Clubhouse Europe

CLUBHOUSE EUROPE

ISSUE 25

Call for entries.

The MDP pathway – forging ahead in 2022

Time to shine at the 2022 Awards

European Conference – dates and venue announced

– page 29

Festival of Clubs – November event and trade show launches

Job mobility - eight things to condsider when moving country

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WELCOME

Welcome

Contributors

2022 – A year in transition We are all living in a period of transition. Most clubs are busier than ever before, but with fewer staff and a hospitality industry on its knees. (See page 15 in this issue.)

The good news? Sport clubs are now doing well, and some have positively boomed, with record numbers in membership. These pro-active clubs have therefore managed to both keep, and in some cases expand, their management team.

Rhys Beecher CCM

Michael Braidwood CCM

James Burns CCM

Ed Chapman CMDIP

Chris Duffy CCM

Les Durno CCM

Sean Ferris

Debbie Goddard

Davide Maria Lantos

Michael McCormack

Caroline Scoular

Jill Slingsby

The transition is also about mentality. How quickly do we go from waving, to knuckle bumps, to firm handshakes, to hugs? Will facemasks remain a chosen part of everyday life for some, even when there are no official restrictions?

We don’t know the answers to these questions yet, but transition is already here – and let’s hope for no more lockdowns or restrictions to people’s movements.

For CMAE, the transition to online learning was a difficult one, but we managed it. Now, we are going back to classroom learning and are already witnessing the new challenges ahead of us. On this note, I’m proud to say that we have had the most number of consecutive weeks of MDPs to date – five straight weeks – and we are indeed fortunate to have your support, and support from colleagues from all over the world. (See pages 8-9 for latest news on MDPs.) Covid-19 also threw a spanner in the CMAE works last year when we were hoping to celebrate our 20 years of existence, our 100th MDP and 10 years of running MDPs. That celebration couldn’t happen. For the same pandemic reasons, the European Conference has had to be delivered online twice – a new learning curb for us all, and thank you to all participants for making them such a success.

Needless to say, however, we are thrilled to be able to get back to a physical conference this November in lovely, sunny Tenerife. (See pages 11-12 for details.)

This is the networking opportunity many of us have been looking forward to – and need! - to get us through another Winter season. We will celebrate, network, activate ourselves, learn, laugh and eat well. It’s also an excellent opportunity to get a well-deserved break (and families are very welcome). The Conference area has lots of hotels in different price ranges, which was important to us when seeking out the perfect all-round venue.

So finally, all of us at CMAE wish you a successful summer, a great year and we hope that you all stay healthy and upbeat during this year in transition. See you in Tenerife? I hope so!

Torbjörn “Toby” Johansson Director of Education, Club Managers Association of Europe (CMAE)

CMAE Board of Directors David Balden CCM dcb@caledonianclub.com Michael Braidwood CCM mbraidwood@ecgolf.com James Burns CCM james.burns@cmaeurope.org Niall Carroll CMDip niall@cducestates.com Debbie Goddard debbie.goddard@cmaeurope.org Alberto Iglesias CCM aiglesias@fdlgolf.es Torbjörn Johansson Torbjorn.johansson@cmaeurope.org Michael Newland CCM michael@theberkshire.co.uk Silvia Serrano CCM serrano_silvia@yahoo.es Mary Lou Watkins CMDip office@luffnessnew.com Editor Caroline Scoular caroline@alchemymedia.co.uk Design David Foster Editorial Nick Sellens Sales and Marketing Manager Leigh-Ann Ogilvie Circulation Jonathan Hardy Association Manager Debbie Goddard Debbie.Goddard@cmaeurope.org Publishing Director Sean Ferris sean@alchemymedia.co.uk Clubhouse Europe is published by Alchemy Contract Publishing Ltd. ACP Gainsborough House, 59/60 Thames Street, Windsor, Berkshire SL4 1TX United Kingdom t. +44 (0)1753 272022 f. +44 (0)1753 272021 e.info@alchemycontractpublishing.co.uk www.alchemycontractpublishing.co.uk

CMAE The Club Managers Association of Europe 1b Bagshaw Close Ryton on Dunsmore Warwickshire CV8 3EX United Kingdom t. +44 (0) 247 669 2359

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 11

8

24 Better Buying How HQ Building the Business is helping UK clubs to cut costs and increase margins.

5 News round-up New, views and who’s doing what.

25

6 Newsletter from Italy April saw two days of meetings, education and summits in Verona. The events, run by the CMAEaffiliated AITG (Associazione Italiana Tecnici di Golf/the Italian Club Managers Association), welcomed almost 60 Club Managers and over 40 Course Managers from across Italy. The AITG spoke with its newly elected Board President, Davide Maria Lantos.

25 Festival of Clubs and the 2022 Club Awards Join us at the 2022 Festival of Clubs in a series of events, from trade shows to celebratory dinners and business-building ideas. And: Call for entries. Time to shine at the 2022 Club Awards.

31 The Pen is mightier than the sword Ed Chapman believes that the wider we read the more rounded we become, ‘with an understanding of a variety of viewpoints and across broad subjects, critically including reading those that we do not agree with in order to better understand where they are coming from’. Here he explains.

8 Management Development Programmes 34 A word with Sweetspot

MDP latest. Plus: 2022 diary dates. Join up, join in.

15 Club Management World Conference 11 CMAE European Conference on Club Management Join us for CMAE’s flagship event of 2022 – The European Conference on Club Management.

Hosted in Costa Adeje, Tenerife from the 5-8 November 2022. The event will feature two days of inspirational and engaging education and networking, plus extra activities to enjoy.

15

Consultant and creative thinker Chris Duffy CCM shares his experiences at the World Conference, where the global staffing crisis was the clear winner in terms of causes for concern.

18 Eight things to think about when moving country Salient advice on moving jobs and moving countries from one CMAE aficionado. He is now in the middle of his third move, all of which have involved different geographical regions. Here he shares what he’s learned, along with questions to ask yourself should this be a route you’re planning.

Founded in 2016, Sweetspot is a data driven, revenue management platform designed to help golf facilities around the world reach their full potential.

35 Improving systems for the Club Industry Jim Callaghan CCM from Parconex explains the benefits of automated software system Turf Assistant.

37 59club universal insight confirms service is on par If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that Michael Gove MP was wrong when he said, “the people of this country have had enough of experts”.

17 Membership matters The Narcissist and the Club of Mutual Distrust. A tongue in cheek reflection but with serious messaging. Just who are the main protagonists in these tricky situations?

20 Working in the Middle East The CMAE and its Management Development Programme is globally renowned. The resulting qualifications are now used as part of the recruiting process when clubs around the world are seeking out the best of the best. Michael Braidwood CCM and Rhys Beecher CCM explain the joys of working in the Middle East, as well as examining the world of repatriation back to the UK.

4 CLUBHOUSE EUROPE

39 It’s classified Showcasing club-supporting suppliers.

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

News from the frontline Dates for CMAE European Conference on Club Management The Club Managers Association of Europe (CMAE) has announced that the European Conference on Club Management will take place on 5-8 November 2022 in Costa Adeje, Tenerife.

The annual conference is CMAE’s flagship event of the year and the 2022 event will be the first in-person European conference since

2019, thanks to the pandemic.

Featuring two full days of education and networking with options for additional activities for delegates and their families to enjoy, the 2022 European Conference will be CMAE’s biggest event of the year.

Österåker Golf Club.

The event is limited to 45 delegates and

costs £100 to attend.

• Click here for more details and/or to book.

CMAE launches new 2022 ‘Friday Forum’ series CMAE has launched a new initiative designed to offer members the opportunity to get specialist advice from industry experts on subjects pertaining to club management.

The Friday Forum is a series of pre-scheduled one hour long Zoom meetings where CMAE Members can log on to a zoom call with an established MDP presenter or guest experts, who will talk about a current subject or trend

Obbi Golf and Belvoir Park GC Belvoir Park Golf Club in Northern Ireland has become the first club to adopt Obbi Golf, the new award-winning solution which pulls together all aspects of health and safety, compliance, certification and training records into one place to save time, money and mitigate risk.

“Obbi is a one-stop-shop for everything from policies and procedures to risk assessments,” said club manager Brendan McDermott. “Obbi has delivered a massive return on investment .”

• Visit obbi.golf or email golf@obbisolutions.com

Newquay Golf Club wins prestigious Operation Pollinator Award

• Click here to see more.

CMAE Summit – Engaging Minds, Empowering Sucess The CMAE has announced a brand new Capital Improvement Summit, taking place virtually on 3 May, 2022.

The summit will focus on increasing capital through investment, including sessions on construction management in clubs and the competencies a club management professional needs to complete a successful project or renovation.

Speakers at the summit include James Burns CCM, General Manager at Milltown Golf Club, Edward Plunket CEO and Secretary at the City of London Club, David Luker, CPA, Director RSM US LLP and Andreas Ljunggren, CEO

NEWS IN BRIEF

within their field of expertise, taking questions from members with a designated Q&A session.

The sessions will cover current trends within

the 11 Core Competencies.The meetings are free of charge for CMAE members and will run initially on a bi-weekly basis with numbers restricted to allow for full engagement.

The first Friday Forum took place on 4 February with expert Food & Beverage consultant Steven Brown talking about keeping and attracting F&B staff, as well as changes in food offerings after the pandemic.

Time to shine – call for entries

CMAE clubs are invited to enter the 29th annual Club Awards, taking place at November’s Festival of Clubs.

“CMAE clubs have won numerous trophies at these prestigious annual Awards and the kudos of success is always applauded by both the members and club

marketing teams alike!” said CMAE’s Torbjorn Johansson.

The Awards recognise excellence and The City of London Club, Roehampton, Datchet Sailing Club, Formby and Royal Porthcawl are just some of the CMAE clubs who have been recognised . (See page 29 for how to enter.)

Congratulations to Dan Kendle, Head Greenkeeper at Newquay Golf Club, for his success in winning this year’s Syngenta Operation Pollinator Award, presented at the Golf Environment Awards during this year’s BTME, an annual event from BIGGA (British and International Greenkeepers Association).

• Visit clubhouseeurope.com Golf tech frontrunner Sweetspot partner up with CMAE The CMAE is delighted to announce a new partnership with Swedish-based software company Sweetspot. The company has in recent years revolutionised the golf business in Sweden with its data-driven revenue management platform.

• More details on page 34 in this issue.

Northstar renews support for CMAE The Club Managers Association of Europe (CMAE) have announced that club management software company Northstar have renewed their partnership with CMAE. Northstar was founded in 2003 and their software is now installed in over 1000 clubs worldwide.

• Visit globalnorthstar.com Golf Genius Software announces new Senior Advisor Tournament management solutions provider Golf Genius Software, has announced the appointment of Christian Faergemann as Senior Advisor. The Danish native, brings a wealth of golfing experience to his new role with Golf Genius, including 17 years at GolfBox. Golf Genius serves golf professionals at more than 10,500 private clubs, public courses, resorts and golf associations in 62 countries.

• Visit golfgenius.com CLUBHOUSE EUROPE 5

NEWSLETTER FROM AITG

AITG Annual General Meeting and new Board elections report April saw two days of meetings, education and summits in Peschiera del Garda (Verona). The events, run by the the CMAE-affiliated AITG (Associazione Italiana Tecnici di Golf/the Italian Club Managers Association), welcomed almost 60 Club Managers and over 40 Course Managers from across Italy, as well as 38 supporting companies and “newbies” from the National School. The AITG spoke with its newly elected Board President, Davide Maria Lantos.

E

lections for the new Board President were held during April’s two-day event event and Davide Maria Lantos, Director of Tournament Operations of the Ladies European Tour since 2016, was announced as Board President.

Q. Back to the AITG: any spoilers for the strategic plan for the next three years?

A. The educational programme with a course credit system to “keep your card” is probably our most important task. I would also like to meet every Board of every single Italian Golf Club to explain what the AITG is and what we do; I want to highlight the high level of professionalism that we can offer to the industry.

Q. The AITG has such a bright future. Tell us your thoughts on your new role Davide?

A. When I was asked to run as the president of AITG I was quite doubtful. I travel around the globe most of the time – roughly 10 months every year – and being a perfectionist, I was thinking that I didn’t have much time to properly focus on this important task. But 2022 is my 30th year as a member of AITG, so I decided that I should give something back to my association. The more I thought about it, the happier I was with my choice to accept to be a candidate.

In the last few years I have gained extensive international experience and considering how the networks are important in our industry, I thought it was the right time to share this experience with my colleagues.

Q. You are an early member of CMAE and AITG. What kind of relationship do you think those two Associations should have in order to collaborate for the better? And how will the AITG promote its education to its Italian members?

A. Since 2009 I have been overseeing the Golf Managers’ section of the SNG (National Golf School of the Italian Golf Federation), and I am truly convinced that education – a continuous one – is the key to success. In a world that is running at the highest speed ever, nobody in our industry can sit-down, thinking that he or she knows enough. I believe that we must enhance the cooperation between AITG and CMAE, trying to integrate the various courses.

In Italy, future Golf Managers are attending a fiveyear course on every aspect of Golf Management, from the Rules of Golf to Marketing, Communication and HR, to Golf Course Architecture and so on. It is tailored for the Italian market. I strongly believe that the CMAE courses could be an integration of what we do in Italy, to make a step forward, and to also open up more opportunities outside our beautiful Country.

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Q. Your job in LET as the Director of Tournament Operations is a great source of pride for Italy. How can such complex work be combined with the role you have just received?

A. It is not easy, but I like the challenges. I spend a lot of time travelling for tournaments or meetings and having the AITG on top of everything will keep me busier. But as I said, I feel I must give something back to the Association and my colleagues. Also, it gives me the opportunity to get the international golf industry to know that in Italy we have a group of good golf managers that work hard for their respective clubs.

THE AITG BOARD Davide Maria Lantos, AITG President Q. Speaking about the state of the Italian industry, with more than 400 club managers, almost 400 golf courses and a Ryder Cup coming up on Italian soil, what are the next moves for the Board?

A. I think that every Manager (and Superintendent considering that we are all together under the AITG umbrella) should aim for the top. To do this, as I said before, education is the key and working on a “course credit” base is vital. We are the 2023 Ryder Cup-hosting country and millions of eyes will be on us in the coming years. We must think of the Italian Golf industry in a different way. We have the opportunity to become as big as our neighbours France and Spain. To do this, we need to have a strong management group of real professionals in charge of our golf clubs and to get this – I might be a bit repetitive!

– we must study a lot. We, as the Board, will spend a lot of energy on this.

Area Course Managers Alessio Chiusso, Golf Club Grado; Maurizio Novella, Golf Club Margara; Mariano Merlano, Golf Ambrosiano Area Club Managers Luca Caspani, Bormio Golf; Federica Castellari, Golf Club San Valentino, VP; Giovanni Malcotti, Golf Club Castelconturbia Financial Audit Simone Laureti; Walter Gorla; Luca Angelini Disciplinary Committee Nicola Veclani, Mauro Lenta, Alberto Zani, Mauro Guerrini, Cristian Fiora, Maurizio Bachechi Cristian Fiora, CCM PGA

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MDP NEWS

Management Development Programmes The CMAE’s Management Development Programme (MDP) is the leading education programme for club industry professionals and provides the pathway to the european Club Management Diploma (CMDip) and the global Certified Club Manager (CCM) certifications.

The CMAE MDP is a series of courses focused on the core competencies of club management designed not only for those working as club general managers, club

secretaries and in other senior positions at sports, city and business clubs today, but also for those who aspire to these roles in the future.

COMING UP – APRIL – DECEMBER, 2022 Watch out for new MDPs coming up. (Information correct at time of going to press) Full details available on CMAE’s website. See ‘Get Involved’ on opposite page for links and contact details.

APRIL MDP Food & Beverage Management 25-29, Montreux MDP’s course specialising in Food & Beverage Management takes place on the 25-29 April 2022 in the beautiful town of Montreux in Switzerland, surrounded by the stunning backdrop of lake Geneva.

This step on the MDP Pathway aims to develop the delegates’ Food & Beverage (F&B) knowledge to improve the hospitality experience at their club. The tools will be provided to manage and raise standards in front of house operations, controlling costs, driving sales and to be able to work closer to their team to achieve better results. This programme is applicable to clubs with all levels of turnover and those working with contract caterers.

“This course on our Pathway is known for its combination of great content and exciting experiences,” said Torbjörn “Toby” Johansson, Director of Education at CMAE. “ It is perfectly suited for GMs but also for Clubhouse Managers or for a chef who is looking to grow his/her experience on the management of the whole F&B operation.”

MAY MDP Food & Beverage Management 8-12, Dubai This course is highly relevant to all club managers, as it provides an insight into the delivery of Food & Beverage (F&B) services within successful clubhouse operations. We will take an in depth look at F & B operations from a management and control perspective. Delegates will study trends in menu and service delivery, as well as evolving legal requirements.

Particular attention will be paid to the creation of successful, unique or themed events and how best to plan their marketing. The course will also enable managers to create and deliver appropriate training sessions for clubhouse staff, to ensure that service excellence is the norm at their club.

MDP 1 – Club Operations 8-12, Dubai Part 1 is a week long course targeted in particular towards those managers who are either new to a post,

8 CLUBHOUSE EUROPE

recently appointed or simply want to enhance their knowledge so that they may better serve their club committee, owners and members. At the end of the week, those taking the course will have an excellent grasp of the basics in every area of club business, and will have established a valuable network of support for their career in this industry.

MDP 2 – Building & Managing the Club Team 8-12 May, Dubai The Part 2 course is also a week long and builds on the foundations of Part 1 to focus on strategic and business planning, performance and service standards, and the professional and communicative skills to develop every aspect of both the individual’s performance and that of their club. At the end of Part 2 there is an optional examination to attain the CMAE Diploma in Club Management.

AUGUST MDP Sport & Recreation Management 1-5, London This course is aimed at Managers who wants to have a wider view of sports, fitness, recreation and wellness operations. By attending this course, delegates will experience all parts of the club world when it comes to these elements. The course will cover many areas within racket sports, aquatics and junior programming as well as recreational sports but also listen to the trends within wellness and fitness.

Delegates will gain a thorough understanding of the history, evolution and future trends to make better decision for the future for their clubs and committees.

MDP 1 – Club Operations 15-19, London Details as per Dubai event – May 8-12.

OCTOBER MDP 2 – Building & Managing the Club Team 31 October – 4 November, Manchester The Part 2 week long course builds on the foundations of Part 1 to focus on strategic and business planning, performance and service standards, and the professional and communicative skills to develop every aspect of both the individual’s performance and that of their club. At the end of Part 2 there is an optional examination to attain the CMAE Diploma in Club Management.

Elements include: A Business Plan for your Club, Successful Committee Strategies, Communication & Influence, Team Building, Managing Performance, Conduct or Capability? Investigating Under Performance, Service Standards, Managing Conflict, Time Management, Lumina Spark, Case Study, Optional Diploma Examination NOVEMBER MDP 1 – Club Operations 14-18, Edinburgh The curriculum and learning outcomes have been provided by the Club Managers Association of Europe and this training course is endorsed by the Club Managers Association of America as part of the educational pathway to the Certified Club Manager (CCM) qualification.

Details as per Dubai event – May 8-12.

MDP Golf Management 28 November – 2 December, St Andrews This course is aimed at Managers with particular responsibility for successful golf operations. By attending this course, delegates will learn to maximise their working relationship with the key personnel employed in this area of the business, including the Course Manager, Professional and Club Manager.

DECEMBER MDP 3 – Strategy & Leadership 5-9, Stockholm MDP 3 Strategy and Leadership is aimed at those managers who wish to learn how to enhance their management style and tap into their leadership potential in order to operate the club as a business. Delegates will understand the responsibilities and characteristics required to exert the appropriate levels of power and influence so that their club can develop its creativity while focusing its strategic aims in line with its established culture and traditions.

Particular attention will be paid to establishing and enhancing an effective working relationship with the Committee, whilst mentoring, developing and leading the staff team.

Please note that it is not obligatory for delegates to have attended one of our other MDP courses before attending this one.

GET INVOLVED To register your interest or for any queries, contact Debbie Goddard on debbie.goddard@cmaeurope.org. Full details are available at cmaeurope.org/ mdp-courses/or use this QR Code.

CMAE heads back to Prague for MDP 3 course A group of international delegates headed to Prague in March to take part in the CMAE’s Management Development Programme Part 3 course on Strategy & Leadership.

The delegates came from as far afield as Thailand and the UAE to benefit from the programme which focused on raising leadership competencies whilst also delving deeper into topics such as advanced financial management, personal development, club ethics and marketing demographics.

David Tilbury, General Manager at Pannal Golf Club, said: “MDP3 in Prague was probably the most informative and interactive MDP yet.

“I have taken a huge amount away from this course and can see how each of the subjects can be incorporated in not only improving the way our club operates but how I can become an effective leader within the team. I thoroughly enjoyed my time listening to others in the room and how their clubs operate and look forward to continuing to network with them in the future.”

Royal Cinque Ports Assistant Secretary Charles Molony agreed. He said: “MDP Strategy & Leadership in Prague was a superb week. These weeks, apart from the great education and networking opportunities,

simply challenge your mindset and thinking. The Lumina Leader session was a particular highlight and one that has given me much to think about both now and in the future as I develop in the industry.”

CMAE Director of Education Torbjorn Johansson was delighted with the success of the course.

“Our MDP 3 was a fantastic week with an intimate group of delegates which allowed for lots of interaction and discussions,” he said. “The MDP 3 course will see club managers return to their committees with a far greater insight in to the crucial skills and techniques required to succeed.”

An unFOREgetable week in St Andrews The CMAE’s latest Management Development Programme on golf management was hosted in St Andrews on 28 March - 1 April, 2022.

An international group of 18 delegates came to St Andrews, the Home of Golf, for five days of education focusing on managing golf operations, diving deep into subjects such as the golf business model, course rating and handicapping, working with your greenkeeping department, R&A Golf development, fleet management, retail and customer service, sustainability, golf architecture and more.

During the week delegates received a tour of the R&A clubhouse, and an extensive tour of the St Andrews Old Course and its facilities from course manager Gordon McKie, before getting to experience playing 18 holes on the famous fairways.

In addition, the course included a full day touring the iconic Gleneagles, its academy and shop, where the importance of its brand and associated values was explained by Andrew Jovett, Alyson Lilley and Craig Haldane.

Cruden Bay General Manager becomes CCM The CMAE is delighted to announce that Les Durno, General Manager at Cruden Bay Golf Club, has gained the internationally renowned Certified Club Manager (CCM) certification. Les’s success with the CCM exam raises the number of Certified Club Managers in Europe and the Middle East to 67.

Les has been the General Manager at Cruden Bay Golf Club in Scotland for the past nine and a half years. Speaking on his achievement he said: “After starting out on the MDP Pathway almost 10 years ago and overcoming a few blips on the way, I’m over the moon to have passed my CCM exam at the first time of sitting.

“Without the quality presenters, fantastic facilitators and industry colleagues involved with the CMAE, SGCMA, Scottish Golf Ltd, GCMA and

CMAA, who all provide amazing education opportunities, this would never have been possible. I cannot express enough my gratitude to everyone involved in the education experiences.”

CMAE’s Director of Education Torbjorn Johansson said: “I am delighted to see Les achieve CCM success. He has shown incredible commitment to his professional development on the MDP pathway and now his hard work has been rewarded with the CCM certification.”

The CCM designation has been the hallmark of professionalism in club management since 1965 and is the cornerstone of CMAE’s education programme. It is recognised globally as a valuable and widely respected mark of a manager’s commitment to professional development and the club industry.

CLUBHOUSE EUROPE 9

CMAE EUROPEAN CONFERENCE

European Conference says it’s time for family Over the course of the last two years, people’s priorities have changed. Some forced on us by the impact of Covid and others simply because we chose to re-evaluate what is most important to us. The common theme in this seismic change has been the return to Family – including the CMAE Family. The one constant for us all during these times has been the love, support, care and understanding that our families bring to us.

I

n 2020 and 2021, the pandemic claimed a lot of jobs, a lot of of relationships and had an adverse effect on people’s mental health. But, at the same time, a lot of our friendships grew and teams bonded due to the tests everyone was put through.

Now in 2022 we begin to see the light within the Club Industry with many of our clubs seeing full Membership and healthy waiting lists. We have never been so busy!

The 2022 CMAE European Conference takes place in Costa Adeje, Tenerife, 5-8 November.

CLUBHOUSE EUROPE 11

>

CMAE EUROPEAN CONFERENCE That also means that your CMAE Family is more important than ever. With Family in this case we mean: Your Real Family Your Friends Your Club Owner Your Board Your Staff Your Colleagues Your Association Your __________ (fill in where your Family is)

European Conference now back again as Live Event!

Couldn't join us at the last one? Then here's a flavour of what's in store!

So, for our European Conference in Tenerife in November 2022 we have gathered great speakers on this theme and beyond. Our goal is to make this Conference one to remember, a celebration, one where you can bring your own little Family if possible, where we will do all we can in order for us to enjoy the days in Tenerife as much as possible and bring strength back in body and soul.

We cannot wait to welcome you all back to a Live and in person European Conference. The CMAE Family awaits you in November!

How to book Hosted in Costa Adeje, Tenerife from the 5-8 November 2022. The event will feature two days of inspirational and engaging education and networking, plus extra activities for you to enjoy.

Watch this short VT clip to get a sense of the event.

https://www.cmaeurope.org/news-events/ euro-conf-2022/ For more information, to express your interest or to book, contact debbie.goddard@cmaeurope.org

12 CLUBHOUSE EUROPE

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STAFFING CRISIS

Hottest topic at 2022’s Club Management World Conference Consultant and creative thinker Chris Duffy CCM shares his experiences at the World Conference, where the global staffing crisis was the clear winner in terms of causes for concern.

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ne year ago, no-one would have believed that Tiger Woods would play the Masters.

Two years ago, no-one would know the effect the Covid-19 pandemic would have taken on the club industry.

Seven years ago, I didn’t know the influence the Club Management Association of Europe (CMAE) would have on my career. An influence that would lead to worldwide job opportunities, a renewed passion for learning and a unique tribe of club managers from around the world I can rely on for advice and guidance.

In March 2022 I travelled to my fourth Club Management Association of America (CMAA) World Conference and Business Expo in San Diego, California to continue my education journey and to fulfil a seven-year journey to collect my Certified Club Manager (CCM) designation becoming one of only 65 CCM’s in Europe. In walking across the stage in front of 1400+ club industry peers and being recognised for my achievement, I found a deep sense of pride and fulfilment.

Attending the World Conference offers not just high-quality club education but the opportunity to understand what is happening on a global level within our industry, reaching out and networking with leading club managers from around the world to ascertain how they see the industry, what direction its heading and what we can do to support its devel-

opment, or guide change where needed.

The conference in San Diego was the first major club management conference post Covid-19. The general feeling within the industry was of joy and relief at being able to share experiences together with members, guests and our teams, but the fundamental undercurrent was of nervousness of what lies ahead in terms of recruitment and staffing.

It has been well documented that the hospitality and travel sectors are currently suffering a staffing crisis. The trust to work in the hospitality industry is at an all-time low, and many who worked in the sector prior to Covid-19 have opened their eyes to new opportunities.

Working from home became the new norm, the Internet became our favourite place to shop, home delivery became the standard and family and friends wanted to spend extended time together after so long apart.

Club employees who were furloughed came back to work and found everything had changed; some decided not to return. The club team was smaller, but our members and guests were still as expectant as pre-Covid. The club from the outside still looked the same, but internally clubs had lost multiple libraries of knowledge as long serving employees pursued other careers or stepped into retirement.

There are so many positives to working in the club industry, but losing an employee or friend from

the industry hurts the most. The daily joy and happiness we bring to our members and guests, those special moments we share with our teams, the personal opportunities to travel the world and to work in very special environments are just a few reasons I love the club industry – so why are we are facing a staffing crisis?

During the conference the staffing crisis was recognised and discussed at length in both educational sessions and networking events.

The feedback crystalised in to five keys areas: • Lack of relevant knowledge and experience of board members.

• Lack of recognised, relevant data and information to support action.

• Lack of support from recognised associations at the appropriate time.

• Lack of understanding from members to increasing costs of operations.

• Lack of competitive compensation and benefits for employees compared to other industries.

Unfortunately, the above covers many of the issues we face as leaders in the club industry and until we can receive the relevant tools, education and data to convince club boards to start putting employees first, then the club industry is naturally on a downhill spiral.

CLUBHOUSE EUROPE 15

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STAFFING CRISIS In the past 12 months I’ve seen multiple clubs investing in non-essential works, course renovations and clubhouse redevelopment. Membership of clubs has never been stronger. The Covid-19 effect when people found solace in the outdoors, and especially golf clubs which were allowed to reopen earlier in many countries compared to other sectors, has led to a boom in club memberships.

For many clubs there is cash in the bank and a waiting list for membership, but how many have recognised the club employees in their 2022 budgets? I know of very few that have approached employees and said here is a ‘significant’ pay rise and ‘we appreciate everything you have done over the past two years to support our membership during the pandemic. We appreciate everything you do on

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I call upon members, boards and committees to recognise the work our teams do on a regular basis, pay fairly and reward excellence.

a daily basis and we want you here at our club’.

We often talk about membership retention, but very rarely does anyone discuss employee retention.

Club employees are the skeleton of the club, and the members are its blood, and both are needed to survive. We know it costs much more to hire and train new employees than retain those already in your club, so when was the last time your club board or committee reviewed its employees longevity and compensation compared to other similar industries and available data?

During the past three months I have seen various institutions issuing statements regarding supporting staff and the need for increased compensation packages to support employee recruitment. It is well known that club budgeting is generally reviewed and completed between OctoberDecember of the prior year and as such these statements, although welcomed, need to be brought to the attention of the boardroom earlier. As managers and leaders in the industry we also need to follow up these statements with the relevant data allowing time for the relevant discussions and actions to be agreed long before the subscription renewals are delivered to the members.

If clubs are to turn the tide of our employee exodus we need to find ways to pay ‘above’market price.

The hospitality, club and hotel industry are short of talent – this is a fact - and many industries are finding ways to fight off the competition to attract the best talent which is often paying more and rewarding the talent they employ. I call upon members, boards and committees to recognise the work our teams do on a regular basis, pay fairly and reward excellence.

Whether its our Greenkeeper’s, the Food & Beverage team, Golf Professional’s or qualified and educated Club Managers, all are all in short supply and clubs are facing a staffing crisis. Many have found new employment opportunities and chosen to leave our industry, but for those who chose to stay and to continue to serve at our clubs, I say ‘thank you’, and may our worldwide journey continue, in the club industry I love.

The daily joy and happiness we bring to our members and guests, those special moments we share with our teams, the personal opportunities to travel the world and to work in very special environments are just a few reasons I love the club industry – so why are we are facing a staffing crisis?

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ON THE MOVE

Eight things to think about when moving country We’ve all moved at some point, whether that be house, school or a job. This author is currently in the middle of his third move, all of which have involved different geographical regions. “It seemed natural to share what I’ve learned, as well as some questions to ask yourself, in the hope it may help someone who is thinking of or is about to move country,” says Ed Chapman.

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hen I left the UK in 2011 I had no idea how long I’d be gone for, therefore I was hesitant to sell my house, and my sister was looking for somewhere to rent, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect and now it means that 10 years later I have a place to stay, occupying the back half of the upstairs, while waiting for my visa to Australia – which conveniently leads us to point 1!

member state). For some countries, such as China, having at least a Bachelors degree can be a requirement.

Technically speaking, a visa is a document that gives a person the right to enter or leave a country whereas a work permit is the generic term for any legal document that gives you the right to work. Many countries use these terms interchangeably.

1. Visas This is a fairly fundamental point to moving country; you will need a work visa. Where you are moving to will depend on how much information you will need to put together, but it can include: countries travelled to and dates for the past 10 years, police checks for criminal records (how quick and easy these are to obtain depends on the country providing it), copies of all relevant qualifications to match those on your CV/resume, full birth certificate, marriage certificate if applicable, proof of past/present addresses, passport photo and so on.

Questions to ponder: if you are married or in a civil partnership will your spouse be able to work on your visa? What are their rights and what do you need to provide of their information on the visa? What is the job scene looking like in their field of work? Does anyone at your new club have contacts within that industry who can help or can they transfer with their current employer if a multinational?

How long will the visa take to be approved? How long will it take to get together all of the information for it? How does this relate to your current notice period? Will you have to post copies of everything, or can you email the required documents? If you ended up with 1-3 months between finishing your current job and your visa coming through can you: a) afford this; b) stay in your present country while not working for a long enough period if you have no normal right of abode, or c) move back to your home country while waiting?

For British passport holders looking to move to the EU this is now much harder due to Brexit as many British qualifications are not recognised because this was not negotiated as part of the exit. The British are classed as “third-country nationals”, so work visas maybe needed (this depends on each individual

2. Healthcare Does where you are moving to have a good public healthcare system? If yes, are you automatically able to access it? If no, does your job come with adequate healthcare? Is your family covered on that? If you needed surgery, cancer treatment, or a week in ICU, is the healthcare provided enough to cover that or would you need to pay out a large amount to cover anything above the max payout? Is it outpatient or inpatient cover?

If you presently have any prescribed medication how do you get these in your new country? Is there a cost associated? Do you need to bring your current prescription or a letter from your doctor to be able to obtain these? Are you allowed to import a supply with you?

Where will your nearest hospital be? If private, then what is the nearest hospital that you are insured to go to? A friend of mine got stung for £6,000 for 10 stitches because they got put in a private room in a hospital. It was not explained that this meant each procedure cost triple that of being on a ward.

Insurance was only ‘inpatient’ which meant they had to stay the night (the public hospital they had gone to had a 12 hour wait in A&E), and only £3,000 was covered through their insurance.

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3. Tax How can you get your package put together to make it the most tax efficient? For example, in Hong Kong if your housing allowance is paid as a refund rather than upfront then this reduces your tax liability based on how it is reported on your annual tax return. What will your net salary be? Are there any retirement funds included that you can make voluntary payments to which are tax deductible? Will you still have any tax liabilities in your current country (e.g. rental

properties)? Will how you need to report these change?

4. Utility contracts Do you have any current contracts, (e.g. mobile phone) that you need to buy out of to terminate them? When you get to your new country what length of contract will you sign up for? Or will you use ‘pay-as-you-go’ for mobile? For things like internet it can be a balancing act of monthly costs being much cheaper with longer contracts but this will depend on how long you are planning on being in this new country, whilst bearing in mind that plans often change!

What is the range of broadband speed available in where you are looking to live?

How much notice do you need to give for your electricity, gas, water contracts? Is there a final payment to be made? Do you need to give a forwarding address for the final bill and can this be an overseas address? When I left the UK, British Gas wouldn’t accept an overseas address to send the final bill. In Hong Kong there were various amounts of weeks’ notice I had to give to different entities about my departure.

5. Banking Will you be able to open a bank account in that country before you get there? HSBC, for example, offers an overseas account opening service in some countries.

Other non-traditional options exist, like Wise which gives you account details but no FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) or similar insurance on your deposits. How easily can you access cash when you arrive? How long will it take to get a credit card? If you currently use American Express they operate a global card opening programme where you can apply for a card in some countries before arrival (and transfer existing reward points). Will you use your current credit card for expenditure? If yes, what are the overseas currency transactions fees?

6. Accommodation How does the rental system work in your new country? How much security deposit will you need to pay?

In Dubai you had to pay 1-2 months’ rent security deposit and pay for annual rent in 2-6 post-dated

cheques. This could equate to a large amount going out in the first instalment. Will any services be included in your rental fee or are they separate? E.g. aircon, electricity etc). If separate how much will they likely cost? Is there any additional costs associated with renting (e.g. in the UK you pay council tax on top of rent).

Speak to your new employer about recommended places to look at living, how the rental market works there, places to avoid, and any quirks to the system. It is especially worth leaning on fellow expats who have moved there. They may have more insight than people who have grown up with that system and see it as normal. You may want to move into serviced accommodation when you first arrive to give you time to scout out the local area before deciding on where to live; your new club may provide this for you.

Do they offer staff accommodation? If so, how good is it and will you want to live there? Will you be sharing an apartment…or a bedroom?! How clean is it and where is it located? If it is in the middle of

nowhere, then is there transportation to your club?

And how will you get around on your day/s off?

7. Cost of living calculator Using a website like https://www.numbeo.com/costof-living/ is a great tool to calculate a rough cost of living comparison versus where you are currently living.

You can also do a “fake” online shop for your weekly groceries to get a feel for any differences based on your typical purchases. Depending on where you are moving to, buying your home comfort foods may cost multiple times what they cost in your home country depending on import costs and the local market. Do you love Marmite enough to pay £10 a jar!

8. Shipping Depending on how many belongings you intend on moving with, then you may need to use a shipping company. Get recommendations from friends, or at a minimum check out the online reviews, maybe using trust pilot.

How long will this take to arrive? If it is likely to be many months and you’re expecting to be living in your new home before then, and you are shipping things like cutlery, then take a small amount of these in your suitcase to have available when you arrive.

Otherwise you’ll need to buy new cutlery to use for a month or two before then discarding them.

Depending on where you are moving to, how you are flying and what luggage allowance you have in the plane? It may be more economical to airfreight a couple of boxes to be there for when you arrive rather than take excess luggage on the flight.

Finally ... I hope this has given you some food for thought on any potential moves overseas. Feel free to reach out with any questions you have if you’re thinking of or are currently moving country.

As someone who hasn’t moved with children I have omitted any points on them, however, this would carry a large number of considerations for any parents looking to move.

CLUBHOUSE EUROPE 19

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WORKING IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Life in the Middle East The CMAE and its Management Development Programme is globally renowned. The resulting qualifications are now used as part of the recruiting process when clubs around the world are seeking out the best of the best. In this White Paper, Michael Braidwood CCM and Rhys Beecher CCM explain the joys of working in the Middle east, as well as examining the world of repatriation back to the UK.

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orking in the Middle East is extremely desirable for club industry professionals from the UK and Europe. The opportunity to work at 5 star developed clubs, be part of large teams and to take on additional responsibility sits high on the agenda of most people’s personal development plans. Not to mention the 360 days a year of sunshine and nice tax-free packages!

With an attractive professional opportunity and lifestyle within vision, many an industry professional will jump at the chance to work in such an environment, but what about repatriation when that time comes?

It’s often been said that working in the Middle East is a single person’s prerogative? We wouldn’t necessarily agree with this with, as many having been successful here with families; but as the cost of education rises faster than the rates of pay it makes it more and more difficult a lifestyle to sustain. This in addition to long hours, demanding jobs and owners makes family life challenging.

Typically, it is family that makes you want to make the move back. Depending on the point in time within your career, but certainly, children getting to secondary school age, grandparents missing them, establishing roots within the UK, Europe all sit high in the consideration listing.

However, moving back to a job in the UK or Europe can be as difficult as landing a job in the Middle East in the first place. There is typically locally available talent, that can be recruited quicker and more well known to the hiring club, so the questions become….

What can candidates with Middle East experience offer and why should they be shortlisted?

If you are shortlisted, what skills can you bring to the table that provide a USP over the local candidate?

The recruitment process is either covered by a reputable recruitment company, who work in conjunction with the club or is carried out directly by the club.

In both cases there is limited knowledge of how the clubs are run in the Middle East, the level of expertise in the region and the day to day challenges the club operators overcome. This leaves the candidate asking, how can I show my value?

To the club industry professionals’ advantage many of the recruiters have visited the Middle East and have experienced some of the clubs firsthand, so that is very helpful. But whilst convincing the recruiters of your value may be one challenge, the mountain to climb is the clubs interview panel!

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Michael Braidwood CCM

Rhys Beecher CCM

For this article we approach three leading golf recruitment companies and asked them to give us some of their and their clients opinions on candidates from the Middle East. On the other side, we approached four other club industry professionals who have made the transition and repatriated having first established themselves within the Middle East market.

The purpose of the article is to give guidance to club industry professionals on what to focus on when seeking a move back and where they need to strengthen their knowledge.

First, let’s start with the recruiters:

If the candidate wants ‘home’ where exactly is ‘home’ or is the club recruiting just a steppingstone to getting back to the real roots?

Finally, candidates are often viewed as ‘not being like us’ which can make it a hard sell, some clubs just cannot see how someone operating a 5* commercial club in the Middle East can transfer their skill set to a ‘smaller’ UK operation.

1. What do you think when you receive an application from someone working in the Middle East?

The positive answers included that the candidate will be well trained and understands 5-star service and that they are well versed on policies and procedures.

On the negative side the logistics of interviews are challenging and zoom just does not cut it, others are concerned about the slow pace of UK clubs, the politics or is the candidate using it as a steppingstone to something bigger?

2. What are the usual rejections to someone working in the Middle East?

The main ones boil down to money… how can the candidate operate with such small budgets or can the club meet the candidate’s salary expectations?

The next common concern is dealing with club committees, typically made up of volunteers. Very few clubs understand the governance structures of the clubs in the Middle East. Some recruiters just feel Middle East candidates are not savvy enough to deal with private member club committees.

3. What strengths / USPs do Middle East candidates offer?

There is an overarching view that Middle East candidates understand service better and have stronger

hospitality credentials. If a club in the UK is proprietary or as a private club want to be a little more commercial, then again Middle East candidates are viewed as strong commercial operators who are used to working under pressure.

Many Middle East candidates have experience of managing larger teams, which often results in being directly involved with training and development, so the ideas / structure of how they can deliver training and development programmes (at quality level) to a smaller team unit is also viewed advantageously.

The fact that Middle East candidates have pursued a career abroad show they are committed to the industry and that international experience brings with it a better knowledge of different cultures.

Most Middle East candidates invest in their own personal development which scores highly with recruiters and interview panels alike. In addition by traveling their industry networks will have grown which is another marginal gain.

4. Any areas where you feel Middle East candidate could strengthen?

A better understanding of the positions and clubs they are applying for proved to be the main factor.

This comes down to a working knowledge of the club in conjunction with outlining skills with handling committees or boards.

More research is required to enable the application to be tailored to the specific club. In addition, staying abreast with UK club trends, read up to date UK based industry reports. Also worthwhile for candidates to occasionally keep up to date with www.gov.uk so they are up to date on legislation, especially around the labour laws.

Finally, candor is critical. Career ambitions, as well as geographical preference will be important information for the club.

5. How do clubs respond when you put a Middle East based candidate forward?

Can they really work with the size of budget we have here? They are used to millions of resources!

How long will they stay with us before they demonstrate their drive and move on?

Can we really appoint someone we haven’t met? In the absence of the candidate not traveling for the interview.

How long is this process going to go on if they have to move this distance to start work?

Are these people constantly on the move, what’s next for them?

We won’t be able to match this persons salary coming from that region – not for long anyway!

However, some recruiters are confident that their clients trust their judgement to put the right candidates in front of them and a lot of clubs enjoy the opportunity to meet UK candidates who have

worked over seas.

6. Have you placed any Middle East candidates back in UK / Europe and what impressed the club?

Yes, the recruiters have placed candidates back in UK / Europe, the candidates were successful as they still showed a strong understanding of the UK culture.

The candidates tend to be highly adaptable.

Others were seen to be able to drive service and quality of product which were two key skills learnt in the Middle East. This was especially relevant to clubs that hosted international tourists.

7. Anything else you would like to add?

Candidates from the Middle East have in general strong technical skills but many lack the human skills employers are looking for. They also need to learn how to interview better, and the importance of making a personal impact. Clubs want to see personality and charisma…. someone who can be the face of the Club. They need to be exceptional communicators and be able to communicate up and down.

One recruiter added the Middle East based guys score highly in their opinion but suffer from the same “fight risk” label attached to all overseas candidates.

They would recommend to candidates to do whatever they can to tell a story – why am I over here – why do I want home – what’s the big plan – how has this prepared me for the next step – what is that step – why is it important – how does this fit in with my non work life plans - how can I turn my CV in to a human story.

The overarching outcome suggests the ability to put the clubs’ nerves at ease and importantly go ‘above and beyond’ to display your commitment to the club.

CLUBHOUSE EUROPE 21

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REPATRIATIAN

Moving back to the UK What happens for those of us who decide we need – or want – to repatriate? Michael Braidwood CCM and Rhys Beecher CCM ask fellow industry professionals, what made them what to return and how did the repatriation – in this case the UK – pan out.

1. What was the primary motivator in returning to the UK? As outlined earlier, family is a key motivator in repatriation. There is certainly a case of, if the grass is green, why look for anything greener! Having said that, family becomes a bigger factor. As children, parents and grandparents get older, the desire, need and in some cases responsibility to move back home increases.

The second, but lesser reason is a desire to work within the private club sector. Whilst those who have worked in the private club market for their entire careers might idolize the freedom of working for an owner. Those working for ownership groups might also desire a move to the private club market.

Why? Typically, ownership groups are very financially driven. Bottom line is the determination of whether you keep your job or not, with member and guest experience diminishing over time. We often think, wouldn’t it be nice having a board who are full invested in the club and its members wellbeing.

2. What were the main hurdles or challenges you faced in securing a role in the UK? This question unearthed some common responses.

Interestingly the responses provide a snap-shot into

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the mindset of the those sitting on the interview panels and ultimately the decision makers.

Primarily (and more expectedly), the ‘fear of the unknown’ ranked high in the list. How can you hire a candidate, with no connections to the area, who is unknown to the membership? There is often a more local candidate, where, even if the membership does not know the candidate personally; they have certainly played the course and sampled the fruits of his/her labor!

The second challenge is the assumption of the candidate’s club due to bigger picture assumptions of the region. Big Budget, large teams, and plenty of people to delegate tasks to. How can such a person manage a more streamlined budget? Are they willing to get their hands dirty? How will they handle the politics of members and committees? For those of us who have experienced senior management roles in the Middle East, it is very difficult to listen to these comments without erupting into laughter! But the reality is, they are not familiar and therefore don’t understand. It is the candidate’s job to convince them otherwise.

Tertiary and maybe less expected challenges include a lack of connection to the club and local area.

Sometimes as expatriates, we become accustomed to finding a new club and developing new connections.

With exploration comes a knowledge of the area and

speaking to members and guest, as well as staff members will help ascertain the club’s history.

Interviewing clubs however are nervous about those with less local knowledge.

The interview process is a topic that requires its own consideration and came up in all discussions.

Can you put your best foot forward via a Zoom or Teams call? Maybe, but will the interview panel feel the same way? The consensus on this topic is to go the extra 3000 miles and attend the interview in person. Expensive, yes, but the benefits could outweigh the logistics and expense. This extra step not only allows you to interview on the same playing field as your rival candidates but will not go unnoticed by the interviewing panel.

Displaying an unquestioned level of commitment to the role, turns the negative into a positive. A candidate travelling a few hours by car or public transport, doesn’t quiet appear as astounding as a candidate who flew in 3000miles just for a 1-hour interview. The second and equally important benefit to this action, is gaining a feel or sense for the club you are applying to. Whilst securing a role is important, candidates forget that an interview is a two-way process. The interviewer is assessing your suitability, but likewise the interviewee is assessing the club’s fittingness.

3. Did you feel there was any knowledge shortage on your side, that you needed to catch up on to succeed?

The reality is a lot of the industry professional skillset is derived through experience. Understanding the chasm between the various golfing markets is important when considering repatriating.

During our discussion legislative concerns ranked highly. Brushing up on the hot topics of your intended country could be essential to success within your role.

Likewise, with only proprietary clubs in the Middle East, many candidates expressed a nervousness to private members clubs. This topic is interesting and could require a paper all to itself! Ultimately, we all report to someone! Steering committees could provide challenging, but is this more or less challenging than managing upwards to ownerships? Owners who often have very little working knowledge of the club, its employees and focus primarily on bottom line.

4. What was the primary skillset that you felt you brought to the team given the ME experience you have?

One would argue that this is the most important question and something candidates need to be very aware of when applying for roles back home! Much like an extended educational experience, new skills have been developed which should provide a USP over the local candidate. Whether this is the case or not, focusing on the strengths and skills that you bring to the table has to be the topic of discussion.

Service standards is an area that came up during discussion and more commonly accepted that service standards in the Middle East and Asia are higher than those in Europe and the UK. This is a sweeping assumption; however, a fair argument could be made the justify it. Whether its service standards, project management experience or diversity in operating models, the strengths gained should be front and center when analyzing what you bring to the table.

It becomes apparent when considering the responses from fellow industry professionals, that their knowledge and skills were not in question, but overcoming the perceived chasm between a UK club and a Middle East club, is somewhat of a challenge!

Candidates have potentially developed their careers within the Middle East and as new and equally important factors (such as family) enter the equation, the desire to move home increases.

In conclusion, both expatriating and repatriating requires a demonstration of the skills required to meet the environment demands. In many instances candidates can feel pressured to demonstrate skills that may not be their key strengths. Is this the right approach?

The goal with any interview or presentation is to demonstrate what ‘you’ want the panel to see. What skills, life experience and attributes can be brought to a role, that didn’t exist before you. It is without question that weaknesses will exist. But isn’t this true of any candidate, who has started a new role in any industry? How often does a candidate walk in with all the answers and fully developed aptitude to complete the role?

For a candidate seeking to secure a position in the Middle East, there is often rigorous interview processes and likewise, a repatriating industry professional must understand that the club needs to be sure the incoming candidate can suit the environment and club and as such, this would be the top tips when considering repatriating from your Middle East role: 1. Do your homework It is not enough to create your cover letter, update the old curriculum vitae and send it off into the wilderness! There is some background work that should be

completed. This could include, completing market research that could help provide some contacts. Is there anyone in your networks that can help with some research on your behalf? Ultimately you need someone on the inside pushing your agenda.

2. Go the extra mile The reality of the recruitment process being the clubs want to see the goods before they buy! This means, that whilst mediums such as Zoom, and Teams are fantastic communication platforms. Your chances of being recruited increase by being there in person! Not only does this show your commitment to the club and role but allows the interviewing panel to get a better sense of you as a person. This can help, especially when you might not have the right connections to act as internal references.

3. Focus on what you will bring If you are going to convince an interview panel to look past the known candidate from the local area.

You need to ‘wow’ the panel with what you will bring!

What new set of skills and attributes will your Middle East experience enhance that is lesser found in the local area.

4. Be humble The ‘Big Mudir’ approach doesn’t reflect well. A certain amount of humility is required and whilst the club is keen to know your skills, there is apprehension when it comes to big budgets, large projects and sizeable teams.

5. It’s not a steppingstone If you have been fortunate to move around during your Middle East adventure, your commitment could be in question with repatriation roles. A club needs to know that by taking a chance on an international experienced candidate that they are not being used as a steppingstone to other roles. This could be done through looking at 5yr plans for the role and painting the picture of a longer-term commitment.

Good luck !

CLUBHOUSE EUROPE 23

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HQ BUILDING THE BUSINESS – FREE SERVICE TO CLUBS

HQ BUILDING THE BUSINESS

HQ Building the Business – free UK reader service HQ Building the Business is a free reader service in the UK, designed to help clubs with all their purchasing requirements, from latest launches to energy comparison sites.

Free EV Car Charging Why should I install Free EV chargers at my organisation?

• Lower your club’s carbon footprint and improve your green credentials.

• Free or low-cost EV charging is an extremely affordable perk to offer as part of an attractive benefits package for staff.

• Run your club’s vehicles in the most cost-effective and environmental way.

• Clearly and obviously demonstrate your commitment to climate change.

• Create an additional revenue stream by charging for your EV charging services.

(T&C’s Apply.)

Tips for Savings There’s no denying that clubs are expensive to run.

The Carbon Trust estimates that the annual energy costs for the small businesses exceeded £1.3 billion as of 2018. So if you’re one of these feeling the pinch.

Here are a few ways that you can reduce your costs.

“David and the HQ team have been very successful in reducing costs for our members. They specialise in the field of energy management, however, within the company they also are able to reduce costs in other key areas as well. Find the time to have a conversation with David. It will pay dividends!”

Dave Edmundson, Chair, Spring North

Lower your heating costs Try to avoid overheating your corridors and offices. You should be aiming for a temperature between 19-21°C. Any higher and it can become uncomfortable for your staff and members.

Grants and funding schemes are still available subject to survey, credit and application process, please contact us for more details.

Get Smarter with lighting Cut the cost of lighting by installing occupancy and

daylight sensors. Smarter lighting will ensure that your lights are only on when they are required.

Take this tip to the next level by replacing your lights with energy-saving equivalents – such as T5 tubes or compact fluorescent or LED lamps. Doing so could reduce your electricity consumption by up to 80% as well as lower wasted heat.

How to contact Us For cost saving reviews for your business, please contact us via +44 (0)1753 272022 or email info@clubmirror.com. www.hqbuildingthebusiness.com

Our services include: Energy management & compliance• Office supplies • Telecoms • IT & digital support • Waste management • Fire equipment & maintenance • Boiler & air-conditioning replacement and maintenance • Renewable technologies • Health & Safety • HR • Transaction Handling • Food & Drink • Business insurance • ANPR/Parking facilities • Refurbishment • LED projects

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FESTIVAL OF CLUBS 2022

The Festival of Clubs November 24-25, 2022 With live events and networking firmly back on the agenda, the Festival of Clubs is looking forward to welcoming clubs and club supporters back for its second year. See you there? he Festival of Clubs encompasses everything from trade shows to celebratory dinners and the Club Awards to seminars the Clubhouse Classic golf challenge and a raceday. a The Festival brings together clubs, associations and suppliers, all keen to network, celebrate and join together as we continue to collectively bounce back from the trials od the pandemic.

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THE STORY SO FAR The Club Awards, owned and run by Club Mirror, are the only awards serving the UK’s buoyant club sector. The eagerly awaited annual event, launched to great acclaim back in 1992, continues to represent an exclusive, rare opportunity to bring together the independent club sector and suppliers at one venue.

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FESTIVAL OF CLUBS 2022

AND NOW IN 2021 Due to Coronavirus, the 2020 Club Awards were unable to take place. Throughout the pandemic, clubs across the land were busy working within their communities, from setting up food banks to acting as vaccination centres. At the same time, they have been refurbishing and revamping their clubs as they prepared for the long-awaited reopening. Our annual event in 2021 is therefore a celebration of clubs across the land.

EVENTS TIMETABLE DAY 1: THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2021 • Club Association Lunch (12.30pm2.30pm) • Club Business 2021 trade show (3pm7pm) • Club Mirror Beer Festival (3pm-6pm) • Club Awards Celebratory Dinner Drinks reception (6pm-7pm) • Club Awards Celebratory Dinner (7pm - late)

DAY 2: SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2021 • Raceday – Free tickets for attendees of Day 1

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Club Business 2022 The Club Business trade show will see clubs and club-supporting suppliers seizing the opportunity to network with their peers, club associations and industry experts, all with the aim of building club business, protecting the bottom line and ensuring that members can enjoy the best possible experience as they come back to their favourite club.

The show takes place on Day 1 of the Festival where club managers and their teams, committees and suppliers can share news, swap views and discuss latest updates on what’s on the market, all in an infomal, networking environment.

CARE TO JOIN US? Whether you’d like to visit Club Business 2022 or celebrate in style at the Club Awards Celebratory Dinner, just drop the team a line and we’ll book you in. e. info@clubmirror.co.uk t.+44 (0) 1753 272022 www.clubmirror.com

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FESTIVAL OF CLUBS 2022

Introducing new trade show Club Business 2022

LET THE COUNTDOWN BEGIN!

FESTIVAL OF CLUBS 2022 Ticket Requirements • CLUB AWARDS CELEBRATORY DINNER•HAIL THE ALE • CLUB BUSINESS 2022 TRADE SHOW

Join us and clubs from around the country as we come together at the club event of the year – the Festival of Clubs from the team at Clubhouse Europe and the Club Awards. Use this form to book your tickets or just email us at info@clubmirror.com.

Name: __________________________________________________ Job title/role: _______________________________________________ Club Name: ________________________________________________ Address: _________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ____________________________ Post code: ____________________ CONTACT DETAILS: Please contact me via:

n n n

Email – Email: _____________________________________ Text – Mobile no: ____________________________________ Post – (as above)

PLEASE PRE-REGISTER ME FOR THE FOLLOWING TICKETS:

n n n n

(State number) .......... ticket/tickets @£66 (£55+VAT) 1 x Table of 10 @ £528 (£440 + VAT) Other (please state) ..........................................................................................................................

Yes please, I would like free tickets to the Raceday on Friday November 26

I AM INTERESTED IN ATTENDING THE FOLLOWING EVENTS ON THE SAME DAY

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JOIN US!

Hail the Ale Beer FestivAL Club Business 2022

We look forward to hearing from you.

Festival of Clubs, 59-60 Thames Street, Windsor SL4 1TX e. info@clubmirror.com t. 01753 272022 28 CLUBHOUSE EUROPE

CLUB AWARDS

They’re back! Welcome to the Club Awards 2022 The Club Awards were first launched in 1992 to applaud excellence in clubs across the UK. Now the Awards are back – and with a vengeance!

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he Club Awards 2022 are now open for entries. From owners and club managers to business development teams and membership managers, these unique Awards underline the significant role that the clubs are playing in the UK and Europe.

From the big hitters to smaller, communityfocussed clubs, the Awards are hard-fought and much prized and now include a number of International Categories.

AND DON’T FORGET THE CLUBHOUSE CLASSIC

Our last tournament hosted 88 golfers from clubs around the country. To be held on the day of the Awards.

HOW TO ENTER To nominate a club or enter your own, just email us with your name, job title, club and email address, along with which categories you would like to enter.

Categories include • Business Initiative of the Year • Green Club of the Year • Marketing Initiative of the Year • Youth Initiative of the Year • Catering Club of the Year • Community Club of the Year • Refurbishment of the Year • Manager/Secretary of the Year • Steward of the Year • Chef of the Year • Golf Group of the Year • Clubhouse of the Year • Social Media club of the Year • Website of the Year • International Venue of the Year • International Clubhouse of the Year • International Social Media club of the Year • International Website of the Year

To enter, please email info@clubmirror.com CLUBHOUSE EUROPE 29

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WORDS OF WISDOM

The Pen is mightier than the sword Ed Chapman believes that the wider we read the more rounded we become, ‘with an understanding of a variety of viewpoints and across broad subjects, critically including reading those that we do not agree with in order to better understand where they are coming from’. Here he explains.

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he power of words is quite astonishing, hence the saying ‘the pen is mightier than the sword’*. Just one example, I was reading an article today where Ukrainians were explaining how their own parents living in Russia don’t believe that their cities are being flattened by shelling. They truly believe that Putin is saving Ukraine from the Nazis and is liberating the country without targeting any civilian buildings or infrastructure.

To a much lesser extent, the words we say as leaders or coaches are critically important as well. I am sure we all have stories in our head about who we are or what skills we have, or lack, based on what we have been told by parents, teachers, bosses, etc. in the past.

Once wielded, we cannot take back things we have said, no matter how much we would like to.

Therefore, it is my belief that the wider we read the more rounded we become with an understanding of a variety of viewpoints and across broad subjects, critically including reading those that we do not agree with in order to better understand where they are coming from.

Below are some books that I either constantly reread or having read them recently have added them

childhood books that you read contain wisdom and truisms that only come to light as an adult; Alice in Wonderland is full of quite deep philosophical musings when read with that tilt in mind. The best fiction writes also manage this feat by taking real world problems or commentaries on life and weaving them in to the stories. Terry Pratchett is in my view the best in the world at this, with an economist currently working on an inflation index named after one of his characters.

to that list, and also some podcast episodes that I treat the same.

The Greek philosopher Heraclitus said that “no man ever steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river and he is not the same man”, and I believe this to be true with books as well. Even the beloved

‘The pen is mightier than the sword’ was first written by novelist and playwright Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839, in his historical play Cardinal Richelieu.

Richelieu, chief minister to King Louis XIII, discovers a plot to kill him, but as a priest he is unable to take up arms against his enemies.

Sapiens: a brief history of humankind by Yuval Noah Harari Official blurb: “Homo sapiens rules the world because it is the only animal that can believe in things that exist purely in its own imagination, such as gods, states, money, and human rights. Starting from this provocative idea, Sapiens goes on to retell the history of our species from a completely fresh perspective.”

This is a truly fantastic and fascinating book which I have re-read on multiple occasions and each time take something different away. I first read this book after about the 47th person on various podcasts recommended it as their favourite book of all time.

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WORDS OF WISDOM Jingo by Terry Pratchett Pratchett’s Discworld series of books is hands down my favourite of all time. It is broken down into miniseries, this one is part of the City Watch group of books and is quite a timely read. Published in 1997 sadly not much has changed in the world when it comes to prevailing attitudes about those people who are the “other” and waging war on neighbours. It strikes at the stupidity, ingenuity, cold- and warmhearted nature of people and is a great read to.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman Alongside Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman is my favourite author and this is my favourite of his books.

I can’t recommend the audiobook enough because Gaiman reads it in his magical voice and you’ll find yourself captivated and able to switch off from the world, something I think we all need right now!

I am sure most people reading this are now thinking “fiction books? I don’t have time to read any books, why on earth would I waste my time reading fiction when I want to learn and upskill?”. In my experience reading fiction has increased my empathy, and wider EQ, skills immensely, as well as my general understanding of other people. They can be more provocative in making us think, which can lead to idea generation, and they help take us out of this crazy world which we are living in, even if only briefly, for a moments respite, which I think is probably invaluable currently.

“

I am sure most people reading this are now thinking ‘fiction books? I don’t have time to read any books. Why on earth would I waste my time reading fiction when I want to learn and upskill?’. In my experience reading fiction has increased my empathy, and wider EQ, skills immensely, as well as my general understanding of other people.

great listen when a moment of zen is needed and a reminder of where we are in the universe (spoiler: a tiny blip of a fraction of time in history, on a tiny rock in a gigantic universe!).

Podcast episodes I thought that rather than simply recommend some podcasts to listen to I would pick out three specific episodes that I have listened to on multiple occasions and have taken a lot from.

The High Performance Podcast: Episode 87.

“Alistair Campbell: What I’ve learned about winning in politics, sport and business” I love this podcast and initially had no interest in listening to this episode due to the guest and my prior view of them as a conniving “spin doctor” based on a version of reality I had been told as a young teen. In actual fact I found him fascinating to listen to, had so many takeaways from this episode, not least among them to look deeper when I have a preconceived opinion about someone and ask myself why I have that opinion and what if the opposite where to be true.

The Tim Ferriss Show: Episode 555. “The Liberation of Cosmic Insignificance Therapy” This short, 20 minutes, episode is Tim reading an extraction from a book entitled “Four Thousands Weeks: Time Management for Mortals” and is a

The Peter Attia Drive: Episode 87. “Rick Johnson, M.D.: Metabolic Effects of Fructose Health and fitness has always been an interest and passion of mine and Peter Attia’s podcast is a great source of information for this. We all know sugar is

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”

bad for us but this podcast took it some steps further and broke down a lot of information, Rick Johnson is seen as the world leading expert on fructose and its effects. My notes were extensive from this episode and it has made me change some of my eating and drinking behaviours which have had positive improvements on some of the metrics that I measure.

I hope you will read or listen to some of my suggestions get out of them as much as I have. I truly believe that reading, and listening, widely is critical to a happier and better world where we can see other viewpoints and want to find the truth rather than argue for what we think is the truth and be open minded to others.

Ed Chapman MSc CMDip spent over six years at the Hong Kong Golf Club where he was Golf Operations Director. He joined from Al Badia Golf Club by InterContinental Dubai Festival City, where he was Golf Academy Manager. He describes himself as a passionate club industry professional, an avid learner and a rational optimist.

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HELP SHAPE THE FUTURE AND GROW THE GAME OF GOLF

PROMOTION – SWEETSPOT

A word with Sweetspot Founded in 2016, Sweetspot is a market leading, data driven, revenue management platform designed to help golf facilities around the world reach their full potential. The company’s Per Svensson and Gustav Andersson explain.

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weetspot’s business concept is to build a business platform that collects and ensures accurate data on all transactions and in addition delivers insights and functionality that increase golf facilities’ revenues with the help of Revenue Management.

Revenue Management means selling the right service, to the right person, at the right price, at the right time, optimally packaged. This means that you need to know your customer’s perception of the value of a service and optimise your pricing and availability for tee times accordingly, offering it to the right customer segment.

In practice, this means that the golf facility’s focus is shifted away from working with Volume – i.e. more members, more guests or more partners – to increase its revenue. Instead, facilities should focus on which target groups they have, which they want to attract and how they can optimise revenue towards these customer segments.

Here are four different steps a golf facility can take to significantly increase its revenue.

1. Make sure that green fee prices are high on attractive tee times The right pricing at attractive tee times creates financial incentives to pay the annual fee to the facility and creates a large membership value.

Members do not have to play many rounds on these tee times if the price is high on green fees to justify paying the annual fee. Low prices and discounts on attractive tee times create the opposite effect and drive members away from annual memberships.

2. Set the right price for less attractive times High prices for attractive tee times also creates demand for less attractive tee times with lower prices. Green fee guests will move away from the best times and towards tee times with lower attractiveness to get a reasonable price. This in turn creates great accessibility for the club members to these attractive tee times. At most clubs, members are the most important customer and should be prioritised in terms of accessibility to attractive tee times to increase the value of membership. Filling these tee times with green fee guests reduces the possibility of reaching the number of rounds I want to play and makes it difficult to justify my annual fee and willingness to pay decreases.

3. Charge for the accessibility you create Each golf club has a small group, 10 - 15% of members, who are responsible for the largest part of all

34 CLUBHOUSE EUROPE

play at the club (about 50% of the attractive tee times). By limiting the current full membership so that it contains a maximum limit of the total number of bookings at the best tee times, you create better accessibility and enable more people to take part in these tee times. This ensures that members who usually don’t get to play as much now remain as fulltime members since their number of rounds goes up on expensive, attractive tee times. Their willingness to pay remains.

However, the willingness to pay and the demand for golf is the highest among those who play a lot on attractive tee times. By introducing new memberships where you are offered better accessibility than before, more rounds at attractive times, plus a few other benefits, the club can now charge substantially more of this target group.

4. Strictly limit the number of simultaneous bookings By severely limiting the possibility of booking several attractive tee times in advance, you open up better accessibility for all members. There is a great demand for more simultaneous bookings and you as a club can also take advantage of this demand, thereby increasing your membership income. By

diversifying memberships based on how many simultaneous bookings are included, the club can increase its revenue and offer something that some target groups consider important. Membership with several simultaneous bookings requires a higher price, while less active members can choose a membership that fits their level of play better, with less numbers of simultaneous bookings included in the offer to perhaps a lower price.

MORE INFORMATION Are you interested in knowing more about how Sweetspot analyses your data, serve it in best in class business intelligence dashboards and combine that with uses of strategic revenue management to help golf facilities reach their full potential? Contact Per Svensson or Gustav Andersson. e. per@sweetspot.io t. +46 708 58 40 50 e. gustav@sweetspot.io t. +46 709 65 33 95

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PROMOTION

Turf Assistant – latest news and product updates Jim Callaghan CCM from Parconex explains the benefits of automated software system Turf Assistant.

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very once in a while, a club industry software comes to market that revolutionises the way clubs operate. Fifteen to twenty years ago those products were BRS and Intelligent Golf.

BRS was the tee booking software that changed the way clubs and members reserved tee times.

Intelligent Golf came along to vastly improved the membership and EPOS software world and moved the needle so much that the others had to suddenly up their game just to survive.

Now, there’s a new software available to clubs that again will change a traditional method of working, forever.That software product is Turf Assistant, which is an automated software system for Golf Courses, Sports Facilities, Resorts and Estates.

In these facilities, automation is now key to the efficient and effective running of Turf Management Operations.

We are often asked by Course Managers, why should they choose Turf Assistant over the current products available, many of which have been around for a number of years and that they are familiar with?

Our answer; why would you continue to do something that is time consuming and requires manual input, when there is software available that does it automatically?

We know that changing away from tradition is daunting and time consuming and that most Course Manager’s natural instinct is to stick with what they have.

However, most of the software you are currently using means that you have to manually input the information to keep it up to date. Turf Assistant takes away 85-90% of that manual input and gets you out from behind that desk and out on the course!

So, in an effort to simplify the benefits of choosing Turf Assistant, here is what it can do for you.

For General Managers • Turf Assistant gives your stakeholders 100% visibility of your Turf Management Operations.

Those stakeholders are normally the General Manager, the Club Chairman and the Greens Convener. All can have access to the software and you have the ability to control exactly what stakeholders see and can do via unique logins.

This access helps the stakeholders understand what it actually takes to manage and maintain your golf course/s and grounds.

• Turf Assistant gives you the factual data you need to back up any requests for additional resources.

This data provides irrefutable evidence to support an increase in your budget or for more manpower to carry out your Annual Maintenance Plan.

For Course Managers • Turf Assistant will build your Annual Course Maintenance Plan for you. You tell us what you normally do on your course and when. We build your Annual Plan which then evolves automatically based on your allocation of daily tasks to your staff.

• Turf Assistant will map out each area of your course, tees, greens, fairways, bunkers, rough and water hazards, all areas that need maintenance.

Using those accurate measurements, Turf Assistant will automatically calculate the timings of tasks, spraying rates for chemicals and fertilisers and the quantities required for specific areas.

• Turf Assistant will create a Staff Performance Management Plan using its inbuilt APEx scoring system. All the staff have to do is start and stop tasks on their mobile app. The system automatically records the task timings and creates Accountability, Performance and Efficiency scoring for each staff member. This will help you identify your staffs’ individual training needs on a regular basis.

• Turf Assistant makes your staff task scheduling really easy. On a daily basis, you can allocate the daily tasks in less than 10 minutes. Each staff member has the daily tasks on the mobile app so are always kept informed. They start and complete each task via their phone which reduces unproductive time travelling backwards and forwards to the greens shed to find out their next task.

• Turf Assistant will build your Annual Machinery Maintenance Plan for you. You tell us what machinery you have and the hours on each machine and our software will automatically inform you when each machine needs specific maintenance, based on the manufacturer’s recommendations.

• Turf Assistant will create Professional Reports for your stakeholders automatically. Using the automatic recording of the work tasks, the software calculates costs against budget, staff costs to do individual jobs, i.e. the cost of maintaining each area of your facility, all of which is available at the touch of a button, at any time.

Turf Assistant has its own team of software developers What does this mean for you? It means that, with the input of over 400 clients worldwide, the software is always developing to the benefit of all our clients.

Recent enhancements in the software include: 1. Form Assistant module implementation – Form Assistant allows you to create your own questionnaire style forms including multiple choice, long and short text, document uploads, integer, decimal and currency.

2. Schedule Assistant – Complete all Unfinished tasks in Schedule Assistant for all staff in one go.

3. Application Plan – New application plan added to schedule assistant to allow all course maintenance applications to be planned month on month and includes the ability to copy each copy into the next.

You can also copy your annual application plan into the following year with the click of button saving hours of re-planning.

4. Online Support – Logrocket implementation for session capturing means your last operation is captured, easing TA Support to understand what the user is trying to attempt or where they are within the platform.

5. Design enhancement of Schedule Assistant, Equipment Assistant and Expense Assistant modules 6. Electronic WhiteBoard/Jobs Board – Feature enhanced with interactive features and own customisable look and feel, the most technically advanced whiteboard to-date.

7. Mobile App – Added photo capture integration to “Quick Tasks” and “Expenses Management” for quick recognition and auto store.

8. Multi-Facility – Ability for Operators to manage and report over single or multi facilities, suits resorts with multi facilities onsite or owners with multiple sites over multiple locations, a first of its kind.

9. Available in English, Spanish and Italian language at present.

MORE DETAILS To find out more about Turf Assistant, why don’t you give us a call or email us to arrange a demo?

Parconex is the sole International Distributor for Turf Assistant.

Contact Peter Kirk on 0044 7737 691054 or email peter.kirk@parconex.com Contact Jim Callaghan CCM on 0044 78522 88732 or email jim.callaghanccm@parconex.com

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PROMOTION – 59CLUB

59club universal insight confirms service is on par If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that Michael Gove MP was wrong when he said, “the people of this country have had enough of experts”.

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f you require a medical diagnosis, consult a medical professional, don’t Google it; if you want accurate information about a pandemic, listen to a virologist, don’t believe social media; and, if you wish to discuss the challenges and opportunities of the global golf and hospitality industries, few organisations are as well placed to offer comment as 59club.

With unprecedented access to performance data from a wide variety of venues across the globe, 59club, with its seven divisions, is in the perfect position to assess the vagaries of the sector, as well as knowing who’s doing what well, and when. And, who isn’t…

Mark Reed, 59club Director, explained: “When comparing 2021 performance levels with pre-Covid 2019, we have witnessed a minor decrease in measured service standards within our golf visitor experience mystery shopping programme.

“Despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, golf clubs have experienced significant

increased traffic, often alongside a depleted workforce and amid challenging operating conditions. It is, therefore, remarkable to think that fewer servicers have been servicing more people, but to almost the same levels of 2019, when it comes to ‘customer experience’.”

Available data shows that the global industry average for service standards across 59club clients had decreased by just 5 per cent in 2021, when compared with the pre-Covid 2019, and that visitor and member rounds increased dramatically, whilst staffing levels reduced.

It’s an anomaly, yet, perhaps, part of the reason for that lies in the fact those facilities are clients of 59club. That means, of course, each is routinely visited and rated. Those facilities where such measurement isn’t undertaken will not have access to such knowledge or data, though data suggests a 20 per cent lag across the industry for non-59club venues. (non-contracted venues receiving 59club trial audits).

Reed is prepared to go further, and posited: “Not only are we able to advise clients of performance stats, we are able to see when they invest a higher proportion of capital into 59club resources to develop and educate both new and existing staff and, ultimately, relate that to maintaining the experience afforded to members and guests.”

During the past couple of years, that investment has been made largely in onsite and/or remote training, in tandem with 59club’s virtual education platform; MyMentor, which affords data driven learning directly linking to an individual’s mystery shopper audit, and, as a consequence, filling any learning gaps for employees.

Indeed, a 34 per cent increase in the number of venues being trained – either in person or virtually – by 59club staff in 2021, compared with 2019, might be seen as a direct correlation with the service standards remaining almost the same. What’s more, across the ‘podium’ venues – the best-performing facilities – service standards have remained stable

Harpenden Golf Club in Hertfordshire, joined the 59club community shortly after reopening following the first English lockdown in early 2020.

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PROMOTION – 59CLUB over the two-year period.

This is also reflected in 59club’s own performance in the years in question. It has seen a 200 per cent increase in contracted venues around the globe, in the two years since 2019 – and all this at a time when the globe – and golf in particular – spent large periods of time in both lockdown and shutdown.

A good example of how investment in staff training and data analysis can have a direct effect on satisfaction levels of members and visitors is Hoburne Golf, which operates three venues in the south of England: Crane Valley GC, in Verwood, Hampshire; Bulbury Woods GC, in Poole, Dorset; and Hurtmore GC, near Godalming, in Surrey.

Each has embraced the challenge of mystery shopping and has engaged in a tailored staff training programme that has delivered, not only, a 10 per cent growth in their 59club visitor experience measurement, but also a four per cent increase in membership satisfaction (measured using 59club’s Survey platform; My59, between 2019 and 2021).

That experience is not solely the preserve of Hoburne Golf, either. Harpenden GC, in Hertfordshire, joined the 59club community shortly after reopening following the first English lockdown in early 2020.

The club’s general manager, Tom Scott, explained: “Having worked with 59club in a previous role, I had a good understanding of what it delivers and felt it could support our aim of delivering a better level of service to our members and guests.

“We began a programme of mystery shopping in 2020 to gain a thorough understanding of our strengths and weaknesses and were thrilled to be awarded a Bronze Flag Designation in the 59club annual awards ceremony, based on our year one results, and a year later we increased to Silver; an incredible achievement in such a short time frame, which is testament to the commitment of our staff members.

Sea Pines Country Club

38 CLUBHOUSE EUROPE

“

The biggest area people are now focussing on is human contact again. You’ve missed that through the problems you had with the pandemic, so that personal service, that personal touch is really going to be the key focus. That’s what we’re looking for our venues to be delivering.

”

“59club has supported the development of our team by delivering a number of engaging training sessions at the club, and we are delighted to report we increased our measured service across all operational departments in 2021, by 16 per cent.

“We plan to continue this training alongside the virtual mentor platform, which can be used on a dayto-day basis. The My59 Survey platform also allowed us to gather valuable feedback from our members on a number of important topics in a very user-friendly way, delivering an overall response rate of more than 75 per cent.

“This gave our data further credibility and allowed the club to make confident and informed decisions.

The entire team at the club remains fully engaged in the process and we look forward to challenging ourselves further in 2022.”

Other clubs are following the lead of Hoburne Golf and Harpenden GC according to 59club’s own data. The total number of surveys undertaken by member clubs via the My59 Survey Platform showed a huge leap of 268 per cent in 2021 compared with those launched in 2019, across the globe. Positive engagement with members, guests and staff has never before been so prevalent.

Meanwhile, the MyMentor virtual learning experience now supports in excess of 2,250 employees to develop themselves and the team. And, with 59club clients reporting challenges in recruitment – especially with greenkeepers and catering staff – the online training platform is expected to further increase its reach in 2022, not least as recent independent data stated that one in eight roles in the hospitality industry remains vacant.

Ironically, the increase in 59club’s client portfolio may, initially, skew the average figures.

Reed added: “In addition to the challenges facing the industry it is important to note that an influx of new clients is likely to create an initial dip in the industry average as managers and their teams often spend time gathering performance data and generating a full understanding of strengths and weaknesses, before undertaking necessary training, reinforcing standards and developing a plan of improvement.

“However, with golf clubs becoming more accustomed to increased footfall, an increase in skills, and an increased sense of ‘business as usual’ – in tandem with a number of clubs moving in to a second year of

measurement – we would expect to see a return to pre- pandemic levels or higher this year.

“Of course, clubs not utilising the 59club toolkit won’t be in a position to discover their strengths and weaknesses until much further down the line, by which time, they may have lost disgruntled staff or members, and be back to square one.”

He concluded: “One challenge that will remain this year is that of attracting and retaining great people. It is, however, very gratifying to hear more and more clubs recognising wellbeing, education and a need to invest in their people, and, to assist with this, 59club UK delivered more than 50 days of training and education within clubs between December and March alone.”

Ian Knox, head of European Tour Destinations – a network of world-class venues with a close association to the European Tour – has worked with 59club for over 10 years. Maybe the last word should sit with him – he is an expert, after all.

He said: “In 2020 and even the start of 2021, for a lot of venues it was a case of controlling costs, and there was almost a survival element. Now… they are realising their operational focus needs to be back on the levels it was, in fact, exceeding the levels it was.

So now is the time we have been kicking in with mystery shopper visits and working with venues to look for areas where they can continue to improve.

“The biggest area people are now focussing on is human contact again. You’ve missed that through the problems you had with the pandemic, so that personal service, that personal touch is really going to be the key focus. That’s what we’re looking for our venues to be delivering.”

As the great Willie Nelson once sang, “Nobody said it was gonna’ be easy”, but, with experts available to guide one through the metaphorical minefield, it’s a journey that can be made with a lot more confidence.

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EUROPE

ISSUE 25

Call for entries.

The MDP pathway – forging ahead in 2022

Time to shine at the 2022 Awards

European Conference – dates and venue announced

– page 29

Festival of Clubs – November event and trade show launches

Job mobility - eight things to condsider when moving country

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