The Golf Club Manager: June 2018

THE GOLF CLUB

MANAGER ISSUE 15 | JUNE 2018

THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE GOLF CLUB MANAGERS’ ASSOCIATION

EDUCATION

DATA HANDLING

IS YOUR CLUB A POTENTIAL CYBER-CRIME TAR GET? GCMA

FLEXIBLE MEMBERSHIP MEET ONE OF OUR FIRST A F F I L I AT E M E M B E R S

INTERVIEW

NICK PINK

THE ENGLAND GOLF CHIEF ON THE NEED TO C R E AT E A N E W IMAGE FOR THE GAME

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

CONTENTS ISSUE 15 | JUNE 2018

GCMA

CAREERS

04

GCMA chief executive Bob Williams

38

10

Why affiliate membership could be for you

Why GCMA recruitment can help your club

INDUSTRY

EDUCATION

20

A Matter of Opinion: Working together

46

How to protect your club against cyber crime

28

Keeping you In The Loop with industry news

50

What if you suspect your staff are stealing?

INTERVIEWS

REGIONAL

34

60

Meet the Manager: Moortown’s Peter Rishworth

64

Stephen Nicholson explains Oxford’s turnaround

England Golf chief executive Nick Pink

28

60

20

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 ISSUE 15 | JUNE 2018

THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE GOLF CLUB MANAGERS’ ASSOCIATION

EDUCATION

DATA HANDLING

IS YOUR CLUB A POTENTIAL CYBER-CRIME TAR GET? GCMA

FLEXIBLE MEMBERSHIP MEET ONE OF OUR FIRST A F F I L I AT E M E M B E R S

INTERVIEW

NICK PINK

THE ENGLAND GOLF CHIEF ON THE NEED TO C R E AT E A N E W IMAGE FOR THE GAME

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

001 GCMA June 18 Cover.indd 3

30/05/2018 13:40

ON THE COVER: England Golf chief executive Nick Pink Picture courtesy of Leaderboard Photography

ISSUE 15 | JUNE 2018

S

o May 25th has come and gone. It seems our world has been governed by the introduction of GDPR, and now it has arrived.

As I have travelled around the Spring regional meetings, GDPR has very much taken centre stage with a number of commercial bodies presenting a way forward.

Hopefully you are all up to speed with the legislation and have the relevant policies in place.

While visiting the regions, I took a couple of days out to meet with the golf management associations of Sweden and Denmark. This is the second year we have got ourselves around the table and once again it proved to be a most valuable exercise. While GDPR was relevant to all, the discussions ranged from governance of the individual associations to how we deliver professional development, and how private members golf clubs in Sweden far outweigh the commercial sector.

In mentioning Board Governance, I would like to make all members aware we will be looking to appoint two new directors from April 2019. Eddie Bullock and Gary Steele will come to the end of their term of office and will not be eligible to stand again. Should you feel you can contribute, or would like to be involved in progressing the GCMA, please feel free to give me a call to obtain an understanding of what is involved.

Last month I made reference to the introduction of the Affiliate membership. We have now

launched the initiatives for this category of membership, but if you would like to know more please feel free to contact Ann or Marie at HQ. Looking ahead to July I will once again making mention of The R&A and the Open at Carnoustie, however my mention of The R&A on this occasion takes a slightly different angle as I have just returned from the launch of The R&A’s women’s charter in London, which the GCMA is supporting with the introduction of our ‘Women’s Golf Leadership Group’.

Should you want to find out more about this group please call Marie at HQ. Bob Williams – chief executive

“May 25th has come and gone. It seems our world has been governed by the introduction of GDPR. Now it has arrived“

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Are You Ready for the GDPR?

The Datato Protection effect on 2018, 25 May were for Withnew just General four months go beforeRegulations the deadlinetook of 25th May are2018 you -ready you ready? This huge shakeup to UK protection legislation, andand it affects all the GDPR? Thisisis athe biggest shakeup todata UK data protection legislation it affects organisations that hold personal information about UK Citizens.

With fines of up to all organisations that hold personal information about UK Citizens. With fines of up £20m or or 4%4% of global turnover, your club needs to take ownership now! to £20m 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 as soonthe as deadline. possible. Working closely with the GCMA, we are still compliance before 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

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

Ganton looked a picture for the GCMA Yorkshire Spring Meeting, staged on May 10. After an informative morning, which you can read about on page 62, Leeds Golf Centre’s Nigel Sweet continued

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his impressive recovery from a heart attack earlier in the year by romping home in a two-underpar 70 for a hugely impressive 38 points. It means he has qualified for the Fairway Credit finals, held at The Berkshire in September.

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Some of the winners of the GCMA Golf Club Management Awards – Simon Hopkins, Dylan Williams and Claire Morris, from Pyle and Kenfig (Team of the Year), and St. Ives’ Gordon

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MacLeod (Newcomer) - enjoyed their prize of a day at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. The awards were one of the highlights of last year’s National Conference at Mercedes-Benz World.

3

Members of the GCMA Young Managers’ Group visited Royal Norwich to find out more about the club’s historic relocation. Over two days led by general manager Phil Grice, attendees also heard from estates manager Peter Todd, architect Ross McMurray and project manager Richard Utting.

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Why I’ve joined the GCMA as an

AFFILIATE MEMBER Lara Johnson, member events coordinator for Golf At Goodwood, is one of the first people to take advantage of the GCMA’s new affiliate member category. She reveals why she has joined up…

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hat is your background in golf club management?

I started out in food and beverage at Bognor Regis before moving to an admin role on the Goodwood Estate. It was there I realised sports management was the dream so I took an opportunity to move into the Estate’s event sales and planning team to focus on group and society golf. I did that for nearly three years before joining the Golf At Goodwood team in an operational role. Last March, I took on my current role as member events coordinator.

What does your role involve?

My role was introduced to help deliver our vision of having a ‘brilliant’ member event programme. Our aim is for our members to get maximum enjoyment from their time with us so I spend my days getting creative with our events and making sure we can actually deliver what I come up with.

Why were you keen to join the GCMA as an affiliate member?

I want to learn everything about

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the industry and constantly challenge the way I do things.

I try to step back from my ‘to do list’ once in a while and remind myself what is happening out there. Sharing ideas with, and learning from, industry leaders is a great way to do that, so affiliate membership will allow me to do it more regularly. Having access to GCMA resources is invaluable, I’ll be better informed and equipped when the time comes for me to step into a club management role.

Which membership benefits do you think will most help you?

I’ll make the most out of the affiliate webinar programme and library access but I’m most excited to attend my first GCMA Conference.

What involvement have you had with the GCMA in the past?

I have attended a few Young Managers’ Group events, including the recent retreat to Royal Norwich, which was inspirational.

Walking the new course with Ross McMurray and Peter Todd, being shown all the different stages, is something I know I’ll look back on in years to come and think ‘I learned that then’.

WHAT IS AFFILIATE MEMBERSHIP? Affiliate membership is designed to create a pathway into golf club management for aspiring managers, and to support full members by increasing the levels of expertise and knowledge in all areas of the golf club business.

Affiliate membership is open to anyone employed in a golf facility with a professional interest in golf management, who isn’t eligible to become a full member.

Examples of eligible roles include: membership, events, marketing, administration, finance, front of house, catering, greenkeeping and professional. Member benefits include receiving weekly newsletters and the monthly journal as well as gaining access to webinars, the library and the helpdesk. Affiliate members can also attend some regional meetings and benefit from a preferential conference rate.

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GCMA Affiliate Membership now open!

Affiliate Membership is open to anyone employed in a golf facility with a professional interest in golf management.

The new category creates a pathway into golf club management for aspiring club managers, and supports GCMA members by increasing the levels of expertise and knowledge in all areas of the golf club business.

DON’T MISS OUR LAUNCH OFFERS Our early bird rates are strictly limited to the first 25 applicants, so act now!

EARLY BIRD (SAVE £24): Membership until 1 January 2019: £75 (£99) EARLY BIRD (SAVE £74): Membership until 1 January 2020: £175 (£199)

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Join today: gcma.org.uk/affiliate

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GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

Helping unearth golf’s newest

SUPERSTARS

Rafiah Banday watches her shot at Fulford during the Girls’ Under-16 Open

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A former European Tour venue, Fulford hosted their first R&A event with the inaugural Girls Under-16 Open. Steve Carroll talked to the people – including former GCMA Manager of the Year Gary Pearce - who made it a success...

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arely reaching parity with the headcovers sticking out of her trolley, Fulford looked like it might swallow up 10-yearold Rosie Bee Kim. But looks, as they say, can be deceiving. The youngest player in the field at the inaugural R&A Girls Under-16 Open, she amazed everyone in the second round by dominating a championship course renowned regionally for its difficulty.

“I was watching her play pushing her trolley with a bag,” said Fulford general manager Gary Pearce.“She was really small and knocked it round in 1-underpar gross. She had five birdies in a row.

“It was just incredible to see and she will be competing in this tournament for the next five years.”

If that is a story of achievement against the apparent odds then Fulford’s tale isn’t too far behind.

The York course was a fixture of the European Tour scene for 23 consecutive years from the 1970s to the ‘90s.

Seve, Faldo, Trevino, Lyle, Woosnam, Norman – the list of golfing greats that strode Charles Mackenzie’s fairways during the Benson & Hedges International Open and Murphy’s Cup goes on and on.

It was a who’s who of the sport at the time, not to forget a certain Bernhard Langer scaling what is now a very famous tree in the early 1980s.

Fulford held the very first Women’s British Open, won by Jenny Lee Smith in 1976, a tournament that’s now a major on the LET and LPGA Tours.

But technology moved on and so did the professional game.

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The course continued to hold elite amateur tournaments, such as the European Ladies’ Team Championships in 2013.

But they had never held an R&A event – until a call late last summer set the pulses racing among club officials and members alike. Even so, there were no high expectations as they prepared for the first of a three-year run of this new early season competition.

“We hoped, between The R&A and ourselves, to have 60 to 80 players,” remembered Pearce.“We were completely unsure what the international field would be like – whether it would be more of a national field or not.

“In actual fact, even with the short notice, it was over-subscribed and the standard was a lot better than expected.”

The lowest handicap was +3.5, courtesy of Switzerland’s Elena Moosmann who finished third, and there were plenty of scratch and plus handicaps to watch despite the tender ages of the competitors.

It was won in dramatic fashion by Scotland’s Hannah Darling, whose 40-foot putt at the last saw her pip Beth Coulter, who took a closing eight. She had to content herself with the Under-14s trophy, while Kim parred the last three to take Under-12 honours.

“The ladies course at Fulford is a par 74.

They actually used all white tees and two of the yellow tees, so they played a longer course than normal.

“Our course record was 70 and we had a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old who shot five-under-par 69s on day one and day two. The standard was just incredible.”

If setting up an event from scratch was

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GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

“It went from a winter course to a course that got really heavily praised

by The R&A and all the players as well”

one obstacle, ensuring it could be played on a course of tournament standard was quite another – and would turn out to be a far more formidable challenge.

It’s difficult enough preparing a course in the north of England for elite competition in the early spring. Imagine how much more difficult that becomes when you’ve come off one of the wettest, and most relentless, winters of recent years.

The Beast from the East, which dumped snow all over the country, took the headlines but was only part of the problem.

“There’s no doubt that, with about a month to go, things

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looked pretty grim out there,” explained Pearce.

“It was very much a winter course and there was no growth. It was wet like everywhere else.

“The greenkeepers were probably about three weeks behind where they normally were in preparation for the season.

“But we were fortunate enough to have a dry spell. The sun came out for a good 10 days and the amount of effort and work that [head greenkeeper] Mark Mennell and his team put in over that really brought the course together.

“It went from being a winter course to a course that got really heavily praised by both The R&A

and all the players as well, and looked almost as though it was the middle of the season.”

For Mennell, the build up was seven months of trouble.

“It was probably the toughest season we have had ahead of an early tournament,” he said.“We didn’t do any maintenance on the greens. All we tried to do was smooth them out but we were top dressing in between rain.

“On four of the greens, we did it physically by hand. We got our tractors and trailers as near to the green as we could and then we [wheel] barrowed it.

“We shovelled it and barrowed it from 20 yards away from the

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greens, onto the greens, and then physically did it by hand – instead of top dressing with the machine we did the others on.”

Mennell loved that, going back to the old school, but some parts of the course were so wet the team went out with hand mowers because they didn’t want to use the big machines in those areas.

The team spirit that brought them to the start line merely intensified once tournament week got under way.

“We worked on a morning and an evening during the tournament. We got here at 4.30am on the Monday right through to the Sunday.”

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And if the greenkeepers put their heart and soul into the tournament, and bought into the new venture, so the members did as well.

“We had a waiting list of volunteers, which was incredible,” declared Pearce.“We had 82 names down. We had to provide about 45 volunteers every day and it was a big ask. At first, I did wonder whether we would get that much interest from members but they fully supported it and enjoyed it.”

There are two further instalments of this competition to come but they are not the only events to which Fulford can look forward.

“We had already got a plan to

develop our own junior golf and we secured the Carris Trophy for July this year and we thought that was going to be our junior activity this year. When the opportunity came to do a girls event at the same time, it has brought all that together and we are really proud to be pushing girls’ and boys’ golf this year. It’s a special year for Fulford.”

Pictures courtesy of Getty Images and Naomi Baker. Naomi is the first recipient of the Getty Images Sport Photographer Internship, developed in partnership with Women’s Sport Trust, Cerno Capital and Canon, to encourage women to pursue a career in sports photography.

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In conversation with…

DAVID MORGAN David Morgan has three courses, two clubhouses and 81 staff to lead as secretary manager at Gullane. And, as he tells Steve Carroll, he’s also got two large tournaments to consider this year as well…

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ne golf course is often enough for a manager but Gullane has three.

With the events you hold, it must be a

big job…

Gullane has been fortunate over the years to be chosen to host numerous events. We have an honours board in the members’ clubhouse that lists the various championships we have hosted.

But the step up over the last couple of years has been to host a European Tour event. Next month is our second hosting of the men’s Scottish Open and this time round we’re staging the ladies’ event as well. Aberdeen Standard Investments wanted a single venue for the two events so it was fantastic they chose us. We held the Scottish Open three years ago and people asked me ‘was the event a success in 2015?’

From the feedback we got it was, but more importantly from a members’ point of view it was also a massive success because there was so much involvement. They really got behind it.

What sort of club is Gullane?

Gullane is your epitome of a Scottish golf club. It has a very

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diverse membership because the golf is the glue, if you like, for everyone. We have all skills and walks of life in our membership, from local builders and plumbers, to Edinburgh lawyers and surgeons, and when they get on the golf course they all just play golf together. Golf up here is very good at that. It’s all about playing the game they love.

You were previously at Broadstone for four years.

It’s hard not to be excited by Gullane though…

Broadstone was a fabulous club to work at, but when this role came up it felt like a step up and also a chance to get back closer to our family. Following three interviews, I was fortunate enough to get the position. When I started, the club were just kicking off a £2 million refurbishment of the clubhouse, as well as hosting the Scottish Open the following July.

I started in the November and the clubhouse was three or four months into its build and was due to open in May. We had the Scottish Open in July so the first seven or eight months was a bit of a rollercoaster for us trying to get everything lined up.

But there’s a great team at the

club and they really buy into making sure we provide a great facility.

When I think about your region, I think about North Berwick, Muirfield and Gullane. You are part of the fabric of Scottish golf…

The East Lothian coastline, Scotland’s Golf Coast, is blessed with 22 golf courses and I don’t think there are any bad ones on that stretch. Muirfield has a huge history and is, of course, an Open venue but North Berwick is just as famous for its history and course design.

Gullane, I think a little bit, lived in the shadow of Muirfield. Certainly, in terms of hosting events, it’s probably come to the fore a little bit more now though.

But the land along the coast is just perfect golfing territory. We get feedback all the time about the quality of the playing surfaces.

We were stimping greens at over 9.5 foot in December! Not just fast, but also true.

It’s fabulous. It’s one of the great things of links golf. Golf is in the blood on the coast. Gullane village is a bit like St Andrews where you can go into the local Co-op or Tesco Express and there’s a set

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David Morgan at Gullane

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of golf clubs standing outside the door and there’s a guy in the queue with his golf shoes on.

That’s the charming thing about golf on that coast. It starts and ends in the village. The village is very much part of the club as well.

July is going to be an exciting month…

The Scottish Open is obviously a big event on the European Tour schedule and has become part of the Rolex Series, which sees the prize fund this year go up to around seven million euros.

It’s the week before the Open and it’s always been used as a bit of a run into the Open.

We had some nice feedback in 2015, when Rickie Fowler was the winner, so it is really exciting and the Tour are a great bunch of guys to work with.

They are very professional and the Tour is an exciting proposition just now. They are looking to try and change things up a little bit.

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Gullane Golf Club Golf has been played over Gullane links for more than 350 years but the club was established in 1882.

Gullane No. 1 is the oldest course there by 14 years, while Willie Park Jnr established No. 2 and No. 3 in 1898 and 1910 respectively.

They offer very different challenges with No. 2 renowned for its testing short holes and No. 3 focusing on shot making skills.This year, the Scottish Open for men and women will be held at the East Lothian venue.

“I have to pinch myself sometimes just to realise how lucky I am. I have worked in some great venues but Gullane is definitely up there”

It’s always a challenge when you close the course for a month to your members. That is difficult.

We are lucky though, we have got a composite course which we’ll make up using holes that are not in use for the Scottish Opens. It’s good fun. It will have a CSS and they will be able to play competitions on it.

The Championship course is 16 holes of No.1 and two holes of No.2, which takes out the No. 2 course.

The 18th on No. 3 is where the players’ lounge and range are so all three courses as an entity are gone for that period.

We’ve also got limited access in the week between the ladies and the gents where we will be able to play the championship golf course.

It’s quite exciting. They will play the same holes the European Tour players will with all the stands up around 18 and the various stands around the course.

It creates a bit of a buzz. I was

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Scenes from the Scottish Open

fortunate that I played in 2015 on the Monday and we played it from the proper tees. You realise how far these guys really hit it when you are standing at 7,200 yards.

They just make it look so easy.

What sort of planning goes into staging events like this?

It’s a lot of organisation, planning meetings with our partners – East Lothian council, Visit Scotland, Aberdeen Standard Investments, the European Tour and the Ladies European Tour/IMG. It’s fun to be involved in that. The infrastructure/build starts six or seven weeks out.

We are really fortunate that we have many volunteers from within the club who take up the marshalling and scoring roles and all the other clubs come in as well.

It’s like the Open.

We have 16 local clubs who come in, take a hole each, and marshal it. To give you an indication of the number of

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volunteers, just from Gullane we have over 320 volunteers, and we’re looking at about 800 volunteers in total to run the men’s event.

So the whole town comes out?

Pretty much. The last time round, I remember walking along one morning in the village and Graeme McDowell’s sitting in the coffee shop window having a coffee. It’s quite surreal but the village really buy into it. Most of the people in the village are golfers and it’s a real jamboree of golf.

It’s great to have the women’s event as well. They worked really well together at Dundonald and created a real buzz…

The ladies event and the field at Dundonald was incredible. I think they had eight or nine of the top 10 ladies in the world and 25 out of the top 40. It’s a very strong field because it is co-sanctioned

with the LPGA Tour and it has seen a big increase in the prize pot as well. When it was a European Tour ladies’ event, I think the prize fund was about 400,000 euros. It’s now around 1.7 million dollars. It’s a big step up for the ladies as well and it’s very similar to the men’s event too. It’s a warm up for the Women’s British Open the following week.

It works well.

You are among all this golfing history at Gullane. Coming into work must be a delight…

I have to pinch myself sometimes just to realise how lucky I am. I have been fortunate and worked in some great venues around the country. But Gullane is definitely up there as one the top members’ clubs and the heritage and history that it has is incredible. There are a lot of big golf venues, but to have 1,800 members at one club over three courses – I don’t think there will be many bigger member owned golf clubs in the UK.

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A Matter of Opinion

WORKING TOGETHER

From left to right: John Dexter, Malcolm Huddlestone,The Golf Club Manager editor Steve Carroll and Mick Thorpe

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he serene setting of Ganton, with its history and tradition, was the venue for the recent Yorkshire spring meeting and, alongside the networking and business presentations, we took the chance to grill a trio of local managers about what affects them in their offices. Considering social

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media, joining fees and tee time companies, Scarcroft’s Mick Thorpe, Pontefract & District’s Malcolm Huddlestone, and Garforth’s John Dexter revealed three heads are often better than one…

The golf world is changing all the time, which means your jobs are getting more challenging.

What are those challenges?

Mick Thorpe: Every club has its own challenges. We’re at a very traditional golf club at Ganton and Scarcroft sees itself on similar lines to here and now they are having to realise the challenges of progressing. We have to change and adopt almost a different mentality to attract new players into the club. It’s not just membership, but visitors as well.

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They are fighting for the same business but, in this month’s Matter of Opinion, three Yorkshire managers reveal how teaming up has helped them meet the challenges they face in their day-to-day jobs…

You are trying to get all different kinds of people to come and play and experience what we offer. And what we offer has also got to be what they want. I think at many clubs there has been a reluctance to change and take that challenge on. We’re in north Leeds and there are lots of different clubs. People have got so many opportunities, and so much choice, that you almost have to have a niche where you offer something slightly different.

Knowing what they want is not always perceived by your own members.

It is a very difficult challenge and not just within the clubs. I think I know how we should progress.

The first thing is getting that across to your own committee and members, and getting them to accept that, and seeing that as accepting the challenge.

Malcolm Huddlestone: Evolution rather than revolution is probably the key. I think everybody accepts that if you don’t change anything then you get the same results.

Certainly at Pontefract, the last time we had a waiting list, for example, would have been in 2008.

In 10 years, the demographic of a golf club has changed. The average age of Pontefract members is 59, which is probably a lot younger than most other clubs.

But it does tell you that you’ve got an awful lot of over 75s who are able to play golf longer.

That side of it is probably in a healthy state but then you’ve got the opposite end where recruitment is a fire-fighting exercise.

Every time you look at the renewal process you are then spending the rest of that following year bridging the hole that has been left behind by members who have chosen not to renew.

John Dexter: It’s about knowing what you are and what your strengths are. What’s your unique selling point? Obviously we are in an industry and a business and Mick touches upon what I call the north Leeds banana. If you look at a map you would see that

all the way from the west of the city across the top of north Leeds are a number of golf clubs that are fishing in the same pond for membership.

Our strapline at Garforth is ‘let’s be the best we can be’. Let’s understand that we are built on clay, but we are an Alister MacKenzie course. Clay brings some problems from drainage.

We’ve got wetter winters and springs. We’ve got to say to ourselves ‘we’re not going to be Alwoodley. A premier club within Leeds. We’re not going to be Moortown. We haven’t got the turf for that. But we can be the best that we can be and for our members as well’.

We don’t want to give them unreal expectations. That’s been very important. We’ve renewed a communications policy – totally renewed it. We’ve gone from not really telling members a great deal and hiding notices on boards and paper strewn all over the place, and are now creating a newsletter that goes out weekly and an

Mick Thorpe, club manager at Scarcroft

John Dexter, managing secretary at Garforth

MEET THE PANEL

Malcolm Huddlestone, manager at Pontefract & District

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”Our strapline at Garforth is ‘let’s be the best we can be.’ We’ve got to say to ourselves ‘we’re not going to be Alwoodley.

We’re not going to be Moortown. But we can be the best we can be” – John Dexter informative email with a number of subjects on.

It’s to say ‘right, this is what we are actually doing’. There is so much more going on at this golf club than just rocking up to the first tee, banging a ball, sinking a putt on 18 and going home. We have got so much more to offer and it’s that package, as a member or a guest, that we are trying to build on.

MT: That’s important as well, because your retention is just as important – if not more so – than actually going for new recruitment.

You have got to keep the members that you have got happy.

You’ve got to give them what they are looking for. As you say, you’ve got to be as good as you possibly can be.

I’m looking at some of our close neighbours. We’ve got Moor Allerton, who have got a lot to offer for visiting parties with having 27 holes. We’ve got Leeds Golf Centre, just down the road, who are exceptional and are Club of the Year. They are really good with the practice facilities and the juniors.

We cannot compete, but we are better at other things. There’s room

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for all of us. There is less room than there used to be, but there is room there. We’ve got to excel at what we have got, what we are good at and offer something different because there is an audience out there for different things.

So you are all private members’ clubs?

All: Yes MH: I often say if we could get every club president, every manager, secretary and proprietor of clubs – if we could all get them round a table together and, potentially say, ‘let’s cut out these 2-for-1s’.

JD: It’s market factors, though, Malcolm.

MH: Realistically that’s never going to happen because, as you rightly said, it’s the first rule of economics: supply and demand.

But sometimes we are victims of our own success as golf clubs by almost encouraging nomadic golf situations such as society golf and things like that.

Let’s talk about discount tee times. How does that affect your

business?

JD: We made a baseline assessment as we called it. We said ‘when is our course empty?’ We don’t want our course to be empty, because the bar is empty, there is no F&B turnover whatsoever and we are getting no footfall and no exposure. We looked at that and the online booking services.

They manage that and say ‘on a Thursday afternoon, we’ve nobody on our course and we can evidence that so £20 a round’.

MT: That’s working smartly, isn’t it? Rather than utilising those companies, we are trying to look at it slightly differently, bring it in house and be a bit smarter ourselves. Yes, do the analysis of when it is empty and so on but use other things like Twitter and social media.

I know you’re really good at that at your place and other clubs are jumping on the bandwagon and are the leaders of it. Many years ago, a private members’ club going on social media would be almost unheard of.

Now there are so many people out there doing it.

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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!

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From left to right, Karen Drake, Martin Bennet, Neil Annandale and Rob Wormstone

”With social media, you can’t swim against the tide, can you? Love it or hate it, you can’t ignore it.” – Malcolm Huddlestone

MH: You can’t swim against the tide, can you? Love it or hate it, you can’t ignore it.

MT: It’s how you use it, isn’t it?

JD: You’ve got to go with it. That’s it.

MT: It’s also marketing yourselves.

There are other companies out there to aid and assist you. It’s picking what’s best for you and what works for you.

JD: When you read into it, and you actually scratch the surface, there is a lot of gimmicky stuff that’s all very samey for me.

MH: Social media is out there

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and it is popular. You only have to look at local golf magazines and, basically, they are all promoting the same packages – organiser free and all that.

MT: It just highlights straight away that it’s not necessarily right for all clubs. You pick your own pathway through it. You have slightly different aims and objectives and that changes year on year depending on your committees.

So you need to have your strategy much more long-term.

MH: Another key point is to make sure you don’t disenfranchise the people who are committing to your golf club and paying £1,000 a year membership.

JD: Where is the ceiling on membership fees? Because I think we’ve just about reached ours.

MH: Price is the variable, isn’t it?

MT: It’s only probably a year or 18 months ago that the challenge was trying to get somebody and prices were going down. Then people realised that you’re actually underselling your product. Your members are paying a premium

to be a member but your nonmembers are coming in at rates like £15 a round. You can’t justify that to your own members and you are just shooting yourselves in the foot. I think the industry is now trying to get the right price for the right product.

JD: I don’t know about either of you guys but we took a massive step. Our full membership is full in the male category. We would always take ladies and other groups. We have introduced a joining fee. It’s the first time that has been with us for approaching nearly 10 years.

There is a joining fee now that’s half the annual sub.

That’s caused a lot of nervousness and hand-wringing because we are not silly. We look at other clubs and they do not have joining fees and will desperately take on new members. Is it in your pipeline Malcolm?

MH: I thought we had an excellent scheme where we charged it over a three-year period.

JD: Ours is two years.

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MH: We ring fenced that money and we actually gave them it back if they were still a member in years four, five and six – because that shows commitment both ways.

JD: The money was returned? The joining fee was returned? That’s interesting.

MH: They paid it in year one, two and three. It’s £550 and if they were still a full playing member in years four, five and six then we gave them, basically, that money back.

MT: We have a similar scheme – a member benefits scheme. It can be professional lessons, it could be on your card.

MH: In my five years of being at the helm at Pontefract – with new members – if you kept them for three years then they will make good club members.

There are that many people looking for deals that, frankly, as long as they are with their mates they are not bothered to an extent where they play their golf. Again, price is the variable.

JD: They say, don’t they, if you get them for two years you have got

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them for 10? That’s a comment that’s thrown about. We’ve introduced a mentoring scheme because it’s difficult. It’s like being a new kid at school. That’s the reality of it.

MT: Can I just go back to what we were talking about earlier and people having value for money and also the clubs having different things to offer? We were strongly competing against each other.

Obviously, with there being so many clubs within a short space in the local area, it was really difficult.

I think where things have

”Where things have changed and attitudes have changed is that we, as clubs and managers, get together and try to work together”– Mick Thorpe

changed and attitudes have changed is that we, as clubs and as managers, get together and actually try to work together a lot now – or a lot more than we did.

It’s not every club. There are still some that tend to think they are better off on their own, but we speak, air opinions and we understand each other. That has been beneficial and I think it’s been very healthy. We still know we are competing. We’re competing for members, we’re competing for footfall and visitors.

But we don’t try and blow each other out of the water. We try to assist in many areas, which I think is healthy for the industry. I think it’s been very insular. People have been looking at their own course, and their own income stream and it’s much more important we have a good industry. That’s where it’s let us down over many years. We haven’t been high profile enough.

I said it years ago. When cycling was successful, they sold themselves really well. I don’t we as an industry did.

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In the

LOOP 1. Nine-hole golf. It’s all the rage!

What’s happened: New figures from The R&A reveal a significant increase in competitive nine-hole rounds being played.

What does it mean? If we didn’t already know that offering different playing options for our time-constrained members was hugely important then these figures should hammer it home emphatically.

Every one of the home unions saw huge increases in the number of nine-hole competitive scores returned – a trend that was also evident across many other countries.

Between 2014 and 2017, England Golf reported a 50 per cent increase – from 70,127 to 105,254 – while in Ireland, it was 64 per cent for women and girls (increasing from 18,753 to 30,803) and more than 200 per cent for men and boys (2,370 to 7,250) from 2016 to 2017. In Wales, there was a 28 per cent rise, from 12,201 to 15,671, between 2016 and 2017 and a 30 per cent increase in Scotland – from 30,021 to 39,107 – in the same time period.

The figures come as The R&A

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

prepares to host their second 9-Hole Championship Final at Carnoustie ahead of the 147th Open Championship.

Duncan Weir, The R&A’s executive director – golf development, said:“The figures reported by the national associations in Great Britain and Ireland, and those in other countries, demonstrate that nine-hole golf is rising in popularity.

“We are encouraged to see that shorter forms of the sport are being embraced by clubs and golfers as a perfectly valid means to play golf in less time, either recreationally or competitively.”

So given all the evidence, the big question is: if you are not offering nine competitions to your members, why not?

2. GDPR is up and running. Are you compliant?

What happened: After months of build up and warning, Global Data Protection Regulation is now in force.

What does it mean? If you’re not up to speed with GDPR and it’s implications, you’re already potentially in trouble. Even though businesses have had the best part of a two-year build up to the new data regulations coming into force on May 25, it was suggested that very few companies were compliant by the deadline.

A survey of 1,000 tech firms, for example, revealed 60 per cent hadn’t got their houses in order in time and some international sites had blocked EU users before GDPR took effect. As organisations that hold plenty of personal, and potentially financial, data, golf clubs will need to be compliant. The fines for data breaches could be huge – as much as 20 million euros or four per cent of annual turnover.

If you’re not ready yet, a dedicated GDPR hub in the members’ area of the website offers advice, templates and guidance to ensure your club’s compliance.

@GCMAUK Excellent day at Bournemouth Uni where GCMA and CMAE promoted a joint front to students wishing to join our industry @GCMAUK

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Fantastic insight at Royal Norwich on their relocation project. Walking the course with @eurogolfdesign and their approach to modern course design @GCMAUK #Young

Managers @Coltmm Initiating change @ChairNgolf great success -

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We want to hear from you!

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

3. Here’s what you can do if you’ve got a spare £13 million lying about...

What happened: Wentworth Club unveiled their renovated clubhouse ahead of the BMW PGA Championship last month.

What does it mean? Well, we can all dream, can’t we? After pumping £7 million into revamping the West course, owners Reignwood Group invested nearly double that in transforming their 19th century clubhouse building.

Aiming to set “new standards for

luxury in the UK sports and leisure industry”, the interior design was imagined by Thorp Design, who used the finest Italian marble across the bars and bathrooms along with soft carpets crafted in China and imported to Surrey.

It also includes two new private dining rooms, while the club now has a dedicated wine Sommelier.

Stephen Gibson, chief executive, said:“I am certain that our members, the pros and the Tour will be suitably impressed by the changes.”

Welcome to our newest GCMA members Maurice Campbell, director of golf at Leighton Buzzard, in Chiltern & Home Counties region Tim Knight, manager at Porters Park, in Chiltern & Home Counties region Andrew Grimmitt, manager of Rushden, in East Midlands region Robin Lawie, director of golf at Seacroft, in East Midlands region Kevin Mullen, secretary at West Byfleet, in London & Home Counties region Tim Coombes, assistant at Puttenham, in London & Home Counties region Andrew Fishwick, honorary secretary at Hale, in North West region John Woodward, manager at Broome Park, in South East region Nick Ellis, manager at Naunton Downs, in South West region Sue Tosdevin, secretary at Gosport & Stokes Bay, in Southern region Alvin Leverton, honorary secretary at Ben Rhydding, in Yorkshire region Alan Waites, honorary secretary at Flamborough Head, in Yorkshire region Ben Cooke, of The Grove, has joined the GCMA as an associate member

thank you @FrilfordHeathGC and partnership support @ EnglandGolf @ThePGA and industry support @GCMAUK & @ BIGGALtd.

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Thank you to all the Golf club #Chairs represented today #makingadifference #forthefuture #Golf @eddiebgolf

Members who have moved Congratulations to Shaun Bakker, Stephen Bryan, Neil Coulson-Bence and Carl Rundgren who have all taken up new positions.

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Making a

DIFFERENCE

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The STRI’s senior consultant for ecology and environment, Bob Taylor, explains why clubs should get involved with the Golf Environment Awards

T

Award winners at the iconic San Lorenzo golf resort

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he Golf Environment Awards were set up in 1995 to provide a platform where individual golf clubs could demonstrate environmental excellence.

At that time, golf clubs were repeatedly castigated as a selfish use of land, one that provided little value other than to the privileged few.

They were also seen as areas of over manicured and over managed grassland – using too much water, too much fertiliser, herbicide and pesticides.

Working at STRI, I had the opportunity to develop an ecology service that would challenge, and hopefully overturn, these views and although they are still present today, we have significant counter arguments based on extensive research (STRI, STERF and USGA), to show that golf courses with appropriate and responsible management are, in fact, nature reserves.

Proactive greenkeeping with the support and understanding of the club is making a real difference.

Walking around golf courses with NGO representatives, such as natural England, I hear phrases to the effect ‘this golf course is good because’ rather than ‘despite it is a golf course’.

Such has been the change, and this is benefiting the industry as a whole, which brings direct and indirect benefit for wildlife conservation.

Golf courses over the last 10 years

have certainly become much more inclusive, rather than exclusive, and many have become more accepted within their local communities.

At the Golf Environment Awards celebrations held in Harrogate in January, most of the finalists demonstrated very clearly just how much effort they had put in to building and gaining greater acceptance and engagement within the community.

A number included enabling projects for school children, ranging from pond dipping to community projects such as plastics recycling.

The Golf Environment Awards still provide a platform from which golf can demonstrate all that is good about the sport and the benefits that it can deliver.

More importantly perhaps, and by growing massively in popularity, the awards are fast becoming a pinnacle to which individual greenkeepers and golf club officials alike can aspire.

They are fast becoming a benchmark for ecological,

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Discussing turf matters at Monte Rei golf resort in Portugal

environmental excellence – something I simply refer to as responsible management.

Golf clubs entering the awards soon come to realise the very positive marketing opportunities they can bring.

They are advertising the club through positive recognition on the radio, local TV and other news media and, of course, this will disseminate out to the local community.

Each year, three golf clubs are selected for one of three awards.

These are Environmental Golf Course, Conservation Greenkeeper Award and Special Project Award.

There are a further nine finalists, three from each category. Running alongside this are the Operation Pollinator Awards, which recognise an additional four clubs for their achievements with respect to habitat management for pollinators.

The recipients of the awards are treated to a trip of a lifetime to the Algarve to visit some of the most

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Espiche Golf Club

”Golf clubs entering the awards soon come to realise the very positive marketing opportunities they can bring”

sustainable and responsible golf clubs.

This year, the recipients visited Onyria Palmares, just outside Lagos. This course is quite mature with three loops of nine named in accord with the direction they face (Lagos, Alvor or Praia).

The golf course runs between more open grassland, with scrub and tree cover, through montane scrub and coastland.

The praia course (beach course) offers some stunning vistas and technically challenging golf holes.

The coastal holes play amid large areas of open sand dune with low-level scrub vegetation and very natural bunkers.

This club is a very proactive and

responsible golf club, managed by one of Portugal’s top greenkeepers, Joel Nunes, who this year is President of the Portuguese Golf Federation and is a board Director of FEGA. Espiche Golf Club has only been open for five years but it did take more than 20 years to secure all environmental consents required.

This course is set within an upland inland position, with 18 holes playing among the garrigue (montane scrub vegetation).

Espiche boasts one of the most sustainable clubhouses, which has been voted one of the top three clubhouses in the world. Indeed, it is recognised as the top clubhouse in Europe – only beaten by two

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Course manager Joel Nunes with Bob Taylor, Alexandera Almeida, of the Portuguese Golf Federation, and the award winners

clubhouse developments in America.

Espiche is well worth a visit as it demonstrates environmental responsibility and sustainability at its best, something that joint owner Peter Thornton is extremely proud to demonstrate.

On subsequent days, the recipients visited San Lorenzo, which is one of the oldest golf courses in the Algarve and one that acts a barometer to all others.

It is a vision of the future, demonstrating how turf condition is likely to change given maturation and a change in climate in addition to golf waste.

Again, San Lorenzo is one of the more sustainable clubs.

The course director, Antonio Santos, is always keen to demonstrate the native use of vegetation on and around the golf course.

The green staff work hard to remove alien weed species. For most visitors, the lakes and water

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features will provide long-term memories. The water feature running along the 18th, for example, almost creates an island green.

The hole, given the proximity of the water, is challenging but the entire course boasts naturalness and is alive with birds and other wildlife.

The water features are regularly used by bird-watchers and hides have been installed to create a more multifunctional facility. It is unusual to see such an exclusive golf course accommodating local visitors with other interests outside of golf.

On the last day, the award winners were treated to a visit to Monte Rei Golf and Country Resort.

This is without doubt one of the most exclusive facilities within the Algarve, demonstrating another side of best practice management.

The rough is viewed with almost the same importance as in-play areas.

Even the green staff are not

allowed to track through the rough grasslands. Access to the greens is limited and normally from the back. Buggies are provided with GPS tracking to ensure no deviation from the routes.

All of these golf clubs are well worthy of your time in visiting the Algarve.

All give their time freely to accommodate British greenkeepers that have the options to visit each year and STRI are indebted to the clubs for providing such a unique and memorable lasting impression.

Information so freely given will provide viable food for thought, much of which can be applied to their own clubs on return to the UK. The Golf Environment Awards, supported by and endorsed by the Golf Club Managers’ Association, are now open to application until July 27.

Visit golfenvironmentawards.com for further information and to apply.

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The interview

NICK PINK

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England Golf chief executive Nick Pick talks to Steve Carroll about the organisation’s place in the game, the arresting Get Into Golf advertising campaign and how the body are working with club managers and the GCMA

Y

ou’ve teamed up with the European Tour to bring Golf Sixes into clubs.

There has been talk of this for some time.

Will this new initiative give you the impetus to do that?

Absolutely. GolfSixes has really

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captured the imagination of the golf world and I’m sure that our clubs and members will want to be involved.

We have got to look at alternative formats and different ways of playing the game to attract a wider audience. So why not offer Golf Sixes? Why not do something that’s

fun and different?

We’ve already supported the Golf Foundation to roll out the GolfSixes league for juniors. They’ve done a terrific job and this year there are more than 125 clubs involved and more than 1,500 juniors.

Encouraging our clubs to engage with GolfSixes is a natural

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extension, but it isn’t just about adults. It’s giving the opportunity for dads, sons and daughters to play together, for everyone to just compete and play.

But our new relationship with the European Tour is about more than GolfSixes. We’re very keen that the professional and amateur game should be more aligned and that we have regular communication and conversations, not just about Sixes, but all things golf.

It’s great to be working with Keith Pelley (European Tour CEO). He’s brilliant and he’s really tuned in to the Gen Zs and the Millennials, and the importance of connecting to the next generation of golfer.

Do clubs need to be a little more flexible in embracing some of these initiatives? There does seem to be a disconnect in some clubs between that core and the Millennial generation, for instance…

I’m never going to say to clubs: “This is what you must do.” But I do believe that we all have to put the

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Get into Golf Get into Golf aims to inspire people to give the sport a go by offering low-cost or free beginner activities at clubs across England.

In the last four years, more than 180,000 people have taken part in activities and over 22,000 of them have gone on to join clubs.

Over 300 clubs in England offer Get into Golf activities, which can be found and booked easily by visiting getintogolf.org In April, the campaign was relaunched with a prominent advertising campaign showing new players wearing bright, social, clothing and England Golf also enlisted a group of social influencers from other sports to try and boost the message on social media.

customer at the heart of everything we do.

That’s central to our strategy to grow the game of golf in England. It’s all about being more welcoming and understanding what customers want. It’s about providing the right service for the people coming through your door, and those you’d like to come through.

Our club support officer network is working with clubs to understand their needs, their place in the market and, from a marketing perspective, shape their offer to their customers.

I don’t think it’s difficult to get into the game but we do know there are barriers – whether real or perceived – that put people off.

It’s down to all of us to break them down and simplify accessibility to the sport. That’s what we’ve done with our Get into Golf campaign: challenged the image and perception of the game.

We also need to think about how we look after people, from their first lesson to taking out membership.

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That’s a huge step and we need to help the transition.

I’m a great believer in looking at what other sports and leisure industries do. Take gym membership and how they get you into classes, offering taster, beginner and intermediate sessions.

Obviously, they want to lock you into a membership package, but it’s tailored to you as a customer.

For too long as an industry we have been thinking about the mass.

What we have to do is think about individual customers coming into our facilities and what they want.

That’s today’s world. It’s consumer focused.

The focus on golf clubs has always been about full membership. It seems that this may not be what all people want anymore…

Again, this is all about being focused on the customer and providing the options they want.

When clubs are considering their membership packages I’d suggest they ask themselves: ‘What do we know about the people coming through the door? What data have we got on them?’

When I started at England Golf two years ago, a remarkable number of people told me the governing body shouldn’t collect data. I believe they are wrong.

The more insight we gather, the more information we know about individuals, the better we can tailor our offer and support.

We have tools to help clubs understand their place in the market and what they can start to offer. It’s all about making sure clubs are fit and healthy, financially viable, and a focus for the community.

Let’s talk about Get into Golf, which has been re-launched after a very successful year. It

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was a very striking advertising campaign. How was that conceived?

The whole focus of the brand is aimed around openness – trying to remove the barriers we’ve been talking about and making golf accessible to everyone.

It is deliberately different and it’s meant to be.

When I looked at the campaign, I thought England Golf was making a statement – about the kind of players they wanted to attract to the game and attitudes that are potential barriers to participation. Is that right?

Definitely. I’ve had some very interesting emails and letters about it, but that’s the whole point. We wanted to get a conversation going.

We set out to spark a reaction and challenge things like dress codes and the attitudes and behaviour we have towards people.

Do I expect Miss blue leather jacket, pink leather jacket and bright orange checked shirt to rock up to the club tomorrow wearing that?

No, of course not.

But the point is that our models and social influencers are wearing their normal clothes.

Out on the high street everyone is wearing something similar.

These are people who might play golf, but when they arrive in the club car park we expect them to look and behave differently.

Why? If you watch some of our social media content, Alex, our cyclist, goes to Get into Golf sessions with a few friends. They are all wearing leisure gear, which respected the dress environment where they were. They had their session, then had a pint afterwards, doing what you and I would do.

Apart from one or two range

“We set out to spark a reaction and challenge things like dress codes and the attitudes and behaviour we have towards people”

outings they have never played golf before. Now they are experiencing it first hand and this is the market we are trying to reach.

Is there any reason why they shouldn’t be able to come to the golf club dressed like that?

Not necessarily. There are clubs where you can. This is part of changing times and changing behaviours.

Some people feel it is really important there is a strong dress code in place as that naturally brings a respect of the club and environment.

Part of me understands that, but it shouldn’t be the norm. We will cut out so many people from the sport

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if we think that’s the norm.

The world has shifted and changed in a very short space of time and golf has to reflect that. I very rarely wear a tie for business meetings, most meetings now are smart casual. But too many golf clubs still adhere to very strict dress codes and environments that stop people from taking part.

My fear is we have a traditional core of golf club members that are ageing, and a potential new generation put off from participating because the game is caught between two stools.

How do you address that issue?

Once again, it’s down to the club to decide how to appeal to different

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groups.

We don’t say to clubs ‘you’ve got to change’ but we do challenge, in the right way, and share information and best practice to help them make and own their decisions.

It’s important to look at issues such as: Where is the club? What’s its position in the local community and golfing market? How strong is the club?

We should talk about positive ways of attracting and retaining members and not immediately highlight the barriers.

If the first thing I am thinking when I go to a club is ‘what do I have to wear?’ - rather than ‘let’s go and have some fun’ – we’re not doing the right thing, are we?

Were you excited by the buzz that Get into Golf brought?

I’m not lying when I say I was nervous. You should be nervous about anything that’s new and different.

It’s great that we now have some 300 clubs signed up and we have thousands of activities online and people taking part.

Get into Golf is now a very focused campaign. We are targeting men and women who are 25 to 45-years-old– and we know these two groups have huge market potential for golf.

Yes, we have to cater for the 65 to 75-year-olds but we have got to start thinking about the 10, 15 and 25-year-olds coming into the sport.

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GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL It’s never been a better time to be a golf club manager in terms of CPD. With that education provided by you, GCMA, PGA, BIGGA and so on, there are huge opportunities to learn that weren’t there a decade ago…

Golf is in a strong place. I often start presentations by stating just how big the sport is.

There are at least 650,000 members of golf clubs in England.

There are 2 million golfers out there playing twice a month. There are 3.6 million who play every year.

With the number of facilities out there, and opportunities for golf club managers, I think it’s a fabulous industry to be involved in.

Club managers are getting younger. I’ve seen that in the GCMA statistics. Those you meet are definitely more forward thinking.

They tune in really well to our resources, officers and our support packages.

There are also the training and education workshops we run and the Diploma run by the GCMA, BIGGA and PGA. Of course we can all work better together, but there are some really good people, and bodies, doing great things.

The challenge for everyone is the time issue. We’re so busy responding to enquiries and we’ve all got different agencies and partners asking for our time.

So, it’s important to withdraw at the right times.

You have to step away from the day job sometimes and put yourself in an environment with other club managers, or organisations like ours and the GCMA. That’s the way to make sure we still learn and challenge ourselves.

There is the potential that England Golf can overlap, quite a lot, in your workshops with

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some of the things the GCMA are doing. How do you balance that?

It’s about the customer. They decide. Organisations like ourselves and the GCMA have to manage this and tailor what we offer to support them. Our new network of club support officers is helping us to develop a much deeper understanding of clubs and their needs. But this isn’t just about England Golf, it’s about informing the golf industry as a whole and about communication.

Through this network we can be the conduit for information – whether that’s from the PGA, Golf Foundation or GCMA. If we can be a platform for the game, we’re very happy to play that role. But we’re not taking over other areas, not by any stretch.

That might have been one of the accusations in the past - that England Golf was muscling into territories. So you see the role as one of partnership between the various bodies to try and promote the game?

We have to work in partnership.

Golf has got big challenges and we have to speak with one voice.

I see our role as very supportive, facilitative and trying to make sure the right information goes to the right people at the right time.

It’s not going to happen overnight, but we have to take the partnership approach to grow the game.

You talked about the change in the demographic of golf club management. How do you feel that’s developing and what benefits is that bringing as England Golf work with clubs?

I see the benefits with our own team. Club managers are coming come to work for us as regional

managers, club support officers or in national roles.

They bring experience and understanding of issues at club level which is so important.

For club managers themselves, I think it is important that they bring a different perspective to golf, together with their business acumen.

A lot of people I read about in The Golf Club Manager, and speak to at clubs, haven’t got golf industry backgrounds.

I came from cricket. I’ve been asked:‘what do you know about golf when you’ve only been working in the industry for two years?’ Well, I’ve played golf all my life. I’ve been a customer and consumer all my life.

What we are seeing with the younger demographic of club managers is people who are perhaps more open minded, see the issues and want to overcome them.

It’s a unique industry in that you’ve got proprietary clubs run as business operations and private members’ clubs that may be run by volunteers with its well being at heart. That creates interesting situations…

It does. From a governing perspective, we have to tailor our support appropriately.

We have to put the right questions to private members’ clubs and to proprietary clubs, to make sure the support we offer is valid on both fronts.

A total of 45 per cent of clubs in England are proprietary. It’s a very important area and over the last two years we have built very strong relations with this sector.

Richard Flint and Abbie Lench, on our club support side, have done a really good job getting closer to some of the bigger operators such

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“I’ve been asked ‘what do you know about golf?’ Well, I’ve played golf all my life. I’ve been a customer and consumer all my life”

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as the Burhill Group and Crown Golf. Their business model is very different to a private members’ club.

What we see on the private members’ side is demand for a lot more support with business planning, development and governance. As a result, a number of these clubs are starting to take strides in areas such as looking at incorporation and making sure the responsibilities at committee level are the right ones.

You mentioned the club support network. How can those people help clubs and club managers do their jobs better?

What we wanted to do was focus specifically on the club, find out

about their needs and how we can support them.

Our network provides a point of contact for every club in the country. Clubs can visit our website and see who their officer is, or they can get in touch with us at headquarters and we can put them directly in touch.

I was really keen to push this out. I felt we weren’t close enough as an industry, let alone England Golf, to the needs of clubs.

I want officers almost eyeballing managers, volunteers and committees on a much more regular basis than we were able to do previously.

We’ve had a great take up. In the last 12 months, we’ve visited 1,200 clubs and made a total of 4,500

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GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

Who is Nick Pink?

Nick was the European manager for the International Cricket Council (ICC) before taking up the post as chief executive of England Golf in March 2016.

He’d been responsible for a 35 per cent increase in cricket participation across the continent in his time in the role, so it was no surprise England Golf turned to him to shore up numbers in the sport.

He had previously also worked at a number of leading sports organisations, including UK Sport, the Youth Sport Trust and the Commonwealth Secretariat.

In his time in the England Golf hotseat, he has led a number of initiatives to drive up the numbers playing the game, most recently entering into a partnership with the European Tour to take Golf Sixes into clubs around the country.

Will you be able to share that information with organisations like the GCMA? We do. That’s exactly the point of doing it. It’s to grow the wealth and understanding of the industry.

background and you see some of the negative stories in the news and on social media? How much damage does it do?

It’s damaging, without a doubt.

Golf can be an easy target because people have a certain view and image of the sport.

Those of us in golf defend it and say ‘no, it’s not like that at all. Come on down and you will experience something different’.

But we are also quite aware of some of the issues in our own clubs and our own environments where we play and enjoy the sport.

We’ve got to get on the front foot.

We’ve got to talk about the positive things in the game.

It’s not just about England Golf or GCMA through the magazine. It’s all of us. We’ve all got to be shouting about it.

The most important thing is the message. Do people really connect with Nick Pink, chief executive of England Golf? I hope not.

I hope the most important thing they see is the new partnership with the European Tour on Golf Sixes, showing that golf is fun, friendly - or whatever the story might be.

That’s the most important thing we’ve got to get out there.

moment?

I am upbeat and always have been.

I love the sport. It’s in my core.

I am really encouraged by what I am seeing out there.

There are great people and fantastic managers that I have met, who are doing some brilliant things and some great work.

They’re taking away the barriers and when I walk into those clubhouses, I feel the difference.

When my board challenges me, it’s difficult to measure ‘feel.’ But it’s definitely a different experience.

We’ll soon be giving the results of our two-yearly Golf Club Questionnaire and the headline will be all about the importance of being welcoming.

This is simple customer service, which we sometimes lose sight of because we are so focused on this programme or that initiative.

Everything comes down to people.

How you interact with them, what questions you ask, how you meet them at the front door.

I’ve had some really great experiences and I can’t think of one organisation that hasn’t got the game at its heart. That’s really important.

So I am really optimistic and positive about golf.

Is it difficult when there’s all this good work going on in the

How optimistic are you about the future of the sport at the

Pictures courtesy of Leaderboard Photography

visits, which is a staggering number.

We know how many meetings were light touch, and how many lasted well over an hour.

We know what the visits were about. Using our new CRM system, officers are able to upload action plans immediately following the meeting.

I’ve got a dashboard I can look at on a monthly basis telling me where the issues are, and where we need to invest to develop further support and resources to clubs.

A tracker that Sports Marketing Surveys have helped set up provides feedback from clubs.

So far 679 of 1,200 clubs have fed back independently. They have assessed how good the visit was, the length of the visit, what it was about and then provided some qualitative information.

We have got lots of good data and, for the club manager, we can pool and service that information to make sure we are providing the right training and education.

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

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The GCMA journal and website are trusted channels for golf club management vacancies.

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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

Is your data

REALLY SECURE? Cyber crime is becoming a growing issue for golf clubs but are you aware of the ways your information can be exploited? Jamie Abbott, founder of intelligentgolf, outlines some of the key threats and explains how you can tackle them…

B

eing aware of cyber crime has always been important for clubs in terms of maintaining the integrity of the information they have, but now GDPR is in effect, with potentially huge penalties, the focus on information security has never been greater.

The personal data that clubs hold – names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth and, potentially, bank

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details – is a goldmine to a hacker.

So what are some of the major ways golf club information can be compromised?

PHISHING This is typically generating an email to a target that aims to get them to provide information. It might say your account has a problem and ask you to click a link and log in to immediately confirm your details.

It then takes to you to a website that might look exactly like PayPal, eBay or Amazon, for example.

What they want you to do is put in your valid credentials.

Actually, what you’ve done is hand over your user name and password. They can use that to access that account but, typically, people have a tendency of reusing passwords across multiple services.

So once they’ve got your email and password combination, the chances are they can use that in all kinds of places. How many people use the same password and email address for LinkedIn,

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Facebook and Google?

Always check the URL in the address bar carefully, and use a good password manager program so you create impossible to guess, unique passwords for every different service.

UNSECURED DATA Whenever information is downloaded from a secure system and exported to a spreadsheet, this can create a risk for a club.

When this information is then being stored on USB drives, laptops and unsecured networks,

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great care must be taken to secure it from loss or theft.

A spreadsheet containing the names of members, their email addresses, home addresses and their phone numbers, is valuable for cyber criminals.

Think about the spreadsheet clubs routinely generate to send to the printers for their member diaries. That is the perfect collection of information, sent by email, with no encryption.

Use services that can allow secure data transfers like

sendsafely.com, or Dropbox.com to safely share data with those who legitimately need it.

Ensure that all your staff know how to handle files containing sensitive data, and make sure you have a data breach policy in place so that you know what to do if you lose a laptop, or a USB stick containing sensitive information.

MAKE SURE YOU ARE USING SSL ENCRYPTION When you are on a website and you see a little padlock shown next to the address, that means

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GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

ABOUT INTELLIGENTGOLF Intelligentgolf is the leading provider of cloud based club management software, encompassing competitions, handicapping, tee time booking, membership management, point of sale and member and public websites.

With a strong focus on customer service, and continuous innovation of the product, intelligentgolf has recently released a number of updates to the software to assist clubs with their GDPR compliance.

To find out more about intelligentgolf, visit their website at https://www.intelligentgolf.co.uk or call 01926 350350.

you are using an encrypted HTTPS connection to the server.

Anyone intercepting the connection, whether it’s on WiFi or somewhere else on the internet, is unable to see the information you are sending backwards and forward.

All intelligentgolf clubs and customers now use HTTPS by default. For anyone who does not have this on their website, I would strongly urge them to speak to their provider and have a dialogue about how that is enabled.

There is a real momentum towards a completely encrypted web, and there are already future versions of Google Chrome and Firefox that will bring up very scary security warnings when you try and access any site that is not using HTTPS. There is a race on for websites to make sure they have SSL. It doesn’t need to cost anything. There are free SSL certificates available

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“For anyone who does not have (HTTPS) on their website, I would strongly urge them to speak to their provider and have a dialogue about how it is enabled” through some great initiatives, such as Let’s Encrypt, but clubs need to be aware of it, and make sure their provider can enable it for them.

It also gives you a boost in your Google rankings once you have moved so there really should be no excuse and every golf club website should be on HTTPS. MALWARE Running old versions of

Windows is definitely a major risk. XP is simply too big an attack vector for clubs to run.

The NHS ransomware attack was possible because of Windows XP devices that could not be patched.

Malware gets installed through a malicious webpage or email attachment. Once compromised, all files on that computer can be at risk, even from being encrypted with you being held to ransom to get the data back.

For club managers, it’s all about making sure their IT estate within the clubhouse – whether that’s the computers they use, the till hardware, even the PSI screens – are all patched and up to date, so they don’t contain any security vulnerabilities.

They also need to be running anti-virus and anti-malware software, with a robust backup policy in place, so that if the worst does happen, you don’t lose your

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USEFUL LINKS Free SSL certificates - https:// letsencrypt.com/ Share files securely - https:// sendsafely.com/ CyberEssentials - https://www. cyberessentials.ncsc.gov.uk/ Learn how to protect against phishing - https://www.phishing. org/ Best password managers - https:// lifehacker.com/5529133/fivebest-password-managers Check if your email address and password has been revealed in a data breach - https:// haveibeenpwned.com/ Google’s upcoming HTTPS changes - https://www.theregister. co.uk/2018/02/07/beware_the_ coming_chrome_certificate_ apocalypse/ critical data.

UNSECURED WIFI NETWORKS A lot of clubs provide a WiFi network for their members or guests. Quite often they can be insecure, not requiring a password to access them.

That isn’t in itself an issue but unless an expert has configured and set up the WiFi, or you have used a commercial WiFi hotspot, you will find in many cases there is a single network.

When you are connected, you could have access to other administrative computers on the network. If they are not properly protected, then people may be able to open up fileshares of computers on that network.

Making sure your network is secure, and that you have isolated your member and visitor WiFi networks from your administrative network, is absolutely vital.

Invest in a purpose built WiFi hotspot, that can provide full

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“Making sure your network is secure, and that you’ve isolated your member and visitor WiFi networks from your administrative network, is absolutely vital” separation of networks and do not simply share the password from your ISP broadband router WiFi. It’s also important to have a device that can manage the bandwidth, so the office can get on with the day job rather than suddenly finding the internet is slow because a big society is at the club and they are all watching YouTube.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO PROTECT YOURSELF The first thing is to engage some expert help. Bring in and engage with an expert to check how you’ve set up your perimeter security and how you handle your patching, device management and data policies.

Consider attaining CyberEssentials certification, which will show the ICO that you have taken an important step in securing your IT estate and processes.

This is provided by the National Cyber Security Centre.

GDPR has certainly focussed the minds of clubs on having to perform some basic housekeeping on their internal security and that of their software suppliers they work with.

All IT suppliers should be able to provide advice on making sure their software runs securely for the club.

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GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

Do you think your staff are stealing

FROM YOU?

I

tems of stock have gone missing, the cash tills don’t add up as you’d expect, and you’re coming to a shocking conclusion – a member of staff might be stealing from the club.

It’s a situation that’s fraught with difficulty, both professionally and personally, and handling it in the wrong fashion can make matters much worse.

So where do you stand legally if you suspect a staff member of theft, and what are the processes you need to go through?

How do you investigate an allegation? Do you confront, and suspend? When is dismissal warranted or needed?

Employment lawyers Irwin Mitchell are experts in this field and, Joanne Moseley, senior associate solicitor, outlines the options you have at your disposal and the path you need to take…

Establish the facts Even if you strongly suspect a particular member of staff, you must not jump to conclusions about their guilt. Instead, you need to appoint someone to investigate who has a good knowledge of your organisation and how it operates.

You must also carry out a reasonable investigation. What is reasonable will depend upon the nature of the allegations and, generally, the more serious these are, the more you will be expected to do. At one extreme,

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

It’s a situation all employers fear – the suggestion that members of staff are committing acts of theft. But what is the legal situation and how should you proceed? Employment law experts Irwin Mitchell have the answers…

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

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there will be cases where the employee is virtually caught in the act and others where there is only circumstantial evidence of the employee’s guilt. As the scale moves towards the latter end, the amount of enquiry and investigation is likely to increase.

You don’t have to leave “no stone unturned” – just act reasonably.

For example, a tribunal found that an employer should have watched five hours of CCTV footage to find out whether the employee’s version of events were accurate in circumstances where she was accused and then dismissed for theft. However, it was unnecessary for a different employer investigating an employee’s exaggerated expenses claims over a three-month period to examine and seek an explanation for every journey. It was reasonable for the employer to focus on a handful of expense claims.

The investigation must be fair and even-handed. This means that the investigator should look for evidence that points to the employee’s guilt as well as that which points to their innocence.

Do you need to suspend the person/people you suspect of stealing?

That will depend on the nature of the theft and how much “proof” you have that the individual is likely to be involved (as opposed to another member of staff).

As a rule of thumb, you should only suspend an employee if it is necessary to do so. This will usually only arise where you suspect the employee of serious misconduct and you believe that the employee may tamper with evidence, put pressure on witnesses or even continue to steal from you. Even in these circumstances, it may be possible to ask the employee to

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when they return to work or avoid a slur on their reputation even where they are subsequently cleared of the charges.

If you suspend someone without a good legal reason, it is likely to damage the relationship of trust and confidence and may entitle to the employee to resign and claim constructive unfair dismissal (provided they have at least two years’ continuous service).

”Be aware that installing covert surveillance cameras is likely to breach data protection laws. If you are considering installing cameras, take legal advice first”

undertake reduced or alternative duties (and impose other restrictions to prevent them from stealing) rather than completely suspend them from work.

Suspending someone is a serious step and you must have a good legal reason for taking it. It should not be an automatic “knee jerk” reaction to allegations of misconduct. You must be particularly careful before suspending senior employees without good evidence because the repercussions of them being excluded can be serious.

It is common for suspended employees to feel belittled and demoralised and it can be difficult for them to regain their authority

Do we have to pay an employee if s/he is suspended?

Yes, unless you have a contractual right to suspend without pay (which would be unusual). During suspension an employee should also continue to receive their normal contractual benefits, such as health and life insurance, company car etc.

Our investigator has interviewed two witnesses who wish to remain anonymous.

What shall we do?

The employee is entitled to know the case against him/her. This generally means that they should be sent copies of any evidence obtained (including witness statements) before any disciplinary hearing takes place.

The investigator should find out why the witnesses wish to remain anonymous and, if possible, try and resolve any concerns they have. The ACAS guide on investigations recommends that investigators should, wherever possible, avoid anonymising witness statements as this can disadvantage the employee and mean that s/he cannot effectively challenge the evidence.

Generally, unless the witness has a genuine fear

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of reprisals, the investigator should not agree to anonymise their statement.

Should the investigator give an opinion on the appropriate sanction?

No. The role of the investigator is to consider the allegations against the employee and to determine whether on the evidence, they are likely to be proven or not and should not suggest dismissal or prejudge what the outcome to a grievance or disciplinary hearing will be.

Conduct a disciplinary hearing and appeal If you decide (after the investigation) that there are grounds to suspect the employee of theft, you should invite the employee to attend a disciplinary hearing. You must set out the allegations in writing and provide sufficient information about the evidence you have to enable the employee to prepare. This would include any written statements you have obtained or CCTV imaging.

You must also warn him/her that they may be dismissed and that a colleague (or trade union member) can accompany them.

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The purpose of the meeting is to establish the facts, not to catch people out. You should give the employee the chance to give you their side of the story and consider this before reaching a decision.

You must confirm the decision in writing and offer the employee the right to appeal. Remember: the person conducting the hearing and appeal must not have been involved in any other stages of the process (including the investigation).

What standard of proof should we adopt?

The decisions you reach must be based on a balance of probabilities.

This means that you must be at least 51% sure that the employee is guilty of the offence s/he is accused of. Another way of looking at it is that you must think it more probable than not that the employee is guilty of that offence.

If you cannot satisfy this, then you should not dismiss the employee (or impose a lesser sanction).

The higher burden of proof in criminal cases (beyond reasonable doubt) does not apply to civil cases.

Can we dismiss for theft even if the employee otherwise has an unblemished record?

Yes. Normally, employers are expected to issue at least one warning before dismissing a member of staff for a first offence.

However, theft is generally treated as gross misconduct, which is the most serious type of misconduct.

However, that does not mean that you have to dismiss the employee.

The employee may admit their guilt and have genuine (albeit misguided reasons) why they have

done so and in such circumstances you may decide to issue a final written warning instead. But theft normally destroys the relationship of trust between the parties and dismissal is often an appropriate response.

Do we have to pay the employee notice pay?

No. If you dismiss the employee for gross misconduct, their dismissal is effective from the date you communicate your decision to them (or when it is received in the absence of a contractual provision that states it is when sent) and you do not have to give them notice or make a payment in lieu of notice.

Can we deduct the amount the employee has stolen from their final pay?

Not unless you have a contractual right to do so which is set out in the employee’s contract or statement. This is because employees are protected from having deductions taken from their pay and can bring a claim against you to recover any amount due (even if you have proof they have stolen money)!

You may be able to recover the money by making a claim in the civil courts. You could also involve the police.

Improve your workplace security You could consider introducing tighter security measures to prevent further instances of theft.

Be aware though that installing covert surveillance cameras is likely to breach data protection laws.

If you are considering installing cameras, take legal advice first.

For more information, visit irwinmitchell.com

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ADVERTORIAL FEATURE

How to insure your club’s

FUTURE

I

n 2013, golf insurance expert and Lothians County golfer, David Miller, joined Bluefin Sport insurance brokers to develop their specialist golf division. In just under five years since his arrival, they now place the insurance business for just under 500 golf clubs across the UK. We spoke with David to understand more about the key to the success of Bluefin Sport in the world of golf as well as some of the key insurance considerations of which clubs should be aware.

What are the reasons behind Bluefin Sport being the insurance broker of choice for so many golf clubs?

For me, the key is to provide an exceptional service backed by the delivery of a specialist product that meets the needs of a golf club.

Competitive pricing is, of course, always going to be among the deciding factors for many golf club managers but our overriding objective is always to be innovative and work closely with our approved insurers to ensure the policy cover we offer continually evolves.

We are also firm believers of good risk management. Even the most conscientious golf club can benefit from reappraising their procedures from time to time and that is where we can add even

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greater value. We recognise that no two golf clubs are the same and aim to produce bespoke risk management and insurance programmes for our clients.

Your website talks about ‘avoiding the hazards’ with insurance. So what are some of those that affect golf club managers?

There are essential insurance requirements that every golf club in the UK requires, the obvious ones being buildings, contents and liability protection and they go without saying.

We do come across some clubs that have a standard commercial combined policy and, while this will provide cover for the main exposures, it is unlikely to pick up risks that can be unique to a golf club. This can be where a specialist golf policy can really make a difference to both add value, in terms of the protection it provides, and provide greater peace of mind for club managers.

Clubs can be exposed to a wide variety of issues ranging from vandalism to the course, resulting in business interruption and potential loss of membership, visitors being struck by stray balls and holding the club vicariously

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Is there another business as diverse as golf, and with as much potential risk? So what do you need to keep in mind when insuring the club? David Miller, Golf Director at insurance firm Bluefin Sport, outlines the options...

liable, incidents with golf buggies on public roads, loss of data following a cyber attack or applying the wrong fertiliser to those prized greens.

It often falls on the shoulders of the general manager, or club manager, to ensure they have adequate protection in place for their assets and liabilities.

Working with a specialist sports insurance broker will help ensure they are getting the advice and guidance required to ensure the insurance solution can tick every box for them.

As you have just highlighted, one of the problems of running a club is it’s a very diverse business.

There are lot of different insurances they can require. ..

Every club is unique, but generally speaking there can be a wide spectrum of areas to consider. You might have your caterer, bar staff, club professional and cleaning contractors who are not employees. You might have a claim in the pro shop and it would be the professional’s responsibility to insure the stock but the club’s to insure the building. You could also have motor liability requirements with golf buggies if there are roads that are crossing the golf course. It

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can be a complex field and using a specialist sports broker can assist with the exercise of identifying these exposures.

With all these spinning plates, can matters get away from club managers quickly unless they are aware of all the different issues they have to look at?

Our aim is always attempt to take the insurance pressure, along with the time factor, away from club managers. We can take ownership of that project on their behalf and work closely alongside them. This will allow managers to focus on their job of managing the day-today pressures of running a golf club business.

In the insurance industry there are always new emerging products so it is important for club managers to tap into the expertise and resource of their broker.

For example, cyber insurance has been emerging over recent years and products have been evolving alongside the increasing complexity of risks such as impersonation fraud, data breaches and ransom attacks.

Of course, many insurance products have exclusions, limitations and/or conditions applicable of which club mangers are sometimes not made fully aware. When you receive your insurance schedule it’s important to read this in conjunction with your policy wording. Again, a specialist sports broker can help

GCMA.ORG.UK | 55

ADVERTORIAL FEATURE

take some of this pain away and highlight some important areas up front.

You mentioned cyber theft.

That appears to be a huge and growing problem...

Absolutely. It’s mainly cyber crime and impersonation fraud.

We have seen some claims where clubs are receiving spurious emails from people pretending to be someone they’re not.

As a result, the club are making payments or transactions or even being held to ransom. Insurance policies are available to help

greenkeepers’ sheds. Buggies are very attractive to thieves and some policies may have exclusions if they are not kept under lock and key. Many are just left exposed next to the professional shop or are not chained together. I think the secret of a good insurance policy, and protection against such claims, is communication with your broker and making sure you make them fully aware of all the activities at your club. An increasing number of golf clubs are becoming more diverse in a bid to enhance their revenues, for example the introduction of

”Insurance for some golf clubs can probably be one of their largest expenditure items but, on the flipside, the failure of not arranging insurance adequately can be catastrophic” provide protection and support in the event of such incidents. In some circumstances insurers will even assist to reinstate or restore data and deal with any negative PR or disgruntled members.

What other problems do you receive claims about? Does it range from theft of machinery to people being struck by balls?

The examples you have mentioned are indeed scenarios that we include cover for as standard in our golf club policy so we do come across those. It is common for us to experience claims for player liability while on the course and we have the ability to provide golf clubs the option to insure their visitors and members with worldwide liability insurance if required. That can be quite a feature. There are also claims including theft of machinery in the open or from

56 | GCMA.ORG.UK

what your exact requirements are.

It also helps to ask for some background on the insurance provider your broker recommends and the markets they use.

For example, our underwriters are Aviva with whom we have a strong long-standing relationship. Having that household name insurer means you have some additional comfort that they are an A+ rated insurer with a claims service to match.

Insurance isn’t cheap, though, if it’s going to be comprehensive?

A good policy always seems to cost money...

Insurance for some golf clubs can Insuring trophies are among the many covers Bluefin Sport offer

FootGolf. For a claim to be covered for such activities, it is imperative you have communicated all of these activities to your broker and/ or insurer.

What are the most important things clubs should consider when choosing an insurance broker?

We believe clubs should employ a broker they trust, have a belief and confidence in them and allow that broker to carry out their duties, making sure they are providing a policy that’s fit for purpose. All golf clubs will have different objectives.

Generally, clubs are quite risk averse because they are acting on behalf of a strong membership.

For some, every penny is a prisoner and for others they may want the widest cover available.

From a broker’s perspective, it’s about making sure we understand

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

probably be one of their largest expenditure items but, on the flipside, the failure of not arranging insurance adequately can be catastrophic to the club and/or its members. We aim to offer the best product available to our clients from the outset as we genuinely believe the best value for money is when you purchase the full range of covers, because this means you are getting the correct economy of scale.

What are the potential pitfalls for clubs who don’t have the right insurance policy?

The financial consequences of not insuring correctly can be huge. The

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

main factor is making sure your sums insured are set correctly and avoid underinsurance. Premiums might be lower but if you don’t insure to the correct values you are at risk of claims not being met or claims payments being proportionately reduced. Many club managers don’t appreciate the value of insurance until it’s too late.

Who are Bluefin Sport?

Bluefin Sport is a national provider of insurance and risk management solutions to the world of sport.

Their approach has helped to make them one of the leading providers to the sports industry

and entities from grassroots level to the largest professional organisations and governing bodies turn to them for independent advice.

With an extensive background and knowledge in golf they have a dedicated team that can offer specialist insurance solutions and risk management advice to clubs.

For more information, visit bluefinsport.co.uk, email golf@ bluefinsport.co.uk or telephone 0131 255 0340.

Bluefin Sport is a trading name of Bluefin Insurance Services which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

GCMA.ORG.UK | 57

ADVERTORIAL FEATURE

Card payment

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offering, it’s vital you consider accommodating contactless technology. It is industry standard that any new payment terminal deployed must accept contactless, and by 2020 if you wish to accept card payments all terminals must have contactless functionality.

MYTH: Contactless is just a fad Contactless cards are growing in public awareness and usage – and if you’re looking to add card processing to your service

MYTH: Set-up is too expensive With point-of-sale (POS) technology advancing all the time, physical card processing machines are becoming more affordable.

The minimum monthly charge (the amount your merchant bank will take in card processing fees) can be as little as £10 – which, when taken into account with card processing rates of between 1.5-2 per cent, means offering card payments is more affordable than

onsumers love plastic and, more than ever before, the UK is moving into a cashless society.

The UK Card Association has attributed this growth to contactless payments and digital wallets like Apple Pay. With 125 taps every second in the UK and spending reaching £2 billion a month, it is clear consumers are opting for contactless payments.

But there are still a number of myths surrounding card processing.

you might think.

MYTH: If your card machine loses connection, you lose a sale It is possible your card-processing machine may lose connection or signal. Even if that does happen, card machines have processes in place to ensure your business won’t lose money. Most card machines store a number of transactions irrespective of a signal.

As soon as you have regained connection, your card machine will send them to your acquirer for processing. As a final backup, manual vouchers are available to complete with your customer and return to your merchant bank.

MYTH: Card processing opens up my business to fraud Processing systems are safer than ever before – with European card fraud continuing to decline thanks to chip-and-pin security.

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

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COMPANY

GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

Meet the

MANAGER

Sponsor of the 2017 GCMA Manager of the Year award

With Peter Rishworth, secretary at Moortown, in West Yorkshire

Moortown

H

ow did you get into golf club management?

I was one of the first people through the degree in golf management at Myerscough College, which is partnered with the University of Central Lancs.

From there, I went straight to Marriott Hotels. Gary Pearce, now at Fulford, was director of golf at Hollins Hall and he employed me.

60 | GCMA.ORG.UK

Retail manager was my first official role and Gary taught me more about the wider industry. When he left, I took over from him at Hollins Hall. A few years later, I came here and I have been secretary at Moortown for more than eight years now.

Was that your first experience of a private members’ club?

Yes. I was the director of golf at a ‘country club’, with a hotel attached,

and there were lots of different challenges to that of a private members’ club. I saw the job advertised at Moortown – and it was a fantastic opportunity – and applied for it without thinking, at the age of 28, they would give me serious consideration.

It was usually the older guard looking after prestigious clubs and, fortunately for me, Moortown were looking for somebody who had a commercial background in golf

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management and different ideas.

These jobs really don’t come along very often. I often think ‘I am very fortunate to work where I do and do what I do’.

What are the challenges of being a manager at such an historic venue?

The challenges are very similar at every golf club. There is a spectrum of scales in how big those are but they do follow a very similar theme wherever you go.

The one thing, with an old traditional club, is balance – trying to keep those old traditions but not lose sight of the fact that you need to move forward as well. We have got a couple of members who have been here 70 years and they have seen seven decades of change.

They know it’s not the club they joined all that time ago, but we still rely on some of the key fundamentals of the long established traditions of the game. Golf was often linked to business. Whenever the game began, people did business on and around the golf course. Business now involves laptops, iPads and sitting down having meetings.

Having rules in place where you can’t come in with devices is old hat. That’s just an example of something we have had to change in the last decade.

Was it difficult to bring through a change like that – allowing mobile phones, for example?

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The club, no matter how big it is, relies on a source of income that’s away from the members.

With that, you need to be openminded to corporate business. We still have restrictions on phones.

You can’t stand in the corner and shout down your phone, or

“The one thing... is balance – trying to keep those old traditions but not lose sight of the fact that you need to move forward”

Peter Rishworth

have them ringing. But you can have them on and have them on display. You need them to book tee times. You need them for golf club purposes as well as business.

You can’t turn your back on the revenue streams that come with it.

What are the opportunities that come with your role?

We are fortunate, with the quality of the course and our traditions, that we get approached to host a lot of great events.

Those are great opportunities we wouldn’t necessarily get if we were somewhere else. Your motivation for the job is there day in and day out but you do get that extra little bit for a key event where you get to showcase all the work you have been a part of over several years.

The course manager and the greens staff really get up for those sort of events.

What’s your favourite golfing memory?

I played quite a bit at university and played in the BUCS Championship for Central Lancashire.

I enjoyed representing them, being captain of the second team and president of the squad one year. When I was growing up, my village 9-hole course at the time (Bracken Ghyll) went to 18 holes and it was at the time I was playing the better golf of my life. I’d got right next to the 9-hole course record twice in a week before it was converted. I then played in the last tee time, in the last competition played, and I broke the course record by four shots. So I’ve always got a course record that will never go.

Get In Touch To contact Moortown, visit moortown-gc.co.uk

GCMA.ORG.UK | 61

GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

From the

REGIONS SOUTH WEST Assistants’ Meeting The South West region hosted a meeting of administrators and manager’s assistants at The Kendleshire, on the outskirts of Bristol. Hot topics included introducing newcomers to the game and outlining the various initiatives available for new golfers.

Also discussed was the GCMA’s affiliate membership scheme, the benefits of attending networking meetings and difficulties of time management.

Pat Murphy, director and general manager at The Kendleshire, shared his staff induction booklet, which impressed everyone. South West regional manager Karen Drake challenged the group to discuss what they thought was the most important part of a club manager’s job.

SOUTH WEST Wednesday, April 11 AGM, St Enodoc Incoming captain Alan Creber, from Launceston, nominated past committee member Ian Griffiths, of Ross on Wye, as vice captain.

Alan talked about the networking opportunities and the value of engaging with like-minded people to ease the pressures and demands of a busy job. At the business meeting, chief executive Bob Williams outlined some of the various initiatives

62 | GCMA.ORG.UK

that have been adopted by headquarters and the board and shared the success of the Women’s Golf Leadership Group at Foxhills.

Daniel Wood, of Dainton Park, and Ray Griffiths, from Mullion, will represent the region at The Berkshire in September after qualifying for the Fairway Credit Finals.

YORKSHIRE Thursday, May 10 Spring meeting, Ganton

Regional Managers 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

Fifty five members listened as regional captain Mike Wells extolled regional manager Cameron Dawson’s election as national captain. Fairway Credit’s Ross Merrilees, talked about his firm’s integration with Club Systems International and how they were trying to take the risk away from clients in terms of the new GDPR legislation.

Albatross Digital Marketing’s Sam Poole revealed how targeted use of social media had realised significant amounts of revenue for partner clubs. GCMA chief executive Bob Williams outlined the progress with the strategic review, while communications manager Mike Hyde gave an update on that side of the business. intelligentgolf’s Jamie Abbott outlined what clubs would need to do to ensure they were GDPR compliant and how his systems and practices had put them ahead of the game.

Rob Wormstone Norfolk

John Barnard North West

Neil Annandale Northern

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

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

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pack at ontact:

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GCMA.ORG.UK | 63

GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

My success story...

Sponsors of My Success Story

STEPHEN NICHOLSON Oxford were in “dire straits” when Stephen Nicholson first took on the general manager’s job. But, in little over a year, he’s turned the club around. He tells Steve Carroll how he did it…

W

as a fire fighting operation on Stephen Nicholson’s mind when he stepped through the doors at Oxford for the first time?

The club, one of England’s oldest, had just posted another loss. That had continued a theme that had played out the same at the end of each of the last five financial years.

It was missing its identity, struggling for purpose, and meandering along in an evercompetitive market place.

Fast-forward 18 months and the future is looking much brighter.

In the last calendar year, Oxford welcomed 80 new members and many of them broke the norm – occupying hard-to-reach groups such as 18 to 25s.

Having arrived from a commercial background, Nicholson utilised his knowledge of business – and how to entice customers – to deliver almost instant success.

“One of the first things I did when I came in was to try and give the membership more value,” he explained.

“I contacted local businesses, hotels, restaurants, car dealerships

64 | GCMA.ORG.UK

– all sorts of businesses we could team up with that we could provide a service and they could provide a service to us.

“We have continued to develop those relationships and have had plenty of business on the back of it.

“One of the pieces of business we have started to do now are golf breaks and residential golf bookings.

“We don’t have accommodation, or a hotel, on site so we have teamed up with a hotel to give us preferential rates on various nights of the week and then we can buffer that up with a golf package from our side as an all-inclusive package.

“It takes a bit of time, or a bit of experience and tenacity.

Sometimes it will take a few months before you get through the door or have a meeting

“Your main clientele in the golf club world is your membership and so you’ve got to look after them - more so than anything else”

and get on a wavelength with someone.”

Nicholson admits he hasn’t re-invented the wheel, using general marketing techniques and grasping the opportunities provided by social media networks, like Facebook, to get the message out there.

What he has done successfully is allocate the time and the effort to underpinning his initiatives and seeing them through.

He said:“I think that’s where golf club struggle.

“They make up a bit of an advert in-house, which doesn’t look particularly nice, they don’t get the call to action right and they chuck it to a local newspaper for £300 or £400.

“It doesn’t get a lot – or any – response and they think ‘well we did that once and it didn’t work’.

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Oxford Golf Club

But you didn’t do it right.”

Nicholson brought families into the club by offering free junior membership, a gesture that was very well received and didn’t have the cost implications you might think, while he also concentrated on adding value to existing members to keep them at the club.

“The junior membership had decreased quite a lot in recent years,” he added.

“We needed to entice the members we already had to bring their children and grandchildren down.

“They could do that for free, and we don’t charge an awful lot for junior membership anyway, so we got quite a strong number of junior members within that category.

“Far more beneficially, we’d be bringing the juniors down and

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people would be bringing the families down.

“Mums and dads now are starting to play golf, starting to pick up the clubs off the back of their sons and daughters actually playing.

“We had a really good response from that.”

The numbers back that up. From February 2017 through the next 12 months, membership increased from 430 to around 510.

That included juniors, full, intermediate members and a big influx of new joiners aged between 18 and 23.

“Members do warrant a better service – they demand it,” Nicholson added.

“I think clubs are still trying to get their heads around offering that better service, whether that’s having a conversation, a friendly

greeting or whatever.

“Your main clientele in the golf club world is your membership and so you’ve got to look after them – probably more so than anything else.

“It’s about showing that we do value them and offering a really good product that looks like we value them rather than just cheap paper.”

Nicholson continued:“We’ve also looked at all the contracts, worked with the Golf Management Group and have been getting better deals. We’re more cost effective, it’s better service and we are saving money.”

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

April 2018

STATS UK&I 18,181 Total competitions recorded

GENTS:

LADIES:

11,173 7,008

181 Hole-in-ones made in qualifying events during April

26,706

TOP 10

total HowDidiDo Order of Merit sign ups for 2018

lowest handicaps by country

592,501 total rounds of golf recorded

3,289

eagles or better

66 | GCMA.ORG.UK

202,555 birdies

2,008,555

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

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

Join over 150,000 club golfers in downloading the HowDidiDo app for FREE

The largest, most engaging online golf community in Europe

@RainBirdGolf

Rain Bird has been a huge help for dialing in our system. They made it a much easier transition during the restoration.

Stephen Rabideau, CGCS | Director of Golf Courses, Winged Foot Golf Club

Winged Foot Golf Club brought incredible precision to their irrigation.

To prepare for a major championship, this prestigious club recently completed a historic restoration. By partnering with Rain Bird, they also received hands-on help implementing new intelligent irrigation practices. From dialing-in nozzle settings in their Central Control to setting up a Rain Watch™ system that responds to microclimates, a dedicated commitment from Rain Bird made it easier for the club to protect their water source and defend their turf.

See more renovation stories at rainbird.com/RenovationPartner.