Club House Europe - Autumn 2013

CLUBHOUSE EUROPE

Club Management Conference, Rome

Junior golf – why it matters

– see page 6

Talking teamwork – the word from Wentworth Game, set and match – tennis is on the ball

AUTUMN 2013

WELCOME

Welcome

Contributors

John Bushell

Denis Fabre

Sean Ferris

Martin Guntrip

Lawrence Hardcastle

Jerry Kilby CCM

Richard M. Kopplin

Tim Lobb

Jill Maclean

Mike Round

Caroline Scoular

Julian Small

Dear club managers, A warm welcome to the Autumn 2013 issue of Clubhouse Europe magazine, the only trade magazine for the European club industry.

Clubs all over Europe, whether they are golf clubs, tennis clubs, sailing clubs, city or corporate clubs, health and fitness clubs or country clubs, have so much in common with each other.

Throughout Europe, clubs are providing sports and leisure facilities to their local communities, to members, and to guests and visitors from all over the World. Some of these clubs are international icons, generating inbound tourism for their countries, others create significant economic impact in their local areas. But it doesn’t end there.

All of these clubs have members who are constantly asking for better facilities but for no increase in the membership fees. They all have staff who need supporting, training and motivating. And, of course, they all have clubhouses that need maintaining to high standards.

Club managers, therefore, are constantly seeking out new ideas and solutions to problems from their peers in the industry, taking these back to their clubs and implementing changes.

While clubs continue to thrive, the role and professionalism of the club manager is now more important than ever before. Managing the club as a business in challenging times is not an easy task, and we hope that this magazine and the other educational initiatives that the CMAE provides, will give you the tools and support you need to tackle the challenges.

Enjoy the articles and information contained within these pages and please let us have your feedback. With your help, we will continually improve the service that the CMAE provides to the European club industry.

Jerry Kilby CCM

Chief Executive Officer Club Managers Association of Europe

Editor Caroline Scoular editor@cmaeurope.plus.com Design David Foster Editorial Nick Sellens Advertising Steven Foreman info@alchemycontractpublishing.co.uk Circulation Jon Hardy Administration Debbie Goddard debbie.goddard@cmaeurope.plus.com Publishing Director Sean Ferris sean@alchemymedia.co.uk; CMAE CEO Jerry Kilby CCM jerry.kilby@cmaeurope.eu

Clubhouse Europe is a joint venture between the Club Managers Association of Europe (CMAE) and Alchemy Contract Publishing (ACP).

ACP Gainsborough House 59/60 Thames Street Windsor Berkshire SL4 1TX UK t. +44 (0)1753 272022 f. +44 (0)1753 272021 e.info@alchemycontractpublishing.co.uk www.alchemycontractpublishing.co.uk

CMAE Federation House Gainsborough House Stoneleigh Park Warwickshire CV8 2RF UK t. +44 (0) 247 669 2359 f. +44 (0) 247 641 4990 e.info@cmaeurope.org www.cmaeurope.org

The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publishers or the CMAE. Clubhouse Europe does not verify the claims made by advertisers regarding their products.

CLUBHOUSE EUROPE 3

Contents 6 News round-up News, views and events – Management Development Programme courses, CMAE Rome Conference dates and 2014 World Conference.

23

10 Game, set and match?

Tennis is showing strong growth across Europe.

But how does this translate into increased revenues?

13 Time out with Martin Guntrip Clubhouse Europe talks to the Secretary of probably the World’s most famous tennis club. A look behind the scenes at The All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon.

16 Talking teamwork Julian Small, Chief Executive, Wentworth Club, shares his insights into why teamwork counts.

20 Restore, renovate or re-design?

Maintaining the spirit of a historic golf course while keeping play up to contemporary standards is a challenge. Do you restore, renovate or redesign?

26 The art of chairing meetings

38 Presenting – art or science?

According to research, managers spend around 40% of their time in meetings. Yet 74% question their effectiveness. Sound familiar? Read on…

In less than a minute an audience forms their impression of you based on what you say and how you say it. Make sure that your message receives the attention it deserves.

23 Location report – spotlight on Venice

28 Five trust builders for the club board

This month we shine a light on clubs in Venice.

(It’s no surprise then that many of the biggest clubs here revolve around water!)

How can private club members build trust with their fellow board members? US consultant Richard Kopplin offers thoughts and actions.

13

40 The art of negotiation Salient advice on how to get what you bargained for – while keeping everyone happy in the process.

30 Back to the future On the outskirts of Paris lies the remarkable Golf de Saint Cloud. One hundred years young in December this year, Director Denis Fabre invites Clubhouse Europe readers on a whirlwind tour of its action-packed past.

32 Juniors – the future

42 The Last Word... the art of productivity Increasing productivity at the club is a golden chalice. But contrary to popular belief, just checking tasks off a to-do list isn’t necessarily the answer.

32

With juniors accounting for just 10% of registered European golfers, there’s plenty to play for when it comes to attracting youngsters to the game.

35 Responsive web design

30

Streamlining processes and building business through latest web design developments should be at the heart of every club’s web strategy, according to expert consultants at Larrytech.

36 CRM systems Reviewing your customer relationship management system? Or implementing a new one? A back-to-basics look at the principles involved.

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For more information on any of these articles or to contribute to our next issue, contact Caroline Scoular. e. editor@cmaeurope.plus.com t. +44 (0)1753 272022 For more information on the CMAE, its events and/or courses contact Debbie Goddard. e. debbie.goddard@cmaeurope.plus.com t. +44 (0) 247 669 2359

E EGCOA

P R E F E R R E D S U P P L I E R

News from the frontline The going gets tough for CMAE candidates From 1 January, 2015, CMAE members wanting to sit the Certified Club Manager (CCM) exam will need to have attended a minimum of three Management Development Programmes (MDP) in addition to the other eligibility requirements. From 1 January, 2017, this number increases to a

minimum of four MDP courses.

The aim is to bring Europe into line with colleagues in other parts of the world who are required to attend four five-day courses to ensure eligibility to sit the CCM exam.

•For full details visit www.cmaeurope.org/certification

Emirates Golf Club celebrates 1mn rounds

Swedish golf praised for environmental practice

CMAE member Andrew Whitelaw, General Manager of Emirates Golf Club, is celebrating the club’s one millionth round of golf.

“Emirates Golf Club has become an icon in the UAE and one of the city’s most prominent landmarks,” said Mr Whitelaw. “Over the past 25 years we have inspired golfers at all levels and set the bar for the growth of the sport in the region. Serving one million golfers is another huge milestone – in a year of huge milestones – that we wanted to celebrate with members and guests.”

Founded in 1988, the club features the Majlis and Faldo courses and Peter Cowen Golf Academy. The Majlis Course was recently cited

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has commended Sweden’s Ljunghusen Golf Club for its determination to ‘exist harmoniously with its surrounding environment’.

The club, managed by CMAE member Stig Persson, is sited within heathland and

as one of the ‘Top 100 Golf Courses in the World’ by Golf World magazine.

The desert course has hosted top players in the European Tour-sanctioned Omega Dubai Desert Classic, which celebrates its own milestone anniversary in January 2014. Past winners include Ernie Els (three times), Tiger Woods (twice), Severiano Ballesteros, Fred Couples, Rory McIlroy and Colin Montgomerie .

• Visit www.dubaigolf.com

dominated by coastal nature reserves. It uses boreholes and surface water for irrigation.

The club has been praised for an 80% decrease in the use of fertilizers since the 1980s as well as for its programmes to enhance and sustain biodiversity and the natural environment.

European Conference on Club Management 2013 European Conference on Club Management 2013 Date: 18 -19 November, 2013 Venue: Sheraton Golf Parco dè Medici Golf and Resort, Rome, Italy The European Conference on Club Management, a joint event between CMAE and Italian partner the Club & Course Managers Association of Italy (CCMAI), takes place on 18-19 November in Rome. The conference includes the Annual General Meeting of the CMAE. Leading industry experts who will address delegates include: 6 CLUBHOUSE EUROPE

• Fabrizio Pagliettini (CCMAI President) • Mike Leemhuis CCM (Congressional Country Club, Bethesda) • Gregg Patterson (The Beach Club, Santa Monica) • Bill Sanderson (The Golf Business Coach) How to register Registration fee is €280 for CMAE members and CCMAI members (non-members: €360).

The fee includes: • Access to every session of the two day conference • Buffet lunches on Monday and Tuesday • Gala Dinner Monday evening

• Airport transfers from Rome’s Fiumiciono Airport (10 minutes) Members receive three Association Credits for attending the AGM and one Education Credit per hour of the conference sessions attended. (There will be six hours of conference on day one and four hours on day two; anyone attending both days will receive 10 Education Credits.)

Send contact details, arrival and departure dates to Debbie Goddard. You will receive an email response with details of payment options.

•e.debbie.goddard@cmaeurope.plus.com

CMAE MDP courses to run in five countries The CMAE has announced that it is holding nine different Management Development Programme (MDP) courses in five different countries between October 2013 to March 2014.

“After a successful launch in November 2011, we’ve been working with our European partners to expand the choice of venues and

dates,” said CMAE’s Jerry Kilby. “We are all committed to facilitating participation for CMAE members wherever they are based.

With five countries now running courses and dates running from October to March next year, we hope that there will be a date and venue for everyone.”

•Turn the page for more details.

Chipping in World Conference February 4-8, 2014 Orlando, Florida

CMAE members offer Oliva Nova Beach & Golf Resort is the latest organisation to join the ranks as an Official Supplier of the CMAE. It is offering CMAE members a 10% discount to ‘stay and play’ at the five star resort in the Mediterranean where the sun, the sea and the mountains meet.

• Visit www.cmaeurope.org for more details.

Golfing bodies launch europeangolf.eu Following the success of the first golf exhibition in the European Parliament (as reported in our last issue – see www.clubhouseeurope.com) a website www.europeangolf.eu has been launched to celebrate golf’s contribution to the social, economic and environmental wellbeing of Europe.

The exhibition offered a platform for members of the EGA GCC - a partnership of bodies which includes the Club Managers Association of Europe amongst many others - to liaise and interact with European Parliamentarians and Commissioners on matters of sustainability and golf.

Link-in with CMAE CMAE members using a ‘members-only’ LinkedIn group to promote themselves and their clubs, are witnessing tangible business benefits, according to CEO Jerry Kilby.

“We know of many CMAE members who are now welcoming visitors to their clubs who have come as a result of introductions on the CMAE members-only group on LinkedIn,” said Mr Kilby. “We know of CMAE members who have found new jobs and some who have found staff through this group, and a number

of great ideas are being shared all the time among CMAE members.”

A recent discussion on this LinkedIn site led to one club manager introducing a scheme that generated 50 new members for his club, for example.

•Visit www.cmaeurope.org and login to the members section. The ‘LinkedIn Business Network’ appears as option on the left of the page.

The Club Managers Association of America (CMAA) is holding its 2014 World Conference and Club Business Expo in Orlando, Florida.

This is the Association's most visible event of the year which regularly attracts audiences of almost 5,000. The World Conference provides a variety of relevant education opportunities that reflect the latest trends in the club industry. These include Pre-Conference Workshops, seminars, management clinics, round-table discussions, student programs and keynote addresses by distinguished speakers, plus excellent networking opportunities with club managers worldwide.

CMAA members truly profit from the variety of opportunities available and the many innovative ideas that can be easily implemented in their clubs.

Session speakers include: • Former golfer and current ESPN golf commentator, Dottie Pepper, on youth golf programs.

• Former MLB Player and World Series Winner, Jim Eisenreich, on overcoming adversity and Tourette’s Syndrome.

• First US Women’s Olympic Basketball Coach and long-time UCLA Coach, Billie Moore, on leadership.

• PR Experts Clayton Fletcher and Steve Cody of Peppercomm, the number one rated company to work for in New York City, on using comedy to improve interpersonal skills as well as building culture.

• American Olympic Gold Medal decathlete, Bryan Clay, on reaching your goals.

Expo - industry innovations Two days (7-8 February) of products and services benefiting the club industry.

Schedule Conference will begin with Manager Education Sessions on Tuesday, 4 February, at 2.45pm and will conclude on Saturday, 8 February, with the Awards and Conference Finale with featured speaker Bo Jackson at 3.30pm.

Networking opportunities This year’s event presents a multitude of networking opportunities, both formal and informal, including a private New York back lot party (6 February) at Universal Studios Florida. The Club Foundation Event on 7 February will be a Casino Night featuring ‘high stakes fun and great food’.

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News from the frontline Full programme of MDP courses in five countries announced The CMAE is pleased to announce that, together with its partners across Europe, there will be nine different Management Development Programme (MDP) courses in five different countries this coming winter 2013/2014.

After a successful launch in November 2011, the CMAE has been working with its partners to expand the choice of venues and dates to enable CMAE members to participate in one of more of these courses.

“And with course dates from October 2013 through to March 2014, there will hopefully be a date and venue that will suit everyone,” says CMAE CEO Jerry Kilby.

There will be five MDP Level One courses, three MDP Level Two courses and the MDP Golf Management Course held in St Andrews, Scotland. In addition to Scotland, there will be MDP courses in Spain, France, England and Sweden.

2013

• October 28 - November 1 MDP Level One, University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland • November 25 - November 29 MDP Level Two, Les Roches School of Hospitality, Marbella, Spain • December 2 - December 6 MDP Level One, Hotel Montgriffon, Paris, France • December 9 - December 13 MDP Golf Management, St Andrews, Scotland MDP Level One Delegates brave the snow at the Level One course in Paris in January 2013.

2014

• January 20 - January 24 MDP Level Two, Hotel Montgriffon, Paris, France • January 27 - January 31 MDP Level One, Lund University, Helsingborg, Sweden • March 3 - March 7 MDP Level One, Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, England • March 10 - March 14 MDP Level Two, University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland • March 17 - March 21 MDP Level One, Warwick University, Warwick, England • March 24 - March 28 MDP Level One, Madrid, Spain.

Club Managers and senior staff can apply to join a course in any country, as presentations are predominantly in English and local hosts will generally provide written translations of the power point presentations in the local language.

Places on MDP courses are being offered to club managers by host partners as well as to members by the CMAE. Please be aware, therefore, that places may fill up quickly. The

first of these courses in Stirling, Scotland, is already full, so if you wish to participate in a course, you should apply as quickly as possible to the host organisation.

Details of costs and how to register are contained in the brochure for each course

which can be downloaded at www.cmaeurope.org/mdp. Please note: in some instances, details are still being finalised with CMAE partners. Where this is the case, the brochure will be uploaded as soon as possible.

We are in discussions with our partners in Ireland and Italy about the possibility of staging an MDP Level One course in each of these countries, which will be announced in the CMAE’s monthly e-newsletter, ClubNetworker, when arrangements are finalised.

If you are a manager in a country which feels the time is right to host our approved training programme, leading to an internationally recognized qualification, contact CMAE HQ on debbie.goddard@cmaeurope.plus.com • For more details visit www.cmaeurope.org/mdp

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TENNIS – ON THE BALL

Game, set and match?

Tennis is showing strong growth across Europe. Tennis clubs will know this, and sports resorts will be aware of it. But how does this growth translate into increased revenues? John Bushell, Managing Director of SPORTS MARKETING SURVEYS INC, explores the opportunities presented by this all-inclusive sport.

E

uropean tennis is in good health. Not only have we witnessed this in an in-depth investigation of sports participation in the UKi , but a clear measure of its success can also be found in the world rankings.

At the end of August 2013 there were 77 Europeans in the Top 100 in the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) singles rankings. In fact, 25 of the Top 30 players are European, and 74 Europeans are in the Top 100 of the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) singles rankings.

Rewind to 1991, and these figures were significantly different with 59 and 54 players respectively in the ATP and WTA Top 100 rankings from Europe. These trends are important and revealing, with an increase in Top 100 ranked players of

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31% and 37% on the 1991 numbers, on the two tours over this period.

The growth of tennis can also be seen in the increasing number of countries represented in the Top 100 on both tours. There were only 23 (ATP Top 100) and 23 (WTA Top 100) countries represented 20 years ago. This is now 37 and 35 countries respectively. Some of this increase can be related to the changing geography and emergence of new countries from the former Soviet Union, but this also represents a more fundamental international growth in tennis.

The 2013 Wimbledon Championships quarter finals show this even more clearly. In the men’s quarter finals, seven out of the eight players were from Europe – with Del Potro from Argentina

completing the draw. Of the Europeans, three were from Western European countries and four from Eastern Europe illustrating the growth and strength of these markets.

For the ladies quarter finals in 2012, there were six European players, three of whom were from Eastern Europe and one representative from both China and the USA – although in this case it was not one of the Williams sisters, but Sloane Stephens.

USA: fastest growing traditional sport A good measure of the overall success of tennis can be seen in levels of participation and also in sales of tennis equipment. Whilst the USA may not have been as successful in generating Top 10

players, there has been significant success in growing participation. Between 2000 and 2010, tennis was the fastest growing of the traditional sports in the USA, driven by new forms of the game, including cardio tennis.

Tennis into 2013 – A British Case Study This year will be remembered in UK sporting history. It has taken 77 years to bring the male Wimbledon Championship Trophy home since the iconic Fred Perry last lifted it in 1936. The dramatic win by the now British Male Wimbledon Champion Andy Murray also marked his second Grand Slam within a 10 month period.

In the same year, Great Britain has also become the ‘Number 1 Nation’ at the Wimbledon Championships in terms of player numbersii, providing the tournament with no less than 58 players (or 10% of the player pool) more than any other country. (The USA had provided the most players at each of the previous five Championships.)

An estimated 4.2m British people played tennis at least once last year, representing an encouraging 10.2% of UK adults (16-64 years) playing the sport.

While the number of overall tennis participants has risen, the number playing weekly has actually fallen, however. But putting this into context, we know through our ‘Golf Rounds Played’ research that the weather was directly accountable for the loss of 13% of golf rounds played in 2012. Thus it is possible to surmise that the reduction in weekly tennis player numbers could be attributed to 2012’s poor sporting weather conditions, rather than any weakness in the sport. Poor weather makes it hard – as well as unappealing – to play year-round tennis where there is no easy access to indoor facilities. However, as this need is being recognised, the number of indoor courts in the UK is increasingiii .

Global tennis participation Latest estimates for the total participation in tennis are based on 2011 numbers which saw the total increase to just over 101mn tennis players worldwide.

Europe accounts for over 26mn of the total players, with the top five European markets accounting for almost a fifth of global players.

The USA remains the largest single market and accounts for 27% of the global numbers at almost 28mn players.

The average play frequency of tennis players in the USA is 25 times per year, indicating the healthy levels of activity for the sport. (Source: 2012 Sports, Fitness and Leisure Activities Report: SGMA – Sports Goods Manufacturers Association of America produced by SPORTS MARKETING SURVEYS USA).

Core players – defined by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) as those who play four or more times a year – account for almost 17.5mn players. Frequent players – who are included in the core player number but are deemed to play 21 times a year or more – number almost 5mn in the USA. Play frequency proves important Like golf, it is these frequent players who are the core of the sport. They account for 17% of total players aged six and above in the USA, but account for 72% of total tennis spending in the USA on tennis equipment (from new strings to apparel). On a dollar-per-player basis, the frequent player spends 12 times more than all other tennis players who play with a lower frequency.

Whilst tennis player numbers are growing according to the Tennis Europe Member Nations report, it is vital that efforts are made to increase the play frequency of the players to benefit from these figures – a concept which will resonate with all golf courses and resorts reading this. The highspending frequent player must be nurtured; this will have a direct benefit on the expenditure on the sport and on the overall robustness of tennis in Europe.

The good news • Tennis attracts active participation and support from both males and females. It is one of the most ‘gender equal’ sports, with females representing over 49% of the split • Likewise, tennis is enjoyed by players of all ages, with a considerable number of over-65s (+6%) still enjoying the game • But maybe the most encouraging figure when UK sport is being challenged to keep young people active is the amount of tennis played at grassroots level and by the key youth demographic; 43% of tennis participants are between 15 and 29 years old Unmistakably, the combination of the ‘Murray effect’ and the legacy of London 2012 has inspired a surge in the number of tennis participants. As participation grows, the tennis equipment market also benefits: SPORTS MARKETING SURVEYS INC.’s tennis shipment surveyiv shows around 500,000 rackets, 40% of which are junior rackets, were sold to UK retailers from the main manufacturers in 2012.

This figure displays an increase of over 12% on 2011. Significantly, ball sales have also grown by 76% between 2004 and 2012, taking the UK market of 1.2mn x dozen balls to the second largest in Europe in terms of unit sales, behind France and ahead of Germany. Needless to say, retail increases reflect the increased interest in the game as participation grows.

With plenty of balls in the market, an abundance of public facilities (including 57% of all European grass courts) and growing grassroots participation it appears that tennis remains vibrant in the UK, and in a very good state. And the UK shouldn’t be waiting another 77 years for a further Wimbledon champion – male, female or junior. i

SPORTS IQ Tennis Participation statistics based on a sample of 4798 sports participants in December 2012. ii SPORTS IQ Tennis Participation statistics based on a sample of 4798 sports participants in December 2012. iii European Tennis Report. Source: Tennis Europe & SPORTS MARKETING SURVEYS INC. Number of indoor courts in GB, and % of all courts that are indoor, both increased 2009-2012 iv Each quarter SPORTS MARKETING SURVEYS INC. conducts a shipment survey covering the major Tennis brands, analysing the equipment being sold into the European marketplace.

Tennis is the USA’s fastest growing traditional sport 2000-2010

CONTACT DETAILS John Bushell, Managing Director of SPORTS MARKETING SURVEYS INC, has been involved in the golf industry since 1995 and as a director of the company since 2000.

SPORTS MARKETING SURVEYS INC. is a leading sports research consultancy servicing the sporting goods, sports lifestyle, sports facility and sports tourism industries.

For more information: t. + 44 (0) 1932 345 539 e. john.bushell@sportsmarketingsurveysinc.com www.sportsmarketingsurveysinc.com Tennis in Europe is in good health. 2012 and 2013 have both seen superb tennis across the professional Tours, at the Olympics and in the Grand Slams.

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INSIDE TRACK – THE ALL ENGLAND TENNIS CLUB

Time out with...

Martin Guntrip As Club Secretary of The All England Lawn Tennis Club, home of the Wimbledon Championships, Martin Guntrip has a key role at one of the most famous sporting institutions on the planet.

CLUBHOUSE EUROPE’s Justin O’Regan talked to him to gain an insight into how the club ensures that it remains at the pinnacle of world sport Could you give us a brief overview of the management structure of the club?

At the top of the structure we have the 12-strong committee which sets the strategy for the club.

They’re a mix of people who are all very successful in their respective fields, including Lord Mervyn King, the former Governor of the Bank of England, Debbie Jevans, who was Director of Sport for the London Olympics and is now the Chief Executive of England Rugby 2015, and former players such as Ann Jones and Tim Henman.

There are really just two things which the committee is focused on: running the premier tennis tournament in the World and to make sure we’re one of the best sporting clubs in the World. We have a CEO and five Execs – Finance, Commercial, IT, Championships and Club – and 156 full-time staff year-round, a number which obviously swells massively during and around The Championships.

We have various sub-committees concerned with specific functions and we’re always looking at how we can do things better – that is one of the strengths of the committee structure, that everyone is pulling in the same direction to drive the club forward. There are certainly no politics at The All England Club.

The first Ladies’ Championships in 1884

The All England Club seems to maintain a very effective balance between tradition and modernity. Is that difficult?

This club is not about tradition for tradition’s sake – although that history is one of our unique points.

We have no hesitation in innovating if we feel there’s an advantage, that we’re actually enhancing something. The key to the way we innovate is that

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INSIDE TRACK – THE ALL ENGLAND TENNIS CLUB

A DAY IN THE LIFE

“

The beauty of working at The All England Club is that it’ s so varied. It’ s very much an open door policy for me so I have a lot of people coming into my office whether it’ s a club member wanting a chat or one of the team coming in with a query.

Monday mornings start off for me with a team meeting and then following that, it’ s off to an Execs Meeting for an hour−and−a−half.

We’ re in the middle of a big clubhouse refurbishment project at the moment which I’ m overseeing so that takes up a lot of time. I’ m also on ten committees looking at various aspects of the club so attending those meetings takes up another big chunk of time throughout any given week. And, of course, you’ ve always got to find time to walk the job, getting out on the site and talking to the contractors or project managers.

Then, there’ s keeping up with the 80 or so emails I receive each day and replying to the ones that require replies. We have a very structured organisation but when you’ re providing a service for members you have to build in flexibility so you can deal with whatever comes up.

”

we test everything before it reaches the public’s attention. A good example of this would be the introduction of Hawkeye to The Championships.

We weren’t necessarily the first tournament to introduce Hawkeye but we made sure the technology worked and tested it thoroughly before putting it out there. Then, of course, there’s the roof on Centre Court. The challenge of having a roof over a grass court meant there were major engineering issues to overcome so it was not something that we rushed into. We took the necessary steps, delivered the project on time and ensured it was fit for purpose.

We’ve announced plans for the roof on No.1 Court and have given ourselves a healthy timeline to achieve that project with its completion set for 2019.

But, of course, there are a number of Wimbledon

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traditions which are highly unlikely to change – the grass surfaces we play on, the all-white clothing rule and the distinctive lack of blatant advertising – and we think all our stakeholders like that and it certainly helps make the Wimbledon brand unique.

The roof on No.1 Court is part of the recently announced Wimbledon Master Plan. How has this highly ambitious development initiative been received by your stakeholders and the public?

The feedback for the Master Plan has been overwhelmingly positive and we’ve been really eager to ensure that everyone has a chance to take part in the consultation process. We’ve already held three large meetings with neighbourhood groups to get their feedback. Obviously there are some who want everything to stay exactly the same here, but I think most people realise that we have to progress in order for Wimbledon to remain where it is on the world stage of sport.

Of course, we have to be highly creative as we’re very constrained in terms of size at just 42 acres.

Hence, we’re going underground. Right now, we’ve dug up Courts 14 and 15 as we’re creating a basement for several back-of-house functions and we’ve also started construction of a tunnel from the main site to our Somerset Road site. It will mean that we will be able to get players and officials accredited before they reach the main site in order to keep everything flowing more efficiently during the tournament.

Martin, how does the club work with the wider community?

As a club we’ve always been highly active in the

community but perhaps didn’t really shout about our work that much. The newly launched Wimbledon Foundation is a conscious effort to formalise things under one banner. We have a Community Tennis Programme – the Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initiative – which takes place in the local boroughs of Wandsworth and Merton and sees us visiting all the primary schools in the boroughs to give the children an introduction to tennis.

The ones that have talent and seem keen are invited to the club for a weekend and have the chance to progress in the game and work their way up the pyramid to become Matrix players.

We also run a busy education programme based in No.1 Court, give money to local charities, have sponsored the Wimbledon Village Summer Fair since 2003, are sponsoring the Christmas lights in local area Southfields and, of course, the ball boys and girls all come from local schools.

The Foundation is a way of wrapping all that activity under one banner in order to deliver a more consistent message. As well as the Foundation operating on a local and national level, there are also international opportunities. We run the HSBC Road to Wimbledon tournament for Under 14 players in the UK but there’s also the possibility of extending that to India, China and South America and inviting the latter stages of the competitions to the club.

The international ‘reach’ of Wimbledon must be a major help to launching these sorts of global initiatives?

Absolutely. Wimbledon is a very strong brand.

Advertising guru Sir Martin Sorrell is on record as

saying that he believes that Wimbledon is the third strongest sports brand in global terms behind the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup, and clearly our commercial arm is doing a lot of work in the various territories around the world to extend the brand – through digital media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube – and ensure the growth of the overall global television audience, as well as increasing the number of broadcast territories we reach.

Since The Championships, we’ve had 26 visiting clubs from all over the world, including Canada, the Czech Republic, Japan, Sweden and Denmark. We’ve run a Seniors Tournament, a Road to Wimbledon Tournament, the Inter-Services Tournament and not to mention regular fixtures against other clubs like Hurlingham, Roehampton and St George’s Hill. The other side of the job is ensuring that we have the infrastructure to run The Championships each year – in terms of the courts, the catering, the cleaning, the buildings, that the roof closes when it’s meant to – that’s all part of my remit.

How has the club changed during your time as Club Secretary?

During my eight years we’ve really increased the level of service here, whether it’s the catering, the level of attention enjoyed by members in the club office or dressing rooms, or the wide range of events that are available to members. As you’d expect, we aim for the very best in every aspect of our club offering.

What about the day-to-day atmosphere at the club during the rest of the year?

One of the things I’ve tried to get away from during my time as Club Secretary here is the ‘blazer and tie’ image. Obviously we have certain standards and rules which our members and guests are very happy with, but most people can’t believe how relaxed, friendly and welcoming the club is when they become members or visit as a guest.

How do the various types of membership operate at The All England Club?

We have three types of membership – full, honorary and temporary. People say that the easiest way to become a member is to win the Singles Championships! – you’re invited to become an honorary member. Other honorary members would be people who have contributed to the sport in a great way. For example, Andy Murray was a full member but now, having won Wimbledon, he’s an honorary member. Then we have temporary members and their membership is renewed each year. They have very similar rights to the other members except they can’t vote at the AGM and during The Championships they don’t have the same level of privileges.

We have a lengthy candidates list for membership numbering around a thousand. It’s not a time-based list so there’s no set time for being granted temporary membership. The list is reviewed every year by the committee and people are invited to assume the limited number of vacancies. We have up to 500 full and honorary members and approximately 100 temporary members.

So keeping those members happy must be a major part of your job?

Certainly. One side of the job is to ensure that the members and their guests have an incredible experience when they come here, whether it’s to play tennis, dine, attend a function, have tea, etcetera. We also stage a huge number of fixtures outside The Championships.

What sort of events do you regularly stage?

Everything from our regular black tie dinners – we have one coming up this month [October] with Paula Radcliffe speaking and it’s already sold out – to something like a ‘chill’ evening which is almost like an apres-ski event where you can come along in your jeans and listen to laid-back music. We have a huge number of activities throughout the year – matches, tours, lectures and gourmet dinners for example – and the members love it. Next weekend [at the time of writing] we have the ‘Closing of the Grass Court Tournament’ and the current Ladies Wimbledon Champion, Marion Bartoli, is playing; we have to find her a partner yet!

Do you think the fact that you are a former professional player helps you in your current administrative duties?

Well, I was very much a journeyman player and was very lucky to play in the Championships from 1981 to 1984, but there’s no doubt that it gives me some empathy with the players during The Championships when I’m involved on the Player Relations side. And when you’ve played sport to a reasonable level, I think it gives you a certain work ethic and teaches you to perform under pressure.

You can also handle losses, of which I had a lot during my playing days, so you learn to deal with disappointment, something which can come in handy during any business career.

How did you make the transition from player to your current role?

After my time as a player I did a bit of tennis coaching for a couple of years and then set up a training department for an organisation which moved me into the area of Human Resources. From there I got involved in sales and marketing and then some general management in the commercial world where I had a good run for 20 years. And then eight years ago this opportunity came up and I feel very fortunate to have one of the most coveted sports positions in club management. It’s a unique job!

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL Where were you born?

South East London.

Education?

Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School and then I did my degree at Flagler College, Florida, USA. Your biggest strength?

Motivating and getting the best out of people.

And weakness?

I can sometimes be a bit impatient.

First job?

My first proper job was as National Tennis Coach in Kuwait.

Favourite book?

Perfume by Patrick Süskind – it’s about a murderer but some of the description of smells are incredible.

Favourite film?

The Bourne Identity.

Favourite holiday destination?

Miami – it’s where my wife is from and I love it over there.

Favourite tennis club other than AELTC? Frinton Lawn Tennis Club (I used to be its Chairman!).

How do you relax?

Play tennis, do yoga and watch good films.

Would you ever consider working elsewhere in sport?

I love my current role so it would certainly have to be a challenging and high-profile position to interest me!

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THE WORD FROM WENTWORTH

Talking teamwork “In the last issue we were very much focused on the subject of training. This time, it’s another significant T-word. Let’s talk teamwork,” says Julian Small, Chief Executive, Wentworth Club.

H

ow does teamwork relate to the ongoing challenge that club managers face in delivering a consistently high standard of service throughout all aspects of club life? And particularly when the essence of this challenge is somewhat spiced-up by the prevailing economic climate; customer expectations remain high, but as we know discretionary spending is comparatively low.

Managers are under more pressure than ever, with meaningful sales growth hard to achieve and costs very much under the spotlight. In a club management environment, the ability to consistently deliver more with effectively less resources comes down to one key word – teamwork.

My view is that the ability to deliver consistent quality in any business is a blend of science – the actual mechanics involved in the delivery – and art, which is the natural passion and personality that performers (your staff ) possess.

Let’s deal with the science part first.

Think for a moment of the typical customer’s journey, which takes them through several departments of the club. We have to ask ourselves, how do we align all of those departments so that in each area they are delivering the required high standard, while working together towards a common goal? I believe there are some important factors to consider here: • Beware departmental blinkered thinking, such that there is an inclination to do what’s best for a single department to the detriment of the customer experience and other teams within the club • Be alert to the hurt and the damage that is caused when team members start to embrace a blame culture • When team members are feeling the strain or are under pressure, it is paramount that they keep thinking logically and not emotionally • Team leaders within the business must offer solutions based not on the easy option, but the best option for the customer and for the business overall To my mind, effective teamwork relies on effective communication both within each team

16 CLUBHOUSE EUROPE

but also from one team to another. We have 22 team leaders at Wentworth and eight executive team members.

It is often said that in some businesses there are too many meetings, but it depends on the nature of the meetings. The fact is, effective communication meetings that help coordinate the activities of all teams towards a common goal are essential if you want everyone aligned and pointing in the same direction.

For these type of meetings to work properly, however, it is essential that all teams are fully engaged and that team members listen – and I mean really listen – because in my experience that horrible and harmful blame culture I was referring to earlier tends to germinate and spread when people don’t listen and subsequently choose to work to their own self-centred agenda. I can’t stress this highly enough. We can all say we’re going to listen, but do we? And are we really working together in order to identify practical and effective solutions?

These coordination meetings also have to be regular in order that the communication can flow smoothly and evenly. Managers have to make sure the information from those meetings cascades down through the various members of their team,

so that everybody is on side and sufficiently enlightened. At Wentworth our managers operate on the following three principles: 1. PLAN You have to have a properly thought-out plan of how you are going to do something, one that is effectively communicated and agreed with all the team leaders involved and where the benefits of this approach are fully understood.

2. DO There is no point having a plan if you don’t do it!

And it is important that when you do it, you stick to the agreed plan and don’t go off and do your own thing. If one team member strays off-plan, usually the whole team suffers.

3. REVIEW When the plan is completed it’s important to take stock in order to understand how successful it was and, if so, to celebrate that success so as to energize the business. If aspects of the plan need to be refined, ensure that those refinements are agreed as part of the next planning process and so the cycle begins again.

That’s the science taken care of, now for the

“Effective teamwork relies on effective communication both within each team but also from one team to another,” says Julian.

“We have 22 team leaders at Wentworth and eight executive team members.”

art. Successful teamwork is heavily reliant on club managers understanding the characters of each member of their team and making sure they are, in effect, played in the correct positions so that their individual strengths come to the fore.

Thus you will have a group of talented individuals all working harmoniously and with maximum efficiency. The simplest analogy is that of a football manager, tactically making sure each of his players is in the right place on the pitch. There’s no sense playing a Lionel Messi as a central defender!

This concept has added significance when employing people from a variety of different countries. Here at Wentworth, for instance, our staff of 260 permanent employees and some 200 seasonal and casual employees is represented by 24 different nationalities.

One can’t generalize when it comes to a nation’s character traits, but equally it is counter-productive to turn a blind eye to potential cultural differences. The truth is, people communicate differently – and I’m not referring simply to dialect. Some are naturally analytical and scientific, while others are more creative and artistic. As I said, you have to understand what makes people tick, what are their strengths, and play them in a

position where their talents can shine and they can be most productive.

In this respect it is also important that language does not become a barrier to effective communication. When several different nationalities work alongside one another, team leaders need to be doubly conscious of potential misunderstandings; always checking that each team member understands fully what is required of them.

At Wentworth we embrace five core values within the framework of our team. In no specific order, these values are: 1. EXCELLENCE Everything we do we must be focused on the highest possible standard. Excellence is something we constantly strive for and, while realistically we don’t always achieve it, a ‘that’ll do’ attitude can only bring quality down. We recognise that excellence isn’t easy; it requires dedication and real commitment from everyone involved.

2. PASSION If you are passionate about what you do, you normally find it easier to perform to a higher level. However, passion if it boils over can be problematic in a team’s harmony and therefore it needs to be effectively managed.

3. LOYALTY Strong teams stick together and work for each other. The negativity of team members moaning to others about their colleagues doesn’t do anything to move a business forward and nor does it improve quality.

4. HONESTY It takes great confidence on the part of individuals within a team to be honest and give honest feedback, especially if they are experiencing difficulties in working with someone. It also takes great confidence and strength for team members to be honest with themselves. Ultimately, we should all constantly review our own performance and assess whether we are fully playing our part in the success of the team and we must be honest in that review. If you are not performing to your best possible standard, I recommend you start by addressing your performance before you start to raise comments on the performance of others. Sadly that isn’t always the case, as some will use other team members as a smokescreen to hide their own shortcomings.

5. FUN If you’re having fun doing what you’re doing, fundamentally enjoying what you’re doing, it’s clear that performance will improve as a result. Success tastes sweet and it’s easy to have fun when things are going well. But even when things aren’t working perfectly, make sure you identify any positives and at least celebrate those positives whilst you focus on the areas that need to be improved.

Successful teamwork is an ongoing challenge for any business and Wentworth is no different, but I passionately believe that if you work on the key principles I’ve outlined in this article, you will get the best possible results.

CONTACT DETAILS Julian Small Chief Executive, Wentworth Club t. + 44 (0)1344 842201 (Reception) f. + 44 (0) 1344 842804 www.wentworthclub.com

CLUBHOUSE EUROPE 17

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GOLF COURSE ARCHITECTURE

Restore, renovate, or re-design?

Golf clubs all over the World face the same dilemma; how do you maintain the play standards of the course, and at what point do you decide that it needs to change? Do you restore, renovate or re-design? Golf course architect Tim Lobb explores the options and challenges.

O

ver the years all golf courses undergo some form of changes, if not deliberately by owners, members, committees or other influential parties such as greenkeepers, golf pros, managers and golf course architects, then by nature itself.

Nature does take its toll on golf courses.

Erosion problems, soil changes and invasion of unwanted grasses and vegetation means a constant threat to the uniformity and playability of the golf course and its playing characteristics.

Many golf courses adopt a ‘no change’ policy to try and preserve the course as it is. This often means prohibiting changes within the playing areas. While this can be a good policy, it is often forgotten that the landscape changes constantly and an effort will have to be made to preserve the characteristics of the golf course. It is of no advantage having the same contours within the fairways and greens if the whole character of the course has been lost as a result of landscape changes. Heathland may have changed to parkland, for example, or an open landscape may have become suffocated with trees and shrubs.

Those choosing to improve an established golf course should always aim for the relatively simple ambition of maximising the potential of the course. To achieve that, a multitude of factors must be analysed and addressed.

Course of action There are generally speaking three methods of improving established golf courses: • Restoration • Renovation • Re-design While most redevelopment projects incorporate a mixture of – or all of – these methods, it is imperative to understand the differences between these terms to determine the best approach for the individual club.

In the end, as renowned course architect Dr Alister MacKenzie once put it, ‘every precaution

20 CLUBHOUSE EUROPE

should be taken to ensure that any changes to be made shall be of a permanent and lasting character’.

Restoration Restoration of golf courses has become increasingly popular around the World. To restore a golf course involves bringing it back to a ‘former and more desirable condition’ and will aim at recreating the exact look and layout as it used to be.

Restoration projects are normally only done on

RESTORATION St George’s Hill Golf Club, Surrey St George’s Hill was once an 18 hole course designed by the renowned Harry Colt. After WWII the course was reduced to nine holes and many of the original features lost. Research enabled the original features to be identified and restored to the current playing strategy. The historic aerial images are a valuable tool.

courses of significant historical and architectural value.

The decision to restore a golf course is often made as the direct result of realising the course has actually deteriorated since it halcyon days.

The aim of the restoration is to bring it back to the exact state when the course was deemed at its peak.

To successfully restore a golf course, evidence of what it used to look like must be available. Old aerial photos can provide a good view of the holes and the locations of their original features. But photos from eye height are most often required to determine the height of the sand faces and vegetation. This level of documentation is often unachievable and, where this is the case, help from golf historians (or architects with a strong passion for golfing history) can be sought.

Renovation Many golf courses have a strategically good and challenging layout but have seen it decline over the years as a result of an increased amount of play and the rapid evolution of golfing equipment. Unlike restoration projects, where the aim is to restore the exact playing and course characteristics of the past, renovation projects will aim to update the course to meet modern demands or improve maintenance flaws. The changes will often include rebuilding greens, adding tees and renovating bunkers, while keeping the overall layout intact.

Providing the golf course with a ‘face lift’ can be a good way to highlight its best features and enhance its visual appeal to members and visitors. By lengthening the golf course, a lot of the original design intentions can be maintained – especially in regards to fairway bunkers which now are often taken out of play by the technology of new drivers and golf balls.

However, it is important to remember that lengthening courses should be done with the utmost care and consideration of the original

RENOVATION The Richmond Golf Club, Surrey The image of the 14th hole at The Richmond Golf Club shows what a big visual impact changes in bunker styling can have on a hole and how the apparent challenge is now perceived. By changing the shaping and edges of the bunkers they now stand out more clearly and ask more of a golferâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability. The Richmond Golf Club won Renovation of the Year 2012 from Americanbased Golf Inc magazine (and that despite having the lowest budget of the contestants in their category). design intentions. The demand for more yardage often results in lengthening of shorter holes which were originally intended to test the finesse of the golfer, rather than his or her strength. It is

important to remember it is the best golfers who primarily manage to take advantage of the technological advances. Therefore, to challenge this set of golfers, it is the long par fours and fives

which need strengthening to return them to the original design intent.

Re-design Re-designing or reconstructing a golf course is no simple matter. It basically involves rebuilding (parts of ) the existing golf course from the ground up, sometimes with scarce homage paid to its original design. The decision to re-design a course is often made as a realisation that the original design might be considered faulty or unsuitable and that the course cannot be considerably improved by means of restoration or renovation.

Re-designing a golf course can also be a necessity if the course loses land to new roads, housing projects or the like.

The most important aspect of a successful redesign is to make sure that any changes made to the course actually increases it strategic interest and improves maintenance regimes.

CONTACT DETAILS Tim Lobb, Principal and golf course architect, Thomson Perrett & Lobb (TPL), Lutidine House, Newark Lane, Ripley, Surrey GU23 6BS UK t. +44 (0) 1483 270 190 f. +44 (0) 1483 763 459 e. tlobb@tpl.eu.com Visit: www.tpl.eu.com

RE-DESIGN Woking Golf Club, Surrey The club, founded in 1893, required a re-design of the par three 16th hole because it was located too close to the property boundary and was constantly being affected by a poorly drained location. The re-design required a re-alignment of the hole which addressed these issues whilst retaining the spirit and look of this historic heathland golf course.

CLUBHOUSE EUROPE 21

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The next level of Club Management is in your hands

The CMAE Management Development Programme is a series of courses and learning opportunities designed not only for those working as club general managers, club secretaries and in other senior positions at sports, city and corporate clubs today, but also for those who aspire to these roles in the future.

The CMAE has developed a structured and comprehensive education programme for club managers GSZIVMRK ½ve extensive classroom-based courses. Can you afford not to take it to the next level?

Visit the CMAE website for details of the dates and venues of upcoming MDP courses.

www.cmaeurope.org/mdp

LOCATION REPORT

Spotlight on Venice This month we shine a light on clubs in Venice. With a declining local population and influx of tourism and foreigners, clubs are forming an important cohesive centre for communities. And no surprise that many of the oldest and biggest clubs in this unique city revolve around water.

VENICE - FAST FACTS Geography: Venice is sited on a group of 118 small islands separated by canals and linked by bridges. The city is in north eastern Italy and is a World Heritage Site.

History: Founded in the 5th century, Venice became a major maritime power in the 10th century. It was a staging area for the Crusades and the Battle of Lepanto and an important centre of commerce and art in the 13th century up to the end of the 17th century. It was the birthplace of Antonio Vivaldi.

SOCIETÀ CANOTTIERI FRANCESCO QUERINI Giudecca Venice’s second oldest boat club has three divisions: Venetian rowing, rowing and canoeing/ kayaking.

Like the Reale Società Canottieri Bucintoro, many of Italy’s Olympic hopefuls have heralded from here. The club also raced at Henley in 2004 before touring up the Thames to the Houses of Parliament.

Annual fees for an ordinary member are €312.00.

This reduces to €192.00 for athletes and under 18s.

Population: Circa 272,000.

Languages: Venetian and Italian.

Religion: Catholicism predominates (85% of the population).

Food: One of the main national dishes is Sarde in Saor – sardines in a sweet and sour sauce.

Drink: The Spritz cocktail, a low alcohol bright orange drink.

CANOTTIERI GIUDECCA Giudecca The Giudecca Rowing Association is a non-profit sports association with around 450 members.

La Voga alla Veneta – or Venetian rowing – involves the rower standing facing forwards and guiding the boat along by an oar attached to a

loose support called the forcola. Balance is key, particularly given the wake from Venice’s many motor boats and water buses.

Regattas are popular, and on the first Sunday of September, the Historical Regatta is held, a tradition established in 1315 by the then Doge of Venice, Giovanni Soranzo.

The club opens between 08.30-12.30 and 14.3019.00 every day of the week except Sundays, when it closes at 12.30. Senior membership is €180 per annum with under 16s and over 70s at half that.

CLUBHOUSE EUROPE 23

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LOCATION REPORT

CLUB MALVASIA VECCHIA San Marco Club Malvasia Vecchia opens its doors to pretty much anyone who is happy to pay the one-off membership fee of €15. The club is predominantly a late night music venue which closes at 4am and comes highly praised in numerous reviews. The regular DJ is also the owner. Drinks come in at around €2 for a glass of wine or €4 for a cocktail – very cheap for Venice.

REALE SOCIETÀ CANOTTIERI BUCINTORO Zattere Founded in 1882, the Reale Società Canottieri Bucintoro has provided Italy with a plethora of Olympic rowers over the years. Regattas and racing form a large part of the club’s activities along with social activities such as treasure hunts. The standard annual membership fee is €250.00 with concessions for under 18s and over 65s (€200.00). The club has also introduced special rates for students, nonresidents and foreigners.

TENNIS CLUB CA’ DEL MORO Lido This amateur not-for-profit sports association is on Venice’s Lido. It boasts both clay and synthetic grass courts (indoors and outdoors), three football pitches and a swimming pool.

As well as an active tournament schedule and schools programme, social events feature highly on the club calendar, including their own Olympics competition, Easter celebrations, parties and festivals.

The clubhouse has a restaurant and bar serving light lunches between 12.00 – 15.00, with dinners served between 19.00 – 22.00. It also offers a billiards room and space to play cards.

24 CLUBHOUSE EUROPE

ASD NOVAFIT Cannaregio With 300 square metres and three training rooms, the gym works with all ages and all levels of fitness.

Courses include yoga, Latin dance, pilates and the ubiquitous zumba. Located near Venice’s main hospital, the gym also specialises in working with spine, knee and shoulder injuries, as well as workouts for functional recovery and pre-and antenatal classes.

Basic membership starts at €40 per month

A combined annual Pool and Tennis membership comes in at €790 (or €540 as an offer to attract in new members; €350 for young people up to 26 years of age). A standalone pool membership is €490 and tennis membership is €630 (€440 for new members).

Family discounts are also available.

CIRCOLO GOLF VENEZIA Alberoni The 18 hole par 72 course is likened to Scottish links courses (being sand based). It also enjoys tree-lined parkland with numerous small lakes dotted around its 100 hectares. The club is open to non-members with a maximum handicap of 36, and the bar and restaurant open Tuesdays to Sundays between 08.30

AVERAGE COSTS IN VENICE

and 18.00 serving fresh local cuisine.

The fact that the club exists at all is attributed in part to the arrival of Henry Ford, President of the Ford motor company. When he arrived carting his golf clubs with him, he was disappointed to find nowhere to play.

His host, Count Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata, took matters in hand and a new golf course was opened in 1930.

The club has attracted some high profile visitors over the years including Bing Crosby and the Duke of Windsor. It was also a meeting place for Hitler and Mussolini in 1934.

Restaurants Meal, inexpensive restaurant Meal for 2, mid-range restaurant, 3-course Combo meal at McDonalds or similar Domestic beer (0.5 litre draught) Imported beer (0.33 litre bottle) Cappuccino (regular) Coke/Pepsi (0.33 litre bottle)

€14.00 €65.00 €7.00 €4.50 €4.00 €1.50 €1.75

Sports And Leisure Fitness club, monthly fee for 1 adult Tennis court rent (1 hour on weekend)

€55.00 €50.00

AND WITHIN EASY REACH...

ALBARELLA GOLF CLUB Albarella In 1972, over two million cubic metres of sand were hauled from the sea to build this unique 18 hole par 72 course on the private island of Albarella.

The golf course is described as of typical British style with views over the Venetian lagoon. Grazing fallow deer, pheasants and hares add to the challenges presented by tricky bunkers.

March to December are big months for golf tournaments (although play is offered year round) and the club holds summer camps for juniors, as well as courses for beginners and advanced learners in spring and autumn.

A luxury 21-bedroomed hotel overlooks the Golf Course with associated special rates for guest players, starting at €30 for 18 holes (normally €55 upwards).

was ‘being hailed as a role model after dramatic cutting of both its water and fertiliser usage following a switch from cool season grasses to bermudagrass’.

The success of the experiment, went on the article, ‘will be viewed with interest by other courses in an area where 70% of Italy’s golf clubs are situated and has important implications for facilities in other countries where the climatic conditions are similar’.

Three months later in April, Golf Montecchia was awarded the prestigious environmental certification ‘GEO’ from the Golf Environment Organization, an international non-profit organization which works to promote the environmental sustainability of golf courses. Only two other clubs have achieved this in Italy to date, according to the club.

The club has a golf academy which includes a Youth section as well as a Titleist Performance Institute, and boasts a remarkable clubhouse which has been converted from an old tobacco drying and storage building which once belonged to an adjacent, historic farm, now celebrated for its fine wines. Green fees start at €25 for juniors (weekday)

ADRIATIC GOLF CLUB Cervia First established as a 9 hole course in 1984, the club now offers 27 holes over nearly 100 hectares.

The first 9 hole course is surrounded by woods, the second is full of water hazards and the third echoes the play of Scottish links. Play is possible almost year round, thanks to a mild climate.

The club attracts a large number of foreign as well as Italian players, according to the club, and has a strong youth section.

Weekday green fees for 18 holes or 27 holes are €65 and €85 respectively, rising to €79 and € 102 at weekends. Guests of preferred hotels are offered discounts.

The three-storey clubhouse holds the secretary’s office, changing rooms and pro-shop on the ground floor, as well as a bar and restaurant opening out onto the putting green. On the next floor is a further bar and restaurant overlooking the course offering traditional regional cuisine (evenings; Wednesday to Sunday), while the top floor houses a meeting room with audio and visual installations.

GOLF CLUB DELLA MONTECCHIA Padova Golf Montecchia was founded in 1988 by a group of like-minded entrepreneurs. Since those early days, the Championship course, designed by British architect Tom Macaulay, has hosted the Challenge Tour in 2001 and 2002 and the Alps Tour in 2010 and 2012.

More recently, the club has committed to reducing its carbon footprint as well as conserving water, and, to encourage optimum conditions year round, the club is now using bermudagrass.

The club even gained praise from the R&A in January this year in an article which said that: the club

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MEETING MANAGEMENT

The art of chairing meetings Typically, managers spend around 40% of their time in meetings. Yet according to research, 83% of people who go to meetings worry about them drifting off the subject and 74% question their effectiveness.

H

ave you ever left a meeting wondering why you were there in the first place? Or perhaps walked away feeling positive, only to find that nothing has actually changed a week later?

Whether you are meeting with an individual, a group or a supplier, it’s important to conduct meetings effectively and use the time well. The following check list will help.

Meticulous forward planning will determine how successful the meeting is.

1.

Make sure the room is comfortable, warm enough and well ventilated, that there is plenty of water on hand and that you allow for breaks.

2.

Gain rapport – warm up the meeting by discussing something general that everyone can join in with.

3.

Guide the discussion rather than dominating it – the chair is the facilitator not the chief contributor.

4.

Be in control.

5

Be assertive.

6.

Make an impact – positive, strong, good body language.

7.

Set the tone, rules and agenda.

8.

Be consistent and fair – with everyone.

Keep to the facts and issues in hand.

If you don’t understand, ask.

Be open to feedback and use it positively.

Respect the other point of view – even if you don’t agree with it.

• Take a break if necessary.

• If you really can’t agree discuss with an impartial third party.

• Be prepared to compromise.

9.

Listen and ask the right questions.

Problem solving • Define the issue (problem).

• Check the facts.

• Define the desired outcomes.

• Identify alternatives.

• Examine possible consequences.

• Choose your solution and do it.

• Check whether you achieved the goals and act accordingly.

SUGGESTION: Rotate the chair so that everyone has a chance to run a meeting

Preparation • Is the meeting really necessary? Why has it been called?

• Who needs to be there?

• When, where and for how long?

• Self prepare – what do you want the outcome to be?

• How can you influence the meeting? Plan your approach.

• Circulate a draft agenda. Let everyone know why they need to be there. Do they need to add anything? This way everyone can prepare effectively.

Agenda When planning the agenda think about: • What you want out of the meeting.

• The scope of the discussion so you keep on track.

• A logical order for the items to be covered.

• Whether you will cover difficult points first or start with the easy or more pleasant matters.

• How you will deal with difficult items – would they be better dealt with outside the meeting? Do you need to do a bit of ‘lobbying’ first?

• The times allocated to each and how flexible you will be; how to manage the meeting accordingly.

• Who will be there? What might their needs/hidden agenda be?

• What decisions might need to be taken – what are the possible options?

• Possible action plans and outcomes.

Putting your case forward • State your case.

• Give reasons.

• Give an example.

• Restate your position. For example: ‘I’d like to introduce a broader food menu at the bar. I know that some of the regulars have been eating elsewhere. We can – and should – make a good margin here.’

Dealing with conflict • Keep calm, cool and in control.

• Keep to business – avoid personal comments – use ‘I feel...’ instead of ‘you...’

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12 GOLDEN RULES FOR CHAIRING A MEETING

• • • •

Dealing with different types • Mr Stroppy: let him have his say, sum up his point of view for the group and ask for feedback.

• Mrs Positive: use her to reinforce points and contribute throughout.

• Mr Know-All: Let the group comment on his theories.

• Miss Chatty: Interrupt tactfully – use time limitations as an excuse to move on. Summarise her points.

10. Manage the time – curb those who get side-tracked.

11. Involve everyone and bring in those who may be holding back (they are often the thinkers in the group and can make the best contributions).

12. Use tact and diplomacy.

• Mr Bashful: Ask him about something he knows to increase self confidence. Give credit for his contributions.

• Miss Distracted: Ask her about her experience and for help to solve the issues.

• Mr Detail: Ask for the overview and then for specific detail only as it’s needed.

• Mrs Questioner: Pass her questions back to the group or ask her to answer her own question.

And above all, make sure that all action points are minuted and allocated to the appropriate person. These will need to be followed up and the activities competed within a given time frame.

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WORKING WITH THE BOARD

Five trust builders for the club board How can private club members build trust with their fellow board members? This is a puzzler often thrown at strategic consultant Richard Kopplin as he travels around the United States. Want to know the answer? Read on.

28 CLUBHOUSE EUROPE

I

s it possible for members of a private club board to feel that they are serving the best interests of the club while enjoying the volunteer time they spend with other like-minded club members? It certainly is. I like to share the following five ways to build trust, which will allow for a productive relationship with every board member.

1

Levelling First, you need to engage a concept I call levelling.

When the doors of the boardroom close it is time for frank and open discussion regarding all the issues that will flow through the agenda. Candour and spirited debate should be encouraged as the board reviews the recommendations and action plans that the standing club committee chairmen

“

When the doors of the boardroom close it is time for frank and open discussion regarding all the issues that will flow through the agenda. Candour and spirited debate should be encouraged.

have placed on the agenda. Honest disagreements should take place at the board table, not outside the boardroom at the round table in the grille.

2 3

Listening Second, every board member must engage in active listening. Too often there is tendency on the part of some board members to dominate the conversation. Listening is perhaps the most important communication skill and it takes more practice than talking. I suggest to verbose board members that they listen to at least two other opinions expressed by their compatriots before they comment on the issue at hand. Listening to other comments and taking time to reflect allows for more rational verbal contributions.

Support Third, each board member needs to demonstrate support for the work of other board members who typically chair a standing club committee.

The work of the club is done at the committee level and not at the board level. The standing committees will be meeting on a regular basis and working through the process involved in the issues appropriate to their committee. The summary of their work will be reported by their chairperson at the board meeting and will often result in action plans, asking the board for a decision on a particular recommendation by the committee.

The board meeting is an opportunity to affirm the hard work of the committees and their chairpersons and should not evolve into a re-hashing of committee issues by the board.

4

Unity of purpose Fourth, private club board members need to commit to a unity of purpose. The strength of a good club board results from its variety and diversity of composition. Every board member has a unique background and a plethora of experiences, which can contribute to the wise governance of the club.

These differences, however, should not allow for board members to pursue personal agendas at the board meetings. Too often a board meeting goes awry because a narrowly focused board member disrupts a thoughtful and well-prepared agenda.

The best board members understand that their role is to serve the best interests of the club membership, regardless of any partisan interests they might have. The focus at the board meeting

” 5

should be on best business practices for the betterment of the club.

Circling the wagons Fifth, every board member should commit to circling the wagons. Members of a private club will often lobby a board member regarding an issue they have an interest in. Board members have been elected to represent the membership at large and part of their responsibility is to listen to this member feedback. However, if a club member begins to attack and criticize the club president or anyone on the board the comments need to be refocused on the issue and not the board member.

For example: “I can understand, Jim or Jane, that you might be upset with the recent action of our club president on that issue and I will see that your concerns are appropriately addressed.

However, I need to tell you that I have observed the amount of time our club president has committed to this club. You may not agree with everything that he/she does, but they have the best interests of the club at heart and they volunteer an incredible amount of their time to improve our club operations.”

As a board member, listening to some member feedback, you have just ‘circled the wagons’. You have told this complaining club member that while they may have a gripe with a particular action of the club president or even the board, you will not tolerate a personal attack on the president or any of your fellow board members.

If you adopt the five Trust Builders you will enjoy an improved relationship with every board member and the working environment in the boardroom will be professional and productive.

You have volunteered your time for the betterment of the club and now you can enjoy your work while building a trusting relationship with everyone on the board.

CONTACT DETAILS Richard M. Kopplin Partner, Kopplin & Kuebler, LLC Arizona, USA t. +00 1 480-443-9102 f +00 1 480-443-9642 e. dick@kopplinandkuebler.com www.kopplinandkuebler.com

CLUBHOUSE EUROPE 29

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SPOTLIGHT ON – PARIS

Back to the future

This year the remarkable Golf de Saint Cloud, just minutes away from Paris, is celebrating its centenary. If there was ever a golfing equivalent of anti-wrinkle cream, then this french club has got it in bucket loads. Director Denis Fabre takes us on a fascinating tour of the club through the ages.

I

n 1911 American Henry Cachard acquired the land on which Golf de Saint Cloud now sits.

Just minutes from Paris, this prime location was to include a golf course, polo field, tennis courts, a croquet lawn and sports club as part of Cachard’s country club-style vision. A multinational membership was also part of the plan (and one which lives on; the club currently hosts 30 different nationalities within its membership).

It wasn’t until 15 December, 1913, that the golf course finally opened, however, largely thanks to the 10,000 or so trees which needed uprooting first.

The course was designed by renowned UK course architect Harry Colt. Colt shared a professional affinity with Cachard, who was a lawyer by trade, having gained a law degree at Clare College, Cambridge. Colt’s passion for golf, however,

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proved an even stronger calling than law, and whilst a partner in Law Firm Sayer & Colt (1894), he helped to design Rye Golf Course – his first of many forays into the world of course architecture.

Fast forward, and in 1901 he became Secretary at Sunningdale. (His application for the same role at the R&A, St. Andrews, had been rejected.) Here he developed his interests and skills (as well as being a prolific golfer) and in 1913, the year that Golf de Saint Cloud opened, he left to pursue a full time career as a golf architect. This swiftly included reshaping the Eden Course at St. Andrews (ironically), with Ireland’s Royal Portrush and the US’s Augusta following soon after.

He and Cachard must have been delighted when the launch of Golf de Saint Cloud was greeted with great acclaim by the media. National newspaper Excelsior, dedicated half a page to the

official opening of the club, while L’Echo de Paris declared that ‘this great sports club will be a veritable paradise for golf, polo and tennis’. The club gets a mention for ‘its great charm’ from Le Figaro, while American and English press also praised the venture.

The following year, and despite the outbreak of World War I, favourable press continued. On 3 May, 1914, The New York Herald covered the club’s inaugural competition and reported that the club already had 700 player members.

The polo section, meanwhile, was gaining its own following, and in 1924 the club hosted the Olympic final between the US and Argentina, drawing in crowds of 25,000. One year later, a dramatic new clubhouse was opened. This remains one of the largest and most iconic clubhouses in France.

Denis Fabre, Director Education • Diploma in Business Management and administration – Management Option Fitness Facilities Golf – Montpellier 1989 Career • Director of Golf de Saint Cloud since 2001 • Deputy Director of Golf de Saint Cloud, 1999 - 2000 • Director of National Golf, 1992 - 1998 • Deputy Director of National Golf, 1990 -1991 Roles and Associations • Association of Directors of Golf (ADGF) member since 1992 • Elected as Director ADGF Committee, 2006 • ADGF Secretary, 2006 - 2011 • President ADGF since 2012 • Participant in the Collective Agreement, 2005-2011 (school employees) • Member of the Training Committee, Fédération Française de Golf, since 2009 • Club Manager Association of Europe • On the Board of Directors of the Association of Environmental Protection in Garches and surrounding areas since 2001 • Referee League • 7.8 Index

Golf de Saint Cloud FAST FACTS...

• Estate first founded in 870AD by Bozon, Duke of Burgundy.

• Acquired by Napoleon Bonaparte (then First Consul) in 1799 at the instigation of wife Josephine.

• Enlarged by Josephine, who acquired the Domaine de Buzenval (which included the current golf courses).

When the Polo section relocated to Bagatelle in 1931 more land was freed up and an additional 9 holes created, reconfiguring what are now the 18 hole Green and Yellow courses.

The club’s reputation continued to grow, enhanced by Saint Cloud’s Pro of 27 years Percy Boomer, who published On Learning Golf in 1942. Still considered a major influence on golf instruction today – and in its 40th edition – the book was one of the first to explore the concept of ‘feeling’ the game rather than just technical play.

In the preface to the book, he wrote: “It was at Saint Cloud that I developed my ideas about the game and built up my experience as a teacher of it.”

War interrupted again when World War II broke out and a battery of soldiers and officers were housed in the Clubhouse. Later, after the

Josephine

• Handed to Josephine in 1809 by Napoleon, then Emperor, on the occasion of his divorce. On her death in 1814, son Eugène de Beauharnais took the reigns.

Napoleon

• And then in 1818, the Domaine de Buzenval was sold to the Mayor of Rueil Malmaison.

• Bloody times The Buzenval Battle, a ‘terrible and bloody’ affair, took place on January 19, 1871. where golfers now play (notably on the fairway at hole 15, Green course). “Spare a thought for our soldiers here, who made a supreme effort and fell on the ground, in the face of God,” says the course.

Henri Regnault

Personal Denis (47) is married with two children and enjoys golf, tennis, skiing, biking and running in his spare time.

Bozon

• Quirky fact A bust of Henri Regnault is sited at the 14th. The famous artist was killed, aged 27, in the Buzenval Battle (see above). Maintaining this statue and its upkeep were one of the conditions written into the contract when the estate was sold on in 1896.

• Facilities Two 18-hole courses (Green Course – Par 71, 5914 metres; Yellow Course – Par 67, 4824 metres), three tennis courts, exercise and fitness room, snooker table, training and practice areas, Junior Club, television room and restaurant.

• Members 2361 (including 356 juniors under 15 years).

• Staff 68 employees. occupation, German officers moved in along with a contingent of 150 cadets.

The short course was transformed into agricultural land for cultivation of food and a farm set up to provide milk and eggs. After the Liberation, restoration of the club began in earnest over a two year period.

Since then life has – thankfully! – been slightly less dramatic, allowing the club to focus on the

quality of its courses, tournaments and facilities.

The club has welcomed many of the biggest names in golf, from Greg Norman and Bernhard Langer to Tom Watson, Seve Ballesteros and Lee Trevino.

It has hosted the French Open 14 times along with numerous championship titles and its Green Course is now ranked among the top 1000 courses in the World (Rolex Guide; World’s top 1000 golf courses).

CLUBHOUSE EUROPE 31

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BUILDING THE BUSINESS – JUNIOR MEMBERS

Valuing junior golf makes good business sense With juniors accounting for just 10% of registered European golfers, there’s plenty to play for when it comes to attracting youngsters to the game. Mike Round from the UK’s Golf Foundation explains why you should and how to do it.

J

unior golf development is often undervalued. The narrow view is that children who come to play sport are not, on the face of it, big spenders. An adult golfer’s post-round refreshment might include a big lunch and a couple of pints of beer or a shared bottle of wine, while a child can spend a whole summer’s day at the course content with some crisps, a sandwich and water brought from home, paying low playing fees in the process. Historically then, junior development has not been at the top of the list of priorities for many clubs.

While clubs involved with team games have often thrived, attracting families and engaging with communities, the perceived unwelcoming atmosphere of many golf clubs, and their introspective tendencies have been poor for the image of the game.

When dealing with sports and pastimes which are played/pursued by individuals, the pressure to service the highest spending individual customer first is perhaps understandable, but too narrow a focus like this is actually harming for the club, squeezing the potential customer base and ignoring the future.

Due to a change in culture and mindset, aided by the work of many of the sport’s major stake-

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holders, more and more golf clubs are now realising the need to promote golf to families and that the great way to attract the adult member of the future, and the family, is through a good junior golf development strategy.

Make your club a place where families want to spend time and the add-on benefits start to count and are noticed quickly. For the long-term, if your offer is good, your junior golfer will go through school, college and get a job and can then continue to play at your club for 50 years. Fail to engage with that one individual and you lose that potential revenue.

The Golf Foundation’s big project at this time is the launch of the Junior Golf Passport. The scheme is expected to help retain many more youngsters in golf clubs who have been introduced to the game through school and community projects. The striking, colourful and easy-tofollow scheme is supported by a major new interactive website (www.juniorgolfpassport.org) designed to appeal to youngsters, while offering PGA Professionals a significant coaching and business resource which will be good for the club as a whole.

Youngsters and their families chart their progress into golf through the Junior Golf Passport website and from early trials we are already finding that family members also want to find out more about playing golf. The PGA Professional is earning money while the presence of the juniors and their families at the club will

encourage secondary spending in the Pro Shop, buying clothing, equipment and accessories and sharing a meal in the restaurant and bar.

All successful family sport at club level enjoys a powerful knock-on effect in communities. Friends, friends of friends, and their families also want to join in.

This is not always easy to implement culturally by any means. Golf ’s greatest problem in the past has been its stuffy and elitist image and the failure of many clubs to engage with the community at the end of their driveway. I am glad to say more golf clubs are facing these challenges successfully, but there is still room for creative, innovative thinking and I am sure golf can still learn more from other sports and their club managers in this regard.

If you have a good facility in nice surroundings with good space, use it to your advantage and encourage the community to use it. Host leisure and fitness classes if facilities allow so that more and more people see that your golf club is a friendly place.

At the same time you are creating a vibrant atmosphere for your existing members, making the club feel like a special place.

If the club is friendly, more Justin Rose people will want to spend more time there and will inevitably spend more money on goods and services.

The Golf Foundation is supported by key organisations which run the sport (including The R&A, The European Tour, the Professional Golfers’ Association, the Ryder Cup Committee and Trust, the British Golf Industry Association, Sport England and the national governing bod-

ies). This unity in structure is making a difference.

Our own national strategy, HSBC Golf Roots, is playing its part, training 10,000 teachers to deliver golf in schools, and then linking these schools to golf clubs, where, with the support of club managers, the PGA Professional helps the youngsters to develop their game and get their first handicap.

The support of major organisations and the generous sponsorship of HSBC for Golf Roots has also provided us with the confidence to back our own judgement as an organisation. Our strategy has been proved to work and nearly a million youngsters were introduced to golf last year through one of our initiatives.

HSBC’s involvement helped us to re-brand our offer to the industry and perhaps gave us the confidence to really ‘go for it’ with our new Junior Golf Passport, creating something we are really proud of as a team and which we are launching this month.

Hopefully it will attract many new golfers and also appeal to their family members. And hopefully our continued work with golf clubs will help to make our sport a very welcoming one and put us more at the centre of communities, making our clubs more profitable in the process.

It all starts with recognising the true value of junior golf development.

• www.golf-foundation.org

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JOIN THE WINNING TEAM

Alchemy Contract Publishing Communications specialists and proud co-publisher of Clubhouse Europe t. +44(0) 1753 272022 e. info@alchemycontractpublishing.co.uk

RESPONSIVE WEB DESIGN

Fromonline booking systems tosimpleweb management Just what is the value of a club website? And how can it help to increase efficiencies as well as interaction with member? Lawrence Hardcastle, Managing Director of web design, development and marketing company Larrytech, presents his take on how clubs can streamline processes and build business through latest developments.

What would you say has been the biggest shift in websites in recent years?

I would say that responsive web design is probably the most important development in recent years.

This is the task of creating sites to provide an optimal viewing experience, for easy reading and navigation with minimal resizing, panning and scrolling. This is mainly to ensure the website performs across all mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets as it is generally expected that by 2015 the majority of traffic will come from mobile devices.

As a result of this shift, many organisations are focusing too heavily on mobiles; the real challenge is to offer compelling experiences on all devices. I believe that access will increasingly be gained through a myriad of devices with varying capabilities, and responsive web design is the best way of addressing the parade of devices on the market now – as well as those that are yet to be imagined! We find that more and more of the work we are doing now is responsive.

How can clubs maximise the presence of their website?

There is SEO of course, or Search Engine Optimisation, which is the task of making your website more search engine friendly with the aim of increasing its popularity with the search engines, in order to rank as highly as possible in search results.

SEO isn’t a quick fix nor a last minute measure to be added at the end. It needs to be planned and implemented as part of the substance of any website in order to maximise its effectiveness.

So assuming an increased hit rate, what are the practical benefits to clubs?

Well, one area we’re seeing a lot of growth in is online booking systems. Many clubs are moving away from using manual paper booking systems to much slicker online versions that handle booking payments and drop all the contacts into a database for marketing purposes.

Clubs should remember though, that it’s all very well using SEO to get users onto your booking system, but this is pointless if the booking system isn’t easy to use, as this will result in ‘abandoned shopping carts’ when people just give up trying to book.

Hitting it off with the web: online booking systems should be quick and easy to use

So a good booking system should be what?

A good booking system should be easy to find.

There should be a ‘book online’ button on each page of your website – not just on the homepage – and the system should be quick and easy to use.

What are the additional benefits of this online interaction?

With all of the above comes increased contact information. This means that clubs can become very targeted in their marketing and – with the help of email marketing software – can send out special offers, promotions and so on. They will also be able to track the ‘journey’ of recipients when they have clicked on the ad or promotional activity. This means clubs can tailor a follow-up accordingly. A good system will allow you to customise what is sent out and let you create newsletters for blogs as well as for emailing out.

What’s your best advice for clubs on the design of – and use of – their website?

It’s one thing to design a really stylish web site, but it has to function exactly how that club needs it to. This is something I’m passionate about, and we tend to work best with clubs that are after a website that looks stylish but equally functions exactly how that club requires, whether that be through updating the website through the CMS, helping the club generate more traffic through SEO or through creating a slick online booking

system to help automate manual processes.

More and more of the work we are being asked to do for golf clubs is responsive, because, as I said earlier, this is crucial in today’s ever-changing market.

Each site needs to be designed and custom-made for each client at the appropriate level. Content management systems must be created to suit the exact requirements of each club, giving them the ability to update a wide variety of features on the website themselves. There’s nothing worse than feeling that you have a great web site but you don’t know how to use it. It can be as simple or as sophisticated as each individual club needs it to be.

CONTACT DETAILS Larrytech Ltd, Calverley House, 55 Calverley Road, Tunbridge Wells TN1 2TU t. 01892 888 011 e. info@larrytech.com www.larrytech.com Larrytech is a web design, development and marketing company, founded in 2001. Clubs of all size and scale are invited to contact Lawrence for an informal discussion on how the company can help build club business through the design of tailored made web sites. Online booking systems and responsive web sites are particularly recommended for golf clubs where members need to book tee off times etc.

CLUBHOUSE EUROPE 35

MEMBERSHIP MANAGEMENT

Does your club need a CRM system?

Customer relationship management (CRM) systems use technology to manage an organisationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s business processes, predominantly in relation to customer service, sales activities and technical support. The two principal objectives of implementing a CRM system are to increase operational efficiencies and reduce costs.

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s ever-increasing numbers of people have access to the Internet, the CRM system is an increasingly effective and efficient way of managing and communicating with customers and members.

Implementing a CRM system does not necessarily require a full realignment of existing club software and member records and databases.

Once the existing records are transferred to the CRM system, the database remains under the ownership of the club and after an initial period

36 CLUBHOUSE EUROPE

of staff training, the system can be up and running in a short space of time.

Communication As club members become bombarded with information from various sources in the media and elsewhere, it is important that communications from clubs are professional, relevant and targeted.

Members, for the most part, have a strong sense of belonging to their clubs and are interested in reading and acting on the communications that

they receive from them. Using a CRM system to facilitate online communications with either the membership as a whole, or individual sub-sectors of members (such as squash members in a wider general sports club, for example) means that members are receiving relevant, targeted communications.

Another important factor is the design and appearance of the email or attachment that is being sent to the member. Investing in a suite of electronic templates with an exciting design,

colour scheme and graphics is money well spent and will maximise the impact of all communications with members.

Increasing revenues By incorporating a payment processing facility within a CRM system, it is straightforward to provide an online system of payment that enables members and club administrators to keep track of payments as they are made. Combining the communications aspects of a CRM system with the online payment capability means that members can be targeted with specific opportunities that can be purchased online.

As an example, a member of a sports club has a family subscription, buys a table at the club Christmas lunch each year and buys a selection of sports clothing and equipment from the club shop each year.

All of that activity can be tracked so that, for example, if an Easter lunch is proposed at the club, this particular member can be targeted to buy a table for the Easter celebration because he has a propensity to purchase on the basis of being an existing purchaser of a table for the Christmas lunch.

Similarly with regards to his purchases at the club shop – if there are any special offers or sales in the shop, the member can receive a specific email communication at the relevant time because the member is accustomed to buying from the club shop.

The key benefit of a CRM system is that it con-

“

The key benefit of a CRM system is that it consolidates all of the member records into one searchable database so that the club administrators can establish quickly and easily how individual members spend money at the club.

solidates all of these member records into one searchable database so that the club administrators can establish quickly and easily how individual members spend money at the club, without needing to look into the separate records at the club shop, the restaurant and the membership department.

Reduce costs Many membership subscriptions and fees are still collected annually by cheque, leading to inefficiencies with regard to banking cheques and potential errors in the maintaining of financial and other records.

To avoid these errors, and to allow the administration staff who spend time collecting and chasing payments to be utilised in a more creative way by the club, a system of collecting payments

”

online can be put in place, integrated with the CRM system.

This allows members to pay their subscriptions (and other charges such as bar bills or court/equipment rental costs) online using a debit or credit card, thereby reducing the administration for the club and at the same time enabling a full and complete record of payments to be generated by the CRM system and supplied to the club on a weekly basis.

With the UK government for one having signalled the demise of the personal cheque (by 2018) and with the ever-growing use of debit and credit cards for web-based transactions, moving to an online payment mechanism as part of a CRM system will facilitate payment collection and reduce the administration costs incurred by clubs in dealing with cheques and other payment systems.

CLUBHOUSE EUROPE 37

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PRESENTING WITH CONFIDENCE

Presenting – art or science?

In less than a minute an audience – of whatever size – forms impressions of you and your credibility based on what you say and how you say it. Strategic communications expert, Matt Abrahams, offers advice on making sure that your message doesn’t fall on deaf ears.

C

redibility is your only currency when you present. You must immediately establish your credibility to have a chance at successfully achieving your presentation goals.

At its essence, credibility is about the knowledge you possess – about both your topic and your audience – as well as your confidence.

Credibility = Knowledge + Confidence Firstly, you must be motivated by the question, “What does my audience need to hear?” rather than the question, “What do I want to say.” Your knowledge of your topic and your audience comprise the first component of credibility.

The second critical component is your confidence.

Most speakers – upward of 85% – report being nervous when presenting. Managing this anxiety is key to confident and compelling delivery.

Rather than get anxious over your nervous symptoms, greet your anxiety as a normal, reasonable response to delivering a presentation. Until the underlying cause of your anxiety is addressed, you are merely addressing symptoms.

Applying anxiety-management techniques designed for the source of your anxiety is the key to confidence building.

ROOT CAUSES OF ANXIETY AND HOW TO ADDRESS THEM Situation-based anxiety This is the fear that arises from the context in which

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the presentation is being delivered (e.g. a formal conference room with all eyes on you).

Root cause: You see your presentation as a performance.

Management technique: Reframe the situation as a conversation.

Audience-based anxiety Audience-based anxiety is fear that arises from who you are speaking to (e.g. your committee/executive management team).

Root cause: You’re intimidated by the status, expertise and experiences of your audience.

Management technique: Visualise your speaking situation in advance of speaking.

Goal-based anxiety Goal-based anxiety is fear that arises from the objectives your presentation is trying to achieve (e.g. getting funding).

Root cause: You’re concerned about the future consequences and ramifications.

Management technique: Deliver your presentation while present-oriented.

Your knowledge and confidence directly influence your audience’s perception of your credibility. There are many things you can do to bolster your credibility in your audience’s eyes. In addition, though, make sure that you do not invoke certain behaviours that can reduce credibility.

THREE COMMON PITFALLS THAT PERPETUATE A PERCEIVED LACK OF CONFIDENCE 1. Perfectionism – setting incredibly high and often unattainable standards Result: Paralysis due to fear of all the possible things that could go wrong Management technique: Create and enact contingencies.

2. PowerPoint etc – confusing a slide deck for a presentation (the illusion of progress).

Result: Too much time spent designing slides rather than structuring and practicing.

Management technique: Develop an outline and practice delivery prior to adding aids.

3. Procrastination – choosing to put off work Result: Greater anxiety during ‘crunch time’ and less practice time.

Management technique: Publicly commit to a schedule and reward yourself.

Your audience forms impressions of you in less than one minute. These impressions guide their receptivity to your message. It is therefore critical to establish yourself as a credible and engaging speaker.

By appreciating the role your knowledge and confidence have in influencing your audience’s perceptions, you can take active steps to becoming a credible, authentic and compelling presenter.

• Matt can be contacted at www.boldecho.com

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Alchemy Contract Publishing proudly presents Clubhouse Europe in association with the Club Managers Association of Europe

CLUBHOUSE EUROPE

Club Management Conference, Rome

Junior golf – why it matters

– see page 6

Talking teamwork – the word from Wentworth

AUTUMN 2013

Game, set and match – tennis is on the ball

To see what Alchemy Contract Publishing could do for you please call Sean Ferris on +44 (0) 1753 272022 for a free and confidential discussion

THE ART OF NEGOTIATION

Negotiation: how to get what you bargained for From discussing terms of an employee’s contract to securing the best deals from suppliers, the ability to seal the deal and – ideally – keep everyone happy is essential. Enter the art of negotiation.

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anagers with good negotiating skills are more likely to get good results and have employees who understand what’s expected of them. Negotiation means developing an ability to resolve disputes and conflicts. It also requires a willingness to work with other people to reach solutions that everyone can live with.

In situations where a whole team is negotiating, each individual should have their own role.

Knowing who’s doing what and when, is fundamental to the overall negotiation process.

Here are 10 steps to becoming a skilled negotiator: 1. START WITH THE END IN MIND Realise what you want the outcome to be and know how far you can – and are willing to – go.

2. SHOW RESPECT Listen and learn about the other person’s point of

view. Think about whether you can both attain the outcomes you desire and be prepared to meet in the middle.

3. SELF-BELIEF If you believe you can achieve what you want, you are more likely to be successful. Presenting in a relaxed, confident way will help you to reach your goal. Speak clearly and concisely. Avoid appearing desperate, stressed, irritated or angry at all costs.

NEGOTIATION IS MOST SUCCESSFUL WHEN BOTH PARTIES: • Recognise the value of a relationship and want to continue it • Participate actively in the process • Show consideration and acceptance of each other’s perspectives, values, beliefs and goals

4. DEVELOP RAPPORT People like people who are like themselves. Take some time to warm up your negotiating partner and find areas of common ground. Remember, your goal is to create and preserve a relationship.

• Separate personality from the issue involved

5. USE INFLUENCING SKILLS Learn as much as you can about your negotiating partner so that you will be better equipped to

influence him. Listen to the language he uses and then use it too. Find out what is important to him – does he focus on what he wants or what he doesn’t want? Does he seek approval from someone else?

• Work together to develop a solution everyone can accept

6. USE SALES SKILLS Ask questions and present the benefits of your argument. Find out whether he/she agrees and then handle any objections. Remember to think about the benefits for both parties.

7. BE FLEXIBLE Explore all possible solutions and outcomes. Be prepared to adapt if it means you both achieve your desired outcomes. Collaboration doesn’t mean giving up or giving in.

8. BE FOCUSED, FIRM AND DETERMINED Restate your case with confidence.

9. CLOSING SKILLS At the end of the meeting, be clear about what you have asked and what you have agreed upon.

Confirm in writing afterwards if appropriate.

10. DO IT If you have agreed to do something, make sure you have a plan for carrying it out and make sure it happens. Being reliable and trustworthy will make things easier when you next come to negotiate with the person.

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The CMAE wish to thank the following g companies for their invaluable assistance e in the development of the Managementt Development Programme and otherr education programmes forr European Club Managers..

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THE LAST WORD – TIME MANAGEMENT

Getting it done – the art of productivity Increasing productivity at the club is a golden chalice. But contrary to popular belief, just checking tasks off a to-do list isn’t necessarily the answer, explains ILYA POZIN from Ciplex.

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ruly productive people aren’t focused on doing more things; this is actually the opposite of productivity. If you really want to be productive, you’ve got to make a point to do fewer things.

1. Create a smaller to-do list. Getting things accomplished during your workday shouldn’t be about doing as much as possible in the sanctioned hours. It may be hard to swallow, but there’s nothing productive about piling together a slew of tasks in the form of a checklist. Take a less-is-more approach to your to-do list by only focusing on accomplishing things that matter.

2. Take breaks. You know that ache that fills your brain when you’ve been powering through tasks for several hours? This is due to your brain using up glucose. Too many people mistake this for a good feeling, rather than a signal to take a break. Take a walk, grab something to eat, workout, or meditate – give your brain some resting time. Achieve more productivity during your workday by making a point to regularly clear your head. You’ll come back recharged and ready to achieve greater efficiency.

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3. Follow the 80/20 rule. Did you know that only 20 percent of what you do each day produces 80 percent of your results? Eliminate the things that don’t matter during your workday: they have a minimal effect on your overall productivity. For example, on a project, systematically remove tasks until you end up with the 20 percent that gets the 80 percent of results.

4. Start your day by focusing on yourself. If you begin your morning by checking your email, it allows others to dictate what you accomplish. Set yourself in the right direction by ignoring your emails and taking the morning to focus on yourself, eat a good breakfast, meditate, or read the news.

5. Take on harder tasks earlier in the day. Knock out your most challenging work when your brain is most fresh. Save your busy work – if you have any – for when your afternoon slump rolls in.

6. Pick up the phone. The digital world has created poor communication habits. Email is a productivity killer and usually a distraction from tasks that actually matter. For example, people often copy

multiple people on emails to get it off their plate – don’t be a victim of this action. This distracts everyone else by creating noise against the tasks they’re trying to accomplish and is a sign of laziness. If your email chain goes beyond two replies, it’s time to pick up the phone. Increase your productivity by scheduling a call.

7. Create a system. If you know certain things are ruining your daily productivity, create a system for managing them. Do you check your emails throughout the day? Plan a morning, afternoon, and evening time slot for managing your email.

Otherwise, you’ll get distracted from accomplishing more important goals throughout the day.

8. Don’t confuse productivity with laziness.

While no one likes admitting it, sheer laziness is the No. 1 contributor to lost productivity. In fact, a number of time-saving methods – take meetings and emails for example – are actually just ways to get out of doing real work. Place your focus on doing the things that matter most as efficiently and effectively as possible. Remember, less is more when it comes to being productive during the workday.

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DIARY DATE November 21, 2013

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