V IE WP OI N T ◗ CHRISTIAN PILON
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou CHRISTIAN PILON, PRESIDENT
Bringing Out the Best in Golf Rien de moins que le mieux pour le golf! ◗ From coast to coast, we are hearing that this past winter and spring were quite unusual and delivered a mix bag of problems for superintendents to deal with. Ice damage, flooding, tree damage, snow mold damage and late and massive snow cover are just some of the obvious obstacles we’ve been faced with. Budgetary compressions have also been a hot topic as the golf industry struggles to generate the number of rounds it once did. Superintendents have had to re-invent their operations in these difficult economic times without impacting the high standards that were put in place during better years. Despite these agronomical, operational and financial challenges, the resilient nature and professionalism of golf course superintendents can prove to be an exceptional asset which can make a significant contribution to the enhancement of the golf experience and the further engagement of the golfers at your facility. What makes a great customer experience? In my mind, understanding what your customers want, treating people like individuals, showing that you care, going the extra mile, opening up the lines of communication and making the golfer feel like they are the most important person in the world all add to the quality of the experience. Everyone at a golf facility has the power to influence the customer experience. Very few have as many opportunities to bring magic into the lives of our golfers as we do. What are these opportunities that I am talking about? We have the ability to produce the desired golf course conditions 8 GreenMaster | www.golfsupers.com
on a daily basis. We personally have a chance to directly interact individually with golfers at our facility, to discuss the ins and outs of our profession, to ask for feedback and to teach our golfers about the importance of certain practices. Every time we come across a golfer on the course, that is the perfect time to make them feel special. We also have an opportunity to touch our members or customers through others. Our staff members are a direct extension of each of us and can be a strong asset or a major deterrent to the experience that you offer golfers. A strong customer experience plan, involving your staff members and senior management, that takes into account the profile and needs of users can truly have a positive effect on people’s perspective of our operation, our overall facility and the golf industry as a whole. The role that each of us plays in the golfer’s experience is important, not only for our own golf facility, but for the entire industry. In these changing days, we all need to do our part to bring magic to golfers so that they can eventually bring their magic to other golf facilities and contribute to the overall pool of golf rounds. The CGSA is fully engaged with other national golf organisations through NAGA, the National Allied Golf Association, to ensure a strong future for golf in Canada. GM
◗ Selon la rumeur en provenance de toutes les régions du pays, la météo a été capricieuse l’hiver et le printemps derniers et les surintendants ont dû composer avec toute une série de problèmes. Mentionnons entre autres les dégâts causés par la glace, les inondations, les arbres endommagés, la moisissure nivéale et une couche de neige massive. Les compressions budgétaires ont également été au centre des préoccupations parce que l’industrie du golf a du mal à générer autant de rondes que dans le passé. Les surintendants doivent réinventer leurs manières de procéder au cours de cette conjoncture économique difficile, sans remettre en question les normes élevées mises en place au cours des années de plus grande prospérité. Malgré les défis agronomiques, opérationnels et financiers auxquels ils doivent faire face, les surintendants représentent un atout exceptionnel pour les terrains de golf. Le professionnalisme et la détermination dont ils font preuve sont des éléments clés de la qualité du parcours et de la satisfaction des golfeurs. En quoi consiste une expérience client exceptionnelle? À mon avis, il faut comprendre ce que les golfeurs veulent, les traiter avec doigté, faire la preuve que nous nous soucions d’eux, nous dépasser, garder les voies de communications ouvertes et leur faire sentir qu’ils sont les personnes les plus importantes au monde. Tous ces éléments ajoutent à la qualité de l’expérience client. Dans un club de golf, nous avons tous une certaine influence sur l’expérience client. Cependant, à titre de surintendant,