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

THE GOLF CLUB

MANAGER ISSUE 33 | FEBRUARY 2020

THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE GOLF CLUB MANAGERS’ ASSOCIATION

THE BIG INTERVIEW

GETTING BACK ON THE MAP FULFORD’S NEW GM ON YORKSHIRE CHAMPIONS

AMBITIOUS TURNING THE CLUB BACK INTO A HIP VENUE

INDUSTRY

NEW RULES

W H AT ’ S T H E V E R D I C T A Y E A R O N ?

2020 VISION THE OUR VIEW OISNSUES BURNING EAR OF THIS Y

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

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CONTENTS ISSUE 33 | FEBRUARY 2020

GCMA

INDUSTRY

Meet our professional development manager

52 How your club can support the Golf Foundation

The benefits of attending regional meetings

NEED TO KNOW

GOOD PRACTICE

62 From the helpdesk

What are the five big issues facing clubs in 2020?

INDUSTRY

GRASS ROOTS

Fulford’s new GM on driving the club forward

60 Whittington Heath’s Colin White on golf’s future

Assessing the impact of the new Rules of Golf

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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 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Gavin Robinson- gavin@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 33 | FEBRUARY 2020

THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE GOLF CLUB MANAGERS’ ASSOCIATION

THE BIG INTERVIEW

GETTING BACK ON THE MAP FULFORD’S AMBITIOUS NEW GM ON TURNING THE YORKSHIRE CLUB BACK INTO A CHAMPIONSHIP VENUE INDUSTRY

NEW RULES

W H AT ’ S T H E V E R D I C T A Y E A R O N ?

2020 VISION THE OUR VIEW ON S BURNING ISSUE OF THIS YEAR

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

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ON THE COVER: Fulford’s general manager Jon Dry

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WELCOME

ISSUE 33 | FEBRUARY 2020

aving just returned from BTME in Harrogate, one of my first jobs is to introduce the appointment of our new Professional Development Manager, Gavin Robinson. Gavin comes to us following an interesting career – not only in the UK but also managing golf clubs in Mexico. With his interest and passion in education we look forward to introducing him to as many members as possible over the next few months. He will be accompanying me in attending the various spring regional meetings. (You can find out more about Gavin on page 8). In the same vein we are hopeful of announcing Mike Hyde’s replacement as Business Partnerships Manager – watch this space. As usual we hosted a three-day training course at BTME, which again was most successful. While the majority of the delegates were from the local area,we still had people travelling the length of the country to join us – Sherborne in Dorset is a fair trek. The GCMA community continues to grow. On this occasion, the younger age profile was certainly encouraging for the future of golf club management. If you would like to attend, or have a member of staff who would benefit from attending, please contact HQ either by phone or via the link on the website. Alternatively, if you have any assistants or management operatives within

your club why not point them towards affiliate membership? Towards the end of February we will host the Regional Managers’ conference at Puckrup Hall. This is the occasion for you to bring issues to the floor, so contact your Regional Manager if there’s a point you wish to be raised. Finally, a couple of dates for your diary. The 2020 AGM is on April 20 and, with their kind permission, will be held at Moortown Golf Club, in Leeds. There will be at least one Board vacancy from April. Should any member wish to understand more about the role, don’t hesitate to give me a call. Finally, the National Golf Day is at Bristol & Clifton on June 8. Bob Williams – chief executive

“On this occasion, the younger age profile was certainly encouraging for the future of golf club management”

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Meet the man delivering the GCMA’s

EDUCATION

avin, welcome to the GCMA… Thank you. I’m thrilled and excited to get started and stuck into the role.

Tell us about your background… I’ve been a golfer pretty much all my life. I started playing when I was 9. I had a talent for it and it became my dream to become a professional golfer. Having completed a university degree in 1996, I realised my dream in 2002 and, shortly after PGA qualification, I got an offer to work out in Mexico. I took that up and had a fabulous experience out there. While there, I quickly got into the administration side of golf, firstly as a director of golf, and then as a golf club manager. I was a club manager out there for 10 years before returning to the UK. I imagine with that experience there were many avenues you could have taken so what attracted you to this role at the GCMA? Having undertaken extensive investigation of the various educational offerings available to existing and prospective club managers in the UK, I learned a lot about the various organisations and how they appealed to their customers. When I saw the role advertised on the GCMA website it really grabbed my attention. I had completed the GCMA

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Principles course, in Harrogate, where I had an opportunity to meet chief executive, Bob Williams, and was impressed firstly by his inspirational presentations and later on by his entrepreneurial side. The opportunity to work with Bob and for such a highly respected association was very attractive. In addition, the expansion of the role from part-time to full-time proved to me that the association is committed to education and training as a key component of future strategy. On a larger scale, the role offers the opportunity to affect real change in golf by nurturing wider and deeper skillsets in our existing and future managers, which will hopefully result in attracting more people into golf clubs. In this role, it won’t hurt to have a broad understanding of the education offer out there… Absolutely. Having completed courses with the GCMA, PGA and CMAE, I can now view that as research and gaining an in-depth knowledge of what’s being done, and how it is being done, certainly can’t hurt. It is a marketplace. They are competitors and we need to be competitive in that marketplace in attracting new customers. Putting that alongside the responsibility we have to the members to keep them informed, educated and at the top of their game for as long as possible represents an exciting challenge.

Education is critical to the GCMA’s offering… The diploma course, from my investigations, is regarded the highest in terms of educational content, depth of knowledge and skills you will gain from doing it. But it may not be the leading product in the marketplace in terms of the numbers of delegates doing it. There is a mismatch there. We have the best content but maybe we are not getting the numbers that it deserves. Addressing that

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Gavin Robinson is our new professional development manager. He tells us about his aims and ambitions for his new role It will be a landmark moment when the delegates gather at Puckrup Hall, in Tewkesbury, from March 16 to 20. For the Principles of Golf Club Management residential training course will be staged for the 100th time. The course, formerly known as the Introduction to Golf Club Management, has welcomed nearly 1,500 delegates in its near three-decade life and continues to give those in attendance a thorough grounding in all the skills they need to succeed in golf club management. One of the mainstays of the GCMA’s education provision, it is designed for newcomers to the profession of golf club management, or an existing manager, secretary or assistant who wants to bring themselves up-to-date. The most recent course was at Harrogate during BTME. For more information, visit gcma. org.uk/education

mismatch is going to be one of the challenges. The quality of the work that has been done so far has been fantastic. The diploma, and the various programmes the GCMA have in their portfolio, means there is a huge educational provision within the GCMA and I’m absolutely delighted to have been entrusted to spearhead the delivery of that. What can you bring to the role and how do you plan to take

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that provision forward? As a member of the GCMA team, I’d like to think that I bring an alternative perspective to golf club management, having national and international experience along with experience in a large number of different golf models. I’ve operated private members’ clubs, high, middle and low-end, proprietary and public golf courses and driving ranges. I feel that with this wide scope of knowledge and experience to

draw upon, I can help our team by bringing new subject matter to put us at the cutting edge of golf management education and deliver it to the marketplace in formats that are attractive and easy to consume. As an individual, I’m career focused, dedicated, passionate and professional. Work is a very important component of my life and I am absolutely delighted to be starting this role and very excited to see what can be achieved.

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Why attending my regional GCMA meeting

IS HIGH PRIORITY

Gareth Morgan, general manager at Long Ashton Golf Club and UK golf industry commentator, explains why being an active part of the region can be so rewarding for managers

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GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

’m in my 14th year as a full member of the GCMA. I have been a member of the Wales region (formerly South Wales) for the same length of time and I have been a member of the South West region for nearly three years now. I can safely say that the regional meetings I have attended and the network of peers I have built up as a consequence of attending them has been the single biggest force for good in my 14-year career to date as a golf club manager. With my opening words in mind, it has always mystified me when managers from some clubs, particularly the bigger, more busy ones, do not attend regional meetings.“What…”I ask myself, “could be a higher priority than what we get from these meetings?” Following a recent meeting of the Wales region I took the time to reflect upon my relationship with the GCMA and, particularly, my regional meetings.

Early Days I will always remember the call. I was a 27-year-old general manager who had just joined the industry from the outside. The classic golf club induction of “here are your keys, this is your desk, good luck”was still fresh in the memory and I received a call from Colin Duffield, manager of one of my most local, and rival, clubs. He welcomed me to the industry and invited me to their next meeting. I nervously went along, not

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knowing what to expect, and was given a great welcome. The format of the morning meeting was a presentation on what should be included in our club insurance policies and some tips on things that maybe weren’t quite so important from an industry expert. This preceded an open forum discussion from the 20 or so managers in attendance. I sat silent, for once, writing copious notes and taking in the dozens of what I considered nuggets of information that were flying around the room. I left that meeting with mixed emotions. I had found somewhere where I could find out more about this crazy job I had just started, but I also realised just how much I didn’t know! Three weeks later I was at Ashburnham Golf Club taking part in a golf event: the annual GCMA Wales vs. England match. I didn’t know it at the time, but it was a day that would shape the next 10 years of my career… I was partnered with a fellow manager, Ian Church, who had revolutionised the concept of attracting visitor golfers to clubs in his role as a club manager. I am sure I must have annoyed him by the end of the day, so frequent were my questions regarding what he had done and how he had achieved it. I had identified the need to increase visitor income as a priority in my own role so learning from a guy who had increased visitor income at his club by 300 per cent was an opportunity I wasn’t willing to let pass. I even drove back to Ashburnham a month later and spent the day shadowing him and discussing his policies and working practices. Before I left Wales to cross the Severn Bridge for my job in 2017 I had spent the previous 11 years

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Meetings of GCMA regions are an opportunity to get together with like-minded managers and learn from their experiences

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GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

Sometimes meetings can be held in spectacular surroundings, as they were when Wessex members gathered at the Ageas Bowl, in Southampton, in early 2018

or so driving green fee income at the clubs at which I had worked in South Wales. The vast majority of those successes I can trace back to those two days with Ian back in 2007. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re reading this Ian, thank you again! Innovations As I have moved along my golf club management journey I have been fortunate enough to be in the room when several new initiatives in the golf industry have been presented. Back when clubs all had five or six departmental paper diaries that MIGHT be synchronised once a week at a staff meeting, we were introduced to the BRS booking system. I went on to install this in two golf clubs,

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offering online competition and visitor bookings for the first time to each club. Later on, I discovered the Intelligentgolf system through a regional meeting and, having seen the advances this system offered, it has been my pleasure to install this in two clubs as well. In one regional meeting I came away enthused having been introduced to Europest for my pest control and Washroom Solutions, Movo Insurance for club insurance, and Capricorn Cleaning for our clubhouse cleaning contract. Having contacted just these three companies, my club at the time saved over ÂŁ3,000 a year just for switching to them. Case Studies & Best Practice

With South Wales having struggled more than most in terms of club membership and golf club financing during my time in that region, case studies of those who have enjoyed success at their clubs and sharing the ideas that have brought them it has been a huge benefit of attending regional meetings. I make no apology for having pilfered many of the ideas that have brought success to others over the years that I would never even have heard had I not been in the room. One club had dropped their joining fee for 30 days and took in 80 members (back when South Wales clubs had joining fees). I heard the case study, asked some questions and tweaked how I

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would do this myself back at my own club. Basically, I maintained the need for individual interviews, which said club had not done – and we enjoyed similar success, which transformed the club’s finances in 30 days. Another time, an attendee explained in an open forum how they had used email to increase their visitor income. I took that away, tweaked it a bit using my previous career experience as the GM of a bingo club, where offers such as these were common, and rolled out something similar. At the end of that year we had increased green fee income by £25,000 without accepting a single extra society golf day. I could write for hours just on the

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ideas and success other GCMA regional members have shared with me that have gone on to benefit me and the club I work for, but that would be over-baking the cake, so to speak. However, this heading alone makes the relatively small time and financial sacrifice to any club more than worthwhile. I recently played a singles knockout match against the secretary of a small club in the Welsh valleys who didn’t even have one paid greenkeeper and were running their bar themselves. I was awash with questions about how their club members were making this work. It was an amazing insight and real food for thought for those of us who have never faced such challenges.

Network & Support Saving the biggest and best benefit of active participation in my GCMA’s regional meetings for last, I can say with complete confidence that without the network of fellow golf club managers that I now have I would not have survived so long in what can be, at times, a pretty lonely job where praise can be rare and criticism all but the norm. It is amazing to be able to be in a position where, no matter what the scenario, no matter what the problem, there is always a manager in a club who has been through the same thing before you. When I had problems with golf balls hitting a neighbouring property:“Speak to Newport Golf

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GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

Club, they’ve had that problem…” or I recall when reviewing two different accountancy packages: “Speak to Pennard, they just changed from X to Y…” I spent 18 months chasing one young manager to come to regional meetings in Wales. I finally got him along and, simply by attending, he met someone who was a stand-in manager at a club. From talking to him, he applied for and got a job that he was delighted to get. Though not ideal for his current club, for the GCMA member’s career simply turning up that day has had a monumentally positive effect on his career. In more modern days there are even a couple of WhatsApp groups I am a member of with other managers where, on a frequent basis, someone will ask a question regarding what each of us does for any given matter, so we all answer but also get the benefit of seeing everyone else’s answers here as well. Having said all of this, the help and support that I have myself received from my fellow GCMA

members at a time in my career when I was going through the sort of things within my club that I am sad to say is all too common in the industry for managers - it was my fellow GCMA members who supported me and, frankly, got me through the toughest year of my professional life. I could never name them all, but there were some of my network who were always making the call to me at a time when I didn’t feel like talking, would listen and support me throughout. Without the people and support I describe, I quite simply would not still be in the golf industry today. This was all possible because of the relationships I have built over the years almost exclusively at GCMA regional meetings. I hope that the sort of nonsense that I needed supporting through is something we can make a thing of the past in UK golf. However, I sincerely doubt this is going to be the case anytime soon. While this is true, I hope I am in a position to support others within my network in the future.

Conclusion To attend every single GCMA Region meeting will cost you and your club what? Five days? Six days out of 365 per year? A bit of mileage and the odd participation fee? We all run marketing campaigns where we assess our return on investment. The ROI for attending regional GCMA events in my career to date has been huge. Those managers who say they are too busy frequently, or say they aren’t interested, having fully committed to these events myself and reaped the rewards, baffle me. This is not meant as a criticism. I just genuinely don’t understand how when considering our own growth, and how to best serve the interests of our clubs and our members, attending these meetings isn’t extremely high at the top of the list of priorities and why some clubs do not feel the same way. They certainly sit extremely high on mine! I hope to see some of those reading this at future meetings. You really won’t regret it!

Alongside the regional meeting structure, the opportunity to take part in International matches, like this one between England and France, strengthen the bond between managers even further

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What lies ahead for golf

CLUBS IN 2020? The Golf Club Manager editor Steve Carroll gets out his crystal ball to predict the five big tests coming over the next 12 months

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he rudiments of the game haven’t changed that much since golf’s inception, but the issues golf club managers deal with are fluid – with something new always coming along to dominate thoughts. Last year, it was the revised Rules of Golf, the pros and cons of flexible membership and a flurry of club closures – among many other pressing issues. But what’s set to dominate the agenda during 2020? I’ve

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picked out five things I reckon could be the big issues over the next 12 months. See if you agree, and get in touch – by email at letters@gcma.org – and have your say.

The weather Whether you accept the premise of climate change or not, the extremes of weather we’re seeing look set to stay – and they’re clearly having huge effects on our courses and clubs. Consider just the last couple

of years: the Beast from the East, followed by the hottest summer for four decades and, latterly, one of the wettest autumns on record. Some areas, such as South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire, have seen unprecedented levels of rainfall over the last few months. While the ‘course closed’ signs are dominating at present, the impact from this current wet spell will last long into the summer. Not only will it take months for turf – sodden and then churned up when play

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plastic tees on their historic links from January 1. It was an altruistic decision, dominated by the sight of birds taking the tees and building nests with them, but it also gained the club worldwide publicity. Golf and the environment have not always been comfortable bedfellows in the past and the way the sport handles itself in a world focusing much more on the way people care for their surroundings will only increase this year. Extinction Rebellion have recently been leading calls for two councilowned golf courses in Brighton to be rewilded and, as we continue to experience extreme weather and climate change experts dish out dire portents for the future, clubs will need to be seen to be more environmentally friendly. There are plenty out there, notably Aldeburgh, in Suffolk, doing great work in trying to live more in harmony with the nature around them both on and off the course. It would be no surprise to see many more following their and Royal North Devon’s lead this year.

World Handicap System

properly resumes – to recover but it will be more vulnerable should we see another dry spring or a summer of drought. Golfers need to accept their course is probably going to look a little different in the years ahead and part of the challenge for managers will be educating members to that fact.

The environment Royal North Devon stole headlines late last year when they announced a ban on the use of

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Fresh off the biggest alterations to the Rules of Golf in a generation, now we’ve got the World Handicap System to welcome later in the year and what a change that’s going to be. That the home unions have spent the better part of two years putting on workshops all over their respective countries, have produced reams of educational material, and have delayed joining much of the globe in implementing WHS at the start of the year shows just how fundamental an alteration this is to the way the game is played. And yet, just like the Rules, if I publish a piece going into only the basics of what WHS will mean

when it finally arrives the ignorance of the average golf club member to what is coming is alarming. Hostility to change is a natural part of being human. That is likely to give plenty of managers a headache when transition arrives and players see what their new handicap index looks like as the switch from an aggregate to average-based calculation finally becomes a reality. Credit to those bodies, such as England Golf, who have recognised that letting the new era bed in during the winter – the system goes live on November 2 – will allow them to iron out any kinks for the majority of clubs before the 2021 playing system begins in earnest. But with some players yet to be convinced if the tirade on social media can be classed as representative, and with many managers having told me they’re sceptical as to its intent, a decent PR job will be needed if we’re going to come through the latter part of the year unscathed. For my own part, the removal of the dreaded .1, and a system that recognises form in a superior way, combined with the opportunity to play a meaningful round at any course in the world and have it count for handicap, is an attractive combination. There are plenty of others out there, though, who feel this is a foil to standardise elite competitions – and that the rest of us have simply got in the way. It will need careful stewardship to convince them otherwise.

The independent golfer “A key World Handicap System goal is to enable all golfers to get a handicap”.Notice the intro to this tutorial video from The R&A doesn’t say ‘members’, it

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goes much wider – and that’s why how the game approaches independent golfers (those who aren’t members of a club and have no interest in joining) is going to be ever more important. There was uproar when England Golf mooted last year an ‘official scheme’ to allow roaming golfers to hold a handicap – in effect making the governing body a virtual golf club. Some major counties are ranged in opposition against the project, and it’s important to say the proposal isn’t dead, but the income opportunities these players represent means the issue will not remain simmered for long. Clubs are rightly worried about the possibility of members’ ties being eroded if maintaining an official handicap is no longer their central preserve, but there is also opportunity – perhaps in the form of affiliate schemes – to encourage nomad golfers to nominally attach

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themselves to a venue. Whatever happens, the increasing desire of players to roam – paying what they have spent in membership fees on experience-led excursions – represents a challenge golf clubs will need to get to grips with over the coming few years.

Time to diversify When The R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers advocated clubs change the product they offered to customers – specifically suggesting that fitness areas or gym spaces could bring new people through the doors – there was the predictable sniggering in some quarters. The raft of golf club closures in 2019, though, and with those doors showing no signs of ceasing to revolve just yet, has proved that lots of clubs are going to need more than just a nice course to survive the next decade. No one is

laughing now. Royal Norwich have set the bar, offering a fine dining experience, gin stills, microbrewery and even bike trails along with their new course, and they have watched their membership numbers treble. Plenty of others have recognised this trend and are following suit. East Sussex National Resort want to build a 3G-football pitch as part of their redevelopment plans, Cranleigh constructed a spinning studio to attract virtual cyclists, while FootGolf, entertainmentstyle driving ranges and tennis courts are becoming staples of the more ambitious clubs. While some of you may not have the investment to make large-scale changes, clubs like Langley Park, in Kent, who converted a former pro shop into a gym for members with very successful results, have shown an innovative approach to free space can yield new income opportunities.

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

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In the

LOOP

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

Tributes paid to GCMA stalwart Stuart Phipps To many long-standing members of Kingsdown, Stuart Phipps was synonymous with the club, writes Mark Kingston. Having joined Kingsdown in the 1960s, he built a house within a driver’s distance of the first tee meaning that he was never far away from his spiritual home. He served the club with distinction as captain, treasurer and honorary secretary – all the great offices of state in the golfing world. Latterly he was an employee, the first paid secretary in the club’s history. Unsurprisingly, he was known universally as “the owner”. While this was a pejorative term to some, those who knew him best understood this as a statement of his total dedication and devotion to the club, indeed he may well have “KGC”engraved on his heart. Right up to his retirement as secretary, Stuart was always to be found at the club all hours during the working week and again on Saturdays and Sundays, when he played with his regular golfing partners, chosen for their age (always younger than he) and if partnering him in competition, for their unflattering (artificially high) handicap! Once off single figures, he played most of his life with a winter and summer handicap alternating 12 and 11. But he never considered himself a senior golfer, even into his 80s. As a golfing tourist he was superb company, fully committed, a

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great conversationalist and with a prodigious thirst even if his taste in foods was somewhat eccentric! Born in Australia, Stuart had a background in engineering. Having trained in Manchester, he moved to Wiltshire to work at Westinghouse in Chippenham. He had various other business interests, including in the licensed trade. Stuart and Anne brought up their two children here and Stuart was immensely proud of them and their achievements. He was utterly devoted to Anne who herself gave much time and effort to supporting him. In his younger days, Stuart was an accomplished athlete and his wiry frame allied to his indefatigable energy gave him significant powers of golfing endurance, frequently playing 36 holes a day while always carrying his bag until relatively recently. He was never one to shirk a challenge even if it meant, at the age of 80, climbing a steep-sided sand dune and playing a hopelessly optimistic shot from deep rough while being physically supported by his playing partner! Stuart was very influential in the Golf Club Managers’ Association, initially when working as secretary at KGC but also after retirement as the associate editor of the association’s magazine, to which he was a regular and trenchant contributor. He always wrote beautifully and perceptively and many of his articles are

highly relevant today. They make for excellent reading. He also reviewed golf courses for Golf Club Manager, and other national publications, and it was a special pleasure to accompany him as chauffeur on those visits. Reading and crosswords occupied Stuart more in his later retirement years, as he no longer played golf, except on the Par 3 course outside his sitting room window in Chippenham to where he moved latterly. However he still retained his former facility as a wordsmith as evidenced by his Christmas letter to friends just a few short weeks ago. Those who counted Stuart as a friend have lost a fine and loyal companion but Kingsdown Golf Club has lost its greatest champion. His legacy lives on in what is best about KGC today. We want to hear from you! We want to hear from you! Send your correspondence, on any subject, to letters@gcma.org.uk

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From the

ARCHIVES We scour the GCMA magazine archives to find out what managers were saying in years gone by Ten years ago What can be depressing about our fine sport is how we’ve consistently struggled to get to grips with the big issues - no matter how long we’ve been talking about them. Just a casual glance at the headlines of the late Stuart Phipps’ column, a decade ago, sheds light on issues that are all too familiar to everyone who works in the industry today. He considered the issue of nomad golfers in New Zealand, revealing that 42 per cent of golfers who classed themselves as independent there didn’t join a club because they perceived that playing took too long. Membership costs and having given up playing rights also featured prominently. In the same column, though, Phipps also focused on the championing of flexible membership to private clubs and considered ‘how do you get girls to play more?’ The answer? Getting them to ‘have a go’ was one thing, and the object of a £50,000 investment from the English Women’s Golf Association.“Getting them to join is up to the clubs themselves.”

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25 years ago This will also sound familiar. Alistair Beggs, then of the STRI, wondered if the traditions of British golf were being lost. He argued the media coverage of golf tournaments around the world was unparalleled and the techniques led members to think about why they shouldn’t have

similar conditions at their own clubs. Was this the first recorded utterance of the now much fabled “Augusta syndrome”? “This process is slowly but surely eroding the tradition of British golf and creating golf courses that offer a totally different game,”he lamented.“The process must be

halted and all British golfers must be educated about what is to be upheld and how it is to be done.” 50 years ago Continuing the theme was this rather sombre sentence in February 1970 when considering the increasing number of players who were then taking up the game. “It is undeniable that changes in attitude are necessary. The modern outlook no longer accepts that what was good enough for father is good enough for change. Son wants change even if it does not produce anything better in the long run.” Revolutionary talk indeed! Robert Walker’s point, in a piece called The Kind of Secretary, was that while the modern way was to attack the secretary who had found their way into the job from the services and armed forces,“it was doubtful whether any particular calling qualifies a man to become a good golf club secretary”. Walker’s obvious lack of equality aside, he cited attributes of personality, patience, good humour and, most importantly, dedication to be of more importance than background.

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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!

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The interview...

JON DRY Having learned his trade at two of Britainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most exclusive clubs, the recently installed general manager at Fulford tells Steve Carroll how he plans to take the club forward

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ou arrived in golf club management from a PGA professional background. Give us a sense of your career to date… I’m one of the few that turn professional without a huge desire and aspiration to play. My focus has always been much more on being in and around golf clubs and enjoying golf club life, looking after members, seeing them enjoy their game. I used to do quite a bit of teaching and particularly the mental side of coaching, which I find very useful now for working with staff and having goal-setting plans. After completing my PGA training I found that it was the operational and managerial aspect that started to really interest me. The opportunity to further my knowledge in customer service and develop my skills within a world renowned golf operation was what led me to move to Queenwood. I learned a huge amount about what was possible before having the opportunity to go back to Bearwood Lakes as director of golf. Bearwood Lakes was a brilliant experience, leading a great golf operation team, and, after a few years, it was all about trying to build to the general manager role. I was very fortunate to have the support of my managing director. What was it about the general manager role that particularly attracted you? It’s the ability to be able to influence and affect people’s lives. As much as you can do that in golf operations, you are purely focused on golf. By overseeing the whole golf club you get the opportunity to challenge yourself further, influence more people and have a positive impact on more people. When you look

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at what a golf club is, it’s a lot more than just 18 holes. It has a huge impact on people’s lives. I had a moment when a daughter of a lady I used to teach came up to me and said ‘thank you so much for what you’ve done for my mum’. I said ‘what do you mean?’ She said ‘well, you’ve given her a new lease of life’. It’s moments like that when you realise the impact you can have on people – members and staff. That’s probably the most enjoyable and rewarding part of what we do. We improve people’s day-to-day lives. Having always been ambitious I wanted to keep growing personally and oversee a bigger team of people. I knew, as a director of golf, there wasn’t really a step forward within the UK golf industry. There are very few jobs where you would move from Bearwood Lakes (in that role). For my next step, general manager was always going to be the route. Fulford is a club with great history. Was that what drew you to the role? It was about finding the right club and cultural fit. My background was very much at tier-one clubs and I was keen to try and stay as close to that as possible. I was fully aware that to find my first general manager’s role I was probably going to have to move and be open-minded about where I was going to live. I saw the opportunity at Fulford, the reputation it has nationally is so strong. When I first came up to the club and met with the board I was instantly impressed. To sit in front of a board that’s forward thinking, dynamic, open-minded and keen to listen to ideas really drew me to the club. What can you take from

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Queenwood and Bearwood Lakes that will help you? From Queenwood, it’s the pace at which you have to work, the speed you have to think, the levels of service you go to – where you try to do things for people without them realising you’re doing it. It’s not just a case of putting the cutlery straight. It is trying to pre-empt all their desires and to blow them away – to deliver things they don’t expect. It’s giving people an experience they will always remember. Bearwood Lakes is what you’d class as a very premium golf club, but it’s still a busy active club. People have very high standards, as high as they were at Queenwood. People wanted everything to be of the highest

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standard but also wanted that club atmosphere. It’s taking the ability, the skills and customer service learned at Queenwood and incorporating that within another club. Combining this with the ability to offer a great golfing experience at a club as busy as Bearwood Lakes gives me plenty of ideas as to how we can enhance the Fulford experience. Fulford is very much a playing club. There’s the balance to be had with members and visitors... If I look at my time at Bearwood Lakes, it’s proprietary owned and it’s still a business. It’s about hitting figures and hitting targets. There’s the financial aspect you’ve got to try and drive forward. Being

Fulford The host of this year’s R&A Girls’ Under-16 Amateur Championship, Fulford was synonymous with European Tour golf for more than two decades from the 1970s to the early 1990s. The club was founded in 1906 but moved to its current site, designed by Major Charles MacKenzie, in 1935. Twenty three consecutive tour events – encompassing the Benson & Hedges Festival of Golf, International Open and Murphy’s Cup – saw the likes of Lee Trevino, Tom Weiskopf, Greg Norman, Sam Torrance and Sandy Lyle triumph.

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Fulford’s 9th green

a little bit more commercially minded is certainly being noticed here and being able to drive the membership forward, and putting different campaigns and mindsets into how we develop membership, is really key. Fulford’s very golf minded. The golf course is the key feature. It is a course that’s been ranked in the top 100 for many years with the reputation of holding prestigious events. It’s about trying to build and grow the sense of value and belonging, mixed with a bit more commercial savvy-ness. This will be key to the future success. If we can build a strong membership harnessed by a great visitor experience, we will be able to develop the income required for us

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to re-invest in future projects, taking the club forward and achieving the goals in our strategic plan. You’re dealing with a more traditional governance structure, in contrast to your previous two roles. How have you found that? It’s very different but, when I was looking at moving, I liked the idea of working for a board. I hadn’t done that in my previous roles. We had a committee at Bearwood, so I still had that experience of sitting on committees, but to be in a room surrounded by people who are experts in their field was something I was very much looking forward to. When I met with Richard

(Kilshaw), my predecessor here, he spoke very highly of the board and to have the ability to speak to a treasurer, for example, who has a fantastic background in accountancy and auditing makes life a lot easier as you are making those first steps. To have experts to turn to and ask for advice is great. When you speak to managers who are in the fortunate position where they’ve got a supportive board they do speak very highly of that relationship. On the other side, if you want to get stuff done, if you’ve got a proprietor and he agrees with your vision, it’s much easier because you get a snap decision. We have a board of 16, 12 of whom have a vote, so you do have to go to a

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board meeting and sell your vision. But if the proprietor doesn’t agree with your vision, or idea, you know it’s a no go. With a board you have the ability to have an open discussion. It’s swings and roundabouts. What’s your vision for Fulford? My first priority is to increase the sense of value in membership at Fulford by enhancing the customer journey. Improving the service, making it an environment you can use for more than just a game of golf, it becomes a place where you come to relax, or work and even escape from the pressures of day-to-day life. One of the other key things, over the coming years, is to keep attracting big events. Fulford has this history of holding more than 20 years of European Tour events. Would we able to hold one again? The golf course is certainly up to it. You’d have to make some structural changes but, being in a city like York, it’s certainly very possible. We have everything we would need on our doorstep. Is there an ambition to do that? I think if the opportunity arose, we wouldn’t be able to turn it down. The first priority is with The R&A. We’ve been very fortunate and are going into our third year of holding the Under-16 Girls’ this year. We are also very excited to be holding the U18 Girls’ in 2021, which is a huge honour. The more you look into it, the more you understand how prestigious a tournament that is. We are very much looking forward to welcoming the competitors to Fulford. Having done four years of the girls’ events, we’d love to see a men’s – and particularly a professional – tournament here.

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It would be brilliant to hold Open qualifying and we have included this in our strategic plan. That would be something I would be very honoured to achieve, being able to include the Claret Jug on marketing material would be a huge honour for all involved, trying to get Fulford back on the map as a championship venue, not just for girls but also for professional male events. That would be a great achievement. I’m intrigued by the idea Fulford could have ambitions to host a European Tour event again… I think it’s something the club would aspire to do. Those opportunities don’t come up very often. You’d need all the ducks to line up for something like that to happen. We feel like Open qualifying is a very realistic goal. Clubs across the country dream of holding a professional tournament on the European Tour. Fulford is fortunate enough to have an incredible history of holding such events, hosting some of the most famous names in golf, including Seve and Greg Norman. Our focus is, however, on the R&A events. If there was an opportunity where we were approached to hold a European Tour event then, obviously, that would be fantastic. The club isn’t in a position where we could throw money at attracting such an event. It would be a case of needing it to arrive on your doorstep, selling the Fulford story and snapping it up. Turning to your own management philosophy, you’ve done a lot of work with mind coaching. Tell us a little bit about that… One thing I’d always do with new players, when I was looking at mental coaching, was sit down,

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reflect and write down some goals. Goal setting for me is such a powerful tool. With the way my mind works, it’s hugely important to get to where you want to be. Taking ownership of your path to success sets you up to achieve. It’s used for numerous different skills and isn’t just golf related. People use it in day-to-day business so why not apply it to your golf? We used to get our clients to write down their goals in the same way they would for their business and work. You start by setting four or five smart goals and then work out a timescale to achieve those. I was fortunate to seek some firstclass advice last year and set about writing my own strategic plan for the next three years – using five or six goals larger goals that I wanted to achieve, one of which was to become a general manager. I then wrote down about eight to 10 focal points I would try and achieve in year one. This year I’ve got another eight to 10, next year will be the same, to achieve my overall goal to be a forward-thinking general manager at the forefront of the golf industry. I want to be someone driving the industry forward, not sat back complaining that everyone’s giving up golf and out on their bikes. I don’t think that’s the case. I think the industry is still very strong. Time is a huge pressure, we can’t deny that, but there are still a lot of people within our game for us to look after and encourage. So it’s really developing that three to five-year plan with staff. To sit them down and say ‘where do you want to be? How are we going to get you there?’ I’m a huge believer that if you invest your time and care in staff they are going to work harder and achieve more for you. The club will benefit as that

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Fulford’s 5th hole

person achieves their goals. They’re going to be more efficient at work, because they are going to be happier in their own domain – achieving their goals personally but improving the service they give along the way. How has that worked at Fulford in your first few months? It is certainly a different way of thinking. Richard put in a quarterly appraisal system, with bonuses connected to achieving the individual’s KPIs. This has worked really well. I will therefore run this alongside my three to five-year

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plan with managerial staff and anyone else who wants to use it. Is that long-term planning mainly about building continuity with staff? I like to help people achieve their goals and develop as person and employee. We should support people in that vision and I don’t think it’s a bad thing to encourage people to achieve their goals, even if it means that they will move on. Staff moving can be good, however, to the same extent, to put your arm round people and say ‘I want you on my team. You’re paramount to

the success of this club’ is definitely going to enhance their drive, work ethic and feeling valued. You need a mixture of the two. It is about keeping people motivated and being surrounded by people passionate about the club. As much as it’s lovely to have staff staying long-term, having fresh ideas is great. It’s trying to harness and balance the two and understand the person. If you manage the person, you’ll manage the business much better. It sounds like a hugely exciting time at Fulford?

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I started at the beginning of October and it was almost perfect. I set myself the mentality of ‘I’ve got a few months until the end of the year, I can really understand the club, see what’s good and needs work, understand the quirks and then there’s a fresh new year approaching’. Now we’re at the point where we can really get stuck in and make the changes we need. When you arrive at a club with the history of Fulford, to come in like a bull in a china shop and change everything from an operational perspective would have been wrong.

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There is a really diverse membership and some people will want to stay the same, while others want it at the forefront of the golfing industry. It’s trying to understand that and the club before you start ringing the changes. I’m now in the fortunate position of having spent some time with each member of staff and now we are ready to start this journey of moving the club onwards. The forefront of that will be the Fulford Experience, the customer journey, and trying to enhance that so people leave the club having had a day to remember.

Who is Jon Dry? Jon Dry began as the senior assistant professional at Bearwood Lakes while completing a foundation degree in professional golf at the University of Birmingham. In 2010, he moved to Queenwood as assistant professional before, in October 2013, returning to Bearwood Lakes as director of golf. He spent nearly six years in the role before taking on his first general manager’s position at Fulford, in York, last October.

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Sustainability projects funded by

THE R&A

The game’s governing body has provided significant funds to projects as part of its Golf Course 2030 initiative

he R&A is providing up to £650,000 to fund golf course sustainability projects being supported as part of its Golf Course 2030 initiative. Seven organisations will receive grant awards over the next four years to run sustainability projects and develop solutions that can be shared with golf course managers, greenkeepers and organisations involved in the maintenance and conditioning of golf facilities around the world. Golf Course 2030 was established by The R&A in 2018 to address the challenges posed by climate change, resource constraints and regulation on golf course conditioning and playability, and to provide best practice in sustainability to those working in golf course management. The projects and organisations being funded are:

Course condition and playability: Golf green quality standard (STRI), Quality standards for the golf course beyond the greens (University Centre Myerscough) Resources: The Greenkeeper/ Golf Course Manager Profile (SRUC), Education for the Greenkeeping workforce (SRUC),

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Aggregates: availability and alternative products and solutions (STRI), Integrated turf management (STRI), Integrated management of diseases, weeds and insect pests on European golf courses (STERF), Water management: irrigation and drainage for golf courses (STRI and Environmental Protection Group).

in research, education and communication projects in support of our Golf Course 2030 initiative. “We are funding these projects to develop best practice in sustainability and provide solutions to golf course managers that will help to sustain and improve the standard of golf course conditions

Coastal change: Coastal management studies: links survey, innovative coastal management approaches and helping the golf community play its role in coastal management to secure a sustainable long-term future (Royal HaskoningDHV), Demonstration project for an innovative system of erosion mitigation of coastline at risk (Siskin Asset Management and Subsea Consulting Services), Blue carbon audit of coastal golf courses (St Andrews University). Steve Isaac, director – sustainability at The R&A, said: “This marks our initial investment

and playability for the benefit of those who enjoy the sport. “The results of the projects being funded will contribute significantly towards meeting the aims of Golf Course 2030 and provide insights to the golf industry as we consider how to address the challenges and opportunities presented by a changing climate, resource constraints and regulation on golf course management.” The results of each project will be published in reports and will be available on The R&A’s website. For more information, visit randa.org/ en/sustainability/golfcourse2030

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The R&A:We’re winning people round on

THE NEW RULES

f there’s one thing that proves how comfortable we now are with the new Rules of Golf, it’s that The R&A team in St Andrews haven’t had an enquiry about dropping the ball in months. Hark back to the start of 2019, when the result of nearly seven years’ work to revise the Rules came into effect, and social media was awash with tales of players awkwardly trying to find a way of dropping the ball from knee height. Then Rickie Fowler was less than complimentary after being correctly penalised for wrongly dropping and it seemed the Rules of Golf were in the news every tournament. In many ways, the reaction was natural. Change isn’t something we cope with easily and The R&A and USGA’s work was not a couple of minor amendments. Whether it was allowing players to repair most damage on a green, or grounding a club in a penalty area, the teams went through every rule to simplify and make them easier to understand. “On the whole, we’re very happy,” said The R&A’s rules manager Daniel Sommerville when asked how the organisation felt 13 months on. “There have been some slight adjustments we needed to make – just as anybody does when changes occur in any process –

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but the feedback, in general, has been very positive. “Once we explained the rationale behind the changes we were actually winning people round. “So with the dropping procedure, as an example, initially some people talked about that as looking a bit awkward but, actually, now golfers have got used to it, it’s amazing we haven’t had anything come into the office in quite a few months. “I think that’s because when they are dropping the ball, they are not having to re-drop it very often. “They are managing to drop in that relief area easily and quickly and it’s helping pace of play. Now people are getting used to it, the initial negative reaction to that change seems to have passed.” Perhaps the best thing to have come out of those initial controversies, though, was a surge in interest in the Rules of Golf – from golfers querying why a decision was made, to media in reporting them.

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The new Rules of Golf, which came into force in January 2019, were the biggest revisions to the laws of the game in a generation. We asked Daniel Sommerville, The R&Aâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rules Manager, to assess their impact 13 months on

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“People are becoming more aware of the Rules in general,” added Sommerville.“All the media streams that are available now, if something happens at a tour event you are seeing it within half an hour. “There’s a snowball effect. Sometimes that can have a negative effect, but also a positive. If people are talking about the rules, and we can explain the reasons behind them, then hopefully that allows people to understand them better. “It’s good people have an interest in the rules. Sometimes there could be articles that might come across slightly negatively but hopefully we can turn that into a positive and promote the new rules in a good way. “It’s funny that you tend not to hear about the rules that have had a really positive outcome. “We know that there have been balls on tour that have been moved by the player during a

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search and put back with no penalty. Previously, we probably would have heard about them because there would have been a penalty attached. Removing those penalty traps and being more positive with the rules is hopefully what’s coming across.” Sommerville’s top five impacts from the revised Rules of Golf Penalty areas – “This is a positive change and now you can remove loose impediments just as you can move movable obstructions. You can ground your club and, essentially, play the ball as it lies – just as you can in the general area.” Bunkers – “They’ve separated in the rules from penalty areas, before they were within the same rule. The reason there is still prohibition on grounding the club behind the ball is to preserve the challenge of playing from a bunker. The fact you can now remove loose impediments and there are fewer

penalty traps, such as touching a leaf on the way back and now not being penalised, has been a positive change for golfers.” Putting greens – “The repair of most damage and the ability to leave the flagstick in the hole while putting are all positives.” Pace of play – “Everything from search times going from five to three minutes, the new flagstick rule, Ready Golf encouraged during stroke play, and the recommended time of 40 seconds to play a shot. All of these create awareness and that’s what we are trying to do with pace of play.” Penalties – “By which I mean the removal of many penalty traps. Whether that’s moving your ball during a search, accidentally moving your ball on the putting green, an accidental deflection by a player – all of these things that previously were penalties aren’t any more. The more penalty traps we can remove for players the better.”

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27/01/2020 11:51

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lost revenue and allow happier conversations with members unable to play. This also helps with more accurate projection of fees and much more. This is just a small flavour of the cover that can be provided. This policy has been designed to add real value to your club. Please call Alex on 01527 868160 to discuss your club’s needs or Alex will be happy to come to your club and discuss the policy in greater detail. The GCMA website has a dedicated area where you can view more information at www. gcma.org.uk/partners/golfplangcma-business-partner

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27/01/2020 10:45

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TOP N A T I O N A L

C L U B

G O L F E R

100s TOUR 2020 in association with

Prince’s

AYRSHIRE SWING

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Western Gailes – 6th May Dundonald – 7th May

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