The Golf Club Manager: January 2020 by Golf Club Managers Association

THE GOLF CLUB

MANAGER ISSUE 32 | JANUARY 2020

THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE GOLF CLUB MANAGERS’ ASSOCIATION

NATIONAL CONFERENCE SPECIAL ALL THE NEWS, VIEWS AND AWARD W I N N E R S F R O M O U R 1 7 T H B I E N N I A L G AT H E R I N G

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E ‘

@RainBirdGolf

THE ONLY ONE OF ITS KIND. Rain Bird® IC System™— true, two-way integrated control.

Expanded Control with IC CONNECT ™ Collect more data and remotely control field equipment.

Eliminate Satellites and Decoders A simplified, single component design is all you need.

See why golf courses in over 50 countries around the world trust the proven performance of the IC System at rainbird.com/ICAdvantage.

strategic partner

0800 424 919

•

rigbytaylor.com

CONTENTS ISSUE 32 | JANUARY 2020

GCMA

CAREERS

The National Conference in Pictures

64 The latest jobs for GCMA members

All the news from our biennial gathering

GCMA

GOOD PRACTICE

58 From the helpdesk

The winners from our awards ceremony

62 Your best practice directory INDUSTRY

GCMA

What is the key to Wimbledonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s success?

65 Our network of partners

Getting inside the mind of your staff using NLP

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 GOLF MANAGEMENT RESEARCHER Jim Cunning - jim@gcma.org.uk FINANCE ADMINISTRATOR Shirley Edmondson - shirley@gcma.org.uk COMMUNICATIONS EXECUTIVE Marie Taylor - marie@gcma.org.uk MEMBERSHIP SERVICES Julie Knight - julie@gcma.org.uk PRESIDENT JR (John) Jones 2019/20 CAPTAIN Ian Symington BOARD OF DIRECTORS Phil Grice, Amy Yeates, Andrew Rankin, Judy Barker, Stuart Leech, Brad McLean 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 EDITOR Steve Carroll - s.carroll@sportspub.co.uk PRODUCTION EDITOR James Broadhurst - j.broadhurst@sportspub.co.uk CHIEF DESIGNER Andrew Kenworthy - a.kenworthy@sportspub.co.uk DESIGNERS Emmi Parry - e.parry@sportspub.co.uk Becky Clark - b.clark@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 ISSUE 32 | JANUARY 2020

THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE GOLF CLUB MANAGERS’ ASSOCIATION

NATIONAL CONFERENCE SPECIAL ALL THE NEWS, VIEWS AND AWARD W I N N E R S F R O M O U R 1 7 T H B I E N N I A L G AT H E R I N G

ED U C AT E | I N FO RM | I N S P I RE ‘

001 GCMA January 20 Cover.indd 3

ON THE COVER: GCMA National Conference 2019

18/12/2019 15:36

WELCOME

ISSUE 32 | JANUARY 2020

nother year over, another just begins and who knows what awaits for all of us in 2020? Before looking ahead, I would just like to look back to last November and thank both the delegates and our commercial partners who supported the conference at Cotswold Water Park. From the response to the survey and the unprompted emails that arrived in my inbox, it appears we delivered an event that was certainly enjoyed and appreciated by those in attendance. Having now undertaken the full de-briefing sessions we will start to look forward to planning for the 2021 event. Those in attendance will have listened to ‘Simon’s Story’ which portrayed the events that led to him having to overcome his mental state of mind. We will be launching a new membership benefit in the next few weeks which, in effect, will be a ‘mental wellbeing’ service for those members who are suffering from the pressures and trials and tribulations of managing the golf club. We will be making an announcement before the end of January. Talking of announcements, I am extremely proud to announce that at the recent Association Executives Conference the GCMA received an award for the best membership enewsletter. While Mike Hyde has now moved on from the association, this is a

fitting send off to him as well as recognising Marie and Jim at HQ, who are responsible for delivering the newsletter every Friday – congratulations and well done. Into the New Year, one of our first tasks is to attend BTME in Harrogate. I have made this comment in previous years but BTME is an event all golf club managers should take time to attend. It is an event that delivers an insight into your course manager’s world and is full of education and networking. GCMA are delivering a training course from Sunday to Tuesday as well as having a trade stand in the main exhibition arena. Why not come and say hello? Bob Williams – chief executive

“We will be launching a new membership benefit which, in effect, will be a ‘mental wellbeing’ service for members”

HEART TO

HEART

Steve Robinson visits Mid Herts Golf Club and speaks with General Manager Joy Pickard

oy, you have been using rijo42 for a number of years now, from your experience what is it that sets us apart from other coffee providers?

Having been a customer of rijo42 at my previous golf club, on joining Mid Herts as the new General Manager I was able to convince the Board of Management to dispense with the basic coffee machine from behind the bar. The selling points that sets rijo42 apart from other coffee providers that won over not just the board, but also the members, is the consistent quality of the coffee and the ease of use with the machine. Members and visitors alike enjoy the opportunity of selecting their coffee option and being in control. The 10oz serving combined with the attractive crockery was also a winner and from a customer point of view, the prompt delivery service and efficiency of the technical team plays an important part in being able to provide the level of service the members expect. I’m sure over the past few years you have witnessed a significant increase in sales of coffee, what’s your advice

to anyone when it comes to maximising the potential in this area and how significant is it in maintaining a busy clubhouse? To encourage people into the clubhouse they need a reason and the idea of meeting up with friends for a ‘coffee morning’ is something that rijo42 allows us to offer. By situating our coffee machine in a prominent position within the club, with easy access at all times, people are encouraged to make use of it. The pavement sign has proven a useful tool in attracting the local rambling groups to stop by the clubhouse for a coffee along the way and we are now offering a ‘cake of the day’ to accompany their coffee, giving our franchise caterer a small revenue stream. The Pilates and Yoga groups who attend daily/weekly sessions at our purpose-built studio on the upper floor often finish their morning with a coffee knowing that it is only 55 calories a cup, meaning they don’t feel guilty after a hard workout! The ‘take out’ cups are very popular with the early morning golfers who will purchase a few tokens in advance and can pop in and pick up a coffee – some even forgo the take out cup and fill up their own Thermos!

You have recently taken delivery of the new RSD Touch Brasil and cup warmer. Having used our equipment for many years, what’s the stand out features that impress you about the new model and how has it gone down with your members? The new RSD Touch has given the option to offer decaffeinated coffee, which is proving popular and the touch screen operation has been a real winner. With the addition of the Cup Warmer, members are finding their coffee stays hot for longer, especially in the winter months. The RSD screen has given us another opportunity for advertising and as we become more familiar with the functionality, we look to maximise the use of the display. There is no better way to capture the attention of someone than when they are standing facing the coffee machine waiting for their coffee to be dispensed!

CONTACT STEVE ROBINSON FOR MORE INFO: 07977 2244621 / STEVEROBINSON@RIJO42.CO.UK

Are you giving golfers what they want? Help drive more members into your club...

For over 25 years Fairway Credit has witnessed the ever-changing face of golf and what golfers need from their golf club. Many golfers’ needs remain the same, they want:

• Good practice facilities • To play when they want • To gain a handicap • Access to a PGA Professional • To play competitions • A range of memberships • Flexible ways to pay their fees

strategic partner UK golf figures and statistics taken from 2018 England Golf Survey

Having the ability to provide flexible payment options can open up golf membership to a larger variety of potential members, plus, it can help clubs diversify their membership categories by adding family memberships or reciprocal memberships with other clubs. The list is endless! Fairway Credit work with over 700 clubs in the UK and Ireland offering their members flexible ways to pay. Over 40,000 golfers already spread the cost of their membership fees, could having a flexible payment option help your numbers grow? 21% of golf club revenue comes from visitors, having the ability to offer flexible payment options can go a long way to turning these “occassional visitors” into fully fledged members. With the average cost of membership circa £900 per annum, many ‘fair weather’ players may baulk at such a large one off payment. They may have other pastimes they pay for, so giving them the ability to spread the cost of gold club membership can help boost your membership numbers. With over 3.7m golfers playing at least once a year there is a marketplace for new members. By offering them a variety of options on facilities, memberships and how to pay, the golf industry can go from strength to strength.

For further information about how Fairway Credit can benefit you and your members, simply; call, email or visit our website.

0207 191 2417 | leisure@pcl.co.uk | www.fairwaycredit.co.uk Fairway Credit is a trading name of Premium Credit Limited. Registered office: Ermyn House, Ermyn Way, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT22 8UX. Registered in England and Wales under company number 2015200. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. *Facility is subject to approval, terms and conditions apply.

Updating your Golf car fleet?

Introducing the new GCMA Business Partner. Speak to Yamaha today about the unique GCMA Member benefits, and a lease or purchase plan to suit your business. www.yamaha-motor.eu/uk www.golfcars.co.uk

01932 358000

business partner

GCMA Everything you need to know about whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s happening around the UK in the world of the GCMA

National Conference in

PICTURES

CEO Bob Williams opens the conference

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

GCMA.ORG.UK | 11

1 Wilma Erskine, Colin Burns and BBC Golf’s Iain Carter round off Conference by discussing hosting The Open and US Open

a local brand

2 Manager the 2019 Team of the Year from Llanishen – Martin Stevens

5 Newcomer of the Year from Redditch Kerry Alligan-Smith

3 Moor Park’s Amy Yeates presented a session on marketing

12 | GCMA.ORG.UK

4 Contemporary Club Leadership’s Kevin Fish encouraged some audience participation

6 All England Lawn Tennis Club GM Ross Matheson relaxes after his presentation

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

2 3

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

GCMA.ORG.UK | 13

7 Long Ashtonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gareth Morgan enjoys the Golf Foundation golf activities ahead of the Conference on Sunday evening

14 | GCMA.ORG.UK

8 Neil Hallam-Jones from Wimbledon Park

9 Gregg Paterson bought his typical energy to the National Conference

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

business partner

from A-Plan Insurance Are you looking for a solution to add value to your membership and provide protection for your members and golf club?

“Having been working with Alex for over 12 months, the take up for the Golfplan club membership policy has been fantastic. Our members immediately recognised that what was offered was great value for money for a very comprehensive plan. Members who have found themselves in the position of having to make a claim have reported it has been a hassle free process which is always great to hear. I would not hesitate in recommending any manager to contact Alex and find out what Golfplan can do for them.”

Heather Mulley | Manager | Enville GC 2019 GCMA Manager of the Year • Take this policy out at your golf club today and cover your members as beneficiaries • Stand out from the industry and add these members benefits into your membership package PLEASE NOTE: Terms and conditions apply, for full details of policy cover/benefit limitations and exclusions, please refer to our policy wording and summary of cover, a copy of which is available upon request.

Call Alex and his team today to find out how: 01527 868160 | golfplan.co.uk Golfplan is a trading name of A-Plan Holdings, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered Office: 2 Des Roches Square, Witney, OX28 4LE. Registered in England. Registration Number: 750484

A look back

AT CONFERENCE

Winged Foot’s Colin Burns, the Jazzy Golfer and Gregg Patterson get Conference off to a great start

hether it was the infectious enthusiasm of Gregg Patterson, or the heartening tale of Simon Smith’s journey and recovery from mental health issues, there was a huge amount to

16 | GCMA.ORG.UK

inspire everyone who attended our biennial bash at De Vere Cotswold Water Park. A total of 209 delegates, along with 67 exhibitors and representatives, listened to some top-notch speakers from the world of golf and business in what was the 17th time we’ve held a National

Conference. It was Patterson, along with Winged Foot general manager Colin Burns and the Jazzy Golfer, who kicked off proceedings on Sunday night before Ross Matheson, general manager at The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, regaled a packed audience

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

The cream of golf club management gathered at De Vere Cotswold Water Park as we held our National Conference. We look back at three days of inspiration and education

MY CONFERENCE

What was the highlight for you? I found each of the keynote speakers very interesting and informative. What were the most beneficial things about the conference? The chance to learn from the experiences of the various speakers and fellow delegates. Can you give us one idea you’ll be implementing at your club? A major update of our customer service charter and more regular team meetings. – Keith Adderley, secretary at Temple with the secrets of successfully hosting the Wimbledon Championships each year. He was followed by the likes of The R&A’s Steve Isaacs, who talked about climate change and the governing body’s Golf Course 2030 Project, before Smith stole the stage as he revealed the events

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

that led up to him being involved in a police chase and his fight back from his issues. In a variety of break out sessions, delegates were given updates on the Golf & Health project, the 2019 Rules of Golf and detailed instructions on how to put together a strategy document.

The glittering Golf Club Management Awards took centre stage on Monday night with a gala dinner seeing Lichfield Golf & Country’s Club’s Simon Joyce, along with Stephanie Middleton, recognised for completing the Diploma in Golf Club Management.

GCMA.ORG.UK | 17

MY CONFERENCE

What were the most beneficial things about the conference? The round table conversation involving Formby, Hillside, Royal Birkdale and Royal Norwich. The continued emphasis, by most speakers, of the need to have a plan. Can you give us one idea you’ll be implementing at your club? Although we have a plan, I’ll be working much harder at ensuring EVERY member of the team understands it and where they effect it. – Bryan Frazer, manager at Leamington & County

18 | GCMA.ORG.UK

What were the most beneficial things about the conference? I enjoyed the variety of keynote speakers and general educators and took things away from their seminars that I can use. Can you give us one idea you’ll be implementing at your club? Continuing to influence stakeholders continues to be key and so the session where we learned about what type of person someone is and how best to deal with them was particularity enlightening. – Stephen Nicholson, business manager at Haydock Park

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

BOB WILLIAMS HAILS ‘TEAM WORK’ THAT GOT CONFERENCE RIGHT GCMA chief executive Bob Williams hailed the teamwork that pulled off a successful National Conference. Williams said that, as an overall experience, he believed the programme, education and social elements that came together in three days at De Vere Cotswold Water Park were just “right”. “As an overall event, I think we got the programme right,” Williams reflected.“I think we got the education right and I think we got the social right. All of it came together to make the one event – rather than just the venue, or just the education. “These things don’t just happen. We’ve been working on it for the best part of two years.” Williams added:“There are only six GCMA staff who really put that

together – and I think it’s a pat on the back to them. “This is about our team who put it together, delivered it and pulled it off. That’s what I will reflect on – how we pulled that off with just six of us. It’s great teamwork.” Asked about his specific highlights, Williams talked about a couple of “risks”he had taken in putting the programme together and his delight that they had come off. And he also declared his pride at the success of the Golf Club Management Awards on Monday night. “I think I took a risk by putting Wilma Erskine, Colin Burns and Iain Carter on the same stage. I didn’t know if that was going to work or not but, as a closing keynote session, we pulled it off.

“The second highlight was Ross Matheson. I went to meet Ross at Wimbledon and he showed me round and took me through Centre Court. I thought he was good, he’d provide a great session and that’s what he did. “He delivered what I thought was the session of the conference, in my mind. “I also liked the Awards evening. I think the whole thing went well and there was a good buzz about it. It was a good atmosphere throughout the whole Conference. “When I say it all came together, that was the glue. You had two to 300 people there and, at the end of Monday evening, we think ‘wow, we pulled it off’. “The emails I received in the days after were just absolutely brilliant.”

MY CONFERENCE

What were the most beneficial things about the conference? Being able to discuss the streams with my peers and other parts of the industry to improve my club’s performance/experience. Can you give us one idea you’ll be implementing at your club? Definitely the ‘Club Committee’ guidance. – Dennise Coker, general manager at Mitcham

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

GCMA.ORG.UK | 19

Proud business partner of the

Play it safe

Masters in payments security Keeping your members payment data safe is one of your top priorities, especially at a time where almost 50% of UK businesses have been victims of fraud or economic crime*. Elavon are masters in payments security and offer you the latest fraud prevention tools, helping to make sure that your club’s payments and reputation are protected.

We make it possible. You make it happen.

The subsequent after service has been spot on, with all queries answered very efficiently including assistance with PCI DSS** compliance.” Peter Simpson, Club Manager, Foxton Hall Golf Club * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/fraud-financialcrimes-hacking-cyber-criminals-pwc-research-study-a8221366.html ** Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard

GCMA@elavon.com

Elavon Financial Services DAC. Registered in Ireland with Companies Registration Office. The liability of the member is limited. United Kingdom branch registered in England and Wales under the number BR009373. Elavon Financial Services DAC, trading as Elavon Merchant Services, is authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland and the Prudential Regulation Authority and subject to limited regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority. Details about the extent of our authorisation and regulation by the Prudential Regulation Authority, and regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority are available from us on request.  Y3426v10619

elavon.co.uk

The interview...

HEATHER MULLEY The Enville general manager is the GCMAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Manager of the Year (sponsored by intelligentgolf). She talks about what winning the award means to her, and how the future is looking bright for the West Midlands club

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

GCMA.ORG.UK | 21

he 2019 GCMA Manager of the Year how does that sound, Heather? It’s a little bit surreal and I was still getting used to the surprise of being nominated but I am absolutely thrilled. It has been fantastic since I returned from holiday. When I arrived back, the office was full of flowers and cards from the members and emails and chocolates. It was a whirlwind but, as we speak, I’ve been brought back down to earth because I’m doing credit control! It has been tremendous and I still can’t believe that I’ve actually done it and I won. How difficult was it to keep it a secret? As you were on holiday when the Awards were held, you were told beforehand and filmed an acceptance video. Was it hard to keep quiet? It was so hard. It was awful. Niki Hunter, former education coordinator, phoned me a couple of days before and told me that I’d won. She said ‘are you on your own and are you sitting down?’ She told me and I just burst into tears. But she said ‘you cannot tell anybody. It has got to be a secret’. I absolutely understood that but it was so difficult. I didn’t even tell my husband until we were on the plane going away. He’s a member at Enville and I knew I could trust him but I just thought ‘I won’t put you in that position that you might just drop it out to anybody’. I just had to keep it completely quiet. I knew Mike Hyde, GCMA communications manager, was coming on a Friday (to film the video). In the golf industry, you don’t usually pray for rain but I was thinking ‘please let it be a really rainy day so there’s absolutely

22 | GCMA.ORG.UK

Who is Heather Mulley? The GCMA’s Manager of the Year has had a long association with Enville, going back to her father. He served on the club committee for a number of years and she used to caddie for him as a child. Heather began her career as a legal secretary and later served in various roles at the club. She joined the GCMA when she became the admin manager and she is now general manager.

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

GCMA.ORG.UK | 23

nobody about’. It was and there wasn’t a soul around. We were able to go in the Spike Bar, film the clip and nobody noticed. That’s unbelievable at this club. Someone must have been smiling down on me as that bit went without a hitch. You were quite emotional in your speech when you were talking about your dad – who was a long-time member at Enville. Can you explain the feeling you had and the thought that he would have been proud of your success? I think he would have been over the moon. A couple of years ago, when we hosted the British Girls, it was the last day and I was speaking to our captain at the time and he said ‘I wonder if we will get any bigger events?’ and I said that when I was little I used to say to my dad when the

24 | GCMA.ORG.UK

big golf competitions were on ‘Dad, if Enville is so fantastic, how come you don’t host these big competitions?’ He said ‘well, Heather, it’s because the car park just isn’t big enough to host these events’. So every time somebody said to us ‘perhaps we could host this and that’ we kept saying ‘the car park’. And it stuck. My dad absolutely adored this club and when I got the job he was just so proud of me. I can remember him telling me that. Unfortunately, within the first year, he suddenly passed away of a massive heart attack, which was really hard for me. I was obviously grieving and trying to establish myself as the manager here. A lot of his friends are still here and playing golf, though they are in their early 80s now, and they have all said he would have been over the moon.

What the judges said… The judging panel was particularly impressed with Heather’s work to develop women’s and girls’ participation, her leadership in the club’s hosting of The R&A Girls’ Amateur Championship, and her tactful leadership in difficult situations. Bob Williams, GCMA chief executive, said:“The GCMA Golf Club Management Awards reward the exceptional performers in our industry. Manager of the Year is the ultimate acknowledgment of excellence, and Heather is a truly worthy winner. “As ever, the judging process was incredibly tough, and credit to all the finalists. However, it’s clear that Heather is an extraordinary manager who is clearly held in high regard at Enville, and fully deserves this accolade.”

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

Enville’s respective captains, Bob and Sue Dimmock, collect the award on behalf of Heather Mulley, alongside intelligentgolf managing director Jamie Abbott and GCMA chief executive Bob Williams

When I told my mum, when I phoned her from Dubai, her first thing was ‘your dad would be so proud of you’and she burst into tears. We’re a very emotional lot in our family but it was my first thought – that I would dedicate it to him – because it would have meant so much to him. Why do you think you won? I’ve asked that myself and, when I was nominated, I thought ‘why have I been nominated?’The first thing I did was a big list of everything I’d achieved and I kept reading through this list. My friend went to a coach who said ‘look in the mirror every day and say ‘I am a winner’. Although I felt

26 | GCMA.ORG.UK

really stupid doing it, I did it. I don’t know whether it had the effect it needed to but once you start to have a look at what you’ve actually achieved you think ‘I’ve done pretty well’. I think the relationship I’ve formed with The R&A, the things I’ve achieved in women’s golf with our ladies academy, bringing in new members, and when the judges came I think they got the feeling it was a club full of love. We all work together for the good of the club and we are a great team. I suppose I am leading from the front of that team and that came across – the enthusiasm and the true love we all have for Enville. What I’ve achieved here might

not work at another club. I’ve not been a manager anywhere else but it’s certainly worked here and one of the big things that everyone said to me was ‘just be yourself. That’s what’s got you where you are’. I kept that in my mind all the time. Your nominee described you as ‘an outstanding manager with a unique style’. Can you explain to us that style? I don’t know whether it’s unique but I don’t expect anybody to do anything I wouldn’t do myself. We all muck in here. If there’s a job that needs doing, and there is nobody to do it, we will all do it. I think the staff here know they’ve got my full

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

Enville Golf Club Founded in 1935 as a 9-hole course, Enville now have two prestigious 18-hole layouts – the Highgate and Lodge – found in majestic wood and heathland. The club have previously staged Open qualifying and, in 2014, the prestigious Reid Trophy was played at the West Midlands venue. Nearly three years ago, Enville hosted the Girls’ Amateur Championship and, in 2021, the Girls’ Under-16 Amateur Championship will be played in

support and they give me their full support back. As I said, it’s built on a lot of love. We look after each other at this club and that was probably what was alluded to. I just manage from the heart. I love Enville and I will do anything that is needed to make sure it stays successful and becomes more successful. You’ve already staged the Girls’ Amateur and now, in 2021, you will host the Girls’ Under-16 Amateur. How much are you looking forward to that? We’re really looking forward to it and working with The R&A again. It (Girls’ Amateur) was a great experience and I learned so much. In 2017, the LGU and R&A had only

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

just merged and we were sort of a tester. The R&A are so great to work with. The competition has been running three years and we will be the second venue to host it. Hopefully, if we do well for the first year, we will host for another two years afterwards. Lots of things came from the Girls’ Amateur, such as the club’s development of Girls Golf Rocks, the foundation of the Ladies Academy and signing up as a member of The R&A’s Women in Golf Charter. What are you hoping will arise from seeing a younger age group arrive in 2021? We’re working all the time on our

junior section and that’s boys and girls. We’ve just got a new junior organiser and I am hoping we can develop that further and that these girls can be inspirational to our juniors. We are following through with the Women in Golf Charter and will be doing some more work with Girls Golf Rocks this year. Hopefully, those girls can have some training as ambassadors and take part in the volunteer sector of that tournament. Mainly, it’s the exposure it gives the club as well. An R&A event is so high in everyone’s eyes and gives you such fantastic exposure. We will see girls of the future, in three or four years’ time, like Lily May Humphreys who won in 2017 here

GCMA.ORG.UK | 27

and has gone on to do fantastic things. She has also been made a life member of the club so she’s got an association with us now and she regularly comes back to play,. And you’ve not done this as a way of simply trying to introduce new members into the club, you passionately believe in the work you’re doing with women and girls… I do. It’s in every area. One of the questions I was asked in the (judging) interview was ‘do you feel it has been a struggle, as a woman, in golf?’ Although things have come on so far, women generally

28 | GCMA.ORG.UK

still have a hard time in certain sectors. If I can push forward with anything that helps women, whether it’s in golf, industry, or anything, I am just really keen to do that. During my Diploma, in one of the workshops, it was said that I was an accidental manager. That was one of the categories I came under.Yes, I probably am an accidental manager, adapted, got on with it, really enjoyed it, and it’s probably not where I thought my life would take me, but the last four or five years have just been wonderful. If I can inspire anyone, that is fantastic. Golf offers such a great opportunity. It’s such a social sport.

It’s not just about getting more members here, it’s about (having an impact) countrywide. I don’t want golf to disappear off the face of the earth for women. I want to keep increasing participation as much as I can. You’re now an ambassador for the GCMA for the next two years. Are you looking forward to that role? I certainly am. It’s something new and different. I don’t know what’s going to be in store but I am really excited and really looking forward to it. I am going to give it my all. The board here are totally behind me.

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

Get MORE advanced lightning detection with the BTD-200 Lightning Warning System The BTD-200 Lightning Warning System is a complete, out-of-the-box, self-contained sensor that reliably detects the presence of all forms of lightning to a range of 35km. reesinkturfcare.co.uk Get MORE from your turfcare partner this year: More products . More advice . More training . More finance Member of Royal Reesink Reesink Turfcare UK Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Images shown for illustration only.

MOST ADVANCED SYSTEM EVER

GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

Team of the Year:

LLANISHEN

Sponsor of the 2019 GCMA Team of the Year award

Mark Wilshire, Martin Stevens and Adrian Jones

he Team of the Year prize seems to have found a home in Wales. After Pyle & Kenfig’s success two years ago, Llanishen kept the prize in the Principality when they were the choice of judges – pipping Chigwell to the award. The team of general manager Martin Stevens, head greenkeeper Mark Wilshere and head professional Adrian Jones grew green fee revenue by 46%, brought in an era of full membership and bar and catering

30 | GCMA.ORG.UK

income has increased by nearly 30%. We spoke to Stevens about the award and how South Glamorganbased Llanishen plan to build on their success. Llanishen – Team of the Year. Has that sunk in? Our members have made sure it’s sunk in, to be fair! The response was terrific. Both our captains mentioned it in front of our members on the Friday afterwards, which was really well received. It has been really nice.

I’m quite modest and the hard work continues but it was a great 10 days or so afterwards. Why do you think you came out on top? What came across is how we genuinely work as a team. That extends past just myself, Mark and Adrian who were nominated. It extends through the team and the committee to the members. We genuinely are all pointing in the same direction, which hopefully came across during the process. We’re all working towards

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

Why Llanishen were the winners… Llanishen had been in decline, posting deficits in their annual accounts, membership numbers were tumbling and the club was generallyagainst change. Martin Stevens came on board as general manager and set about changing that culture, building a new team, and nurturing professional Adrian Jones. Head greenkeeper MarkWilshire was appointed, along with a franchise caterer, and, with careful stewarding, the golf course and club have thrived.

the same goal, so I would like to think it was that. During the club visit (from the judging panel), although it was a very damp Friday and there weren’t too many people around, I’d like to think the panel thought it was a friendly club. What difference will winning this award make to the team? We will try and continue exactly what we have done. It has worked for us for the last few years. For the club, it will help put us on the map even more. From the GCMA point of view, what I certainly hope to do is try and spend a bit more time speaking to some of my colleagues in other clubs who are either very new to the industry or having a tougher time than we are at the moment and just try and share a coffee, some best practices, and help them out. I think that’s what makes the GCMA so strong. I know my head greenkeeper came away from the process saying he now understands a lot more about the GCMA and will pass that on to the greenkeepers – how big a deal it is – and that’s why we were so keen for as many of our team to come to the awards

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

as possible. Does it validate the work you’ve done so far? Yes. The members felt we had something very good going on over the last couple of years and for our members who play at other clubs, and speak to other clubs locally, that reinforced that message. For this to be a national award, it really has made our members feel 10 feet tall. Many clubs could be up for this award and it has validated it. Some of our harshest critics from a few years ago are now very much onside. That will only help us going forward. How do you build from this? I made a point of booking myself into the strategy sessions with Rob Hill throughout the Conference. I attended four of his six talks and that would be what I’m keen to do. The best time to build is when you are in a strong position and I feel we are in a very strong position at the moment. It’s to set a strategy right across the golf club so that we will continue to point in the right direction, remember what we are and the type of club we are, remembering our strengths, and

build a strategy round that so the club is in a good position for a good number of years to come. I’m very conscious of the fact that other golf clubs can have a good period but then times can turn slightly. And if we want to find out about good teams, we obviously need to come to Wales… Being an Englishman working in Wales, I can understand how proud the Welsh are when they win anything in sport. I know just how proud Simon and his team at Pyle & Kenfig were winning in 2017 and I suppose we had one eye on that prize knowing it was two years down the line. We’ve continued a lot of hard work and the Welsh region are a very tight-knit bunch. The GCMA managers share best practice, have a WhatsApp group and speak to each other regularly. We talk through things that work and things that don’t. Hopefully, that is spreading across South Wales and I know we want to try and get that message across Wales even further.

GCMA.ORG.UK | 31

GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

Newcomer of the Year: Kerry

ALLIGAN-SMITH

Sponsor of the 2019 GCMA Newcomer of the Year award

The Newcomer of the Year Award is open to those in their first golf club management job and who have been in post for fewer than two years

32 | GCMA.ORG.UK

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

n what was the most difficult decision for the judges, it was Redditch’s Kerry Alligan-Smith who got the nod for Newcomer of the Year. Having run the Worcestershire club for two years, the panel were struck by her talents and transferable skills, as well as her dedication. Kerry’s proactive ideas to increase membership, the ways she has engaged with the local community and how the club have used social media, helped to renew Redditch’s popularity. We caught up with Kerry to gauge her reaction to that winning night at conference. Sum up the feeling of being named Newcomer of the Year… It was a complete shock but my transferable skills mean it’s one of those scenarios where it has demonstrated change within the golf club environment. It shows there are a lot of golf clubs out there that are being a little bit more forward thinking. Having been on the outside, and looking in, I suppose, it’s a lot easier to see some of the things that can be changed and then it’s convincing not just the golf club but the industry. What do you think just gave you the edge? One of the biggest things was becoming more of an integrated model (at the club). By bringing it all in house, anything the members spend within the club they know it is being reinvested into the club. That’s whether it is course signage, (anything) on course, or within the clubhouse. I think it does clearly demonstrate we’re in it together and we’re all part of a team. I know I’m nicknamed the Pocket Rocket but I do go out and get

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

things done. I work very closely with all my team and I spend an awful lot of time with the greenkeepers. I have quite an open book in terms of management style. I don’t like micro-managing. I’d rather give people the flexibility and creativity to progress within the club and industry. That’s quite a different style that I’ve presented over the last few months to the GCMA. What was the reaction of the club to your success? The spotlight felt like it was on Redditch and that wasn’t a bad thing. Now it’s about taking it to the next step. We were looking at the big changes and the big challenges, whereas now we’re going to take a step back and really focus on things that came out of Conference – developing a local brand, the social media element is absolutely flooded, and focusing on our staff and on our members. We encourage our members to be the ambassadors for our club to generate more new memberships. It’s making the members feel loved and cared for and, even though we’ve been able to do that though this process, we do have long-standing members of staff and it’s about encouraging them and changing their mindset. It has been quite a difficult 18 months for everybody (through integration of the pro shop and other aspects). What has come out of this has completely changed the members’ perspective. They feel we are doing things right and we are being recognised for what we are doing. We are only a small club in the Midlands and we have been firefighting for so many years but now we are going in the right direction and are in a position where we can really bring our memberships though, keep them involved,

and they are more excited about the processes we are looking to change. You came from a completely different industry – managing events and then shopping centres – before getting into club management. Sum up what this award means to you… It’s a great stepping-stone. For me, it’s about being an ambassador for the GCMA for the next two years, and to help, encourage and talk to other golf clubs who are thinking about changes and looking at being a little bit more creatively. I’m quite excited about sharing those experiences. Before it’s been at more of a local level, where I meet up with 10 other clubs on a quarterly basis and we talk about the challenges we are facing and give advice that way. I do feel really privileged that I have got people that are contacting me from other golf courses across the country. I had some really good discussions with people during Conference and I don’t know where it is going to go but it’s a really exciting time.

Why Kerry was the winner… KerryAlligan-Smith’s proactive ideas to increase membership, engage with the local community, and her clever use of social media have all attracted new members to Redditch. Her biggest challenge was to integrate the club as a whole and the professional team was brought in house to ensure theyworked closelytogether and to the same agenda.This was an exceptionally difficult decision but, within weeks of implementation, she led the refit of the pro shop, expanded the product range, and the club forecasts an income of more than £1 million in 2019.

GCMA.ORG.UK | 33

GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

Special Commendation Award:

FAME TATE

he hardest category to judge was Newcomer of the Year and, in the end, it was Redditch’s Kerry Alligan-Smith who prevailed by a

fraction. But the decision was so tight, and the pair so difficult to split, the judging panel awarded a Special Commendation Award to Stanedge’s Fame Tate. It was only right given the huge strides she has made and the effort she and her team have put in since she bought and saved her local course in Derbyshire back in February. We caught up with Fame after she received her prize to find out her reaction and discover what’s next for her club…

We featured you in The Golf Club Manager last May, when all sorts of improvements were taking place at the club. What’s happened over the last few months? The business has continued to grow and evolve. It’s been quite overwhelming really and I feel so proud to have seen what’s happened. When I first went in, obviously my approach with the loan to purchase the club was so conservative and it had to be. I’d set my model on the conservative approach. The biggest thing for me was I had the vision in place and that was to move away from the traditional golf club model and make it welcoming, family friendly, affordable and accessible. It was to make it a place where people

Heather Mulley

34 | GCMA.ORG.UK

wanted to come – both golfers and non-golfers. Initially, what I had to do was invest hugely back into the business and that’s continued. We’ve extended the kitchen another eight feet, we’ve kept going and going. That’s been crucial for people to see – that I’ve had to invest – and show I do mean business with it all. The clubhouse is almost like the Forth Bridge – you think you’re almost done. I know it’s not all about the aesthetics but ultimately the environment you create. We have created a community and almost a new culture. What I’ve tried to do over the last two or three months is take the emphasis off the traditional model, change the perception of golf, and the stigma that’s still attached to it. What are some of the things you’ve been doing? Going in with a blank canvas, and from my PGA background of getting people into golf, this is something that I care about and am hugely passionate about. It’s been important to me to get the right image. We’ve not got everything right and it’s been a bit of trial and error as we had no trends to base anything on. I had no data on green fee revenue, what months were popular, times of day. We’ve had to run a number of different initiatives to get people in. We started a six at 6pm league and that was every Wednesday. It

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

was open to members and nonmembers. In theory it was at 6pm, although tee-times started at 4pm. They played six holes, paid £6 and got a meal after. I know it sounds ridiculous cheap but it wasn’t about that. It was about getting people in and showcasing what we were all about. We did 20 weeks of that – that’s how popular it was. It was absolutely full every week. One evening I was teaching and I was looking back at the clubhouse and there were so many people sat outside on the benches and on the seating and do you know when you can hear laughter? That was such a rewarding thing to see

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

what we had created. My mantra from day one has always been we are more than just golf. When the dark nights came, we started doing a quiz night on a Wednesday and we’ve kept the same time and the day. People are creatures of habit and we’ve also got different people in. We’ve started getting some of the residents in, which is brilliant. We’ve started doing Sunday lunch and my focus has been really looking at food and beverage. Although we are able to do the basics, we’ve now got a fulltime cook in place. I’ve rebranded Adam Grint the bar and restaurant.

What I’ve found from marketing is that as soon as you say ‘golf club’ it still seems to be a deterrent. In terms of the bar and restaurant, it runs in conjunction with the golf club but it has a different name. You’ve become something of a community hub… We have. It’s still not where I want it to be. There’s so, so, much that I intend to do, and want to try and do, and I’ve got loads of different ideas. It’s just thinking outside the box. I don’t see it as rocket science. You come to Conference, you listen to everyone, and it is pleasing (to know you’re on the right track).

GCMA.ORG.UK | 35

2020 Seminar Series

Essential Skills for Future Club Managers Perfect for anyone interested in a career in golf club management, or somebody already in a junior or middle management role in a golf club.

These seminars will be free of charge, and attendees will learn more about: - Insights into great leadership and building successful teams - Change management – how to improve and evolve together - How to increase sales through improved customer service - Career progression discussions Q&A with a GCMA Director Register your place today: 11 February 2020: Thorpeness GC – led by Brad McLean 24 March 2020: Bishop’s Stortford GC - led by Judy Barker 30 April 2020: Moor Park GC - led by Phil Grice

gcma.org.uk/diary

r ste i g re ow n

INDUSTRY The latest news, insightful opinions and in-depth features from the golf industry

In the

LOOP

The news you need to know from the last month in the golf industry…

New chief executive named at England Golf Jeremy Tomlinson joins England Golf as its new chief executive officer this month. The former vice president and managing director of Acushnet Europe – where he led the marketing of FootJoy and Titleist – Tomlinson replaces Nick Pink, who left the organisation last October. A heavyweight in the golf industry, Tomlinson was a founding director of online golf retailer jamgolf.com and was also Callaway Golf Europe’s brand and sales manager for eight years. He said:“I am honoured and excited to become the new chief

executive officer of England Golf. “To be joining a talented team with so many opportunities to positively affect the health of our great game is hugely energising.” Alongside his previous roles, Tomlinson has been heavily involved in the sport’s development in schools and in the community as a Golf Foundation trustee. A Wiltshire county player, he is also a volunteer at his home club of Marlborough. He will now lead one of the country’s largest sports governing bodies and represent the interests of some 1,900 golf clubs and 630,000 members. Nic Coward, England Golf chairman, added:“We are delighted to welcome Jeremy as our new chief executive. “His considerable business experience and his deep knowledge of golf at all levels will be a huge asset to England Golf and all the organisations involved in developing, promoting and running the sport across the country.” Elsewhere in the golf industry, club management software providers intelligentgolf acquired Open Solutions in a deal that will see their 250 customers rolled into the former’s provision.

Welcome to our newest GCMA members Jayne Booth, at Weston-super-Mare, in South West region Gareth Edwards, at Milford Haven, in Wales region Andrew George, at Sonning, in London & Home Counties region Pamela Smith, at Kirtlington, in Southern region Matthew Turner, at Weald of Kent Golf Course, in South East region Colin White, at Whittington Heath, in Midland region Gregg Willcocks, at Lees Hall, in Yorkshire region Scott Cheeseman, at Westerham, in South East region Joe Gutteridge, at Manor of Groves, in Chiltern & Home Counties region Gregory Hopkins, at Foxhills Country Club, in London & Home Counties region Stuart Langhorn, at Beaconsfield, in Chiltern & Home Counties region

We want to hear from you! We want to hear from you! Send your correspondence, on any subject, to letters@gcma.org.uk

38 | GCMA.ORG.UK

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

ACHIEVE CUSTOMER SERVICE EXCELLENCE

59club delivers the expertise, intel and motivation to breed customer loyalty, increase spend, secure referral and repeat business.

MYSTERY SHOPPING

SATISFACTION SURVEYS

TRAINING & EDUCATION

We can start working with you for as little as £600 p.a. Contact Matt Roberts, 59club Director matt@59club.com

“The service from 59club has allowed us to embed standards, motivate the team and reward excellence. We are now amongst the very best venues in terms of the visitor & member experience in world golf.” Chris May CEO, Dubai Golf

www.59club.com enquiries@59club.com 01827 908349

From the

ARCHIVES We scour the GCMA magazine archives to find out what managers were saying in years gone by Ten years ago Future GCMA national captain David O’Sullivan, then the chief of China Fleet, was profiled on his life as a former Royal Navy medic and paramedic and how he had been appointed to China Fleet by an admiral who wanted him to be their new director of golf! Later becoming managing director, O’Sullivan was revealed to have made China Fleet Country Club profitable – through the foresight of understanding that golf alone would be unlikely to cover the overheads of a business that employed over 200. Branching out into fitness, accommodation, F&B, health and beauty and a conference and function suite, saw him in demand at GCMA conferences. 25 years ago Secretary Ray Burniston considered what had been a “disappointing and unsettling year for golf”.As the industry waited for the final outcome of VAT, the Cutting Edge documentary on TV meant it would be “a long time before any committee lets TV cameras loose in their club”. “The VAT situation came to fruition in April or early May

40 | GCMA.ORG.UK

when C&E at last published the appropriate leaflet. Then came the realisation that private members’ clubs would be getting back part of the VAT wrongly paid since 1990. Nobody has actually explained why all the VAT charged to members should not be returned if it had been charged incorrectly.” As the year drew to a close, they

were no further forward. 50 years ago Having bid farewell to the swinging 60s, association president PB Lucas looked back at a decade where “the base of British golf began to be broadened”. “More people came into golf

than at any other time this century. Courses became overcrowded at weekends. Waiting lists grew longer. For our Association and its members, the period was one of great significance. It saw the twilight of an old image and the dawn of a new one.” Lucas said the role of golf secretary became merged into the manager of a business enterprise (consider where we are half a century later!) and that things would never be the same again. Considering what the new decade would bring, Lucas believed only the number of facilities would limit the expansion of the game, with private clubs supplemented by increasing numbers of public courses and a country club environment that would come into its own. “Golf clubs will have to face up to paying the general manager (for that is what the secretary will become) the commercial rate for the job”,stop trying to run the club themselves and delegate to the professional and that “however difficult they find it, they will have to get off the back of the general manager”. Lucas was ahead of his time.

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

42 | GCMA.ORG.UK

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

How The List ensures Wimbledon keeps

SERVING ACES

The Championships at Wimbledon may seem far removed from life at your club. Key to maintaining it as a global giant is The List. We can all learn from it

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

GCMA.ORG.UK | 43

verything about Wimbledon is on such a massive scale. Whether it’s the 675 matches played during the early summer fortnight, the 39,000 spectators who can attend every day, or the staggering 320,000 glasses of Pimm’s that are consumed, the Championships really are at the pinnacle of British sport. Ensuring that The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, to give the club its full title, retains that preeminence is general manager Ross Matheson. The 49-year-old took delegates through his role and how the Championships and club are run when he was one of the keynote speakers at GCMA National Conference at De Vere Cotswold Water Park. But while what happens at the globe’s most prestigious major tournament might not seem comparable with events at your club, Matheson talked in detail about the meticulous processes that keep them on top. And whether that is managing Wimbledon’s finals, or staging our own club championship, there are plenty of things we can all learn from The List. It has been used at The All England Club for more than 15 years and it’s a catalogue of all the things they consider they could do better. “It goes right to the heart of not accepting second best”is how the club portrays it and when feedback – wherever that comes from – can’t be dealt with immediately it’s placed onto The List. It could be anything, from repairing chipped railings, to tidying foliage, reviewing signage, or even monitoring splashing, it is all recorded. Nothing is left to chance in the “pursuit of greatness”.

44 | GCMA.ORG.UK

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

GCMA.ORG.UK | 45

Who is Ross Matheson? A former professional tennis player, who beat opponents ranked as high as seventh in the world, Ross Matheson reached a career ATP ranking of 232. The first Scot to win an ATP Challenger Tour title, he moved into management when his playing career ended – initially taking care of a tennis programme within Next Generation Clubs. He would go on to operate at some of the leisure industry’s biggest names, including becoming Group Racquets Manager at David Lloyd Leisure in 2007. Matheson then spent three years as the Performance Network Manager at the Lawn Tennis Association before, in 2015, becoming Club Manager of The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club in 2015.

Putting it there in such a fashion makes its actionable. Every single line contained on The List needs to have a comment by it by the time the Championships come around again the following summer. “The List is the living embodiment of our culture of never-ending improvement when it comes to the Championships,”Matheson told Conference delegates. “But it is completely related to everything else that occurs within the club. We get a day off after the Championships, and then you are brought in to a director and senior managers’ group and then you have two days where we have a hot debrief. “That hot debrief is downloading everything that is on the top of your mind. You run the Championships, you work on it thinking about the following year and what’s working well and considering the future too.

46 | GCMA.ORG.UK

“You then have two weeks to write the Championships report, there are 40 reports and they get fused with the hot debrief and we create a list that last year for 2019 had 1,750 items on it. “They are categorised, prioritised and given out to senior managers. They are followed up with key quarterly review meetings with the Championships team, who make sure that you are handling your list. For me, that’s part of my day job, that’s part of everyone’s day job in key management positions within the club.” Creating that level of responsibility also brings accountability and Matheson spoke of the disappointment that comes with not being to tick everything off. “The shame of a carry over – so 95 per cent of those items are actioned and we try really, really, hard to not carry anything over

onto The List of the following year,” he explained. “There are very few. We normally have very, very good reasons to be carrying over.” Can you see the parallels at your own clubs? Whether it is fixing the rickety bench, adding a new coat of paint to the entrance doors, or making the competition booking in process easier, you can all create your own lists to improve the experience of your members and guests. For, though everything contained on The List at the Championships might seem small – you might wonder whether that single squeaky seat really matters – taken as a whole they add up to something very significant. “We just want to be better – every day and every year,”said Wimbledon chief executive Richard Lewis. Now that’s something to which we can all aspire.

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

Make great impressions

Quality sign solutions From the entrance, around the clubhouse and out on the course

t +44 (0)1883 344244 e info@eagle.uk.com www.eagle.uk.com

Get more with the all-new all-electric eTriFlex 3370 The world’s most advanced fully electric ride-on greensmower

AT BTME STAND 420 PURPLE ZONE

Model shown: Toro Greensmaster eTriFlex 3370

The new all-electric Toro eTriFlex greensmower. Cuts the turf, as well as the noise. It’s the quietest ride-on greensmower available, that’s truly in a class of its own. Packed with new pioneering technology and powered by an innovative 48v lithium-ion Samsung battery set, the new eTriFlex 3370 also carries no hydraulic fluid and has all-electric components for traction steering, lift and cutting for a truly clean cut all round.

reesinkturfcare.co.uk

Get MORE from your turfcare partner this year: More products . More advice . More training . More finance Member of Royal Reesink Reesink Turfcare UK Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Images shown for illustration only.

Getting inside the mind

OF YOUR STAFF Elaine McBride, General Manager at North Berwick, has had a lot of success using Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP) to manage her team. She tells Steve Carroll how it works for her and how it might help you at your clubs

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

GCMA.ORG.UK | 53

ould you give us an outline of NLP and how you use it? It’s such a massive subject and it touches upon your beliefs, mindset, your thoughts and feelings and how these manifest. It assists you with rapport building, communication, understanding the power of language and how to change a positive into a negative – and that is only scratching the surface! It’s all about limited beliefs that might impact your behaviour and confidence. We often have and retain beliefs about certain things that are not actually our own, and may have been passed on from our parents and have taken forward as our “own”. In life, we tend not to necessarily

54 | GCMA.ORG.UK

challenge or question. We tend to accept. I think until you fully understand who you are and where your thoughts and beliefs come from – and whether or not you’ve got trigger points and crutches – it can be very difficult to be the best version of you, personally or professionally. When we talk about NLP, we don’t just mean it in a business context. It can help you professionally, or maybe with your relationship with your partner or kids. I came across it in a brief context when I used to coach out in Spain but it wasn’t really until I started looking into it and then did some coaching – as in I was the pupil – that I really started to understand it. It really does help. It makes you much more

aware of your own attitude and behaviour as well as the power of language and how it can have such an impact on people. I’ve been managing golf clubs for over eight years and I think I have built a wealth of technical information about the industry during this time. I’ve played golf since I was six and been lucky enough to compete at the highest standards. I know the ins and outs of a food and beverage operation and have a good understanding of agronomy. My knowledge of HR and health and safety comes from working in the military and public and private sectors. But, for me, from an evolving perspective, the best way the club can invest in me is through NLP.

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

I can then better manage, lead and motivate the team that I work with. I can have better interactions with members, visitors and contractors. So it involves accepting that every one of your staff is a different person and has different beliefs, hopes, dreams and fears. How do you manage everyone individually to get the best out of them? It can be tricky. During the season, we have 56 staff so it is a big operation. Managing people, and doing it properly, can take up a lot of your time because you have to know when to manage and when to lead, which are two very different things. Sometimes you need to be ‘in it’ – as in the detail – but you also need to be ‘on it’ as well.

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

For heads of department, that can be a challenge and it’s all about the rapport you build with people and the time you give to people. Time is the most precious thing you can give anybody in life – be it a member who just wants five minutes or a member of your family. It’s the only thing we’re never going to get back. I think people feel valued if they feel heard or listened to. With the team, it is just trying to understand what makes them tick, what they believe and some of that can just be through questioning. Language is such a powerful tool and can have a really positive or negative impact dependent on the delivery. No one speaks to us the way we do and we can often beat

ourselves up and give ourselves such a hard self-talk. We wouldn’t do that with anyone else. It’s quite interesting listening to people. What is Neuro-Linguistic Programming? NLP, as it’s more commonly known, is, according to the NLP Academy, the “practice of understanding how people organise their thinking, feeling, language and behaviour to produce the results they do”. It began its life in the 1970s and central is the idea of a connection between neurological processes, language and behavioural patterns that are learned through experience. Practitioners believe these can be changed to achieve specific goals or mould patterns of behaviour.

GCMA.ORG.UK | 55

When someone says ‘I can’t do that’ or ‘I’m too old for that’ – at what point did you tell yourself you were too old to do that? Something’s made that happen. Sometimes it is really fascinating trying to get people to rationalise their own thought process. Then they can’t and say ‘yes, you’re right’. They can see things through a very different lens. You can change your own narrative! I’m interested in the elements of programming. How did you do that with your team and what methods did you employ? We used a training company called Enjoyability Training and the MD is an NLP master practitioner. She did the training at my previous club, however I chose not to complete the training with the team as I might have been part of the problem and it was really important to detach myself and let them feel it

56 | GCMA.ORG.UK

was a safe learning environment. People were very open and honest to the point where some staff said it had helped them understand their relationships with their partners, some of the comments they made, and how they could make their relationships better. They gave me feedback and I then changed my behaviour based on that. It’s a bit like wiping a CD or a tape. It takes about eight weeks to form a behaviour and it takes just the same amount of time to form a new one. Can it be difficult to ‘reprogramme’ someone in eight weeks when they may have held some negative associations across their lifetime? How do you prevent people slipping back to what they’ve always known? The beauty of NLP is it can give

you so many different tools for your toolkit that you can use in different circumstances. Thoughts and feelings are temporary. How I feel today is not how I am going to feel tomorrow – be it through grief, elation or sadness. The unconscious is a powerful mechanism and we can often distort or delete things to the extent we create what we believe to be a different map of the world. You can go back to a childhood memory, it can be something really insignificant, and you can hold on to it and take it all the way through adulthood. It’s not until you sit down and explore it that you can put it into a slightly different context, reduce the impact of it and see it from a different perspective. Because thoughts and feelings are temporary, you can use that to try and instil a different behaviour: How would you feel if? Could it be done

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

differently? Help me to understand? I use the last question most days at work and the team are using it because it’s such a great question. It is non accusatory. I find NLP fascinating and I think the golf industry as a whole is quite far behind the private and public sectors in relation to behavioural training. All too often in this industry staff members get “promoted”but are not always given the skills and learning environment to equip them to do the job effectively. What opportunities come from assessing everyone on an individual basis? Certainly we all need to acknowledge and embrace the compass setting that we have at North Berwick and people will be better at some things than others. I used to struggle with the public speaking element of my role. It’s not something that’s natural in my DNA and I often got anxious

about it. My mind used to race: ‘what if I do this?’ However, I have done a lot of work over the years to improve my confidence and a few other strategies and now I actually enjoy it! We tend to gravitate towards comfortable things and it’s trying to help people get out of their own way and out of their comfort zone. I don’t micro-manage as I don’t think that’s productive. I want the team to feel free and expressive. I want to see their creativity and I don’t want them to feel they have to always ask for my permission. Empowering your team is vital. Go and do it, and if you don’t do it right then let’s sit down, do a postmortem without blame, and look at the learning. Everything is about learning and then doing it differently if necessary. I am really keen to empower all of the team and if you are a manager, or head of department, with empowerment

comes accountability. You can’t have one without the other. We are human beings, not robots. And as such will make mistakes. I don’t think anyone wakes up, comes to work and says, ‘I’m going to make a really bad decision on behalf of North Berwick today’. I think all you can do is make the right decision, with the information and the resources that you have at the time. Sometimes we get it right, and sometimes we don’t. This clearly takes an investment of time to get the results you want. Now you’ve done that, how has it worked for you? The team were a little bit sceptical to begin with because they hadn’t really had behavioural training. They’d had a lot of technical training but not the opportunity to be open and honest about themselves and how that translates into a work environment. A lot of the team have been here for a long period of time, which comes with positives and negatives. As manager, it’s a privilege to help someone on their personal development journey. The team are starting to see a little bit more about who they are as human beings. Elaine McBride Elaine McBride is the General Manager of North Berwick. Having been in the Army Intelligence Corps, private security industry and police force, she emigrated to Spain and taught golf at Hacienda del Alamo Golf Resort, in Murcia, for over five years. After moving back to the UK, she moved into golf club management and spent time at a 9-hole course near Castleford, and then Glen Gorse and Northamptonshire County Golf Club before joining North Berwick in May 2018.

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

GCMA.ORG.UK | 57

54 | GCMA.ORG.UK

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

GCMA.ORG.UK | 55

56 | GCMA.ORG.UK

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

Good

PRACTICE Advice on golf club management issues â&#x20AC;&#x201C; from finance to clubhouse rules and employment law

From the

HELPDESK This month: Disciplinary policies and...does a Financial Director need to be qualified? Could you please inform me if there is a Personal Bar Licence course available through GCMA? Unfortunately, we are unable to provide this service. As we understand it you need to go to a government accredited personal licence qualification provider. See: gov.uk/government/ publications/accredited-personallicence-qualification-providers/ accredited-personal-licencequalification-providers for a list. Please could we have any information of when VAT applies to golf organisers? Essentially if a business is purchasing the green fees then VAT is due to HMRC on the income as HMRC explain... At paragraph 3.4.1 of VAT Notice 701/45: Sport an ‘individual’ is defined as a person who actually takes part in the sporting activity but this can include corporate persons and unincorporated associations, provided that … ‘the true beneficiaries (of the services) are individuals taking part in sport’. HMRC considers that where a corporate body purchases a golf day or similar (i.e. membership) for its own purposes such as to entertain its staff or guests, this is a not a supply made to individuals but a supply to the corporate

58 | GCMA.ORG.UK

body for its own benefit and that the corporate body is the true beneficiary of the sporting services. Such supplies by non-profit making members’ golf clubs or members’ sports clubs do not qualify for the exemption and are therefore standard rated for VAT purposes. We want to bring our member disciplinary policy up to date. Do you have anything you can recommend we adopt? There is a document on discipline which can be accessed from the GCMA library here: gcma.org.uk/wp-content/ uploads/2013/06/6009.pdf but, for a template, England Golf also have one here: englandgolf.org/ article/our-disciplinary-procedure/ Scottish Golf also have one at scottishgolf.org/club-services/ governance/model-disciplinaryprocedures/ The club would like to run a promotion to encourage ladies to join. Would we be breaking any equality laws by targeting lady golfers and giving them a better offer than the men to join? This would be a joining offer only and not a long-term cheaper annual membership. Please can you point me in the

right direction? You can instigate promotions like this, with any section of the club, without conflict with the Equality Act, providing you can robustly justify there is a need for increasing that section. Therefore, if you are short of ladies, juniors, or under-30s, for example, you can actively promote and, or, discount to attract them. I am looking for a template contract and terms and conditions for the hire of our clubhouse? We have quite a few parties coming up and I would like to get them to sign something to cover our end... We have a template in our library here: gcma.org.uk/library/10070/ which you can access. It is quite comprehensive, but you can delete or add to suit your particular needs. Does a Financial Director in a limited company require to be a qualified? A Financial Director does not need to be qualified. Just competent, as with all directors.

An online helpdesk offers an advisory service to members. Visit gcma.org.uk/members to find out more.

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

GCMA.ORG.UK | 59

Your content partner

• VIDEO PRODUCTION • FLYOVERS • CORPORATE VIDEOS • COURSE PHOTOGRAPHY • MEMBER MAGAZINES • CONTENT WRITING

YOU CAN EXPECT TO DOUBLE YOUR CLICK-THROUGH RATES ON NEWSLETTERS BY OFFERING VIDEO CONTENT

57% OF CONSUMERS SAY THAT VIDEO BUILDS CONFIDENCE IN A PRODUCT

WEBSITES WITH VIDEO ARE 53 TIMES MORE LIKELY TO RANK NO 1 ON A GOOGLE SEARCH

Sports Publications are specialists in digital and print content creation. With a portfolio of in-house titles and websites, including the industry-leading National Club Golfer, we have a growing roster of contract clients including GolfBreaks.com, BIGGA, Golf Genius â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and your very own GCMA.

Learn more at sports-publications.com or contact Tom Irwin on 07973 628 781 or t.irwin@sportspub.co.uk

76% OF CONSUMERS ARE MORE LIKELY TO SHARE A SOCIAL POST THAT CONTAINS VIDEO

Good

PRACTICE Advice on golf club management issues â&#x20AC;&#x201C; from finance to clubhouse rules and employment law

Your best practice