The Golf Club Manager: May 2018

THE GOLF CLUB

MANAGER I S S U E 1 4 | M AY 2 0 1 8

THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE GOLF CLUB MANAGERS’ ASSOCIATION

GCMA

MATTERS ARISING

AN IN-DEPTH REPORT FROM OUR AGM EDUCATION

GLOOMY FORECAST? T H E FAC TS B E H I N D A LONG, WET WINTER

INTERVIEW

KATIE LAUD NOR TH HANTS’ ASSISTANT MANAGER ON HO W THE GCMA DIPLOMA HAS HELPED HER CAREER

ED U C AT E | I N FO RM | I N S P I RE ‘

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CONTENTS I S S U E 1 4 | M AY 2 0 1 8

GCMA

CAREERS

04

GCMA chief executive Bob Williams

26

12

All the news from the GCMA AGM

Why GCMA recruitment is your first port of call

INDUSTRY

EDUCATION

14

29

Developing relationships with course managers

50

Why the weather is having such an impact

Keeping you In The Loop

INTERVIEWS

REGIONAL

16

62

What’s going on in the GCMA regions?

64

Saunton’s Russell Mayne on the West revamp

North Hants’ Katie Laud

16 64

50

WELCOME

THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE GOLF CLUB MANAGERS’ ASSOCIATION GCMA Bristol & Clifton Golf Club, Beggar Bush Lane, Failand, Bristol, BS8 3TH Tel: 01275 391153 | hq@gcma.org.uk CHIEF EXECUTIVE Bob Williams - bob@gcma.org.uk COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER Mike Hyde - mike@gcma.org.uk GOLF MANAGEMENT RESEARCHER Jim Cunning - jim@gcma.org.uk EDUCATION COORDINATOR Niki Hunter - niki@gcma.org.uk MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY Ann Jones - ann@gcma.org.uk EDUCATION AND MAGAZINE ADMINISTRATOR Debbie Mereweather - debbie@gcma.org.uk FINANCE ADMINISTRATOR Shirley Edmondson - shirley@gcma.org.uk BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Tash Johnson - tash@gcma.org.uk COMMUNICATIONS EXECUTIVE Marie Taylor - marie@gcma.org.uk PRESIDENT JR (John) Jones 2018/19 CAPTAIN Cameron Dawson BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mike Hoare, Gary Steele, Phil Grice, Eddie Bullock THE GOLF CLUB MANAGER IS PUBLISHED BY: SPORTS PUBLICATIONS LTD 2 Arena Park, Tarn Lane, Scarcroft, West Yorkshire, LS17 9BF, UK Tel: 0113 289 3979 | info@sportspub.co.uk PUBLISHER Tom Irwin - t.irwin@sportspub.co.uk EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Dan Murphy - d.murphy@sportspub.co.uk OPS DIRECTOR Will Shucksmith - w.shucksmith@sportspub.co.uk EDITOR Steve Carroll - s.carroll@sportspub.co.uk CHIEF DESIGNER Andrew Kenworthy - a.kenworthy@sportspub.co.uk DESIGNERS Vicky Jones - v.jones@sportspub.co.uk Emmi Parry - e.parry@sportspub.co.uk Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, but the publishers cannot accept responsibility for omissions and errors. All material in this publication is strictly copyright and all rights are reserved.The views expressed in The Golf Club Manager do not necessarily represent the views of the company or the editor. Every care is taken in compiling the contents but the publishers assume no responsibility for any damage, loss or injury arising from participation in any offer, competition or advertising contained within The Golf Club Manager.

THE GOLF CLUB

MANAGER I S S U E 1 4 | M AY 2 0 1 8

THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE GOLF CLUB MANAGERS’ ASSOCIATION

GCMA

MATTERS ARISING

AN IN-DEPTH REPORT FROM OUR AGM EDUCATION

GLOOMY FORECAST? T H E FAC TS B E H I N D A LONG, WET WINTER

INTERVIEW

KATIE LAUD NOR TH HANTS’ ASSISTANT MANAGER ON HO W THE GCMA DIPLOMA HAS HELPED HER CAREER

ED U C AT E | I N FO RM | I N S P I RE ‘

001 GCMA May 18 Cover.indd 3

30/04/2018 11:48

ON THE COVER: North Hants’ assistant general manager Katie Laud

I S S U E 1 4 | M AY 2 0 1 8

I

can assure you the GCMA board of directors don’t always see eye to eye. We create a forum for healthy discussion, and those robust debates have helped deliver the progress you’ve seen since the board was formed in 2014.

One thing we all agree on is that we have been incredibly lucky to have worked in this fantastic industry, and we are keen to help as many people as possible to follow in our footsteps as club managers. So when the association embarked on the strategic review in early 2017, we were clear a key objective was to create a pathway to support aspiring club managers and industry professionals.

The top of that support network is already in place, with over 60 people now enrolled on the Diploma in Golf Club Management.

We will welcome around 70 delegates on Principles of Golf Club Management training courses this year, and our Young Managers Group continues to offer fantastic opportunities. But one big piece of the jigsaw was always missing. If you weren’t working at the top of your organisation you didn’t meet the criteria for membership, and couldn’t join the association.

So I was delighted our proposed Affiliate Membership category - which will be ‘open to those employed in a golf facility with a professional interest in golf management’ - was voted through at the AGM. Not only will this help bring through the next generation of managers – and GCMA members - but we believe

staff working throughout the golf club will benefit from our services, leading to better performing golf clubs, and greater support for our full members. It will also help us to grow our membership.

At the CMAA World Conference, we discovered a third of their members are now in roles other than general manager, or equivalent. It was fascinating to see how many were in attendance, with knowledge being exchanged between all members, regardless of category. Affiliate members will bring undoubted expertise, which I encourage you to seek out, while you make our new members welcome.

Bob Williams – chief executive

“I was delighted our proposed Affiliate Membership category... was voted through at the annual general meeting“

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What you

NEED TO KNOW Relevant news, opinion and expert insight from around the industry.

Plus what’s happening around the UK in the world of the GCMA

GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

The month in

PICTURES

1

The annual general meeting was held at Moor Park last month and you can read reports from the chief executive, chairman and captain on page 12, but one of the highlights is the election of the

8 | GCMA.ORG.UK

new national captain. Cameron Dawson, who is regional manager for Yorkshire, accepted his chain of office from 2017 national captain Howard Williams and will have a busy 12 months ahead touring each of the GCMA’s 16 regions.

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2

The Diploma in Golf Club Management has been a huge success and after Jamie Cundy became the first student to complete the qualification last year, we celebrated more success at the

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annual general meeting.

North Hants’ Katie Laud was presented with her diploma, while Puttenham’s Tim Coombes received a Certificate in Golf Club Management. You can read Katie’s story from page 16.

3

Moor Park was a wonderful setting for the gathering.

As well as being an exceptional venue for golf, the Hertfordshire club’s other claim to fame is that it was where the Second World War’s ill-fated Operation Market Garden was planned in 1944 by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery.

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GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

This GCMA club is famous for…

BERKHAMSTED If bunkers ruin your scorecard then Berkhamsted, could well be the course for you...

B

unkers – the curse of the amateur golfer.

So easy for the professionals, so damned difficult for the rest of us.

Anyone who has ever been enjoying a good round and then wedged their ball into the face of a trap will know the feeling of despair that comes over in a wave after finding the dreaded fine stuff.

Two or three thrashes later and that’s the temper gone – along with the scorecard.

Unfortunately for us, bunkers are a fairly central and pivotal part of golf course architecture.

Or are they?

At one Hertfordshire course, there is not a grain of sand to be found.

Berkhamsted is a bunker free zone.

Found quite high up in the Chilterns, this course has been here since 1890 and changed little since James Braid loaned his talents to it in the 1920s.

In fact, not only are there no bunkers at Berkhamsted, there are no modern man made hazards either.

No artificial lakes, no dug out ravines.

That’s not to say, though, that there aren’t obstacles to overcome.

Gorse, heather, bracken and trees provide the usual challenge,

10 | GCMA.ORG.UK

alongside something a bit more unusual.

The Iron Age Grim’s Ditch, a lengthy trench thought to have been constructed in about 300BC, and passed through Berkhamsted, can get in the way if you are not careful.

Remnants of the ditch can be seen on the common and mounding is said to run across the northern part of the course and through a number of the holes.

Berkhamsted is not the only course to cope without liberal amounts of sand.

Dollar, on the slopes of the Ochils

in central Scotland, and Royal Ashdown Forest’s Old course are just two further examples.

But this natural test of golf, which has been laid before countless numbers of promising players in the Berkhamsted Trophy, is a charming experience.

What is it that makes your club special? Every club has something that makes it unique, that sets it apart from everywhere else. Why not let us know what it is?

Email s.carroll@sportspub.co.uk

ED U C AT E | I N FO RM | I N S P I RE

Are You Ready for the GDPR?

fewmonths weeks to go before the deadline of 25th May 2018, are you ready for With just afour the GDPR? This is the biggest shakeup to UK data protection legislation and it affects all organisations that hold personal information about UK Citizens. With fines of up to £20m or 4% of global turnover, you need to take ownership of the GDPR now!

At BC technologies we have a GDPR Readiness package to help your club achieve compliance before the deadline. Working closely with the GCMA, we are already working with many clubs to raise awareness and help them become compliant.

As a Certification Body for Cyber Essentials, which is a Government backed scheme that can help mitigate fines from the ICO, we are experienced in auditing and certifying businesses of all sizes against the UK regulator’s standards.

We can take you through the whole process; •

helping you create policies and processes to govern data processing.

•

working with your third party suppliers to ensure compliance.

•

advising on communication with your members.

•

guiding you to assess the risks in your business.

•

training your team to raise awareness.

•

guiding you through the complexity.

•

assessing your IT.

For further details on how we can help, contact Matthew Armsby: E: matthew@bc-group.co.uk Tel: 01369 706656

GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

GCMA’s

AGM 2018 Moor Park Golf Club was the venue for the GCMA’s annual general meeting on April 16

A

round 85 members, from all over the 16 GCMA regions, attended Moor Park GC for the association’s annual general meeting.

After the formal reports, JR Jones was elected as national president for a 12th term, while Cameron Dawson, from Yorkshire region, was elected national captain, with Ian Symington confirmed as national captain elect. Past captains Howard Williams, David O’Sullivan and Clive Hadley, who served from 2015 to 2017, were elected as GCMA life members.

Proposed changes to membership rules were discussed and voted upon with affiliate members now to be welcomed into the association’s ranks.

Katie Laud, of North Hants, was presented with her Dipoma in Golf Club Management and Tim Coombes, of Puttenham, was presented with a Certificate in Golf Club Management.

East Midland region reigned supreme at the Captain’s Cup. Ron Beckett and David Dalby teamed up to score 42 points in the pairs competition, pipping John Cox and Jonathan Dove. Richard Green scooped the nearest the pin prize, sponsored by Love Golf Memberships.

12 | GCMA.ORG.UK

ED U C AT E | I N FO RM | I N S P I RE

Chief executive’s report Looking back over the last two years, Bob Williams said the organisation had come a long way.

The Diploma in Golf Club Management was fully up and running, with over 60 people undertaking the course, three of whom had graduated. Another key achievement of the last year was the launch of The Golf Club Manager, which had been very well received and critically acclaimed – winning a prestigious UK association award for Best Membership Engagement.

Two regions piloted Assistants

Meetings - dedicated gatherings for assistant managers to network and share their experiences - which were very positively received, and will be rolled out nationally over the next 12 months. The association broke new ground when 40 leading golf industry figures gathered for the inaugural meeting of the GCMA Women’s Golf Leadership Group – another dedicated networking group – in March. Bringing influential female leaders from across the industry together, the group places the association at the heart of

the industry’s drive to develop female participation and representation, led

by The R&A’s Women’s Charter which launches this month. Looking to the future, Bob explained the Strategic Review was now being implemented throughout the organisation.

A main recommendation was the introduction of Affiliate Membership.

The category, which was unanimously voted in during the meeting, will create a pathway for those employed in golf club management in a golf facility to progress their careers.

basis upon which the board, regional managers and staff will operate in the coming months and years. The document will be open for review and change as the association progresses and develops in the future.

The third major project was the National Conference at Mercedes-Benz World, in Weybridge.Two years of hard work by the conference planning team ensured a first-class, thought-provoking and educational event was enjoyed by all the members who attended.

One important topic has been a desire

to increase the size of the membership database. A proposal was put before the members at the AGM. The board felt it was right that golf professionals, course managers and clubhouse managers should now be able to have a form of membership of our association.

Plans are being discussed to hold a two-day introduction course which will be precursor to the more detailed fiveday Principles course and the Women’s Golf Leadership Group has also been created.

Management Awards at last year’s national conference.

Williams confirmed that his year had been full of highlights and opportunities that could never be repeated and counted himself grateful for the kindness and generosity afforded to him on so many occasions.

Particular highlights included the week at the Open Championship, at Royal Birkdale, where North West member Adam Moule is the managing secretary, as well as the match against the association’s GAF colleagues at the

superb Ekerum Golf Resort in Öland.

Williams noted that he had spent 15 years in golf management and that it was now time for him to say goodbye.

He trusted that he had served and represented the association in a professional manner during that time.

Concluding before handing over to Cameron Dawson, he also added that he had played golf for more than 45 years and could only look back and be grateful for all the enjoyment and camaraderie he had experienced from this great and wonderful game.

Chairman’s report Michael Hoare noted the new magazine had been very well received by members and industry and had won the Association of Association Executives’ Best Membership Engagement category at their 2017 awards evening in Manchester.

He also talked about the work with Nick Watkins, of Q4 Management Ltd, on the development of a formal strategy document for the association.

The agreed strategy was introduced to the members at Conference, last November, and will now form the

Captain’s report Howard Williams noted that time had flown from his appointment at Chesterfield 12 months ago to its conclusion at this annual general meeting at Moor Park.

He said that as national captain, he had undertaken to serve the association to the best of his ability and uphold its traditions and practices.

He added he had visited all 16 GCMA regions, his final call coming at the recent Wales AGM at Pyle & Kenfig where the team had won the Team of the Year prize at the Golf Club

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GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

In the

LOOP 1. Bumper year ahead for women’s and girls’ golf What’s happened: Following the first meeting of the GCMA’s Women’s Golf Leadership Group, more opportunities are being created across GB&I for women and girls to play golf.

What does it mean? Quite a lot, actually. The Ladies European Tour, England Golf and the Golf Foundation are teaming up at Buckinghamshire GC on May 13 for a women’s and girls’ development event which will feature leading golfers, coaching and Girls Golf Rocks ambassadors.

That is just the start.

Alongside Women’s Golf Day on June 5, England and Wales Golf are planning to hold Women and Girls’ Golf Weeks at the end of the July.

The PGA are also getting in on the act with a number of professional and amateur events throughout the year working in tandem to raise the profile of women’s and girls’ golf.

2. What do you think of the new Get Into Golf campaign?

What happened: You can’t fail to have noticed England

Three things you need to know from the last month in the golf industry…

Golf’s revamped Get into Golf campaign, which was relaunched at the start of last month with the express purpose of being very bright, thought provoking and unashamedly aiming to “shake up ideas about the sport”.

What does it mean? The advertising campaign certainly began with a bang and achieved exactly what England Golf wanted - which was to get people talking about it.

A series of photographs showing new players wearing bright, social, clothing was at the heart and the organisation also enlisted a group of “social influencers” from other sports to try and boost the message.

They will be trying the game and reporting back to their hundreds of thousands of followers across Instagram and other social networks.

The Get into Golf website still offers taster sessions and courses for beginners and improvers and the aim of the campaign, at the outset at least, is to get people along to a session, get them with a club in their hands and get them hitting shots. That message

is paramount because a number of clubs have expressed opinions over what message those adverts are putting across to potential new golfers. Whatever we think about growing the game, and all efforts to get more players on the course should be warmly applauded, there is also the juxtaposition that - at many clubs - most of the players portrayed in the adverts would be unable to play the course.

So what does that mean? Should England Golf be more cognisant of the traditions of clubs when putting together promotional material to try and increase participation or is it time for clubs to relax, or even end, their dress codes and accept that clothing should not be a primary concern when accepting a green fee or a new member?

@GCMAUK Congratulations go to Ron Beckett and David Dalby on winning the GCMA Captains Cup with 42pts at Moor Park Golf Club today.

Another great win for GCMA East

14 | GCMA.ORG.UK

Midlands Region @GCMAEastMids Excellent edition of this month’s @ GCMAUK @GCMAWales magazine.

Some really good ideas that clubs could use. Get it... read it! @sf_golfmad Welcome, and good luck, to

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We want to hear from you!

Send your correspondence, on any subject, to letters@gcma.org.uk

3. Participation is down, but don’t panic!

What happened: Sports researchers Sports Marketing Surveys revealed a drop in rounds played of more than 22%, compared with the same period in 2017, in their Q1 2018 Rounds Played figures.

What does it mean? Scotland, with a fall of 15.7%, was the least affected territory with the north the worst - having lost a third of rounds compared to last year.

While this has had substantial effects on revenue at golf clubs, it’s also important to bear in mind that the figures are largely affected by the two-part “Beast from the East” that dominated the latter part of the winter. In March, rounds played were 35% down on 2017.

And with Q1 only accounting for 15 to 20% of annual rounds played, SMS INC director Richard Payne was still positive.“Let’s just keep our fingers crossed that the sun gives us a helping hand too.”

Welcome to our newest GCMA members Kate Fender, honorary secretary at Harwich & Dovercourt Steve Sayers, manager at Wollaton Park Rose Fleming, secretary at Erewash Valley Ese Okperin, assistant at Fulwell Margaret Lloyd, honorary secretary at Didsbury Mark Rabone, manager at Lee Park Lee Jones, director of golf at Kent Golf Union Kerry Spring-Rice, assistant at Kingsdown Lucy Burke, assistant at Shanklin & Sandown Billy Ray, assistant at Wellow Ryan Allen, director of golf at Dudsbury James Dean, manager at Dudsbury John Buxton, director of golf at Stocksbridge & District Edward John, honorary secretary at Masham Stuart Carnie, director of golf at Hollins Hall Peter Mutton, manager at Strawberry Hill

the latest 19 students who commenced our Diploma in Golf Club Managment yesterday! @GCMAUK

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We had the first meeting of our pioneering Women’s Golf Leadership Group last week - and we’ve had fantastic feedback! @GCMAUK

Kelly Miller, at Cardiff; Ben Chant, at Effingham; Alexander McGuinness, at Marlborough, Stuart Fairgrieve, at Irvine; Grant Sinclair, at Bruckhausen; Harriet Matthews, at Frilford Heath, and David Fernandes, at Monte Rei Golf & Country Club, are all new associate members

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GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

The interview

KATIE LAUD

16 | GCMA.ORG.UK

ED U C AT E | I N FO RM | I N S P I RE

Katie Laud is one of the first GCMA members to complete the Diploma in Golf Club Management. After receiving her qualification at the annual general meeting, she talked to Mike Hyde about the challenges, and opportunities, that have arisen from taking it…

W

hat is your role at North Hants?

I have been at North Hants since 2009 and my current role is assistant general manager. This role gives me the opportunity to get involved in all aspects of the club and use the skills I have learned from the Diploma.

What were your motivations for taking the Diploma?

I embarked on the Diploma for career development. I am ambitious and would like to be in charge of my own club in the future and thought a qualification endorsed by the PGA, GCMA and BIGGA would be beneficial.

I can honestly say it has been an interesting, engaging and thoroughly worthwhile course. I have not only learned a lot about the golf industry but also a lot about myself as an individual.

It’s taken around 13 months for you to finish. What was the workload like and how did you manage it?

It was quite a daunting process to start with as it has been a long

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time since I was in education and it is a lot of work on top of a full-time job. But with dedication, commitment and the will to learn I was able to devote the required amount of hours to complete it quickly.

And the club bought into you doing it?

North Hants have been incredibly supportive since I started the Diploma. The general manager Rob Climas and the current committee are aware that I wish to develop myself career-wise and they have all been encouraging throughout and allowed me to use the skills I have learned from the Diploma at the club.

Did you have any work time you could dedicate to the Diploma, or was it all done outside?

All of the work completed on the Diploma was done outside of my working hours, except for the initial nine course workshops that I attended at The Belfry. I would say I was doing eight to 10 hours a week on the Diploma.

While you were doing it, did you find you were already applying the concepts you learned in the

classroom to your job?

I think this did not really start until Rob Climas started in October 2017. He was very keen to understand what I was learning and how this could benefit North Hants.

I have been able to get more involved in certain aspects of the club, for example there is a project on the golf course which, with the knowledge I have learned through the Diploma, the club have allowed me to be heavily involved with, along with the course manager and the course representative on the committee.

What, specifically, did you learn from the Diploma that you were able to apply to that project?

The main area would be my knowledge of course agronomy.

With my increased understanding of this area it allowed me to understand the finer details of the project and the reasons behind some of the specific activities. This allowed me to be confident in putting my ideas and suggestions to the committee for consideration.

You’ve mentioned the learning but what about the network of

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GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

people you got to tap into as well – how valuable was that?

This has been extremely valuable.

We had a great group of eight people on the first induction for the Diploma and we all got on well.

I think it was helpful there were a range of individuals enrolled, some already worked within golf, others were committee members and others were from outside the industry.

This ensured that there was a wide range of views and opinions on specific topics.

Of the nine units, what was the most valuable and challenging?

The most challenging was definitely the finance unit but then I probably got the most out of doing that one. I am now much more confident in understanding budgets and accounts.

18 | GCMA.ORG.UK

”Having this qualification will definitely help me with my career aspirations. I am looking to get my first job in...management” The most valuable and interesting was the golf operations unit, especially the area concerning the course management. Before embarking on the Diploma this was an area that I needed to develop and I feel my knowledge and understanding has now increased and I feel I am more aware of not only what the course manager is doing but why he is doing it.

How does the Diploma fit with your career ambitions, aspirations and development?

Having this qualification will definitely help me with my career aspirations. I am looking to get my first job in golf club management and I am very lucky that North Hants are very supportive of that and doing all they can to help me achieve this.

And to get that buy-in where the club say they will invest directly in you rather than the club directly...

Definitely, but you don’t know what’s going to happen in the future. I might go somewhere else and in the future the manager position at North Hants comes up and I go back.

How did you get into golf club management?

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www.lovegolfmemberships.co.uk Love Golf Memberships: the modern golf membership is here Love Golf Memberships are designed to appeal to the modern golfer, including young professionals, families with children, and businesses.

Flexible membership – Ideal for the golfer who plays fairly frequently but not often enough to gain value from a full traditional membership.

While they all share a passion for the game, not everyone has a lifestyle that fits in with a traditional golf club membership, and LGM was created to give people more ways to enjoy the game they love. Love Golf Memberships has brought to the market four innovative golf packages; Multi-course, Flexible, Family and Corporate. You have the option to select one or all of these packages to maximise your club’s income.

Family membership – Designed to allow families to play and enjoy time together.

Signing up to Love Golf Memberships will cost your club absolutely nothing. There are no joining costs or monthly membership fees.

Simply join the growing network, sit back and they’ll bring the golfers to you.

Multi-Course membership – Provides golfers with the flexibility to play a total of 60 rounds per year split evenly between up to four courses of their choice.

Corporate membership – Provides businesses with the flexibility to play their golf at either two or three courses.

Increase golf club revenue through: • Love Golf Membership Fees Our innovative • Guests of new Love Golf members • More golf lessons sold packages are designed • Sales of other on-site facilities e.g. range • Golf buggy hire to meet the needs of • Purchases from pro shops (28% of all golf boththrough individuals and equipment is purchased club shops) • Food and drink sales

businesses so they can Golf Clubs will also experience benefits that concentrate on playing are indirectly revenue related: they love • No fees for marketingthe yoursport golf club through

LGM • Increased market presence and visibility The family membership - At Love Golf The benefits - There are many additional Increased numbers of togolf juniors Memberships, we believe • golf can be benefits a Love Golf Membership and • When expenditure from the bar, procarefully shop,thought

enjoyed by every one of all ages. Our family these benefits have been package allows you to spenddriving quality time out lessons to perfectly to into everyone. range and areappeal taken playing the game you love ataccount... a price you can include; Family Discount, JuniorDiscounts and intermediate afford. With our family membership, adults Food and Drink, Lessons with the Club memberships are of significant net worth are charged 80% of the normal membership Professional, Discounts for Guests, Discounts • LGM does not restrict our members from fees and up to two juniors can join free of on Driving Range Balls and Access to joining golf clubs as full timeCalendar members in charge. To qualify for the family package, Members Social of Events. there must be at least two adults included in the future the membership.

Themembers@lovegolfmemberships.co.uk corporate membership - We know For more information e-mail or call 0113 244 3259 golf courses are a great place to do business Proud sponsors of the GCMA 2018 AGM so our corporate package offers your organisation the choice and flexibility it needs. Your company’s membership will

GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

Prior to starting at North Hants I had previously worked in the hospitality industry in a number of roles within events.

In 2009, I made the decision to combine my business skills and passion for golf and started at North Hants. Eight and a half years on this was definitely the best decision for me.

What is it you love about the role?

I think I just like working in an industry that I am passionate about. I’ve played golf and been a member of a golf club since I was 10 and I just feel very lucky to be able to combine my passion with my career. I really enjoy the variety

20 | GCMA.ORG.UK

of my role – no two days are the same.

I also enjoy the feeling of satisfaction when an event goes well and you, as a team, have provided top quality service to customers and members.

Are times changing for women in the golf industry?

I think so. In the past the industry has been a very male orientated industry but I think this is slowly beginning to change and more and more women are getting their opportunities.

The current GCMA Manager of the Year is a lady, more and more golf clubs have ladies holding senior positions on committees

and even a golf club of the stature of Augusta is holding a new sponsored tournament next year targeting women’s golf.

Do you feel more confident going into an interview now after completing the Diploma?

I definitely feel more confident now than before I completed this qualification. It has given me confidence in my abilities and my skills to know that if I was to embark on a golf manager role I could be successful.

Why would you recommend the Diploma to people? It could look like a daunting prospect...

It is a daunting prospect. Obviously,

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you have got three years to do it but if you dedicate the time and really focus on it you can get it done quicker than that.

It has been incredibly valuable for me in learning the skills I was lacking, and certainly for anyone who is an assistant out there, and looking to make the next step up, having a qualification from the GCMA, PGA and BIGGA will be widely acknowledged within the golf industry and will develop them as an individual.

A lot of the Diploma is delivered

by Leigh Sear – nothing to do with golf but a small business – how valuable was his outside perspective on the industry?

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Lee was an excellent tutor throughout the Diploma and extremely informative and knowledgeable during the workshops. I think, in a way, it helped that he came from outside the golf industry as he could look at aspects of the course from a different point of view.

Does that help when you’ve gone back to your club with ideas?

I was fairly lucky in that the committee and the general manager had bought into what I was doing but, definitely, some things were still a challenge to get across the importance of doing them.

”I definitely feel more confident now than before I completed this qualification. It has given me confidence in my abilities and my skills to know that if I was to embark on a golf manager role I could be successful”

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The Diploma in Golf Club Management Representing a fundamental shift to the approach to professional education in golf club management, the three organisations of the Golf Club Partnership – GCMA, BIGGA, PGA – combined forces to create the ASQ L5 Diploma in Golf Club Management.

Open to all levels of skill and experience, the golf specific qualification was designed both for existing managers and those looking to move into the profession.

The Diploma can be completed at a student’s own pace, over a maximum of three years, to accommodate the schedules of working managers, or aspiring industry professionals.

Although there is an emphasis on flexible learning, it is delivered through a combination of online work and face-to-face workshops.

The Diploma covers all the core skills required to manage a club and consists of nine units including: leading and managing people in a golf club, managing the operations of a golf club and keeping up to date with legislation.

For those looking to specialise in a particular area, there is also the option to complete pre-defined, individual certificates with an 18 month period to gain the diploma.

For more information, and to apply, visit gcma.org.uk/diploma

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Join our growing list of brand identity success stories Having a brand guidelines document will give your club an identity structure that will make you wonder how you managed without!

Branding affects all platforms of communication, both internally and externally.

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e info@eagle.uk.com w www.eagle.uk.com

ADVERTORIAL FEATURE

What lies

BENEATH? It benefits golf club managers to know what’s going on under the surface out on the course

W

hen speaking at the GCMA conference last November, I told the audience that we don’t work in the golf business; we work in the experience business.

When considering how to spend their time, your customers can choose between golf and a raft of other leisure pursuits delivering relaxing, challenging, competitive,

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family-oriented, active, fun, thrilling or peaceful experiences. The choice is endless and ever-changing, and managers’ business strategies must examine their club’s place in the ‘experience business’ in order to ensure they become, and remain, the preferred choice.

Discussions around customer experience often centre on the clubhouse, but the golf course is pivotal, especially in terms of meeting or exceeding customer expectations.

When visitors browse your club’s website and social media channels, the chances are they’ll see a gallery of images of a verdant, immaculatelypresented course. Is that the reality that greets them if they arrive to play golf on a glorious summer’s day?

Meeting and exceeding customer expectations is a daily challenge for everyone involved in golf.

To do so brings huge opportunity for advocacy, especially in the digital age where potential customers seek

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To improve the condition and playability of the golf course To enhance the player experience

information, and validation of their choice of venue, on review sites.

Optimising the potential of a golf course involves many factors, but how does your irrigation system affect your customers? The role of irrigation is: To maximise the efficiency of all available inputs To increase the productivity and effectiveness of the greens staff

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Watering costs money, but the cost of irrigating incorrectly is more than just the water itself; it’s bad for public relations and can lead to playing conditions that end up a long way from the original design intentions.

The agronomic impact of overwatering by as little as 5% increases the leaching of nutrients from fertiliser applications and heightens the risk of fungal attack and turf pests. This results in greater inputs from your greens staff in terms of time and labour, increases chemical usage, and affects your customers.

Overwatering can’t be picked up by eye; investing in a moisture metre is money well spent and modern irrigation systems have the ability to ensure each area of the course receives only the irrigation it needs.

What does your course policy document say about irrigation in terms of course management, environmental management and course development?

Ask yourself if it reflects your club’s current positioning and its ambitions for the future.

There is plenty that can be done to ensure that irrigation enhances your club. Use properly designed systems. Maintain optimum pressure and water quality. Ensure the system is set up correctly on and off the course.

Use leak detection technologies, moisture and rain sensors. Know your grass and your conditions. Err on the side of less water and be proactive with your maintenance.

Age brings degeneration and resulting inefficiencies to even

well maintained systems. If your club’s is 25 years old with PVC pipework, consider undertaking an irrigation audit to assess the current situation which in turn will help you plan ahead for upgrading or replacement.

Kevin McAleer, General Manager of Helensburgh Golf Club, has taken steps over the course of his career to improve his agronomic knowledge. In a previous role at a proprietary owned course with a limited budget and very limited access to aeration equipment, he and his colleagues had to think outside the box to find costeffective ways of reducing thatch levels in putting surfaces to allow them to extend the period when their greens were playable.

So began an eight year project which, he says, in addition to the knowledge and experience of the Course Managers has he worked with, gave him the ability to shape a long-term strategy for the course and the confidence to make decisions which otherwise he would have had to leave to others or delegate.

“I believe strongly that managers, secretaries, directors of golf and other professionals in the decision making process should take an active interest in agronomy. Yes, it is yet another thing to add to the long list of topics about which we are expected to be knowledgeable and well informed – but arguably it is the most important. For the vast majority of clubs, our course is our biggest asset and I believe I can do my job more effectively when I have sufficient knowledge to understand – and hopefully contribute to – the great work being carried out by our greens crew.”

Alastair Higgs is Rain Bird Europe’s golf district manager UK & Ireland

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GCMA RECRUITMENT

FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE VACANCIES BELOW, VISIT GCMA.ORG.UK/JOBS

WOODCOTE PARK ::: GENERAL MANAGER Woodcote Park is a successful members club, situated in Surrey just within the M25 that is looking to find a successor to the current long serving General Manager who is retiring.

The Club wishes to appoint a forward thinking, experienced and highly qualified individual to help develop several exciting initiatives and developments that will take the Club to the next level and achieve “Top 200” UK status.

Apply with CV and covering letter to: The Club Captain, Woodcote Park Golf Club or email duncan. ponikwer@btinternet.com

Region: London and Home Counties | Salary: Competitive | Closing date: 25th May 2018

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Good

PRACTICE Advice on golf club management issues – from finance to clubhouse rules and employment law to staff morale – from our panel of experts

GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

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Working with your

GREENKEEPING TEAM Jim Croxton, chief executive of BIGGA, looks at how club and course managers can strive together for the benefit of the whole business

Royal Norwich director, and estates manager, Peter Todd

The following is an abridged version of the session Jim presented at the GCMA National Conference in November

W

hat is best practice? How does it apply to your course management team?

I recall a study, I think by Harvard Business School, that identified three things that all good and

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successful businesses do: 1. Have a well-defined, clearlycommunicated strategy.

2. Consistently meet customers’ expectations by superior operational execution.

3. Enable a structure that simplifies working in and with the organisation.

How do these apply to a golf club, particularly with regard to the course and its management?

Well clearly the course itself is, or should be, the centrepiece of a golf club’s strategy. But is it ‘well-defined and clearly communicated’? Not always to the customers and, fatally, not always

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to the staff that are employed to manage it.

I’m mindful of the classic (though mythological) Henry Ford quote: “If I asked my customers what they wanted, they’d say faster horses.”

Golf club managers absolutely have a major role to play in setting out a golf club’s offering, but there are so many factors that can influence this.

I often use the analogy of a menu in a clubhouse. How do we go about setting a menu as a golf club? Do club managers write down what they want to serve, how much to charge for it and just say to the chef “there it is, cook that”? No. Or should they say to the chef, “write me a menu, price it up and get on with it”? No, because the chef may not be in tune with the customer and business needs.

Instead, we work together by looking at who our customers are, what they expect, what they will enjoy, what’s achievable with the budget we have, and we try and do something that’s specific to our facility.

Funnily enough, the same should be true of the golf course. We must, as leaders, pick the appropriate path for the business taking into account all the professional advice at hand.

For example, what can we

actually achieve with this golf course? Assess the quality of land and the course design, look at the potential customer base in terms of their ability and expectation and identify the offering that is most appropriate.

Then consider what it will cost to achieve this, is it affordable?

Once we have worked out what we are going to aim for, we have got to put it into writing. This will become the strategy that the entire team is working towards, and the best way to communicate that is with a Course Policy Document (available through BIGGA).

The policy document is important because it brings accountability to the course management team, enabling their performance to be managed. It also informs them about what they’re doing, why, and the resources they will be given to achieve the aims.

It brings resilience, so that a change of captain or chairman for example doesn’t suddenly mean the golf course has to change.

How do we then get the best out of the course management team?

If you are going to manage your team, you need to be able to measure their performance. A set of criteria needs to be discussed as a team, agreed upon, and regularly referred back to.

Then, if we are not achieving our aims, we can ask why not? Are there enough resources, or are our working habits or equipment perhaps not good enough?

The greenkeeping team should be empowered to manage their own activities to clearly defined goals – after all, you’re a club manager and you have other responsibilities.

A big part of getting the best out of a course management team is to ensure they are very much a part of the overall golf club offering and team. Have staff development plans in place, talk to them about career progression, and be honest about where they fit in the whole team. Too often, greenkeepers are out of sight, feeling forgotten about, and it doesn’t make for a good team dynamic.

At every golf club that’s doing well, we see a greenkeeping team that is valued, regularly communicated with, and is seen as an important part of the overall organisation.

When communicating with your course manager, it’s important to understand their capabilities, their experience, and their strengths and weaknesses.

With such incredible education opportunities available to the industry, the modern course manager is a highly-skilled

“Course managers are extremely passionate about their role in the golf course and invest so much effort” On the range at The Belfry

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The Belfry’s Angus Macleod with his team

professional and I’m still amazed by how much they know about their craft, from the technical; agronomy, irrigation systems, machinery etc to things away from the course, such as budgeting, communications and staff management.

Course managers are extremely passionate about their role in the golf course and invest so much effort that a sense of personal ownership is inevitable. The golf course isn’t theirs and they know one day they will pass it on to someone else, but you can’t get away from the fact they always talk about ‘my course’, it feels personal.

This can have a huge impact when they receive feedback, and that’s something I’d ask you to consider carefully. A course manager, being a passionate individual, will be more affected by one piece of criticism than they will by 99 compliments. Even the most experienced managers, at the biggest clubs, are still affected by a negative comment. You, as a club manager, need to recognise this, and bear it in mind when giving feedback about the course.

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It is perhaps uncomfortable in my role to highlight weaknesses and I hate to generalise but there are some skills, shall we say, that are typically less prevalent in my industry.

Political skill is one. The very best course managers understand and manage the politics of a golf club extremely well, but often this isn’t something that comes naturally.

Similarly, communication doesn’t always come easily.

Their mentors may not have been communicators, so good communication is something that must be learnt to suit the modern workplace, and so patience is required.

You may also find that your greenkeepers aren’t great team players. Sure, they’re a tight unit among themselves, but that physical difference between the clubhouse and the maintenance shed can cause a sense of isolation.

To combat this, do whatever you can to bridge the gap.

To get the best out of your course manager and his team, you must have an awareness of what the

club’s desired goals and objectives are, and what are the resources available to achieve them.

If your ambitions exceed your resources, you must reassess what your goals and objectives are, or reassess what resources are made available.

Most importantly, work with the experts you employ to choose the golf course that’s right for your business.

Then give your team the resources and the appropriate structure that will allow them to achieve those standards. Don’t ask them for something that can’t be achieved.

And invest your time into working with your team. Give your own time as club manager to the team to make sure they feel appreciated, as you would any department within the business.

To conclude, if there is one single message I could give you, it would be to apply good business practice.

Don’t think that the golf course and its maintenance are outside your business. The course is your business.

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CASE STUDY

GAUDET LUCE A good example is Gaudet Luce Golf Club in the Midlands. Andrew Laing is the course manager there - a first class operator.

Andrew went in to his budget meeting with the club director saying that if he had a little bit more money, some additional resources, perhaps a couple of extra members of staff, he’d be able to take the course to the next level.

The reply was that he didn’t want

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the course at the next level, and that took Andrew aback somewhat.

Alec (Fernihough) explained how Gaudet Luce sits perfectly within a specific market and at a well-defined price point that suits their business requirements. An increased budget would have to be matched by increasing prices and this would move them into a different market.

Rather, Andrew’s job is to produce the best condition possible with the

resources he has got, and the club’s management structure understands that there’s only going to be so much he can achieve.

For an ambitious guy like Andrew, that can be a difficult thing to hear but it’s also really empowering because rather than being dismissed out of hand, he understands the situation and the business model and can pass this message on to the rest of the team.

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What mower

SHOULD WE BUY?

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othing is more important in golf course maintenance than having the right machinery – whether that’s mowers or tractors for tees, fairways, greens or rough.

Club managers can often play an important role in the discussion process, whether that’s

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at the committee stage or in consultation with an owner and greenkeeping team.

So what’s on the market at the moment and how could they help make keeping your course in great condition easier?

We asked four of the leading providers, John Deere, Ransomes Jacobsen, Toro and Kubota to take us through their new products…

John Deere John Deere’s new 8900A PrecisionCut fairway mower and 9009A TerrainCut rough mower are the latest additions to the company’s award-winning A Model family of fairway, rough, trim and surrounds machines.

The 8900A fairway mower – John Deere’s widest PrecisionCut machine – offers a choice of 26

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Navigating the endless array of course maintenance products can be a minefield. We’ve asked four of the leading manufacturers to take you through their new machinery for 2018

or 30in (66 or 76cm) wide cutting units, both 7in (18cm) in diameter, which provide an overall cutting width of 114 or 130in (2.9m or 3.3m) together with exceptional contour following.

Both units offer an optional verticutter attachment for “increased versatility and convenience”.

The 26in (66cm) cutting units are available in five, eight or 10 blade

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versions, with optional fairway tender conditioners and rear roller power brushes to further enhance cutting performance.

The larger 30in (76cm) cutting units have five or eight blades and allow higher capacity mowing.

Rated at a maximum 48.3hp (36kW), the 8900A’s powerful, direct injection four-cylinder diesel engine features LoadMatch

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transmission settings to provide consistent cut quality and excellent climbing performance.

The 9009A, also John Deere’s widest TerrainCut mower, has five 27in (68.6cm) independent rotary mower decks, providing an overall cutting width of 9ft (2.7m).

Rated at a maximum 55hp, the powerful, direct injection fourcylinder diesel engine uses integrated cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and automatic particulate filter cleaning to meet Stage IIIb emission regulations.

A deep-shell deck design with rear discharge stands rough grass up for a cleaner cut, while dispersing

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the grass clippings more evenly over a wider area. Height of cut adjustments can be performed without tools using an innovative notch system, simply by pulling a lever.

Visit JohnDeere.co.uk for further details

Ransomes Jacobsen The new Jacobsen TR series features two new triplex cylinder mowers that replace the TR-3 and Tri-King machines.

Built for ease of servicing and operation, the TR330 premium model has integrated AdaptiShift technology, which allows cutting units to move side-to-side and mow hard to reach areas. It also boasts adjustable mechanical suspension seating and on-board diagnostics with full colour display screen.

The standard model, TR320, has a 1.63m transport width, 1.83m width of cut and a heightened quality of cut on slopes, hills and undulations.

The new AR series, meanwhile, replaces the AR-3 rotary

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mower. The AR321 is the standard model with AR331 the premium.

Both models are 3WD rotary triple mowers featuring a 24.8hp Kubota diesel engine, an ergonomic control arm, electronic parking brake and a brand-new rotary deck design.

AdaptiShift is also present in the premium version.

Finally, the super lightweight SLF530 mower features “Jacobsen’s

”Toro’s Greensmaster 1000’s revolutionary design is still influencing greens cutting 28 years after it was first launched” patented double pivot float mechanism, which allows the cutting units to hug the contours of undulating terrain with ease”.

The company say the SLF530 is perfect for mowing or verticutting fairways, surrounds, greens and tees.

Available as 3WD or 4WD, it has a 24.8hp Kubota diesel engine along with the FlashAttach cutting unit mounting system. That reduces maintenance time with toolless

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removal and installation.

Find out more at ransomesjacobsen.com Toro Toro’s Greensmaster 1000’s revolutionary design is still influencing greens cutting 28 years after it was first launched.

The latest classic is as popular now as when first launched in 1989 and has four innovative design features that are now widely seen in professional pedestrian greens mowers across the world.

The loop handle design and the ‘Dual Klick’ adjust of the bedknife were industry firsts, as was the front weight bias, which offsets the operator’s natural tendency to place weight on the handle, allowing the cylinder to better follow the ground’s contours for a consistent cutting height.

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”For clubs looking to purchase a new compact tractor this year, there is the new and improved Kubota B Series range”

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A wide Kickstand for stationary stability to change transport wheels was new too, and all together they combined to deliver a superior quality of cut that remains unmatched today.

Its smooth drums are gentle on greens and grass baskets distribute clippings evenly for optimal mowing on each pass, whether conditions are wet or dry.

Even at the lowest height of cut setting, the GR1000 provides a consistent finish and, overall, produces the smoothest, most uniform cut in a greens mower.

The Workman GTX, meanwhile, might be light but it offers loads of utility.

With more than 300 configurations, the turf and grounds crossover utility vehicle is the industry’s most versatile platform with more power, improved steering and an exclusive suspension and braking system, also making it the most practical and comfortable in its mid-duty class.

Available in petrol or electric versions, the adaptable Workman GTX is the first in the range to offer the option to seat four, working as a personnel carrier as well as materials carrier, and does so “without compromising on power, comfort or control.”

It’s a worthy addition to the range and complements the existing line-up of Toro heavy-duty machines.

Learn more by visiting toro.com Kubota Kubota UK’s high performance L1361 Compact Utility Tractor provides versatility, productivity and efficiency.

The 36.6 HP machine is a flexible choice, featuring a powerful three cylinder Kubota D1803-M-E2 engine, manual or three-range

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speed hydrostatic transmission and a 38 litre capacity fuel tank for extended periods of use.

It also in 4WD and live continuous-running rear PTO is available on the HST model.

By featuring a quick detach front loader, the model allows for easier and quicker use of implements, including the new Kubota LA525 front loader with a curved boom design, for easy completion of the biggest of tasks.

The bevel gear front axle has also been designed to deliver an extremely tight turning radius, with full power transfer to the wheels at every steering angle.

This enables greater traction across all terrains for secure high performance.

However, productivity and performance aren’t the only key benefits of the machine.

Ergonomics have also played a significant part in the L1361’s refreshed design, with a spacious operator deck and slanted front bonnet for greater field of vision when handling front loader operations to ensure maximum safety.

For clubs looking to purchase a new compact tractor this year, there is the new and improved B Series range.

A more standard spec machine, the B1 Series has three models ranging from 16 to 24hp and is an evolution of the long-standing B1 utility tractor range.

Featuring refreshed styling, with a new slanted bonnet offering a clear view of all operations, Kubota say the B1 “significantly enhances safety, control and comfort, while also reflecting the power and dependability the series has long been associated with”.

Visit Kubota.co.uk for more information and to find the nearest dealer.

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Planning your fleet

MACHINERY NEEDS

W

hat is the apocalypse for a club in high season? If the booking system goes down, you can work around it. If there’s a break-in? It’s unpleasant but the club still goes on.

But if a vital part of fleet machinery goes down a couple of days before a board competition, and there’s no way to replace it in

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time, trouble is going to ensue.

What is your most important piece of machinery? And if it was put out of action, what would you do? These were questions Moortown grappled with a few years ago, when they realised their equipment wasn’t modern enough. The Leeds course, designed by the eminent Dr Alister MacKenzie of Augusta National fame, can draw on a century of tradition and a legacy that has

seen them host a Ryder Cup, Open qualifying and many other major tournaments down the decades.

“We had got to the point where we hadn’t invested enough in modern equipment and we were coping with old machinery and repairing and making good – rather than putting in a proper programme and replacing after the natural lifespan,” said secretary Peter Rishworth.

“With a new car, you have them

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Moortown embarked on a rolling plan of machinery purchases a decade ago and have not looked back. Secretary Peter Rishworth tells Steve Carroll how replacing little, but often, secures their course maintenance programme

six or seven years and they can then cause you problems. Certain bits of machinery out there on the golf course are doing a lot of hours every week and then every year it’s hundreds and into thousands.

“If you try and fix and make good, they are forever breaking down and you even run the risk of damaging the course with leaks or similar – or the finance involved in it is actually self-defeating.

“You can find yourself putting

more money into a bad bit of kit than if you go in and replace with new.”

So Moortown devised a plan of improvement. Each year, between one and three key items of machinery are replaced on a rolling plan. Greens mowers, for example, are renewed every six years.

Fairway mowers the same, while larger equipment, such as tractors, may see 15 to 20 years of life.

It’s allowed Moortown, who

use John Deere, to bring in an entirely new fleet over a period of a decade – making them confident, Rishworth explained, that “when you have got a big event or a major such as Captain’s Day, or Lady Captain’s Day, in the club’s diary you are not going to have an equipment issue.”

That’s a large commitment for the club but the plan has a lot of flexibility in it – and can be eased depending on finances. In any case,

The fabulous closing hole at Moortown

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“If we’re not delivering great service, then people will choose to go elsewhere. It’s as simple as that”

Peter Rishworth

”There are a lot of clubs that can spend an awful lot more than we can but most people have to sit down and work out, fundamentally, what is the most important piece of kit”

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the theory is that improving little and often should save them from any nasty surprises.

Rishworth said:“If you are running older equipment that you are not sure how vulnerable it is to breaking down – you could lose a fairway mower and a couple of greens mowers in a year and suddenly you’re having to spend to catch up. In theory, you have got a good plan that will never catch you out, although nothing is foolproof.”

Investment decisions at Moortown are taken collectively, with the course manager, chair of greens, Rishworth himself, and the larger committee all having an input. That rolling programme, which has been in place over a long period of time, also helps to override the common issue in committee-run private members’ clubs of people with new ideas coming onto the scene and looking to make changes.

Rishworth is aware Moortown are in a good position, as a club

of renown, with budget available and others may not have the same resources with which to implement such a long-term replacement plan. But, asked what advice he would give to fellow club managers considering substantial fleet purchases, he believed identifying a shed’s most important product was a must.

“It depends on the finances of the club, I guess,” he explained.

“There are a lot of clubs that can spend an awful lot more than we can but most people have to sit down and work out, fundamentally, what is the most important piece of kit. A lot of clubs only have one greens mower, for example, or a greens mower and an old one that’s a backup. If that went down in the middle of June, you’ve got no course in a couple of days. Most courses are cutting every day in the summer so you prioritise. We’ve got a fleet we are happy with and we are just replacing now. But it has taken a few years to get there.”

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None of us want to fall and be injured, or be intruded upon because our details have carelessly got into the wrong database, but the ramifications can be worse if say, people are burgled when they are known to be out or children are approached by people with agendas.

So when we created the ImproviSta.GDPR.Golf solution we wanted to provide all the legal documents and procedures a club needed but also to address the practicalities of doing a review of what risks there are. We wanted to help beyond the membership data held in a cloud system by pointing out other vulnerabilities and guiding a club through their own particular circumstances.

The ‘Action Plan’ provides everything a club needs to execute and record good GDPR compliance is responsive to the different needs of differing clubs and backed up by 24 hour online or personal telephone support.

True, practical compliance is an ongoing effort which is why ImproviSta aims to provide continuing support: Including upcoming staff training resources and updates when regulations change, (there are more ePrivacy changes going through consultation now) as well as storage of the steps you have taken to comply for any future audit – evidence being vital to comply.

Execute a comprehensive GDPR plan, starting today, so as well as making sure there are no trailing vacuum cleaner leads, you can prove that you are doing everything you reasonably can to keep members', employees' and volunteers' data protected. We look forward to helping you complete your plan!

Visit http://improvista.co.uk/gdpr/gcma.html to sign up today

GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

Keeping your

COURSE ON TRACK “Our services cover all aspects of the golf course and so we can tailor the visit to the club’s needs”

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It is sometimes overlooked, but the most important part of a golf club is the course. So where do you turn if you have an issue you can’t solve? The STRI can help, as senior turfgrass agronomist Adam Newton tells Steve Carroll

T

here aren’t many people who understand grass better than the Sports Turf Research Institute. The company, established in 1929, has helped produce some of the world’s most famous surfaces – from Wembley to Wimbledon.

Adam Newton is one of the STRI’s senior turfgrass agronomists.

His job is to provide agronomic support to clubs, advise them on how to get the best out of their playing surfaces, and help safeguard the future of courses through sustainable management.

He also provides support to The R&A at host venues for the Open and will be part of the team at Carnoustie this year.

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Who is Adam Newton?

Adam Newton is one of the STRI’s senior turfgrass agronomists.

Interested in golf since he was nine, he began his career as an assistant professional before becoming a greenkeeper at Fulford, in York.

Studying turfgrass science, he was awarded a first class degree, gained a scholarship from The R&A and, after qualifying, joined the STRI in 2012. Newton specialises in golf and advises clubs in the north of England and south east of Scotland, along with performing advisory work with The R&A. He also provided pitch consultancy at the World Cup in Brazil in 2014 and the 2013 Women’s European Championships.

But the STRI also work with lots of clubs throughout the UK, helping and advising on turf matters. So we asked him how the STRI work with GCMA members and what benefits that could bring…

Our club have decided they want some turf advice. I’m thinking about calling the STRI. What kind of services are you going to provide?

Our services cover all aspects of the golf course and so we can tailor the visit to the club’s needs.

Quite often the focus is the greens and we will assess their current condition, benchmark their performance and provide recommendations for future improvement. We can then track progress moving forward through

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objective measuring. But, equally, we may be looking at bunkers, fairways, rough, tees and provide advice on getting the best out of these areas.

If I know that I’ve got a thatch problem in my greens – and I’ve tried conventional means to deal with it – is that the time to call the STRI? What could you do about it?

If you’ve got an organic matter, or a thatch issue, the first thing you’ve got to find out is where you are at. We can do laboratory testing now to identify exactly the current levels of organic matter beneath your greens and compare those to our ideals.

From there, you can make an informed decision on how best to tackle it. That might be a series of hollow coring, scarification and sand injection depending on your situation or it may be as simple as adjusting your sand topdressing programme. Organic matter is basically an accumulation of dead or decaying parts of the grass plant which build up at the base of the turf through the growing season as the plant goes through its life cycle or different physiological processes.

This is a constant battle and requires our ongoing attention.

Overfeeding and overwatering your greens will produce rapid growth and cause organic matter to build up quicker, it is therefore essential that these inputs are carefully balanced. It is also important that aeration and topdressing inputs are sufficient.

Sand topdressing will dilute organic matter as it accumulates and aeration will help aerate the soils to ensure there is enough oxygen for soil microbes to naturally breakdown organic matter.

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Greenkeeping is becoming quite difficult these days with products being removed. Is there where the STRI can come into its own?

Yes, it certainly is becoming more challenging and with chemical controls becoming less available for pest and disease control, it is ever more important that our cultural practices are well balanced to create a less favourable environment for these disorders.

This is something we provide advice on during agronomy visits and our research team are constantly looking at future control options.

We now have no chemical control for leatherjackets, chafer grubs or worm casting and this presents our greatest challenge as grub populations are far more difficult to control culturally, when compared to disease and other turf disorders. The secondary damage caused by badgers or birds searching for grubs is what a golfer is most likely to notice and in many cases the level of damage caused can be quite alarming.

How involved would you be with a club? Are you bringing people in to do it, or working with the club’s teams?

Our level of involvement is suited to what the club requires in terms of support. This may vary from an annual agronomy visit, to perhaps four or five visits per year. Initially, it is important to review the course and identify the key objectives to take the course forward over the coming years. From here, a plan can be put in place and we then provide support to the greenstaff and club and monitor and assist progress moving forward.

So do you work with architects as well? If a club is having a

Who are the STRI? The STRI was established in 1929 by The R&A and home unions and was originally known as The Board of Greenkeeping Research.

Conceived to understand more about turf management and improving turf quality, other sports including football, tennis, cricket and rugby became similarly interested and The Sports Turf Research Institute, commonly referred to as the STRI, was born.

It is now the largest sportsturf research and consultancy company worldwide, covering a range of sports, but golf remains at the core.

Consultancy services to golf clubs include agronomy, ecology and design, as well as project managing larger construction schemes.

The STRI’s list of clients includes The R&A, Wimbledon, Sport England and the RFU. They have installed pitches for the World Cup and the Olympic Games and also assist greenkeeping teams at Open Championship venues.

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“You can have the best designs in the world but if the agronomy isn’t considered and implemented correctly then the surfaces won’t perform and complement that design”

redesign, could you be called in to work alongside them?

Absolutely. We work alongside golf course architects on many new builds or redesigns across the world and provide agronomic advice to support the architectural designs.

We also have our own design team at STRI who provide solutions for all aspects of course developments from the initial planning stages, to architectural design, irrigation and drainage design and project monitoring.

Looking at recent projects, Royal Portrush and Turnberry are a couple of great examples of where we have been involved. In terms of the agronomy element of such projects, we provide advice on many factors but getting the construction materials and methods right and grass mix on the surface correct are of fundamental importance.

This inevitably involves a lot of soil analysis in our laboratory to ensure the material used will

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deliver the correct drainage and chemical properties. Following construction we then advise on the ‘grow-in’ of the turf to get the surfaces ready for play.

Apart from the agronomy, our ecology team also provide advice on the ecological side of golf course developments to minimise the impact on wildlife habitats and ideally help the project enhance the biodiversity of the course.

So if you are club embarking on a redesign project, the two really go hand in hand?

It’s crucial. You can have the best designs in the world but if the agronomy isn’t considered and implemented correctly then the surfaces won’t perform and complement that design. So they very much go hand in hand.

Do you think that’s an area clubs think about when they are going through this process?

It depends on the scale of the project. On large scale projects,

most places would consider the agronomy and bring in an agronomist to advise on that. In terms of smaller scale projects – a bunker redevelopment, for example – perhaps the agronomy could be explored better.

You obviously carry out some very high profile projects. But will you work with any clubs?

Absolutely. We work with anybody.

We are involved with clubs of all sizes and budgets, working with courses ranging from municipals to Open Championship venues.

Some of the most rewarding visits and relationships are with clubs that have not got great budgets or staffing levels but still want to achieve high standards of course performance to attract more visitors or members to the club.

In these cases we must focus course inputs to where they are needed most and create a sustainable maintenance model to safeguard for the future.

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Inside the

STRI

At their headquarters in Bingley, in West Yorkshire, the STRI are producing world class sports turf with innovative research. But what goes on there?

We took a sneak peek behind the scenes

The STRI test various lighting rigs like this one.

The lights help the grass growth where regular sunlight is an issue.

You will see fields of grass at the STRI and each is a different trial ground for turf. Every square here represents a separate cultivar of grass – from fescue to bentgrass and ryegrass.

The STRI Trueness Meter measures the trueness and smoothness of golf greens – assessing the deviation on a rolling ball and collecting data on the playing quality.

You’ll find much that reminds you of your own club’s maintenance facility with tractors and equipment from all the major manufacturers dotted about.

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What is happening to the

WEATHER?

W

inter has been a washout.

If it wasn’t the onslaught of the Beast from the East, it was the never-ending spells of rain that kept the fairways and greens sodden and the cash tills closed.

Gene Kelly might have been singing in the rain but relentless downpours are no laughing matter for the golf industry.

What is causing these extremes in weather? Can it simply be put down to climate change?

Of course, we can’t control the weather but is there anything clubs can do to counter the storm?

Mark Hunt is technical director at Headland Amenity, who manufacture and supply turf management products to the sports turf industry.

Since 2007, his weekly Weatherblog on meteorological patterns and how they can affect turf has become essential reading for course managers, greenkeepers and groundsmen.

So who better to ask about why our climate seems so volatile?

There’s a lot of debate about climate change. But is there any doubt in your mind that the weather patterns are changing?

I actually think, contentiously, that the debate is irrelevant. My pet theory is that the nature of the jet stream has changed and that’s what is giving us different

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extremes of weather.

People can argue that we may have experienced those extremes in the past but we can’t correlate that with the jet stream because we have only known about it since the early 1940s. We can’t go back in history.

So looking at why the weather has changed – whether it is climate change, caused by man’s activities, or whatever – it’s slightly irrelevant.

The debate for us is how we deal with what we’ve been dealt.

We are getting more extremes of weather and that’s leading to positives and negatives from a golf club manager’s point of view.

The negatives, specifically, are disease activity. It’s far more aggressive and it’s active at different times of the year than it was when I started in the industry in 1989.

We are seeing diseases we saw maybe in November now in July and August. We are seeing diseases affecting grasses that we have never seen before.

You only have to give the example of the run up to last Christmas.

From the 22nd right through to Christmas Day, we had four days that were really conducive to disease.

Most people are shutting up shop for the year, but some of our highest disease pressure was the week before Christmas.

That was caused by a peak in the jet stream that allowed warm air to come up from the Med. We went to 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 degrees

at night with very high humidity.

The combination of the two drives disease.

We are getting more of these peaks and more of these troughs – and that’s because of the behaviour of the jet stream.

Whether it has fundamentally changed we can’t prove but it is undoubtedly what’s affecting our surfaces.

A lot of course managers say to me they think the seasons have altered…

Just about everywhere I go, one of the biggest changes is the autumn season. We’re getting warmer air later into the year.

Even if last autumn was a traditionally cold one – we had snow in December – we also had 12, 13 and 14 degrees at night.

Autumn has definitely changed.

October is more or less an extension of September now and we don’t really start getting cool nights and frost (until) November.

It’s very rare we get them any earlier.

In January, it was 13 degrees where I lived in the Midlands. If I’d dropped you there and asked you what month of the year it was – if you didn’t look at the trees - it could have been March.

That’s not normal for us. People say ‘we had that 25 or 30 years ago’.

‘We had that in 1947’. ‘We had the worst winter’. I looked at the data and we were nowhere close to that.

It’s difficult to say yes/no. We have to deal with those peaks

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Whether it is torrential downpours or sudden storms, the climate definitely seems to be changing. With clubs reliant on what the weather is doing, Steve Carroll asked expert Mark Hunt what is causing the extremes

and troughs. But the seasons have definitely changed. It’s almost like we have shunted up.

Whatever the debate, what we can all agree on is that the extremes of weather are much more than they used to be…

We have more moisture in the atmosphere now because we are warming up. Sometimes we have these trough events where a low pressure system gets stuck over us.

Instead of moving across the UK and Ireland quickly, it gets stuck in situ and we get rain, and rain and rain – we get these very high daily rain totals.

So what does these pressures mean for golf courses and club managers in particular?

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There’s a multitude. If you look at what we’ve just talked about – because we get very high levels of rainfall over a short period, you are asking the root zone of the green and elsewhere to drain really quickly.

You are asking them to be able to shift water quickly to remain playable. You can do that on a green – if it is constructed the right way with proper drainage.

Most golf courses away from the green don’t have really well drained fairways. You are almost exceeding what you can expect the grass, or root zone, to move through.

It’s not like you have a small amount of rainfall at a time, it’s a big dollop and you’ve got to move it through quickly. We often exceed the parameters of what the greenkeepers are maintaining.

They are having to do more aeration, more sand, more top dressing, to move water through quicker.

Secondly, and arguably the most significant, is disease management.

We are getting more significant climatic drivers and, at the same time, we are getting legislation that is removing a number of different types of pesticide so we have got a perfect storm.

They have less armoury to control disease and have much more aggressive disease activity that comes really quickly.

Disease can move from affecting a plant to killing it in 48 hours because you will have 18 or 20 degrees in October.

The disease is much more aggressive. In the old days, you

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could see a bit of disease and decide whether you wanted to treat it or not. A lot of people would just grow it out.

Now, by the time you see it, and if the conditions are right, it will scar down to the crown. If you get that scarring in October, you might be left with that until March or April.

How much extra rain are we seeing these days than previously?

Figures are deceptive. If you look across a year, you might say ‘we don’t get any more rain than we used to’. It’s more the patterns of rainfall.

So, even in a month, you could say ‘we had 70mm in July’. That’s kind of a wettish July.

But when you drill down, you might find that 70mm, by and large, fell on four days.

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You get these big dollops, rather than spread generally.

That is because we have more moisture in the atmosphere and we are getting these trough events where we tend to get very high amounts over very short periods.

So it’s not necessarily that we get more rain across a year or a month, it’s the pattern of the rainfall. You have got to look further than general figures.

The warmer temperatures in autumn are affecting growing seasons as well – grass is growing for longer?

You could have fungicide on, and you’re still cutting three times a week in October. So you are removing that fungicide quicker.

We did some tests – October 2017 versus October 2016 – and

fungicide was lasting about seven days less.

We lost a week. Instead of it lasting three weeks, we were only getting a fortnight out of it.

That means two applications and a doubling of the cost. They are not cheap things.

That’s where managers will see some of the real impact. Not just in the disease but in the costs of having to treat it…

If you have 30 per cent more growth in October that means you are going to have to cut and maintain that growth.

That’s more diesel, more man hours and more machinery hours.

It’s not all bad news. In the third week of January, it was mild. I had a lot of people who did a lot of aeration, at a time of year when most golfers are just happy to get

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Pictures courtesy of Mrs Jones Photography Ltd

out and hit a ball around.

We didn’t have the Augusta effect.

They were taking advantage of a weather window, because they got growth that week and, providing they could get out and do it and their ground conditions allowed it, they could do some aeration and get recovery before the main revenue months started in March, April and onwards.

You could do the work then instead of in March.

It will be easier then, usually, to get courses ready for that traditional opening, because the growing season starts earlier?

In general it does. Just to flip it on a bit, there’s also a pattern that Aprils are becoming very difficult from a grass growth point of view. In

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general, they are drier and cooler and so we have a warm day but a frost at night.

A golfer plays at midday and he’s in shirt-sleeves. But the greenkeeper, when he was cutting the greens in the morning, probably got frost on the machine.

In those conditions, grass just doesn’t want to grow. March and April would be your traditional aeration dates.

If you leave it until the end of March, you are not going to get much recovery in April. You probably don’t get recovery until May and June.

They say you can’t control the weather. Is there anything clubs can do?

We can’t control the weather but we can be a lot more proactive with understanding the weather

and using it for our benefit, understanding when it is going to work against us and planning.

At seven days you are at the limit of accuracy (with weather forecasts). Beyond 10 days, the accuracy of a weather forecast, for me, is la-la land.

In the UK, with our climate and being on the line of the sub Polar system, it is just too variable.

So what we can do is use the weather sometimes to our advantage, but also look ahead and say ‘I can see some high disease activity coming, I’m going to do x, y and z to pre-empt it’ rather than ‘oh dear, I have got a lot of disease, what am I going to do?’

The good guys, and a lot of the younger guys, are beginning to change their management to be more proactive rather than reactive.

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The weather

WATCHER What do greenkeepers think about the way the climate has changed?

Fulford veteran Mark Mennell gives his take on the weather…

M

ark Mennell has to think hard about the time he last saw what he’d call a ‘proper winter’.

The veteran head greenkeeper, who began his career at York-based Fulford back in 1975, has kept a diary of conditions for more than three decades. They tell him the seasons have altered.

“They definitely seem to have moved. When I look back in the diaries, for the past three or four years the first dressing of our greens has been at the end of February and the beginning of March. If you go back 25 years ago, you wouldn’t dream of dressing then because there wasn’t any body or growth in your greens to take it in. You used to start top-dressing in mid-April. Now you have the opening to do it a bit earlier because of the climate.

“I’m one of those who still thinks that if we went back to 1685 or 1784 the yearly seasons we have now would probably be the same as we had then. Records and statistics are a lot more common now. But, in my 40-odd years, the weather has definitely changed.

“You are having warmer Novembers and Decembers and wetter Junes and Julys. You can have a bitterly cold March and

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April and you’d expect that to be in December and January.

“But we are finding that because of the climate the cutting season, or the fine-tuning, has gone from mid-September to mid-November.

“That’s in the north of England.”

Greenkeepers have much greater access to a host of weather apps and information than when Mennell started but he’s a bit more old school when it comes to following the forecasts.

“I’ve been brought up the way I have and I haven’t become too technically minded. Sometimes it can put you off what you actually want to do. I look at a forecast – like the BBC – but I don’t look at an iPhone. Some of these apps, weather forecasting, don’t do what they say they are going to do.

They’ve stopped me doing what I want and its ballsed up my plans.

“The lads are the other way. They look at charts and temperatures.”

Even with a sceptical regard for technology, Mennell knows extreme weather is much more common. Think about a downpour of rain and the effects of course flooding come into mind. That has far greater impact on a layout than just standing water.

“You can’t get out there and cut because there’s a bit of flooding here, there and everywhere,” explains Mennell. “When you get out there, your fairways are about an inch high because they’ve grown that much. You are trying to cut it clean, you don’t and it’s leaving grass cuttings all over. You look at it and think ‘it’s disgusting’.” * A version of this interview appeared in Your Course, produced with BIGGA, and available in golf clubs.

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The battle of the golf car batteries:

LITHIUM-ION VERSUS LEAD ACID E-Z-GO is the first major manufacturer to introduce a Lithium-ion golf car.

So what are the advantages of bringing them in at your club?

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T

he discussion about golf car batteries and the benefits of the various types has been ongoing for some time now. E-Z-GO is the first major golf car manufacturer to introduce a lithium-ion (liion) golf car and experts in the field of battery power share the consensus that li-ion batteries improve the performance and longevity of golf cars compared to traditional lead acid batteries.

Consumers have also been quick to adopt the new technology, with golf club managers and purse string holders realising that the benefits of li-ion golf cars ultimately outweigh the initial up-front costs. A recent report by Technavio forecasts that the global golf cart battery market will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of nearly 5% between 2017 and 2021. Another report, by the market research firm Genpact, said the global golf car demand will reach 214,000 units this year and that their installation rate for li-ion batteries will jump drastically from one per cent last year to 14 per cent this year.

The li-ion battery installation rate on Korean golf cars has already surpassed 90 percent, according to the same report.

E-Z-GO has capitalised on the trend in the market and has taken the lead in this field.

“Vendors are expanding their current production capacities for lead-acid batteries. Samsung SDI has a contract with golf car manufacturer E-Z-GO to supply its cylindrical battery, which is based on the li-ion battery technology,” says Thanikachalam Chandrasekaran, a lead analyst at Technavio for energy storage research.

This collaboration has resulted in the E-Z-GO ELiTE golf car series,

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where the vehicles are powered by hundreds of Samsung SDI lithium cells that are loaded into a single battery pack.

The battery pack is controlled by an advanced Battery Management System that monitors efficiency, temperature, state of charge and the health of the batteries.

“The golf course industry is witnessing a transformation, owing to the use of latest technologies,” Chandrasekaran says.“To enhance a golfer’s experience and attract new customers, golf clubs are integrating the latest models of golf cars.”

It is no surprise that clubs are looking to enhance the golfing experience, given the competitive nature of the industry. A golfer will spend approximately 85 to 90 per cent of their time in a golf car in many cases, so it seems that investing in golf cars is key.

Since the introduction of the ELiTE Series in 2017, it has been widely adopted by a range of clubs with vastly differing budgets including Prince’s Golf Club, in Kent, and Real Club Valderrama, in Spain,

”This dramatic reduction in weight and size of the battery means that the golf car can reach higher speeds”

to name but a few.

While clubs are realising the benefits of li-ion technology, there are still obstacles to overcome and a big one is budget.

The cost of an E-Z-GO ELiTE golf car is approximately 20 per cent more expensive than the cost of an equivalent vehicle with a lead acid battery. This may seem like a hefty difference in price but, if you study the long-term financial savings as well as the time saved on maintenance and charging, the former soon becomes the more appealing option. The benefits of li-ion technology have been broken down in the categories below to fully understand the myriad benefits and the areas that have the most potential for making significant cost savings.

Weight A golf car with a li-ion battery has a significantly enhanced power-toweight ratio.

Li-ion batteries are half the size of lead acid batteries and a fraction of the weight. To put a figure on this, a standard li-ion battery in an E-Z-GO ELiTE golf car weighs 23kg, compared to a standard lead-acid battery, which weighs around 150kg. This dramatic reduction in weight and size of the battery means that the golf car can reach higher speeds with less effort and carry more weight without the power fading and the performance diminishing.

This huge weight saving allows the lithium-powered car to carry the equivalent of an additional two average-sized adults and their equipment before reaching capacity.

This is made possible because lithium batteries maintain the same voltage outputs regardless of the battery’s charge. As a result, the golf car continues to perform

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after its lead-acid counterpart has shown signs of fatigue.

In comparison, lead acid batteries lose voltage output and performance after 70 to 75 per cent of the rated battery capacity is used, which has a negative impact on carrying capacity and the issue is highlighted as the day progresses.

Maintenance One of the major benefits of li-ion batteries is that they require no maintenance whatsoever as opposed to lead-acid batteries, which need regular checks and maintenance.

This ultimately results in saved man hours and the extra costs of maintenance tools and products.

The lack of lead-acid means that chemical spills are avoided and the chance of downtime on your golf cars is drastically reduced.

However, it is still important to take care of any vehicle or machinery to protect it for years of use.

One of the biggest factors when it comes to the wear and tear of golf cars is the weight of them. A heavy vehicle is more of a challenge to drive uphill or on uneven terrain, and can damage turf, especially in wet conditions.

The reduction in weight when using li-ion batteries protects turf and removes unnecessary stress on brakes and other components on the golf car.

Charging This is an inevitable part of owning any vehicle powered by electricity. Regardless of the type of battery, electric vehicles still need to be charged. This can be an inconvenience if you do not have a fleet of golf cars or a schedule that allows time for charging in between uses. Golf cars need to be able to maintain consistent power and speed on a range of terrains.

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”The longevity and performance enhancing capabilities of li-ion batteries somewhat outweighs the initial up-front cost”

Studies have proven that li-ion batteries are able to provide this consistency, but lead-acid batteries will have a negative impact on the performance of the golf car as the voltage dips.

On average, it takes eight hours to fully recharge a lead-acid battery.

However, a li-ion battery can be recharged up to 80 per cent of its capacity in just one hour, and 100 per cent in less than four hours.

Another contrast between the two types of battery is that partially of charge lead-acid batteries are susceptible to sulfation damage, meaning if the golf car is charged to less than 100 per cent, the life of the battery is significantly reduced.

Conversely, li-ion batteries show no adverse effects of being charged less than capacity, meaning that users can “opportunity charge” - plugging vehicles in for quick charging sessions that can rapidly restore significant levels of energy to the battery system, as opposed to the lengthy recharge cycles required by lead-acid batteries.

Golfers will often pay good money to enjoy a round of golf and, in this day and age, it is unacceptable for a golf car to run out of juice half way through a round.

Not only can it potentially ruin

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the golfer’s overall experience, but it drives much needed business away. For this reason, the importance of efficient and long-lasting battery life in golf cars cannot be understated.

Eco-Friendly The E-Z-GO website states:“Driven by a zero-emissions, greener battery technology, ELiTE vehicles protect the Earth by using less energy.”

This statement is supported by the fact that li-ion batteries take significantly less time to fully charge, and the life span of lithiumpowered batteries is longer than lead-acid counterparts.

Li-ion batteries do not contain hazardous material, whereas lead-acid batteries, as the name suggests, contain lead, which is harmful to the environment.

However, both are recyclable which is only a positive thing for the environment.

Many golf clubs now have environmental policies in place, some of which are overseen by the Golf Environment Organisation (GEO) and other official bodies.

The introduction of li-ion golf cars has given clubs another avenue to enhance environmental sustainability on the golf course in an industry that is always striving to reduce its carbon footprint.

To Conclude…

The longevity and performance enhancing capabilities of li-ion batteries somewhat outweighs the initial up-front cost that consumers are faced with.

If golf clubs and private users can see beyond this, not only does the investment pay for itself over time, but big savings can be made in the way of reduced energy bills, maintenance costs, and possible repairs that would otherwise need to be made to heavy lead-acid golf cars and any damage to turf that they cause.

Furthermore, in a spate of recent lead-acid battery thefts at a number of golf clubs in the UK, a li-ion battery is not valuable to thieves in terms of its content or the material it is made from.

While it does not combat the underlying issue of criminal activity, it does at least reduce the chances of theft and the financial and legal impact associated with it.

In a market where the trend leans towards lithium technology being the way forward, there will no doubt be more and more manufacturers following in the footsteps of E-Z-GO and its introduction of the ELiTE series.

For more information about E-Z-GO ELiTE, visit www.ransomesjacobsen.com

GCMA.ORG.UK | 59

GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

From the

HELPDESK This month: Statutory training and... retirement options Is there a document in the library that highlights all statutory training that all team members should have on file?

There is no definitive answer as your duty as an employer is to provide whatever information, instruction, training and supervision as necessary to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety at work of your employees. Any training needs to be relevant to the staff members’ duties and will vary from department to department. There are certain subjects where you could argue that all staff should have training such as: * awareness of the club’s health & safety and policy – all staff * awareness of the control of substances hazardous to health (COSHH) regulations – all staff but department specific * when and how to report injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences regulations (RIDDOR) – all staff * fire safety awareness training – all staff * first aid – selected staff dependant on current regulations * manual handling training – most staff, dependant on duties * basic risk assessment training – all staff * annual updates in essential areas of fire safety and manual handling

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* Food hygiene or food safety awareness training – bar & catering staff and managers * Safeguarding children training – all staff who deal with children.

Our steward is in his early 70s while the stewardess has just been diagnosed with cancer and faces long term treatment for recovery. It appears neither has made much provision, or plans, for life after finishing their employment. The club are keen to try and assist them plan for the future. This may involve ascertaining what accommodation and retirement plans they have. Both have been good servants of the club and we are anxious to avoid the scenario where their employment ends and they are given two weeks to vacate the tied accommodation. Can the club begin discussions on their plans for retirement and the future without infringing their employment rights? They could continue for the next five years but, if for whatever reason they can’t, we want them to have a future secured - particularly with regards to accommodation and would like to speak to them about it without them feeling we are lining them up to end their employment.

With retirement, you can begin discussing the issue as long as you keep to the following guidelines: Whatever the age of an employee, discussing in a general way their future aims and aspirations can help an employer identify training or development needs and provide an opportunity to discuss future work requirements. For all employees, these discussions may involve the question of where they see themselves in the next few years and how they view their contribution to the organisation.

A useful exercise is to ask open questions regarding an employee’s aims and plans for the short, medium and long term. Some employers may find it useful to hold these discussions as part of their formal appraisal process.

Any direct question such as “are you planning to retire in the near future” is best avoided. If the employee indicates they wish to retire there is no problem in the employer talking to them about the date and any working arrangements leading up to it.

The outcome of any workplace discussions should be recorded by the employer and held for as long as there is a business need for doing so. It’s good practice to give a copy to the employee. Further guidance is at www.acas.org.uk/ index.aspx?articleid=3203

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From the

REGIONS SOUTH WEST Thursday, March 15 Business meeting, Bristol International Airport A packed house heard from Bristol Airport’s Jacqui Mills as she talked about the planned developments and partnerships with Visit Britain that will open up opportunities for clubs in the South West to serve a growing number of American tourists to the region.

Matthew Armsby, of BC Technologies, discussed cyber essentials and GDPR – talking about recent data breaches that had appeared in the news. Had they been brought to light after the May 25 deadline for GDPR compliance, they would have incurred much heftier fines than they received. An organisation called IASME has compiled a list of 171 questions you can complete in order to guarantee that you are GDPR ready. Matthew’s key messages were: map how you use your data, question whether you need as much detail as you currently hold, check that your data security isn’t vulnerable to being hacked and make sure you have consent for the way you’re using your data.

Albatross Digital Golf’s James Wilkinson presented the results of social media campaigns by former club manager Sam Poole and discussed the flexibility and merits of using advertising on social media in order to raise awareness

62 | GCMA.ORG.UK

and promote membership.

PlayMoreGolf’s Jamie Carroll then revealed how clubs can implement flexible memberships without cannibalising their current member base. Solutions to ensure staff are all pulling in the same direction were offered by Andrea NcNeil, of True Resilience. She has worked with many clubs and acted as mediator and group coach helping to co-ordinate a resilient team with a strong focus in working together thus not only improving productivity but also creating unity and fulfilled members of your team.

Artworking’s Geoff Ellis showed the importance and value in golf course images of high quality.

The golf was won by Martin Yeates, Managers ofRegional The Dyke, with 37 points.

Full details at gcma.org.uk/ regions Chiltern & Home Counties

Martin Bennet East Anglia

Gary Smith East Midlands

Rod Savage London & Home Counties

Maureen Brooker Midland

Rob Wormstone Norfolk

John Barnard North West

Neil Annandale Northern

SOUTHERN Thursday, March 15 Business meeting, Waterlooville The main presenters were Ant Palmer, of Sea Blue Media, who advised on how to commission a club video, and Paul Mould, of Material Matters, who explained how they can save clubs money.

He outlined an example where, within seven days, he had a saved a club £3,000 a year on diesel purchases. A number of clubs have arranged follow up meetings.

A worthwhile open forum covered new handicap arrangements, rule changes, GDPR, course closures, bank charges, laundry and membership trends.

Terry Minett Northern Ireland

Jim Cullen Scotland

Bernard Flockhart South East

John Edgington South West

Karen Drake Southern

Paul Gaylor Wales

Mike Rees Wessex

Alex Taylor Yorkshire

Cameron Dawson

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My success story...

RUSSELL MAYNE

Sponsors of My Success Story

When your course is a staple of top 100 lists, it takes guts to make big changes.

But that’s what they did at Saunton and they are reaping the rewards. General manager Russell Mayne talks Steve Carroll through the project…

A

worthy understudy, the second course: Saunton’s West layout was labelled, even though most clubs would kill for its beautiful surroundings on the outstanding north Devon coast.

But when directly opposite you is the East, a course that’s considered one of Britain’s best and a worthy candidate if the Open Championship rota was ever to expand, then it’s hard not to play favourites.

One of Saunton’s strongest unique selling propositions is that they can boast 36 holes of such quality. Lots of clubs have two courses but there’s often the Championship – and then another.

Saunton’s members have always been equally split as to which of the East or West was their favourite, and the two are very different golf courses.

“To have two championship links courses in their own right is an absolute blessing,” says general manager Russell Mayne.

“It’s really enabled us to provide a fantastic service for our customers in that they can be here for one, two or three days playing two rounds on each course and really get the full experience of links golf

64 | GCMA.ORG.UK

in North Devon.”

Mayne’s ethos is that if a visitor comes back each year to play a round they should find something new, something to entice them to return.

He explains:“We are very much working on the premise that if you are stood still you are going backwards. There are some very good courses in the UK that are continually looking to improve and I don’t think there should ever be any harm in trying to be the best that you possibly can.”

And so through the winter of 2016, even though the West course held a strong position in a host of top 100 ranking lists, and commanded huge respect, Saunton undertook what can only be called an extensive remodelling.

Nine holes were altered in all, with the help of esteemed

“We want visiting golfers and members not to have a favourite. We want an even split as to which they think is best”

architect Tom Mackenzie. Bunkers were added, tees were extended and raised, even fairways were moved.

Nowhere was the impact of the redesign seen more powerfully than the 12th, a par 5 Mayne describes as “very bland” before new back tees, altering the shape of the fairway, new bunkers and a realigned ditch transformed it. But why make the changes?

“We want our visiting golfers and our members to not have a favourite course,” Mayne declares.

“We want it to be an even split as to which one they think is best.

“We are very much trying to sell 36-hole packages or two-day packages and to get people to experience everything about Saunton.

“With the West, it’s a fantastic course in its own right but there

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The wonderful surroundings of Saunton’s West course

were quite a few things we could do to really enhance it without making it 7,500 yards.

“Even though we have 36 holes of links golf here, they are two very different golf courses that need to be played in very different ways.

“It was to bolster the West so that people would never feel shortchanged by playing what is the newer golf course.”

With the work, completed over 12 weeks and finished just over a year ago, having been received “absolutely brilliantly”,the club have had the exact response they hoped for when they embarked on the project.

“We are finding that people just want to play both golf courses.

There is no preference. Half the membership will say they prefer the West and half the East.

“Because of the work we have

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done on the West, we are seeing people coming down and saying ‘I haven’t played the West for years, let’s have a crack’.

“By doing the right thing, and believing it, it’s almost been one of the best marketing tools ever in that we are getting people now phoning up saying ‘I want to play the West’ rather than before when it was ‘which is your championship and which is the longest?’ It really has worked very, very well.”

Add to that the boost in membership numbers yearon-year, particularly in trying to attract juniors and that awkward 20 to 40s group that drift away from the game, and it’s a winning combination.

“I have been mindful that there are three very distinct markets that we need to be targeting.

“One is really increasing the

numbers of juniors in the game and we are doing fantastic work with the local community and schools to get people involved.

“The second is looking marketing-wise about how you attract people between the ages of about 20 and late 40s to your course – those who are either working or don’t have disposable income to be a member - and providing those opportunities.

“We are very much focused on the ladies side as well and it’s also very important to take care of your existing members, your senior members who have been members for a long time.”

We want to hear all about the success stories at your club.

Get in touch by emailing s.carroll@sportspub.co.uk

GCMA.ORG.UK | 65

GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

March 2018

STATS UK&I 6,808 Total competitions recorded

GENTS:

LADIES:

4,326 2,482

44

Hole-in-ones made in qualifying events during March

25,017

TOP 10

total HowDidiDo Order of Merit sign ups for 2018

lowest handicaps by country

190,529 total rounds of golf recorded

1,504

eagles or better

66 | GCMA.ORG.UK

67,053 birdies

626,651

1 Scotland 6 Scotland

2 GUI 3 England 4 GUI 5 Wales

7 England 8 GUI 9 England 10 Scotland

Stats provided by HowdidIdo.com

pars

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