GCM September 2014 by Union Press

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SEPTEMBER 2014 £10

AROUND THE WORLD

PLUS:

HOW ARE GOLF CLUBS FARING IN OTHER MARKETS AROUND THE GLOBE AND WHAT CAN BRITISH CLUBS LEARN FROM THIS?

How a golf club can host a major event like a wedding Profiling the men in their 30s who are running some of the biggest golf clubs in the world The major accommodation projects golf clubs are embarking on Biomass energy: Still a way to get paid to heat your clubhouse THE CHANGES ONE GOLF CLUB HAS BROUGHT IN THAT HAS LED TO A TRANSFORMATION

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THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE GOLF CLUB MANAGERS’ ASSOCIATION 7a Beaconsfield Road, Weston-super-Mare, Somerset BS23 1YE, Tel: 01934 641166 Reg No 08882781

President: JR Jones Chairman: Michael S Hoare

Here’s the top three things

Board of Directors: Barry J Hill Gary Steele Philip Grice Eddie Bullock

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while editing the magazine this month:

Captain: John AL Smith

3. It’s not just the younger genera-

tion that finds dress codes off-putting.

Chief Executive: Robert J Williams NATIONAL COMMITTEE Captain Elect - CV Hadley ETQ Chairman - BJ Hill Chilterns & H.C. - BJ Hill East Anglia - Mrs L Charlton East Midlands - PJ Thornton London & H.C. - TP Jackson Midlands - Mrs S LeBeau Norfolk - NI Symington Northern - MM Robinson Northern Ireland - G Steele North West - K Melia Scotland - BJ Knowles South East - CG Robins Southern - DK Maskery South West - J Cunning Wales - T Davies Wessex - M Staveley Yorkshire - DR Carlisle

It’s tempting to think that the dress

codes debate is essentially everyone over 40 shouting about jeans on one side and everyone under 40 rebelling against their parents. But the former host of Nationwide, Michael Barratt, has show that that’s not the case. He’s 86 and has set up REAL Golf, which aims to save the game from the crisis it’s found itself in.

REGIONAL SECRETARIES Chilterns & Home Counties Colin Hextall 01273 564288 East Anglia John Sayer 01284 700060 East Midlands Ron Beckett 07990 760273 London & Home Counties Maureen Brooker 07889 524279 Midlands Adrian Dibble 01785 661183 Norfolk John Barnard 07789 968328 Northern Jamie Forteath 07460 384106 Northern Ireland Gary Steele 02891 271767 North West Howard Williams 07787 108860 Scotland Allan Osborne 01506 790649 South East John Edgington 07857 529231 Wales Colin Duffield 07974 108648 South West Brian Rimes 01752 294673 Southern Joan Raffety 01273 472452 Wessex Eddie Robertson 01202 842451 Yorkshire Cameron Dawson 07718 078552 Website: www.gcma.org.uk E-mail: hq@gcma.org.uk

complexity of rules and handicap systems, restrictive dress codes, decline of basic etiquette on the course and much else besides,” he said. 2. From now on, all charity giving should include a wheelie bin attached by rope to a helicopter. If it doesn’t I fear that we will all feel a little cheated. Cowdray Park Golf Club in West Sussex did this, and it was my favourite golfing story of 2014 (until I came across the one below, which will be covered in more detail next month). Read about Cowdray Park’s feats on page 8. 1. Getting burgled may not be as bad for you as you might

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think.

In 1988 Wellingborough Golf Club had two of four small

Editor: Alistair Dunsmuir Chief Sub Editor: Tania Longmire Designer: Alan MacKenzie-Morris Sales Manager: Steve Eaves Sales Executives: Lewis O'Sullivan, Sam Coleman Production Manager: Mile Budimir Publishing Director: David Rose Chairman: Anthony Hawser Annual subscription: United Kingdom £97.00 Europe: £126.00, Rest of the world: £153.00 Subscription Enquiries: Lewis O'Sullivan

statues (that it had taken ownership of when it acquired a country house a decade earlier) stolen, in what was as unremarkable a crime as any golf club could suffer.

But many years later an academic saw the stolen statues,

researched them and found that they had been commissioned to be on Cardinal Wolsey’s tomb in 1524. He then traced them

back to the golf club. The four historically important statues are now together at the V&A, which is holding on to them for

ISSN: 0267-1166 © 2014 Union Press Ltd. Printed and distributed by Buxton Press Ltd. All rights reserved. No parts of the contents of this publication may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without written permission of the copyright holder. The views expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the Golf Club Managers’ Association

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Crisis? What crisis? “Amateur golfers are being lost to the

game because of a whole raft of issues like escalating costs,

Golf Club Management (established in 1935) is published by Union Press, Unit 122, 30 Great Guildford Street, London SE1 0HS Tel: 020 7803 2420 Email: golf@unionpress.co.uk Website: www.golfclubmanagement.net Twitter: @GCM_mag LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/golf-club-management Google+: plus.google.com/+GolfclubmanagementNet Facebook: facebook.com/GolfClubManagementJournal YouTube: youtube.com/user/golfclubmanagement

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safekeeping and has bid millions for them – money that could secure Wellingborough’s future. And the golf club would never have known that it was sitting on a fortune if it hadn’t been for the burglary.

Alistair Dunsmuir

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contents 16 26 58 52

regulars

features

04 Letters 05 News 56 Club Profile: Bamburgh Castle GC

10 12 16 22 24 26 46 52 58 60

IN THE ZONE from the GCMA 36 38 40 42 44 45

Chief Executive’s report The law ROUND-Up and new members Speak 4 Yourself! fotoBOOK Captain’s report

The transformation of The Warren Golf Club What is the state of the industry globally? A look at the new breed of managers in their 30s Innovation from Fairway Credit The increasing demand for cask ale How to prepare for a major event at your club Saving money via biomass boilers Raising revenues from lodges by the course Obituary: The STRI’s Antony Wainwright The latest products for golf course managers

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letter

Are cycling clubs more rewarding to cyclists than golf clubs are to golfers? Image by Amit Rawat

Golf’s handicapping system is so flawed that it is pushing golfers towards other sports Three years ago all of my 12 ‘pub mates’ (aged 45 to 65) played golf and two were golf club members. Now only the two golf club members play, yet all cycle regularly and are members of small clubs. Apart from starting at their front door and taking up only whatever time they have available, they say cycling is more rewarding than golf. Nearly all use a wristwatch computer that gives a read out on the achievements of each journey, distance, time, speed, pulse rate and so on. The clubs have a system for rewarding regular riders on a health or loyalty basis, accepting the read-outs of every ride as a reward for their effort, however small. All the figures their computers produce are discussed enthusiastically (and boringly!) Everyone really wants to boast and be rewarded for their achievements – their best efforts in particular. In contrast, in golf we do have the scorecard that can be discussed but a handicap system that actually penalises you the more you play and discourages competition entry. CONGU sets out to find a player’s average score and rates on that, when actually everyone is motivated by their best efforts. If someone does achieve their average score (by scoring in their buffer zone), no matter how many times this is achieved it goes quite unrewarded. On the occasions they go over their handicap (perhaps they have had a terrible week at work and their mind is on other things and actually deserve a medal for ‘having a go’) they are immediately penalised and the handicap goes up. When they play a dream round their achievement is scaled down and their handicap only moves down by a feeble portion of their true score. Some reward! Recently one of our juniors, who had been practising hard, won a stableford with

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54 points. He wanted his handicap to come down to 12 from 26. Try as we may, CONGU only allowed a 5 plus 2 reduction. Despite the fact his win had put off many others from entering the next competition: ‘If x is in it off that handicap no-one stands a chance’. Of course he won again next time and his handicap was reduced by a further 1.5. Still way above his scoring potential. Like the cycling club’s recording and rewarding of every outing, CONGU used to only increase handicaps at the annual review. Every round was exciting and one stood the chance of getting a handicap cut with no risk of increase if you played badly. Competition entry was full and people demanded extra competitions. Now people avoid competitions in case

they play badly and their handicap goes up. CONGU has greatly reduced competition entry and hence the drop in club memberships. Generally, apart from being deeply flawed, the system is administered by elderly golfers whose standard is dropping and very much welcome the added .1 that every round produces. Such administrators have lost sight that the very players we need coming into the game actually want to reduce their handicap. It really is not surprising golf is losing aspiring golfers to cycling and other sports that mark achievement rather than penalising endeavour.

Neil Sjoberg Epping Golf Course

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new s Golfer awarded £220,000 after being hit by ball The High Court in Ireland has awarded a golfer nearly £220,000 in damages after she sued a fellow member of a golf club after a golf ball he hit struck her on the head, causing her to suffer a stroke. The action for damages was brought by Mary Brennan, 56, who was standing on the balcony of the clubhouse of Old Conna Golf Club, in 2009, and was waving to her husband, when the ‘wayward’ ball hit her on the right top part of her head. She had only joined the club three weeks earlier. She told the court she thought her head had been “split in two” when the incident happened. “That is what it felt like. Nobody shouted fore. I did not hear a warning,” she said. Fellow member, Patrick Trundle, who had a handicap of eight, and was playing out of the rough on the 18th hole, hit the ball. “If I had heard a warning I would have put my hands over my head and ducked to the ground,” she told the court. “I opened my eyes to look at my husband, Philip, and I could not see him. I thought I was blind.” She was taken to hospital where a scan came back normal, but she remained in severe discomfort and eight days later started vomiting and had double vision and headaches, she said. She was admitted to hospital again and was then told that she had had a stroke. Since then she has been told she cannot drive again as she has to wear special glasses due to flickering in

Image by Flickr user ssalonso

her eyes and double vision. Doctors have also told her she will be in pain for the rest of her life. “I am never totally without a headache,” she said. Prior to the incident, she said life was wonderful and she was looking forward to holidays abroad playing golf with her husband as their daughter had grown up. However, they had to cancel a planned Caribbean trip. She added that she had tried playing golf a few times since the incident but has been unable to due to fear. “When somebody shouted ‘fore’ I threw another lady in front of me,” she said. “I could not understand why this had happened to me. I thought I was going to enjoy the rest of my life playing golf around the world. I had a ‘To Do’ list.” She was asked in court why there were pictures of her on Facebook without her glasses on, and she said she takes the glasses off for photographs. Mr Trundle said his shot was “wayward beyond belief”. “I was playing away from the clubhouse. If I had seen the flight of the ball heading

towards the clubhouse I would have had an automatic reaction of shouting ‘fore’,” he said. He said if a player does not see the ball he has hit, he does not shout fore, but turns

to his other players and asks them where the ball has gone. One analyst said this could rival the Niddry Castle Golf Club case, when a golfer sued both the club and a fellow golfer after he lost an eye when a ball hit him. “Clubs need to carry out risk assessments on their courses and golfers need to purchase insurance policies,” he said. It also emerged that Mr Trundle’s insurers employed a detective agency to covertly film her in the hope that evidence could be obtained that she had been exaggerating her injuries.

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MICHAEL BARRATT CAMPAIGNS TO SAVE GOLF The BBC television presenter Michael Barratt has launched a campaign to save golf from what he describes as the ‘crisis’ that it has found itself in. The game in the UK has been hit by falling participation for the last decade. Barratt, 86, who has presented Panorama and Songs of Praise , although is perhaps best remembered as the host of Nationwide, is a keen golfer and has even written a book on the sport. He launched REAL Golf last year with four friends, one of whom, Nick Park, has since died. The campaign aims to make golf more fun and less time consuming.

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“REAL stands for Recreational, Enjoyable, Affordable and Less timeconsuming golf,” he told the FineGolf newsletter. “Our wonderful game has lost its way with the consequence that, all over the world, clubs are closing down and the game is failing to attract young people and women especially, who should be the lifeblood of its future. “The four hour round is now the norm and amateur golfers are being lost to the game because of a whole raft of issues like escalating costs, complexity of rules and handicap systems, restrictive dress code,” he said. www.realgolfcampaign.org

Club fears closure due to rafting centre The members of a London golf club that made an £80,000 loss last year and could close down believe golf is being neglected by organisations that provide funding for sports venues. Lee Valley Golf Course in Enfield is run by Lee Valley Regional Parks Authority (LVRPA). The authority has invested millions in its state of the art white water rafting centre, as well large sums in a velopark, tennis and hockey centre, but relatively little in the golf club, which doesn’t even have a clubhouse. LVRPA will review the golf course’s future this autumn, and one of the options will be to close it down.

The club’s chairman, David Roche, has said LVRPA is discriminating against older people, because over half the club’s members are over 60. He said: “The authority is taking ageism to a whole new level and has deprived people who have retired the chance to take part in a sport that they love. “They have poured so much money into sports that attract crowds but not enough actual participants. “The main reason for the loss is the lack of facilities here. People love the course but they cannot get a simple cup of coffee. If we did have a clubhouse, there would be a lot of societies here.”

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www.cqlockers.co.uk ‘The amount it will cost to play golf is about to soar’ A financial services provider has said the cost of golf is likely to soar over the course of the next generation, even though many venues have slashed green fees and only given modest rises to annual subscriptions in the last few years. Friends Life polled more than 2,000 adults aged 35 to 44 and examined trends in the cost of golf over the last decade. It concluded that the average Brit who treats golf as a hobby pays £918 per year on the sport. This will almost exactly double in 28 years to £1,834 if inflation in the UK is two percent per year, every year until 2042.

“The cost of golf is expected to far outstrip inflation,” said Colin Williams, managing director of Corporate Benefits, Friends Life. “As a nation we expect to spend far more time on our hobbies in retirement yet research shows this may not be affordable by the time we get there due to costs soaring far above inflation. “The estimated cost of golf is calculated using an annual percentage increase tracked against prices over the past decade and extrapolated at that annual percentage increase from the 2014 price for the 28 years to 2042. Annual inflation of two percent was assumed.”

CLUB AWARDED £10K TO PROVIDE WATER TO COWS A multimillion pound fund has awarded a Gloucestershire golf club £10,000 to provide water to cows. It is thought that introducing the cows to the locality will safeguard the future of some flowers, which in turn attract a variety of animals to the area. The BIFFA Award has been granted to Painswick GC to install an underground pipe network to five grazing paddocks on Painswick Beacon Common. Both the golf club and Biffa Award, which is funded by money donated by waste management business Biffa Group to improve communities living near to

landfill sites, believe that reintroducing the cattle will keep alive an ecosystem that saves wildlife under threat from extinction. Mike Hoey, president of Painswick Golf Club, said: “Cattle grazing on Painswick Beacon and Common has been proved to enhance the quality of Cotswold grass which encourages rare orchids and attracts more butterflies. The Biffa Award grant has enabled us to provide mains water supplies to five paddocks, which is crucial to the longterm sustainability of a beautiful environment that encompasses the golf course.”

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new s GOLF CLUB PRAISED FOR NOVEL CHARITY ‘DROP’ A golf club has delivered a highly innovative and successful way to raise money for charity – by dropping hundreds of balls onto its course from the sky. Cowdray Park Golf Club in West Sussex commissioned a helicopter to drop more than 1,000 golf balls onto one of its greens from a height of 90 feet. Each ball had been bought for £5 and every ball that went into the hole won its owner £250. Two balls went into the hole and over £4,500 was raised for Treloar School and College in Hampshire, which provides education, care, therapy, medical support and independence training to young people with physical disabilities. The balls were tipped from a modified wheelie bin that was attached by rope to the helicopter, and they plummeted onto the specially-made green. The green was down a slight slope so the balls were dropped about 15 feet away from the pin. The idea was the brainchild of the owner of the firm that provided the

helicopter – Atlas Helicopters – Mike Burns, who had been moved by the charity. He organised the event and sold the balls. “It seemed like it would be an easy thing to do, but we had to get permission from the Civil Aviation Authority because you are not allowed to drop things from aircraft as it contravenes Article 129 of the Air Navigation Order,” he explained. “After obtaining permission we did a

couple of practice drops because it’s very difficult to get it right. For the drop my crew member Roy Adams had to position us because I couldn’t see the green from my seat. After he let the balls go all we could do was hope that they ended somewhere near the flag. We didn’t think we’d get a hole-in-one, never mind two.” Treloar’s Joanna Edson said: “People have raised money for us in a variety of ways, but nothing like this!”

Club launches project to keep elderly people active Tapton Park Golf Course in Chesterfield has received funding to run a project that will keep elderly people fit and active. The club has teamed up with Derbyshire Golf to launch the ‘fifty plus golfing academy’, which is designed to improve the fitness of older people through weekly group coaching sessions over a five week period. The scheme has been praised by England Golf as a great way to ‘improve fitness through playing golf’. The sessions are for men and women regardless of how good they are at golf, and are aimed at anyone over the age of 50, although they are particularly targeting golfers in more advanced years.

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For £50, each golfer will receive four one-hour group lessons, two one-hour lessons on the course and a free made to measure golf club. Andy Carnall, golf general manager at SIV, which runs Tapton Park Golf Course and three other golf courses on behalf of the charity Sheffield City Trust, said: “The sessions are a great way for older people who are already engaged in sport to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle, and for those who are not already participating to get into sport and improve their cardiovascular fitness. “The golf coaching sessions cover beginner level right through to

established level. All are light and friendly enabling those over the age of 50 to get fit and healthy whilst socialising and meeting new people.” Derbyshire Golf donated a grant to support the coaching. The money also enabled over 50s to have a limited golf club and course membership for the duration of their coaching. Nigel Furniss, Derbyshire Golf development officer, said: “We are delighted to support the project being run by SIV in the Chesterfield area, it is really encouraging to see such a proactive approach to helping more adults sustain their participation in golf. The project fits in nicely with our drive to increase the number of adults who are actively involved in golf once a week.”

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SURVIVING THE DOWNTURN

Warren beauty Like many golf clubs, The Warren G&CC suffered during the economic downturn, culminating in it being placed in administration two years ago. The decline meant the club needed a huge amount of work done to it, leading to members fearing that it would close for good. However, a programme of investment and professionalism has meant the club has not just survived – it has been turned around and is now growing. Chris Standen reports From the moment The Warren Golf & Country Club in Essex first opened its doors in 1902, it was renowned as one of the finest venues to play golf in the south east. Yet, exactly 110 years later, the club, and the Warren Estate it lies on, experienced the ultimate low of being placed into administration. Following a troublesome number of trading years throughout and after the recession, the previous owners decided there was no option but to take this difficult decision, which put the club at serious risk of closure. With word spreading that a club steeped in history could be in danger of closing for good, a number of local businessmen came together and agreed to purchase the 325 acre estate in June 2012. After the purchase was completed, they set about appointing a team to revitalise and redevelop the club to bring it back to the forefront of golf in Essex. This involved significant expenditure through all areas of the business, whilst

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also streamlining expenditure to achieve a breakeven budget. During the last few years of the previous ownership, a lack of investment in the golf course meant the facility was needing a lot of work to bring it back to the required condition. A new team of greenkeepers was appointed, spearheaded by Stuart Kearney, to oversee the extensive works that were required. A detailed schedule of events, overseen by world renowned course architect Mackenzie & Ebert, were put in place to allow the finished product to be of the highest standard. Extensive winter works over the last couple of years have taken place on tees, fairways, bunkers and greens to ensure a high quality product for members and visitors alike. Stuart Kearney commented: “The vision shared by all owners, staff and members of The Warren is second to none. With the aims and aspirations to be held in the same regards as the best

“The club is projecting a breakeven budget this financial year, which is a remarkable turnaround from 24 months ago when we were fighting to survive” golf venues in the south east and beyond, the job of the course manager here is one that is extremely exciting and enjoyable. Whilst the works already completed have improved the course significantly, the remainder of the scheduled works will ensure a top quality championship course for members and visitors to enjoy.” Despite possessing a large clubhouse dating back to 1744, both the food offering and demand to eat at the club was below the desired level. Significant investment has been made in improving the kitchen equipment, clubhouse experience and general décor to allow the club to expand into a wider of variety of functions. From a club holding a handful of weddings prior to 2012, we will host over 20 during 2014 and expect this to be over 30 during 2015. This highly lucrative area of revenue not only commands a premium rate for catering

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The Warren Golf & Country Club’s clubhouse, which next year is expected to host over 30 weddings – several times the amount the club used to hold. Far left: The course

requirements, but the room hire fee adds significantly to the bottom line in the accounts. Julie Masters, a specialist wedding and events coordinator, was brought into the company to oversee this new offering, whilst ensuring the bride and groom receive exactly what they come to expect on their special day. For a venue steeped in history, which used to have ex Ladies European Tour winner and Solheim Cup captain Mickey Walker as head professional for 15 years, the golf course was not utilised to anywhere near its potential. To try and alleviate the problem of declining corporate, society and visitor numbers, I was hired as golf sales manager to boost income within this area. Through a structured and proactive marketing campaign, we are now welcoming many old and new customers back to the club and filling a number of quiet periods throughout the day, especially in afternoons. This has meant a steady growth in green fee revenue, which is forecast to grow further in 2015 and beyond. With the variety of golf on offer at The Warren and Bunsay Downs, it is the most extraordinary opportunity to be working at the club. The vision and forward thinking nature of all

employees and owners is second-tonone, so I have no doubts at all the club will continue to prosper and grow vastly in the coming years. To oversee a vast number of projects and run the club on a day-to-day basis, a highly qualified managing director was sought for the role. Coming with a wealth of experience from his time at Stoke-by-Nayland resort, Matthew Manning was appointed to lead the club forwards. His wealth of knowledge has allowed the club to continue developing, and during his time at the club he has managed a number of projects from start to finish. The club has recently redeveloped the clubhouse at Bunsay Downs, the sister course situated in the same estate, opening a sports bar offering excellent homemade food with large flat screen televisions to enjoy live sports. In addition to this, a new gym was recently opened containing the state-ofthe-art Technogym equipment and offering members a varied selection of fitness classes. Membership levels in ‘Warren Active’ continue to grow, and a joining fee will be introduced at the end of the year when optimum capacity is reached. These additions to the Warren Estate underline the determination to improve both the service offering and the profitability of the company as a whole.

Manning said of the undertakings at the club: “We are all grateful for the level of investment being made by the owners, and it shows their determination to have the highest quality club in Essex and beyond. A number of clubs which enter administration never manage to leave it, so to be one of the lucky ones makes us more determined than ever to develop as everyone requires. The club is forecast to break even this financial year, which is a remarkable turnaround from 24 months ago when we were fighting to survive!” Nearly all of the stories coming out over the last couple of years were the ones which have been about golf courses shutting down and people losing their jobs. In what has been the most testing of times for all involved with the golf industry, a small handful of clubs have survived difficulty and come out of the other side a stronger entity. At The Warren, levels of staffing are growing to ensure optimum service levels for members and visitors, and the club is returning to profitability once again. With the investment, support and business acumen on show throughout, the club promises to succeed and hopefully will survive the next 110 years! GCM Chris Standen is golf sales manager at The Warren Golf & Country Club

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STATE OFGOLFAROUND THE WORLD felt less painful to golf venues. This drop has had a knock-on effect of hurting sales of golf equipment, which resulted in July in the sacking of nearly 500 PGA professionals from retailer Dick’s, which has led to job security concerns on this side of the Atlantic. Dick’s CEO said the sales slump has not hit the rock bottom yet, while major manufacturers of equipment have also reported drops in sales this year. For clubs, average net profit margins for privately owned courses have been negative for several years. Over the last 12 months, for example, golf courses Dick’s in the USA sacked nearly 500 PGA professionals in July. Image by Mike Mozart

Image by Thomas Keil

Thinking global Everyone in the industry knows that the last few years have been tough for British golf clubs, with large drops in membership numbers, but apart from hearing that the UK tends to do worse for female participation than the rest of the world, how is golf performing elsewhere, notably the USA, Australia, Europe and Asia? Nigel Harte finds out There has barely been a survey in the last decade on golf in the UK that hasn’t concluded that memberships, and often participation, is plummeting. Is this phenomena exclusive to the ‘home of golf’, or are other markets experiencing similar difficulties? Here is a regional guide to the state of golf around the world. North America – the mass exodus of male golfers The USA is comfortably the world’s single biggest golf market, with more than 15,000 courses – about six times the size of the UK. Like its British counterpart, clubs in the USA have

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struggled in recent years – the country had about 30 million golfers at the start of the century, today it has 24 to 28 million, depending on which survey you prefer to believe, and there has been a mass closure of courses in the last decade. According to the National Golf Foundation, last year alone 400,000 more golfers quit the game than took it up – and this was despite initiatives to attract women proving to be highly successful, bringing in 260,000 more women playing the game, which merely ensured that the number of men who quit the game, which was 650,000 higher than the number that took it up,

and country clubs lost about two cents for every dollar of revenue generated by memberships, club shop sales and restaurant meals. That’s about the same as in 2013 and only slightly better than for 2012, albeit several times better than in 2008. “Sales have turned negative,” said analyst Jenna Weaver. “You might naturally assume this means people aren’t purchasing as many rounds of golf, but it could be that these businesses are lowering membership rates to attract more people. The fees and time-intensive nature of the sport may make any boost less dramatic than it might be for something like tennis. It’s a lot easier for kids to get a tennis racquet and go play on a public court, whereas with golf, it’s not necessarily that easy or affordable.” Many golf courses in recent years have shifted from private-club models to public courses, which has brought down the rates for a round of golf. Declining sales are also influenced by disappointing pro shop sales. “Golf is in a bit of a drought,” said Allen Adamson, managing director at brand consulting firm Landor

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Associates in New York. “It’s a pretty high-price sport.” The obvious reason for golf’s problems in the USA is the general economy and an oversupply of courses after thousands were built in the late 1990s, but according to Gerald Celente, publisher of the Trends Journal in New York, the biggest problem golf has is that younger males are abandoning the game. The National Golf Foundation reports that 200,000 players under 35 quite the game last year. “Everybody’s hooked up to their handhelds, so it’s social networking instead of sports,” he said. “The motivation for wannabe executives to spend hours chasing small balls no longer exists. “It’s something that’s associated with boom times. Most of society’s not moving up, and golf is associated with moving up.” “Leisure time is getting crunched,” added Adamson. Even those sticking with the game in the USA are spending less time playing it – just 462 million 18-hole equivalent rounds were played last year, the fewest number since 1995, as many golfers have opted to play nine holes rather than 18. This fall in demand meant that only 14 new courses were built in the USA last year, while almost 160 shut down. Last year was the eighth straight year that more courses closed than opened and industry experts believe that course closures will continue to outnumber openings by about 100 a year for the foreseeable future. “Prior to 2000, the assumption was that boomers would behave the same as retirees in the 1950s through 1990s — people would retire and get a membership at a golf club,” said Douglas Main, director of real estate consulting firm Deloitte Transaction and Business Analytics. While plenty of baby boomers still love to golf, he said, many are working longer, travelling more and taking up other leisure activities. “Meanwhile, the younger set has not given the industry much of a bump. The family dynamic has changed. Dad’s not leaving for the golf course at 8 o’clock Saturday morning and coming home just in time for dinner.” It is not bad for everyone though. Firstly, the premium end of the market

Participation and membership is significantly down in the USA and Australia in recent years, leading to various financial problems for the industry. One of the most cited causes of the slump is the time that it takes to play a round of golf is putting of f customers. Image by Alex Thompson

in the USA, where annual subscriptions are tens of thousands of dollars (and in some cases command seven figure joining fees), has been recession-proof. And, just as some major venues in the UK, like Turnberry, have been sold at knock-down prices, this has happened to an even greater level in the US, leading to good returns for serious investors. “It’s certainly a buyer’s market,” said Larry Hirsh, president of Golf Property Analysts. “There are a lot of distressed courses and financing is difficult.” The former CEO of Arnold Palmer Golf Management, Peter Nanula, who has criticised the ‘mismanagement’ of clubs in the US in the past, bought eight golf courses in the last two years, Pacific Links International has bought 10 since 2012 and in 2013, ClubCorp Holdings, which now owns 109 golf clubs, went public (and its share price has risen by nearly 50 percent since) and had a record year for earnings and a 1.4 percent rise in memberships. Like the UK, American venues and authorities have formulated plans to address the decline, with novelty ideas ranging from larger holes and bicycle golf to far-reaching projects that have cut slow play and attracted women to the game, which have been successful. ClubCorp clubs have been growing because their venues have become family centric rather than golf centric, in particular revamping food and beverage offerings, relaxing dress

codes, offering adventure golf for children and providing fitness facilities. It is clear many other venues need to follow suit. Australia and New Zealand – a similar story Australia has experienced similar problems to the UK and the USA in recent years. There has been a fall in participation for the last four years and today two-thirds of the country’s 1.18 million golfers are not members of clubs. Overall club membership in 2013 dropped to below 400,000 with the majority of them aged over 55. This means that half of all Australian clubs state that they are under financial duress and, incredibly, the same number have less than 100 members. “There has been a six percent overall decline in club membership since 2010,” said Golf Australia Golf Development director Cameron Wade. “The good news is that there is a healthy level of new demand for the golf club product but the rate of participation in the 15 to 34 age group has experienced a decline. In this age group people have a lot of recreational activities competing for their time. Golf is one of those activities but it needs to recognise it has to offer something innovative to capture their attention. “There are a lot of young families in their late 20s and early 30s. “Flexibility is one of the key factors there – it’s more difficult now for people to commit to several hours on

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STATE OFGOLFAROUND THE WORLD Golf is struggling in traditional markets like the UK and USA, but it is growing in emerging markets such as Asia. Image by Marc van der Chijs

the golf course. Together the industry needs to work on ways to provide that flexibility while maintaining the club’s financial health.” Sound familiar? The situation is identical in New Zealand, where just one quarter of golfers are members of clubs. “There’s declining membership. It’s a difficult landscape, probably for a whole lot of reasons such as cost and there’s other options and life is busy so people are finding it hard to find the time for four and a half or five hours on the weekend,” said Peter Thornton, media and PR manager for New Zealand Golf. New Zealand Golf has launched www.cheeky9.com, to promote the game, “giving anyone the chance to squeeze a cheeky nine holes in with their mates”. Asia – the increasing popularity of golf Golf may be struggling in traditional markets, but it is growing in new ones. And nowhere is that more apparent than in China, where the game was effectively banned by Chairman Mao less than 50 years ago. The game, like the Chinese economy, has grown exponentially in the last 30 years. However, with a population of more than one billion people, more than a million millionaires, some world class Chinese golfers on the tours and the world famous Mission Hills golf complex as its spiritual home, golf in China could still be performing better.

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Only about 300,000 people to two million play the game according to different research, and there are just 600 courses (there are about four times as many in Japan). There is strong demand to play more golf, but part of the problem is an official ban on the construction of new courses, which came into force a decade ago. (To get round it, many venues do not call themselves ‘golf courses’). This could, of course, be an opportunity for British venues that could appeal to Chinese golfers. Elsewhere in Asia, the game is generally growing. For example, there are currently 25 golf courses in Vietnam, with plans for a further 65 over the coming years which provides a key insight into the confidence, aspiration and appetite that abound in that market for the game of golf. There are some predictions in India that that country will have more golfers than the USA does within 15 years. Meanwhile, the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO) has said that the UAE has achieved a rise from ninth to fourth in its annual list of the world’s emerging golfing hotspots, following continued investment into attracting overseas visitors. Overseas rounds for Q1 on Abu Dhabi’s three championship-ready courses increased 19 percent on the first three months of 2013 to total 10,948 with increasing demand from Germany, the UK, South Korea, China and India. The total number of rounds played in

the UAE capital in Q1 this year inched up four percent to 43,046. France – the Ryder Cup location for 2018 Golf in France has grown significantly over the last decade in both demand and supply. Golf supply is roughly distributed by 70 percent commercial courses and 30 percent member owned courses. Over 100 courses in France are owned by multicourse entities (chains) and over 200 courses are affiliated to commercial networks. France has over 400,000 golfers, with a relatively high 30 percent of them female and 11 percent juniors. “France is probably the best market in the world today to look to for growing golf,” said a spokesman for the European Golf Course Owners’ Association. “Having gone through acute over supply of courses in the 1980s and 1990s, France stuck it’s teeth into innovation on academies and marketing. The game has grown in popularity and the industry has boomed.” Golf is a growing sport around the world, with interest rising in Europe, Asia and South America, which is partly why it has been brought back into the Olympics for 2016. However, in the traditional markets of the USA and Australia, the game is facing exactly the same struggles as in the UK – which at least means the pool of best practice that struggling clubs in Britain and Ireland can turn to may be wider than merely golf venues in their own countries. GCM

KEY FINDINGS FOR THE USA AND AUSTRALIA • Middle end clubs have been severely affected by the economic downturn, with large drops in members • The time to play the game being too long is a recurring reason among those who have abandoned golf • Clubs that have appealed to women, launched flexible memberships and provided non-golf offerings are performing the best • Top end clubs have not been hit as hard by the downturn

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THE NEX T GENERATION OFMANAGERS A new day’s dawn over Saadiyat Beach Golf Club

A new dawn Chris Brown, Scott McCaw and Paul Booth have three things in common. Firstly, they’re all top golfers, secondly they’re all managers of world-leading Troon Golf clubs in the UAE and thirdly, they’re all in their 30s. Tania Longmire finds out if their age is a strength or a weakness when it comes to running a top club Tania Longmire: What are your backgrounds and how did you get to the position you are in? Chris Brown (born March 25, 1976 and General Manager at The Els Club, Dubai): Forging a career in golf had been a goal of mine from a very young age, initially beginning with aspirations of a playing career but soon came to the realisation that making a living from playing golf was far from easy. At that time the definition of a club professional was shifting to a more managerial role within clubs, as director of golf titles emerged in the UK. Intrigued by the responsibilities of this, I decided to enrol in a golf complex and operations management course in Arizona which would provide the tools necessary to understand the various disciples of holding a director of golf role at a club. This course also provided a plat-

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form in which to explore my playing ambitions whilst providing a safety net should playing not transpire. Having completed the course successfully I was invited for an interview at Turnberry, where I began my career in golf and was able to apply the previously gained knowledge and further understand the complexities of managing a golf resort. Turnberry is part of the Troon Golf family which manages many top class facilities around the world and having built up a very good network at Troon, I was asked to interview for the director of golf role at The Els Club, Dubai. Scott McCaw (born November 14, 1976 and Director of Club Operations at Abu Dhabi Golf Club): I started my career in Scotland when I qualified as a PGA golf professional working for Kevin Stables

in Montrose, then moved to Crieff to work for David Murchie (now chairman of the PGA). After a year at Crieff, I was offered a teaching position in Bahrain working at Riffa Golf Club, which at that time was managed by a company called Gleneagles Golf Developments. Having spent seven years in Bahrain teaching and eventually becoming head professional, I left for a new opportunity under Troon, which now oversees the management services of the venue following its redevelopment as Royal Golf Club, Bahrain. There was an opening for a golf operations manager in the Azores which I took and spent a year working at Batahla Golf Club and Furnas Golf Club (under the same ownership) moving on to help set up a property for Troon in the north east of Moroco, Saidia Golf Course, for a year. I then headed back to

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THE NEX T GENERATION OFMANAGERS Chris Brown, aged 38

the Middle East as director of golf at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, which I held for two years before the role evolved into the role of director of club operations, where I now oversee the day to day management of the facility. Paul Booth (born February 12, 1975 and Director of Club Operations at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club in Abu Dhabi): I began my career in my native England as assistant golf professional at Belton Woods Hotel and Country Club in 1992, before joining Lincolnshire’s Sleaford Golf Club as a teaching professional in 1997. In 2001, I moved to the Middle East where I spent six years at Abu Dhabi City Golf Club, before joining the Troon Golf family in 2007. From there I made my way from head golf professional at Abu Dhabi Golf Club to a key member of Saadiyat Beach Golf Club’s pre-opening team as director of golf. I was appointed director of club operations in July 2011. What attracted you to manage a golf club in the Middle East? Chris Brown: I had visited the Middle East on several occasions whilst at Turnberry so had a relatively good understanding of the quality of golf in this region. Moving on from Turnberry to a better facility was always going to be difficult, but I could see the UAE already had a few outstanding properties on board with the vision to bring online more quality facilities and that really excited me. Scott McCaw: Having spent time in the region previously, with a good knowledge of the area and its cultures as well as how businesses operate, I felt it was a good fit to move back to the region. It is

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Scott McCaw, aged 37

Paul Booth, aged 39

also a region that is blossoming as a golf destination, and being involved across the various aspects of that is both a challenge and an opportunity that you don’t find in many other parts of the world.

golfing markets like the UK and the USA, there are traditions that may present some barriers to younger managers. In the Middle East, these standards are in their infancy and therefore are being written with a good amount of hindsight, I see no reasons why younger managers should face barriers though.

Paul Booth: It was a situation of circumstance. I had moved to the region to coach at Abu Dhabi City Golf Club, and then moved to Abu Dhabi Golf Club, where DJ Flanders, my general manager at the time, took me aside and asked where I wanted to be in five years. On deciding I wanted to be in his shoes, he advised me to get into operations and the rest is history! When I moved here, the government initiative, Golf in Abu Dhabi (GIAD), didn’t exist, but as I watched the nation and GIAD brand develop over the years, I quickly realised Abu Dhabi as a desirable place for me to continue my career. Do you think there are barriers to younger managers taking on bigger clubs in the UK and USA? Chris Brown: No, I think quite the opposite. The PGA programme in the UK has evolved so much over the past decade that young graduates from the programme are far more equipped with the tools required to become successful managers. Ownership groups are very aware of the need to differentiate from competition in an ever more competitive industry and young talent brings about fresh energy and new perspectives. Obviously this can also bring with it an element of age-related scepticism in a club where tradition can play an overwhelming factor but in general the younger managers have an edge. Scott McCaw: In more established

Paul Booth: I don’t think there are barriers to younger managers taking on bigger clubs. I believe that it’s all about experience level rather than age, especially working with Troon Golf. What skills can younger managers bring that perhaps older / more experienced managers might not? Chris Brown: The need for instant communication / information is now a permanent fixture of modern society / business and the younger generation have grown up embracing technology whilst the older generation can be fearful and reluctant to change. Younger managers can also be eager and willing to learn new skill sets, which in a corporate environment is an essential requirement to bond a team together and conform to an ethos or initiative. Scott McCaw: Younger managers tend to possess a wider of understanding technological advancements, how people are communicating with companies, brands and individuals, and therefore are finding new ways of marketing products and their golf offering. With our region specifically, as more and more golf facilities open, there is a constant demand to be the best in the business and these initiatives will shape how venues will prosper in years to come.

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THE NEX T GENERATION OFMANAGERS

“There are many clubs that are hosting large concerts on the driving range, building kids’ playgrounds within the facility and creating floodlit crazy golf courses which can all lead to new revenue streams and introduce golf to a new market”

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Paul Booth: I think younger managers have a better understanding of managing cross-generations – millennials, gen-Xs, baby boomers and traditionalists – compared to older, more experienced managers who may be more used to dealing with people who are more of their mindset. What are the day-to-day challenges you face in your role? Chris Brown: Managing a facility in the desert comes with many challenges but perhaps the most prevalent is how to keep grass alive and growing in a climate that isn’t conducive to this. Water in the desert is a sacred commodity and each facility can have their own methods of sourcing water to keep the golf course thriving. We are very fortunate at The Els Club, Dubai to be part of a residential community which is home to some 15,000 residents and our ownership built an infrastructure to deal with the recycling of sewage which can be used to irrigate, not only the golf course but also the entire common areas and villa landscaping. The Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) uses state of the art technology to produce large quantities of water per day and to an extremely high quality which in turn benefits the grass on the golf course. Scott McCaw: Abu Dhabi Golf Club is one of the older properties in the region, having opened in 2000, and there are a number of issues that we face daily due to the desert environment. Golf course maintenance is an obvious regional challenge, with water management remaining key to overall playing experience. Our recruitment can pose its time issues, with our associates generally coming from an ex-patriot background. Training is an ongoing task in order to maintain and drive on the high levels of service required at a Troon Golf property; however the diversity of our team is a true positive for us and aids with our diverse guest demographic. Paul Booth: Our biggest challenge at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, like all courses in the UAE, is the climatic conditions we experience here. The heat and humidity takes its toll on the course, so I work closely with the agronomy team to ensure the course is maintained in peak

condition. Another challenge we face as leaders from a day-to-day perspective is being able to effectively manage a team of people with diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. What can western golf clubs learn from clubs in the Middle East? Chris Brown: Dubai is known for its vision and how to continue to grow and adapt to attract an array of different countries to the region. This vision is replicated within the golf industry to a point in that we are always looking for new and fresh ideas to move the club forward which can include ‘non-traditional methods’. There are many clubs in the Middle East that are hosting large concerts on the driving range, building kids’ playgrounds within the facility grounds, creating floodlit crazy golf courses and so on, which can all lead to new revenue streams and introducing golf to a market that perhaps wasn’t interested due to preconceived ideas of golf in general. Scott McCaw: Golf clubs in the Middle East are all relatively new golf courses, with many in the region offering more than just a traditional golfing experience. Properties often include leisure facilities and various food and beverage outlets which add to their attraction, catering for all the family and the international audience. Sometimes, venues, like ourselves, need to challenge tradition to develop accessibility and encourage participation. Paul Booth: I think the overall level of guest service experience provided by golf clubs in the Middle East is at a high level. Guests and members of Saadiyat Beach Golf Club enjoy services such as bag drop, a marshal / player assistant, and ice lollies and coconut water on the course during the summer. Since you've been manager of your club, how has it changed? Chris Brown: The club has changed in many regards but to pinpoint one or two key areas I would have to say food and beverage has become an enormous provider of customer loyalty to the club. A combination of economic upturn, access to our development and increase in local population have all played a part in contributing to this.

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Saadiyat Beach’s golf course and inset, Abu Dhabi Golf Club’s clubhouse. Below: The Els Club, Dubai’s clubhouse

Scott McCaw: Abu Dhabi as a destination has changed and developed during the time I have been here, with the volume of golf increasing dramatically. We now have a hotel onsite at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, the Westin Abu Dhabi Golf Resort & Spa, and floodlights have been introduced to nine holes for night time play. The property continues to grow and evolve to serve the demands of a strong membership base and the requirements of a growing tourism market. Paul Booth: Saadiyat Beach Golf Club was the first amenity to open on Saadiyat Island, and since then, over the years we have seen an influx of five-star hotels, beach clubs and tourist attractions onto the island, including the St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort. The facility was an integral part in the vision for Saadiyat Island, the ‘Island of Happiness’, and continues to be so. Guests can now extend their vacation with the complimentary backdrop of villas, hotels and amenities. What are your views on some of the contentious issues in golf today , such as speeding up slow play , dress codes, flexible memberships a nd reciprocal deals with other golf clubs?

Chris Brown: Pace of play has been identified by Troon Golf as a key area that requires improvement worldwide in order to continue to develop the game and keep attracting more golfers. A new initiate called ‘Troon Values Your Time’ has been introduced worldwide by Troon which we hope will improve the awareness by all golfers on the need to play golf in a reasonable time highlighted by each club. The Els Club, Dubai has taken this one step further by including this in our social media – we ask all golfers playing at The Els Club, Dubai at weekends to take a picture of their group beside the Omega clock after their round and post on Facebook / Twitter with a link to ‘time par’ … all golfers that finish within time par will receive a midweek 2-for-1 voucher. This initiative helps the message of improving pace of play reach a wider audience. Scott McCaw: I am a firm believer in speeding the game up, we also implement the ‘Troon Values Your Time’ initiative, promoting the recognition of pace of play and its importance. In a new golfing market like the Middle East, we have to tackle the issue head on. We have a number of European Tour events taking place in the region as well as good TV coverage of events week in, week out, leading to many golfers trying to emulate touring professionals that they see on TV. We strive to create awareness and put in place ways for people to speed up their game for the enjoyment of all. Being flexible with dress code is another area that, as a

venue, we have worked at addressing the previous ‘stuffy’ image of golf. We are aware of the growth of the game and the need to be flexible in order for this to continue, so we are not as strict with dress codes as some. Troon Golf run a number of programmes including the ‘Troon Advantage’ which gives members access to fellow Troon properties at reduced green fee rates. The Middle East region also offers golfers a ‘Troon Executive Card’ which provides playing benefits and lower rate green fees to card holders whilst the ‘Troon Rewards’ programme, a global points based system, incentivises return customers with certificates to play golf again and discounts for merchandise spends. Paul Booth: I think speeding up slow play is a particularly important issue to combat in order to make golf a more quick-paced and fun game that youngsters, in particular, will enjoy. With golf on a global decline, we’ve got to come up with ways of making the game cooler in order to attract and retain juniors. I think the ‘Troon Values Your Time’ initiative is a strong solution to this issue which demonstrates how, as a management company, we are taking it very seriously. G C M You can view car eer opportunities within Troon Golf through the company’s portal at www.trooncareers.com/careers

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FINANCIAL SERVICES

Forum for the future Keen to meet more clubs’ needs, last month Fairway Credit got eight managers together to discuss issues it might have solutions for. Alistair Dunsmuir reports Leading golf club membership funder Fairway Credit recently hosted eight local golf club managers and associate staff at the prestigious Stoke Park Golf Club, a longstanding Fairway Credit customer, to brainstorm ideas on how Fairway Credit can expand the services it provides, to the benefit of golf clubs and their members. Steve Taylor, sales director of Fairway Credit, told us: “Our golf club partners tell us that our service is very good – efficient and professionally delivered, but we are always keen to talk to clubs to make sure we stay abreast of the current issues they face. We need to know what golf clubs want today and what else we can do for them in the future, so we invited some local managers to join us for the day to listen to their ideas and help us develop our own thoughts.” The forum was co-hosted by Bob Williams, CEO of the GCMA, who invited clubs to share success stories and challenges experienced at their clubs. Club managers and representatives made many suggestions to the Fairway Credit team on how they could provide new and improved products to assist golf clubs. A ‘onestop-shop’ collection service, cobranded application forms, member reward schemes / sponsorship, funding flexible membership and

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The forum was co-hosted by GCMA CEO Bob Williams (right). Bottom left, Fairway Credit’s Gina Topping lists some of the points the managers raised and right, Steve Taylor summarises the day

enhanced default / debt chasing activity were just some of the ideas raised. “I am really grateful for the input we had from all those who joined us – it really does help us to design our solutions for this market in partnership with our customer base. The Fairway Credit team will now work hard to deliver some of the products the golf market needs to help arrest the decline in membership numbers, and I look forward to sharing those developments in the very near future – watch this space!” Steve assured us. Following the forum discussions the group went on to enjoy a delicious

lunch and a round of golf in the afternoon. Bob Williams commented: “Communication of information to our members is at the core of our service. This was an excellent and very enjoyable way for myself and some of our members to work with Fairway Credit and have an open and honest discussion about the issues facing our sector and what we might do together to overcome those challenges.” G C M

Email Steve T aylor steve.taylor@pcl.co.uk. Visit www.premium-credit.co.uk

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BAR AND RESTAURANT

Time to bask in cask? One golf club is gaining a reputation, and associated revenue, for providing quality cask ale to customers as soon as demand for it starts to rise. Jenny Yu reports Golf clubs have not been slow to recognise and respond to the recent revival in cask ale. Their main challenge is to stock an appealing cask beer range while maintaining throughput and quality. For one Merseyside golf club, when it came to selecting a brewery partner, there was only one clear choice. The popular Prenton Golf Club near Birkenhead needed more than the offer of a quality pint at the right price and a speedy and reliable delivery service. It looked to its cask ale provider for advice and support in growing its range of ales and the customer appetite for it. With decades of experience in servicing sport and leisure focused free trade customers, Marston’s was the smart solution to the club’s cask ale needs. Famous for being the UK’s number one premium ale brewer, Marston’s has the most extensive range of ales to choose from. Across its five regional breweries; Jennings, Wychwood, Marston’s, Banks’s and Ringwood, its portfolio of cask, keg and bottled ales represents a national ale trail from the Lake District down to the south coast. To meet the demands of this new generation of ale drinkers, house manager Scott McCrindle selected Marston’s for its reputation for producing consistently excellent ale. He said: “Due to the ease of changing a pump clip, cask ale gives us the opportunity to differentiate our offer more frequently than any other draught beer format. But maintaining quality is crucial, so we have taken a gradual approach to developing our range. It takes time to establish a

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reputation for quality beer and it can be easily tarnished by an eagerness to offer too much choice.” Prenton Golf Club now stocks Marston’s Pedigree, EPA and Shipyard American Pale Ale and Banks’s Original from cask and also Mansfield Bitter from keg. Scott’s advice to any golf club looking to introduce cask ales on draught is to remember three key points: 1. Pouring the perfect pint every time comes from dedication to quality from cellar to glass 2. Be willing to develop your range to suit your customers’ tastes 3. Sell and serve to build your reputation and differentiate your offer. But because quality is essential, golf clubs that experience irregular trading patterns might think that cask ale is operationally too difficult for them. So Marston’s unique fastcask™ format provides the ideal entry point for clubs, thanks to its flexibility. It delivers genuine cask beer that can be moved at any time and always be ready for sale, even when cellar space is at a premium. Scott added: “FastcaskTM cask ales from Marston’s have transformed our ability to sell cask ale and at the same time we have stepped up our knowledge, skill and attention to quality. Golf clubs are not usually associated with great quality cask ale but we’re keen to challenge that perception. We’re big on the ‘perfect serve’ and with help from Marston’s our bar team has really raised its game.” G C M

“Golf clubs are not usually associated with great quality cask ale but we’re keen to challenge that perception and our bar team has really raised its game”

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EVENT M ANAGEM ENT Image by Phil Richards

Your big day Great events that the club hosts that fuel your food and beverage profits, like weddings, can easily become great disasters due to poor planning. To help ensure that yours do not, bar and restaurant expert Steven Brown looks at how golf clubs can host events that they can be truly proud of So, the great day is here. The bride has arrived at the door in the pouring rain only to discover that, due to the lack of signage, she has been deposited at the entrance to the men’s locker room. Meanwhile the guests are busy parking their cars in the spaces clearly marked for the secretary and members of the board. The children are playing hop scotch (do they still play that?) on the practice putting green and the self styled ‘events manager’, who in reality is today’s shift leader from the bar, has secreted himself in the broom closet with a comforting bottle of gin in an attempt to avoid detection! Familiar or avoidable? The ‘great event’ can so easily become the ‘great disaster’ in an instant. The key to successful event management is simple and known to us all – proper planning prevents poor performance. In this article I am going to highlight what needs to be planned in the arena of

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event activity to ensure customer, staff and member satisfaction. Many of you, having read previous articles of mine written for this prestigious journal, or having attended one of my travelling road show seminars, will have heard me recount on many occasions, that the profit in food and beverage comes from event activity and not from bacon baps. Well, it does if you conduct them properly. The vast majority of golf clubs in the UK will provide a bar and catering service for their patrons and, by and large, these will operate with varying degrees of success. Not all of them will make a profit or a positive contribution and some may even be subsidised by the club on the proviso that they provide the club with an exceptional level of product and service and, for those cash rich clubs among you that can afford to adopt this business model, then so be it.

However there will be some enterprising and entrepreneurial club secretaries and business managers out there who would like to increase their activity opportunities and to maximise the club’s food and beverage profit potential in so doing. This article will not focus on the day to day food and beverage service that you provide but on those occasions that present themselves to you in generating additional income for the club to help you defray other costs or to help fund expansion. So, where do we begin? With the realisation that, with a lot of hard work, the members’ approval (unless of course you own the club), the right facilities and the right licence, you can generate a large, positive contribution for the club. On our planned seminars this autumn (see page 28) I will be developing each of the issues mentioned above in much greater depth as each and

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every one of them will, if not addressed, defeat the efforts of the most determined secretary / manager to host successful events. What options are available to you in order to set the ball rolling? 1. Appoint a full time, experienced events manager. 2. Delegate the task to a member of the existing food and beverage team that has shown some potential. 3. Delegate tasks that you already undertake to a junior member of staff and then expand your role to incorporate the events managers’ duties. 4. Ensure that, if you are playing host to a franchisee, that they are fulfilling their duties professionally in this area. 5. Find an experienced club member to help you! My key point here is that if you intend to conduct an event of any size you must have a key, accountable individual who has meticulously controlled every element of its conception through to its conclusion.

MEMBERS’ APPROVAL

For those of you that are proprietary clubs then we might reasonably assume that this will not be a problem. For those of you that are responsible to your members, any proposed expansion into the area of eventing may be your biggest stumbling block. I wish I had a pound for every occasion I have heard a member say: ‘I don’t want any Tom, Dick or Harry traipsing through my club, parking in my spot and sitting in chair’. Fine, I have no issue with that. It is after all their club but if you were able to convince them that if these functions were properly conducted and controlled within acceptable guidelines, that these events could provide valuable revenue for development and expansion of the cub or even keep the bar tariff at its current low rate or the annual fees static for, say, the next two years! This is always the most contentious issue but one that must be carefully considered before proceeding.

THE RIGHT FACILITY

In the most ideal of circumstances the club would need a separate function

Wine tasting, like this event at Wentworth, can be lucrative

suite with its own, exclusive entrance. Add to that a separate car park and a full blown catering kitchen able to cope with 150, 250 or 500 guests, and you will have moved seamlessly into the upper echelons of eventing! Meanwhile, back on planet earth, the rest of you that have none of the above but still have the potential to conduct functions and events might have to down scale your ambitions but can still maximise the use of idle room space. An empty room is a missed opportunity to improve you staff’s productivity in those quieter moments during the day or those winter months when almost everyone, including Elvis, has left the building, and when even members sitting at home could not complain that their style was being cramped by functions being attended by non-members.

beverage tariff at an enhanced rate above that normally charged to members and one that will not, unless it is a members’ event, attract a members’ discount.

CORRECT TYPE OF LICENCE

The latter will allow you to conduct an unlimited number of member generated events but which will limit the number of non-member events to a maximum of 12 per annum by acquiring a ‘Temporary Events Notice’ from your local licensing office. The club registration certificate will limit your ability to generate greater profits from hosting a vast number of non-member events as you will not, quite apart from the licensing restrictions, be able to advertise your facility to the wider, nonmember market. For those of you that are considering a full scale frontal attack on the events

What type of licence does your club currently operate under? It will either be a premises licence or club registration certificate. It is important to know the distinction between the two as this will have a major impact on your ability or otherwise to capitalise on the number of external, non-member generated events, you are able to conduct. In simple terms, the former type of licence will enable you to conduct an unlimited number of events for nonmembers with the opportunity of charging room hire fees and a food and

‘An empty room is a missed opportunity’

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EVENT M ANAGEM ENT Event planning is key. Image by TUCO Service Skills

GCMA seminars This autumn, and in conjunction with the GCMA, Steven Brown FBII will tour the UK with his latest one day development seminars. The focus of these educational days will be events management followed by another day on customer service and selling skills.

market then, if you hold a club registration certificate, you may have to consider changing over to a premises licence in order to take advantage of the greater freedoms it offers. Impotant note: Please consult with your local licensing authority before proceeding with an application to change and understand the implications that a change may have on your CASC registration and indeed, possible changes to the club’s constitution regarding your ‘not for profit’ status. The good news is that I am aware that a small number of clubs have managed, seemingly with no great fuss, to apply for, and obtain, a dual licence thereby enabling them to operate in both markets without detriment to either. Again speak to your local licensing authority regarding this and HMRC regarding implications to your CASC registration. If we now assume that you have dealt with these issues satisfactorily, or indeed that the only type of events you wish to conduct are low level, member events, then you are ready to go into the planning and conducting of your programme of events. The range of events themselves will vary from any of the following more normal activities of internal (member generated) to external (non-member generated) events. A quiz night A cheese and wine evening Launching the latest menu offering Launching the latest wine offering A themed night A music festival A beer festival A wake, a wedding or Christening A product launch

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A golf society competition Conferences, business meetings, seminars and company AGMs Birthday and anniversary celebrations Plus the dozens of other such events that space precludes me from mentioning. But, whichever type of event you plan to conduct they all have one common thread – the involvement of people in either the planning and delivery. Let me focus on the key people needed to oversee an event.

STAFFING THE EVENT

Those organisations that focus solely on organising and delivering events have a team of key personnel in place to ensure that the risk of mistakes are kept to a minimum and that profit opportunities are maximised. The team you assemble should include individuals that can complete the roles of leader, planner, marketeer, co-ordinator or controller, ‘doers’ and deliverers. In smaller clubs the responsibilities for all of these job roles may fall to one person – guess who?! In the larger clubs there may be an events manager or a banqueting manager in place who will adopt all or some of these roles dependent on the size of their teams and the complexity of the event. It matters not. Whatever the size of the operation, someone will need to undertake these roles as failure to do so undoubtedly leads to an event failure. Here are five key elements for each of these functions. Leader • Events or ideas generator • Guide and mentor

If your club has any interest in either hosting or attending these events then please contact Steven (details at the end of this article) or Niki Hunter at the GCMA direct. • Solution provider • Delegator and task setter • Monitor and evaluator Planner • Logistics expert • Resourcer of plant and product • Finance controller • Human resources • Admin Marketeer • Communications • Demographics profiler • Merchandising • Literature designer and promotion • Sales co-ordinator Co-ordinator • Inter departmental go between • Customer liason • Supplier liason • Front of house • An extra pair of hands on the day! Doers • Every task delegated to them • Table and bar service • Function set up and take down • Customer sales • Customer satisfaction The leader’s role is to identify, from within the current staffing resource, those individuals capable of delivering the level of support needed. If they do not exist then they must be resourced externally. Once the individuals are in place you can then focus on the following key factors. 1. Your key event objectives. 2. Research. 3. Planning. 4. Organisation.

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EVENT M ANAGEM ENT 5. Communication. 6. Carrying out the event. 7. Feedback. If you fail to address each of these issues correctly then problems will occur. Let’s clarify each of the points individually.

Research is essential. Image by Steve Hanna

YOUR KEY EVENT OBJECTIVES Your income generation from events could be driven by any of the following legitimate objectives. 1. To re-energise the existing memberships usage of your food and beverage service (remember that up to 80 percent of your members rarely if ever use your food and beverage service). 2. As on open day to recruit new members or to sell the function suite. 3. To maximise the use of your existing facility and to improve the productivity of your food and beverage staff. Once you have decided on your key objective you then have your measure of success when reviewing the event in the wash up.

KEY QUESTIONS 1. Who is your intended and prime target consumer? 2. What is their potential spend per head? 3. How big a market segment that I am targeting is there in my locale? 4. Who are my main competitors and what are their strengths and weakness? 5. What is unique about my product, service or facility? 6. What range of services are we capable of delivering? 7. What are our strengths and weaknesses and how do we promote the good and reduce the impact of bad? 8. What will be the most cost effective way of communicating with my market? 9. What are my customers’ minimum expectations going to be and can we match or exceed them? 10. Have we all of the resources we need to provide the quality of events we are planning? Research is the key to avoiding any nasty shocks on the lead up to the delivery of the event.

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PLANNING Attention to detail here will dot the i’s and cross the t’s. Obviously and dependent on the complexity of the event you are conducting, is the degree of planning required. Here is an example of the issues involved in planning a quiz night. 1. Reserve the room. 2. Book the additional staff. 3. Order extra bar stocks if needed. 4. Plan the menu. 5. Agree a ticket price and details of how and where to purchase tickets. 6. Appoint the quiz master and organise the generation of the questions. 7. Communicate the event. 8. Organise answer sheets and pencils for attendees. 9. Set up a sound system if required. 10. Decide if a ‘Temporary Event Notice’ (extension of licensing hours) is required and, if so, then make application. 11. Organise prizes. 12. Organise a team scores display board. 13. Appoint a table service sales team. 14. Plan publicity following the event. I strongly recommend that your planner designs a series of check lists for each type of event in order to ensure that nothing is missed in the build up to the day.

ORGANISATION This process merely brings all the planning with the delivery team together with suppliers, entertainers, staffing agencies, marquee erectors, company secretaries, presenters and of

course the key people booking the event, your customer, the end user. Keeping everyone in the loop both internally and externally is a fundamental control in successful eventing. Make one individual responsible for this task and record every element of agreement between parties, and in that way you have accountability.

COMMUNICATION The oxygen of publicity, or lack of it, will make or break any event. It matters not a jot how well you have undertaken all of the previous tasks mentioned, if you fail to communicate with your market then it will fail. This is all about putting bums on seats! You must never hear these words after an event: ‘I would have come along but I didn’t know it was on’. Methods of communication will include • Emails • Social media • Texts • Newsletters • Flyers • Table toppers • Banners • Word of mouth by all your staff. For those of you communicating to the wider world then of course you might be considering local radio, magazines, newspapers and your web site among others. The layout and words used are key to converting a reader into a purchaser and on our seminar day we are going to reveal how to maximise and improve the return on your communications.

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EVENT M ANAGEM ENT Quiz nights can fill up a clubhouse. Image by David Ling

CARRYING OUT THE EVENT

FEEDBACK OR WASH UP

The research, planning, organisation and communication are all complete, and now comes the greatest moment of truth – delivery of the event. Honestly, if you have completed all of the above elements satisfactorily then you have removed the element of squeaky bum time and moved seamlessly into the easy bit – event delivery. That is of course until you add the most unpredictable element of all – the customers! Now Sod’s Law states that if it can go wrong it will go wrong and inevitably with the most critical of people you could ever imagine. Sadly I can offer no universal panacea for these situations other than to keep calm and do everything in your power to placate them. Additionally you must always have a plan B. I well remember a wedding where all the power failed but the events manager produced first candles to light the tables, and then wound up the emergency generator kept in the store room to restore the supply. Sheer genius. Most importantly, assemble the delivery team prior to your guests’ arrival and fully brief them on who is doing what, who is in charge and any special requests from guests.

Equally as important as the planning is the feedback after the event. This is your opportunity to assemble the entire team that participated in the event delivery for a detailed review of your performance. Here are some key questions you need to ask: 1. Did we achieve our stated event objective? 2. What do we need to change to enable the team to do better next time? 3. What did the team do well that we should be repeating at our next event? 4. What did our customers think of our efforts on their behalf? 5. Would we repeat this event? Do you think that we have covered every point in organising an event? Not a chance. Voluminous tomes have been written on the topic ten times more expansive than this article. All I sought to achieve was to illustrate the complexity and yet, at the same time, the simplicity of organising and controlling an event. On our event day seminars with the GCMA we will be issuing even more essential information, together with a job

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description for an events organiser / banqueting manager, together with a flow chart detailing all of the specific operational activities involved in planning an event, beginning with menu planning and engineering, and culminating with guest satisfaction whilst also identifying the nine key steps in between. We will also be providing delegates with our unique wedding planner checklist ensuring thereby that when you deliver that most important of days that it is remembered for all the right reasons. Delivering an event professionally from a quiz night to a 300 people banquet is not a matter of luck – it is a matter of careful planning and delivery whether by an individual or a dedicated team – there is no difference. So, if your club is sitting on a potential goldmine of positive contributions or profits, you can unleash them by using tried and tested management controls that will improve your chances of hosting the great event and not the great disaster. GCM Steven’s contact details ar e website: www.inn-formation.co.uk, email: herinn@aol.com, telephone: 01604 843163, mobile: 07785 276320

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BAR AND RESTAURANT BUY ER’ S GUIDE Sodexo Prestige

Sodexo Prestige The host of one of golf’s most famous majors is putting hospitality to the ‘fore’ in 2015. Following the highly successful 2014 Open at Royal Liverpool, the catering team behind next year’s event has unveiled a raft of hospitality packages for fans keen to enjoy a slice of the action in 2015. Next year’s Open Championship, the highlight of the golfing calendar, will be held at the home of the sport and near The Royal and Ancient Golf Club; at St Andrews Links, Scotland. And, along with watching some of the world’s top golfers compete for the title, lovers of the game will be able to enjoy some of the finest Scottish hospitality in a range of spectacular settings. All the packages, created by the event’s official caterer and hospitality provider, Sodexo Prestige, include an official admission ticket, parking pass, TV coverage of play, breakfast and all day refreshments. Sodexo Prestige has also created an official hospitality village, specifically for the Open 2015, next to the 16th hole, for fans who don’t want to miss any of the action. The village will house a range of private chalets, designed for groups of 30 or more, which can be customised with corporate branding and offer a complimentary bar throughout the day, along with a cooked Scottish breakfast and morning newspapers.

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This will be followed by a Champagne reception and canapés, four course gourmet lunch, afternoon tea and refreshments and snacks to take on to the course. The ‘Hospitality Village’ will also house ‘The Champions Club’ – purpose built for those who want to spend as much time as possible experiencing the atmosphere and action of the championship. Away from the village, guests at The Road Hole Restaurant, on the fourth floor of The Old Course Hotel and at the Rocca & R Bar in Rusacks Hotel, overlooking the 18th green and fairway, will be served a formal lunch and traditional Scottish afternoon tea and enjoy a full, complimentary bar throughout the day. Alternatively, those looking for a more informal atmosphere can spend the day at The Jigger Inn – alongside the par four – or St Andrews’ first gastro pub, The One Under. Fans can also opt to enjoy the action from The Hall of Champions in the five red star Old Course Hotel, where a buffet lunch will be served. The hotel also offers private suites, catering for between 20 and 50 guests overlooking the Old Course’s 17th fairway for those looking to hosts guests in a private area. Prices start at £225 for The Champions Club.

Trent Pottery and Furniture Trent Pottery and Furniture is a wellestablished business formed in 1960. It has a proven history in supplying con-

Trent Pottery and Furniture

tract quality furniture to the pub, bar, club, hotel and restaurant trade, and has both the experience and range to offer you the very best selection of furniture for your individual needs. Delivery is normally approximately 10 to 14 working days from confirmation of the order with payment, on stocked items. However, if the order is more urgent it will endeavour to help you meet your requirements, so please inform the sales team. There is a small carriage charge on all orders calculated on delivery location. Trent Pottery and Furniture strongly recommends that you visit its showroom to see the furniture first hand. However, if you are unable to visit it would be happy to arrange for you to view samples, so please contact the sales team to discuss your requirements. Quotations and orders can be arranged by contacting the company through the website, via email and by telephoning the sales office on 0116 2864911. The sales team is available from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. Trent Pottery and Furniture firmly believes in looking after the environment’s future, that is why all its wood comes from sustainable and properly managed sources. Additionally, most of its waste products including wood, cardboard, plastic and waste metal are recycled or, if in suitable condition, the furniture is given to its local shelter charity. Web: www.trentpottery.co.uk GCM

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Through the eyes of the chief executive Bob Williams

IN THE ZONE

FIT TO MANAGE My guess is that the majority of you have now returned from your well earned holiday – and, whilst initially having recharged the batteries, you are now thinking where did that holiday go? Unfor tunately in this world where we work, it is unlikely that a lot of the in-tray will be attended to when you are away. In my case this has cer tainly been the case – so how do we overcome this situation? Many of us will keep an eye on the emails and the internet when we are away, but is this a true holiday or break? On the other side, do you star t to fret a day or so before the return to the office wondering what you will find? There is no definitive answer to any of this, only to ensure that for the benefit of the club and for you, a fit and refreshed manager is always going to produce better results in the long term – Stay Fit to Manage! As I am putting pen to paper we are in the middle of packing and unpacking boxes, dismantling desks and finding documents that date back to when golf clubs used to discuss the price of a pot of tea or the colour of socks! – or was that last month ... Moving HQ As I think I mentioned in last month’s magazine, this is cer tainly a historical moment in the Association’s histor y. After being associated with Weston-super-Mare for a number of years, it seems that for me, I have done a complete circuit. The first members club that I managed was Long Ashton GC, which is literally just half

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Peter Bell, Chairman of Bristol & Clifton GC, offering a warm welcome

a mile from Bristol & Clifton GC, so now

Association flour ishing over the next

nearly ten years on to come back to this

per iod

par t of the world seems a bit unreal.

Br istol & Clifton GC venue will be

Ironically the Association’s Secretar y at

used to host introductor y tr aining

the turn of the centur y, Ray Burniston

cour ses as well as a number of golfing

was also Secretar y at Long Ashton GC. I

and educational seminars. Unfor tunately

wonder

one of our long standing member s of

what

the

odds

that

coincidence would have been?

its

life .

time

the

staff Julie Holder, the Member ship Secretar y, has decided that the journey

Looking ahead, I am sure that the move

from her home in Weston-super-Mare

will prove to be a sound business

to the golf club is too far to under take

decision that will assist with the

on a daily basis.

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bobwilliams@gcma.org.uk

Julie Holder

been involved with the Scottish Golf Union for a while. They agreed to sponsor the Home internationals, which as I previously mentioned was an excellent event at Southerndown GC, and we have now been able to secure their ser vices and have teamed up with them in the sponsorship of the Golf Management awards. The information for the revised Golf Manger of the Year awards will be included in next month’s magazine.

Working with our Commercial Par tners Since returning from my summer holiday I have been involved in working with a number of the commercial and trading par tners that suppor t the Association. At the beginning of August I was invited by the sponsors of the Home internationals ‘Fairstone’ to Southerndown GC in South Wales. It was good to meet up with long ser ving Secretar y Alan Hughes, who was administering his last event before taking retirement – on behalf of all at GCMA we wish Alan well for the future. Moneygate Fairstone is an independent financial advisor y company who have

Now as we enter into the Autumn I am looking forward to meeting as many of you as possible when the regional meetings commence. I have also been invited to attend the Derbyshire Golf Conference on November 6 and will be in attendance at the Ryder Cup on the Friday as a guest of the PGA – hopefully the sun will shine and another European victor y will keep the Ryder Cup on this side of the pond. Talking of the sun shining, I cannot complete my ar ticle without a mention of the now annual England v Sweden match. This has always proved to be an excellent occasion with an oppor tunity to meet

both new and old faces – and this year was no exception. Having our ver y own Will Sjoberg (Epping GC) as tour operations manager was always going to be interesting - he didn’t let us down! Plus having John ‘The Edge’ Edgington as Team Manager we were in good hands, which in the end resulted in the trophy being retained in the UK. Well done to the organisers and players from both sides – I am sure we will all be looking forward to the visit to Sweden next year. The match was played in excellent weather with great camaraderie and on three excellent golf courses in the Bournemouth area – Broadstone GC, Brokenhurst Manor GC and Ferndown GC. I would like to take this oppor tunity to offer a vote of thanks to each of the golf clubs and their committees for the oppor tunity to play their excellent golf courses. Hopefully I will catch up with many of you at the for thcoming regional meetings. Bob Williams

IN THE ZONE

John Ripley and Bob Williams agreeing the sponsorship of the Golf Management awards

Julie Holder joined the Association of Golf Club Secretaries’ just under 15 years ago in December 1999 as Membership Secretar y, the position she has held ever since. She is obviously known to many members and will be missed by many of you as well as her work colleagues. However having made her decision to take up a position closer to home, we wish her well for the future and will no doubt keep in touch.

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IN THE ZONE THE LAW

IN THE ZONE

By Jackie Howe, Chief Executive National Golf Club Advisory Association Discrimination on the Grounds of Disability

Mr Kaltoft claimed that his employment as a child minder was terminated due to his obesity, and that this amounted to discrimination on grounds of disability. Mr Kaltoft was classified as obese as defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) classification system.

Is Obesity a Disability?

The case essentially posed two questions: (1) Is obesity a ‘self-standing’ disability?

Obesity in the UK is a growing health concern. The number of people with obesity has more than trebled in the last 25 years. Health professionals now say that the condition is reaching ‘epidemic’ proportions. Just over a quarter of adults in England are obese. It is estimated that by 2050 half of the population in England will be obese. The Law The Equality Act 2010 consolidated discrimination legislation, such as Sex Discrimination Act 1975, Race Relations Act 1976 and Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

prior the the the

People with certain ‘prescribed characteristics’ have a right not to suffer discrimination in the workplace and as service users. The Equality Act sets out a list of prescribed characteristics to include: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. You will note that obesity is not listed as a prescribed characteristic. So from a legal point of view, is obesity a disability? The Advocate General (AG) to the European Court has recently expressed an opinion on this point in Danish case Kaltoft v The Municipality of Billund. The AG issues an opinion prior to the Court Judgement and the Court usually follows the AG’s opinion.

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(2) Is obesity always (or in some cases) ‘included’ in the scope of the notion of ‘disability’ in the sense of European Directive 2000/78? Obesity is not mentioned specifically in any of the European Directive or relevant Treaties. Classification of obesity as an illness by the WHO does not make obesity a self-standing disability for the purposes of Equal Treatment Directive because illnesses are not mentioned in the Directive. It is about effect not cause. The AG’s opinion is therefore that obesity is not a self-standing disability. From a UK employment lawyer’s perspective, that makes complete sense. Obesity is not listed as a prescribed characteristic in the Equality Act. The AG went on to consider the second question (can obesity be considered as a disability?) The AG considered the definition of disability in the European Directive as ‘making a job or participating in professional life objectively more difficult and demanding’. Typical examples of this are handicaps severely affecting mobility or significantly impairing the senses such as eye-sight or hearing. The AG also said ‘cases where the condition of obesity has reached a degree that it… plainly hinders full par ticipation in

professional life on an equal footing with other employees due to physical and/or psychological limitations that it entails, then it can be considered to be a disability’. So an impairment that makes the carrying out of a job or participation in professional life objectively more difficult and demanding, can amount to a disability. Note the AG doesn’t say it must be a disability, only that it may be a disability. Obesity is usually measured with reference to body mass index (BMI). The WHO ranks obesity into three classes. A BMI in excess of 40 is often known as morbid obesity. The AG’s opinion was ‘in cases where the condition of obesity has reached a degree that it, in interaction with attitudinal and environmental barriers, as mentioned in the UN Convention, plainly hinders full par ticipation in professional life on an equal footing with other employees due to the physical and/or psychological limitations that it entails, then it can be considered to be a disability.’ So morbid obesity, it seems, will often fall under the definition of disability. Not as a self-standing disability but due to the impact it has. But obesity below 40 (as per the WHO classification) may not amount to a disability, depending on the par ticular impact and the individual concerned.

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In the recent UK case Walker v Sita Information, the position appears to be that obesity itself is not a prescribed characteristic but it may be a disability, taking into account the severity of obesity and the impact it has on the individual in question. Employer’s perspective Many employers may have little sympathy for overweight employees because they believe the employee’s weight is the employee’s responsibility. There is potentially a risk of some employers perceiving obese employees to be the masters of their own misfortune (without necessarily understanding the true medical cause/s of an individual’s obesity). Ultimately, the cause of the obesity is probably not relevant to determining whether it constitutes a disability. What do you think about that? Should an employee that has failed to under take lifestyle steps to manage their own health and weight still be able to argue the burden is on their employer to make adjustments to the workplace to ameliorate any disadvantage they then suffer? I have heard one view expressed that the law should not protect obese workers with disability rights because it would encourage obese workers to abdicate their own individual responsibility for the choices they make. I have also seen an opinion expressed where those with disabilities who have no power or control over removing their disadvantage (due to the nature of their medical condition) should be treated ver y differently to those people with obesity who can take control of their own lifestyles to reduce their weight (to ameliorate the adverse impact on their work).

What next? We await the EU Court’s decision, but golf clubs engaging workers that are severely obese need to be mindful of their obligations as there is a risk the law will determine them to be disabled under the Equality Act – meaning golf club employers have legal obligations under the Equality Act. A disabled worker has a right not to suffer direct or indirect discrimination or unjustified unfavourably treatment for a reason arising from disability. Golf clubs have an obligation to implement reasonable adjustments to ameliorate the disadvantage their worker suffers at work. Also, if severely obese workers suffer harassment from their colleagues a golf club is at risk of discrimination employment claims. From a practical point of view, reasonable steps to ameliorate disadvantage might include adjusting equipment, desks, chairs, location within the office (to avoid stairs) as well as possibly reser ved parking. It could be argued that disabled obese workers’ duties require modification to reduce the amount of travel and walking involved. Should an employer providing onsite canteen facilitates need to consider adjusting menus to ensure they have healthy options? Also, even if a worker’s obesity is not classed as severe there are a number of other medical conditions associated with obesity such as diabetes, high blood pressure, joint pain, hear t conditions, etc which may cause difficulties at work and so require consideration and potentially changes to help the employee.

This information can be found in document 1338 in the Information Library. www.gcma.org.uk John Hassells

These documents are Employment Law Specialist, prepared for guidance and are accurate at the date of publication only. We will not accept any liability (in negligence or otherwise) arising from any member of third party acting, or refraining from acting, on the information contained in them. For further help and advice, please contact National Golf Clubs Advisory Association,The Old Threshing Barn, Homme Castle Barns, Shelsley Walsh, Worcestershire, WR6 6RR or telephone 0188 681 2943 info@ngcaa.co.uk

HELPLINE Question The club does not have a pension scheme. The catering is currently provided by a catering company that does provide a pension scheme. What happens to the pension rights of employees who might transfer? Answer The pension scheme of the catering company does not transfer automatically after the transfer. However, the club has an obligation to give the transferred employees at least some degree of pension provision, as long as they are willing to contribute to it themselves. If the employees are willing to contribute to a scheme, the club has an obligation to match the employees’ contributions up to a maximum of 6% of their earnings. This article can be found in document 1339 in the Information Library www.gcma.org.uk

Disability claims are complex, expensive to defend and, if the claimant is successful, often result in high value awards. Conversations about an employee’s weight (a personal and sensitive issue) must be handled carefully and golf clubs should not make assumptions about obese workers. But it would appear all employers will need to think more carefully about their potential legal obligations to severely obese workers to minimise the risk of employment claims.

IN THE ZONE

The AG opinion is ‘most probably only WHO class III obesity, that is severe, extreme or morbid obesity, will create limitations, such as problems in mobility, endurance and mood, that amount to a disability for the purposes of Directive 2000/78.’

S H’

N D - UP

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MEMBER WHO HAS MOVED GOLF CLUB RECENTLY

M O NT

Adam Grint has recently moved from Edgbaston GC to Gerrards Cross GC

BEREAVEMENTS

IN THE ZONE

It is our sad duty to record the following bereavements: Douglas Haywood passed away peacefully after suffering from a serious illness. Douglas joined the Association in January 1993 as Secretary of Maxstoke Park GC. He was also a Past Captain of the Midland region.

Having worked as GM at Edgbaston GC for just under 10 years a great GM opportunity arose for me at a fabulous Buckinghamshire course, which is Gerrards Cross GC. Starting back in July the Board, members and staff have made me feel very welcome. There is a great atmosphere around the club which hosts many social events and competitions, both serious and fun, throughout the year. The club is situated in around 150 acres and has the great feature of the River Misbourne running through the course, one of around only 200 chalk streams left in the world. The course is a par 69, however with an SSS of 71 it is no pushover and the fabulous par 4, 18th, challenges all golfers with their approach having to come over the Misbourne. I am looking forward to a bright future with the club and to helping it to develop even further.

Roger Parker passed away recently after a recurring illness. Roger joined the Yorkshire region of the Association in March 2007 as Secretary of Calverley GC. We extend our sincere condolences to the families.

Gerrards Cross GC

CERTIFICATE IN GOLF CLUB MANAGEMENT The GCMA Certificate in Golf Club Management is entering its sixth year at Bucks New University.The Certificate course is studied in a modular format online over one year and requires attendance at five single day workshops held at the University. The modules and workshops cover: • The Game - including its history and evolution, how to develop it, the organisation and governance of the game. • Golf and The Law - important legislation that clubs must be aware of and abide by to ensure operational compliance. • Human Resources - legislation with regard to people management, customer service, staff training, communication and development. • Operations and Member Services reviewing best practices to ensure efficiently run organisations, communications, course

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presentation, footfall and control, food and beverage, and IT.

assignments is usually current and sensitive to their club.

• Business Development - business framework to ensure financial stability and business conduct guidelines, along with planning for the future with many diverse business plans.

Successful completion of the course is achieved through completing assignments throughout the year in relation to each module.

• Professional Development suppor ts your learning and development through a series of tasks relating to the nature of the various course works and assignments. It is ideal to have an industr y sponsor, eg club chairman or secretar y/manager, as information required to complete

The 2014/15 course commences in early November 2014 with the first of the five workshops. Please contact Niki Hunter, GCMA Education Co-ordinator (07990 520173 or nikihunter@gcma.org.uk) or the Admissions Department at Bucks New University (0800 0565 669 or advice@bucks.ac.uk).

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2013/14 CPD YEAR – ENDED AUGUST 31, 2014 Have you attended any educational course, workshops or seminars since September 1, 2013? Yes? Then please complete a CPD Credit Claim Form and submit the details to HQ before the end of September to ensure that you are awarded all earned CPD credits. • Complete a CPD Credit Claim Form for each separate course, workshop or seminar that you have attended. Relevant non-GCMA events also accrue CPD credits, so also submit these:

Welcome to our new members Name Susan Coleman Philip Harvey Michael Richardson Chris Underwood Amy Yeates Amanda Quick

Club Upminster GC Lancashire Union of GCs Hurlston Hall GC Bruntsfield Links GS Golf at Goodwood The Dyke GC

• Forward, with copies of certificate or attendance record, to debbiemereweather@gcma.org.uk at GCMA HQ.

Region East Anglia North West North West Scotland Southern Southern

JUSTIN ROSE ROOM, NORTH HANTS GC

US Open Champion Justin Rose returned to his spiritual golf home, North Hants GC at Fleet, to open the newly-created ‘JR Room’. The room is like a shrine to 2013 US Open Champion Justin and includes photographs and memorabilia from his many victories both as a Junior Amateur and as a Professional. His victory at Merion inspired the club, which already had part of the bar dedicated to Justin’s early career, to transform what were a members’ lounge and a committee room into a new space which is already heavily used for both private functions and for business meetings.There is a cabinet in the room which contains a replica of the US Open Trophy – bought by Justin and presented to the club – together with the clubs and bag he used after

defeating Phil Mickleson at Merion. Justin returns whenever he can to North Hants GC, where he played nearly all his junior golf and is an Honorary Member, and during this last visit he formally opened the JR Room, gave a clinic for the members, hosted a Q&A session on his career and signed photographs for over 400 members who had their photo taken with him and the real US Open Trophy which accompanied him (and a bevy of security guards!) during his five hour visit. He also presented the prizes for the Junior’s Justin Rose Trophy which was played for earlier in the day.

“It was a fantastic day enjoyed by all the members” said Chris Gotla, General Manager of North Hants GC, “Nothing was too much for Justin and the relationship between him and the club continues to go from strength to strength. Justin appeared to be quite overwhelmed with what the club had done regarding the JR Room, particularly the one wall which is a complete reconstruction of the final US Open leader board.”

Justin holding a clinic on the 1st, with the JR Room balcony behind

Each year Justin takes a week off tournament golf to take 12 of his closest friends on a ‘social’ golf tour based on major tournament courses. Eighty percent of these are North Hants GC members, most of whom were juniors with him some 12-15 years ago. They all play four rounds of competitive golf and Justin plays off +10 – still usually good enough to win!

IN THE ZONE

• Download a CPD Credit Claim Form from the Education pages of the GCMA website.

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IN THE ZONE

Paul Thornton (PGA Professional), General Manager at xxxxxxx Norwood Park Golf Course Can you please give me a brief resume of your golf club career and how you got into it? After completing my A Levels, I intended to go to university to study geography. At the time I played golf off a 5 handicap. One of my school teachers knew I played golf and had heard of a course that was just starting at Merrist Wood College (part of Kingston University) in Surrey: an HND in Golf Studies. This sounded more interesting than geography I thought! I wrote off and was accepted, spent three years as a student and came out with an HND in Golf Studies as well as the PGA Diploma, so I also became a qualified PGA Professional. I spent a few years doing assistant golf professional jobs and then heard of a new golf course being built in Southwell, Nottinghamshire in the grounds of the Norwood Park estate. I got in touch with the owner, Sir John Starkey, and was fortunate enough to get the job as the Head Club Professional. I remained in this position for 11 years.

In 2010, the General Manager at the time, Ron Beckett (the current GCMA East Midlands Regional Secretary) decided to retire and I moved across into the role of General Manager. I had been keen for some time to make the move into club management and so was delighted to get this position. Nearly five years later and I’m still very much enjoying the job! Tell us about your working life before golf club management? I’ve always worked in the golf industry since leaving school but one job that was particularly enjoyable was when I worked in southern Spain for a golf holiday tour operator. I had around 50 golfers from the UK each week to look after and ensure they enjoyed their golf holiday. I would meet them at Malaga airport every Saturday, get them to their hotel, run golf competitions and give them lessons all week. I had to meet them every night in the hotel bar – that was the downside to the job! At the end of each week was a gala dinner. The next day they went home,

a new group arrived and I did it all again. It was great fun and a perfect job for a young golf professional: it taught me how to deal with people, while at the same time playing lots of golf in the winter months and the clients kept buying me beers! What would you identify as the biggest challenges you face today as a golf club manager? The biggest challenge we all face is that of declining golf par ticipation, nationally. The second biggest challenge is the pace of play issue. What part of your job do you enjoy most? Because I have been at Norwood Park from the inception of the golf course, there are many people who I have known for a long time (many of which didn’t play golf before Norwood Park Golf Centre opened), so it is great to see these people enjoying their golf and I feel that I have been a big par t of that. If you had to give one piece of advice to someone going into golf club management, what would it be? We have to grow the game. Therefore make ‘golf development’ your priority, using the help and resources that exist.

4th hole at Norwood Park Golf Centre

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Do you play golf? If yes, are you a member of a club and what is your handicap? I’m a PGA Professional. I play in some pro-ams with amateurs from Norwood Park Golf Centre, although I don’t play that much golf these days (my wife doesn’t agree whenever I say that!).

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What is your best golfing memory? Breaking par for the first time. I was a junior member at Worksop GC in Nottinghamshire and remember, when I was about 16 years old, shooting a gross 71 (par was 72) in a club medal. I couldn’t do that score now! What other sports or hobbies do you have? I am ashamed to say that I don’t do any other sports. Because golf is a 364 day operation, it’s so easy to be totally absorbed by the sport in one way or another. What is your view on education opportunities and career development for today’s golf club manager? It is vital that club managers, like managers in any industry, keep up to date with the latest managerial practices. Coming from a golf background, I’ve always known about the golf part of the job (although this area is also evolving all the time) but haven’t had that much training in areas such as human resources, accountancy and customer

services. For me, it’s much easier keeping abreast of developments within golf but is harder to find courses in areas such as the aforementioned. In GCMA East Midlands, Ron Beckett is putting together a workshop on employment law to be held in January. A lot of education is done ‘on the job’. I have many roles: I am involved with the GCMA both regionally and nationally (National Committee representative for East Midlands); Notts PGA Committee member and Past Captain; current Chairman of the Notts County Golf Partnership; voting member for Norwood Park GC at the Notts Union of Golf Clubs Executive Committee meetings. Attending all these meetings and seminars are great learning and networking opportunities. To date, in golf or outside of golf, what is your proudest accomplishment? Seeing Norwood Park GC reach the final three nationally in the 2014 GolfMark Club of the Year. It’s a great team effort here from all departments (pro’s shop, greenkeepers, clubhouse and office staff) and everyone deserved it.

Have you attended any of our National Conferences, if yes, what benefits did you get from attending/what experience did you gain? I missed the last one because I was away on a golf trip with club members in Turkey otherwise I would have attended. Bad planning on my part! I will attend the next one though. Where do you see the role of a golf club manager in the future, say 20 years time? Golf club managers are getting younger and I see this continuing. I also think there will be more managers who have been in the golf industry all their lives rather than it being a retirement job. Finally, tell us something we don’t know about you? I played a lot of my early junior golf with Lee Westwood. Julie Holder

Interview with Julie Holder, Membership Secretary.

FUTURE EVENTS Midland Region AGM and Autumn Meeting will be held at Little Aston GC on Monday, October 13, 2014 The Midland Region AGM commences at 10am followed by the Autumn Meeting with Sharon Healey from England Golf with a Q&A session regarding the England Golf strategy/club services and development, then Carolyn Wahlen from Golf HR will speak and answer questions regarding employment issues.

After lunch there is an oppor tunity to play golf on the top quality championship course renowned for its high quality greens and fairways. This will be followed by dinner and prize giving donated by Eagle and Majestic Cr ystal.

Early applications are advisable as numbers will have to be limited. GCMA members are welcome to bring a committee member. Please contact Adrian Dibble for further information and an application form on adrian.gcma@gmail.com or 01785 661183

IN THE ZONE

What is your view of networking/seminars/regional events/GCMA residential training course? They are vital. I believe they are part of the job, otherwise you risk becoming very insular and I would like to see more members attend these events.

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breakfast Will Sjoberg at Tour organiser Knalle Trophy!) the of ars ye in 10 (first breakfast

The true spirit

of England v Sw eden

Sea

IN THE ZONE

for d

insdale

or t & A

Southp

Ro yal W

inc

hes

ter

his Swedish ing hi-jacked by Jim Cunning be 10th hole at the on nts ne oppo nor GC Brokenhurst Ma

on Ulver st

way

th Fair

GC , 18

Into battle on the

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final day at Fernd

own GC , Knalle

Trophy

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CAPTAIN’S REPORT

Played on three of the finest courses in the

To make the trip even more memorable, we

south (Broadstone GC, Brokenhurst Manor

also played Powerscourt GC, a great course

GC and Ferndown GC), the match was

with many, many slopes on the greens and

drawn at 4-4 after day one and a fiercely

some lovely views, and also Bray GC where

competitive day two saw the GCMA team

Alan is the manager. Holes here gradually

edge ahead to win by 5-3, 9-7 overall and

climb to the highest point where the view

regain the Knalle Trophy. One of the amusing

suddenly opens up across the sea. A very

features of this match is to hear an account

challenging and enjoyable course, as were all

from one person in each match about how

three, and my thanks for the hospitality we

the match went, who played well or the

were accorded go to all three managers.

reverse, how the luck went, how the skill The French invasion took place on July 29/30

shone through, what the excuses were and

I hope the season continues to be successful

at The Berkshire. This event has gone from

the reason for either a very unlucky loss or

for all clubs, and especially those who work

strength to strength, initially between a group

the brilliance of an amazing win. All is taken

so hard to organise and promote this superb

from the South East but now rapidly

in a good spirit and is typical of the whole

game we all enjoy.

becoming a desirable fixture for GCMA

event. The camaraderie engendered in this

members to play in.The organisation was first

match was quite obvious, and now in its 11th

Next month – THE GRAND SLAM IS

class, thanks as usual to John Edgington and to

year it will go from strength to strength.

ACHIEVED!

the fine efforts of Donald Gregoire. Tradition

Thanks to all players on both sides for the

has it that the South East Captain is the team

companionship displayed and, of course,

John Smith

Captain, and John Aughterlony made a

many thanks to the three clubs for their

National Captain

“grammatically perfect, flowing and tense

generosity in allowing the event to be staged

perfect” French response when called so to

in such fine golfing territory.

do.The team played exceptionally well against some strong opposition and eventually

The day after Sweden, I flew to Ireland as I had

prevailed by a handsome margin over the two

been asked to play in Alan Threadgold’s

days on both the Red and Blue courses at The

President’s Day at Druids Glen Golf Resort.

Berkshire to win the Presteege Cup. Peter

Having only been to Ireland briefly once before,

Foord was a very welcoming host, as always,

my wife and I decided to take a short break and

and the comments from both GCMA and

loved every minute of it. The Druids Glen Golf

French players were very generous.

Resort was excellent and the golf course superb.

Next – the Swedes! An additional match this

Unfortunately the weather was awful on the

year due to its popularity. Normally played twice

President’s Day, and torrential rain soon found

in three years, it was agreed to revert to yearly

its way into every crease in rain suits. After

and Will Sjoberg put all the arrangements in

reaching the 13th hole, play had to be

place, with the aid of the mysterious ‘Pablo’ who

abandoned

was a mere spectre of the 16th player on both

unplayable, but my wife and I were invited back

teams. (teams comprised 15 players only).

in drier conditions before returning home.

due

conditions

being

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RENEWABLE ENERGY

Hot property As the appeal of biomass energy grows, a rising number of new suppliers are now looking to tap into this burgeoning market. Chris Hamer finds out more from some of the newest kids on the block Fuel and heating costs continue to be a club’s biggest annual outgoing. Regardless of whether that fuel source is gas, oil or electricity, the volatility of the energy market means the expenditure required to keep the club warm and fully functional is likely to continue to rise. Escalating costs and rising energy bills are no longer being tolerated, though, as more clubs recognise the value of investing in greener alternatives; alternatives which are fast becoming widespread throughout the industry. Greater numbers of clubs are now looking to invest in renewable sources at a time when the Renewable Heat Inventive (RHI) still offers very tempting returns on investment, as well as an excellent way to get rid of old,

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inefficient or antiquated heating systems. The growth in interest within the golf market is prompting new companies to enter the sector, companies which already enjoy a wealth of experience in renewable installations and wood heat energy. Commercial Biomass Partnership (CBP) is one such company, supplying and installing ETA biomass boilers throughout the UK, primarily in large country houses, farms and factory buildings – those which have very high energy demands. “Many of the clients we work with are converting from costly energy sources like kerosene or propane gas, so instant savings can be made with a switch, often as much as a third,” explained Pete Downes, managing

“Many of the clients we work with are converting from costly energy sources so instant savings can be made with a switch, often as much as a third. The golf market is similar in that there is often either one costly source, like oil, or a mix of sources – both of which mean high running costs”  

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RENEWABLE ENERGY director of Commercial Biomass Partnership (CBP). “The golf market is similar to many of our bread and butter installations in that there is often either one costly source, like oil, or a mix of sources – both of which mean high running costs.” CBP offers the complete installation package, offering project management through to completion, utilising its own tradesmen or working in conjunction with the client’s choice of tradespersons. Turnkey packages and biomass cabins are available from 7kw up to 500kw and cabins can be clad in a variety of finishes to suit the tastes and specifications of the club. A number of different designs offer the flexibility of fuel storage and delivery systems to handle bulk woodchip or pellets. “The acquisition process can be a daunting one, especially as biomass installations aren’t cheap, so clubs need to have all the information they need about the investment,” he explained. “We’re always open and honest with prospective clients about their options as if a club’s energy usage isn’t very high then pay backs will be small, meaning the return on capital outlay

will take much longer, and in some cases a different technology may suit their needs better. It’s for this reason that the planning stage is so important

to get the installation right; we manage the whole process, from the RHI applications through to Environment Agency permits and our full

Why Biomass?

Boiler Options

The commercial RHI will pay you for every kWh generated from renewable sources for 20 years. With payback periods as little as 2.5 years, the rest is profit! Wood pellets can be fully automated like oil systems, and the high combustion efficiency means minimal smoke and ash.

We offer a wide range of options, from 15kW-5MW; including wood pellets, chip and logs; from a variety of suppliers: ETA Froling Herz Windhager WES Nordheat Ask for a cost comparison!

Who are PureGlo? PureGlo was founded in 2006 and is based in Nottinghamshire. We are specialists in biomass heating systems, and provide follow up service contracts and call out duties. We will recommend your options based upon a full site appraisal, and aid with funding if required.

Distribution We store and distribute up to 15,000 tonnes of high quality EN Plus wood pellets. These maximise boiler efficiencies and minimise emissions. We can organise pellet contracts and remotely monitor pellet levels to ensure deliveries are made before fuel runs out.

250kW energy centre heating 11 houses and 14 flats

Service Contracts We don’t install and run! We offer quality installations and we are happy to maintain them for you. Prices vary with boiler location and use starting from £300 per annum.

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SEPTEMBER 2014

External or internal fuel stores and different finishes available

Contact Office +44(0) 1777 249392 Email info@pureglo.co.uk Mobile +44(0)7803 182103

27t wood pellet blow wagon

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maintenance package is also backed-up by a national partner network of over 300 ETA boiler specialists.” Austrian-manufactured ETA boilers are currently the best selling commercial models in the UK, and end users can benefit from some additions, such as remote, smartphone-ready, operation of the full heating system controls, allowing the user to operate the boilers from anywhere with a decent internet connection, meaning adjustments can be made to operating times, temperatures and other boiler settings. The experiences amassed in sectors with particularly large energy outputs should put CBP in good stead for future installations in the golf market, as many clubs are becoming savvier about the credentials and expertise of the biomass suppliers they use. CBP is not the only company to ramp up efforts to penetrate the golf market, another firm that has already taken its first steps into the golf market is re:heat, which since 2011 has helped businesses convert to sustainable, low carbon wood fuel heating systems; helping clients through the minefield of buying

a boiler, designing a new system, fuel logistics and material handling. One of the biggest challenges the fledging wood heat market faces is credibility and quality control, with some clubs having already fallen foul of cowboy installers. re:heat, which has staff of trained engineers and draws on a wealth of experience of working with government agencies and within the UK wood heat industry, has entered into the golf market of companies. It was though a chance meeting that Neil Harrison, director of re:heat won his first contract in the golf market, at Foxton Hall, home to Alnmouth Golf Club. “I’d walked my dog along the same

route for years, past the impressive Foxton Hall,” Harrison explained. “With such a large, historic building I was always curious as to how much it cost to run. I guessed that their energy bills were colossal, so one day I decided to pop in and see for myself, only to discover that they club were spending in excess of £20,000 a year.” Foxton Hall is situated on Northumberland coast, overlooking the North Sea, which whilst being a particularly beautiful spot for members, poses a particular challenge for heating its complex collection of buildings. The main clubhouse is over 150 years old and poorly insulated, which contributed towards the rising combined oil and electric heating bills, which topped £20,000 in 2013. re:heat began working with the club in early 2011, and at first helped the committee to understand the technology and financial case for the installation of a wood-fired boiler at Foxton Hall. Detailed modeling of the heat load, and a careful analysis of the business case for the project, enabled the golf club to secure finance from a specialist asset finance provider, and

 

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RENEWABLE ENERGY the installation process was set in motion in February 2014. “We provided the 199kW ETA HACK boiler for the project, and worked alongside the installer on the design and installation of the system,” explained Harrison. “The project involved replacing most of the heat distribution systems in the clubhouse, including the removal of several oil boilers, various electricallypowered hot water cylinders and the installation of new radiator circuits to the club’s 14 stay-and-play bedrooms.” Moving Foxton Hall’s heat production to the new wood pellet boiler made sense for a number of key reasons: it maximises the use of the new asset; displaces the maximum amount of electricity and oil used to generate heat and hot water with lower-cost wood pellets; removes the need to service multiple heat sources around the clubhouse, and by removing the old boilers, space was freed up in other parts of the building, including the visitors’ locker room. “The 199kW boiler is perfectly matched to the heat load of the clubhouse, optimising RHI income and

equating to a saving of around 30 percent. In addition to income generated from RHI, Foxton Hall has also linked the pellet boiler to one of its rented properties on site, maximising income potential from increased RHI payments as a result of heat use by the occupants. “There’s a good reason why wood heating continues to grow in popularity, and it’s not just because of the generous

RHI payments. Dated heating systems or a reliance on gas, oil or electricity is both costly and unpredictable. With wood, users can save anywhere between 10 and 60 percent on energy bills, and generate thousands in extra income, which once the repayments have been made, is valuable extra revenue for the club; money which can be reinvested however they wish.”

Buyer’s Guide

VG Energy

• Perform a technical site survey to determine the best system to suit the business • Work with businesses to finalise a suitable system design that meets the customer’s specific requirements • Enter into a lease agreement with the customer where VG will pay for the legal costs • Supply and install a high quality commercial grade biomass system on the customer’s property • Provide full staff training and provide operation manuals • Be responsible for repairs and will pay the servicing costs of the system. VG’s sales director, Gordon Smith, said: “Heating represents the largest part of UK business energy bills, on average it equates to 55 percent of an organisations overall annual energy cost. Switching to a biomass system can therefore result in significant savings on heating, ranging from an impressive 30 to 70 percent, where properties are on oil or LPG. Customers are looking for alternative ways to cut heating bills. We are therefore delighted to introduce this new scheme and to provide a no cost,

VG Energy

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VG Energy launches innovative FREE biomass boiler scheme. Leading renewable energy solutions provider, VG Energy has launched an innovative biomass scheme to provide golf clubs and other businesses with fully funded biomass boiler installations. The new scheme has been designed to help businesses significantly reduce their energy costs and improve their green credentials, with zero cost and risk to them. Under VG’s new scheme, businesses will receive a free commercial biomass boiler, including free installation, free maintenance and servicing for a period of 20 years. The incentive is especially beneficial for businesses who have high daily heating demands, are looking to save on their energy costs but do not want to spend the capital costs required or are finding it difficult to secure the required funding. Under the scheme, VG Energy will manage each stage of the project, from start to finish, including:

GCM

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no risk incentive for businesses to switch to a cheaper wood fuel source. There is no catch. To allow us to provide a free biomass boiler, we claim the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) that is earned from the system to cover the cost of the equipment, the installation and the costs of the servicing and maintenance for 20 years. The RHI was created to encourage businesses to switch to biomass as a renewable, sustainable heating source, providing quarterly payments for 20 years for commercial applications.” VG Biomass works in partnership with the world’s leading biomass boiler manufacturers, such as Heizomat, Viessmann and ETA boilers, and offers customers a wide choice of boiler size options and prices. Tel: 01563 829990 Email: freeboiler@vgenergy.co.uk Web: www.vgenergy.co.uk

STRI Greenkeepers wanting an expert opinion on the quality of their soil now have access to the science behind the greens and fairways of St Andrews and all the Open Championship venues fol-

lowing the launch of an innovative new soil testing website. The STRI Soil Test website provides information on how to send in a soil sample and get a comprehensive report which shows soil health, indicates problem areas and helps to assess the best course of action. Soil imbalances can reduce plant health and strength and leave them susceptible to damage from drought, diseases and insects. Through testing and analysing the soil, you can understand and improve soil conditions and ensure the best growing conditions for plants and flowers. STRI is offering three types of tests in its Yorkshire lab facilities, which measure soil pH value, seven separate elements, including phosphorous and potassium, six different metals, such as zinc and lead as well as measuring the Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) value which shows how well the soil is holding nutrients. You simply choose which test you wish to be carried out and then submit soil samples via a freepost address to the experts at STRI. Once the samples have been received

they will be analysed in the internationally accredited labs at STRI’s research facilities in Bingley, West Yorkshire. All the packages offered provide a report detailing soil health, any issues and a recommended course of action. Ruth Mann, head of Research at STRI said: “As a leading authority in this field we offer effective solutions and independent advice to thousands of clients across the globe. “Thanks to this new service we are now able to provide valuable and expert analysis and we can do this quickly, and accurately. “A full understanding of the nutritional values of soil is essential so that healthy grass, flowers, plants, vegetables and fruit can be produced and grown. It is also vital to know the causes behind any sort of problems gardeners are facing, such as discolouration of grasses, yellowing of foliage or flowers drooping or dying. “The STRI soil test allows gardeners of all abilities to gain valuable insight and information to ensure their soils are in prime condition.” Web: www.soil-test.org GCM

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CLUBHOUSE DESIGN AND LODGES

Developers’ dreams The new cottages to be built at Burgham Park Golf Club in Northumberland

Several golf clubs have invested in non-course property in recent months, from lodges built by the club to the clubhouse itself, in a bid to increase revenues. Nigel Harte details some of the major projects, and concludes that golf club income is no longer dependent on simply the state of the golf course A few eyebrows were almost certainly raised up and down the country when former Open champion Darren Clarke revealed in Golf Club Management this summer that he was going to live on a golf course owned by the founding member of heavy metal band Judas Priest, KK Downing. In reality, this is happening more and more, as clubs like Downing’s The Astbury in Shropshire are building homes by their courses that are either let out or sold, in what can be lucrative Darren Clarke (right) and KK Downing at The Astbury. Image by www.tourprogolfclubs.com

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money-making schemes. (Downing is building 11 homes which will be sold for about £500,000 each). Laceby Manor Golf Club in Lincolnshire, which is also owned by a celebrity, is building 30 luxury lodges, for example. Former British motorcycle champion Roger Burnett, who took over the golf club in 2011, put creating accommodation at the site central to his plans, and has already created five jobs, with more to come, to work on the

buildings. The 30 homes are mostly available for rent, although some can be purchased. “When I came here I had three key aims. Firstly, to make the golf course the best it could be, secondly, to establish the club as the region’s premier wedding venue and, thirdly, to introduce accommodation,” he said. “We’ve invested a huge amount in the course and we’ve never been so popular for weddings. Introducing accommodation was the final, major improvement I wanted to make and I’m delighted the first lodges have arrived. Now it’s all about fine tuning, making sure the whole site is immaculate and everything we offer is the best it can be.” The cedar-clad lodges, nestled in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and named after famous golfers, are one and two bedrooms and come with stylish, modern interiors, a large terrace, a covered outdoor hot tub accessed directly from the bathrooms, a log burner effect fire, a dressing room and a state-of-the-art kitchen featuring a wine cooler, cooker, microwave, dish washer, washer dryer and fridge freezer. “We wanted the lodges to have a

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Thorndon Park Golf Club

GEORGE INTERIORS

INTERIOR DESIGN CONSULTANTS • PROJECT MANAGERS Telephone 01746 767 441 • www.georgeinteriors.co.uk

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CLUBHOUSE DESIGN AND LODGES really high-end specification and a feel of luxury,” said Roger. “So we have bathrobes, slippers and complimentary toiletries in each lodge, as well as short-term membership to the club and free rounds of golf. “We wanted the lodges to look like they've always been here and now I can’t imagine the club without them. As well as providing somewhere stunning for golfers and wedding guests to stay, we wanted to create luxury accommodation to attract tourists, too.” Burgham Park Golf Club is also building accommodation to increase revenues. The club is creating a four-star holiday resort, Northumbrian Hills, which includes 50 stone-built cottages, a pavilion, restaurants, bars, a spa and a golf academy. The homes will be available to buy. Owner of Burgham Park, William Kiely, said: “This has been years in the making, so to see our first holiday homes getting built in the near future will be fantastic. “We are very proud of the course, which is one of the best in the north east, and believe Northumbrian Hills will be a great addition to our existing offering. “The first stage is to build the threebedroom stone holiday cottages. Each cottage will provide 107 square metres spread over two floors and comes with a balcony as standard. These will be situated between the 10th and 18th holes. “We are also very aware of our carbon footprint so have put measures in place to ensure we are doing our best to care for the environment. We have air source heat pumps for the under floor heating which can reduce energy consumption by 50 percent. We also offer buyers the option to have solar power for their property. “The holiday home site itself offers breathtaking views of the Northumberland countryside and as it is so close to the golf course, clubhouse and restaurant, there’s plenty to do on your doorstep. Once the first 50 plots have been sold the next phase is to start working on the two-storey pavilion which will provide homeowners with a spa, swimming pool, bars, restaurants and much more to really get you into that relaxed frame of mind.” House prices will start from £235,000. Glenbervie Golf Club in Scotland is

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Princess Alexandra opening the new clubhouse at Richmond Park Golf Club

another venue that wants to get in on this development. The club will build four homes on unused woodland close to the 17th tee, after it secured planning permission this summer. Any money raised will be used to improve the course and build a training academy to nurture young players. Another Scottish club was less fortunate when it came to planning permission this summer however. Westhill Golf Club was refused permission to build seven homes on the edge of its course. The money from the project would have been used to buy new locker facilities, toilets and and an entrance to the club, as well as fund two new greenkeeping posts. Clubs are not just investing in homes when it comes to property investments though, as evidenced by a raft of revamped and new clubhouse projects. Richmond Park Golf Course’s new clubhouse, for instance, has been opened by Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra. The Queen’s cousin cut the ribbon at the clubhouse, which was built following a £3million investment from Glendale Golf. The new clubhouse facilities, which include a café and pro shop, are built to BREEAM specification, meaning the building process uses renewable energy sources. The design and build process was managed by Parkwood Consultancy Services. A spokesman said: “One of the most important aspects of this project was sustainable building design and the use of renewable energy sources, which is especially important considering our green location.” A new £1 million clubhouse has also opened at Macdonald Spey Valley Championship Golf Course at the RCIaffiliated Macdonald Aviemore Resort in Scotland. The two-storey clubhouse is finished

in wood and local, natural stone, has large French doors offering sweeping views over the course, and offers changing areas, a retail outlet, lounge bar, restaurant and an additional patio terrace for al fresco dining. Ruaridh Macdonald, operations director, Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, said: “We invested £1 million in the new clubhouse, where visitors will be able to relax and enjoy the highest quality of food and drink.” And Baildon Golf Club in Yorkshire is set to invest in both a new clubhouse and homes. The venue has drawn up ambitious plans to create a green clubhouse complete with solar panels and rainwater recycling. All 250 members of the club have voted in favour of the plan, which involves replacing the existing clubhouse – plus creating five new homes on the existing site to be sold and the profits used to fund the project. The planning application says the objective is to attract more members with a ‘bespoke’ building to increase revenues and cut costs with energy saving technologies. The south-facing roof is designed for solar panels and gathered rainwater will become ‘grey water’ used to flush toilets. “All the club members are very excited by the prospect of a new clubhouse,” said Geoff Illingworth, chairman of Baildon’s planning subcommittee. “We held an extraordinary general meeting and it was a unanimous vote to go forward.” As the UK’s housing shortage continues to call into question the need to devote so much land to golf courses, the potential to make money from building properties by golf clubs will grow. GCM

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CLUBHOUSE DESIGN AND LODGES BUY ER’ S GUIDE Artichouse Why should you choose a log home? Here are some of the main reasons why a golf club should invest in a log house: • Wood is by far the most durable, ecological and healthy building material. • A log house has a fresh and clean indoor climate all year round and it thus advances health. • The log house is a durable choice – the oldest livable log homes in Scandinavia are already hundreds of years old. • Log houses are truly beautiful and they blend into the natural surroundings. The excellence of log building has been polished through centuries of craftsmanship. The well-tried solutions and qualities are standardised to meet high standards and constant quality. Through industrial manufacturing, the high reliability of delivery, fast building and realisation of vast collections are guaranteed. The style of a modern log house can be anything between a traditional log house and an individual architectural experiment. Artichouse log homes are both eco-

Artichouse

logical and of high quality. They have been designed and built for over 30 years and delivered to over 40 countries – UK being one of its most important markets. It is one of Finland’s top exporters of log houses and log cabins. It has designed and manufactured everything from small cabins to huge log holiday villages and is an expert in the field. Also all its standard models can be tailored to fit your preferences; unique and bespoke designs are its specialty. Web: www.artichouse.co.uk

George Interiors During 2008, after serving the golf industry for over 20 years, George Interiors felt it was finally beginning to

George Interiors

Victoria Beckham to advise on the styling of the new Evoque – design matters. Interior design is no longer seen as a luxury choice or conversely a way of avoiding expensive mistakes; it’s a vital investment tool. Tel: 01746 767441

Thames Contracts establish a name for itself in this soughtafter sector. Tim Williams, managing director, said: “I remember one evening driving back from a golf club in the south east and realising that if current levels of business continued, we would have to make a decision about expansion in order to maintain the reputation we had developed for high quality refurbishments.” That decision was never made. On September 15, 2008 a financial tsunami started to unfold when Lehman Brothers, an icon of the international banking world, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US. George Interiors didn’t receive another golf club enquiry for nearly two years. Williams said: “It was shocking how immediate the fallout from the financial crash was. Fortunately the private side of our business held up, but the commercial side was badly affected.” That was then. Although business has not returned to pre-2008 levels, George Interiors feels confident that the worst is over. The last 24 months has seen a steady recovery in new enquiries, and the company has, for example, recently completed the refurbishment of Thorndon Park Golf Club in Essex. At the last GCMA conference a club secretary said to Tim Williams: “We’ve lived through artificial prosperity; what we’ve accepted now is tough but real and we can work with that.” George Interiors is finding that the clubs it is working with have solid longterm plans; recognising that, in a competitive market, clubhouse refurbishment is, in real terms, more affordable than for years and crucially a sound financial investment. Williams said: “Clubs that contact us no longer need persuading that good design is good for business – they know; that's why they’ve made the enquiry.” Whether it’s a children’s hospital in London that sees improved rates of recovery through intelligent architecture or Jaguar Land Rover, allegedly using

While a number of golf clubs have closed their doors in the past few years, many of those that are investing in improvements are flourishing. Improvements are often being carried out both to retain existing members and importantly to attract new members who are key to the continued success of a club. Mid Herts Golf Club in Wheathampstead recently called in Thames Contracts of London to redesign and completely transform the main lounge and dining areas in its clubhouse. Natural oak bar counters were installed in a new location to make better use of space, specially designed heavy duty Wilton carpets were provided throughout together with mineral tile suspended ceilings and Champagne voile curtains to the panoramic windows overlooking the course. Albert Scurfield, main committee member responsible for implementing the project said: “I would like to thank Thames for their professional and focused attention to this project and congratulate them on finishing on time and to the expected quality.” Members are extremely pleased with the transformed clubhouse and have received many favourable comments from visiting clubs. The area is also available off peak for corporate hire in addition to weddings and other events which generate additional revenue for the club. Thames Contracts is one of the leading companies designing and transforming golf club interiors and Mid Herts is its most recent project, which is now benefitting from the improvements. Tel: 020 8368 0045 / 07860 839603 GCM

Thames Contracts

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FUTURE OF GOLF SPONSORED BY CRAFTSMAN LOCKERS, THE FINEST CLUBS, THE FINEST CHANGING ROOMS

CHANGING TIM ES AT

BAMBURGH CASTLE GOLF CLUB The historic Northumberland club has always been popular, but now it is even more attractive thanks to a clubhouse refurb project, writes Tom James Bamburgh Castle Golf Club can lay claim to being one of the most beautiful and scenic courses in Britain, offering views of Lindisfarne, the Farne Islands, the Cheviots and the dramatic ramparts of the castle itself. It’s also forward-thinking in its approach to the provision of clubhouse facilities that will keep it in the top flight of Northumberland golfing venues. Said to be one of the truest links experiences in England, the course is lined by gorse, heather, whinstone and rare fauna and boasts a characterful series of opening holes with back-to-back par threes followed by two excellent par fives. At just over 5,600 yards, it is not the longest course in the country but presents a demanding par 68, with birdie opportunities. A great getaway for societies and casual visitors, Bamburgh Castle tests golfers of every level – one reason why the club has embarked on a programme of clubhouse improvements that have made it the envy of its competitors. Bamburgh was the cultural and ecclesiastical centre of western Europe in the

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Right: The new men’s locker room at Bamburgh Castle Golf Club. Elsewhere, images from the course

seventh century and is also home to the renowned ‘Bamburgh banger’. Here also is the memorial to Victorian heroine Grace Darling, who at just 22, rowed with her father from the Longstone Lighthouse to rescue the nine survivors of the shipwrecked steamship Forfarshire in 1838. The club was founded in 1904 by Lord Armstrong of Bamburgh and

Cragside, with backing from his friends. He donated the clubhouse and funded development of the course, which was laid out on leased land from a Newcastle-based acquaintance. The club was the final frame in his vision to develop Bamburgh as a holiday resort and opened 110 years ago this month with a tee shot struck by Lord Armstrong's 10-year-old daughter, Winifreda. Bamburgh was unusual in having a ladies’ club at inauguration and has enjoyed a healthy membership ever since. The club enjoys a full membership and not only draws on local support but also on visitors and holiday homeowners, initially from Newcastle, now from much further afield. It anticipates that the recent improvements will pro-

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Tel: 01480 405396

vide even more reason for people to seek membership of the club. Realising the need to upgrade the clubhouse, Bamburgh moved forward with plans to transform the men’s changing facilities. The clubhouse redevelopment also incorporated the provision of a new bar area and terrace overlooking the course, together with a new kitchen and modern office accommodation. The demolition of a 1960s flatroofed extension allowed the creation of a coherent design in style with the 1904 original. “We are popular because we offer very good value for money and are playable all year round,” declared secretary / manager Mike Robinson. “The club has always been perceived as one of the better ones in the county but our clubhouse improvement programme has taken us to a different level. We’ve gone up a notch and can compete on level terms with the best in the region.” The club soon decided whom to call on to deliver the quality of changing facilities it required. “The committee had visited clubs like The Glen and

Email: johng@cqlockers.co.uk

Archerfield, both Craftsman sites, so we knew what we wanted pretty early on,” recalled Robinson. “Although we approached other suppliers, the choice was clear. The men’s facilities were simply not fit for purpose anymore, and we badly needed decent showers too – in short the kind of provision to bring us into the 21st century. Everybody has a mobile phone now, for example and they need somewhere safe and secure to store them, as well as other valuables and belongings.” The fit-out included single and double golf bag lockers as well as holdall lockers – all in light oak – with vanity units and hanging space completing an upgrade that is complemented by tartan carpet, energy efficient, ‘intelligent’ lighting and invigorating showers. “The comments we’ve received since

www.cqlockers.co.uk

the changing room opened in March have been fantastic,” Robinson reported, while members are thrilled that the clubhouse redevelopment has restored pride to the interior of the stylish sandstone exterior.” There’s still one matter to resolve though, Robinson explained. Given its vibrant ladies’ section, Bamburgh Castle stages plenty of opportunities for women to play golf during the week and at weekends. “We asked the ladies if they wanted to upgrade their changing room,” said Robinson “but they were happy with what they had ... until they saw the quality of the new men’s provision. Now they want some of the same, so we’ll be working on that at some stage.” He concluded: “The expectations of visiting golfers have risen dramatically in the last decade,” Robinson said. “Providing a good course was no longer enough. People expect high quality, comfortable clubhouse facilities and changing rooms now form a critical aspect of that service.” GCM www.cqlockers.co.uk

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THE GOLF COURSE

He will be greatly missed This summer the industry was shocked to hear the news that leading golf ecologist Antony Wainwright had died at the age of just 42. His colleague, the STRI’s Bob Taylor, reflects on the short life of the former greenkeeper It is with great sadness that I report the passing of my colleague and friend, Antony Wainwright. Antony sadly passed away on August 3, 2014 leaving his wife Lyndsey and two children, Willow, aged six, and Rowan, aged two, his mother and father Sandra and Neil and his brother Andrew and sister Joanne. Antony was born in Bolton, Lancashire and throughout his school life was devoted to developing his skills in bird identification and ecology which later led him to complete a university degree in ecology and ecology management. He took a job as a greenkeeper at Turton Golf Club, which in a remarkable twist of fate was where I first met him. Antony entered the STRI Golf Environment Awards in 2011 and was successful in winning the Conservation Greenkeeper of the Year award. Part of his prize was a trip to see a range of sustainable managed golf clubs in southern Portugal and we were

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accompanied by Darran Marshall, assistant greenkeeper at Loch Lomond, whose club won the Outstanding Golf Club of the Year award 2011. We arrived at our hotel in Portugal at around 10pm in the dark and when we met for a drink in the bar Antony reeled off a number of birds he had already seen, including spoonbill and common crane. Both Darran and I were sceptical and impressed at the same time. Next morning Antony’s findings were confirmed and he went on to identify many foreign birds by their call alone. He made me realise just how lucky we all are working in an industry that is built around and within the environment, working with individuals and organisations that are together working towards that common goal of conserving landscapes, which are such an integral part of the golf courses we play. I realised very quickly that Antony’s skills were rather special and this was

one of the reasons STRI employed him in January 2014. He was with us only a short time, but what an impact he made. His passion, enthusiasm and professionalism shone through and this coupled with honesty, humility and integrity resulted in him making a strong impression on all those he met. Within days of announcing his death we have been inundated with letters of condolence from those lucky enough to have spent some time with Antony, expressing their thoughts that, in time, Antony would have gone on to achieve so much in the conservation of our diminishing habitats and species within golf. Thank you to you all for your kind words and I just wish Antony could have shared more of his passion to a much wider greenkeeping audience. He will be missed and this is a tragedy for all those around him, including his family, close friends and colleagues within the golfing industry. GCM

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‘ A massive v oice for nature in the golfing industry ’ “Words cannot explain how I feel at the news of Antony’s passing. I have known for a few days now and am still in total shock. Antony lit a fuse in my heart for wild birds and it was always a fun and knowledge-learning experience to spend time with him. His passion for wildlife was second to none and expertise in birds was amazing. I will cherish our time spent together in Portugal and on his visits to Loch Lomond, both professional and personal. “I was proud to call him my friend, fly high Antony. God bless.”

Minchinhampton just a couple of weeks ago and was looking forward to inviting him back next year to carry out a breeding bird survey for us. His knowledge, passion and enthusiasm for all things ecology was infectious and inspirational – I’m far more tuned in to the bird life on the courses now thanks to spending only a short time with him teaching me some of the bird calls. “A truly nice man who was a fantastic ambassador for our industry and he will be greatly missed. My thoughts go to his family at this difficult time.”

Darran Marshall Senior greenkeeper at Loch Lomond Golf Club

Matt Worster Ecology coordinator at Minchinhampton Golf Club

“Message for a lost friend: I found you to be a gentle, caring man whose humble approach put everyone instantly at ease. Without your passion and knowledge, our industry has become a sadder place! “My thoughts are with your loved ones x.”

“Antony was such a nice guy and a massive voice for nature in the golfing industry. He will be sadly missed. Sympathies to his family and friends.”

Amanda Dorans Greenkeeper at Dundonald Links “I am shocked and saddened to hear this terrible news. I had had a great morning with Antony out on the courses at Antony enjoying a trip of a lifetime in 2012 with his close friend Darran Marshall and, left, fulfilling his passion to learn about and photograph everything in nature

Stephen Thompson Assistant greenkeeper at John O‘Gaunt Golf Club “A true ambassador for golf and the environment and a gentleman of whom I have the highest respect for. I am deeply shocked and we as a group must continue to drive Antony’s passion onto all those outside and within the industry as a mark of respect. I will certainly be marking his departure in the form of an environment / ecology project this winter. RIP my dear friend. “God bless, Dan.” Dan McGrath MG Course Manager at North Foreland Golf Club “Very sad news indeed. Antony’s enthusiasm for his beloved subject was infectious and having carried out a breeding bird survey for us recently and only receiving the report on Monday I will also ensure that all recommendations are completed as a mark of respect to a lovely man. Please send all messages of respect to the family for us Bob. Deepest sympathies. Euan.” Euan Grant Golf courses and estates manager at Turnberry Resort “Words are sometimes not enough. Today is a sad day for all who knew Antony personally, a very compassionate human being. He lived his whole life doing what he was passionate about. God bless, ABA.” Alexandra Betâmio de Almeida Sustainable development advisor in Portugal “I only met Antony the once, he was a kind and knowledgeable man. My heart goes out to his family.” Anthony Darker First assistant at Elsham Golf Club

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THE GOLF COURSE BUY ER’ S GUIDE SALTEX

John Deere

The grounds maintenance exhibition SALTEX is to be radically changed. The Institute of Groundsmanship (IoG) show, which has been hosted at Windsor racecourse every year bar three since 1979, is to end being an outdoor event and will be staged from 2015 at the indoor NEC (pictured) in Birmingham on November 4 and 5. Previously it had been held over three days in September. Speaking on behalf of the IoG board, Geoff Webb, CEO of the IoG commented: “The IoG board has been looking at ways to improve the format and overall experience of SALTEX for visitors and also create maximum benefit for exhibitors. After evaluating all options, we have decided it’s time to change the date and venue to meet the demands of the industry going forward.” An IoG spokesman added: “The NEC is one of Europe’s leading indoor exhibition and event centres. Centrally located, it will attract more visitors and exhibitors from a wider national and international audience. SALTEX 2015 will be better than ever and remain the NEC

UK’s largest exhibition of groundscare and landscaping products and services featuring a wider range of educational seminars and turf debates, the unique ‘Ask The Expert’ clinic, and for the first time, will combine with the IoG’s annual conference and awards events. “SALTEX 2015, at its new location, will bring information, innovation, expertise and insight at every turn for both visitors and exhibitors from across the UK and beyond.” Web: www.iogsaltex.com

John Deere Privately owned Matfen Hall Hotel, Golf and Spa near Newcastle has made its first significant machinery fleet purchase for four years, with the acquisition of five new golf course mowers from dealer Greenlay at Cramlington in

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Northumberland, John Deere’s longest serving turf dealership in the UK. Set in 300 acres of attractive parkland, Matfen Hall is the ancestral home of Sir Hugh and Lady Blackett. First open for play in 1995, the golf club now offers a combination of three nine-hole courses – Dewlaw, Douglas and Standing Stone – plus an additional nine-hole par three course, and co-hosted the English Senior Amateur Championships in June with Hexham Golf Club. The new fleet includes two 2500E hybrid electric greens mowers, a 7200 PrecisionCut trim & surrounds mower, an 8700 PrecisionCut fairway mower and an 8800 TerrainCut rotary rough mower, bought using a John Deere Financial package with PowerGard Plus protection. This includes an annual service by the dealer, with regular maintenance done in-house. In addition, a new set of QA5 quickattach tees units have allowed an older 2500A greens mower to move from cutting greens to tees and approaches. The greenkeeping staff have also been on a training course on the new mowers, held at the John Deere Limited Training Centre at Langar. “Some of our previous machines were anything from four to 12 years old, but we wanted to get back onto a more regular replacement schedule, so this deal is the first step on the way to achieving that,” says Derek Millar, who has worked at the course for 17 years, the last five as course manager. “This is the most we’ve ever bought in one go, and we now have the mowing fleet that we wanted to get back into a more sensible rotation.” Web: www.JohnDeere.co.uk

Toro Sherborne Golf Club in Dorset is opting for trouble-free mowing by renewing with Toro for a second five-year exclusivity agreement. Chris Watson, course manager at

Sherborne Golf Club, said: “We first signed with Toro in 2009 and we’ve had five years of trouble-free mowing. I was quite happy to continue with Toro but I wanted it to be a collective decision and a fair one.” With that in mind Chris and his greenkeeping team of four considered the ergonomics, safety, performance and ease of use of Toro and its competitors. Chris also researched costs for parts, hours for service and warranties. Together the decision was made to reinvest with Toro for another five years. As part of this deal and now being used to tend the 18-hole members-only course are the Groundsmaster 4000-D, Reelmaster 3100-D with Sidewinder cutting units and the Greensmaster 3250-D, with further delivery of a Reelmaster 5610, Reelmaster 3100-D and a tractor-mounted ProCore expected. “We’re known to be a bit of a grass factory here and even though we have growth regulators to slow down the grass we still cut daily,” said Chris. “The Greensmaster 3250-D is perfect for daily cutting. We use the GM4000-D to tackle the roughs and semi-roughs at least twice a week and the RM3100-D with Sidewinder is producing some great results on the tee and green banks.” The parkland course is, much like the rest of Dorset, sandy in nature, meaning the course can be a challenge to maintain. Extensive work on the condition of the soil by Chris and the team a few years ago though means the 124-acre course now has four inches of good quality top soil to its advantage Toro

and the added benefit of being a freedraining course. This, coupled with Toro on hand to help with maintenance, and Chris is confident its reputation of having the best fairways in Dorset is secure. Chris concludes: “There is pressure for the course to perform to the highest standard. We could not have asked for more from Toro over the last five years

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Meet the first and only golf course in Azerbaijan! In the small town of Quba, situated between the Caucasus Mountains and the Caspian Sea, lies the luxurious National Azerbaijan Golf Club. Surrounded by breathtaking views to the mountains and nearby hills, this location is truly wonderful. The 18-hole championship golf course is built to meet the highest standards. It uses the natural topography of the site to generate a stunning and challenging course worthy of the natural beauty of the surrounding area. The Finnish company Artichouse had the privilege to deliver the main buildings for the golf course. The outstanding clubhouse made from logs has a total floor area of 658mÂ˛. Its architectural features include huge glass windows, log structures and massive wooden laminated beams holding the supporting roof structure. The driving range is also made entirely from logs which are a long lasting and ecologically sound choice. The clubhouse and driving range are located next to a luxurious holiday village which includes 17 individual villas. Each villa is finished both inside and outside to the highest standard, starting from Finnish high quality design and completing the interiors with magnificent chandeliers. Guests can enjoy tasty food in The Steak House restaurant which delivers Turkish and Azerbaijan-style cuisine. Located in the mountains this restaurant offers a view over the holiday village and the golf course.

All of these buildings are made from strong Finnish logs, grown in the coldest regions of the Lapland. They are manufactured by a well-known and experienced Finnish log house export company Artichouse. With years of experience in the field Artichouse can deliver anything from a single family home to commercial buildings of any size. For more information about individual and ecological log houses, visit www.artichouse.co.uk

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THE GOLF COURSE BUY ER’ S GUIDE and our dealer Devon Garden Machinery has been brilliant, too, providing support whenever we need it. I have to say I was very pleased when Toro came out on top in our research and with the whole team!” Tel: 01480 226800

Lely One of the most well-known and respected names in the professional turf machinery industry, Peter Mansfield, has left Lely UK after 32 years with the company. Until recently, Peter headed up Lely’s turf division business, best known for the distribution of Toro turfcare products. It’s a job he carried out with distinction for 22 years, after first being appointed general manger, turf business, in 1992. The role embraced all aspects of distributor support for the Toro business with Peter overseeing everything from parts, service, warranty, training, sales and marketing and Lely’s national dealer network. Peter was a familiar figure at events such as Saltex and BTME. He also played a leading role as the link between Toro, BIGGA and Lely, as well as being a judge, for the widely regarded annual Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year awards. One of Peter’s proudest achievements was the setting up and running of a new 24/72 Parts Programme to guarantee customers on-time delivery of Toro parts in just 24 hours from stock or only 72 hours for those being flown in from Toro in the US. He says the biggest changes he’s seen over the years have stemmed from the march of technology. First the IT revolution, which transformed communication with customers and led to much higher expectations in terms of response times and service levels. Likewise, massive steps in product technology, particularly in Peter Mansfield

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computerisation, have meant meeting demands from customers who are much more reliant on Lely for support. “What I’ve most enjoyed is seeing Lely grow its business as a distributor for Toro to the extent we have,” says Peter. “It’s grown five-fold in my time and I always got a buzz when I looked at the plaques on the wall Toro presented us with as awards for what we achieved.” Web: www.lely.co.uk

Otterbine A new Otterbine 5HP aerating fountain formed part of the redevelopment plans for The Nottinghamshire Golf and Country Club, just six miles from Otterbine

Nottingham city centre in the East Midlands, when new owners took over two years ago. The plans were put in place to take the club to the next level and included a new lake constructed next to the clubhouse to improve the appearance of the course. A water feature in the shape of an Otterbine Sunburst 5HP aerating fountain, which was installed by GlenFarrow, was added to the lake to create an attraction for guests and members. Also part of improvements were the introduction of new tees to 12 of the 18 holes on the Open Course, plus the planting of strategically-placed trees and water features to enhance the golfing experience. “The new owners wanted to raise the bar and, with a focus on weddings and functions, it was decided to add a 3,000 square metre lake with a fountain,” says course manager Pete Billings. “I was familiar with the Otterbine brand and in my opinion they are the market leaders for fountains. I had a look at other brands, but this was such a big job I knew I had to go with the one I could rely on and I knew Otterbine would be the most successful for the job.” Web: www.otterbine.com

Toro / Lely Toro electric-powered equipment played a key role in helping course manager Craig Gilholm and his team ready the course for the Open Championship. The snag for Royal Liverpool and the 18-hole Hoylake course is its location in a densely populated area. Mowing noise is not appreciated at any time of day, let alone at 4am. Last year, course manager Craig Gilholm came up with a solution. He replaced his existing ‘conventional’ greensmowers with fullelectric pedestrian greensmowers and hybrid for the ride-on greens triples. He also went for electric Toro Workman utility vehicles to provide quiet transport around the course. “We wanted to make a switch away from diesel and petrol for the broadest of environmental reasons,” Craig says. “But cutting pollution, to include noise, is also a key priority and one that is key to the sustainability of golf.” His selected kit includes six lithiumion battery-powered Toro eFlex 21 pedestrian mowers, plus four diesel hybrid Toro TriFlex 3420-D ride-ons. These mowers had already proven themselves over the course in 2013. No concession is made to how they operate either, Craig and his team expecting them to perform exactly as they would demand a ‘conventional’ powered fleet of machines. “The eFlex mower’s on-board computer system ensures full performance is delivered right to the moment when the mower needs to stop for a recharge,” says Craig. “At present we can mow five greens per charge with groomers and push brushes, which is just right for our needs. The eFlex models replaced conventional Flex 21 petrol models and I see no difference in performance but appreciate the simplicity and low noise of the battery models.” Email: turfcare.uk@lely.com GCM Toro

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classifieds General Manager

Brickendon Grange Golf Club is a well established private members club due to celebrate its 50th Anniversary in 2016. We have exciting plans for its future development and are looking for a dynamic individual who has the vision and leadership skills to help us achieve our long term objectives. It is expected that applicants will have golf club management experience, however, management skills in other disciplines will be considered. The General Manager will report to the Chairman/Management Committee and have overall responsibility for overseeing of Department Managers and Staff. The successful applicant must be able to demonstrate: • Commercial acumen including the delivery of strategic plans aimed at developing new and expanding existing revenue streams • Strong financial management and reporting skills • A high level of IT literacy • An understanding of employment and H&S legislation • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills in dealing with members and visitors • The enthusiasm and ability to encourage and motivate staff • An appreciation of golf, the traditions of a private members' club and a willingness to work flexibly when required The salary package will reflect the ability and experience of the successful applicant. Applications should include a covering letter and full C.V. and be sent to the Chairman, Brickendon Grange Golf Club, Pembridge Lane, Brickendon, Hertford, Herts. SG13 8PD or by email to chairman@bggc.org.uk by Friday 10th October 2014.

M a k e s u re y o u a t t r a c t t h e r ig h t p e r s o n f o r t h e jo b

General Manager

Saunton Golf Club in North Devon invites applications for the role of General Manager. Saunton is one of the UK’sinest f 36 hole complexes with both courses having high national rankings, the Eas t being in the op t 30 in GB and Ireland. It has pla yed host to many regional and national tournaments, the most recent of which was the English Amateur in July 2014. It is traditional members’ club with a large turno ver and over 25 permanent taff. s The successful candidate will r eport to the Chairman and Committee and will be esponsible r for managing all aspects of the club’s activities. Applicants should be able ot demonstrate:• Experience as a Secretary/General Manager of a private members’ golf club • Financial acumen and commer cial skills • A high level of IT literacy • Good man management experience • A passion or f satisfying the needs of member s and visitors Salary is nego tiable depending on experience but will r eflect the importance of the position. Applications with a current CV should be sent by 6 Oct ober to:Paul Vicary, Chairman Saunt on Golf Club, Braunt on, Devon EX33 1LG.

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The future of your golf club is determined by your manager. Appointing the right one is the most important decision your club can make. Advertising your Management vacancy in the magazine and on the internet will give you the greatest opportunity to source the perfect candidate for your club.

Tel 020 7803 2420 or email golf@unionpress.co.uk to advertise your vacancy and secure the future of your club

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buy er’ s guide Aerators

Apps

Computer Systems

Course Architects

Design, Construction and Management T: 01202 824966 M: 07884 338 014 Manet

Horton Road Horton Heath Wimborne Dorset E: info@trevorsmithgolfconsultancy.co.uk

Contact- Brian D Pierson Chairman BAGCC Office -01425475584 Email brian.pierson@btopenworld.com

BH21 6SB

www.trevorsmithgolfconsultancy.co.uk

HandicapMaster®

Al Fresco Products

Leading CONGU® Handicapping Software at an affordable price. Includes online reporting of competition results, etc. Call us now on

0844 445 7789

App Developments

www.HandicapMaster.org

Computer Systems

M & D Gee 01707 643477

Giant Umbrellas, Terrace Screens Outdoor Heaters, Furniture, Awnings, Patiolas

www.mdgee.com

H AW TR E E L TD Golf Course Architects

5 Oxford St, Woodstock,Oxon, OX20 1TQ Tel – 01993 811976 Fax – 01993 812448 E-mail mail@hawtree.co.uk Web Page www.hawtree.co.uk Consultants to over 600 golf courses worldwide during the past 90 years. Contact Dr Martin Hawtree (BA MCD PhD) Fellow of the EUROPEAN INSTITUTE OF GOLF COURSE ARCHITECTS

Your customers use smartphones a lot...

0800 688 9694 Golf Management Software Runs on your Club computers Instantly available Online Auditors (Utilities)

Call us now to book your space in next month’s Buyers Guide. Ask for

STEVE EAVES

 020 7803 2420

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SEPTEMBER 2014

info@linkssoftware.com

Course Construction

Course Architects

Warning: Your energy bills could be wrong

Avoid overcharges call 01244 399399 eg-audit Limited, 3 Chapel Court, Wervin Road, Wervin, Chester CH2 4BT e info@eg-audit.com w www.eg-audit.com

www.johngreasleyltd.co.uk Email: johngreasleyltd@aol.com Web: www.johngreasleyltd.co.uk Tel: 0116 269 6766 Fax: 0116 269 6866

Book space in next month’s Buyers Guide

 020 7803 2455

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buy er’ s guide Course Measurement

Finance

Environmental Storage

Golf Cars

FINANCE:

Bespoke Finance to suit every Golf Club New & used machinery, competitive rates, ultimate flexibility.

Course Shaper Golf IT Support

•Golf course Shaper/Initiator • New approach to remodelling of greens, tees and bunkers. • Will reduce costs on vital course enhancements • Contact Fred for all your in-house projects. Excavator and dozer certified

www.greensandtees.co.uk Call: 07739 463397

Drainage

GOLF CLUB IT SUPPORT Protect your systems with 24/7 continuous monitoring and remote support

+44(0)845 658 6773 enquires@netroute.co.uk www.netroute.co.uk

SPECIALISTS IN GOLF COURSE FINANCE TEL:

• Unique Aluminium Chassis • Lightest golf car on the market • Industry-leading warranty • Advanced petrol or electric drives • Comprehensive UK and European sales and service network • Flexible finance packages available • For more info call:

(+44) 777 180 5463

01620 890200

sales@golffinance.co.uk

www.clubcar.com info_esa@clubcar.com

Events Management

SPEEDCUT CONTRACTORS LTD SPORTSTURF GOLF COURSE • CONSTRUCTION • DRAINAGE • RENOVATION

Oxford 01865 331479

www.speedcutcontractors.co.uk

Call us now to book your space in next month’s Buyers Guide. Ask for Steve Eaves 

020 7803 2453 Golf Buggy Hire

Tel: 01932 358 096 Fax: 01932 358 099

w w w .golfclubmanagement.net Call us now to book your space in next month’s Buyers Guide. Ask for

SAM COLEMAN

 020 7803 2455 w w w .golfclubmanagement.net

64-69_gcm_Sep_Buyers guide_Layout 1 15/09/2014 16:17 Page 66

buy er’ s guide Indoor Furniture RF/1 From £37.90

Interior Design

RF/15 From £45.90

BQ/21 From £16.40

GEORGE INTERIORS INDEPENDENT SPORTS TURF IRRIGATION SPECIALISTS

CF/24 WT/15 From £59.90

RF/10 From £88.90

E S TA B L I S H E D 1 9 6 0

0116 286 4911 Leading UK suppliers of furniture for clubs hotels and restaurants. Visit our website to view our full range or call our sales team www.trentpottery.co.uk sales@pubfurnitureuk.co.uk

Wellingborough Golf Club

INTERIOR DESIGN CONSULTANTS

Insurance TAILORED INSURANCE FOR GOLF CLUBS from

Kerry London Sport and Leisure

Irrigation

• DESIGN • INSTALLATION • SERVICE • MAINTENANCE • 01423 799900 • 07792405072 info@fullcircleirrigation.co.uk

Irrigation Thorndon Park Golf Club

PROJECT MANAGERS

01746 767441 www.georgeinteriors.co.uk

Email: sportandleisuredirect@kerrylondon.co.uk

British Turf & Landscape Irrigation Association Quality by Association Our aim is to ensure you have the best possible irrigation system so we constantly monitor, maintain and raise the standards of our members. For a full list of members contact Martyn Jones:

Tel/Fax: 01995 670675 Mobile: 07912 023 025 Web: www.btlia.org.uk

Tel: 0207 337 4046 www.kl-insurance.co.uk

Email: btliasecretary@btconnect.com QUALITY FURNITURE SUPPLIERS

Taylor’s are suppliers of fine quality solid oak traditionally made club furniture. Furniture that matures with age mm accuracy GPS surveying

Tel 01902 751166 www.taylorsgolfclubfurniture.com

irrigation design and system reports water supplies and re-cycling CDM compliance documents

Honours Boards

project management..and much more WATER ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS Northern office +44 (0) 114 2667478 Southern office +44 (0) 1425 477883 info@yorkmartin.com : www.yorkmartin.com

Lake Liners

Interior Design

Worldwide Geomembrane Engineering We supply and install liners and lining systems for lakes, ponds, reservoirs and lagoons to Golf Courses Internationally.

HARRY STEBBING WORKSHOP TRADITIONAL ENGLISH OAK

Bespoke Signage : Notice Boards : Memorial Benches : Honours Boards and Map Cases Phone: 01953 498 766

Web: www.harrystebbing.com

Book space in next month’s Buyers Guide

 020 7803 2420

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SEPTEMBER 2014

Book space in next month’s Buyers Guide

 020 7803 2420

GEOSYNTHETIC TECHNOLOGY LIMITED Tel: 01206 262676 Email: sales@geosynthetic.co.uk Website: www.geosynthetic.co.uk

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buy er’ s guide Lockers

FITLOCKERS

Make your members feel extra special

Quality Af fordable T imber F Lockers

Fit Craftsman lockers You may invest in new changing rooms once in a lifetime; you’ve only got one chance to get it right.

Craftsman Lockers specialise in creating quality changing environments that make your members feel a little bit special. Craftsman creates solutions to match the demands of the modern male, female and junior golfer. We make and fit lockers for every lifestyle.

Craftsman Lockers, where innovation comes as standard

UK manufacturer with 20 years experience

When your changing room can look this good why choose anyone else? The only wooden locker company accredited with ISO9001: 2008 Quality Management Systems and ISO14001: 2004 Environment Management Systems sales@crownsportslockers.co.uk www.crownsportslockers.co.uk

Tel: 01803 555885

Call us now to book your space in next month’s Buyers Guide. Ask for CQL Alington Road, Little Barford, St. Neots, Cambs PE19 6WE Tel: 01480 405396 Email: johng@cqlockers.co.uk

SAM COLEMAN  020 7803 2455

01923 770435 sales@ fitlockers.co.uk www. fitlockers.co.uk

www.cqlockers.co.uk

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buy er’ s guide Locker Security

Relief Stewards

Club Locums Ltd. (Est. 1960)

Security

Tree Relocation

Container Sales and Rental

Supply

Relief Stewards (Singles or Couples)

For Emergency Cover, Holiday, Sickness, Holdiing Situations

TEL: 01743 343435

www.reliefmanagement.co.uk

Outdoor Structures Outside Structure Solutions

Renewables

Machinery Storage Greenkeeping Sheds Basis approved chemical stores Further information and guidance can be gained from our website www.mrbox.co.uk or call us freephone 0800 7839885

sales@mrbox.co.uk

Signs

SUPPLIERS & TRANSPLANTERS OF LARGE TREES & HEDGES TEL:01277 849990 FAX:01277 849991 EMAIL:mail@ruskins.co.uk WEB:www.ruskins.co.uk

Trophies

Renewable Energy Suppliers of terrace covers, course shelters, driving range covers and entrance walkways. Please contact us for more information

Tel: 0844 561 7679 www.OutsideStructureSolutions.co.uk

Personalised Products

An alternate income £35k to your club... by a golf company with an 80yr reliable history. A Turn-Key operation.

Storage

e: imacpherson@rainbird.eu

Tel: 07712 631467 Valuations Scorecards

Golf Club Inventory & Silverware Valuations David Tilleke FIAAS and a Past Hertfordshire Club Captain is an experienced Valuer who specialises in Club House Trophy and Memorabilia valuations. Starting with Prestwick in 1986 he has since acted for many clubs including Royal Dornoch, The Berkshire & North Hants. He is recommended by Circle the UKs largest Golf Club Insurer. Now working with David Neech, retired Sotheby’s Golf Consultant.

Range Equipment

Please contact him at valuation@btinternet.com

www.valuationsdavidtilleke.co.uk

Trees

Suppliers of Trees, Shrubs, Guards and Accessories. www.dryrainge.com

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SEPTEMBER 2014

Tel: 01434 633049 Fax: 01434 636316 www.treesplease.co.uk info@treesplease.co.uk

Verti/Drainage

64-69_gcm_Sep_Buyers guide_Layout 1 15/09/2014 16:18 Page 69

buy er’ s guide Water Management

JOIN THE LEADERS IN THE CLUBHOUSE Subscribe to

g o lf c lu b

Fountains • Aeration • Filtration • Illumination

www.lake-management.com 02392 373735

management

Annual rates: for subscription to Golf Club Management only

With constant price increases and water becoming ever more precious now is the time to maxmise the benefits of a

n site investigations n piling n geothermal drilling n water wells

UK: £97 Europe: £126 Rest of World: £153 CALL FOR AN ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION

01277 841333 info@tnddrilling.co.uk www.tnddrilling.co.uk



Web Design The Effecti ve & Updatea ble W ebsite System that Mark ets your Golf Club

020 7803 2427 AUGUST 2012 £8

The c hoice of Over 100 Golf Clubs thr oughout the UK. Tel: 020 8643 9803, email k

JULY 2012 £8

evin@c lubview .co.uk, web

http://www .clubview .co.uk

Call us now to book your space in next month’s Buyers Guide. Ask for Steve Eaves 

020 7803 2453

THE GREEN SCENE

PLUS: Clubhouse Technology Defibrillators SALTEX Preview Catering

HOW GOLF CLUBS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY CUTTING COSTS BY BEING ECO-FRIENDLY

JUNE 2012 £8

THE TWOWHEELED ROLE MODEL PETER KING CBE DETAILS HOW HIS TEAM TURNED BRITISH CYCLING FROM A LAUGHING STOCK INTO A GLOBAL LEADER – AND HOW HIS PRINCIPLES CAN BE APPLIED TO GOLF CLUB MANAGEMENT

PLUS: Water Management Environmental Sustainability Customer Service

ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR THE RIGHT – AN

D WRONG – WAYS

PLUS:

THAT GOLF CLUB

Bar an Restaurandt Trends in Golf Participation Course Signage Tax Legislation S ARE MARKETING

THEMSELVES

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