT from the RETAIL PRICE. (Retail price implies a VAT INCLUSIVE figure while SELLING PRICE implies a VAT EXCLUSIVE figure, and it is the latter figure you need, not the one that includes VAT).
COST OF SALE ÷ NUMBERS OF UNITS IN THE CONTAINER = THE COST PRICE PER UNIT EXPLANATION: We need to deduct the cost price we paid for the product from the selling price to generate our GROSS PROFIT (or monetary contribution). NOTE: All invoices should show the cost paid for the product exclusive of VAT so there should be no need to deduct the VAT shown on any invoice but, if this is not shown separately, then simply deduct the VAT by using the “divide by 1.20” formula. IMPORTANT NOTE: It is also critical that you understand the quantities in which you retail items (e.g. pints of bitter, 25 or 35mls of spirits, glass sizes of wines) so that you can
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0= (se pri vat £9 (wh
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£3.50 (retail price vat incl) ÷ £1.20 = £2.92 (selling pri
ce vat excl 46 | GCMA.ORG.UK
properly work out the individual cost of the product whose GROSS PROFIT you are calculating. For example, you may well buy 50 litres of lager for, say, £90 but you don’t retail that in the same quantity but, more usually, by the pint. You need to now be aware, therefore, that there are 88 pints in a 50 litre container and that figure will form the basis of this part of your calculation. Similarly, if you sell 25ml measures of spirits and have purchased a standard 70cl bottle, you will obtain 28 measures out of that bottle. There are many different sized containers in use today so please ensure that you are aware of the wide range of measures you are using. So having calculated the individual cost price you can now proceed to the next stage.
catering units is offering to your club. And here is the kicker. I can now compare your product’s performance to every other golf club’s performance in the UK to see if you are performing to the accepted levels or norms that know we should be operating to. If not, then following my consultancy, I will offer tried and tested tricks of the trade as to how this can best be achieved. GROSS MARGINS (%) provide an instant recognition that the norm has been achieved, or that there is an “issue”.I for one, could not operate without this important level of detail, so how is a GROSS MARGIN (%) calculated?
STEP THREE SELLING PRICE COST PRICE PER UNIT = GROSS PROFIT (£s)
In this final step, we simply use the answer generated from step three, (gross profit) and divide that by the answer generated from step one, (selling price) and then lastly multiply it by 100 to produce our gross margin or percentage. There are a whole raft of GROSS MARGINS (or percentages) for the golf club industry we use as norms, and here are just a few to whet your appetite.
In this step we simply use the information we have generated from steps one and two to calculate our monetary contribution or gross profit. This simple calculation will reveal precisely how much GROSS PROFIT (£s) the unit makes on EVERY sale. But this is not the end of the story! Bizarrely, we are now going to take the monetary contribution and turn it into a percentage! Why, I hear you cry, as you can’t bank a percentage! A reasonable comment, except for me, it tells me more about the product’s performance than the monetary amount does. By calculating a GROSS MARGIN (or percentage) I can tell instantly what level of contribution every product you sell from the bar or
STEP FOUR GROSS PROFIT ÷ SELLING PRICE X 100 = GROSS (£s) MARGIN (%)
DRAUGHT BEER/LAGER = 55% to 60%* (after members discount) SPIRITS = 70% to 75%* (plus) MINERALS = 75% to 85%* (plus) WINES = 55% to 65%* (plus) * Typical norms
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COMMENT: The expected gross margins on food will be wide ranging dependent on the style of catering being offered but, in any event, I personally would want to see any food operation generate a minimum 65% margin. This, in itself, is a complicated and complex subject and results will be skewed by many contributing factors requiring expert analysis before decisions influencing the outcome can be made. So please seek advice on food margins before making changes that will affect your profitability. Trust me, the numbers quoted above are typical of the figures I have seen having visited and consulted with hundreds of clubs. Now if your results are better than these – and they could easily be dependent on how much you paid for the product and how much you retailed them for – then that’s great. If not, then you may need to do a little research as to why you are not achieving the desired result. Your stock taker can help you with these guidelines. Now let’s put all of this theory into practical use by illustrating an example: CALCULATING a G.P. and a G.M. We have purchased a 50 litre container of session lager at £90 (vat excl) and are retailing each pint at £3.50 (vat incl). Here is the four step process revealed in all its glory. STEP ONE £3.50 (retail price vat incl) ÷ £1.20 = £2.92 (selling price vat excl) STEP TWO £90 (wholesale price of container vat excl) ÷ Number of units in container (or in
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this case, 88) = £1.02 (cost price per unit) STEP THREE £2.92 (selling price) £1.02 (cost price per unit) = £1.90 (gross profit) STEP FOUR £1.90 (gross profit) ÷ £2.92 (selling price) x 100 = 65.1% There we are then. On the face of it that would seem to marginally exceed the industry norm of 60% to 65%. If true, a great result on this product. But if the bitter you also sell at the club is generating a 55% gross margin and you sell twice as much bitter as lager then your overall margins will be eroded by your “sales or business mix” dragging it down towards the 60% figure or even lower! One other important point to remember is this: does the 65.1% figure generated take account of your level of members’ discount or not? This will further skew the results dependent upon what percentage of your retail sales were to members obtaining a discount, or to non members who paid the full non-discounted price. It is this voyage of discovery that I undertake during my on-site visits to clubs in order to ascertain their true gross profit and gross margin contributions. Both the bar and catering department should undertake this critical exercise to establish which lines are profit makers and which lines need to be reassessed or even removed from sale. Here is a salutary, though. In over 90% of the golf clubs I have visited, the chef/cooks have NOT conducted a dish costing or gross
profit exercise on every, or even any, product they sell. They are therefore unable to identify which of their products make a positive contribution and which do not. How on earth can any business operate like that? The answer is simple – it cannot! The resolution is simple – calculate your gross profits (£) and gross margins (%) and take the necessary action needed to make sure your golf club is not only making a GROSS PROFIT, but the correct level of profit, and that your GROSS MARGIN is in line with industry norms. If, on the other hand, you think that this is a time consuming exercise and not worth the cost, what will ignorance cost you if you don’t carry out this vital task? I hope this will assist you in providing your club with a tried and tested method of control, and even greater accountability leading to profit by design – and not by accident.
Steven can be contacted by mobile on 07785 276320, on email at herinn@ aol.com or on 01604 843163 at his World Headquarters.
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ADVERTORIAL FEATURE
Stocking GUNRZ is the
OBVIOUS SOLUTION
I
t was something that always bothered Adam Clarke of Obvious Products. Why was the Gunner cocktail, so popular in many golf clubs, not also available in the shops? And why did it take so long to serve in golf clubs? So the chartered management accountant, who had spent almost 25 years working for a range of large international investment banks, got to work. The result is GUNRZ, a modern version of the non-alcoholic cocktail using a sparkling blend of ginger, citrus and bitters – pre-mixed and packaged in a stylish 500ml can. Launched this month, and with clubs able to purchase direct, Clarke talks about the origin of the drink, how it has initially been received and his hopes for the future‌
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Adam Clarke, of Obvious Products, has put an innovative new approach on a classic golfer’s drink
How did GUNRZ come about? Last summer, I was looking for a new challenge. I started to investigate what it would take to develop my own Gunner recipe and branding and it snowballed from there. It certainly helped that my brother-in-law is a talented packaging designer... and now a shareholder! What is the history of Gunners? Much of it may be hearsay and the stories diverge a little, but it certainly seems to have originated in British colonial ex-pat communities, most likely in Hong Kong where the drink is still very popular today. I’ve heard the name Gunner comes from the fact the drink was first created by a soldier in the British Tank regiment – although that wouldn’t explain why in some parts of the world it’s known as a RockShandy! I don’t mind a little bit of mystery. I think it adds to the appeal.
What is GUNRZ? GUNRZ is a modern version of the classic Gunner cocktail – a sparkling blend of ginger, citrus and bitters, perfectly pre-mixed and packaged in a stylish 500ml can. Why should golf clubs replace Gunners with GUNRZ?
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What’s the feedback to GUNRZ been like so far? The reaction from golf clubs has been fantastic. Some of the long established private members clubs are not famed for their pace of change but there was widespread agreement a pre-packaged Gunner cocktail was a good idea. The big modern resorts have also been really enthusiastic about the product. Everyone seems to like the blend we have developed and are impressed with the branding. My favourite feedback is ‘what a brilliant idea, why has no-one else thought of it?’ I have had that a lot. It provides clubs with a convenient, profitable and delicious nonalcoholic beverage, to be enjoyed both in the bar and on the course, that they know will be popular with their existing Gunner drinkers.
number one soft drink within golf. In many clubs, a Gunners is already the most popular soft drink sold over the summer and that’s without it ever being marketed. I think GUNRZ can capture much of this existing demand, attract new consumers and increase overall sales. I’d then like to introduce GUNRZ to other venues where a long refreshing drink would also be popular – like tennis clubs, cricket clubs and gyms. It would be great to export it to golf clubs in Spain and Portugal where it should prove very popular sold from a drinks buggy. Then who knows? There are possibilities beyond the golf world. Ultimately, it would be great to see my drink on the shelf at the local supermarket.
What does the future hold? Over the next couple of years I hope to establish GUNRZ as the
n To find out how to stock GUNRZ in your club, visit gunrz.com, email sales@obviousproducts.co.uk or call 0844 804 5153.
• Being pre-mixed means it saves time behind the bar • GUNRZ has less than half the sugar and calories of a typical Gunner – only 110 calories per 500ml serving • It guarantees a consistent serving with no need for measurements, stirring, or the training of staff
• GUNRZ can also be sold from the pro-shop, halfway hut, a vending machine or a pop-up outdoor bar on tournament days • It provides certainty over the unit cost to enable clubs to make informed decisions about pricing • The branding and image will attract new customers
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What’s wrong
WITH MY BEER?
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Is your cask beer cloudy or hazy? Does it smell right? Don’t know what to do? Cask Marque’s Annabel Smith leads you through some of the major faults and how to fix them…
S
erving great quality cask ale is vital in achieving repeat custom. Research shows that cask ale drinkers drink out more often, spend more money, are more loyal, and influence the venue of choice for their friends. However, despite your best efforts, certain factors occasionally affect cask ale which can throw up some faults. Cask Marque, the cask ale accreditation body, has put together a fault finding chart, detailing what causes these faults and some possible solutions. It’s a great guide for licensees and staff alike. It can be used as a useful reminder or as a training guide. WHAT IS CASK MARQUE? Cask Marque was formed 20 years ago to address the void in beer quality control. It was set up by four breweries – Adnams, Greene King, Marston’s and Morlands, in a bid to drive up industry standards. It is a non-profit making organisation with a board made up of representatives from large and small breweries, pub companies and trade bodies. To assess beer quality in pubs and ensure standards are maintained, teams of assessors visit pubs in the scheme at least twice a year – checking cask ales on sale for temperature, taste, appearance and aroma.
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OBLEM R P
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Solution Solution Solution
Cask ale is an unpasteurised food product and will ‘spoil’ when stored in warm conditions. Check your cellar thermometer and, if too warm, call a refrigeration engineer
Solution
Yeast build up in lines is a major cause of cloudy beer. Check the lines are being cleaned every seven days with a good quality line cleaner, and ensure during the line clean the solution is agitated at least three times through the lines to shift any stubborn yeast deposits
Solution
Leave a soft peg in the cask for a further 24 hours
Solution
This causes a vacuum in the beer line and disturbs the sediment. Check a soft peg is in place before dispensing the beer
Solution
The cask ale is being stored in a cellar which is too warm (>13°c)
Cask Ale picks up a ‘chill haze’ if stored in very cold conditions. Check cellar thermometer and, if too cold, adjust your cellar cooling unit
Ensure you stock brands and container sizes which can be sold through within three days
The beer lines are being cleaned incorrectly or infrequently
Solution
The cask ale is being stored in a cellar which is too cold (<11°c)
Stock brands and container sizes which can be sold through within three days
Yeast build up in lines causes beer to taste like ‘butterscotch’. Check the lines are being cleaned every seven days with a good quality line cleaner. Ensure the lines are flushed through with plenty of cold water after a clean
Perishable food is stored in the cellar
Solution
The cask ale has been on sale for too long or gone past its best before date
The smell from fresh food can cross contaminate beer in the container
POSSIBLE CAUSE?
MY CASK ALE IS CLOUDY AND HAZY
Cask ale not fully conditioned
Hard peg not removed during service
POSSIBLE CAUSE?
OBLEM R P
The beer lines are being cleaned incorrectly or infrequently
MY CASK ALE HAS AN ‘OFF’ AROMA AND/ OR FLAVOUR
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The cask ale has been on sale for too long or gone past its best before date
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Solution Solution
Check how your staff are pouring the beer – are they pulling the handle too briskly or too fast?
Solution
Check your cellar temperature. If required, a separate ‘ale python’ can be fitted to ensure the beer is kept at cellar temperature all the way to the bar
Solution
Check all casks are hard pegged when premises are shut to keep the ‘condition’ in the beer
The cask ale has been on sale for too long or gone past its best before date
Solution
Stock brands and container sizes which can be sold through within three days
The beer is being dispensed incorrectly
Solution
Check how your staff are pouring the beer – are they pulling the handle too slowly and not creating the required ‘head’ on the beer?
Glasswasher
Solution
POSSIBLE CAUSE?
OBLEM R P
Yeast build up in beer lines causes all beer to fob. Take beer off sale and give the beer line a thorough clean. Ensure the line clean solution is agitated at least three times through the lines to shift any stubborn yeast deposits
Incorrect or overuse of glasswash chemicals can cause a build up of residue, which causes the head on beer to collapse. Check glasses are free rinsing
The beer lines are being cleaned incorrectly or infrequently
The beer is being dispensed incorrectly
The cask ale is being stored in a cellar which is too warm (>13°c) or warming up in the beer lines on the way to the bar
The container is not hard pegged between sessions
MY CASK ALE IS FLAT
POSSIBLE CAUSE?
OBLEM R P
MY CASK ALE IS LIVELY AND ‘FOBBING’
Cask Marque offers a range of training courses packed with advice, tips and hints to help you grow your beer sales and improve your beer quality, including their excellent 1-2-1 hour long training session with one of their expert trainers. For more information, or to get your club Cask Marque accredited for its beer quality, please call 01206 752212 or visit www.cask-marque.co.uk
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ADVERTORIAL FEATURE
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Loch Lomond Whiskiesand The Open
THE PERFECT PARTNERSHIP Why not bring the spirit of the world’s original major championship to your club bar?
I
s there a better partnership than golf and whisky? From the bottle on the bar that celebrates a hole-in-one to the halfway house pickme-up that fortifies us for another nine, the two have always been inextricably linked. So it is also the case with whisky and Scotland. The latter is, of course, where the game was truly born – the nascent sand scrapes and dunes carved by Mother Nature giving birth to St Andrews. But the history of Scottish whisky is just as long, with distilleries producing world-renowned products for centuries. Loch Lomond Whiskies have been at the heart of that for more than 200 years. They can trace their history back to 1814 but it is more recently that the brand have been making huge strides. Under chief executive Colin Matthews, who teamed up with a private equity company to take ownership of Loch Lomond Group four years ago, they have been given new direction – with business increasing fourfold.
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Hosts of accolades have followed and, in an exciting venture, Loch Lomond Whiskies have become the official ‘Spirit of The Open’ after forming a fiveyear partnership with The R&A to support the oldest major. Colin Montgomerie, one of Scotland’s greatest golfing exports, and Paul Lawrie, the winner of the Claret Jug at Carnoustie in 1999, have also linked up with the brand as ambassadors. Monty was thrilled to get involved, saying: “I’m a long-time fan of Scotch single malts and so am absolutely delighted to work with the team at Loch Lomond Whiskies, who have shown great passion and enthusiasm for producing some fabulous whiskies of great quality and character. “As a proud Scot, I know Scotland is world-renowned for both our whisky and our unrivalled golf courses. “I’m passionate about telling the story of both and was really impressed by the quality, authenticity and diversity of the flavours of the Loch Lomond single malts.”
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ADVERTORIAL FEATURE
For Matthews and his team, avid golfers themselves, the tie up with the Open – and their partnership with iconic golfers – is about delivering a clear message: that Loch Lomond Whiskies deserve a place on your club’s bar. “Golf gives us the platform to talk to the wider whisky community. We just thought the opportunity to become involved with a championship as prestigious as The Open was tremendous,” he said. “There’s a fantastic footprint for golf and whisky and it’s already started to change people’s perception of our brand, our company, and where we have come from over the last four years. We are absolutely thrilled. “There’s a large crossover between people who want to try Scotch Whisky and want to play golf. “We are relatively small in comparison to some of the big guys out there but we certainly don’t lack for ambition. “Confirming our partnership with The Open shows that ambition to grow even further.” Should you be travelling to Carnoustie and want to try Loch Lomond Whiskies for yourself, you might be spoiled for choice. The huge diversity of products at their disposal is industry leading – their independence giving them the distilling capability for more than two dozen spirit types. Supplying everything from value blends to super premium single malts, flexibility is one of Loch Lomond Whiskies’ greatest advantages. What makes them different? They are one of the few operations that have a malt and grain distillery on the same site. Their own cooperage, one of only four of its type in Scotland,
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means not only can they create lots of different flavours within single malts styles but can also maintain and look after all their own casks. Matthews hopes this means that once you try their products – from the Loch Lomond 12 Year Old right up to the 50 Year Old, along with the Paul Lawrie Autograph Edition and the Colin Montgomerie Limited Editions – they will speak for themselves. “The most important thing is that the quality is second to none,” he added.“I believe that people managing golf businesses
– whether that’s the general manager or those in charge of the F&B offering – know what’s going on in the game of golf. “We would hope people in golf would support those like us, who want to be involved in the sport. “We’d hope they would see what we’re doing and, in turn, would say ‘I’m prepared to give these guys a chance. The products look good and I’m going to bring a couple of bottles into the club and let our members and guests try it’.” If a trip to The Open isn’t on your agenda this year, there are other ways to get up to speed with the
Who are Loch Lomond Whiskies? Loch Lomond Whiskies have one of the oldest heritages in the industry, and have been producing the finest single malts since 1814. Today, the independent distiller is home to several award-winning brands that are sold in more than 125 countries worldwide. Colin Matthews, Loch Lomond Group chief executive, took ownership of the business in 2014 and has overseen a complete transformation. The range includes the Loch Lomond 12 Year Old, which was awarded a Gold Medal at the International Spirits Challenge last year, while the Inchmoan 12 Year Old was awarded Best Highland Single Malt 12 Years and Under at the 2018 World Whiskies Awards. The recent recipients of a host of prizes at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, one of the most prestigious and coveted global competitions, Loch Lomond Whiskies have signed a five-year partnership with The R&A to be the official spirit of The Open. They also support the Ricoh Women’s British Open and the Scottish Open.
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”We’d hope people involved in golf would support and encourage us as we try to grow our business through our involvement with the sport ” Loch Lomond Whiskies offering. Gordon & MacPhail are the main distributors, while they are also widely stocked at local wholesalers. So if your club is hosting a tasting evening, trialling a new Malt of the Month, or if you’re looking to change your stock, why not give
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Loch Lomond Whiskies a try? Matthews explained: “We’d be absolutely thrilled for clubs to do so, and would encourage them to do so, and give our brands a chance. “We have a Scotch Whisky available for all tastes and price points and we’re very excited to
engage with golf clubs. “Our Scotch is generally available throughout the UK where they would normally buy their products and, if it’s not, clubs can contact or email us and we will get back to them within 24 hours to tell them where they can buy them. “We’d hope people involved in golf would support and encourage us as we try to grow our business through our involvement with the sport.” For more information, visit lochlomondwhiskies.com
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LOCH LOMOND WHISKIES THE SPIRIT OF THE OPEN For information on how to stock the extensive range of unique Loch Lomond Whiskies products, please contact:
sales@lochlomondgroup.com
@lochlomondmalts
Loch Lomond Whiskies
From the
HELPDESK This month: Bonus schemes and... disabled parking spaces The committee wish to introduce bonus schemes for various heads of department. Speaking with colleagues, however, one secretary said if a club holds a Club Premises Licence then bonus schemes cannot be offered. I followed up by speaking with our local council, who kind of backed this up although there is no definitive answer. According to the council, the Club Premises Licence means clubs cannot make a profit, so everything that comes in, must go out. This has left me having more queries than answers so I thought I would reach out to the helpdesk. Does this mean the bar and catering profit/surplus/ contribution must be zero, or the club’s very bottom line, after all other income and expenditure, should be zero? Secondly, is that correct that bonus schemes cannot be offered at clubs that are not-forprofit and does it apply outside of the bar and catering to the secretary, course manager and so on? With a Club Premises Certificate, the members own their own stock and it is only being redistributed to them through the bar operation.
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The full conditions of the CPC can be found at gov.uk/clubpremises-certificate but, essentially, it is not permissible for anyone to benefit financially from buying or selling the alcohol. The club can still make a reasonable surplus on the operation as it will need additional funding, down the years, for refurbishment, carrying stock, fixtures and fittings and so on. However, this needs to be justifiable as excessive surpluses could be challenged. Under the CPC, this only applies to the sale of alcohol, not catering or any other department. We have two members who are legitimate blue badge holders but who are fit enough to play golf regularly – even daily in one case. Are we within our rights to ask them not to use our disabled spaces when they are playing golf, as we have a limited number of spaces and some of our needy members and visitors are having to use the main car park? While I understand your frustration I’m afraid you cannot refuse them the disabled space. To get a blue badge they have been externally assessed and the club should not challenge that.
What you could do is chat to those members privately, explaining the situation, and ask them to use other parking spaces if possible. But if they continue to use the disabled space, and are displaying their blue badge, then you will need to allow it. One further point to consider is that, with a small car park, have you the correct ratio of disabled spaces? It may be that you could reduce the number and still meet the recommended guidelines which can be found here: planningni. gov.uk/index/policy/planning_ statements_and_supplementary_ planning_guidance/dcans/ dcan11/dcan11_car_parking.htm Could you please confirm that golf clubs must have six marked disabled car parking places for every 100 spaces available? I would follow the advice contained in the web page listed in our previous question, which recommends four per cent. The webpage also contains more useful guidance that may assist you in your query.
An online helpdesk offers an advisory service. Visit gcma.org. uk/members
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GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL
Meet the
MANAGER
Sponsor of the 2017 GCMA Manager of the Year award
With David Landsburgh, general manager at Scotscraig, in Tayport
Scotscraig
H
ow did you get into golf club management? It was kind of by mistake. There’s a little club about six miles away from Scotscraig, St Michaels. It’s a small out of town club which had changed from 9 to 18 holes. I’d just left a family business and they were looking for somebody to go and help them out for six months. I ended up being there five years.
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That got me into management. I’ve always played golf, and enjoyed it, but had never seen it from the club side. I’d always been the moaning member and so being on the other side of it does make a huge difference. The opportunity eventually came up at Scotscraig and I thought I’d be daft not to go for it after all the years I’d played there and the history.
What do you like most about the role of general manager? It’s the diversity. Every day you go into work is different. It is quite a challenge to deal with 700 greenkeepers, secretaries, and so on. But, come the end of every week, I’m happy to go and play my golf and the job has been good. Tell us about Scotscraig... It’s the 13th oldest club in the world and we had our bicentennial last
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year. We host the Gold Medal, which is the oldest medal still played for in golf. It was first competed for in 1818 and can be found in the British Golf Museum, in St Andrews. We also have a biennial match with our sister club in Connecticut, Racebrook, as the first head professional – Robert D Pryde – was originally from Scotscraig. How do you see the state of golf in Scotland? It’s ageing. We have got to try, somehow, to encourage younger golfers to play. We now offer different youth packages – basically giving deals until the age of 32 – to try and get young people playing. I think the average age of our club is just over 60 and we’re talking about 55 to 60 per cent of our members there. Most of them still play, though. We’ve had that restructure of membership, bringing in categories from age 18 up to 32. That has helped pull in quite a few new members and, hopefully, that will keep going. But there are a lot of clubs around us and they are in a price war. If one does a full year membership for £300, someone then goes at £290, another at £280, and you find that people are just moving clubs every year. There is no one buying into clubs any more. Most have taken away the joining fee and, to me, if you paid that you bought into the club and wouldn’t leave after a year
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or two. You wanted to get your worth from the joining fee out of membership. Now it’s all about how you get those younger people playing when there is so much competition. At the moment, we’re not really prepared to get into that price war.
“We host the Gold Medal, which is the oldest medal still played for in golf. It was first competed for in 1818” What opportunities exist for the GCMA in Scotland?
David Landsburgh
I’m still a GCMA member and I’d like to see them become more involved in Scotland. Surely they could do something quarterly just to try and encourage guys and get them together?
In most rooms that you sit in – GCMA or not – the wealth of knowledge is incredible but there are just no training programmes up here at present. What is your favourite moment in golf? It was standing on the 17th tee at TPC Sawgrass, in Florida, with an 8-iron in my hands – and I stuck it straight in the water! I played three off the tee, knocked it to two feet, and walked off with a four. We got to play it twice and I did exactly the same the second time around. But I birdied 18 both times as well! What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? Be yourself. Just be honest, do what needs doing and, if it’s out of your hands, don’t worry about it. Tell us something we don’t know about you? My family are all on the noticeboard at Scotscraig for winning the club championship. There’s my dad, my two brothers, my mum and myself. I wouldn’t have thought there would be many places where that has happened. We’ve all been there a while and I think my mum and dad are coming up to their 50 years’ membership.
Get In Touch To contact Scotscraig, visit scotscraiggolfclub.com
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From the
REGIONS INTERNATIONAL MATCH GCMA England v GCMA Ireland Sunday, May 13 and Monday, May 14, 2018 Prince’s and Royal Cinque Ports The prestigious links of Prince’s and Royal Cinque Ports were the venues for the first of this season’s international matches against our Irish counterparts. At Prince’s, the Dunes and newly redeveloped Himalayas course were the scenes of the action and the Irish, in commanding form, ended the first day fourballs with a 4-2 lead. Conditions were very different at Deal – sunny but very windy
– and, after a stirring speech from national captain Cameron Dawson, the English fought back when halving the first match and winning the next two. It was all in vain, though. Despite coming out on top 3 ½ - 2 ½, the Irish deservedly took the overall match 6 ½ -5 ½. The GCMA England team was Cameron Dawson (GCMA national captain), Jon Sutherland (Ogbourne Downs), Rob Griffiths
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(Kenilworth), Ryan Evoy (Howley Hall), John Nicholson (GCMA national captain 2002), Patrick Keane (Withington), Andy Lloyd-Skinner (Unattached), Paul Smith (Faversham), Mick Thorpe (Scarcroft), Robert Leigh (Royal St. George’s), Clive Hadley (GCMA national captain 2015) and John Edgington (GCMA South East Regional Manager). CHILTERN & HOME COUNTIES Spring Meeting Wednesday, May 23 Moor Park Members gathered in the sumptuous Moor Park clubhouse to hear from BC Technologies’ Matthew Armsby on the threat posed by cyber crime, as well as Sports Publications’ editorial director Dan Murphy, who talked through the digital solutions the GCMA’s media partners could provide for clubs through video production. Fairway Credit’s Ross Merrilees updated managers on how his firm were up to date with the new GDPR legislation and Majestic Crystal’s Philip Vince provided some light-hearted relief while also outlining his firm’s extensive array of golf club prizes. The High Course proved a tough examination and it was the Sports Publications pair of Steve Carroll, editor of The Golf Club Manager, and Dan Murphy, who finished in the top two places.
Regional Managers Full details at gcma.org.uk/ regions Chiltern & Home Counties
David Cook East Anglia
Gary Smith East Midlands
Rod Savage London & Home Counties
Maureen Brooker Midland
Rob Wormstone Norfolk
John Barnard North West
Neil Annandale Northern
Terry Minett Northern Ireland
Jim Cullen Scotland
Bernard Flockhart South East
John Edgington South West
Karen Drake Southern
Paul Gaylor Wales
Mike Rees Wessex
Alex Taylor Yorkshire
Cameron Dawson
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At the heart of the UK’s best golf clubs 9 of the top 10 courses in the UK and Ireland are managed by GCMA members
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My success story...
JON HALL
Sponsors of My Success Story
Trees are an emotional subject at many golf clubs but, at Headingley, they got out the chainsaws and the course is looking better with every passing day. Secretary Jon Hall talks to Steve Carroll about the project…
I
f you want to receive a lot of emails from agitated club members, suggesting a tree felling project at your club is usually the best way to do it. Members seem to have a deep attachment to the various wooded areas that may line your fairways and the suggestion of clearing them out can cause deep consternation. But the well-meaning committees that planted all kinds of species in decades gone by have, in some cases, left a problem as their legacy. As clubs learned more about dendrology, they’ve found that many trees can hinder, rather than help, the care of their course. Such was the case at Leeds club Headingley, which was originally designed by the globally renowned Harry Colt and Dr Alister MacKenzie, where thousands of trees had been planted over the years and were having a negative impact. “On our 11th, we had a line of poplar trees either side of the hole – a very prominent feature – but poplar roots are very driven to find water and they invaded many of our drains,” explained secretary Jon Hall. “While we were constantly trying
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to drain the 11th fairway, those poplar roots were continually invading the drains, growing up them and blocking them up completely. They render all your drainage systems completely useless. “Where we have four parallel holes, the 12th, the 3rd, the 14th and 15th, the trees were planted so densely that we had shade problems all year round. “These fairways used to be beautiful but had severely deteriorated over time and it was because, for most of the year, they weren’t getting a decent amount of light every day. “If you have too many trees, and particularly those where the leaves fall, it’s also a big effort to get them off the course.“ Something had to be done, and Headingley consulted noted
“We really do want to have a really good year-round golf experience and we are going to drive on with that. That’s our priority”
arborist John Nicholson, of Infinite Variety Golf Design, to come up with a plan of action. Over the past two years, he has helped the club take out more than 1,500 trees – with dramatic results. Holes have been opened up, previously hidden views across the course have suddenly been revealed, and Headingley have also engaged architect Ken Moodie to help further revamp areas where trees have been removed. But how did Hall and his committee deal with the membership? He explained:“We decided not to tell the members in detail, in advance, what we were doing. We told them we were undergoing a project to remove trees but didn’t go into detail. “We took the view that we would
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Some fabulous views have been revealed now the trees have been thinned at Headingley
explain to members what we had done and why afterwards. Overall, antagonism was at a minimum over those two years. “We did have some members who wrote very strong letters, objecting to the project, and three or four members left specifically because of the tree removal. We accepted that was a price worth paying. “But from day one, the vast majority were quietly supportive of what we were doing. Some just loved it from the get-go, for others it has taken a little bit more time. “There will be a few members who still don’t see the benefits just yet but will perhaps come round in the future when they see how much better the playing surfaces are going to be.” It’s all part of Headingley’s desire to maintain the club’s position as
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one of the best golf courses in Leeds. It came on the back of a total renovation of the clubhouse a couple of years ago, and further improving the already impressive drainage is next. “We continually invested, right through the recession, and we’ve engaged and increased the resources for our greens staff,” said Hall. “All the while we have been looking to develop the course – rebuilding tees, remodelling bunkers on green surrounds and that is going to be taken forward by Ken Moodie. “We’re looking forward to hearing some of Ken’s recommendations on three holes where lots of trees were removed and he’s now advising us on how to beef up those holes and put them back into shape.”
Hall continued:“We’re not embarrassed to admit we want to be top three in Leeds. “One of our key strengths, and we’ve got a lot of work under way to enhance it, is our drainage. We are already a very good year-round golf course. “We’ve already booked the contractor in to do two hole improvements this winter to take us even closer to being very, very good. “We really do want to have a really good year-round golf experience and we are going to drive on with that. That’s our immediate priority.” We want to hear all about the success stories at your club. Get in touch by emailing s.carroll@sportspub.co.uk
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May 2018
STATISTICS UK&I 26,174
Hole-in-ones made in qualifying events during May
Total competitions recorded
GENTS:
LADIES:
15,328 10,846
181
134 Unclaimed BOSS hole-in-one watches. They can be claimed with the code at h1club.co.uk
864,605 total rounds of golf recorded
LOWEST EXACT HANDICAP
Gents
Ladies
-5.4 -5.3 28,857 total HowDidiDo Order of Merit sign ups for 2018
5,557
eagles or better
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315,907 birdies
2,967,722
Stats provided by HowdidIdo.com
pars
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