The Golf Club Manager: April 2019

THE GOLF CLUB

MANAGER ISSUE 25 | APRIL 2019

THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE GOLF CLUB MANAGERS’ ASSOCIATION

INDUSTRY

RAISING FLAGSTICKS WE SPEAK TO THE MAN WHO MAKES THE PINS

SAVING THE MASTERS CHRIS WILLIAMS TELLS THE STORY OF HOW HILLSIDE IS H O S T I N G T H E B R I T I S H M A S T E R S AT S E V E N M O N T H S’ N OT I C E

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

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CONTENTS ISSUE 25 | APRIL 2019

GCMA

CAREERS

8

54

All the news and views from the GCMA

On the move: Gareth Morgan

NEED TO KNOW

GOOD PRACTICE

18

59

The vital role we can all play in the equality quest

From the helpdesk

INDUSTRY

GRASS ROOTS

29

How Hillside saved the British Masters

62

40

Golf’s phoenix from the flames

Tyneside’s success story

40

62

29

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 FINANCE ADMINISTRATOR Shirley Edmondson - shirley@gcma.org.uk COMMUNICATIONS EXECUTIVE Marie Taylor - marie@gcma.org.uk MEMBERSHIP SERVICES Julie Knight - julie@gcma.org.uk PRESIDENT JR (John) Jones 2018/19 CAPTAIN Cameron Dawson BOARD OF DIRECTORS Gary Steele, Phil Grice, Eddie Bullock, Amy Yeates, Andrew Rankin 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 PRODUCTION EDITOR James Broadhurst - j.broadhurst@sportspub.co.uk CHIEF DESIGNER Andrew Kenworthy - a.kenworthy@sportspub.co.uk DESIGNERS Vicky Jones - v.jones@sportspub.co.uk Becky Clark - b.clark@sportspub.co.uk Paul Barnett - p.barnett@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 25 | APRIL 2019

THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE GOLF CLUB MANAGERS’ ASSOCIATION

INDUSTRY

RAISING FLAGSTICKS WE SPEAK TO THE MAN WHO MAKES THE PINS

SAVING THE MASTERS CHRIS WILLIAMS TELLS THE STORY OF HOW HILLSIDE IS H O S T I N G T H E B R I T I S H M A S T E R S AT S I X M O N T H S’ N OT I C E

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

001 GCMA April 19 Cover.indd 3

26/03/2019 15:42

ON THE COVER: Hillside’s Chris Williams

WELCOME

ISSUE 25 | APRIL 2019

A

s you read this, the Annual General Meeting is almost upon us and this year could prove to be one of the most significant for our Association. With eight members nominated for just six Directorships, the successful people will form three quarters of the Board.

By now you will have received your AGM report and be aware of the nominated candidates, who will bring a variety of qualities to the Board. It is your association and it is important you decide who you want to represent you, so I would ask you take the time to either attend the AGM or use your proxy vote for your preferred choices.

While we welcome the arrival of the new Directors, we will also be saying our goodbyes and thanks to the outgoing Eddie Bullock and Gary Steele for all their sterling work over the last five years. Both were at the inception of the Board and both have been extremely dependable stalwarts of the GCMA. From a personal point of view, I sincerely thank them for their help and guidance.

We have just completed our latest training course at Wyboston Lakes in Bedfordshire. While this course did not boast a full contingent it did bring together a varied group of aspiring managers and people already in post.

These ranged from a gentleman running a services golf club in Germany to a lady who runs the family golf course. The training course offers the chance to meet

like minded people who all share the same issues. If you have a member of staff who is ambitious and hungry for knowledge, and wishing to move forward their career, this could be a positive step for them and your club.

After attending the England Golf awards, at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, where you always meet up with colleagues and friends, I was saddened to hear that another colleague, Michael Coffey, had lost his wife Viv, who passed away suddenly after a short illness. Since I was appointed to this role Michael, Viv and I have met up on many of occasions to discuss the golf business. My thoughts are with Michael and his family.

Bob Williams – chief executive

“It is your association and it is important you decide who you want to represent you, so... take the time to attend the AGM“

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GCMA Everything you need to know about what’s happening around the UK in the world of the GCMA

GCMA | NEED TO KNOW | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | GOOD PRACTICE | GRASS ROOTS

The month in

PICTURES

The latest 59club Awards were held in the home of golf at the Old Course Hotel in St Andrews.

The awards saw clubs from across the UK and from around the world being rewarded for their efforts to deliver exceptional customer service throughout 2018.

8 | GCMA.ORG.UK

1

The Grove – including GCMA members (2nd from L-R) Ben Cooke, Brad Gould and Anna Darnell – picked up the award for UK Golf Operation Team of the Year 2018.

Brad Gould also picked up the UK Golf Manager of the Year.

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2

At the 59club Awards on March 13, Belfry Hotel & Resort and Emirates Golf Club picked up the highest prized awards of the evening, The Ultimate Golf Resort and Ultimate

Members’ Club. The Belfry Hotel also scooped a Gold Flag and three other awards, including Chris Reeve being crowned UK Golf Manager of the Year based on their PGA National Course audits,

3

Several other GCMA member run clubs also picked up awards on the evening, including

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and Angus MacLeod winning UK Greenkeeper of the Year in recognition of The Brabazon Course, for the second consecutive year.

Rockliffe Hall. Davy Cuthbertson is pictured collecting the venue’s Golf Flag award for the club’s work in 2018.

GCMA.ORG.UK | 9

GCMA | NEED TO KNOW | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | GOOD PRACTICE | GRASS ROOTS

From the Chairman...

PHIL GRICE

I

have been chairman since June last year and it has been a period that has brought challenges but revealed great opportunities as well.

It’s not straightforward to comprehend the various layers of the association and our stakeholders, while understanding why we may not be as together as we would like to be.

It was a very tough first couple of months, where we exchanged some very open dialogue with the regional managers and our team at head office. We listened to each

10 | GCMA.ORG.UK

other, all sides put their points across, and I feel we came out with a shared common purpose.

We were at a key juncture when we made the decision, a couple of years ago, to retake control of the magazine. We knew how much we were predicting to lose – in setting up a new venture – to try and grow the organisation in the medium term. The sole aim was to provide better services to the members in the future.

At the AGM last year, when posting the predicted losses, it

was tough to deal with some of the things that were shared. I fully understand why, and the board and I have learned some key lessons as a result, but hopefully these times are behind us now.

As golf club managers we all suffer daily from similar member-based issues, where 70% mean well and want to work with you, 25% are exceptional advocates and really do bang the drum for us all and there is always a small percentage of everyone’s membership that don’t always know the facts before

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

It’s been a challenging, rewarding and exciting first few months as Chairman and I’m very optimistic about the future of the GCMA commenting.

We should be the last organisation to suffer from something we personally try to combat daily.

From Regional Managers, the head office team, to Directors - many of whom are volunteers - all are trying to do their utmost on your behalf so please give due consideration before passing comment.

Financially, we have managed to turn the numbers around and be in line with where we predicted to be in going into the third year of transition.

We’ve made a lot of difficult decisions and it was always unlikely we would get everything right first time, but I’m glad to say we seem to be over the toughest period.

We feel we are now starting to gather a gentle momentum.

The magazine product is solid.

Measured feedback is the membership like it, but we’ve got to make sure financially it fits within our business model to keep it sustainable.

Mike Hyde is driving forward with the business partnerships and that strategy seems to be working well, long may it continue.

We were close to being financially neutral this year, but we still need support from all our stakeholders, none more so than you the members.

The regional managers have been supportive on this front during my time as Chairman. We’ve had a couple of good meetings and we are all on the same page

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right now, with progressive, firm actions.

That’s a big step forward and I am grateful to all concerned.

There are several key opportunities for the GCMA just around the corner, not least with the potential growth of the affiliate membership scheme and the board changes, that will take place at the AGM. We must be progressive both as a board and at widening our membership appeal.

Through innovative communication streams, there are many opportunities for us to deliver on our primary purpose of supporting and educating managers and our affiliate members.

Affiliate Members are going to be our future. Whether you are a Bar Manager, a Head Greenkeeper, Head of Operations, a Director of Golf - that’s where our next generation of membership will be coming from.

I think it’s exciting that there are a lot of good people out there who really want to give something back as well as learn from us. It’s vital we pull together and introduce them to our world.

As some of you will know, Cameron Dawson, our 2018 National Captain, is heading a focus group looking at the current regional structure.

It’s an old chestnut many of you tell us is an issue, so I welcome this review, and any forthcoming recommendations.

The issue we all suffer is time is

precious – nobody more so than a golf club general manager.

If we are trying to organise regional meetings, and it’s a twohour journey there and back, you understandably start to question its value, necessity and what you will get out of any given session.

We need to be focused and efficient in ensuring you find the community that best suits your needs – perhaps through more regular, or virtual meetings.

I have every confidence Cameron and his group will produce a balanced set of findings and recommendations.

We have a great community but we perhaps don’t share as consistently across the country as we could. I would love to see sharing knowledge and best practice across the land become common place.

Regional structures are an issue across all countrywide associations but we must ensure we are doing everything possible to provide the most member focused structures to meet our ever-changing needs.

I feel we have made some positive strides during the past year. We have moved the Association forward, but only together can we maintain the momentum we have.

I look forward to seeing you on April 15 at Coxmoor for the annual AGM, followed by our conference in November, where we sincerely hope you come to learn, share and network.

GCMA.ORG.UK | 11

GCMA | NEED TO KNOW | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | GOOD PRACTICE | GRASS ROOTS

Helping clubs get the best

LEGAL ADVICE

W

hat are the origins of the NGCAA? The NGCAA has been around since 1922 and was originally formed as a cooperative of golf clubs to save on the expense of legal advice. To this day, we continue to save golf clubs on the expense of legal and HR advice, as well as having built up a great specialism in the various laws affecting golf clubs.

What we know today as two organisations, the NGCAA and the GCMA, were originally one until a parting of the ways, which occurred in the last century. They went down separate paths and it was recognised that the NGCAA would provide advice for the golf clubs and the GCMA would provide personal training and advice for the golf club secretaries and managers.

The NGCAA is an independent, non-profit making organisation...

That’s correct and we will provide that absolutely independent advice without ties to anybody. We always advise and act in the best interests of our member – which is the golf club. Our usual point of contact is the club manager, but we do deal with directors and committee members when appropriate or requested.

Can you outline the range of legal issues you can help with?

12 | GCMA.ORG.UK

In summary, it’s almost everything a golf club would need in terms of legal advice. The two most common enquiries that we receive are on HR/employment law and club governance.

The employment law and HR advice has grown during the last

year since, before taking over as CEO at the NGCAA, I spent almost 20 years in private practice as an employment law solicitor.

That side of our advice offering is aimed at providing a practical and straightforward solution, combined with the template

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Chief executive Alistair Smith explains why NGCAA membership should be on the radar of every golf club byelaws, as well as advice for AGMs, voting, and how the club is governed and run. We also advise clubs on issues regarding member discipline, which is another area that I dealt with for many years as a private practice solicitor.

Overarching golf club life is equality. Our advice on that can cover disability on the topic of people having access to the course by using buggies. It might be with reference to gender over access to the tee on a weekend, for example, if there was a Saturday men’s competition running where ladies were restricted in their access to the tee. It’s almost anything and everything! One thing we know is that the job of a golf club manager is very busy and varied, which we see reflected in the enquiries that we receive.

documents on our website. We can guide clubs through the maze of employment law and procedures, as well as helping with documentation. We class governance as including matters relating to the club’s constitution, articles of association, rules and

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How important is it to be protected by being members of both the NGCAA and GCMA? It’s huge. If the club is an NGCAA member, they get their advice for and on behalf of the club. If the manager is a GCMA member, they are better trained and they get their own personal advice. With membership of both, the club manager knows that all avenues are covered. At the NGCAA, we provide peace of mind for the manager. Once the fee is paid for membership, they can contact us for advice as many times as they want during the year. It’s almost like a comfort blanket. Whenever there’s a question, whether they

think it is trivial or not, whether they need a little bit of reassurance, or whether it is a major issue, they can give us a call or drop us an email and we have the resource to be able to help. In addition, our website has an enormous number of guidance notes and templates. It includes contracts of employment, articles of association, guidance on buggies and equality - there are all kinds of useful documents there.

For a very low fee, clubs receive what would cost them several thousands of pounds if they went to a solicitor. It’s huge value for money as far as we are concerned - I don’t understand why every single club isn’t a member!

Who are the NGCAA? The National Golf Clubs’ Advisory Association delivers legal advice and administrative support to golf club managers, committees and owners.

Managed by a board of directors experienced in golf club management, they can assist with any legal issues that a club may encounter such as employment law, discipline, incorporation, disability and equality and licensing and hospitality.

As well as personalised support, members have access to a comprehensive library of templates and briefing notes which are held on secure websites.

For more information, visit ngcaa.co.uk or call 01886 812943

GCMA.ORG.UK | 13

ADVERTORIAL FEATURE

GCMA Fairway Credit

FINALS DAY

T

he Fairway Credit Finals Day is one of the highlights of the GCMA golfing calendar, thanks to the support of one of the association’s longestrunning partnerships.

Your region will run a qualifying competition as part of the programme of regional meetings in the spring – all the qualifiers are listed on the GCMA website, and in the calendar that was distributed with

the January issue of the magazine.

The top two placed full members will qualify for the final, which will take place on Wednesday, September 4, with a new venue for 2019.

For the first time, the event will take place at The Oxfordshire golf resort. Everyone fortunate enough to get through will be invited to join the other qualifiers for a round of golf on the championship golf course, before being hosted at the resort overnight on Wednesday.

Thanks to Fairway Credit’s generosity, there is no cost to enter the qualifiers, or for the final’s day.

Sales Director Steve Taylor said: “We place considerable value on the strategic relationship we have

held with GCMA for over 20 years.

Fairway Credit wants to engage with decision makers in golf clubs and GCMA gives us the perfect opportunity to do this.

“We particularly value, and enjoy, the opportunity to engage with a wide range of progressive managers who attend GCMA meetings throughout the country.

We always get a very warm welcome at every GCMA event we attend, receive great insight into how the market is evolving and the challenges being faced by clubs.

This insight allows us to develop relevant solutions for clubs to help overcome those challenges.

“We want to continue to

The Oxfordshire

2 | GCMA.ORG.UK

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Find out what the day involves, and where the event will take place in 2019 strengthen our excellent relationship with GCMA, which in turn should see benefits for Fairway Credit, GCMA, their members and golf clubs across the country.

“So, we’re delighted to be continuing the Fairway Credit Finals Day in 2019, it has become a fixture in the GCMA calendar, and we’re always delighted to host over 30 GCMA members every year – good luck to everyone who enters a qualifier!”

The format of the final is a pairs competition, although you won’t play with your regional partner, just to add to the intrigue! The winning regional pair will lift the coveted Fairway Credit Regional Trophy -

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currently held by Southern region.

In their own words, The Oxfordshire describe the experience of visiting the former European Tour venue:“Having hosted the Benson & Hedges International for four years, the Andersen Consulting World Championships as well as the Ladies English Open, you know you’re somewhere special.

“World renowned course architect Rees Jones designed The Oxfordshire’s Championship golf course, which was his first in the UK. He gave the course 135 bunkers and four unmissable lakes.

With strategically-contoured holes that blend effortlessly into the

natural beauty of the surrounding countryside, Jones’s masterpiece is a links style course which is a challenge for all golfers of any ability.

“Some of the games greats have teed it up here in competition, with Seve Ballesteros, Colin Montgomerie, Nick Faldo and Darren Clarke included. With such pedigree it is no wonder that The Oxfordshire is by far one of the best courses within the BB&O.“ Win or lose, the Finals Day is always a fantastic experience for everyone who qualifies, and thanks to Fairway Credit for continuing to support the event.

Hopefully see you in September – good luck!

GCMA.ORG.UK | 3

The GCMA’s trusted payment solution for golf club membership fee collections For over 25 years Fairway Credit has helped thousands of golfers play the sport they love. In the process, we have helped hundreds of golf clubs collect membership fees, removing the administration burden, allowing them to do what they do best, run a great golf club.

“

I have been using Fairway Credit for over 20 years now at a wide range of clubs. It provides a modern method of paying subscriptions that suits younger members who are used to monthly direct debits, as well as providing an affordable scheme for those on fixed incomes.

“

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For further information about how Fairway Credit can benefit you and your members, simply; call, email or visit our website.

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Need to

KNOW All the relevant news, opinion, and expert insight from around the industry

GCMA | NEED TO KNOW | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | GOOD PRACTICE | GRASS ROOTS

The vital role men can play in the quest

FOR EQUALITY

I

still see women being invisible, men taking all the stage. I still hear women ask me ‘do women do that job then?’ and I still get asked specifically how can a woman go about challenging the fact that someone who works for her gets paid more than her? All in all, in the quest for equality there is still much work to be done. But where do we start?

This article is for those who know Royal Dornoch

18 | GCMA.ORG.UK

in their bones that it is absolutely the right thing to do to create an equal world for the benefit of our women and our men. We need more than warm words in 2019.

So for those people who are ready to be bold, (and men because you occupy more leadership positions than women this is mostly for you) I challenge you to choose just one thing to DO from this day forward, from the list below: These are some of the best

practical ideas I’ve seen from thought leaders around the world and a few of my own thrown in.

1 Always introduce women by their first and last name. Research shows that unconsciously, men are assumed to be qualified and competent but for women the reverse is true. You can make a difference today by making sure you champion respect for women and your proper introduction of

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The successful recent International Women’s Day shows that awareness in the race to achieve equality is on the increase. But, as Marie Taylor explains, we can all do more – and this is how we start her is the first step.

2 The current gender pay gap is 17.9%.

Could you give women, on average, a 17.9% pay rise, or the last 65 days (which is 17.9% of 365) of the year off on full pay? The latest report from the Office of National Statistics reveals that Northern Ireland is the only region of the UK to have got its act together, with Scotland and Wales following closely behind. Too radical? What about making your prices 17.9% cheaper for female customers?

3 Unbias the workplace space.

Women are affected by their surroundings so the décor of their environment is important; make it beautiful.

Moritz, Global Chairman of PwC, involves the putting forward of personal capital often without the person knowing it, to make sure they are getting the position that helps them to fulfil their potential.

(See him discuss his decisionmaking criteria here at five minutes in... youtu.be/_ocVxvxxgmg).

7 Encourage women to meet in small groups each month to discuss successes and challenges so that those women can raise the profile of their colleagues’ successes – because women usually struggle to cheerlead their own successes and society penalises them if they do (taken from Lean In, by Sheryl Sandberg, COO at Facebook).

5 Do what actor Benedict Cumberbatch did and take a stand, refusing to accept a contract unless the women in equivalent roles are paid the same.

8 Follow the lead taken by PwC to encourage men to talk to the women rather than just joining in with other guys.

Humans are wired to be suspicious or distrust those whose support groups they aren’t part of themselves so it takes conscious effort. When I experienced this I was completely taken aback when Andy Rankin, Senior Lecturer & Board Director, GCMA guided the conversation away from football - which I could not participate in - towards something I could be involved with.

6 Sponsor one woman in your organisation to achieve an executive role by 2020.

Sponsorship, according to Bob

9 Be bold and brave by voluntarily releasing your gender pay gap publicly.

In 2014 PwC did this and simply

4 Give men time off to care for their sick children (so their women don’t have to).

The biggest impact on diversity and gender balance happened at Google when they changed their parental leave policy, so fathers could share responsibility rather than just ‘pitch in’.

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by saying the number out loud it created more momentum internally to close it and made it highly motivating to fix the problem. PwC’s analysis showed that most of their 15.1% pay disparity reflected a lack of women in senior jobs. It then worked to rectify this.

All these roads lead to the same place: trust. Women are attuned to behaviours that speak to a lack of trust – accustomed as they are to garnering less respect than men. This is a major reason they don’t raise their hands for raises and promotions in the first place and they don’t feel they have the support and trust of those above them. They need to know you have faith in them. Could you do something to demonstrate that today?

GCMA.ORG.UK | 19

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INDUSTRY The latest news, insightful opinions and in-depth features from the golf industry

GCMA | NEED TO KNOW | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | GOOD PRACTICE | GRASS ROOTS

This GCMA club is famous for…

PRINCE’S

This Kent course, run by general manager Rob McGuirk, is not just known for Gene Sarazen’s Open Championship victory in 1932...

P

ercy Belgrave Lucas, more commonly known as Laddie, was an author, MP, wartime fighter ace and a Prince’s Golf Club legend. He was born in the clubhouse of the Sandwich Bay course and his father, Percy Montague Lucas, was the cofounder of the Kent club.

Prince’s held the Open in 1932 when Gene Sarazen beat Macdonald Smith by five shots to win his only Claret Jug. But Lucas’ legend arguably outstrips even staging the world’s oldest major championship – such was his life.

Top amateur at the 1935 Open at Muirfield, he practised as a youngster with Henry Cotton.

A sports writer for the Sunday Express, he volunteered for the RAF when World War II broke out.

He made his name during the defence of Malta in 1942 when commanding 249 Squadron and he earned a Distinguished Flying Cross that July. But it was a year later when the familiar fairways of Prince’s might have saved his life.

Returning to RAF Manston after a raid over northern France, Lucas’ Spitfire was damaged by enemy fire and smoke filled the cockpit as he made his escape back across the Channel. Losing altitude, and

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fearing he may need to ditch his craft in the water, Lucas spotted the outline of Sandwich Bay and the old Prince’s clubhouse.

He aimed straight down the course, avoiding the fairways before landing just beyond the boundary fence at the far end of the course. A plaque and a replica propeller, on the Himalayas nine, just past the new second green, marks the spot where his plane came to rest. It states the day after his crash landing, a telegram came from his friend – noted golf writer Henry Longhurst. It read:“Driven out of bounds again Lucas.”

After the war, Lucas played in the 1947 and 1949 Walker Cup GB&I teams and was elected a Conservative MP for Brentford and Chiswick in 1950. Influential in the establishment of the European Tour in the early 1970s, he was awarded the CBE in 1981 and died in Chelsea in 1998.

What is it that makes your club special? Every club has something that makes it unique, that sets it apart from everywhere else. Why not let us know what it is? Email s.carroll@sportspub.co.uk

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GCMA | NEED TO KNOW | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | GOOD PRACTICE | GRASS ROOTS

In the

LOOP 1. Heroes revealed at England Golf awards What’s happened: The people, clubs and counties that make the game great were celebrated at the England Golf Awards in London.

What does it mean? A glitzy ceremony at the Royal Lancaster, in London, saw more than 400 guests hail nine winners - with congratulations sent by Tommy Fleetwood, Dame Laura Davies, Tyrrell Hatton and Jordan Smith.

Teenage talent Conor Gough, of Stoke Park, won Performance of the Year after a 2018 season where he won the British and English titles, while Ian Bonser, of 3 Hammers in Staffordshire, was rewarded for his work helping people get into the game with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Stanton-on-the-Wolds, in Nottinghamshire, walked off with Championship Venue of the Year, and Wiltshire Golf were named County of the Year.

The Exeter Golf and Country Club, in Devon, were Most Welcoming Club, and Mark Feeney, of West Derby in Liverpool, was Volunteer of the Year. Coach of the Year went to Aaron Lansbury, from Hatchford

The news you need to know from the last month in the golf industry…

Brook in Birmingham, while Bromborough’s Lou McLoughlin was Young Ambassador. The Innovation prize went to Mytime Active.

2. Can your club beat this trio of aces?

What happened: In what might be a record-breaking feat, there were three hole in ones in the space of three hours at Woking.

What does it mean? It’s hard enough for a golfer to score a hole in one - the odds are around

12,500 to 1 - but what are the chances of three in one day and in the space of three hours?

The whisky was flowing at Woking when members had a flood of perfect shots in February. James Margary aced the 161-yard 7th with a 5-iron, John Moffat used a 6-iron to finish the 147-yard 16th in one shot and David Rayner picked the ball out of the 156-yard 10th after using a 7-iron.

Has your club ever recorded three hole in ones in one day? Get in touch at s.carroll@sportspub.co.uk

@GCMAUK We’re delighted that @rijo42, have joined the GCMA partner network as a Business Partner – cementing a longstanding relationship with the association! @GCMAUK

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This week our Assistant Manager Rosie is brushing up her skills with the @GCMAUK. We’re looking forward to hearing all when she’s back! @BassetDownGolf

In the wake of #IWD International Women’s Day 2019 congratulations are due to Christine Ratcliffe @ElyGolf who has been appointed their first

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We want to hear from you!

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

3. Clubs cash in thanks to CSI grants What’s happened: More than £20,000 in grants have been handed out to small clubs in England as they prepare for the introduction of the World Handicap System next year.

What does it mean? Club Systems International made grants of more than £500 available to qualifying clubs, to allow them to buy a CSI 10” PsiTouch screen.

That allows club members to input their own scores, which will be essential as player input is a prerequisite of WHS. So far, 44 grants have already been awarded by CSI, following offers made to clubs by England Golf, which administrates the application and approval process.

Darren Wood, CSI’s relationship manager, joined England Golf’s handicap and course rating manager, Gemma Hunter, at the first installation, at Haigh Hall GC, in Wigan. He said:“Since announcing the offer at the England Golf roadshows last year, we have seen a steady flow of enquiries and, subsequently, accepted offers. Our financial support continues to help

smaller clubs acquire the same cutting-edge technology used by their larger counterparts.

“Giving something back and helping to grow and progress the game, is very much at the heart of CSI’s philosophy and something about which I am, personally, very passionate. I’m very proud that CSI is at the forefront of this movement.”

Clubs need to meet at least one of three criteria to qualify for a grant - having fewer than 300 members, an annual revenue of less than £250,000, or employing fewer than three full-time staff.

Clubs meeting the required criteria will qualify for a grant totalling 25, 50, or 75 per cent of the normal PSiTouch price of £695 (+vat). To apply for a grant, clubs should email clubsupport@englandgolf.org to request an application form.

Welcome to our newest GCMA members Joshua Van den Borst, at Dulwich & Sydenham, in South East region Karen Fidell, at Bourn, in East Anglia region Stuart Elliott, at Dainton Park, in South West region Michael Clarke, at Frinton, in East Anglia Simon Olver, at Whitley Bay, in Tyne & Wear Maria Williamson, at Spalding, in East Midlands region Julie Cousins, at Grange-over-Sands, in North West region Lt Col Steve Davis, at Army GA, in London & Home Counties region Matthew Creighton, at Thirsk & Northallerton, in Yorkshire region Paul Tidey, at Willingdon, in Southern region Nicholas Parrott, at Nevill, in South East region Robert Davis, at Somerset Golf Union, in South West region Margaret Milne, at Lancashire Ladies County Golf Association Matthew Bacon, at Costessey Park, in Norfolk

female Chair. @GCMAUK We’re delighted to end the week by welcoming @HuxleyGolf to

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the GCMA Partner Network as an Official Supplier! @GCMAUK

Fame Tate, at Stanedge, in East Midlands region Victor Greenan, at South Bradford, in Yorkshire region

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NATIONAL GOLF DAY ENVILLE GC MONDAY 10 JUNE ENTRY: £50 | TEE TIMES FROM 12 NOON INCLUDES LIGHT LUNCH ON ARRIVAL 18 HOLES OF GOLF, EARLY DINNER, PRIZES

Booking opens on Friday 12 April: gcma.org.uk/nationalgolf

Competing for: Greenshields Memorial Trophy – Best Gross The Founders Cup – Best Nett

The interview...

CHRIS WILLIAMS Hillside stepped in to ensure the British Masters had a home and, as secretary Chris Williams tells Steve Carroll, the Southport club can’t wait to welcome the European Tour’s finest next month

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W

e should start by thanking Hillside, on behalf of all golfers, for saving the British Masters…

It’s quite a story how it came about. We were approached by the European Tour at the back end of last year with a view to staging the British Masters in 2020.

I was quite taken aback and excited by that prospect but said ‘I’ll have to take it to the board of directors’.We did that and we had an indicative nod that we’d be interested.

Then all the publicity emerged that the British Masters might not happen in 2019, after the successful Walton Heath event.

It’s ironic that Tommy Fleetwood was out playing the course with his dad, and I went to see him, welcome him and say ‘it looks we are on for the British Masters in 2020’.

He said ‘fantastic, can’t wait and really delighted to host it’. He went out and played and, while he was on the course, Keith Waters, the chief operating officer of the European Tour, phoned me and said ‘we need to look at 2019, and May 2019’.

We had to make some very quick decisions. Tommy came off the golf course and I said ‘did you know they are looking at next year?’ He said ‘I’ve just had a text message’.

It all happened very quickly. We’re obviously delighted.

“We had to take a unanimous decision. If there was any doubt then we wouldn’t have done it.”

That outcry you alluded to, when it looked like it possibly might not happen, shows what an important tournament it has become for the British public…

The thing is that there are so few professional tournaments in England. There is only Wentworth.

Scotland and Ireland have events every year. Obviously we get The

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Open when it’s on the rota but the English golfing fans are starved of top class golf. I think it’s great and the tournament has been around for a long time but it has certainly got a much higher profile in the last four or five years.

So take me through the process of how the club were able to agree so quickly…

The structure here is a board of directors who, for want of a better phrase, form the general committee of the club. They effectively make all the main strategic decisions.

We do have committees but they tend to be working committees.

The policy is set by the board and we do make quick decisions when we need to. We have a monthly board meeting, but we couldn’t wait a month, so we contacted all the individual board members and got their input.

We had to take a unanimous decision. If there was any doubt then we wouldn’t have done it. All directors were on board with it.

Was it exciting but frightening at the same time? You think you have a couple of years to stage a tournament and then it’s about seven months…

The biggest challenge was the golf course. For the logistics of staging the event, the infrastructure, and all those kind of things, the Tour run 40-odd events a year and so we weren’t so concerned about that side of it.

It was the course. We had come through a massive drought and loads of golf courses had suffered.

We had a lot of turf loss on the fairways and, speaking to our links manager Chris Ball, I was saying ‘we’re going to have this tournament and it’s going to be May next year’. You can imagine

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GCMA | NEED TO KNOW | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | GOOD PRACTICE | GRASS ROOTS their stride. In fact, they’ve been saying ‘we should protect it even more’. They are so proud of the club and they want to show it off in its best light.

The purists among us all know how good a course Hillside is.

This is a fantastic opportunity to show the course off to the wider world…

The exposure it will have, just through television and blanket coverage from Sky, will show it off in a fantastic light. We had the Ladies Amateur last year and Sky covered that on a smaller scale, but it looked fantastic on TV. To see it with stands and crowds is going to be pretty special.

the deep intake of breath he had.

But we said ‘if we turned it down would we get offered it again?’ Yes, it was hugely exciting but there was also the question of ‘could we get the golf course right?’

As soon as we switched the button on, we put a lot of resource into recovering the course after the drought. Chris Ball and his team deserve a lot of credit and this has been bolstered by members volunteering to help out.

We’re talking in mid-March and the course is looking spectacular…

It’s in absolutely magnificent condition. We’ve rested fairways from November. We had members and visitors taking it off to the side. We’ve now gone to a partial fairway protection where there are certain zoned-off areas – where the landing zones are going to be

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– and you have to use a mat there.

The greens are in great shape. A lot of bunkers have been rebuilt and it is in great condition.

We just need a bit of growth now and trying to get a little bit of rough up.

Would you normally have those protections in place at Hillside?

We have done it for the last two or three years but on a smaller scale. The members are on side with that. We would have done it anyway with the drought, to be honest, because we did suffer a lot of turf loss and we needed to protect it as much as we could.

Members have been very positive. You are never going to get 100% buy in for anything. I’ve got to say that 95% are really on board with it. They are delighted to have the event and they take these temporary restrictions in

The world’s best have hailed the course. I think Greg Norman once said it was the best back nine in Britain…

We get a lot of pros coming here and playing and they absolutely love the place. It’s going to be good to see it as a test. How is it going to stand up? There’s going to be a book in the bar speculating on what the best score might be and it’s all dependent on what happens with the wind and whether we get any rough.

It’s a course of contrasts. The front nine is lovingly manicured and pristine and the back 9 could be transported straight from Ireland as a wild links…

You’ve summarised it very well. The flatter front nine leads you in to the grandeur of the fantastic dune structures we have got on the back nine. It blends in well and I am sure they are going to enjoy themselves.

We’ve built a new tee on the 18th, high on the dune behind the current tee, and the view there is one of the most spectacular you will ever see. It’s an incredible panorama.

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“(Tommy’s) a really polite guy, a super lad, and it’s great to see a young guy with a lot of talent come through and do what he is doing now”

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Tommy Fleetwood is a Southport legend and will have played Hillside a lot. Can you talk about his association with the club?

He’s a Southport lad and I have known him since he was a junior.

He started representing Lancashire and I followed him really keenly all through his amateur career.

I’ve been here nearly five years and, just as I started, his then manager approached Hillside to ask if we would allow him to have playing rights and come down and use the facilities. The club granted that. We don’t see a massive amount of him because his schedule is so busy.

He’s a really polite guy, a super lad, and it’s great to see a young guy with a lot of talent come through and do what he is doing now. It’s great for Southport. He’s got associations with Formby Hall and he started playing at the Southport municipal. They shouldn’t be forgotten – they are part of his history – but he was asked where he would want to stage it and his number one choice was Hillside.

That’s great for the club, isn’t it?

There’s Royal Birkdale next door, Southport & Ainsdale across the road, and yet he opted for Hillside…

It’s absolutely superb. The Tour aren’t telling us the ticket sales but they are saying it’s ahead of any events they have had and I am sure the Southport public and the wider North West public will support it. I’d think it will be a sellout for the tournament.

We’re restricted because of how tight a site it is. Everyone says it is the best course not to have held an Open and it never will because of the infrastructure you need. It is tight and too compact for a major golfing event. But we’re going to

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make this work with the Tour guys and I think it will be a record.

How involved has Tommy been?

He has been involved. We’ve had him on the golf course and he’s talked about what tees he’d like to play from. It’s quite interesting.

He wants to see some short par 4s where he can drive the green and wants to push us back on a few. He’s very involved on the golf course. I am sure he has got a few things up his sleeve for some personal touches during the event.

All you need now is a decent field. You’re slightly hampered by the PGA Championship coming the following week…

I think Tommy has got a lot of pull. He’s an incredibly popular guy on both sides of the Atlantic now and I understand the Tour are organising a private jet on the Sunday. The PGA is in New York and so it is not too bad a flight time in terms of time difference. It may be that 20 or 30 guys that are playing in the PGA have a facility where they can jump straight onto the plane and be in New York for Sunday evening.

Let’s talk about Hillside.

Southport really is a golden place for golf. How do you see the club’s place in the area?

I describe all of these courses as aspirational clubs. You aspire to be a member of one of these clubs. You have fantastic facilities and world-class golf courses. I am biased but I think Hillside sits right up there with any of the golf courses. It’s a dream stretch of golfing terrain and the whole region is fortunate.

You would have full membership here?

We have full membership. We

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can charge an entrance fee and we only open membership at one time every year. We are very privileged and we never lose sight of that. I certainly don’t. I’ve been in golf all my life and I know how privileged we are in this spot.

How do you manage the expectations of people who want to join?

We do accept unsupported applications. Traditionally, you had to have proposers and seconders but we will consider applications from further afield where they don’t know anybody. Then you have member-supported applications but the reality is we are probably only bringing in around 10 to 15 new members a year. We might interview 30 people so there is always a cut out,

unfortunately. We can be selective and we will consider many things – golfing background, how they interview, how they would fit in the club. We manage expectation by telling them that. We say ‘we will consider but you might be turned down’. When a male member is accepted, they are only given six-day membership. They have a five-year wait to get full seven-day membership. We set all that out at the beginning so no one comes under any illusions. We are open to lady members and have been proactively growing that and we are very keen on promoting junior membership and we have a colt – intermediate – section so the progression from junior to young adult is not such a massive leap.

I’d consider Hillside a traditional

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Hillside Golf Club Found on England’s Golf Coast in Southport, and flanked by Royal Birkdale and Southport & Ainsdale, Hillside was carved out of an outstanding stretch of coastal links.

The club was established in 1911 and have staged some of the game’s biggest tournaments down the years. Recently a final qualifying venue for The Open, they will host the British Masters in May, in tandem with Tommy Fleetwood.

There had been numerous concerns about the future of the event, but it was revealed that Hillside would stage it last October. It’s the Tour’s first visit since Tony Jacklin beat Bernhard Langer in a playoff to win the Sun Alliance PGA Championship in 1982.

private members’ club…

It has traditional elements but it’s like pot pourri as there are lots of different elements. It’s a really competitive club. If you come here on a Saturday afternoon, the place is buzzing. It’s extremely welcoming. It hasn’t got any airs and graces. The feedback I get from visitors is how welcome they are made – that’s from the members as well as the staff.

Has that attitude made it easier to adapt to this changing leisure market we are now in?

I’ll give you a good example.

We’ve just gone to a policy where we’ll allow soft soled golf shoes anywhere in the club. It was a bit of a jump and it was because a lot of overseas visitors, for example, come in golf shoes. They arrive

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and leave in their golf shoes. It was embarrassing for the staff to say ‘sorry, you have to change your shoes’ when they didn’t have them. So rather than making a special rule for visitors, we made it a blanket rule.

The reality is that 90% of the members still change anyway but we made it so there wasn’t a stigma attached. We have high standards of behaviour and presentation in what we offer – the service, of food of drinks and the course – but we have an inclusive philosophy.

We are always looking to improve and we never stand still.

We push resources where we need to and, whether it is improving the clubhouse or the course, we never pinch on anything. We are currently looking at plans with

Martin Ebert and he is producing a masterplan. What we are trying to do there is maybe bring the front nine up a little so that it can complement the back nine, which gets all that focus.

You can’t stand still. Every other golf course in this area is spending resource to improve the facilities and if you stand still you end up falling behind.

What an exciting time for the club?

It is. We’ve staged a lot of events in the last five years, and done a lot of work on the clubhouse, and it is good for the staff. It is recognition of a lot of the hard work they have done – particularly the lads on the golf course – and it is good they are going to get that spotlight to show off this fantastic place.

GCMA.ORG.UK | 37

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Golf’s phoenix from

THE FLAMES When Glasgow’s historic clubhouse was destroyed, one of the world’s oldest golfing institutions could have wallowed in sorrow. But, as Steve Carroll discovers, what happened next has become a template to follow

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T

he 6am text woke general manager Chris Spencer with a start.

Fresh back from holiday, he’d only been back in the house a couple of hours, but the words on his phone immediately shook off any thoughts of slumber.

“It was from the clubhouse manager to say ‘the clubhouse is on fire, you might want to come in’.”

Some 40 firefighters had been working through the night at the home of Glasgow Golf Club in Killermont.

A blaze had taken hold in the kitchen of the historic building late the previous evening and large parts of the three-storey Georgian design were in ruin.

“It was a huge shock,” Spencer said.

“For the members, a lot of whom have been at the club for 30, 40 and 50 years, there is a huge emotional attachment to the place.

“It was the same for the staff. A lot have been here for 10 or 15 years, so there was an equal amount of shock there to see the place they had looked after, cared for, and provided a service to members within, now burning away with half a dozen fire engines there to put the fire out.”

Spencer was on the scene within an hour of that fateful text and, though the embers were not yet out, the focus was already starting to move forward.

What happened subsequently has been used as a best practice example of what to do in an emergency. Spencer recently delivered a talk on disaster management at BTME and there is lots clubs can learn from Glasgow’s experience should the unthinkable happen to them.

“I was there on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and all the following week,” he explained, recalling the immediate aftermath.

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“The text revealed: The clubhouse is on fire, you might want to come in.”

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“We contacted the insurers on the Friday and they kicked into process.

Nobody was hurt and that was the important thing. The staff that were on duty reacted beautifully.

“In hindsight, could we have done things any better? I don’t think we could have.”

The club had a cottage on site that was unused and that became their base as they looked to get things up and running again.

“We got IT in, had a couple of PCs running off mobile phones – so at least we had some way of communicating with members – and the main telephone line was redirected to those,” Spencer said.

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“It gave us some stability to plan and discuss things. It was a threebedroom cottage, so one of the rooms was turned into a meeting room because we were constantly meeting with different people.

“The fire brigade were still on site on Friday, Saturday and Sunday so we were meeting with them, or in their incident room.

“We were able to make plans and utilise the staff through that.”

The course, unaffected by the fire, was closed until the Wednesday as salvagers and contractors came on and off site.

But when the tee was reopened, Spencer knew the club had to be

ready to welcome members – who may not have seen the scale of the damage – back on to the property.

“All the bar and catering staff were kitted out in hi-vis jackets, with the club crest on, and were in the car park when we opened.

“So the members, when they were coming in and seeing their beloved clubhouse – to an extent – in ruins saw some friendly faces who could speak with them, tell them what we knew about what had happened, what we were doing and how we were doing it.

“From a morale point of view, the best thing we did on that Wednesday morning was to have staff on duty to

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meet and greet people.

“Initially we installed a sentry box, or bothy as the members call it, to provide a focal point for them, serving complimentary tea, coffee and soup and as a result kept the club community alive – rather than them coming and playing golf and then going off to a café in the local area.

“They’ve been sat in temporary locker rooms or if the weather was mild outside for a cup of coffee, a catch up and a chat. It’s been an important part of it – as well as the physical things of making the building safe, getting the temporary roof on and so on.”

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As members began to get used to their new reality, thoughts soon turned to what would become of the burned building.

The cottage has remained as the admin hub, with a general office, a space for Spencer to work, as well as a meeting room and facilities for the rest of the staff, making it as effective as possible.

Temporary toilets and changing facilities were quickly erected and, before Christmas, plans were put in for a temporary clubhouse that will serve as a more fitting home while the long road to restore the clubhouse is walked down.

“Our original location for the

temporary clubhouse turned out to be in a flood plain and so unable to obtain planning permission,” he said.“We have subsequently found an alternative location. In the meantime a marquee has been erected to take over from the bothy to provide a warmer environment and a wider range of food and drink.”

Scaffolding has gone round the clubhouse and a temporary roof was put in place – at some cost – to protect what remains of it from the worst of the elements.

Spencer added:“The installation of the roof was a major landmark.

The members saw positive work

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on their clubhouse and the ruins tidied as much as we could.

We’ve probably lost most of the floors through either water or fire damage but the actual structure of the building is still there and only a small part – the more modern areas – have been demolished.

“We carried out a survey of the members to ask what they would like to see as an initial start. We recruited a design team that are working with a sub committee set up to make sure we do things in the right way and that we can future proof it. We have a small team of members with relevant experience we can call upon to supplement the sub committee.

“The insurers are looking at a valuation of reinstatement as a likefor-like. We’ve got the opportunity to move things and change things around if we wish to make it more operationally better.”

It is an unfortunate irony that club officials had actually spent some time looking at the way the clubhouse was used, and how it could be improved and made more fitting for a modern audience, before the fire struck.

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But out of this tragedy may yet arise an opportunity.

He said:“If we decide to do make further developments in the future, in terms of footprint, at least we are bearing those things in mind as we decide what to do and then how to finance it. It will be interesting to see what happens to get it reinstated and get it reopened in as quick a timeframe as possible, but without rushing it and making some horrendous mistakes.

“It also gives the club the chance to look at policies and procedures.

There are a lot of things in the melting pot.”

Other positives have also arisen from such a traumatic experience.

Spencer knew he had a good team to lead. But, as the cliché goes, it is only when faced with a crisis that you find out most about yourself and those around you.

What he found was that his team were flexible, worked for each other and became an effective and tight unit. That, more than anything, fills him with a lot of pride.

“We spoke to the staff in the first week after the fire and said ‘we want to retain you, you’re

contracted, we need to take your experience into the temporary clubhouse, but you need to be prepared to do lots of other things’.

“Everybody has bought into that and it has made everyone really tight. That has been one of the benefits – under the circumstances.

“The staff have been helping the greenkeepers out. They have been raking bunkers, divoting, picking up turf and logs. One of the supervisors is trained as a bricklayer and so he has been doing some building work.

“From my point of view, I don’t think we could have reacted any better than we have. When I arrived and looked to see what was going on, the clubhouse manager had done a lot, the captain had done a lot and we had to kick in the logistics. That’s what we do as golf club managers. Let’s get things running. I’m proud of the way everybody has reacted.

We did everything we possibly could to alleviate what has been a sad and upsetting situation. I can’t speak highly enough of my staff and team for doing that.”

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In or out? The science that goes into a

GOLF FLAGSTICK

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James Buckholt makes flagsticks. The managing director of British Manufacturing Solutions talks to Steve Carroll about how he does it and the technology of putting a ball in the hole

H

ow is a golf flagstick made? Probably a bit further down your list of questions – behind, notably, are you flag in or flag out when putting? It’s been the subject on many golfers’ lips since the new Rules of Golf – allowing players to putt with the flagstick in the hole while on the green – came in at the start of the year.

The change was designed by The R&A and USGA to speed up the game. But it soon took on a life of its own on the professional tours.

We’ve had Bryson DeChambeau talking about co-efficients, Tiger Woods experimenting with it and conflicting surveys on whether it’s beneficial to have the pole in or out to hole a putt.

James Buckholt, the managing director of British Manufacturing Solutions in Luton, makes pins that are used by clubs and at top tournaments all over the world.

So who better than to get the defining word on one of golf’s hottest topics?

You make flagsticks…

We make a lot of flagsticks, or flag pins depending on where you are.

You’ve got US and UK versions and that denotes the diameter of the ferrule that goes in the cup.

The cup has to suit the type of flagstick and there are so many variations that the two don’t always fit together that well.

So having a matching pair is quite important. The important

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piece is the diameter of the hole – four-and-a-quarter inches – as the ball is dropping into that.

The cup is set one inch below the surface and the pin, which sits in the ferrule in the centre, has generally been a quarter-inch piece of fibreglass.

That has been around for as long as I’ve known – and I’ve been doing this for 20 years.

But there have never been any rules as such, for the diameter of the flagstick, because it never interfered with the hole. You put it in and you took it out.

Some people set up a thicker one – 5/8 flagsticks – and that would have a problem with the new rule because the ball may well hit the flagstick and be obstructed so much it can’t drop in.

If it’s fibreglass in its raw state, then it is also a hard material and, technically, the ball could bounce off.

Some people paint the flagstick.

We don’t. We cover it with a plastic protection and that is for a couple of reasons.

It is to protect players against the fibreglass as it will splinter and you end up with shards in your hands if you are not careful.

The quality of the fibreglass can be improved to minimise that but you’ll generally end up with a grubby looking flagstick unless you coat it in something.

The coating can add a diameter to the flagstick. That can vary depending on the type of protection used but, again, it’s pretty minimal as to what it would do to affect play.

We manufacture flagsticks from the raw material upwards.

And you fibreglass for that?

We use fibreglass. There are a very few select clubs that might want a wooden flagstick and we do a few of those. You could use metal,

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or another material, but generally fibreglass is very strong and flexible and it can withstand a lot of abuse.

In general, the wind moving it would fatigue another material. If it was metal it would break.

There seem to be different sizes and thickness of flagstick…

We have a tournament, or javelinstyle, flagstick. We machine that in a way where the bottom section, which is about 300mm, is still half inch. So even though the main pin you are holding onto could be thicker in the centre, the bottom piece still maintains enough space for the ball to drop in.

So how is a flagstick made?

It will start with a protruded, or extruded, type of fibreglass which

has been pull-wound. That’s where the fibres are pulled through a machine with a resin and through a dye. It comes out looking almost like toothpaste.That sets solid and becomes your raw material.

That can be a continuous length.

So, in effect, when it comes out of the machine it just carries on. It is cut to the length that’s required.

The most common flagstick we manufacture is around two metres in height or between six and seven feet.

Next sees protective sleeving put over the fibreglass. We have an oven system, that we built with a computer control, and we get around 500 flagsticks in this oven.

It’s three metres long and quite a big box, which heats and shrinks the sleeving onto the fibreglass.

You could do it by hand. But

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we have ours specially made and it has to be done at the right temperature at the right time. That gives the quality and longevity to the surface. Once we have ‘baked’ the flagstick it comes out and then we put the components on the top or bottom – depending on the customer’s requirement.

If it is a UK or USA ferrule, and depending on the cup it is going into, there are smooth, fluted, locking, plastic bases and heavy zinc/lead mouldings that give the bottom of the flagstick a feel of weight.

So the quality product would be more towards the metal than the plastic.

The top component sees us machine a stainless steel fitting that we crimp, or clamp, onto the fibreglass. That is what the fabric

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flag sits over. With a special fixing on top, the flag is allowed to rotate freely on top of the fibreglass rod.

Bryson DeChambeau has been one of the most vocal players on the benefits of putting with the flagstick in. He's been blinding most of us with talk of co-efficients. What do you make of that?

As an engineer, I understand what the co-efficient of friction is and that can be changed depending on what the raw material is and what it is covered in.

Fibreglass is quite a hard material and ones that are painted have a friction point.

That means it is like bouncing out on a glass surface – a very hard surface that the ball would bounce

on. Our (pins) have quite a low coefficient of friction because of the sleeving we put on.The protection over the top feels slightly soft.You can put your nail into the material and get a soft feel to it.

The ball is hitting that and, from a physics point of view, you are going to have a lower co-efficient of friction and thus the ball may well bounce into the cup a little bit easier than hitting a really hard surface.

The thickness of the sleeving, or the thickness of the protection, can obviously have an effect on that co-efficient of friction.

It’s amazing the impact a little rule change can have?

Now everyone’s talking about it and flagsticks – I never thought it would be such a point of conversation.

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CAREERS Advice and news for golf club managers. Plus, the latest jobs from clubs across the UK

GCMA | NEED TO KNOW | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | GOOD PRACTICE | GRASS ROOTS

On the

MOVE

A

fter two years at Kingsdown, in Wiltshire, Gareth Morgan landed the role of general manager at Long Ashton, in Bristol, in February.

Aside from having European Tour professional Chris Wood as one of its high profile members, the private members’ club is one of the area’s most prestigious and hosted the Logan Trophy, England

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Golf’s mid-amateur championship, last year.

We caught up with Gareth, who was previously general manager at Cardiff, to get his thoughts on his new post…

What were the reasons behind your move?

Long Ashton is a very respected golf club. I’ve been here quite a few times over the years for GCMA matches and open competitions

and I’ve always loved the course and always really enjoyed the experience of being here. When the opportunity came up, I didn’t think twice.

What are the early differences you have found between Kingsdown and Long Ashton?

Membership-wise, we are virtually full. We restructured the team at Kingsdown and managed to increase membership by about

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In this series, we profile GCMA members who have recently taken up new positions. This month, we talk to Long Ashton’s Gareth Morgan 100 in two years and I couldn’t fit 100 in here. That’s a very strong position to be in, from a financial and business perspective. Moving forward, you are not then thinking ‘do we need to take £10,000 more in visitor fees?’ and things like that.

It’s probably a more stable model than I’ve probably been used to in my whole golf career. The entire market in South Wales is certainly hand to mouth.

What did you learn from your time at Kingsdown that might help you in your new role here?

It was the first experience I had of passing a five-year strategic plan through the membership. We had a big members’ survey, I took the results of that survey and created an outline draft plan. We then put a working group of about 15 members together to go through the process of creating the draft document.

Then we put it out to members for consultation, brought it back and, eventually, passed it through the AGM last year. Previously, I’ve seen many strategic plans and they get created and passed around by boards and committees.

Sometimes they are very good documents but as soon as another committee comes in it goes on the bottom shelf and that’s it. The members own the document so they hold you to account for it. If you stray off course then it’s the

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members who’ve agreed it, not a small group of people. We put together lots of members’ working groups for specific projects at Kingsdown, which was the brainchild of the chairman, and that’s something I’d certainly like to do again. In a golf club, you’ve got so much expertise and experience, if you are running a project on a certain matter find members in the club that have got experience

and knowledge of that topic – not create sub-committees just because you happen to be the chairman or captain.

What are your ambitions for Long Ashton?

I’d like to make sure we stay at full membership because, when you have that, you can really look at the whole package. We have a new head professional here and he’s young, full of ideas and energy and we want to find a way of mixing

what has obviously been done very well here – to have such high demand – and add the odd little bit of modernisation or a fresh pair of eyes. There have been a lot of success stories here over recent years, the clubhouse and in-house catering is very successful and highly regarded, and there are teams of staff from nearby golf clubs who’ve been brought in to see how we do it. I’m looking forward to starting some work on the customer and member experience with 59club and to try and make the whole team of staff appreciate where they fit in that member journey and visitor journey.

Looking forward to getting stuck in?

I’ll be taking lots of notes and doing lots of listening for the first two or three months – rather than coming in and getting tunnel visioned on two or three issues and missing the bigger picture. You’ll never have a better chance to stand back and look at that than you do in your early months. Once you come into a big to do list you can get lost unless you are really careful.

If you have recently moved jobs, why not tell us about your career progression and your new club.

Email editor Steve Carroll at s.carroll@sportspub.co.uk

GCMA.ORG.UK | 55

GCMA RECRUITMENT

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

LYMM GOLF CLUB ::: MANAGER

Lymm Golf Club is a GolfMark awarded club that has an inclusive membership of golfers of all abilities, ages and gender. It is located in north Cheshire in a scenic location and is a course known for its variety of challenging and rewarding holes.

The successful candidate will prudently manage the club on a ďŹ nancial and operational basis, will be proactive in marketing and promoting the club and will ensure the clubhouse environment creates a positive, welcoming atmosphere.

To enquire about the role, email secretary@lymmgolfclub.co.uk with a current CV and covering letter. The club expects to conduct interviews in mid-April.

Region: North West | Apply by: 10 April 2019 | Salary: Competitive

56 | GCMA.ORG.UK

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Good

PRACTICE Advice on golf club management issues – from finance to clubhouse rules and employment law

Partner Network The GCMA’s Partner Network supports the association’s work to professionalise the industry and promote a culture of excellence in golf club management.

Thank you to all our partners who continue to support the association.

strategic partners

business partners

official suppliers

gcma.org.uk/partners

From the

HELPDESK This month: Balls flying over boundaries and... should greenkeepers be working alone?

Our club has multiple houses on our golf course, however they are not part of our land or estate. One of the houses has made a complaint regarding golf balls going over the boundary and hitting their roof.

This must be a common occurrence so do you have any legal advice regarding liability?

This is becoming much more of an issue these days, partly due to a more litigious society but also because of equipment advances.

In particular, as clubs become more forgiving, shots are going much greater distances off-line than historically, bringing areas that used to see little or no balls into range.

Unfortunately, golf clubs have little or no defence and are liable. You need to prepare a risk assessment and do everything ‘reasonable’ to reduce or eliminate the problem. Some clubs actively involve the neighbours in this and any actions, and it is surprising how much co-operation there is, especially as most do not want a fence spoiling the view!

What is the procedure with regard to accident books?

Please see this library document: gcma.org.uk/library/6032/ which outlines the procedures required and contains useful links to help

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implementation. In addition, it is good practice to have two books - one for members and one for employees.

Both should be accessible when the office is closed, and envelopes supplied for the completed forms to be securely delivered to the office (GDPR!).

The completed reports should then be filed securely with a note attached stating the actions taken following the incident and any measures undertaken to reduce or eliminate any recurrence.

Our club insurance renewal has arrived, and I noticed it stated that our tractors must be registered and licensed for road use regardless of the distance they are travelling.

As we have some holes on the other side of a road, which the greenkeeper has to cross with his tractors, is the insurance company correct and, if so, what steps should we take as we have four tractors?

In my opinion, your insurance company is correct as your tractors are using the public road.

They should not use red diesel either unless they are selfpropelled mowers.

Essentially tractors that are used for purposes relating to agriculture, horticulture or forestry do not

need to be registered for road tax and can use red diesel (see gov. uk/vehicle-exempt-from-vehicletax), but HMRC have stated that “the preparation and maintenance of grassed areas intended for sport and recreational use is not horticulture” ( see appendix in gov. uk/government/publications/ excise-notice-75-fuel-for-roadvehicles/excise-notice-75-fuel-forroad-vehicles).

So, it’s road tax and white diesel for most golf club machinery that makes use of public roads.

Ironically, the tractor that does the hedge trimming, while needing road tax, can use red diesel!

Our greenkeepers often work alone. Is there any advice available on this as my committee are of the opinion it is too dangerous?

Although lone working can be dangerous it is manageable.

The HSE has a lot of guidance on the subject which can be found here: hse.gov.uk/search/ search-results.htm?q=lone%20 working#gsc.tab=0&gsc. q=lone%20working&gsc.page=1

An online helpdesk offers an advisory service. Visit gcma.org. uk/members

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Grass

ROOTS All the latest news, views and interviews from across the GCMA’s various regions in the UK

GCMA | NEED TO KNOW | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | GOOD PRACTICE | GRASS ROOTS

My success story...

PETER SMITH In an area of stiff competition, a simple plan saw players flock to Tyneside Golf Club. General manager Peter Smith tells Steve Carroll how the club’s numbers have exploded in recent months...

A

mong the many things golfers will complain about, mats are generally quite high up on the list.

There’s nothing quite like a club making contact with turf and it’s a feeling players generally won’t experience when they hit the range. Artificial mats are standard but, at one North East club, chiefs decided that grass was greener – and that has brought them a startling uptake in members and visitors.

The practice ground and six hole par 3 course at Tyneside Golf Club had been built before manager Peter Smith arrived at the Ryton club just over a year ago.

“The club empowered me to get it up and running operationally,” he explained.“We made into more of a driving range and staffed it at certain hours – not just to service a market for our own members but also externally to the area.

“The unique selling point was that we maintained grass surfaces so people could get a range hit off the grass. All the other ranges in the area are off mats. It proved very popular with a lot of good players in the area.”

To say that was the case is an understatement. Smith watched as

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Tyneside picked up 100 members of their practice ground and par 3 complex and they may not have been the kind of players you might have expected.

He added:“It was the intention to try and tap into the beginners’ market but, inadvertently, we have created a facility that was attractive for, because of the standard, good players to use as their practice base. Any idea of a par 3 is to start generating your own members for the future, who will stay loyal to a club if they get that intrinsic link with it. It’s about setting up pathways, which we hope we have got better in place for this coming year. We need to do more work on that this year but it was great year to launch it.”

With Close House, the hosts of the British Masters in 2017, across the Tyne and Northumberland also on their doorstep, Tyneside

“We need to shout from the rooftops saying ‘these are our facilities, this is what we’ve got on offer, and the benefit of being a member”

are based in an area of stiff competition.

And that has compelled Smith to think differently about what the club needs to do to stand out in that crowded marketplace.

“What we did really quickly was look at what we could offer that was different to everywhere else,” he explained.“We offer all year round playability, as we’ve got natural free-draining land, and we also invested in some drainage systems on two of our winter greens. We actually picked up 50 winter members on the scheme running from October to February.

“We’ve had a very good winter to play golf and that winter membership and the 100 practice and par 3 members has enabled Tyneside to pop its head above

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Sponsors of My Success Story

The beautiful Tyneside Golf Club is a stiff test of golf

the parapet again.

“The club was very successful 25 to 30 years ago when it was kind of a hidden gem – although I hate that phrase. It was a private members’ club and very difficult to get in. As the industry has changed, it’s no longer a benefit being hidden and we need to shout from the rooftops saying ‘these are our facilities, this is what we’ve got on offer, this is the benefit of being a member’.

We’re hoping we are making that breakthrough and the indications are we are starting to head along the right track.”

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The key now is not to get complacent. The renewals process will prove crucial. If they can continue to add new faces and not lose too many as players naturally let their eyes wander in a market with a lot of options, Smith believes Tyneside can then start to look at other areas of the club to make the experience even better.

“As a club we’ve always invested heavily in the course and that has been fantastic – because of the quality of the product is the most important thing. If we’ve had a good renewal period, we have the opportunity to start looking

at other areas of the club. The clubhouse is based on an old cricket pavilion, and looks brilliant from the outside, but it needs to be modernised a little bit inside.

“The first impression you get as you come into the club is an area I’ve already identified as wanting to improve the overall guest journey. It’s quite exciting and I’ve come at a good time.”

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

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

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Meet the

MANAGER

Sponsor of the 2017 GCMA Manager of the Year award

With veteran golf club manager Tony Clingan

H

ow did you get into golf club management?

I was a golf professional and, as many do, I didn’t feel it was enough for me to be just running a pro shop and giving a few lessons. Going back into the mid 80s, I became a director of golf and ran two clubs. I found I got more satisfaction out of developing the business side of

64 | GCMA.ORG.UK

golf than being a golf pro. That was my start and then it piques your curiosity to see what other opportunities are out there for you.

What do you like most about your role?

I come in at a slightly unusual route in that I’ve spent the last 25 years turning round businesses that have been in a little bit of trouble. My two great areas of satisfaction are taking staff who

begin being very demotivated and getting them up, smiling again and adding value to the business.

Also it’s taking a facility that can often be a bit down at heel and turning it round and getting it to a good standard of presentation, improving the customer service standards that are essential.

Sometimes, in golf, people forget it’s a people business and that the service is so important. A lot of our customers, particularly if

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they are private members’ clubs are quite demanding individuals who run or manage their own businesses. They have quite a high expectation and it is important for us to meet and exceed those standards.

How do you see the state of the game at the moment?

It’s challenging and so I think the proactive people in the industry will do well.

The problem is that a number of the traditional private members’ clubs have issues in terms of recruitment of members and the need to change.

They are a little bit scared to put their hand up to ask for help and to admit to their memberships the actual situation they are in.

In reality, a number of the members of the clubs can see from the balance sheet from an AGM, when they see the accounts, the situation the clubs are in.

Golf clubs need to allow their managers to be more proactive.

So, in other words, we go out to the membership, we tell them exactly where the club is and we then set out a one, three or five year plan, and say ‘these are the things we need to do to turn it around.’ We then say to the members ‘these are my ideas, these are your committees ideas, but we want your feedback’.

Because if I’m telling you what to do, and you don’t agree with me, I have got a major problem on my hands.

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“Sometimes, in golf, people forget it’s a people business and that the service is so important.”

Tony Clingan

All I seem to be doing is throwing ideas down your throat.

If we go to the membership and say ‘these are what we feel are the most pertinent ideas but let’s have some feedback from you’.

‘How would you like your golf course to look?’

‘Where do you see are the main priorities?’ then you would actually see people are more open than a lot of people would give them credit for.

A classic example is that if you go to a lot of private members’ clubs they will tell you that in the bar you have to wear a jacket and tie in the evening, and you’ve got to

do this and that.

If you saw those same people on the high street, they’d be wearing training shoes and jeans.

If the atmosphere was a little more relaxed, those same people would come to the golf club and spend that £20 or £30 there.

They don’t because they feel ‘I can’t go there because I can’t wear jeans’.

Sometimes the view has to change a little bit. It’s just little cultural changes that need to come into play.

How do you see the future for the GCMA? It’s an educating process for golf clubs and explaining exactly where the market is at the moment, the importance of change but also managing change so that the members fully buy into what needs to happen.

A lot of managers would be working with committees that have a very fixed view of where golf is going and I think sometimes we need to go in and talk through the reality of where things are.

It’s that thought process that says ‘20 years ago we had 50 members on a waiting list and a few sadly will die, or move out of the area, so we will just bring these new people in.’

Now it is a constant process of rerecruiting members, bringing new people in, and I think managing change is probably the biggest job the GCMA needs to do through its golf club managers.

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February 2019

STATISTICS UK&I 8,373

Hole-in-ones made during February competitions

Total competitions recorded

GENTS:

46

LADIES:

5,464

2,909

246,335

total rounds of golf recorded

LOWEST EXACT HANDICAP

Gents

Ladies

-5.3 -5.3 60,606 Downloads of Club V1 members’ app

1,936

eagles or better

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90,916 birdies

791,202

Stats provided by HowdidIdo.com

pars

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