THE GOLF CLUB
MANAGER I S S U E F O U R | J U LY 2 0 1 7
THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE GOLF CLUB MANAGERS’ ASSOCIATION
OPINION
THE NEW GENERATION
YOUNG MANAGERS SET THE AGENDA
EDUCATION
SOCIAL MEDIA
HO W TO ENSURE STAFF S TAY O N M E S S AG E – A N D W H AT TO D O I F T H E Y D O N ’ T NEWS
HOW THE ON COURSE FOUNDATION TRANSFORMS LIVES
INTERVIEW
CHRIS REEVE
THE BELFRY’S DIRECTOR OF GOLF ON HIS NEW ROLE
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2017 CONFERENCE 12-14 November The biennial GCMA conference brings together golf club managers and industry professionals, offering invaluable networking opportunities alongside a programme of inspiring keynote speakers and industry led break-out sessions. Early bird packages start from ÂŁ260+VAT, with day delegate passes also available. To book your place, or for more information, visit gcma.org.uk/conference
97% of delegates who attended in 2015 would recommend attending the conference to a colleague
BOOK NOW EARLY BIRD DEADLINE: 31 JULY 2017
GCMA.ORG.UK/ CONFERENCE
Programme NEW Linda Moir | Customer Service Expert
Former Director of In Flight Services at Virgin Atlantic, Linda led the London 2012 Gamesmakers
Iain Carter BBC Sport Tales from a golf correspondent Martin Slumbers The R&A The state of the game Paul Armitage Le Golf National Managing change Nick Pink England Golf Rob Maxfield The PGA Moving the game forward David Rickman The R&A Developing golf Jim Croxton BIGGA Working with your greenkeepers NEW Andrew Cooke Golf Tourism England Marketing through tourism Andrew Minty Langland Bay GC Best practice Paul Williams Topgolf NEW Nick Solski Boomers & Swingers Being different Dr Laurence Church Priory Group Stress management Jonathan Shorrock KBL Solicitors Governance NEW Alastair Higgs Rain Bird Intelligent use of water James Wilkinson Albatross Digital Golf Digital marketing Stuart Leech Formby GC Food and beverage David Bancroft-Turner Matrix Training Leadership
CONFERENCE SPONSOR
Mark Hunt Headland Amenity Turf management Final speakers to be announced soon...
CONTENTS I S S U E F O U R | J U LY 2 0 1 7
GCMA
CAREERS
06
A word from your chief executive
40
Michael Wells takes the helm at Carnoustie
12
Steve Carroll: Clubs must adapt to technology
41
The latest jobs from GCMA Recruitment
INDUSTRY
EDUCATION
22
44
Protect your business from social media
50
Expert advice on digital marketing
Getting people back On Course
INTERVIEWS
REGIONAL
26
A Matter of Opinion: The new generation
62
Meet the manager: Ellie Sjoberg
34
Chris Reeve, the new man at The Belfry
64
All the news from around the GCMA regions
22
34
62
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WELCOME
THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE GOLF CLUB MANAGERS’ ASSOCIATION GCMA Bristol & Clifton Golf Club, Beggar Bush Lane, Failand, Bristol, BS8 3TH Tel: 01275 391153 | hq@gcma.org.uk CHIEF EXECUTIVE Bob Williams - bob@gcma.org.uk COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER Mike Hyde - mike@gcma.org.uk GOLF MANAGEMENT RESEARCHER Jim Cunning - jim@gcma.org.uk EDUCATION COORDINATOR Niki Hunter - niki@gcma.org.uk MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY Ann Jones - ann@gcma.org.uk EDUCATION AND MAGAZINE ADMINISTRATOR Debbie Mereweather - debbie@gcma.org.uk FINANCE ADMINISTRATOR Shirley Edmondson - shirley@gcma.org.uk BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Tash Johnson - tash@gcma.org.uk COMMUNICATIONS EXECUTIVE Amelia Brice - amelia@gcma.org.uk PRESIDENT JR (John) Jones 2017/18 CAPTAIN Howard Williams BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mike Hoare, Gary Steele, Barry Hill, Phil Grice, Eddie Bullock THE GOLF CLUB MANAGER IS PUBLISHED BY: SPORTS PUBLICATIONS LTD 2 Arena Park, Tarn Lane, Scarcroft, West Yorkshire, LS17 9BF, UK Tel: 0113 289 3979 | info@sportspub.co.uk PUBLISHER Tom Irwin - t.irwin@sportspub.co.uk EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Dan Murphy - d.murphy@sportspub.co.uk OPS DIRECTOR Will Shucksmith - w.shucksmith@sportspub.co.uk EDITOR Steve Carroll - s.carroll@sportspub.co.uk CHIEF DESIGNER Andrew Kenworthy - a.kenworthy@sportspub.co.uk DESIGNERS Vicky Jones - v.jones@sportspub.co.uk Emmi Parry - e.parry@sportspub.co.uk Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, but the publishers cannot accept responsibility for omissions and errors. All material in this publication is strictly copyright and all rights are reserved.The views expressed in The Golf Club Manager do not necessarily represent the views of the company or the editor. Every care is taken in compiling the contents but the publishers assume no responsibility for any damage, loss or injury arising from participation in any offer, competition or advertising contained within The Golf Club Manager. THE GOLF CLUB
MANAGER I S S U E F O U R | J U LY 2 0 1 7
THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE GOLF CLUB MANAGERS’ ASSOCIATION
OPINION
THE NEXT GENERATION
YOUNG MANAGERS SET THE AGENDA
EDUCATION
SOCIAL MEDIA
HO W TO ENSURE STAFF S TAY O N M E S S AG E – A N D W H AT TO D O I F T H E Y D O N ’ T NEWS
HOW THE ON COURSE FOUNDATION TRANSFORMS LIVES
INTERVIEW
CHRIS REEVE
THE BELFRY’S DIRECTOR OF GOLF ON HIS NEW ROLE
ED U C AT E | I N FO RM | I N S P I RE ‘
001 GCMA July 17 Cover.indd 3
26/06/2017 12:21
ON THE COVER: Chris Reeve
I S S U E F O U R | J U LY 2 0 1 7
I
have just returned from a 500-mile round trip to Norfolk where the GCMA National Golf Day was superbly hosted by King’s Lynn. Having arrived in Norfolk the day before, a trip to the very impressive Hunstanton and a chance to meet up with the new manager Ryan Pudney, as well as the recently elected CONGU chairman Bob Carrick, was an opportunity not to be missed. I wish them both well in their respective roles. With the Founders trophies being played for since the beginning of the association in 1933, the respective nett and gross competitions retain a keen competitive element – but are always played in great spirit. In golf we often talk negatively about cliques within clubs and how they become impenetrable and quite unwelcoming. In contrast, the National Golf Day provided an opportunity for the GCMA community to provide an extremely welcoming atmosphere to those competing for the first time. The importance of the community of club managers should never be underestimated. With King’s Lynn in full bloom, the competitors were in for a true test of their skills. For those of us just there to make up the numbers, we are always going to be in awe of the more skilful golfers who post scores that we can only dream about. Congratulations to the winners – Alex Woodward and Adrian
Dawson. You can see pictures of the day, and the results, on page 10. To a couple of thank yous: we recently announced that Barry Hill has decided to stand down from the Board after many years’ service. I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank Barry for his contributions and support to me over the time that I have been in post. Finally, we say goodbye to Amelia Brice, who, since her arrival, has been key to the successful delivery of this magazine and other member communications – we wish her well. Bob Williams – chief executive
“The National Golf Day provided an opportunity... to provide an extremely welcoming atmosphere to those competing for the first time”
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Marketing Services Sports Publications are, above all else, a company of golfers. The three directors, Will Shucksmith, Tom Irwin and Dan Murphy play off handicaps of +2, scratch and 3 respectively. Will is a PwC trained chartered accountant with a decade of experience working with SME’s, Tom has a commercial background spanning 20 years in customer facing industries and Dan Murphy is steeped in golf with approaching 15 years at the helm of the UK’s highest circulating golf magazine. Between us we have a century’s worth of golfing experience.
WE HAVE A PROVEN REPUTATION AS MEDIA PROFESSIONALS. In recent years, the company have worked closely with governing bodies, like the Ladies’ Golf Union and England Golf, tourist boards, such as Visit Scotland and Visit Wales, major equipment manufacturers, including TaylorMade, Callaway and Ping, and produced several course rankings lists. Along with unparalleled knowledge of, and familiarity with, the golfing world comes a contacts books built up over several years. From Cornwall to Cape Wrath, we understand golf clubs, their members, visitors and their communities. We can help you maximise your clubs full potential, tapping into your latent asset base. If you are looking for help in any of the areas listed below, please get in touch: • • • • • • • • •
Course photography Corporate video creation Social Media Drone Footage Email newsletters Governance & structure PR advice Member engagement Marketing
For a free consultation please get in touch with our Director, Tom Irwin: E: t.irwin@sportspub.co.uk Tel:+44 (0) 1132 893 979 Mob:+44 (0) 7973628781
What you
NEED TO KNOW Relevant news, opinion and expert insight from around the industry. Plus what’s happening around the UK in the world of the GCMA
GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL
The month in
PICTURES
1
The GCMA’s National Golf Day on June 19 saw competitors travel from across the length and breadth of the country to meet, greet and compete with other members. The top prize was the Greenshields Memorial Trophy and it was won by Boyce Hill’s Alex Woodward, who came home with an impressive gross 72. He was presented with the cup by national captain Howard Williams.
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2
Also up for grabs on the day was the Founders Cup, which rewards the best nett score. Usually a very hotly contested competition, it was won this year by Adrian Dawson, from Woodcote Park. The 8-handicapper enjoyed a splendid round in King’s Lynn’s wooded paradise. With straight hitting, and finding the correct spots off the tee, the key to prevailing at the Norfolk course, Dawson’s nett 69 was enough to get him over the line.
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3
King’s Lynn, seen here from the 5th green, was the first course to be designed by the partnership of Peter Alliss and Dave Thomas in 1975.
4
Newton Green’s Ben Tawell may have been caught out by our photographer here but he recently came second in a Trilby Tour qualifier at Bawburgh. We wish him the best of luck in the final at Hull in August.
5
The day’s unsung hero was definitely John Sayer. With the mercury rising throughout the day and the scorching sun providing as many issues for the players as the testing course, the East Anglia regional manager was everyone’s knight in shining armour. Having admirably performed the starting duties for more than two hours, he then toured the fairways and greens delivering muchneeded refreshments to ensure all stayed nice and cool.
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The inside view
STEVE CARROLL Clubs that fail to get to grips with technology risk far more than simply abandoning tradition – they risk extinction
I
thought the manager was about to have a panic attack. There, sat in the lounge, were a room full of people all tinkering about on their mobile phones. When they were threatened with expulsion – unless they immediately put away their dirty devices – I didn’t know who was more apoplectic, the manager or me. Tradition was the reason cited for such a heavy clampdown, as it always is when golf clubs that can’t face moving with the times need a façade to hide behind. I found all the fuss nauseating and as well as putting me off the club for life, I wondered how many of those sitting in the room would have the same view – and never darken its doors again. It’s 2017 and golf still has a serious image problem. Very recently, I clicked on a club website to check the visitor guidelines and found a scrolling page of don’ts. The word ‘prohibited’ was used frequently. I didn’t hand over a green fee. But while foibles over how long your socks are, or whether you should be sanctioned for wearing a cap in a clubhouse, continue to put people off the game in droves,
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I fear it is the stubbornness over technology that will eventually mean the end for some of our venerable clubs. I represent the last generation that grew up without mobile phones. My 19-month-old daughter already knows how to operate an iPad. Children today are lost without their electronic devices. They use them in a far more intuitive way than I could ever dream of and they are wedded to them from a very early age. When they become adults, it is simply ridiculous to expect them to park their mobiles at the door before they step onto your hallowed turf for a few hours. Future generations simply won’t tolerate club bans on phones. They just won’t come. For those who fail to heed that
“l represent the last generation that grew up without mobile phones. Future generations simply won’t tolerate club bans”
Steve Carroll is editor of The Golf Club Manager
warning, as constrictions on our leisure time continue to bite and the myriad of entertainment options we can enjoy merely grows, a grave future awaits. In 20 years’ time, I will be 60 and will represent the elder statesmen of members. If I’m not prepared to get into line and observe a no-mobile policy, what chance do clubs have of getting tomorrow’s potential stalwarts to do the same? Technology plays a massively important role in our everyday lives and that trend will not subside. It will only grow. I play my golf at a club where there are virtually no rules. Wear want you want in the clubhouse. Keep your golf shoes on if it suits you. Set up a laptop if you wish. Make as many calls as you like on your phone. Society has not come to a crushing end. It isn’t anarchy in the bar. In fact, we are a thriving outfit, with a growing junior section, and a membership decades younger than the average. Isn’t that a better option, doesn’t that represent a brighter future, than sending your valued customers off to the locker room in shame to make a call?
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Captain’s corner
HOWARD WILLIAMS
T
he tragedies we have seen in recent weeks across the country have moved all of us but, despite their horror, have also shown the very best of the human spirit. The charitable actions of so many people in the wake of the terrorist attacks in London and Manchester, and following the Grenfell Tower fire, have been inspiring. I admire schemes to raise money such as The Big Give where, if a donation is made it is matched by a philanthropist – doubling the contribution. But they have also made me think of some of the great work that goes on to raise money at golf clubs across the country. There’s an element of charitable giving within most golf clubs – whether it be charity days, raffles or fundraising challenges to name just three. Perhaps we don’t make enough of what we do, as clubs, in terms of charitable giving in the golf sector. Looking at this within the community, some golf clubs may still be seen as elitist and out of touch with what is going on. But up and down the land, we are contributing to charities. Ashton-in-Makerfield, my club, have strongly supported a children’s hospice. My own captain, last year, raised £2,500 to help provide a new guide dog for someone blind or partially sighted. At every club you visit, there is a captain’s charity, along with a
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I’d like us to talk about whether the national captain should support a yearly charity
With John Edgington, left, and Clive Hadley, right
captain’s bunker and a worthy cause that is being supported. On that basis, I would like us to consider whether the GCMA’s national captain might nominate their own yearly charity to support. I am, of course, aware of the GCMA’s links with the On Course Foundation, which is a very worthy cause and one I’m keen to support during my captaincy. But, perhaps the next time this arrangement is reviewed, this idea could be something that is open to discussion among the membership. As national captain, I am frequently travelling all over the country. I meet lots of different people, in all of our regions. We have the opportunity, should we wish to talk about it, to make a big difference to whatever cause
we might wish to pick. I would love to open this up to a debate and see among members whether there is any appetite for it and if it might well be a possibility for future national captains. I can’t end this column without referring to the excellent National Golf Day, held on June 19. The wonderful King’s Lynn Golf Club, in Norfolk, were our hosts and the way we were treated was superb. Everyone at the club really looked after us. The course was excellent, and the food and hospitality were also first rate. Perhaps that was why the golf was of such a high standard. Please feel free to contact me to discuss anything to do with our association at howardwilliams@ gcma.org.uk
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Your view...
LETTERS
We want to hear from you! Send your correspondence, on any subject, to letters@gcma.org.uk
No need for handicap changes I would like to give a slightly ‘alternative’ view on worldwide handicapping drawn from 20-years-plus of management experience with executive responsibility for over 30 clubs. Your article summarises the key questions What are the objectives? Let’s think about the very large majority of our club golfers who DO NOT need to ‘compete anywhere in the world on equal terms’, neither do their ‘needs and expectations need to be met by a worldwide system’. The majority of club golfers have absolutely no concern at all if a six handicap in Lima doesn’t equate to a six in London or Los Angeles. This is a classic sledgehammer to crack a nut in which it is being strongly suggested that club golfers want it. I would counter that they may well want a system that works well or is maybe improved but not for international uniformity.
Attended any workshops? The CPD year for the year 2016/17 ends on August 31 – have you attended any educational courses, workshops or seminars since September 1 last year? If so, you’ll need to complete a CPD Credit Claim Form and submit the details to GCMA headquarters before the end of September to ensure you are awarded all your earned CPD credits.
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We are being misled here. The changes will benefit the elite amateurs and organisers of very top-level amateur international events, NOT run-of-the-mill club golfers. Design something to cope with the challenges that elite golfers and elite events present. We already deal with Cat 1s differently anyway. These changes will cost money. Meetings, communication, travel, accommodation, software etc...and who will fund it? Club members ultimately, the ones needing it least! Out there at the coal face the change isn’t needed, talk to club managers, talk to club members, rather than getting carried along with the press releases from governing bodies who once again are out of touch with reality. Paul Gaylor recently retired golf club secretary
To do that: First, you must download a CPD Credit Claim Form from the education section of the GCMA website. Complete the form for each separate course, workshop or seminar that you have attended (relevant non-GCMA events also accrue CPD credits, so also submit these) Forward, with copy of certificate or attendance record, to debbie@gcma.org.uk
@GCMAUK @striturf_paulw Great to see good course presentation @klgolfclub. Grateful help from @GCMAUK diploma student Stephanie #greenkeepingeducation @mobrooker Played in @GCMAUK National champs today at @KLgolfclub. Great day meeting lots of old friends and colleagues. @Coltmm Talking all things irrigation with @RainBirdCorp & @GCMAUK Young Managers Group @MikeHyde 1st @GCMAUK Young Managers Group seminar of ‘17 - always great meetings. Today - @AlastairHiggs chatting all things irrigation @camberleyheath @doghealy Superb course conditions @ StonehamGC today. @GCMAUK Wessex outmuscled by a strong @ BIGGAsouthcoast team. Can tell you gets 2play the most!! @AlastairHiggs Fantastic day with @GCMAUK great discussion and ideas
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GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL
What’s the role of?
ENGLAND GOLF How to get in touch
Everything you need to know about England Golf and how they work alongside the GCMA
What does England Golf do? England Golf are one of the country’s largest sports governing bodies and looks after the interests of more than 1,900 golf clubs and 650,000 members. Their strategic plan for 2017/21 is to grow the game of golf in England by putting customers at the heart of everything they do. They work closely with clubs to meet customers’ needs and to help them grow their membership and get more people into golf. Their championships and tournaments involve players of all ages and abilities and they identify and train the country’s most talented golfers. England Golf work to raise the
© Leaderboard Photography
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profile of golf and improve the image of the game by challenging outdated stereotypes. How does England Golf work with the GCMA? They have a close and effective relationship with the GCMA and are looking forward to developing this. They recently combined, with other partners, to produce a governance guide to help golf clubs successfully structure and run themselves. Similarly, they have helped develop and promote the online calendar of the Golf Education Group which lists education and training opportunities for both paid staff and volunteers.
Visit England Golf’s website - englandgolf.org - for more information. You can also get in touch by phone - calling 01526 354500.
The GCMA’s support has been invaluable in educating clubs about England Golf’s resources and campaigns to grow the game, such as Get Into Golf. Last year, this helped encourage 713 clubs to promote around 13,000 activities on the getintogolf.org website and attract over 40,000 participants. How would England Golf like to work with clubs? Their ambition is to help clubs develop stronger businesses, to become more resilient, and to understand and respond to their customers’ needs. Enabling golf clubs to survive and thrive will create more members, more players and a more buoyant sport. A network of Club Support Officers, together with regional and national officers, offers extensive business support to clubs and shares understanding, knowledge and expertise. This includes offering training and education; sharing research and insight; and increasing the understanding of players’ wants and needs. Golf club managers can find contact details for their local England Golf Club Support Officer at englandgolf.org.
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Meet the
GCMA Giving a voice to the people behind the scenes who help to run your Golf Club Managers’ Association
W
hat is your role? I am the membership secretary, so I deal with queries about joining, recruit new members, process applications, amend records, and handle all aspects of membership. I have worn several different caps during my time at the association, but I have consistently been responsible for ordering and dispatching GCMA merchandise, as well as being the office health and safety representative and first-aider for many years.
From the time I arrive in the office my first task is to check for emails that require an urgent response. The GCMA constantly receives a variety of enquiries, and one minute I can be found updating the database and another I might be calling members, liaising with other organisations or managing the public’s requests. When a new member makes an enquiry to join, I ensure they are added to our database, I organise and send them a welcome pack, and maintain communication via email on the benefits of how our association can help them.
How did you become involved with the GCMA? I joined the association in 2002, when it was then called the Association of Golf Club Secretaries. I was made redundant from my previous employment working in the charity sector and naively thought working in the leisure industry would be light relief. As far back as I can remember, I’ve always had an interest in golf clubs – especially the history and tradition of them.
“I have genuinely always found talking to members the most pleasurable part”
What’s an average day in your job?
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What do you enjoy most about it? I have genuinely always found talking to members the most pleasurable part of working for the association. I love getting to know people and find it rewarding assisting them. When members call in, I enjoy catching-up on how
Ann Jones - is the GCMA’s membership secretary
they are getting on, and vice versa. There is always a good rapport, a big aspect of what the GCMA is. Have you ever played golf? In my early years of working for the association I used to go to a driving range near my home. I never quite picked it up, and eventually I gave up when I couldn’t find the time to practise. What opportunities lie ahead for the GCMA? There is a key opportunity to grow the membership nationally and internationally. Educational institutions such as colleges and universities can provide a new route for potential managers, and social media platforms, especially YouTube, give the GCMA an opportunity to promote the association and its support on an international scale. How would you like to see the GCMA develop? I see the association continuing to become a centre for golf club management excellence. Ideally, we would have a training centre and oversee a mentoring system for new managers, as well as providing career advice and guidance to students.
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GCMA 2017 Golf Club Management Awards ■ Manager of the Year sponsored by
■ Team of the Year
Club manager; and at least two from course manager, club professional, bar steward or food and beverage manager.
■ Newcomer of the Year
First golf club management job, and in post for less than two years. sponsored by
The prestigious GCMA Golf Club Management Awards recognise excellence in golf club management. Prizes include golf breaks, tickets for The Open Championship and BMW experiences. The awards will be presented at the GCMA 2017 Conference on Monday 13 November at Mercedes-Benz World in Surrey. Nominations for each of the categories can be put forward by anybody who knows of somebody, or a team, that deserves to be recognised for their achievements. To submit a nomination, simply complete the form on the website by Monday 31 July.
gcma.org.uk/awards
GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL
Getting people
BACK ON COURSE Golf has the power to transform broken lives. Mike Hyde looks at the work of the GCMA’s supported charity, the On Course Foundation, to find out how they are helping the recovery of injured service personnel
R
ock climbing, downhill mountain biking – Neil Bain was a selfconfessed adrenaline junkie. His was a daredevil existence and golf played no part in it. “I would have probably said ‘no, I don’t play golf’. I was never really interested.” But life can change in a second and Neil’s was altered forever seven years ago in Afghanistan. A member of the 1st Royal Tank Regiment for 14 years, and a career soldier who had also served in Iraq, he lost his left leg above the knee in 2010. The physical issues were obvious, the mental less so. Neil suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. For a man who prided himself on being ultra active, he admits he lost his way. His previous pursuits were now out of reach. “I did try,” he said.“But it just wasn’t the same, so I needed an alternative.” Meanwhile, Pete Wood spent 12 years in the RAF Regiment, serving in Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Kuwait. Four years ago, he left the military – with PTSD the major factor.
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“When you suffer from PTSD you avoid everything,” he explained. “Especially something that involves crowds or meeting new people. You try to protect yourself but you make things worse.” Both are fortunate to be alive. But they naturally mourned what they had lost – until they found the On Course Foundation.
“When you suffer from PTSD you avoid everything. Especially something that involves crowds or meeting new people” The supported charity of the GCMA, the On Course Foundation supports the injury and recovery of injured and sick service personnel and veterans through nationwide golf events and employment in the industry. Wood and Bain recently spent two days with GCMA members Martin Robinson and Chris Fitt, playing golf at Foxhills before watching the professionals tee
it up at Wentworth for the PGA Championship. They were delivered in style, thanks to the support of tournament sponsors – and the GCMA’s official car partner – BMW Group. It was also a chance for the two managers to find out more about the charity and how it helps people like these two exservicemen establish a new life after the forces. Wood was introduced to On Course at an intensive six-week combat stress course, while Bain signed up after finding them through Blesma, the limbless veterans charity. “I caught the bug and really enjoyed it,” Bain said.“I did an event with the On Course Foundation and I have basically been hooked ever since and take up as many opportunities as I can.” Wood, meanwhile, had played golf before but PTSD, a severe knee injury, and back problems meant a return to the game seemed unlikely. For both, it was the social environment and the sense of belonging – as much as playing itself – that was the driving force in getting involved with On Course Foundation.
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Left to right: Martin Robinson, Neil Bain, Pete Wood and Chris Fitt
Bain said:“As soon as you leave it’s not the same. You perhaps don’t actually realise that you spend the majority of your life living in a very close-knit environment 24/7 with all of the guys. “Although you have your own family, it’s not the same. So, in a sense, the golf is almost a bonus, because while that’s what we all go for and we all want to improve, it’s being able to get back into the comradeship, and feeling as a family again, that’s a massive help.” So how can your club get involved? There are a number of ways to support the charity, from helping stage introductory days to providing practice facilities and
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providing tuition. As Mark Schorah, On Course Foundation employment and events manager, stressed, it doesn’t just have to be about golf. “We do a series of different events, starting with an introductory day where we work with the regional personnel recovery units and personnel recovery centres visiting every part of the country,” he said. “It’s a simple introduction to golf and to On Course Foundation. If they’ve not played before, it’s about getting a club in their hand and hopefully getting them to hit that sweet spot or sinking that 20foot putt, and encouraging them to come back and do it again.
“Then we’ll take them to a residential three-day golf, skills and employment event, for which we are always looking for new venues. “We’re looking for good quality practice facilities because there’s quite a bit of tuition. “For the beginners, it helps if it’s a forgiving course, and if there’s an academy course or pitch-and-putt then naturally that works as well.” “It’s about the social interaction, about being mentally active. It’s what military guys recognise, and one guy referred to, as his golfing unit,” he continued. “They recognise the fact that when they were in service and when they came along and they were the new boy, other people
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showed them the ropes and helped them in their trade, and now they’ll help them develop in that new unit, and as an individual to go forward. “We couldn’t do it without the support of golf clubs.” As well as helping recovery through playing golf, On Course also offer members the chance to get work in the industry – from club management to greenkeeping, and there is usually a big overlap with the skills veterans can bring. Even though their injuries can still get in the way, as Wood explained. “I had my own landscape gardening business before joining the military and so those sorts of skill-sets would have transferred excellently into the golf industry. “Unfortunately my body is not in a state to work all the time so at the moment I am just doing the ambassador role of encouraging new members into On Course.” At the start, hitting a ball might be the last thing a new member does. When someone is introduced, Wood’s main focus
“Going back a few years, these guys wouldn’t even think about coming to an event like this because they just wouldn’t feel comfortable” is to work on their recovery and introduce them to the social side of the game. Then they might look at the kind of jobs that could be available for them in golf. He said:“(They can be) from working in the factory building golf trolleys to being at a golf course as management. “They’re not pressured to do them. If they’re not in a position to do them at that time in their life then it’s quite comfortable to carry on with the On Course events and build on their confidence on the social side. It’s a great balance between recovery and future employment.”
Think about those transferable skills. In the military, even from a low rank, you take control and command small groups of people. When you’re promoted, without realising it, you’re a manager and doing it almost every single day. “What you come to realise,” said Bain,“is that you are capable of a wide spectrum of things because you took it for granted in the military as it was a day-to-day thing when, in fact, they are quite big things in civilian life. “If you don’t know if you’re suited to a job, On Course Foundation look into local clubs where you can try things out. I tried greenkeeping and learned a lot. It was something I was really interested in but realised it was just a bit too much for me physically.” The model is simple. The more people play, the more they can start to see the different roles that might be available to them. At a skills or employment day, speakers will come and talk about management, greenkeeping or retail to name just three roles. It’s about broadening horizons and then encouraging people to
Neil Bain
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Taking time out for a quick chat
get involved in taster days. One of the biggest barriers to participation can be getting potential new players over the stereotypes that can surround the game and making them understand how golf can work for them. “You get the common statements ‘I always thought golf was quite elitist’, ‘you need all the gear’ and ‘I can’t do it’,” said Schorah.“You want them to come along and understand that’s not every golf club, that everybody
starts somewhere. “We try to make that environment as friendly and non-judgemental as we possibly can with the comradery of the exmilitary influence to make them all come back and keep going, and then hey-presto you’ve got a new golfer.” But aside from the chance of getting a job, On Course Foundation also try to grow the game – by encouraging participants to become club members and to get a handicap.
Finding the fairway at Foxhills
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Schorah said:“Before working for the On Course Foundation I wasn’t comfortable in the golfing environment, so I understand what the lads are going through in thinking ‘am I wearing the right kit, have I got the right gear, what socks am I allowed to wear?’ “These are the things they’ve got to learn and we try to develop that self-confidence and so they can come into an environment like Foxhills. Going back a few years, these guys wouldn’t even think about coming to an event like this because you just wouldn’t feel comfortable, and we’re trying to close those barriers.” Very few of those benefiting from On Course ever believed that golf would provide a route to normality in civilian life. But it works. “I do fully enjoy it,” said Bain.“I never would have believed back then what I am doing now and I do fully enjoy it. That’s why I am very proud of the On Course Foundation and try to get new members to understand how good it is.” For more information about the On Course Foundation, visit oncoursefoundation.com
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A Matter of Opinion
THE NEW GENERATION
From left to right, Chris Hanks, Jon Dry,Tristan McIllroy and Chris Fitt
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oday’s youth are our future leaders. Isn’t that the saying? These four young managers, though, are already well on their way to the top. But what challenges have they faced on the way, how hard has it been to achieve their career aims, and what are their experiences now? How do they see the state of the game and what do they think golf needs to do to thrive in the future?
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“If you are ambitious, and you work hard, you don’t fall into a management position. You earn it over a number of years. You get there gradually” – Chris Fitt
Do you find, now or when you were coming up, that being a young manager provided specific challenges? Has your age ever counted against you? Tristan McIllroy: Certainly at committee level, which I have had most experience with. I deal with lots of committees at Roehampton so you get a full raft – whether it’s golf, croquet or bridge – of experience and different age groups within those committees.
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FOUR managers, four different opinions and one table – all coming together to debate issues that matter to members. It’s A Matter of Opinion, where GCMA figures talk openly about their experiences
Initially, there was a concern. You were there to take minutes, rather than having involvement in decisions and making informed decisions based upon your knowledge of the game outside of the walls of the club. We are very lucky at Roehampton. We have got a lot going on in one place and a lot of members stay there and it can be a good thing. Sometimes, it is not a good thing because you don’t really get an appreciation of the surrounding clubs, the real feel of what is going on out in the golf industry. That’s for us to help report back and either keep them grounded in their expectations or, actually, help them to improve what we are doing. Chris Fitt: I don’t think I’ve ever really found any challenges. If you are ambitious, and you work hard, you don’t fall into a management position, do you? You earn it over a number of years. You get there gradually. You learn as much as you can. You build up your credibility and your knowledge so that you are able to have these conversations with committees and your board of directors. We’re not all 18 years old, either. We may be young managers but it’s relative. John Dry: I have been fortunate to
Meet the panel Chris Fitt Newly installed as director of golf at Foxhills
work at very forward thinking golf clubs. All of us around the table have, otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to progress in the way that we have. The interesting thing might be to speak to someone who might be working at a club that isn’t as forward thinking and is frustrated by the fact they aren’t getting the opportunities to progress. I can certainly see why people might find it a challenge.
Chris Hanks
There’s enough golf clubs out there that are stuck in the decades before – rather than looking to improve and push forward and take on new ideas. TM: It takes a little bit of time just to get confidence so you can try
Tristan McIllroy Looks after golf and games at Roehampton Club
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Chris Hanks Golf and operations manager at Castle Royle
different events and formats. Often the clubs have, culturally, done things a certain way. It’s having the confidence to incorporate a new event and allow them a free rein – take a bit of the committee out of it and you’ll push on and take ideas forward. I think it is more efficient that way but, also, it’s a better member service. Chris Hanks: I think over a period of time, when you’ve been at a venue, you build trust with your membership and they start to believe in what you do. They can see what you are trying to do to benefit them. It’s not something that happens overnight. You build that rapport with people, and trust, and they believe in you. CF: It can be hugely dependent on the type of venue you are at. I made a commitment to myself, quite early on in my career, that the small, but private, members’ club just round the corner was not the type of venue I wanted to work at. I had a broader picture. JD: We’ve got a budget at work and people are encouraged to go on training and developing. They can really see the difference it makes. Having been on a few courses where some greens staff and pros are paying for their
Jon Dry Director of golf at Bearwood Lakes, in Berkshire
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own tuition – because they are desperate to better themselves and improve what they are offering at the club – makes you grateful for the opportunities the clubs are currently providing. CH: The education and training courses that are available to young managers – and managers across the industry now – are just so much more in the forefront. Before, it was almost pushed to one side. It was ‘would the club pay for someone to go on a course?’ ‘Would the person themselves have to pay to go on the course?’ I have always looked at it slightly differently. If the club won’t necessarily support me to go on training courses, I have always thought it was in my best interest to fund it myself and get that grip on the industry as it’s moving. If you don’t move with the industry, it will certainly move without you. TM: It shows that actually golf club management is a profession now – because of structured training. Rather than spending a week away and doing a certificate, now there’s
“It was in my best interest to fund it myself and get that grip on the industry” – Chris Hanks progression. There’s avenues you can go down and the GCMA have brought out their course, the CMAE are doing courses as well. The two can work in tandem and you can take bits from both to further benefit club life and sport. It is shown as a more professional industry rather than maybe retired colonels sitting behind a desk. Golf clubs and sports clubs are being run far more professionally, and have to be. Secondly, once golf clubs appreciate there are some trained people coming through in their industry and making it become a requirement of a standard for jobs – and you are seeing that more now - I think
that’s a good thing. You are doing the Diploma, Chris. What was the primary motivation – was it for you, or your club? CH: As I am self-funding it, it’s for my benefit. The club will gain, without a doubt. With all the education that has come up, I thought ‘the industry has changed and times have moved on. Maybe it’s time I looked at what I needed to do’. I thought the Diploma was a good way of doing it. CF: For the period of time that you are doing it, it’s going to have educational value. Do you feel at the end of that, whenever you have that qualification, it will help you get your next job or move a step up? Or is it more about the education? CH: You would hope, in time, a new qualification that’s been brought out – backed by the GCMA, BIGGA and the PGA – would stand reasonably strong in the golf industry. Personally, it was
Chris Fitt
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my own development that was the reason I went on it. Not necessarily for the next step. I am hoping, in time, it might help for the next step but we will wait and see. CF: Tristan, you have done the CMAE MDP programme. For you, was it the same as Chris, or different motivations? TM: Similar motivations – in that I wanted to learn more and had the opportunity to learn, rather than just coming out of college and doing the HND. I wanted to have a structured system where I could learn more about the industry and learn more about areas where I wasn’t as proficient. You can see how you have progressed. There’s the residential side of things as well – rather than home learning – which was a really good experience. You have got people drawn from all backgrounds in the club industry – whether it be a London city club or people from Dubai. You are spending time with them out of the classroom and you learn as much out of the classroom as you do in it – just by gaining experiences. It’s just nice to draw people together with similar motivations - that you can always pick up a phone to and say ‘do you
Jon Dry
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“It makes you grateful for where you are, because you think ‘my goodness, what’s going on there?’” – Tristan McIllroy mind helping me out or what’s happening here?’ That’s really strengthened over the last few years. That network of availability of resources has increased. You can pick things up from all sorts of clubs. Sometimes it makes you more grateful for where you are, because you think ‘my goodness, what’s going on there?’ But, overall, the experience has been great and certainly I will look to continue my education. I don’t want it to stop and I don’t think it should stop because I always want to learn and also give more back to members and the club have supported me in that way. How important is it maintaining those connections? TM: Massively. Sometimes, when you’ve had a bad committee
meeting or a bad experience, you think ‘is it just me?’ Just having a chat with a friendly face, someone who understands the industry and has had similar errors or similar experiences, they can put things into perspective so it can’t do any harm. When you have got, in our case, 5,300 members there can be a lot of people who are right quite a lot of the time. So we have to sometimes just share experiences and, particularly, when it comes to conditions of golf course. People’s calendars are very different in terms of when they want to peak for different times of the year. CF: Working as a manager in the golf industry is potentially a very isolated career choice and job. You are not working in an office full of other people on the same level as you. If you have an issue in your personal life, you go to a good friend about it, or a group of friends, and you talk it through. Whatever it is, you seek advice. It’s the same thing if you are in the golf industry. You have issues when you are at work and you need someone to talk about them with. That’s how I view it and why I think communication is so important with people in similar positions – because we all need that help. Even if it is just getting something off your chest. JD: If you look at all of our own developments, there’s probably been certain people we have worked with or come across in the industry that you know that, almost whatever happens, you can pick up the phone and say ‘I don’t suppose you can help me? I just want to pick your brain and want a bit of advice’. TM: Good role models. I think that’s helped the enthusiasm to continue to learn because you have either had someone at the top of the tree, or above you, where you’ve
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thought ‘I can see how they work’ and you can always give them a call – wherever they may be in the world now – and think ‘they are the person I can get in touch with’. CH: We’re quite fortunate that in London and the Home Counties, there are a lot of experienced managers that would quite happily, if you had an issue, speak to you. With the Young Managers’ Group, we are fortunate that we can pick up the phone to one another and say ‘I’m experiencing this. Can you help? Have you seen this before?’ I think that’s a massive thing to have as well – a network in place outside of your club.
“Thats going to be the difference. Those clubs that move with the times and offer more for their members are going to become stronger and stronger” – Jon Dry
What are your views on the industry as a whole? Tristan McIllroy
JD: I think it’s very positive. At Bearwood Lakes, we have had the best year – since the very early days – in terms of membership. We have taken on more members in the last 12 months than we have for donkey’s years.. CH: Our membership numbers are growing quite nicely. I think the industry realised it needed a change - from the darker days as such. The image of the industry probably needed to be brightened up a bit, to make it a bit more fun. We are starting to see the fruits of that now. CF: Have you done something differently at your clubs then? JD: We shifted towards moving with the times a little bit. We are trying to encourage members to use the golf club for more than just 18 holes. We’ve been improving the wifi, making sure people come in and use the meeting rooms, come and meet with business contacts and go and play golf. At the weekends, come up and use the club as a family. Have a roast with the in-laws and really try and make
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the golf club much more about a lifestyle rather than just 18 holes of golf. When your membership subscription lands on the doormat in March and you think ‘that’s a lot of money, I haven’t played that much golf’ – but the rest of your family really enjoy going to the golf club – then certainly that cheque doesn’t feel that bad to write. CH: It’s adding value into it. JD: Absolutely and that’s going to be the difference now over the coming years. Those clubs that move with the times and offer more for their members are going to become stronger and stronger. Those that are just not adapting to what the market needs are the ones that get left behind. CH: Any club that can have a big secondary revenue opportunity – whether it be an exceptional restaurant, a health club, a hotel – can always offer more to their membership. Our philosophy is we want them to feel like their golf club is their second home. Where you might have gone down the
pub before, why don’t you come up to the golf club? We want it to feel special for them. That’s the way forward, really. CF: Is it down to the manager to drive that? CH: I think it’s a team effort and needs everyone in your staff to buy in to what your main goal is. There is no point a manager being all over it if the staff are saying ‘what are you doing here?’ Everyone’s got to buy in to what we are trying to achieve. JD: Particularly if you are going to try and push it as an alternative to going down the pub on a Friday night. The last thing you want is your F&B team not to be on your side. If they want to be going down the pub and not hanging around looking after the members then your whole project is never going to take off. So it’s got to be a real team effort but the manager has got to be spearheading that and driving that. How do you balance a desire
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GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL to change things today while recognising that tradition has its place? TM: You have got to appreciate tradition. Roehampton has been there since 1901 and you respect that. History and heritage is a big part of any club – for the older clubs it’s a big thing to hang their hats on. But, obviously, you have got to move with the times to be successful and appeal to a different group of members. CF: I very much view a large part of my role, both now and in the past, as mediation. One of the key skills is how you present and manage that process of change – whatever it is. Whether it is a change in the team, or the constitution of the club. There’s going to be certain things where you deal with a committee and they are going to need to be managed and communicated with in a certain way and you can have certain things you could make a decision on yourself. You might need approval from a GM or the owner as is the case with me. That’s down to communication. One thing I get a lot of benefit from, coming to the young managers’ groups and educational aspects, is that communicating with all those different people makes it a lot easier for me to communicate with different types of people. The more people you meet in the industry, the more well-rounded and skilled a communicator you are going to become. JD: In this industry, it’s very easy to just absorb yourself within your golf club. Before you know it, you have been there a while, you’ve seen the same things, you have run the pro-am a certain number of years. You know it works. You do it exactly the same and, before you know it, there’s not enough people
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coming to play it because they have seen it and done it. You have to play in other things, go and experience different courses, go and speak to people on different continents and see what they do to keep up to date with other things in the industry. Look at GolfSixes. We have to look at that and say ‘is this a members’ competition we could run?’ It’s little things like that. Do we take the risk with this shift towards quickening up playing golf. We rolled out Ready Golf for our club championship. We can go
“Trial is the key to it, and having the processes in place where we accept a bit of criticism from time to time” – Tristan McIllroy to new members and say we’ve introduced Ready Golf and we’ve taken 26 minutes off the pace of play because we’ve been open minded. We’ve looked at the scheme run by the R&A and said ‘if each player takes 80 shots and spends five seconds less on each shot, it equals 26 minutes per round. If every round was 26 minutes shorter, it’s a great sales point. TM: It’s your point about gaining the evidence as well. You can trial an event and the club’s not going to finish after a failed evening golf competition. But it’s having the confidence to try it but also gathering the data as well. Rather like the pace of play example, if it takes 26 minutes off your game of golf it’s a quantifiable thing that people can relate to. Golf is obviously recreational time
but, often, the pace of play is a key factor. It’s getting that balance of not rushing people round but having a good experience. CH: Time is such a key thing in golfers’ minds before they even play. We have all got commitments. What we’ve got to do with family and golfers going out in the morning, they have to be away. If we can try and get them round the golf course 26 minutes earlier, the chances are that’s 26 minutes they are going to spend in the bar rather than having to shoot off. It’s just listening to what they want as well. We talk about 9-hole and 6-hole tournaments. If your membership is calling out for it, you’d be crazy not to put them on. CF: Trial something, but communicate it’s a trial. Then the members don’t freak out. CH: Don’t be scared to fail. CF: Say you’re going to try something. But it’s a trial. It’s going to last for this long, this period of time. This is how we are going to do it. This is why we are doing it. Then they don’t freak out so much. TM: We had a night golf event last year that we took a punt on. Ten years ago, it didn’t work so well but we understood there was a different type of member coming to the club and the equipment for night golf has come on. It was great. All of a sudden, there’s another couple of clubs calling up as a result – because word has spread. It’s amazing how something, that could have been dismissed, comes back again and has worked. Trial is the key to it, and having the processes in place where we accept a bit of criticism from time to time. But there’s a lot of win situations that can benefit the club long term. Don’t be fearful of it, just plan your days well enough and you should be alright.
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Card payment
MYTHS Chip & PIN Solutions expose four common misconceptions surrounding card payments
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offering, it’s vital you consider accommodating contactless technology. It is industry standard that any new payment terminal deployed must accept contactless, and by 2020 if you wish to accept card payments all terminals must have contactless functionality.
MYTH: Contactless is just a fad Contactless cards are growing in public awareness and usage – and if you’re looking to add card processing to your service
MYTH: Set-up is too expensive With point-of-sale (POS) technology advancing all the time, physical card processing machines are becoming more affordable. The minimum monthly charge (the amount your merchant bank will take in card processing fees) can be as little as £10 – which, when taken into account with card processing rates of between 1.5-2 per cent, means offering card payments is more affordable than
onsumers love plastic and, more than ever before, the UK is moving into a cashless society. The UK Card Association has attributed this growth to contactless payments and digital wallets like Apple Pay. With 125 taps every second in the UK and spending reaching £2 billion a month, it is clear consumers are opting for contactless payments. But there are still a number of myths surrounding card processing.
you might think. MYTH: If your card machine loses connection, you lose a sale It is possible your card-processing machine may lose connection or signal. Even if that does happen, card machines have processes in place to ensure your business won’t lose money. Most card machines store a number of transactions irrespective of a signal. As soon as you have regained connection, your card machine will send them to your acquirer for processing. As a final backup, manual vouchers are available to complete with your customer and return to your merchant bank. MYTH: Card processing opens up my business to fraud Processing systems are safer than ever before – with European card fraud continuing to decline thanks to chip-and-pin security. As a merchant, you will have to comply with the Payment Card Industry Date Security Standard – set up to help businesses process payments securely. Twelve high level requirements minimise your exposure to fraudulent activity. Chip & PIN Solutions provide GCMA members with discounted rates. Visit chipandpinsolutions.com
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The interview
CHRIS REEVE
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What are the challenges, and opportunities, that come with landing a top job at one of the country’s highest-profile resorts? Chris Reeve, newly installed director of golf at The Belfry, discusses a role that is already placing him in the spotlight with Steve Carroll
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ou came from Foxhills, a big club in its own right. But when you talk to non-golfers everyone knows what The Belfry is… They definitely do. My wife’s a non-golfer and when I mention The Belfry to her, or any of her friends that are non-golfers, they’ve heard of it. Purely because of its reputation as a four-time Ryder Cup host. What process did you go through to get the job? It definitely wasn’t one interview. There was a process and I must have been up three times. I came up twice, off my own back, without telling anyone what I was doing. I just did my own mystery shop to give some feedback for the interview. The application process was, obviously, detailed and, fortunately enough, I managed to come through at the end. Once I knew I was starting, I was really pinching myself a few times to know what a great opportunity this is. You’ve been here just over four months. How are you finding it? I’m really enjoying myself. There is no doubt that it is a tough challenge to come in and run a place as big as this. There are very few people around who can say they’ve got experience of doing anything like this and I’m definitely learning as I go along. As much as you prepare yourself mentally for
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it to be busy – it is very busy. It’s a real animal of a place. Coming down to the Academy, with four big manufacturer custom fit suites, 54-holes, a place with 300 plus bedrooms, all the conference facilities and all the residential golf that we do, it’s a very exciting place and there’s no resting on your laurels. How wide are your responsibilities? What does director of golf mean here? It’s everything, with the exception of the upkeep of the courses. Anything from the academy, to custom fit, to retail, residential green fees, pay and play green fees, corporate green fees. In effect, I’m the face of golf here. You budget for more than 100,000 rounds a year. That’s an awful lot of golfers… Even in the time I’ve been here, we’ve had a few days of 700 plus golfers in a day. That brings a lot of challenges – feeding people through to the right areas, changing rooms, the check-in processes, starters and marshalling. We obviously monitor pace of play regularly because, with that many people here, you’ve got the potential for it to go badly wrong if you are not on top of it. Logistically, the team have had experience of doing it over the last few years and we are just trying to keep refining that experience and bring the standards up. It is a challenge, without a doubt. We have got a
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fleet of 80 buggies and, regularly, that’s not enough on some days. How do you keep levels of customer service as you would want them in that situation? People expect a Ryder Cup experience… With constant training, and we work very closely with 59Club to make sure our standards are as high as we can get them with the sheer volume of people. We might not be able to do the amount of personal touches that some of the other high-end clubs can because they don’t have the sort of flow through that we do. But it’s making sure we’re taking the best parts of what everyone else does and what we have done over the years. It’s
“Even in the time I’ve been here, we’ve had a few days of 700 plus golfers in a day. That brings a lot of challenges”
making sure the team are trained and rolled out and it’s repetitively done – making sure as much as possible we give people the Ryder Cup experience they are looking for here. When people come, and it’s their first time, it is their Ryder Cup when they are here so they have a high expectation. We work hard to make sure we try and meet that all the time. If I think about The Belfry, I think about the Brabazon. But you’ve got two other courses here. How do you manage the flow of golfers when they all want to play the Brabazon? Anyone who comes on a residential package, we make sure it is built in such a way that it will either be the Derby/Brab, PGA/ Brab or even the Derby/PGA. The PGA is still a great golf course. If you put that out as a standalone, everyone would talk about it as a good course. But the volume that we do, the different types of green fees and the way that we stage it means, obviously, the aspiration is the Brabazon. But we don’t give a different level of service to everyone else when they come
and play. The first tee experience will be the same. The marshalling experience will be the same. The check-in process, with the shop, is the same. Play and stay is massive for you here… It is big and with corporate business as well. With the big hotel we have here, we’ve a nightclub on site, a spa and health club and we’re the headquarters of the PGA as well. Without doubt, it is a quality place but getting the hotel rooms sold is the number one priority along with the amount of residential golf bookings we do. Once you are here, you don’t need to get back in your car again until you are setting off for home. I think that’s what makes us stand out from some other destinations – where your golf might be in one place and your hotel in another. With the number of bars, restaurants and the nightclub, you don’t need to venture off site. Talk me through what you’ve tried to do in your first few months… It’s been finding your feet. This is
The Belfry Famous for the Brabazon course, which has staged the Ryder Cup on four occasions, the West Midlands venue is renowned as one of Britain’s best golf resorts. Along with the Derby and PGA National courses, The Belfry can point to numerous industry awards and can draw on a hotel boasting more than 300 rooms, a spa, leisure club and even an on-site nightclub to complement its numerous restaurants and bars.
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You know your golf clubs needs to be using social media marketing, but don’t know where to start? Test the water and let Albatross Digital Golf set up a FREE Facebook Ad campaign for you. For more details visit: www.albatrossdigitalgolf.com/campaign
“Albatross Digital Golf helped us promote our
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”
welcomed over 90 new members in all categories Jerry Kilby General Manager - Bramley Golf Club
Get in touch with founder James Wilkinson today for more information 0208 1336751 | james@albatrossdigitalgolf.com www.albatrossdigitalgolf.com
ALBATROSS DIGITALGOLF
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the sort of place where you don’t get a lot of time to find your feet quickly. I came in right at the start of the season so there’s no time to spend three or four months finding your feet. I’ve been getting to know the team, getting to know the operation – how the planning and strategising is going – and making sure we’re learning the budget process. We’ve had good discussions; I think we are having a good year. We’ve changed the way the custom fit process is going, the booking process, the retail process and the way the retail store is set out and lined out to make sure the customer service journey is improved. How big is the change of pace between Foxhills and The Belfry? It is non-stop. You will go from a very busy two course corporate day with a shotgun start and, once they’ve come off the golf course, you’ll be taking down all their advertising banners and putting stuff up for the next day. That’s an ongoing, day-by-day, process. We can have as many as four or five golf days going on during one day. You’ve got a young family, and live an hour away. This doesn’t strike me as a 9 to 5 job. How do you maintain the balance between work and family? It’s managing the expectation. It’s not 9 to 5. You get here early in the morning and you finish when you finish. If I need to stay over in the hotel, I am fortunate enough that’s available to me as an opportunity. It’s having a great team. It’s not possible for anyone to do 14 hours a day, 365 days a year. We’ve got a great team around us. It is still a seasonal business, although the season at The Belfry will be much longer than it is at other clubs. It’s
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Who is Chris Reeve? The Belfry’s director of golf started out in the professional game before moving into the management sphere. Drawing on more than two decades of experience in the industry and formerly the director of golf at the Foxhills Club and Resort, in Surrey, he also managed the Marbella Golf Coaching Programme before becoming academy manager at the Burhill Group. That role saw him responsible for 22 courses across a number of regions over a three-year period. just managing your time. Presumably you’ve had to put a lot of trust in that team, while you are finding your feet? We have got some really good people, with great experience and who have been here a long time. For me, it was great to be able to rely on them to give me feedback on how things work. If I hadn’t had that, it would have been a much tougher challenge to come in and try and put my experience of how my other jobs have operated, and then walk in and say ‘I think we’ll just do it like this’. I think you would change your plans very quickly. Fortunately, the team here has been settled for three or four years and it’s more a question of learning how they operate and
making some tweaks to things rather than wholesale changes. Because they have to learn how you work as well… Exactly. There’s different ways of managing people. It was never a question of coming in and ruffling everyone’s feathers and upsetting everyone. It’s a well-run operation and didn’t need completely redefining. It was more a question of continually manage, progress and improve as opposed to wipe the slate clean and start again. What have you been able to tweak and change in those first few months? Mainly a lot of process stuff. The custom fit journey has changed dramatically, in the way we sell
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The famous 10th on the Brabazon
the fittings, communicate with customers, the whole journey of orders and confirming those. The journey for the customer is what we are really working on, the whole experience. From the moment you book your tee time, right through to the moment you depart, we are continually trying to improve the process of that. Has that been a seamless process? We’ve quite a young team and they understand that sometimes change isn’t always that difficult. It’s different. They have been really great and understanding and we are going along our journey in the right way. Sometimes, the ideas I come up with, they respond with how that may or may not work at The Belfry and we work together to discuss it and then deliver what we end up with. We have feedback and team meetings to see whether it’s the right thing to do. Is your biggest challenge to
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avoid complacency? The Belfry is too big a place to get complacent. It’s forever evolving and so we need to make sure we are at the top of our game. There are lots of clubs that almost aspire to be The Belfry, so we need to make sure that we don’t rest on our laurels. You are constantly looking at your competitors – seeing what they are doing – and at best practice. Can we make small tweaks and changes to what we are doing to just constantly improve? Have we got the latest technology in all the fitting rooms? It’s working with suppliers to make sure we are on the top of our game all the time.
“There are a lot of clubs that almost aspire to be The Belfry, so we need to make sure we don’t rest on our laurels”
How quickly will you be able to get your ideas across? It’s going to be a gradual process. There were a few processes that we were able to improve quite quickly. A lot of the retail buying for the season was done – so we were only looking at tweaking what we were going to have in, as opposed to now sitting down with suppliers to look at next spring’s buy-ins. Ideas will come to fruition a bit more then. What are some of the things you would like to put your stamp on? The one thing we are working hard on is the customer journey and improving the experience and ensuring we are at the pinnacle of the game for what we do. That’s the most important thing and that’s what we will base ourselves on, what people will look at The Belfry for and are expecting. That’s the main focus point and that will be tweaking all areas of the golf business.
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GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL
Careers
NEWS Michael Wells has joined Carnoustie from the R&A as the Open venue’s first-ever chief executive
M
ichael Wells has become Carnoustie’s new chief executive following a rigorous interview
process. Wells joins from the R&A, where he was director of championship staging at the Open. The post, advertised in the first issue of The Golf Club Manager, saw nearly 100 applications – from all over the UK and abroad – received by the Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee. Wells will now have responsibility for the Angus complex’s reputation as one of the world’s top golf venues. He knows Carnoustie, and its three courses, well having been involved in the Open on two occasions there – including his first in 1999 when Paul Lawrie lifted the Claret Jug and 2007 as Padraig Harrington defeated Sergio Garcia in a play-off. He will take up his post after completing his duties at Birkdale
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and said:“I feel privileged and honoured to be selected to become Carnoustie Golf Links’ first chief executive. “Carnoustie has a reputation for being one of the toughest courses in the world and one that every golfer should aspire to play. I am very excited about the opportunity to work alongside the fantastic team at Carnoustie and to help develop its reputation as a world-class golfing destination.” Carnoustie chairman Pat Sawers said:“Michael has extensive knowledge of all facets of golf administration, particularly in relation to staging major tournaments. He has done a great job as a director at the R&A and I believe he is the right leader to entrust with developing our brand and ensuring that Carnoustie Links continues to be recognised as one of the most challenging links golf courses in the world.” He added:“As an experienced manager and dynamic innovator, Michael brings a unique set of qualifications and a wealth of experience. The management team is committed to building the Carnoustie brand and investing in its charitable objectives. We were delighted by the calibre of applicants and are confident that we have selected the ideal person for the job.”
New GCMA members Matthew Mayfield, manager at Batchworth Park Ben Driver, general manager at Stapleford Abbotts Gary Oscroft, honorary secretary at Oakmere Park – Admirals Course Josephine Shepherd, Rutland County manager Clive Smith, honorary secretary at Chilwell Manor Peter Crutch, Wimbledon Park assistant Jamie Sparrow, director of golf at Reading Adam Walsh, manager at Farleigh Ian Senior, honorary secretary at Aero Golfing Society Tony Crusham, honorary secretary at Dean Wood Liam Jenkinson, Ashton & Lea secretary Colin Leigh, honorary secretary at Reddish Vale Stan Jackson, manager at Dinsdale Spa Michael Stanford, manager at Clandeboye Juli Carpenter, manager at Chislehurst Duncan Foster, honorary secretary at Prince’s Steve Hunt, assistant at Sene Valley Lisa Moore, assistant at Mid Kent Graham Burch, assistant at East Devon Catherine Kromholc, St Enodoc assistant Emily Dench, manager at Cradoc Adrian Lister, manager at Radyr Darren Arber, director of golf at West End Andrew Latchmore, honorary secretary at Alwoodley Kevin Moore, manager at Whitwood Amada Quick, general manager at Lewes, has rejoined the GCMA Members on the move Trevor Atkinson has joined Saltford as general manager; Stuart Buckley has joined Morecambe as manager; Steve Dance has joined Chippenham as manager; Simon Greatorex has joined St Enodoc as general manager; Chris Huggins has joined Yeovil as manager and Mike Timson has joined Newmachar as operations director.
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GCMA RECRUITMENT
FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE VACANCIES BELOW, VISIT GCMA.ORG.UK/JOBS
WALMER & KINGSDOWN GC ::: GENERAL MANAGER A James Braid-designed forward looking members’ club, Walmer & Kingdsown is situated on the White Cliffs of Dover, with scenic views from every hole on the course and set in an area of outstanding natural beauty. This is a superb opportunity for an experienced manager to make their mark. You will work alongside the chairman and board in implementing a progressive business plan to take the club forward. Your prime responsibility will be for marketing and driving forward key income areas. Robust financial, commercial and budgeting skills are required, along with a strong understanding of current employment law.
Region: South East| Apply by: July 16, 2017 | Salary: Competitive
WALTON HEATH ::: FINANCE MANAGER
THURLESTONE ::: GENERAL MANAGER
Walton Heath are looking for a Finance Manager to work at their prestigious 36 hole club.
A Harry Colt designed course, Thurlestone is a thriving members’ club in a fantastic location in South Devon. The club attracts many visitors to both course and tennis facilities.
Reporting to the Club Secretary and the Board of Directors, this opportunity will see the successful candidate assume overall control of finance and accounting functions. They must be a full or part qualified accountant with a strong knowledge of Sage 50 and Excel. Region: London & Home Counties Apply by: July 17, 2017 Salary: Determined by experience
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You will have exceptional communication, leadership, motivation and diplomacy skills, an appreciation of golf and tennis and the traditions of a private members’ club. Region: South West Apply by: July 12, 2017 Salary: Competitive
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Good
PRACTICE Advice on golf club management issues – from finance to clubhouse rules and employment law to staff morale – from our panel of experts
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How to ensure you are
SOCIAL-MEDIA SAVVY Fergal Dowling, of employment law specialists Irwin Mitchell, outlines how you can protect your business against social media posts by your staff
1
40 characters. That’s all it can take to enhance your brand, or damage your business irretrievably. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram – it’s hard to keep count of the ever-growing number of social media networks helping us all communicate. Whether it’s staying in touch with friends, keeping up to date with the news or just idling away a spare hour, a whole world is available at the click of a mouse or the tap of a screen. Hundreds of millions use it and view it as an essential part of their lives. Businesses have not been slow to get on board either, and social
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media offers companies, and particularly golf clubs, a free – and key – marketing tool. But for some, using social media is a cautionary tale. Our phones make it easy to post and respond to comments instantly – often in hardly more time than it takes the user to formulate their thoughts. How many times have you seen people caught out? By posting embarrassing pictures, making inflammatory remarks or moaning about their job, their boss or their customers? Unlike sounding off to your mates in the pub, though, posting comments on social media leaves a lasting – and permanent – record of your views. Once they are off into the
electronic ether, they can take on a life of their own. You’ll have no control over who sees them, and shares them. Your employees are entitled to a private life. They may hold opinions you don’t agree with. But that doesn’t mean your business has to be a hostage to the communications revolution. There are steps you can take to stop your staff damaging your reputation through social media. Develop a social media policy You can discipline and, in serious cases, dismiss staff for posting negative comments or images about your business, provided you have a policy which spells out what your staff can and cannot say about your business, its customers or users, or about other people
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within the organisation. This can be either incorporated into your employee handbook, or used as a stand-alone policy. Your social media policy should be consistent with other policies, particularly your harassment/ bullying policy and disciplinary policy. You should also think about where to draw the line. Is an absolute ban preventing employees from identifying themselves as being employed by your business reasonable? There is no ‘one size fits all’ but a middle ground might be to require employees who do identify you as their employer, or who are online ‘friends’ with customers who know you to be their employer, to maintain professional standards in their postings.
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Staff should be reminded they must not spread workplace ‘gossip’ or post confidential information about the business or its members and users. If you consider that certain online behaviour is so serious it will constitute gross misconduct, you must explain in the social media policy what behaviour will entitle you to dismiss an employee without notice. You should make sure this is added to any other acts of gross misconduct set out in your disciplinary policy. It is essential your staff understand these restrictions are not limited to comments they make during working hours using any equipment you provide (such as a laptop or smart phone) but apply equally to information
posted using their own devices in their own time. This is something employees often misunderstand. Without a social media policy, employers will find it more difficult to discipline staff for posting inappropriate comments. To start with, you will need to find out how much damage or potential damage has been caused to your business’s reputation. This is something you may prefer not to do, as it runs the risk of highlighting to a client something of which they might not even been aware. Even if you can show that your client might have read or seen the message, you should not take a disproportionate view of the damage that has, or could have, been incurred.
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GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL Train your employees It is not enough to write a policy. You must make sure your employees understand the policy and, particularly, what is expected of them. Give all members of staff copies of company policies - or tell them how to access these - and provide relevant training. Make sure your managers and senior staff set the standard. It is no good having a policy unless it is followed by everyone within the organisation - from the top down. There should be no exceptions and managers should lead by example.
comments about other members of staff, business members or users on social networks – even on forums that they consider to be private – as this may expose you to discrimination claims.
Prevent harassment and bullying on social media You may also need to update your equal opportunities, harassment and bullying policies to include cyber bullying. You should ensure your employees understand they should not post discriminatory
Take appropriate action Act quickly once you become aware of issues. If you believe an employee has posted inappropriate, damaging or discriminatory remarks online, you should follow your disciplinary procedure and impose a suitable sanction. In most cases, a written or final
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Social media should not be used to voice workplace disputes Remind employees they should not to use social networks to raise grievances. Work related problems should be dealt with under the organisation’s grievance procedures.
warning should be sufficient for a first offence. Make sure the employee understands what will happen if they post any further inappropriate comments (i.e. they will receive a final written warning or may be dismissed). This will send out a message to your staff that you treat breaches seriously and will, over time, encourage staff to think carefully before firing off random and illconsidered comments. We can draft a social media policy suitable for your business and help you deal with any problems that arise with your staff. We offer a fixed price employment law and HR advisory service, with optional insurance cover for Employment Tribunal claims. Get in touch by emailing fergal. dowling@irwinmitchell.com for a free, absolutely no obligation quote.
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ADVERTORIAL
Results at the touch of... a button The HowDidiDo app offers everything a golfer needs in the palm of their hand. Results and detailed stats are available in seconds. A social media-inspired timeline allows people to share their experiences easily on Facebook and Twitter. Clubs can post their news and notices straight in front of their members – a far more efficient way of getting information to those who need to see it. Push notifications flash up on screens. It’s the beginning of the end for the traditional club noticeboard. So the question is simple. If your club aren’t taking advantage of HowDidiDo’s hugely successful smartphone app, why not? HowDidiDo’s reach is massive. Holding data from more than 53 million rounds, along with the handicaps, results and scores of over 1.3 million club members, around 547,000 golfers user the website regularly. More than 100,000 have downloaded the app. Around 2,000 clubs use HowDidiDo, powered by Club Systems International’s market-leading IT software, which allows users to analyse their game not only at their club but across the entire network. The app, available on both iOS and Android and launched at the end of last year, was a huge success – hitting the number one spot in Apple Store’s chart for free sports apps. HowDidiDo is rapidly becoming the largest online, social golfing hub in the world and it’s also used for official CONGU handicapping and competition results. Learn more at howdidido.com
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How to... enhance that tournament
EXPERIENCE
Why should your members suffer a nervy wait to get their competition results? Live scoring is all the rage, and technology makes it seamless as Steve Carroll discovers...
A
s the putt drops in, I’m not sure which I grab quicker – the ball out of the hole, or my phone. With a couple of taps, what I need to do is crystal clear. That birdie sees me tied for the lead. One hole to go. A four to tie, but a three to win. I send the tee shot on its way… Showing live leaderboards in an
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average monthly medal was once the stuff of fantasy. Now, thanks to mobile phones and a proliferation of apps and software, it’s very easy for clubs to make competition days a very different – and exciting – experience for members. Whether it’s finding out where you are on the leaderboard, and knowing what you need to do while you’re out on the course, or getting the banter going by
checking up on pals and playing partners, there’s a growing demand from golfers to make competitions more fun. But tournament software not only has the ability to enhance enjoyment, and in turn grow the game, it could mean more revenue in the tills. How much time do your staff spend administering competitions? Whether that’s ticking off names
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on the tee sheet, checking cards or printing results, they are duties that take time and effort. By using software that manages it for them, wouldn’t that free them up for other revenuecreating tasks, while also helping to improve the efficiency of your club’s events? Golf Genius, used by clubs in more than 50 countries, facilitated more than two million rounds across 66,000 tournaments last year. As an official partner of the United States Golf Association, they are now serving more than 3,000 North American clubs – organising events as diverse as large corporate golf days to weekly club swindles. Key to the success of their cloudbased system is its ease of use. Online registration, website management, the ability to produce printed leaderboards and, of course, live scoring are all hallmarks of the fully-featured software. One such club that have taken the plunge are North London’s South Herts. Secretary Stuart Turner says they have never looked back. Home to the legendary Harry Vardon for 35 years, the club is steeped in history and tradition but they’ve found they have been
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able to raise the bar for both members and visitors by bringing in the tournament management system. South Herts have used Golf Genius to help organise away days for members as well as run their prestigious Hudson Trophy. Turner explained:“We’d been struggling with conventional software. “While they give a good basis for grassroots golf clubs and what they need, we were looking for a way to elevate ourselves by offering something extra. “It saves me a considerable amount of time when it comes to organising and communicating information such as tee times and itineraries, and also enables us to offer additional services like photo-
sharing, live scoring and printed scorecards.” Eight years since being introduced to the market, Craig Higgs, Golf Genius’s director of international sales, said the company had become the biggest global supplier of golf event software. “While resort-style venues have been early adopters of Golf Genius, more and more private members’ clubs, just like those in United States, are starting to realise that they too can heighten the level of their golf experience for both members and guests,” he said. For more information, or to apply for a free trial of Golf Genius, email craig@golfgenius.com
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Ask the
EXPERT James Wilkinson, of Albatross Digital Golf, answers questions on digital marketing Why should clubs engage with digital marketing? For the vast majority of your potential customers, the only place to get your club in front of them is by using digital media like Facebook, email marketing or text messaging services. Despite being widely regarded as a young person’s social network, there are 31 million active Facebook users in the UK, roughly half the population. By far the largest demographic of Facebook’s users are 25 to 34-year-olds followed by 35 to 44-year-olds. That means there are thousands of online golfers, local to you, waiting to hear about the benefits of playing your club over the competition. The best part is that very few clubs use digital marketing properly.
Clubs that have a larger catchment area can use social media to reach people further afield and upsell country membership packages or golf schools and coaching packages.
Is social media right for every club? Whether you are a local municipal or a top 100 club, your potential customers are on social media. For clubs looking to get their course in front of golfers within a 10 to 20-mile radius, they can use Facebook’s highly targeted advertising platform to put their offers in front of fans of the PGA Tour, American Golf, TaylorMade or Rory McIlroy.
How much can you do ‘for free’ on digital platforms? It is becoming harder and harder to achieve results for free today without dedicating significant time and resources. The days of being able to grow a Facebook page or email databases from scratch without any budget are numbered, or will take you a long time to achieve quantifiable results. What this means is platforms like Facebook are pay-to-
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Which digital platform is the best for an ‘ordinary’ club? There is no right or wrong platform when it comes to digital marketing. The best platform is the one that generates you the most return in investment and the only way to find out is by testing. At Albatross, we generally only concentrate on Facebook because of their advertising platform, which allows the most detailed targeting of comsumers out of all the social networks. You can target people based on age, gender, geographical location, interests, financial status and so much more.
play services, in the same way that you have to pay to put an advert on the radio or in a newspaper. There is a reason why Facebook is worth $435 billion and that reason is advertising. There is good news, though. Currently, the cost of Facebook advertising is so cheap that you reach 1,000 local golfers for as low as £1.26! We are currently running an advert that has been seen 14,686 times by 7,823 golfers on Facebook for just £18.34. When done right, there is no more effective form of advertising at this price. Email marketing is certainly very cheap, and can be highly effective. There are thousands of free courses you can find on Google or YouTube to pick up hints and tips. There are other free methods you can use like installing pop-ups on your website to capture customer data such as email addresses, or building your Twitter or Instagram
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followers. But there is no hard and fast route to success using these methods and they will take time to see results. How can clubs turn digital traffic into real income? You need to put the right offer in front of the right person at the right time to generate new sales using digital marketing. Despite being behind a computer or smartphone, it is important to remember the user on the other end is a human being and, as a general rule of thumb, people do not like being sold to. Just think about how annoying the endless cold calls you receive on a daily basis are. The same rule goes for social media and digital marketing. The best way to sell on social is by educating, entertaining, informing and inspiring. Use the 90:10 rule. Make 90% of your content
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engaging and 10% sales. If you’ve tried using social media, especially Facebook advertising or email marketing, and it isn’t working at your club then, nine times out of 10, it is down to you not having the right offer for your audience, not because the platform ‘doesn’t work’. Come up with a new offer and keep trying until you find the magic formula. Selling online is not rocket science but, at the same time, it’s not easy. If it was we’d all be doing it right. How powerful can social media be for golf clubs? If you have a club that keeps customers coming back and an offer that is right for your audience, social media and, especially Facebook advertising, has the ability to transform a club in a matter of months by getting new customers through the door.
How can I prove the concept of social media marketing to my committee? The quickest way to achieve positive ROI results is by running a specific campaign. Create an offer that is only available through social media, ask users to download a voucher, or say a code in order to take the offer up, and monitor the results over a sustained period of time. Calculate how much you have spent – be it on advertising or man hours – against how many people have taken your offer up. If you track the results you will be able to easily calculate a return on investment and create a one-page report to take to your committee. Albatross Digital Golf is a digital marketing agency serving the golf industry. For more information, visit albatrossdigitalgolf.com
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BMW Group ISSD 56 Park Lane, London W1K 1QB Park Lane Ltd is a credit broker. *Plus ÂŁ3,999 initial rental. Price shown is for a 36 month Personal Contract Hire agreement for a new BMW 520d SE Saloon, with a contract mileage of 30,000 miles and excess mileage charge of 9.08p per mile. Applies to new vehicles ordered between 1 January and 30 June 2017 and registered by 30 September 2017 (subject to availability). Retail customers only. At the end of your agreement you must return the vehicle. Excess mileage, vehicle condition and other charges may be payable. Hire available subject to status to UK residents aged 18 or over. Guarantees and indemnities may be required. Terms and conditions apply. Offer may be varied, withdrawn or extended at any time. Hire provided by BMW Financial Services (GB) Limited, Summit ONE, Summit Avenue, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 0FB. Park Lane Ltd are part of BMW Group. Park Lane Ltd commonly introduce customers to a selected panel of lenders including BMW Financial Services. We may receive commission or other benefits for introducing you to such lenders. This introduction does not amount to independent financial advice.
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Ensuring good
GOVERNANCE Golf consultant Eddie Bullock, GCMA board member, looks at how to manage a golf club for the long term…
I
t’s like nurturing a garden. If you want it to keep blossoming for the next 20 years, you have to plant the seeds now and cultivate the plants over the years to ensure a good and healthy return. The same is true of the vision you aspire to for your golf club business. If you want to leave the club in good condition for the next generation – start planning now. Both gardens and clubs can grow very old with the right nurture. Many golf clubs historically adopted Victorian methods of governing, which have not been the most productive, effective or efficient way. Many of us involved in club life will have experienced those operated by domineering boards/ committees or powerful cliques
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and personalities who have pushed personal agendas. As time changed, and other factors were introduced into the whole management of a club, one soon discovered weaknesses with those less strategic contributions. Golf clubs have evolved into unique businesses. Using a qualified professional is important to cultivate good governance practices. The worst thing is to employ someone who is overrun by the chairman, captain or club officers. They are not able to make their own space and the employees look at the general manager as a puppet. The critical part is for the board or committee to understand their role and give the general manager leverage. Those setting policy stay in the background and are only involved in the bigger decisions and the
development of the club. Now is the time for golf clubs to get their act in order! I would advocate implementing change and for boards and general managers to work co-operatively. This will be for the benefit of both the sustainability of the club and membership. A positive support document is England Golf’s recent “Governance Guide for Golf Clubs”,which informs and educates boards of directors and committees. I have visited a number of clubs during the last 18 months and have been encouraged to see the new wave of chairpersons intent on, or making, the required evolutionary changes within their clubs. The general consensus is they have a vision, and a desire, to increase productivity and want to invest in a more effective
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Effective governance is absolutely key in ensuring a successful golf club. But what is the best way to achieve it and how can you get help if things aren’t going to plan?
board, while limiting the micromanagement of staff. Many clubs have fallen foul of previous generations, who were blinded with what was happening outside their fiefdoms. There was little or no communication or co-ordination and it was a very inefficient governance system. It wasn’t operated in the most effective, efficient or fiscally responsible manner. Governance today at many clubs divides members against members, volunteers against volunteers and volunteers against the paid managers. This general malfunction leads to chaos. Non–proprietary clubs are nonprofit businesses, hopefully dealing with a harmonious work ethic between volunteers and paid staff. With this in mind the customers are also the owners and employers – a unique business relationship!
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The underlining effect and complexity within this structure is those volunteers can find themselves entangled, where they can’t ‘see the wood for the trees’. Consequently, the difficulty for many clubs is the lack of clarity in leadership roles and the responsibilities of the volunteer boards and the professional paid management. Role clarity reinforces the position of the volunteer as one of establishing the club’s direction and the staff as the professionals in charge of managing it. This also prevents volunteers from falling into the trap of becoming unpaid management, and management not taking ownership of club business. The England Golf document guides clubs to firmly develop the governing ideas – vision, mission and core values. A vision
not consistent with the values members live by will not only fail to inspire genuine enthusiasm, it will often foster cynicism. These governing ideas are the what, why and how. They are the responsibility and focus of the club’s leadership volunteers and key professional staff. Shared governance requires both volunteers and management. It’s a mechanism that creates a balance of power between both – with checks and balances. The best and most efficient clubs have boards and management working together. It is a process of putting together lasting, effective solutions. It ensures the club’s realities are considered and discussed, that there’s transparency, inclusion and participation for all concerned – without decisions being made in an empty bubble.
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CASE STUDY
BURFORD
Leighton Walker, general manager at Burford, reveals how his Oxfordshire club was helped to move forward... I arrived at Burford in March 2016 and it was very apparent this was a golf club with a proud history and operating very successfully. Worrying about where the next member was coming from was certainly not the case. On my appointment, it was made quite clear the board was looking for someone who would not simply roll along with the status quo, but could challenge, shape and influence the club’s future direction. Burford could see some essential evolution needed to take place but the management of this change is always key. Structured and longer term strategic planning was not common place. Looking to enhance the club’s facilities and levels of service, I turned to Eddie Bullock Golf Consultancy. Using the experience and objectivity of Eddie would prove crucial in bringing the board along
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on the journey. He started with a site visit to gain a feel for the club and speak to the general manager and chairman. This led to an idea for a Board Away Day, where directors would shape the vision, values and strategic plan for the club. In planning for this, each board member had to complete a pre-planning questionnaire to help set the agenda, while also emphasising the need to capture the understanding of the membership. Although surveys had been carried out previously, without any meaningful purpose, we have adopted a clear direction in using surveys to include our membership throughout the whole planning development. Additional visits focused on speaking to key staff – to gain more understanding of engagement levels and to look at how they understood the club’s future direction. These visits helped map out objectives for the board away day. They were to define
the club’s mission and values, as well as starting the strategic planning process. The Away Day was held off site. It was a thought provoking day and contributions from heads of departments added another dimension. The content was varied but centred on moving away from year-by-year thinking to a longer term approach, which ensured ongoing success while keeping the club aligned to its strengths and core values. To keep the directors on track afterwards, 12-month and three-year action plans were recorded. The aim was to monitor these plans over the relevant periods to ensure action ensued. A plan was also put in place to start work on the strategic plan, with completion within 12 months. Eddie’s work didn’t end there. He has continued to be in contact with the general manager and chairman to maintain accountability and keep the process on track.
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From the
DIPLOMA Managing change in a golf club. We take a closer look at how clubs can successfully implement new ideas and processes
I
“
t ain’t broke, so don’t fix it”. Isn’t that what most club members say of how their club is run when, in reality, there are several instances where change would hugely benefit them? Change for change’s sake is unwise and probably doomed to failure as inherently we resist change, mostly because we don’t understand the need for it. One of the biggest challenges to the modern club manager is
to help successfully implement change - creating good communication channels between committee and members, understanding the challenges and frequently using industry experts to help deliver the vision to committee and members alike. The sort of challenges and changes clubs are making can relate to online tee booking systems, replacing the food delivery service, a change in the governance structure or even personnel … all of which have their unique challenges
and stresses. Effectively driving and managing change is critical, along with a framework to help guide you through the process. Probably the most relevant factor for successful change is trust, both in the project and with the people who are proposing the change. Is managing change an art or a science? During the last decade, golf has seen many changes. Declining membership, changes in
IMPLEMENTING AND SUSTAINING CHANGE
ENGAGING AND ENABLING THE WHOLE ORGANISATION CREATING CLIMATE FOR CHANGE
Increase urgency
Build the guiding team
Get the right vision
Communicate to buy-in
Empower action
Create shortterm wins
Don’t let up
Make it stick
Source: KOTTER
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“No longer should clubs make decisions based on hearsay or anecdotal evidence” regulations and practices, the greater use of technology in both the sport and the management of golf clubs and responses to the greater unpredictability in weather patterns. External influences are forcing many clubs to consider change. The stark realities, of which managers are acutely aware, are that clubs will be driven out of business if they fail to successfully embrace change when necessary. Change represents a challenge and an opportunity to alter current business practices to do things differently from the past for the better. To be able to adapt effectively to the changing environment and adopt new ways of thinking is essential. The natural first impression of change, though, is usually negative because we are wired that way. A key part of managing change is insight. No longer should clubs make decisions based on hearsay or anecdotal evidence. There are now IT systems that can help in making informed decisions, most of which clubs have installed but which are not necessarily used to their full potential. An interesting example could include careful analysis of bar and catering sales through the till system to effect change of catering or bar hours. Another might be grasping a better understanding of footfall on the course, through a tee booking system, in order to maximise
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green fee income without inconveniencing the members. A future vision and a device for change HSBC’s report about the future of golf: Golf 2020 Vision (golf.org.au/site/_content/ document/00017543-source. pdf), identifies that the trends which will shape the future of golf are the same trends shaping the future of the planet: the shift towards Asia, the increasing feminisation of the public world, urbanisation, the spread of digital technology and resource and sustainability pressures. What is striking is the way in which golf - one of the world’s oldest sports - is adapting to these new challenges or trends. Trends evolve from megatrends, which are large changes that are slow to form but, once in place, can drive a wide range of activities, processes and perceptions, both in government and in society and possibly for decades. These commonly identified megatrends, which can be used as a framework to define and reflect on the drivers of change and the emergent opportunities and challenges for business development, include: Demographic change – such as the ageing of the population Socio-cultural change – work/ life priorities and time to play golf, groups in society playing golf Shift in global economic powers – including ownership of golf clubs Climate change and resource scarcity
About the managing change unit This unit captures the difference between change and transition. It uses frameworks to review live examples of change to better understand the steps required to successfully implement change and better understand the emotional and, sometimes, irrational nature of people’s reactions to change and aid the implementation of change effectively. Change is all about people and this module helps to reflect on you as an individual and how you respond to change as well as investigating processes and frameworks. A lot of change requires common sense; however, we know from experience that this is not overly common in many people. The learning outcomes for this module are: Understand the issues relating to change in a business Be able to present proposals to enable change in a business Be able to prepare for managing change in a business The ASQ Level 5 Diploma in Golf Club Management covers all the core skills required to manage a club. If you would like to know more, visit the GCMA website at gcma.org.uk/ education/diploma
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Technological change – such as the use of cloud-based computing and virtual reality in coaching Political and governance shifts – expectations around legislation and regulation of business Change is when something becomes different from what it was or shifts from one state to another. Change in business is a process in which a business changes its working methods and practices, in order to develop and/or deal with new situations. There are many change frameworks that can be used to help understand the steps
needed to be worked through to successfully implement change and, maybe more importantly, understand the possible inhibitors to change. The 8-step model by KOTTER is a great framework to use because it simply identifies the logic steps and questions that need to be asked and answered but all too frequently are ignored. This framework allows you to understand the basic principles and processes you need to employ to effectively manage change. Understanding why change is required, communicating the urgency of change and then creating the vision is only the start of the process. Building the right team is essential and being able to
communicate upwards to the committee and downwards to the staff is a great trait of a club manager. Trust is a major part of change and without trust nothing will change. If the membership doesn’t trust the project or the team/committee/board who are instigating change, it may never succeed. Getting buy-in from the various stakeholders is essential but creating an appropriate timescale/project plan for this and the correct communication methods is vital. Short term wins help to demonstrate the impact of a project or sub-project. These are only part of the start of the process but can ultimately lead to the long-term win, so beware of declaring success too early.
ENDING
NEW BEGINNING
Denial
Enthusiasm
Shock
Hope
Anger
Importance
Frustration/ Stress
Acceptance Scepticism
Ambivalence
CHANGE
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NEUTRAL ZONE
TRANSITION
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It is easy to regress to old behaviour once change has been implemented but not yet bedded in, so ‘sticking at it’ is important to ensure the new initiative becomes the norm. Skipping steps can also inhibit success. Awareness and communications are critical to success Generally, people are uncomfortable with change and awareness of this fact can help facilitate success. Resistance to change may be as diverse as it is irrational, but understanding and empathising with those emotions will positively help with changing perceptions. The common reactions to change include: Denial – In response to change, some people continue to work as usual as if nothing has changed, and as if nothing will change Resistance – This involves individuals drawing upon the negative aspects, whether personal or organisational, of the change Exploration – There will be people within a club who do embrace change but with caution Engagement – This group are committed to the process of change and seek to be actively involved at different levels Effective leadership and management can be based around creative thinking and helping communicate the right message to the right people, at the right time, to ensure you get buyin and some certainty of success. As a manager, investing time in understanding how people will react to change is a critical
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“A good manager should be a good listener who can empathise with other people’s emotions” factor associated with effective introduction of change. It will also influence the degree of change introduced. This could be through membership forums to open effective twoway communications, emails and newsletters giving facts to dispel the myths that frequently circulate in times of uncertainty, or mood boards placed in the clubhouse to help visualise proposed changes There is a difference between change and transition. Transition is a cognitive process and this takes longer than the actual external change. The Bridges model (see left) identifies that both individuals and businesses accept change at their own pace and reviews how change affects everyone and the emotions that occur. The usual response to change is denial followed by anger and shock. A good manager should be a good listener who can empathise with other people’s emotions, identifying how to support people through these. Before moving into an acceptance phase there is usually a neutral stage of insecurity and apathy. It is important to continue to manage through this phase to enable them to move into acceptance and the positive emotions that this invokes. At this point, people accepting, understanding of the importance and necessity for change finally
move to enthusiasm and supporting the ‘New Beginning’. A sound plan for managing change is important for a number of reasons: It will help when dealing with external stakeholders such as customers, suppliers or the bank It will ensure your club develops within its capability and makes effective use of available resources It will help recognise your competitive strengths and weaknesses It will provide you with a set of indicators to measure progress It will help your club consider scenarios to test how it will respond to change The core elements of a plan for change include: The need for change – This section of the plan will address why change is needed and what the golf club will look like after the change has been introduced The people to be involved in the process of change – This should outline who is going to be involved, key responsibilities and reporting structures A summary of the resource implications – This should reflect upon whether there is a need for additional people, equipment, finance, why these are needed and what are the costs involved in acquiring these resources A summary action plan and timetable.
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Meet the
MANAGER
Sponsor of the 2017 GCMA Manager of the Year award
Ellie Sjoberg, general manager of The Epping Golf Course, in Essex
Ellie Sjoberg
H
ow did you get into golf club management? I began working at The Epping Golf Course in 2010 while studying anthropology at University College London. I covered everything from cutting greens and changing holes, to reception and kitchen work. There were so many aspects of the operation that I enjoyed but also felt that I would be able to contribute to and improve upon. Being a family-run proprietary club, when my now father-in-
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law Neil Sjoberg announced his retirement I began shadowing him on completion of my studies and eventually took up the role of general manager. What are the challenges? One of the main challenges is that it is a seven-day-a-week venture. Much of the work is weekends and bank holidays so you must learn to prioritise and be there when it counts. However, even on a rare day off, it is not uncommon to be called in to fix a shutter or cover a last-minute absence.
Another challenge is trying to ensure that the golf course is viable, despite so many factors being out of your control – the big one being weather! Competent planning and budgeting are constant features, yet also knowing when to act should an opportunity arise. What part of your role do you enjoy most? The role is so varied which is fantastic. However, a large part of it is hospitality-focused with golf after all being a leisure activity – and I
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get a real buzz making sure that individuals visiting the club have a great experience when they are here. We have built up a great team of staff that have bought into our ethos and (most of the time) it is a pleasure to be here!
Everyone let out a cheer when it rolled the right way!
What’s the one thing you would change about it? It can be all-consuming at times.
“I have learned a great deal and have managed to navigate some difficult and sometimes quite bizarre situations”
What’s the best piece of advice you have been given? Communication and preparation are key. Do you play golf and what’s your handicap? I feel I can now say I am a legitimate golfer – it comes with the territory. I currently play off 32 although I could be lower if I got out more (even if that’s what they all say!). An understanding of golf and golfers in general, however, is definitely necessary to be able to communicate vital information to our customers. What’s your favourite golfing memory? Caddying for my now husband during his 36-hole PGA playing ability test. It was a real rollercoaster ride and, despite trying to keep my cool throughout, when it came down to a 10-foot putt on the final hole, if it went in he passed, if he missed he failed.
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What’s your proudest achievement in golf? Taking the title of the youngest golf club manager.
Ellie Sjoberg
I have learned a great deal and have managed to navigate some difficult and sometimes quite bizarre situations and have hopefully come out a better person for it. However, being part of an industry and a place which greatly
improves people’s quality of life and watching the course and club develop each year is also greatly rewarding. Where do you see the role of a club manager in 20 years? I see the club manager at the helm of the club, overseeing all aspects of its running, making informed decisions for the best interest of its long-term goals and supported, not hindered, by committees. How do you feel about the state of the game? There doesn’t seem to be a lack of interest in golf. We have provided free beginner lessons twice a week at The Epping Golf Course for the last 20 years and always have a steady flow of new golfers. We also have a very attractive ‘colt’ membership for 19 to 28-year-olds and there is a high demand for this. If the product is good, the operation runs efficiently and people are made to feel welcome, then a club should have every chance of thriving. Tell us something we don’t know about you? I play the violin regularly, and am also a portrait artist in my spare time. About To contact The Epping Golf Course, call 01992 572282 or visit eppinggolfcourse.org.uk
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From the
REGIONS NORTH WEST Tuesday, May 23 Davyhulme Park The Spring Meeting and Fairway Credit qualifying event saw 59 members and guests attend Davyhulme Park on the outskirts of Manchester. The agenda provided attendees with a variety of information, including membership statistics and efforts to attract new members. National captain Howard Williams was present and congratulations were offered to him on his appointment as well as Geoff Butterfield and Alan Green, of Burnley, for winning the Captain’s Cup at April’s national AGM. The region’s planning group met at the beginning of May and details were provided of the membership marketing activities, the budget for the year and commitment to ensuring meeting presentations focused on the agreed 10 core skill areas. In four presentations, Malcolm Ireland, of Napthens Solicitors, asked the question ‘Is Your Licence the Right One?’ Dave Houghton and Richie Collins, of Nu-phalt Contracting, highlighted the benefits of the ‘Nu-Flex’ system, while Dale Scott and James Sykes, of brewers Molson Coors, detailed how they could help clubs maximise their bar profits. Gina Topping, of Fairway Credit, provided an update on their relationship with Club Systems.
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The members’ forum was popular and views were exchanged on disciplinary actions that had been taken against golfers who were members of North West-based clubs, corporate membership, the issues associated with securing re-registration as a CASC club and planned audits by England Golf regarding affiliation fee returns submitted by clubs. WALES Thursday, June 15 Langland Bay, Swansea
Regional Managers Full details at gcma.org.uk/ regions Chiltern & Home Counties
Martin Bennet East Anglia
Gary Smith East Midlands
Rod Savage London & Home Counties
Maureen Brooker Midland
Rob Wormstone Adrian Lister, who has taken his first club management job at Radyr, in Cardiff, was welcomed as a new member as the business meeting and Regional Cup day got under way. Paul Mould, of Material Matters, made a presentation on the concept of group buying making it possible to save large sums of money each year. A number of members asked him for a full review of their current spends. An open forum was held and topics discussed were committee communication policies and the process that some Welsh clubs had gone through in changing from a large committee to a smaller, skills-based board of directors. The Regional Cup, played in strong winds, saw retired member Eirwyn Jones defy the odds to win with 35 points
Norfolk
John Barnard North West
Neil Annandale Northern
Terry Minett Northern Ireland
Jim Cullen Scotland
Bernard Flockhart South East
John Edgington South West
Karen Drake Southern
Joan Raffety Wales
Mike Rees Wessex
Alex Taylor Yorkshire
Cameron Dawson
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A week in the life of...
JAMIE GOOSE Early starts, organising the Trilby Tour and running a Masters weekend...
J
amie Goose is operations manager at Bawburgh Golf Club in Norwich. In 2012, he joined Glen Lodge as facilities manager, becoming full-time in 2014 and helping to oversee a new project that involved demolishing the greenkeepers’ facility and replacing it with a new 1,000m-squared
compound. A promotion at the start of 2016 saw him become joint senior manager with Krissy Barnard. Together, they oversee the running of both Bawburgh and the Norwich Family Golf Centre. He gives us an insight into a busy week - managing the Trilby Tour tournament, Bawburgh Masters, two weddings and daily member requests.
Saturday I work six days a week with Krissy Barnard, business manager, alternating Saturdays and Sundays. I look after the day-to-day operations from ordering to costings, the greenkeeping staff and the course. Usually, we’ll collect and process staff timesheets and host members’ competitions. I am starting to liaise with Emma Hubbard, wedding and events coordinator. We’ve just hosted our first of the year and nine times out of 10 we’ll have an event booked outside of the club.
I start at 6am and meet with the head greenkeeper where we discuss our plans for both the 18 and 9-hole courses for the week ahead. This week however, the Trilby Tour arrived at 8am and myself and our golf manager, Danny Chapman, helped segregate 180 banner frames, flags and flagpoles around the course.
Sunday We predominantly run a restaurant serving Sunday roast. I help turn the room around from the event the night before, in preparation for 100-plus covers for our carvery. Monday
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and finished with a BBQ. From 1pm to 4.30pm, tee times were designated for Trilby players’ practice, and, from 6pm, myself, Danny and the greenkeepers prepared the course and club.
Tuesday We would usually we have a lot of society or charity events booked in for the week. For Trilby preparation, however, myself and three Trilby staff and four club staff, continued to set-up scoreboards, merchandise, 140 player and caddie equipment, and clothing.
Thursday After finishing at 10.30pm the night before, the day started at 4am as people started arriving at 5am for registration. I was involved with registering and distributing players’ bags and caddie uniforms - a nice touch for me to meet the players. Throughout the day, I was out and about, managing the operation of indoor and outdoor bars, a pizza oven, food stalls, the halfway house and 22 volunteers.
Wednesday We hosted a charity day for our main sponsors which began with organising bacon rolls, coffee and registration
Friday Clear-down started at 9am in preparation for our members’ Masters competition the next day.
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