S PO RT refreshingly modern and progressive approach to golf, I was keen to find out more about the challenges of running the club.
“The biggest challenge is undoubtedly time, and then trying to keep all the members and the staff happy. This
is achieved by having a great team around me and an understanding
family! When I was asked to take the
role, one of the criteria was that I was allowed to continue to coach. I don’t
see this as work, it’s a vocation. I love coaching and my aim is to get more people playing this game which can only help golf and golf clubs. My
coaching is separate to the running
of the club and my decision is to do more hours so I can coach as well. There are many PGA professionals who have moved into General
Manager roles at golf clubs, but I
believe I am one of the few General Managers that still coaches.”
I remember my dad imparting some
advice in my early years that I should
learn to play golf as I will certainly do business on the golf course, so how
important is it for golf and business to go together and how does this work
at MSGC? “Anything that brings golf
level that players expect. “Investment and a good team of green staff are
hugely important. I am lucky to have a course consultant who liaises with
myself and the green keeping team to
work out the best programmes for the course. We have course development programmes that run on one-, threeand five-year cycles.”
But whilst many businesses have
had to adapt to changes forced by
the pandemic, many golf clubs report a surge in ladies participating in
golf – earlier this year, Golf Business Magazine reported that female
participation at UK golf courses more than tripled between 2019 and 2020,
with nearly 1.5 million women playing
to more people is good. We have used
Essentially the number of women
businesses such as Wellesley Wealth
1.46 million – and from 14 percent of
and TLC electrical wholesale who are
Lee comments: “It’s the fastest growing
here both on and off the course.”
to get away from the stereotype
events we host tend to overlap
me it is a personal goal. When I arrived,
raised for their chosen charities. We
now have close to 120 ladies actively
2022 Macmillan Cancer Research,
classes and a route into the club
Martletts and Chestnut Tree House
at least one full round of golf in 2020.
this to great effect as we have local
golfers grew from just over 400,000 to
Management, Mayo Wynne Baxter
all golfers to 28 percent in that time.
hole sponsors and host their events
section in golf clubs. We’ve needed
Additionally, most of the corporate
membership of male and retired…for
into Charity events with proceeds
we had around 75 ladies playing, we
have many Charity days booked for
playing. This is largely down to ladies’
Rockinghorse Children’s Charity,
through stages of learning.”
are all booked in, and we love helping
Whilst saying they are committed to a
much money for them as we can.”
them to run their golf day to raise as
www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 109
