The Golf Club Manager: July 2020

THE GOLF CLUB

MANAGER I S S U E 3 8 | J U LY 2 0 2 0

THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE GOLF CLUB MANAGERS’ ASSOCIATION

US: SPECIAL FOCAND G MARKETIN IATIVES INIT MEMBERSHIPR CLUB FOR YOU

GOOD PRACTICE

THE CLUB THAT BECAME A GLOBAL SENSATION W H AT YO U C A N L E A R N F R O M T H E WAY B R O R A TAC K L E D T H E CORONAVIRUS LOCKDOWN THE BIG INTERVIEW

‘OUR ASSOCIATION IS ALL ABOUT COMMUNITY’

OUTGOING CHIEF EXECUTIVE BOB WILLIAMS REFLECTS ON HIS TIME LEADING THE GCMA

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CONTENTS I S S U E 3 8 | J U LY 2 0 2 0

GCMA

GOOD PRACTICE

8

All the news from our virtual AGM

38 How a remote club became a global sensation

12

Tom Brooke named as new CEO

48 Why marketing need not be a dirty word

GCMA 18

GRASS ROOTS

Bob Williams looks back over his tenure

62 How Milford Haven changed their image

INDUSTRY 31

Rounds soar in Great Britain after lockdown

12

18

38

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 GOLF MANAGEMENT RESEARCHER Jim Cunning - jim@gcma.org.uk FINANCE ADMINISTRATOR Lianne Banks - lianne@gcma.org.uk COMMUNICATIONS EXECUTIVE Marie Taylor - marie@gcma.org.uk MEMBERSHIP SERVICES Julie Knight - julie@gcma.org.uk PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Gavin Robinson- gavin@gcma.org.uk BUSINESS PARTNERSHIPS MANAGER Craig Cotterill - craig@gcma.org.uk PRESIDENT JR (John) Jones 2020/22 CAPTAIN Dave Carlisle BOARD OF DIRECTORS Brad McLean, Amy Yeates, Andrew Rankin, Judy Barker, Stuart Leech, Gareth Morgan, Ed Richardson 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 CONTENT DIRECTOR Dan Murphy - d.murphy@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 DESIGNER Emmi Parry - e.parry@sportspub.co.uk Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, but the publishers cannot accept responsibility for omissions and errors. All material in this publication is strictly copyright and all rights are reserved.The views expressed in The Golf Club Manager do not necessarily represent the views of the company or the editor. Every care is taken in compiling the contents but the publishers assume no responsibility for any damage, loss or injury arising from participation in any offer, competition or advertising contained within The Golf Club Manager.

THE GOLF CLUB

MANAGER I S S U E 3 8 | J U LY 2 0 2 0

THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE GOLF CLUB MANAGERS’ ASSOCIATION

S: SPECIAL FOCU MARKETING AND IVES INITIAT MEMBERSHIP CLUB FOR YOUR

GOOD PRACTICE

THE CLUB THAT BECAME A GLOBAL SENSATION W H AT YO U C A N L E A R N F R O M T H E WAY B R O R A TAC K L E D T H E CORONAVIRUS LOCKDOWN THE BIG INTERVIEW

‘OUR ASSOCIATION IS ALL ABOUT COMMUNITY’

OUTGOING CHIEF EXECUTIVE BOB WILLIAMS REFLECTS ON HIS TIME LEADING THE GCMA

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

ON THE COVER: GCMA chief executive Bob Williams

I S S U E 3 8 | J U LY 2 0 2 0

S

o, this is the last time I will be spelling out my welcome message to you all.

By my reckoning, this will be my 90th chief executive’s monthly article which, accompanied by a number of Conference welcome pages and associated articles, will result in well over 100 written contributions.

I have to confess that in writing this welcome page the words have not always come easy – and yet on this occasion there is a tinge of sadness in that this will be the last time that you will hear from me.

For some, that may be seen as a good thing and they will welcome the changing of the guard.

But, as with all things in life, there has to be change - my shift is now completed and it is time to hand over to my predecessor Tom Brooke.

I certainly wish him and the Association well for the future.

For those who attended the very first virtual AGM last month, you will have heard my chief executive’s report, which was the first time it has ever been delivered from my office at HQ. This in itself was a moment in the Association’s history. For the first time in our 87 years, a physical meeting was replaced by the wonders of our electronic age – it will be interesting to see what format awaits 2021and beyond.

For those who were unable to log in, I would just like to reiterate some thanks and thoughts.

Firstly, I would just like to say that

it has been an absolute privilege to serve you, the members, as your chief executive and lead the Association over the last seven and a half years.

The GCMA world is definitely a far different place from that of 2013 when I took up the mantle.

I have had the pleasure of meeting so many good people and members and I would like to thank all of you for the warm welcomes, the messages of support and, most of all, your friendship.

This Covid-19 situation we find ourselves in today has not made it easy for any of us, but the work undertaken by you, the staff, the Regional Managers and the Board have all had a telling impact.

To the GCMA Community:‘Thank you’ .

Bob Williams – chief executive

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GCMA’s

AGM 2020

M

embers from all over the country, and across the GCMA’s regions, switched on their computers for the association’s annual general meeting.

For the first time in our 87-yearhistory, the gathering was held virtually – via Zoom – because of social distancing regulations demanded by the coronavirus crisis.

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With the initial meeting in April at Moortown postponed as the country was in lockdown, the board of directors moved to take the event online instead.

Nearly 100 of you logged on in what was a slightly surreal, but historic, morning.

After the formal reports were completed, JR Jones was once again elected as national president, while Dave Carlisle was confirmed as national captain.

In the exceptional circumstances, it

was established he would remain in post until the AGM of 2022.

Terry Jackson, the former secretary at Maidenhead and Burnham Beeches, was named national captain elect, while outgoing captain Ian Symington became a life member of the GCMA. The results of the election for two board positions, with five candidates up for selection, was announced with Long Ashton’s Gareth Morgan and Broadstone’s Ed Richardson triumphant.

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Members gathered online for the GCMA’s annual general meeting on June 22

Chief executive’s report The coronavirus pandemic dominated Bob Williams final report as chief executive. He looked back to last year’s AGM at Coxmoor, saying:“If I’d stood in front of you then and told you that, before the next AGM, you would be hosting the majority of your meetings from your kitchen or your front room, that you would be using terms like furlough, social distancing and referring to the R factor, if I’d told you that the most common

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phrases you’d use when you start a meeting was ‘you need to unmute yourself’ or, instead of signing off your emails with best wishes or regards, you would sign off with ‘stay safe’, I am sure many of you would have thought I’d have lost the plot. So how quickly the world has changed for all of us.”

Williams wished incoming CEO Tom Brooke success and said one of the highlights of the last 12 months had been delivering an excellent Conference.

But he added:“Nobody at that Conference provided you with the knowledge, or the tools, on how to prepare and deal with a worldwide pandemic.

“For me personally, to lead this association through the last three or four months has provided a real mix of emotions and challenges.

“When I came to the decision to stand down six months ago, my real challenge was how to keep myself motivated and focused on the job.

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

“Then Covid-19 arrived. At that time I, and our team, really had to refocus and work out how to deliver a service to you, the membership.

“There were no rehearsals for this and certainly little time to put a strategic plan in place. This was thinking on our feet and having to react almost day-by-day.

“I continually ask myself ‘could we have done anything differently to deliver a service to you?’ I don’t think we could have done, if I’m honest.”

Turning to the future, Williams said the Association faced a number of challenges with membership numbers remaining an issue and added:“With some clubs already making managers redundant, there is cause for concern.

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“The encroachment of the PGA into our space is a very real issue – we have to be very much aware of that.”

He concluded:“If ever there was a time for cohesion and the need for togetherness, this is it. This is a time to support one another. You will never forget this time of your life, that’s for sure.

“Many of you will have already encountered some pretty dark times and some will fall by the wayside.

But this is a time when you will need to look out for one another, support one another. This is, and will always remain, your Association.”

Chairman’s report Phil Grice, speaking as he stepped

down from the GCMA board and as chairman, said the Covid-19 crisis had seen the “best of our Association”.

“The heightened level of communications has brought everyone in the association together in a way like never before,”he referenced in his report.

“Information flows have been swift, and interaction and the sharing of knowledge has underlined one of our core strengths…our community.

“We must look to ways of keeping these communication channels open and flowing with knowledge, friendship and helpful advice.”

Grice said being chairman had been “one of the highlights of my

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golfing career so far”,but added he would liked to have achieved and influenced change more.

He also outlined in detail the issue of the PGA’s desire to branch out into golf club management.

“There have been many meetings with ourselves and the PGA to establish if there is a way of working together. There could be many benefits from economies of scale and there would also be a synergy in our objectives…and rarely in a head-to-head battle does anyone come out unscathed.

“Unfortunately, throughout the discussions the PGA’s stance has never wavered from being that of an “acquisition”and not a “merger”, in the short/medium term.

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

“For this central rational The Board have decided that, for now, there is no merit with further discussions, when ultimately the only option on the table is signing away the demise of the association.”

Grice added:“We have three choices open to us: 1. Change nothing and keep doing what we are doing now.

2. Join forces with the PGA and get absorbed into their Association.

3. Evolve quickly and become more agile, more relevant and progressive as an Association.

“Choice number one is a real choice and to some they will see no threat from staying the same.

However, I believe the PGA will slowly erode our membership and our inflow of new members.

“Choice number two is not palatable, certainly under the current understanding of how any arrangement could work. An evolution of the balance of the relationship could alter the viability of this choice.

“Choice number three: I see the current scenario as a reason/ opportunity to adapt to new ways, challenging ourselves to be better every year educationally and to build our community of caring managers with integrity.”

Looking ahead to the arrival of a new chief executive and reconstructed board, he concluded:“If we do not empower and support the new incumbents, we are likely to stall any progression.

“There needs to be clarity of governance, clear strategy, empowered roles and responsibilities…and these need to be respected throughout.

Everyone must be aligned with the strategy and work for the greater good of the Association.”

Finance report

Outlining the accounts, Bob Williams explained that 2019 and 2020 have seen the association face “a number of challenges”– notably the changes in personnel at both head office and on the board.

Reported combined results showed an overall loss of £12,689 for the year, compared to a loss of £899 in 2018. The 2019 position had been exacerbated by some bad debts following the liquidation of a couple of the GCMA’s strategic partners.

Unforeseen and un-budgeted expenses also included re-cabling at head office, membership and new partnership recruitment drives as well as the implementation of new GDPR protocols. Subscription income in 2019 showed a dip and the training side has also been identified as an area where improvement is required.

Conference posted a small surplus, but overall communication revenue was down on 2018.

This had been compensated by re-negotiating timings and costs with the magazine publishers. The board opted to revert back to the operation of a single company from July 1.

“The Board have moved to address the above issues with measures looking to the future, most notably the recent introduction of Gavin Robinson on the educational side and Craig Cotterill on the partnership development side, both of whom are showing encouraging signs of forward progress,”said Williams.

“Whilst 2019 has clearly been a transitional year for the Association, the Board are confident that the personnel additions and newly implemented operational protocols will secure the GCMA’s future and enable it to enhance the quality of the members’ experience.”

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Welcome to our new

CHIEF EXECUTIVE Tom Brooke will succeed Bob Williams as GCMA CEO in early September

T

om Brooke has been named the new chief executive officer of the Golf Club Managers’ Association.

The current managing director of Glendale Golf, he will take up his position in early September – succeeding Bob Williams, who has been in post for more than seven years.

The GCMA board said Tom brought with him a wealth of transferable skills from many years in the golf industry, with his strong operational knowledge and successful leading of teams making him a renowned business leader.

He has multi-level board experience with Glendale and as vice chair of the UK Golf Federation – leaving him perfectly placed, as the board have put it, to bring a “new dimension of leadership to the GCMA”.

Former GCMA chairman Phil Grice said:“With over 100 applications for the role of CEO, many of which had a lot to offer, Tom was a leading candidate from the outset. Throughout the process,Tom’s attention to detail and progressive mindset became increasingly evident.

“We are in challenging times and strong strategic leadership is needed. Tom evidenced throughout the interview process this is a key attribute of his.

12 | GCMA.ORG.UK

“Tom is unique in that he completely understands the challenges of the modern general manager and their associated teams, from his current and previous roles, and he also has strong board experience that will enable him to lead the Association into a new era.”

The recruitment process was managed by Richard Wood, of Colt Mackenzie McNair, with the first sift reducing first round interviewees to ten candidates. Four of those were shortlisted to be interviewed and deliver a presentation to a panel.

Tom added:“I am absolutely

delighted to be joining the GCMA as its new CEO. This is such a fantastic opportunity and I join at a particularly interesting and exciting time for the organisation.

“I’m really looking forward to getting started and working with the board and the team to focus on developing the service offering for the members, as well as broadening the appeal of the organisation, progressing the educational side of the business and leading the culture of excellence in golf club management that the GCMA has always been proud to stand for.”

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

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Meet the man driving forward the GCMA’s

PARTNERSHIPS

14 | GCMA.ORG.UK

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

Craig Cotterill arrived in February as our new business partnerships manager.

He tells us about his aims and ambitions for the role

T

ell us a little bit about your career so far?

I’ve been in business development and commercial sales for over 20 years and started in the hospitality industry.

About 10 years ago, I decided to work for myself as a commercial sales consultant.

I’ve always had a natural affinity for golf. I’ve been a golfer from the age of seven and have always been passionate about the game.

I decided that trying to put my skills into an industry I love would be the ideal job. I started working within golf events, corporate golf and charity days and generating sponsorship for those days, as well as for companies involved in the golf events industry.

I’ve now built up a good network and hopefully a good reputation within golf. I was approached regarding the position at GCMA and to be involved in golf full-time with an established Association was the perfect move for me.

How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting what you are doing, and what you plan for the future?

I’ve not experienced anything like this before and had to really take stock, in a new role, to find the best route forward in what has been the unknown.

The first thing was to reach out to our existing partners and find out what the situation was for them, what the next few months

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might look like, and how – as an Association and as partnerships manager – we can support that and diversify.

Like any business, we have had to change the way we work and we will embrace technology a lot more from now on.

What it has directed us to do, like many others, is to use things like Zoom and social media a lot more to interact with our partners, regional managers and how they interact with the membership.

We have held some very successful membership and partnership meetings over Zoom in the last few months, which has really added value and continues to add value for our partners.

I’ve also been working closely with Gavin Robinson, who heads up our education offering. This area is key for me to be able to communicate to new and existing partners the value we bring to members. Gavin is producing some exciting work that will be rolled out soon and our current and future partners will have the opportunity to get involved in some areas of it.

For me, it has really been about trying to get out a crystal ball and understanding what the challenges are going to be for our members and how they would need to be supported by any new partners that may come in.

It was about talking to our regional managers, and other members of the GCMA team, to understand the challenges when

managers returned (to their clubs).

What information would they need and how would they access that support?

It’s for me to identify the companies that can supply that and then engage with those about the opportunities, coming out of Covid-19, to give solutions to our membership and educate them.

It’s been very strategic. I’ve had to really sit down and plot the first two or three months out differently in terms of personal objectives. To be honest, I wrote a business plan when I arrived and a week later ripped it up and had to re-write it (due to coronavirus).

It has been probably one of the most challenging three or fourmonth periods of my career as a commercial manager.

You’re off to a good start,though…

I’m really pleased to have brought in a number of new partners over the last three months and they are from various different areas of industry.

Going into next year, there will be an emphasis on sustainability for golf clubs and understanding how they can be greener and save money at the same time.

I have looked at energy companies and direct energy providers. I’ve brought on a new green energy supplier (Brook Green Supply) and talked to other similar direct utility suppliers. I’ve also brought on a car leasing company who have great green credentials.

I had a number of general

GCMA.ORG.UK | 15

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

managers approach me about sustainability and other topics and I’ve reacted to that through our new partners like Brook Green Supply and Pink Car Leasing.

Also in terms of legal advice, we’ve had great relationships with existing partners, which will continue, but I’ve added on our first law firm, MS Rubric Solicitors, as a Business Partner who can support the membership further.

You’re talking to current partners too. What support they have given to the Association?

It has been tremendous. It’s been a very difficult time for everybody and, as much as we have tried to help them engage with the membership, they’ve really continued to engage with us.

They’ve stuck with us, been creative, and worked even closer to try and weather the storm and come out the other side and many have done some good business

16 | GCMA.ORG.UK

through the GCMA during this challenging time.

They definitely see the value in their partnership with us. They’ve had a very proactive approach and that will bode well. Companies that try and stay on the front foot, as we come out of this, will be ahead of the game going into 2021.

It has been really refreshing and very positive for us at HQ that partners have continued to support us in the way they have and we really appreciate it!

As you look ahead, what do you think the keys are for you to be a success?

For me, the key is engagement and relationships that give our partners return on investment.

We are a small team at HQ and the last few months have seen all of us all being pulled into various other challenges as well as our “day jobs”.However, I have still tried to build strong, trusted, business

relationships with our existing commercial partners during lockdown and this will continue to be the focus for me this year and definitely into next as we continue to come out of COVID-19.

Challenges? It is difficult to say because nobody knows what the next six months are really going to look like. Communication will be key in order for me to understand what our partners need to be successful going forward. But, from the GCMA’s point of view, it’s a very exciting time to be with us.

I arrived in February and there are a few other new faces at HQ too. So it’s quite a different looking team and, with a new CEO coming, the GCMA team next year has got a real opportunity to grow, develop and innovate. We’ve got some really exciting plans and our partners will play a key role in the delivery of those new messages and education services to members.

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E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

The interview...

BOB WILLIAMS As our chief executive prepares to stand down after seven-and-a-half years in post, we ask him to review his time and achievements

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

GCMA.ORG.UK | 19

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

At the inaugural meeting of the Women’s Golf Leadership Group

Y

ou took over as chief executive of the Association in January 2013. How do you prepare for taking on this type

of role?

It is not a role many will ever have had experience of before, and I was certainly well aware of that.

But if anybody was bordering on preparing then I think I was just about as close as it gets.

I started my tenure in golf club management in 1993, which had been complemented by 18 years of working within the world of sport, leisure and recreation. This included managing a number of leisure facilities and a sports club in Reading, which had provided my introduction to sports turf management. The Ibis club was complemented by 43 acres of amenity turf and this gave me the opportunity to understand what was needed to manage such a facility.

20 | GCMA.ORG.UK

Having decided to enrol myself onto a number of short courses, with such bodies as the STRI, I gradually began to get an inkling of how to manage this type of club.

I suppose the move into golf club management was an inevitable step at the time, albeit it came about more by chance than design.

But never one to turn down a challenge I made the decision to take on the role of GM at Peterstone Golf Club in South Wales, which was one of the new clubs that evolved after the R&A’s statement that golf needed another 700 clubs to meet the present demand.

The club was looking for its second owner and I was shoehorned in to try and turn the club into a viable proposition.

What was billed as a short-term project lasted five years – and was mostly very enjoyable.

It was certainly a club where I needed to learn very quickly.The golf course was constructed on land

that was classified as SSSI.This term was followed by seven years at Long Ashton, in Somerset, and then onto Chipping Sodbury, in Gloucestershire.

They were a mix of clubs that all had different aspects to them.

Peterstone was proprietary, while Long Ashton was very much a traditional private members’ club and I’ve got many fond memories and friends from my time there, as I have from all my clubs.

Chipping Sodbury was totally different. It was more of a community golf club, in the heart of the small market town, and very much the hub.

It was around this time that I’d started taking on other opportunities associated with golf – this served to widen my horizons.

I had been writing for golf club magazines for quite a while, especially when I was in South Wales, and writing about golf clubs around the country and in Europe – presenting my views on how clubs were developing over that period.

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At Chipping Sodbury, I became involved with the golf club VAT case. We were the club that led it, which eventually ended up in the courts in Manchester, with three or four clubs taking on HMRC. I also became involved with England Golf and served on their marketing committee and chaired that group for quite a long period.

This was also the time when I also created two golf break companies.

I was very much behind the development of Cotswold Golf Breaks with hotels and golf clubs in the Cotswolds. Alongside that, we also developed Bristol Golf Breaks with Tourism Bristol, which included a number of clubs and

22 | GCMA.ORG.UK

hotels in the area. Both those companies are still operating today, which I think is testimony to the efforts and vision for having a fully rounded understanding of the world that awaited me when taking on the role at GCMA. So, with a pretty full apprenticeship served and a fairly diverse network of contacts, I felt I had managed to collate the skills and tools needed to take on the role at GCMA. What were your impressions of the Association when you came into post?

If I’m honest I think it had become very one-dimensional. The

Association circulated a monthly trade magazine, which was then supported by whatever the region was able to offer. Thinking back to my very first introduction to the Association, it arrived through a recommendation from a neighbouring club secretary in Newport and I quickly became a member of the Welsh region.

This was then transferred to the South West region when I joined Long Ashton. The one other area of GCMA I had begun to sample was the National Conference and it was here where I first got involved on a national level.

The GCMA CEO at the time, Keith Lloyd, had invited me to assist with

E D U C AT E | I N F O R M | I N S P I R E

The work that goes on behind the scenes when preparing for a National Conference - meeting (left) club manager Ross Matheson at the All England Lawn Tennis Club and (below) with former Royal Portrush secretary-manager Wilma Erskine

the Conference planning group.

This was something I really enjoyed, though I did manage to upset a few of the existing group members.

I wanted the GCMA to look outside of the box and see how other sports were being managed.

At that time British Cycling were going great guns and I felt we could learn from them. Eventually, I managed to persuade Keith that we should meet with their hierarchy and get them to present at the 2009 National Conference.

From that point on I became quite instrumental in developing the National Conference at Hinckley for 2011 and 2013, which was the time leading up to when I

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took on the CEO role.

By the time I was appointed I had an inkling as to what the Association was about but I had it from different views – from the regional view and from the Conference view. My over-arching view was the Association was quite staid at regional level but there was a need to develop the national offering.

You’ve said that on arrival you had to change the dynamic of the Association. How did you go about that?

I can always remember answering a question after I’d been in post for about three months when

someone asked ‘what are you going to do for the first six to 12 months?’

My immediate response was ‘I’m not going to do anything. I’m going to look. I am going to learn and I will listen before I make any decisions on the future’.

Thinking back, that was the best bit of advice I’ve could have given myself. I needed time to understand to how the whole thing ticked over and worked.

There are two things that stood out for me. When I took on the role, GCMA were based in a Victorian house in Weston-super-Mare.

There were absolutely no links with golf in any shape or form and, with no disrespect to any member

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of the team then, it was basically a team of administrators - with not one of them having ever played golf or an understanding of the culture of our industry.

It was quite obvious I was the only person based at HQ who had an understanding of what our Association was about. It dawned on me pretty quickly that I had to change that dynamic – though that was never going to happen overnight.

I felt we needed to be working from a golf environment, very much in the same way as England Golf are at Woodhall Spa or the PGA are at The Belfry.

I managed to persuade all concerned that a move to Bristol & Clifton Golf Club would give us the right platform from which to develop.

From this point we then had to have the right people on board, who understood what we were doing and what I wanted to achieve.

One of the main areas I wanted to see if we could develop was members’ education, but I needed someone who had the skills and the outgoing personality to take on and change how we were delivering the training courses and how we could build upon what had gone before.

I approached Niki Hunter. She had not long left her post at Letchworth but shared my vision for taking education forward. Eventually we agreed for her to take on a specific role as Education Coordinator. Once this was in place the next area was to review our communications.

The Association had never employed anybody before in this type of role, but I knew I was looking for somebody who had the media and communication skills to move us forward. We took a leap of faith and appointed somebody from outside of the world of golf club management.

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Going toe-to-toe with Graeme McDowell at Portstewart during the Irish Open Pro-Am

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Mike Hyde was appointed and provided a breath of fresh air compared to anyone who had ever worked for us before.

We had moved premises to Bristol & Clifton and we were beginning to bring in people who understood golf and what we were about, but we were still missing a link. I didn’t have anyone who could provide the information, research and detail that members required. I became aware that Jim Cunning had decided to leave his role at Clevedon Golf Club. I’d known Jim for a number of years and knew he had the intellect to provide the Association with the back up, information, and research we needed to develop our reference library and provide the services that were needed.

It was when Jim arrived, and we now had our communications beginning to take shape, that it was time for us to provide and deliver a regular weekly e-newsletter.

It was not all plain sailing and I can remember being told in no uncertain terms by certain members of the board at that time that it would never work.‘You’ll never have enough meaningful material to keep it relevant’.

How wrong that advice was!

I was convinced a weekly information service was needed and the membership would benefit from it. We really started to engage with those members who had not previously been involved.

The next step was to deliver the online Helpdesk. Again Jim was pivotal to this operation. Here we are, three years later, and we have now fielded over a thousand membership enquires and questions.

The dynamic of the Association was now taking shape and we were beginning to deliver a totally different service to that I had

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Meeting Prince Edward to discuss the value of sport

inherited. The one area that was niggling away at me was how we delivered the trade magazine. At that stage, it was being delivered by another publisher and we had very little input.

How important was it for the Association to have control of their own communications?

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It was massively important. It was the main, tangible, asset of the Association. That’s what the majority of people looked for.

They wanted communication, but it had to be meaningful. In the early years, I can remember going to a meeting in the North West and was approached by two or three members who weren’t

saying good things about the magazine we had in place and that we needed to change it.

They offered me a solution. It wasn’t one we took but it showed the strength of feeling coming through from the membership.

It was important and I think we’ve proved that. It was a big step and meant we effectively got

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our image rights back and our own intellectual property.

We had to serve out something like four years of the contract and the last year was very difficult. It really was extremely trying times.

Where does the Association sit within the golf industry? We’ve just come through a period where

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GCMA were at the top table during the coronavirus crisis…

GCMA have always been invited to the top table. What I think we haven’t done is carried our weight.

In today’s world, we are now being challenged by the likes of the PGA and CMAE. It’s time to react.

I think over the last seven-anda-half years I’ve been involved, we have had more of a voice. We have had a presence, which I don’t think we had previously, and we have been listened to.

We have been involved and developed the Diploma in Golf Club Management, with BIGGA and the PGA. We’ve been involved with The R&A forum, and nothing has changed in that regard, but I think the presence of GCMA has changed and that’s where we’ve gained.

We’ve got to make sure we understand what we are about.

We’re about golf club managers.

I know it can be – and it is – the loneliest job in the world.

We can’t lose focus on that, especially in the middle of this pandemic. Golf club managers have needed the GCMA, valued their local WhatsApp groups, and they’ve wanted their local golf club managers. They’ve wanted their regional webinars and they’ve all worked with one another.

So the value of the Association is really what’s important. Working with other associations is part and parcel of what we’ve got to do but we mustn’t lose sight of what our mission in the world is.

That’s to support and provide a network and community for those people who manage golf clubs.

It’s about the value we give, the quality of what we give and how we engage with members.

That’s probably the most important thing. Not everybody will engage through the magazine or

an e-newsletter. They will engage in different ways. That’s what we have not got to lose sight of.

It’s great to be involved with The R&A and our neighbouring bodies but the real guts of it is the guy, or lady, on the ground who is working at a golf club, in a lonely place, and needs a community.

The biennial Conference is one of the most important things the Association does. How has that developed?

When I first was involved, Keith Lloyd was promoting them from Hinckley and we ended up doing three events from there. I had already been involved in the 2009 and 2011 Conferences. At that time, we used to get about 130 people attending. Now we get 300 people and a big chunk of those are managers and people involved in golf club management.

I am not saying we have got it right every time. I have had to take a few risks from time to time.

Sometimes they have come off, sometimes they haven’t.

Before Covid-19, we delivered probably one of the best Conferences at Cotswolds Water Park last November. There were a lot of positives, very few negatives, and it was good place to be and to build upon for 2021. It has been a hell of a journey and I am sure we’ve motivated, inspired and shared knowledge with people.

I know, from going around the country, that people are saying to me – almost as soon as one Conference finishes – ‘where’s the next one, Bob?’ With regards to the planning of the event and creating the programme, the Conference planning group evolves for each event. We start planning almost as soon as the last Conference finishes.

If I’m honest, there is no

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magical formula for creating the programme. Once again, we need to remain topical and create a mix of presenters that will inform, inspire and educate. As with all these things, you can plan too far ahead. I have made sure we have engaged with someone who’s topical, someone who’s relevant to golf club management and someone who can give something back.

I remember when we got Sir Clive Woodward to speak. No one could have believed I could pull that off. But we did.

In my mind, he’s still one of the best speakers we’ve ever managed to get. Richard Bevan, at the FA centre, was also an inspirational and interesting person.

When we got Iain Carter (BBC golf commentator) to interview Wilma Erskine (former secretary manager at Royal Portrush) and Colin Burns (general manager at Winged Foot), at the last Conference, I have to confess there was an element of risk.

I knew those three had hardly met each other, though I was aware that Iain and Wilma had met at the 2019 Open, but I didn’t know Colin, except for speaking to him on the phone.

Gregg Patterson had given me a heads up that this would work.

But if you think of the risk we took then, if that had gone wrong I’m not sure if it would have been my finest hour! As I prepare to depart and walk away over the next few weeks, for those that have attended the Conference I would like to think those events have had an impact on their life in golf club management. Hopefully that will continue and the Association thrives with how they deliver future events.

The Strategic Review, looking at the structure of the Association,

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was another key part of your tenure. Why did you do that and what has it achieved?

Strategic reviews need to be continually revised. At that time, in 2017, it was time to do it. We had gone through the change of dynamics. We had gone through the transformation of the Association and it was about understanding where we were going.

Creating the five pillars was exactly what was needed at that time. Strategic reviews are good but they need to be continued and it’s time now to be revising the existing strategy.

With everything that’s happened since the beginning of the year, it’s time for the Association to rethink where they are going. It’s time to review that strategy as they strive to move forward.

There are a number of challenges out there for the Association, whether that’s Covid-19 or, as you said in your last welcome note, challenging the PGA. What does the future hold?

The challenges are right in front of our face. It is important the Association takes stock of where they are. The PGA aren’t going to go away, that’s for sure. They are going to come at golf club management, and its structure, and they are going to want a slice of that action.

GCMA have a very strong community but they have to build on that.That’s the strength of the Association.The weakness is we are getting more PGA pros who don’t want to teach golf anymore and they don’t want to be stuck in a pro shop.

They want to go into management.

So the next two to three years are really important for the Association and they have to understand what the threats are, how they deal with those threats,

and look at the opportunities to move forward.

It is going to be a challenging time. The next two to three years will be crucial to the long-term existence of the Association.

What are the achievements you will look back on and what do you plan to do next?

What have I achieved? I’ve always said I wanted to leave the Association in a far better place than I found it. The Conference journey has been really positive and the development of a professional qualification in golf club management has been a step forward. It’s about delivering greater communications and greater engagement. I keep talking about engagement and community but that’s what this Association is all about. There are many things that I will reflect back on, the creation of the Women’s Golf Leadership Group, The Young Managers’ Group and how we reacted to the recent Covid-19 situation but I suppose my main train of thought will be centred around the people and members that we have served and provided with the tools needed to do their job. Looking to what’s next, I’m not really sure what lies ahead for me at present. I certainly think it is time to take a step back, ease off the pedal a bit, enjoy life and recharge the batteries.

It is important for the next CEO to come into the job with their eyes wide open. It’s not just all about golf. It’s how people need associations, need community, and need to have answers as and when the questions come up.

Someone once said to me ‘a golf club manager’s job is lonely but Bob, your job is lonelier’. That has always stuck with me. It’s time now, to move on and let the new CEO Tom Brooke take up the mantle.

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In the

LOOP

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

Rounds soar as golfers emerge out of lockdown Anyone who manages a tee time sheet will know how golf boomed following the reopening of clubs from the coronavirus lockdown. Whether that’s reports of membership surging, or a whole day’s spots being snapped up in minutes, there’s been plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest the sport has been thriving.

We can put a figure to that demand after statistics revealed just how much players took

them to reflect the number of days the course was open in May. “The results show that rounds played across GB have seen an impressive average uplift of circa 40% compared to a similar amount of days in 2019 and over 30% compared to 2018,”they reported.“The South region has seen the greatest increase with high demand in the second half of May fuelling 2020 figures that are a staggering 51% higher than the

Welcome to our newest GCMA members CarolineGriffiths, at CotswoldHills, in SouthWest region SteveTrainer, at Barrow,inNorthern region BenLudwell, at Buckinghamshire, in Chiltern&HomeCounties RoyBushby, at Royal Guernsey, in Southernregion PerryAlexander, at Dinsdale Oliver Baines, at Notts(Hollinwell), inEast Midlandsregion ChrisMyers, at Grim’sDyke, inChiltern& HomeCountiesregion ChrisKilgannon, at Hockley, inSouthern region Michael Murphy, atWaterville, inIreland (South) region Daniel Murray, atTheWisley, inLondon& HomeCountiesregion

the fairways in the weeks after restrictions were eased.

Sports Marketing Surveys collected data from more than 100 courses in May. The company’s rounds played monitor usually tracks the volume of rounds being played quarterly at a consistent panel of 250 courses throughout Great Britain. To make a fair comparison, SMS said they had only monitored data with clubs that had submitted figures in 2018, 2019 and this year and adjusted

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equivalent period in 2019.”

SMS added, with fourball golf back, people working from home, and social distancing more easily achieved on a golf course, they would be “closely monitoring”to see whether the increase could be sustained this month and through the rest of the summer.

We want to hear from you!

We want to hear from you!

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

FrancescaNorth, at SouthHerts, in Chiltern&HomeCountiesregion Michael Bush, at Rochester &Cobham ParkandCliveButler, at NorthDowns GrahamNewton, at Burhill, inLondon& HomeCountiesregion JosephStanley, at Didsbury, inNorth West region MartinGrayshon, at Brackenwood, in NorthWest region JohnSulsh-Dunn, at SeneValley, South East region

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Resources and the issues we

MUST CONSIDER

G

olf Course 2030 was introduced to develop a roadmap and a programme of research, education and communications for mitigating the impact of climate change, resource constraints and regulation on the condition and playability of our golf courses. More information on

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Golf Course 2030 can be found at The R&A website, by visiting: https://www.randa.org/en/ sustainability/golfcourse2030 As part of the development phase, The R&A commissioned a survey from Sports Marketing Surveys Inc to determine the views of course managers, club managers and PGA professionals

in Great Britain and Ireland about these issues, whether their facility has already been impacted by them and their facility’s state of readiness to address the challenges they pose. There were 589 respondents to the survey.

This is the second of three articles which aim to draw out some of the key findings of the

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In the latest of his articles outlining the Golf Course 2030 project, Steve Isaac, The R&A’s director of sustainability, focuses on the constraints for course management

questionnaire. The first article focused on climate change and this will cover resource constraints.

What do we mean by resource constraints? Essentially, we are referring to the availability of materials, machinery and the greenkeeping workforce (labour) required to maintain golf courses.

Have you ever given serious

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thought to the resources needed to maintain a golf course other than considering how much it costs? Water is essential to support grass growth but its availability is restricted when it comes to golf course use because of competing demands from other sectors, notably public, industry and agricultural consumption.

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Aggregates (sand and gravel) are also critical components for golf courses, forming the foundation of drainage, top dressing and bunker management. These are finite resources as the world holds only so much of the material which we can access and use. Greenkeepers are the essential labour force when it comes to preparing the product for golfers. The availability of adequate numbers with a suitable level of education, which will vary dependant on their rank and responsibilities, is critical to the viability of every golf facility.

The survey asked the following questions about water, sand and gravel, pesticides and labour:

Figure 1. Level of concern related to own facility.

the golf facility management team be concerned about this?

Figure 1 shows the level of concern for the respondent’s own golf facility. Overall, 9% expressed concern over the availability of

local access to sources rather than an inability to locate any source of materials. With such a low level of concern and a lack of issues in currently being able to acquire sand and gravel, the state of readiness to

Figure 2. Existing impact on resources by role.

Overall attitude to the issues and how they impact on golf Level of concern related to own golf facility Action already taken to address the issues State of readiness to mitigate problems related to the issues.

In this article I will focus on the responses for aggregates and labour, as water and pesticides are also strongly impacted by regulation, which will be the subject of my next article.

GB&I golf facility management professional’s views on sand and gravel This part of the survey focused on the availability of sand and gravel for the maintenance, drainage and construction of golf courses. For the purposes described above, these are essential materials for golf and some forecasts predict that we have 30 years’ supply left of specific types of sand used in the sports turf industry. So, should

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sand and gravel. When responses from club managers are considered in isolation, the level of concern was only 6%. Even among greenkeepers, the figure only rises to 13%.

Why this lack of concern about finite resources which are so integral to the management of our golf courses? If we look at this in relation to the existing impact of sand and gravel availability (Figure 2) then maybe the response isn’t so surprising.

The lack of concern may be related to the fact that there is currently little or no lack of availability of sand and gravel. Only 14% of all respondents reported that they had already seen an impact, with 86% having no existing experience of this as an issue. Of that 14%, availability may reflect

address a lack of availability is also expressed by low scores. 34% are not ready to address the issue, 27% do not think action is required and 13% don’t know.

These responses suggest a lack of awareness and a reflection on the short-term nature of golf club management. Many currently involved in golf course and facility management will not have given too much thought to how we will top dress our greens or fill our bunkers in 30 years’ time, but now is the time to give this serious thought so that we are prepared for this scenario.

This is one of the reasons why Golf Course 2030 exists; to make those responsible for managing golf facilities aware of issues which are likely to impact on the condition and playability of our

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golf courses and to hopefully devise means of mitigating them.

More about that in my fourth article of the year which will reflect on the research project grant awarded by The R&A. GB&I golf facility management professional’s views on labour Everywhere I go around the world I am told by greenkeeper

of the club professional teams.

The level of difference in concern might be a worry, with 30% more greenkeepers expressing concern than their management colleagues about recruitment, 26% about retention and 23% about the lack of trained greenkeepers in the labour market. Perhaps their professional club management colleagues, committee and

Figure 3. Level of concern over greenstaff issues.

associations and course managers that there is a serious problem in getting people into the profession and retaining those currently working on golf courses. Do the survey responses back up these conversations?

33% of respondents have already been impacted by problems in recruiting greenstaff. 24% reported an existing experience of issues with retention.

The level of concern over greenstaff issues by role at the golf club is shown in figure 3.

Not surprisingly, greenkeeping professionals are far more concerned about greenstaff availability than other members

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board members should be more concerned, particularly as greenkeeping is likely to become more complex as we face up to the challenges of climate change, resource constraints and regulation and a well-educated and motivated workforce will be more necessary than ever.

What does the survey tell us about attitudes in golf in GB&I to resource constraints?

The survey has provided us and the stakeholders supporting Golf Course 2030 with useful insights into the attitudes of the management team at golf clubs to the resource constraints of

aggregates and the greenkeeping workforce.

Few are concerned over the availability of sand and gravel.

Shortages may not hit us for a decade or two to come, but if we don’t start planning for this situation then we may not be ready for it when it happens.

Unlike climate change, as reported in my last article in The Golf Club Manager, there is divergence in the level of concern over greenstaff recruitment and retention between the club management team. Those working in the greenkeeping profession are far more concerned than the other members of the golf club management team, i.e. the club managers and PGA professionals.

From what I am hearing, we should all be concerned about the problems of recruiting and retaining greenkeeping staff.

Without a body of educated greenkeepers and the numbers able to support them, there is little possibility of sustaining the condition and playability of our golf courses to that expected today.

While many may not currently appreciate it, it is our strong view that for long-term planning the Golf Course 2030 initiative is on the right track in its inclusion of aggregates and the greenkeeping workforce as priority issues. These were identified as such at the very outset of the establishment of Golf Course 2030 at a meeting of key stakeholders. The research, education and communication programmes that will be delivered on these subjects will highlight how much of an issue they are, and what can be done to address them.

My next Golf Course 2030 article in The Golf Club Manager will consider the survey results in relation to regulation.

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Good

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

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How a remote golf club became a global

SENSATION

Brora achieved worldwide fame as lockdown took hold

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Brora gained worldwide attention when they revealed they could close because of coronavirus. So how did they battle back and what can you learn from their strategy? We asked the club’s key players to reveal all

I

t’s one of the great ironies of the international campaign to save Brora that the whole thing began somewhat by accident. When club president Andy Stewart sent a message to members outlining the club’s plight, as the coronavirus restrictions destroyed their projections for visitor income, he hadn’t really intended it for public consumption.

What he told them was bleak.

The James Braid-designed links, a club founded in 1891 and who boast Tom Watson as an honorary member, needed the support of their near 600 members if they were to survive.

Seeing that headline splashed across social media might not have been the objective. But the call to action flourished there and Brora suddenly found themselves basking in worldwide attention.

The results were incredible. In a matter of weeks, they raised a sixfigure sum and generated 80 new members, seven of whom shelled out £10,000 each for a Platinum Membership and a lifetime passport to the club. It would be easy to put that completely down to fortune – a case of being in the right place at the right time.

But while the origins certainly involved an element of luck, what club chiefs did to capitalise on the whirlwind of publicity was about anything but chance.

There are elements of that campaign all managers can learn from as they look to rebuild

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Brora manager Tony Gill and PGA pro Malcolm Murray

and reposition their own clubs following the Covid-19 shutdown and continuing restrictions as the battle goes on to suppress the pandemic.

It began with a centralisation of decisions.

“We were fortunate in that we had a small number of staff still at the club,”explained Stewart.“It was PGA pro Malcolm Murray, manager Tony Gill and myself.

“I decided we would be the decision making process. We would keep the committee involved and informed but there would be a little less consultation – just out of necessity.

“We didn’t really have time for it.

The problem was we had created this demand without having the products. We didn’t really have enough to satisfy the potential demand out there.

“We looked at the levels people

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would be prepared to help us – whether that was £100, £200, £500 or £1,000.

“We had to make sure we had something attractive that would fit into everybody’s pocket.”

What that meant in practice was being very inventive in a very short period of time.

So from the person who wanted to spend £20 in the pro shop to the player willing to fork out £10,000 on lifetime membership, Stewart and the team realigned and redeveloped packages, while revamping their website to make buying a seamless experience.

And what they needed to make everything around that work was a good PR plan.

“When I first started working with Brora, I was really pleased because I knew the course had a cult status having played it on a lads’ trip,” said Ed Hodge, a former journalist

turned PR professional who works with golf bodies and clubs.

“I already knew that following was there, but perhaps the club didn’t realise it. The love that suddenly came out didn’t surprise me and it was just a case of capitalising. Quite a lot of the PR work I do is planning. We started to bullet point exactly what we needed to do and the emphasis.

“The first point was to get the website ready. We had a couple of days of sorting that out, the different categories and drop downs.

“People were already saying ‘how can we help?’We realised membership was one option but that it would also be useful to have a tab where people could donate if they didn’t want to take out a membership.

“Instead of going out with a crowd funding option, the donation button was part of the whole mix.

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“The club realised the shop could come into it as well. Malcolm’s website had to be ready and we spent a good 48 hours getting everything on the website.”

That work had needed to be quick. By now, the club’s plight was being extensively trailed on social media, not least in the content produced by Murray himself.

He said:“I have a media bank on my phone of images and videos and knew, coming into a day, what I needed to do.

“You post a photo with a few words. It just needs to engage a bit and make people like it or comment. That’s all you need on a mundane day.

“Then I’d post a video on other days – whatever I had – to keep it fresh and not repetitive. I tried to do at least one thing a day.

“I started doing some videos of myself. That helped me get a bit personal for people and get connected with the club.

“I probably wasn’t using Twitter (before). That has been the real eye opener of how things can escalate and reach bigger audiences.

“I was mainly using Instagram and Facebook. I was doing that fairly regularly but now it needs to be posting at least something every day or second day.

“It’s difficult keeping up with the content because you don’t want to post similar images or videos regularly.”

Just as important in keeping that media momentum rising was engaging journalists and getting them to go out and bat for the club too.

And while you may not be able to employ the services of a PR expert to craft a message, there are some key steps to follow when it comes to putting out a media release.

“It’s the headline and the first four paragraphs that ultimately grab

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the reader,” Hodge said.

“I used to work for Teletext and it’s almost been like going back in time.

“We had four paragraphs there and social media is almost like Teletext but on a far bigger scale.

You’ve only got a limited number of characters.

“So when I do press releases these days I really do think about the headline and the first three or four paragraphs.

“It’s even in the headline – Brora Seeks International Support. It explains it fairly bluntly when it drops into an inbox.

“Many clubs have still got a local newspaper. The Northern Times is at Brora and the Press and Journal and so, obviously, we targeted them.

“With the background I have, and my media contacts, it allowed me to put the message out to as many as I could.

“Then you start to think of other avenues – with maybe journalists who have shown a love for the venue in the past.”

Once you’ve got demand, you’ve got to have supply. Whether it was by luck, or good planning, Murray was able to count on historically good payment terms with clients to ensure his shop had the products to satisfy the desire.

That proved absolutely pivotal with more than 500 packages sent out during those bewildering and overwhelming first few weeks.

Murray added:“As soon as something was sold online you’d come in and I just made sure I put the stock in packages. I made sure I had it and then it would be packaged and then we’d get to a point and label them up and send them out.

“For that first block of orders in the first couple of days, I don’t think I got away from the club for a week or so.

“I was mainly concentrating on

Few courses are as picturesque as Brora

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getting things in packages and making sure we had it.

“I always take in Glenmuir a bit early. They come in the middle to the end of March. That stock had arrived.

“I generally take companies in early because they do really good payment terms with us and it gave us a broad range of stock.

“We also had the previous year’s stock there too.”

From looking at a huge hole in their budgets, which had projected £350,000 in visitor revenue this year before the pandemic halted the club in their tracks, Brora have now been able to secure their short-term future.

But, undoubtedly, what they have experienced through Covid-19 will alter the links treasure forever.

They’ve had to think creatively to drive new revenue, and they’ve also uncorked the strong feelings

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players all over the world have for their course – something they’d known was there but couldn’t measure or utilise.

Your club may not be Brora. It may not be able to rely on stunning views or a legacy stretching back more than a century.

What makes a course special, though, is the ambitions of those who are in charge and the ties to the community – even if that’s just on a local scale.

Exploring those links, understanding them and then knowing how to benefit from them, can achieve results everywhere.

“We underestimated the love there was for the golf club and we also had fairly low ambitions or expectations on how to monetise that,” Stewart concluded.

“We didn’t realise the potential that was out there and we weren’t

ambitious enough.

“We were doing well in lots of areas – growing green fees and visitor income significantly.

“We thought we were doing really well without realising there was this whole area we weren’t tapping into.

“We’ll (now) have a better understanding of our various revenues and what we’ll do is balance those.

“I knew our strategy was a little bit risky. If we had four years of the level of growth we’d had we would have been fine. We would have built up the reserves.

“But this caught us at a point in time when we were growing as a club but hadn’t had three or four good years.

“We have to take a risk and better manage that risk through ensuring we have enough different revenue streams to mitigate it.”

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‘

GCMA Principles of Golf Club Management Online This training course is designed for either newcomers to the profession of golf club managment, or an existing manager, secretary or assistant, who wants to bring themselves up-to-date with current management practices.

The course content is relevant for both private members and proprietary clubs.

Subjects cover all 10 Core Proficiencies of being a Golf Club General Manager and topics include: n Wellbeing and the Golf Club in the Community n Leadership, Management and Enterprising Skills n Hospitality, Food & Beverage and Customer Service n Golf Club Legislation and Compliance

n Golf Club Accounting and Finance n Membership Management n Golf Business Models and their Governance n Golf Operations n Course and Estate Management n Technology and Innovation in Golf

DATES - July 27 to August 7 Two to three hours per day, over 10 working days, of live and interactive webinars Webinars will be recorded and uploaded to view on demand. PRICE: ÂŁ495

Educate | Network | Inspire

Reserve your place now: email gavin@gcma.org.uk

ADVERTORIAL

A new way to Open up revenue

OPPORTUNITIES Getting the most out of casual golfers can be a struggle for lots of clubs. But OpenTee might just have the answer

T

hey call it ‘The Evolution of Golf Club Membership’ – a way of reconciling what’s sometimes an uncomfortable relationship with those players who aren’t paying a traditional subscription.

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“Our purpose is to give the lapsed or casual golfer a route back in to playing golf and making it a regular part of their lives again,” said OpenTee managing director Dan Hookway.

“Ultimately, it’s about signposting them back towards full club membership.”

OpenTee is a digital golf club.

Golfers pay a low upfront cost £49.95 a year – and have access to exclusive green fee discounts at a growing number of partner clubs.

There are now more than 100 in the UK. They’ll have the chance to gain an official handicap, enter a range

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of OpenTee competitions and receive content from associated professionals, industry experts and corporate partners.

But if there’s plenty for players to get excited about in that offering, there’s also a huge opportunity for clubs as well.

That’s because OpenTee is not about cannibalising membership, or providing a cheaper or flexible alternative. It’s about working with

clubs – side-by-side – to drive revenue.

Hookway explained:“As an OpenTee partner club, we’ve designed our model to be as transparent as possible with no hidden fees or charges.

“There is only one requirement to join our network – an offer of

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a discounted green free to our members.

“Our recommendation is a rate between the visitor rate and members’ guest rate.”

The key, as far as OpenTee’s relationship with their partners is concerned, is that the club are in control of that rate and what they charge.

They can also decide when to offer it, and what conditions they wish to impose when doing so. As long as a discounted fee is offered, clubs or golfing facilities can join the OpenTee network and there’s no cost to them whatsoever.

That’s only where the benefits begin.

“Partner clubs can take advantage of being part of our extensive marketing campaigns,” Hookway added.

“In the first six months of operation, we are targeting databases upwards of 22 million persons with guidance from our associated industry-leading digital agency.

“This will include targeted social media, paid ads and affiliate marketing campaigns all specific to geographic locations and highlighting the nearest venues to the potential customer.”

Individual profile pages for clubs on the OpenTee website will promote and sell the features and benefits of partners to subscribers.

That includes signposting players to those clubs and driving footfall to help them fill their booking sheets.

And, again, because OpenTee’s revenue comes from the annual dues golfers pay the platform to become members, and not from the clubs themselves, whatever fee those facilities decide to charge is kept by them.

No commissions are taken or charges imposed.

In fact, the opportunities for revenue generation go even further for OpenTee partners.

They can host branded OpenTee competitions and events for subscribers and, naturally, they also have the opportunity to capitalise from the food and beverage, pro shop and practice facility spend golfers consume while they are on site.

“Every time an OpenTee member visits their club it is an opportunity to sell them the benefits of the golf club – make our members their members,” Hookway concluded.

“They can use OpenTee as a tool to reintegrate lapsed members back to their club and they can earn extra revenue by becoming an OpenTee Handicap club.”

For more information, visit openteememberships.com.

How it works When an OpenTee member browses the course directory and finds a partner venue, they will be required call the club to book their time – and must state they are an OpenTee member.

On arrival, they will sign in and provide both their membership number and a form of identification.

All monies will be paid directly to the club. OpenTee does not handle any money or take any commissions.

Clubs will be provided with log in details to access their own section on openteememberships.com, where staff will be able to enter the membership number validating the member receiving their discounted green fee.

The player just plays golf!

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Discounting isn’t marketing and membership

ISN’T A SPRINT

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hether it’s 15 months for the price of 12, or buy one get one free, we live in a deal culture and golf has not escaped the cult.

But do we equate marketing with cut price offers and are we literally paying the price for that in the way we develop our brands?

Gabriel Aluisy thinks so, and that was one of the key messages that came out of his recent appearance in a GCMA webinar that aimed to guide golf club managers on

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membership and marketing.

The founder of The Private Club Agency, a Florida firm that specialises in strategies for marketing and membership retention, Aluisy laid out his philosophy in a 45-minute video call.

And his first core lesson looked at the way discounting and stagnation causes trouble for clubs.

“The first lesson I would really like to impress upon everyone is that marketing is not a dirty word,”he told the audience.

“I think, for many, many, years, people have thought about

marketing as discounting, so offering a discount or a coupon or some special offer to people.

“I really think, in general, that’s a big mistake. In fact, when I’m working with my clients here and around the world, what I’m always trying to do is educate them to raise their brand value. The goal is really to become a sought-after part of your community and that’s what good marketing does.”

Aluisy added:“I know a lot of clubs all over the world that have said they hang their hat on the fact that ‘we haven’t raised prices in

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In a recent GCMA Zoom webinar, Gabriel Aluisy, founder of The Private Club Agency, handed out some critical membership points for clubs in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic

five years, or in ten years, our prices have remained the same’.

“They put that as a feather in their cap. Really, it’s quite the opposite. The best brands whether it’s golf, or any industry, get more exclusive and more expensive over time.”

He used the example of Apple’s iPhone – launching in the UK at around £300 and with the current premium iteration now costing around £1,200.

The point was to argue that good brands become status symbols and that, as a species, we

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are attracted to things that are hard to get.

“When salespeople come at you, or when marketing seems pushy or people seem desperate, it’s actually something you want to shun away from,”Aluisy explained.

“But when a brand and, in our case, a golf club is something that people have to aspire to, they have to chase and that’s not easy for them – whether that’s because of the price or because of the limited nature of the membership – then scarcity is actually what motivates people.”

He also urged clubs seeking

members to look at the long term, and not to dive in and achieve a ‘sale’ as quickly as possible.

The key is to build relationships, something that naturally takes time, and to vary communications to fit the message depending on who the audience is.

He said:“All too often, and again I’ve made the mistake in my own life into my own businesses, we’re always trying to get the sale immediately.

“We give people the tour of the club and we expect them to sign on the dotted line.

“What a great brand does is

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it builds the relationship. It’s a moment in time and you’ve got people on different parts of their journey. I call this journey the membership lifestyle cycle or the membership journey.

“There’s the unaware prospect – someone who might have moved into your town or someone who just never thought about taking up the game, who doesn’t even know that your club exists.

“You’ve got people in your community that know you exist, maybe they’ve attended an event at the club or they drive by the club on their way to work every day.

“Maybe (there’s) someone who’s played golf with your members, or where they spend some time at the club and is on the fence.

“Between those three people, the message cannot be the same because what’s important – what would catch someone’s attention who’s an unaware prospect – is not the same message that’s going to attract a person that’s an interested prospect.

“All too often I see golf clubs that put out the same message to everybody and I think that’s a mistake depending on the social network you’re on.

“Whether you’re on Facebook or Instagram or LinkedIn – those are completely different audiences.

“It’s the same thing if you’re talking about advertising in a publication. Don’t just create one ad that you might use for five different publications that year.

“You really need to think about ‘who is the audience?’ What are their challenges? What are their needs? What would tug at their heartstrings?’

“I like to always say that we’re not in the golf business. We’re in the challenge solving business.

“Here’s what I mean. You’ve got Larry who moves into your

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neighbourhood and he’s new to the area and his challenge is he’s looking for connections.

“He’s looking for entertainment.

He’s looking to meet new business connections and do more business and he’s looking for a safe place to be able to bring his family.

“Those are the challenges that people have. Golf is our greatest outlet, and our asset, in order to be able to solve those challenges for people. But when you realise that you’re not really just selling golf – you’re selling an experience – you’re going be much more effective.”

Aluisy told viewers to think about the various forms of membership like product lines and acknowledge that one size does not fit all. He outlined the idea of a 12-week automated email series, for people who showed an interest in joining the club, with subjects ranging from membership brochures to tips.

Then the chefs would talk about their signature dish, outlining the recipe, and entice potential customers to come to the club and experience it for themselves.

When communicating to prospective members, what was important was to consider ‘how do I add value to this relationship through each stage?’

“In today’s culture we all want a bespoke experience,”he concluded.“We all want to feel like we’re getting something that’s really meant just for us.

“One way we can do that, and do that effectively, is to think of our golf club as not just having a product but having a product line and to think of your tiers of membership.

“In the United States, our clubs generally have a social membership. They’ll have an athletic membership where not only can you dine but you can also

use the gym and the tennis courts.

“Then you have a golf membership and you might have different levels of that golf membership.

“I know a lot of clubs in the UK have a social and a golf membership but I want you to think of it as a product line. Today’s consumer member wants options.

“I want you to really start to think about all the hidden mountain of value that you’ve got right under your nose.

“If you’ve got social members, how can you get those social

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members engaged in golf?

“Often, social members don’t move up that product line because they feel it’s scary. It is.

To step up to the first tee and hit your first golf shot and you’ve got the membership standing behind you with people staring out of the clubhouse and eating their sandwiches - that’s a scary proposition so what could you do to engage those social members here? TopGolf is a great way to get people socially engaged but at each of your golf clubs, if you have

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a driving range or even if you have a putting green, you could engage your social members.

“You could have one night of the month, maybe a Friday evening or something where you have some nice cocktails and Hors d’oeuvre, but you teach people the game.

“Take an hour of your professional’s time to invest in the social members and once people feel comfortable playing the game of golf then they’re ready to step up. They’re ready to move up your product line.”

Gabriel Aluisy Gabriel Aluisy founded The Private Club Agency, a Tampa-based marketing and consulting firm that specialises on membership marketing and retention strategy at private clubs.

An author of several books, including The Definitive Guide to Membership Marketing, he hosts a weekly podcast and has been featured in many leading publications.

Find out more at aluisy.com

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It’s Tee Time... And it’s great to be back!

Despite many things changing in the world around us, some things never change, like Fairway Credit’s support for clubs and members.

Two months is a long time in anyone’s book, for a golf club and its loyal members it has felt like an eternity – but finally, some good news! The sun is shining, the greens are manicured, the fairways are pristine, and golfers are back.

But is there a twist in this story that will mean the world and golf may never be the same again? Will social distancing become the norm? Will touching elbows instead of shaking hands be the new way to congratulate your partner on a good round? Will raking the bunker after you have got stuck in it for the umpteenth time come back?

Will removing the flag before putting come back? We don’t know the answers but, we do know that we can all play again, which for many is just the tonic needed during this difficult time.

What changes have you implemented at your club that will become the norm?

It’s good to know that despite the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, some things remain stable. We have been operating as normal throughout the pandemic, with over 98% of members using the Fairway Credit membership funding solution, maintaining their payments and helping clubs retain their members during lockdown.

With over 700 golf clubs working with us we have remained in constant contact with clubs, offering help and assistance when requested. And we’ve also been on hand to help members too.

Moving forwards…

Over the last few weeks we have been working hard with clubs to enable those members that had cancelled their memberships and credit agreements to re-join our schemes. In that way, clubs enable members to play, clubs receive a much-needed cash injection and can hopefully start to entice new and past members back to the course.

We made sure all our golf clubs were aware of how to get their Fairway Credit paying members back on board and how to get new members set up. Many clubs have expressed their gratitude for our assistance in these tough times.

Re-opening golf clubs provides many with access to the fresh air and exercise in the great outdoors, not to mention allowing keen players the opportunity to re-embrace the game they love. The ability for clubs to open their doors and have a quick and painless solution for their members to pay is something Fairway Credit continues to be proud of.

“

Throughout the Coronavirus pandemic, it has been very reassuring to see that Fairway Credit are operating a “business as usual” service. The level of support and assistance the club and its members have received during this very difficult time has been great, especially when dealing with a number of cancellation and subsequent reinstatement agreement requests, for our members.

Aspley Guise & Woburn Sands are happy to continue our relationship and work with Fairway Credit, for the future, as we feel confident using a company that has been around for over 25 years and is still a strong market leader, in an industry that has seen other providers withdraw from the market.

strategic partner

“

Simon Dennis, the Secretary of Aspley Guise & Woburn Sands GC

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

How can we help your club?

• • • • •

We offer different periods for your members to pay, anything from 3 months to 12 We pay the full annual fee to the club, up-front, normally within an average of 30 days, or if you are prepared to wait a little longer to be paid, we can reduce our costs to you and the member We can take administration away from clubs, allowing you to focus on the club We take responsibility of the financial regulatory requirements We offer a seamless integration with How Do I Pay from Club Systems, making collecting subscriptions even easier

How we can help your members: • • •

They can apply through an easy to use online application They can spread their payments over a period up to 12 months They can be automatically renewed each year with no requirement for a new application.

Here at Fairway Credit, we’re very happy to talk to any new golf clubs who would like to learn more about using our financing facilities. We have a great team ready to speak to you, or meet up, once the social distancing rules are relaxed, and discuss how we could offer our financing solution to your club.

For more information on our range of products and services or to discuss how Fairway Credit can help you, your club and your members please contact us on: 0344 736 9818 or you can email: leisure@pcl.co.uk We look forward to the new chapter in golf and how we can help shape the future with you.

Author: Roger Brown – Chief Commercial Officer – Specialist Lending – Fairway Credit

ial Spec Offer

Not using Fairway Credit yet?

Whether you are a member of the GCMA or not, you can benefit from our fantastic new offer…

We will pay this years or next years GCMA membership fees for all new (or returning) clubs to the Fairway Credit family.

Terms and Conditions for Fairway Credit to pay GCMA membership fee offer – Membership fees will be paid to the GCMA for up to 1 year, either remainder of current year or full fee for 2021. Offer open to managers of clubs who arrange for their club to join ( including re-join) Fairway Credit, in 2020 (acknowledging that renewal of 2020 memberships may already have occurred in 2020 but will use Fairway Credit for 2021 renewal). - Offer open to current GCMA member or for a new member joining GCMA. - Maximum fee covered £275. For more information contact us.

0207 191 2417 | leisure@pcl.co.uk | www.fairwaycredit.co.uk Fairway Credit is a trading name of Premium Credit Limited. Registered office: Ermyn House, Ermyn Way, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT22 8UX. Registered in England and Wales under company number 2015200. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. *Facility is subject to approval, terms and conditions apply.

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

Your best practice

DIRECTORY The GCMA’s golf management researcher, Jim Cunning, rounds up the best advice for golf club managers

A

LCOHOL WHOLESALER REGISTRATION SCHEME (AWRS) Did you know that ‘You can be fined or go to prison if you buy alcohol from a wholesaler who isn’t approved’?

A law that came into force on April 1, 2017 means that you are responsible for checking that the wholesaler(s) who supplies your alcohol has been approved by HMRC under the Alcohol Wholesaler Registration Scheme (AWRS).

You should check that all your suppliers have an AWRS Unique Reference Number (URN), which should be found on their invoices, and then visit HMRC’s Approval Page to confirm their registration by entering the URN and following the instructions. If you cannot find a supplier’s URN then you will need to request it from them, in order to check their registration. If they are not registered, then you must not trade with them until they are and you can confirm that on the approval page.

You will need to repeat this check periodically, to ensure the wholesalers you trade with remain registered for the AWRS. You should also keep records of the checks as evidence of due

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diligence if required by HMRC. MACHINERY WASHDOWN COMPLIANCE The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010, the Groundwater Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009, or The Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2013 all legislate against the discharge of contaminated water into the water environment.

These regulations have a direct impact on golf facilities, especially when it comes to the cleaning of grass cutting equipment.

In essence, this means that clubs will be liable for prosecution if they have not taken steps to ensure their machinery wash down areas comply with the above legislation.

The Criminal and Civil penalties include a criminal fine of up to £50,000 and up to three months’ imprisonment if the pollution is serious.There is also the risk of a Variable Monetary Penalty of up to £250,000.

There are four options listed below, one of which must be in place to ensure your club is compliant: The wash down of machinery takes place on a positively drained wash pad with all contaminated water collected in a sump. This is

then removed and disposed of by a licensed waste management contractor.

The wash down of machinery takes place on a positively drained wash pad with all contaminated water fed into a mechanical water recycling system where it is cleaned and can be recycled or discharged.

The wash down of machinery takes place on a positively drained wash pad with all contaminated water fed by sealed pipe into a dedicated and bespoke reed bed system, where it is cleaned sufficiently for discharge or recycle.

The wash down of machinery takes place on a positively drained wash pad with all contaminated water discharged to the foul sewer. The discharge is then no longer the concern of the Environment Agency, but it is up to the local sewerage contractor to decide whether they will allow the discharge into their system, without the contaminants being removed. If you are discharging contaminated water into the sewerage system, then you must confirm with the sewerage contractor that you have full permission to do so.

The above options will be legal requirements for almost all golf clubs in the UK; however, there are circumstances, relating to the

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type of substrate that is receiving the contaminated water, where a club may be permitted to discharge without prior cleansing.

As such, it is well worth a call to the Environment Agency to have your individual situation confirmed.

Further information on pollution and legislation for clubs can be obtained from the Environment Agency. For Scotland and Northern Ireland, the website NetRegs is also a useful source of environmental guidance.

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STATIONERY, PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL AND INVOICES Clubs who have decided to incorporate and become a limited company are bound by the Companies Act 2006 and as such have certain statutory requirements when it comes to correspondence, promotional material and invoicing. Whilst these requirements are not mandatory for unincorporated clubs, they are good business practice.

You must include your

company’s name on all company documents, publicity and letters. This also includes email correspondence and most companies will show the required information in the email footer, automatically added when sent, or require all employees to use a consistent email footer which includes the following requirements.

On business letters, order forms, invoices and websites, you must show:

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The company registration number Its registered office address Where the company is registered (England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland) The fact that it is a limited company (usually by spelling out the company’s full name including ‘Limited’ or ‘Ltd’) If you want to include directors’ names, you must list all of them.

For invoices, there are further requirements for limited

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companies - however it is also good business practice for all clubs to include the following: The name and address of your business For all businesses, it’s helpful also to include your contact details on an invoice, including your: name, phone number and email address.

It is then easier for the customer to raise any queries about the invoice.

If you’re a limited company, you’ll need to include your registered

office address as well as your company registration number.

You’ll also need to show the formal registered name of the company, alongside any name which you’re using to trade.

The name and address of the company you’re invoicing Once again, include a contact name if you have one so the invoice will reach the person who knows most about it – and is therefore most likely to pay it!

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An invoice reference / invoice number Your invoice number or reference should be unique to this invoice.

That means you’ll have to keep a record of the numbers or references you’ve already used so that you don’t accidentally duplicate one.

Many people just use a sequence of numbers, putting a few zeros in front of early invoice numbers so that they’ll all be the same length and easy to sort – so starting at, say, 0001 rather than just 1.You can

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include letters in an invoice reference if you want to. If you have a number of repeat customers, you might consider putting a few letters in front of numbers to indicate the client.

This means you can reuse the numbers and only need look at the last invoice reference for that client when choosing the next one. So, for example, the first invoice issued to Aviva could be AVI001 and the first issued to Vodafone could be VOD001.

The date the goods or services were provided Especially for VAT invoices, this is often otherwise known as the “supply date”.

A date for the invoice This will generally be the date on which the invoice is created, not necessarily the date the goods or services covered by the invoices were provided.

Details of the products or

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settled promptly.

A total amount for the invoice This should be the total of the cost of all the individual products or services covered by the invoice.

You should also note down any discount that you’ve agreed.

Payment terms for the invoice The payment terms cover how long the customer has to pay, which will generally be based on the Terms & Conditions which have been agreed by the customer. For example, they might read “Payment should be made within 30 days”.

services provided and their cost You need to provide a clear description of what you’re invoicing for.

This will usually mean a line-byline list of each product or services you’ve provided, together with the cost of each.

The clearer the description you provide, the less likely it is that a customer will need to contact you to query the invoice. That should mean you also have a better chance of the invoice being

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Details on how to pay the invoice Obviously, it’s in your interests to make it easy for customers to pay you! As well as saying which payment methods you’ll accept, you need to include the following account details if you allow BACS/ direct payments: Bank name, Account name, Account number and Sort code.

With payment by cheque you’d only need to provide a payee name and some businesses still like making payments by cheque.

However, in most cases it’s easier for the customer to make payment directly – and with direct payments you don’t have the extra hassle of banking the cheques received, alongside the fees that some banks charge for processing cheques on business accounts.

The customer’s purchase order number (if available) If the customer has provided it, include this on your invoice so they can easily identify which purchase order the invoice relates to. Once again, this may improve the chances of being paid promptly.

What about VAT invoices?

If you’re VAT registered, there’s further information you’ll need to include. The best description is on HMRC’s website, but essentially you will also have to provide: your VAT Registration Number; and either the VAT rate and total amount of VAT charged (if all products and services are subject to VAT at the same rate); or, if not the amount of VAT and VAT rate charged on each item.

How should I format and send an invoice?

The most important thing is to lay your invoice out clearly with all the information required. In that way, you make it as easy as possible for the customer to pay your business.

Your invoice represents the identity of your business and might be one of only a few documents that a customer will see.

Make sure, therefore, that it reflects your brand in terms of fonts and colours as well as professionalism. Include a logo if your business has one. Proper branding may help to reinforce your business in the customer’s mind and thereby increase the chances of them ordering from you again.

For a limited company, the standard requirements relating to stationery apply to invoices. So, for example, if you choose to include the names of directors on your invoices, you must include the names of all directors.

While many businesses will submit a hard copy invoice by post, you could instead choose to send the invoice by email. It may help to speed things up, although if you do so it’s best practice to convert the invoice to a PDF document so that the customer is unlikely to be able to alter it!

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Grass

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

2020 Seminar Series

‘

Essential Skills for Future Club Managers Perfect for anyone interested in a career in golf club management, or somebody already in a junior or middle management role in a golf club.

This 90 minute webinar is FREE of charge. Attendees will learn about: - Insights into great leadership and building successful teams - Change management – how to improve and evolve together - How to increase sales through improved customer service - Career progression discussions Q&A with a GCMA Director

Next seminar: 9th July 2020, hosted by Brad McLean, GM at Gog Magog and Chairman at the GCMA. To register email: gavin@gcma.org.uk

www.gcma.org.uk/education/

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My success story...

GARETH EDWARDS Milford Haven’s golf club manager arrived in post with a plan to transform the Welsh club’s marketing. His work could leave them perfectly positioned to thrive in a post-pandemic market

M

ilford Haven was a club that was perhaps lurking somewhat in the shadows when Gareth Edwards arrived to take on the golf club manager’s role in November 2018.

Golfers knew all about their near neighbours – Tenby – but this parkland course, with some great views of its own, was the absolute archetype of the clichéd ‘hidden gem’.

“I realised that people visit the Pembrokeshire area but had not heard of us,” he explained of a members’ club that has been in place since 1913.

“My first phase of ‘attack’ was to get the name and brand of Milford Haven Golf Club to be more widely known and recognised.”

So how do you force the spotlight to fall on a club that might have passed some by?

Edwards knew he would have to be ambitious and his marketing strategy was adventurous.

It began with the club’s website and logo.

“Our logo is an old sailing ship because of Milford Haven the port,” he said.

“I slightly updated the ship and within the wording of Milford have

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a golf ball on a tee on the O. “The older members were a little bit reluctant at first but once they saw what it looked like, and how we could update our golf club so it came into the 21st century, they were on board. People will get to know certain brands and the certain look of a golf club logo.

“Pembrokeshire is very much a tourist destination and Tenby is about 17 miles away.

“A lot of people play golf there and I’m trying to attract people to come here, while they are in the area.”

Edwards ensured data collection was enhanced, with green fee tickets made up and filled in by visitors in the pro shop. That allowed the club to keep in touch with them by promoting green fee offers and other incentives.

He also utilised social media, producing focused campaigns on

“My first phase of ‘attack’ was to get the name Milford Haven Golf Club to be more widely known and recognised”

Facebook to push the club out to golfers in surrounding areas.

He added:“We get quite a lot of people from the Midlands. I’d go into Facebook and specifically target areas.

“One week it would be the Midlands, another week would be in and around the Cardiff area and another would be to look at Bristol and Swansea.

“It was just to try and highlight those areas where I’ve seen people have come from.”

Sometimes a good old bit of stardust can also help do the job and, when the club reopened its Marc Westenborg-redesigned 18th hole last April, they got the journalists typing and the crowds arriving when Welsh rugby union and British Lions players – such

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The beautiful Tyneside Golf Club is a stiff test of golf

as Jonathan Davies and Scott Quinnell – came to play it.

“From this, we produced marketing material with the wording “Can You Tame Our 18th Hole? British Lions players tried and failed!”

The strategy has been working.

At the end of last year, the club found themselves included in Welsh ranking lists for the first time, while they were named Welsh Junior Club of the Year and were also shortlisted for Welsh Club of the Year.

“What we’ve done is tried to get a more professional look. We had

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a quite a lot of success last year,” Edwards continued.

“We updated the website, as it was looking really old and antiquated.

“We had to invest a little bit. To make money, you’ve got to spend money. We’ve also tried to think outside the box a bit more.”

All of which has meant that Milford Haven’s sleepy status is largely no more.

That realisation probably couldn’t have come at a better time for the club, given the hardships they – and all others – have suffered through the coronavirus pandemic

over the last four months.

With a slew of restrictions and social distancing regulations likely to remain in place for some time, and revenue also expected to more difficult to come by as the industry has to refocus in the midst of an almost certain recession over the next couple of years, it was clearly no time to be a shrinking wallflower.

And so even with the challenges that surely await, Milford Haven’s marketing initiatives over the last 18 months at least leave them in a better place to face whatever is to come.

GCMA.ORG.UK | 63

The Golf Club Managers’ Association delivers a recruitment service for golf clubs to advertise management vacancies.

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If you wish to advertise a vacancy, please contact Marie Taylor today:

Recruitment

01275 391153 | marie@gcma.org.uk

“At the closing date we had 30 applications for the GM position.

We shortlisted eight for interview, took three to the final stage, and have appointed a worthy candidate to fill the position. We are delighted with the response generated via GCMA Recruitment.”

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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

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From the

HELPDESK This month: Noise nuisances and... can we offer subscription discounts to loyal members?

Can I be a member of the club for whom I am secretary?

If you are an employee we would definitely advise against it. There could be several conflicts of interest, not least when dealing with voting at General Meetings.

It is normal for clubs to allow their secretary/managers all the same rights as members, but without a vote, thus removing the need to join. This includes the ability to play in club competitions. It is in the club’s interest for you to see everything from both sides.

Is there a document in the library highlighting all statutory training that all team members should have on file?

There is no definitive answer as your duty as an employer is to provide whatever information, instruction, training and supervision as necessary to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety at work of your employees. Any training needs to be relevant to the staff members’ duties and will vary from department to department. There are certain subjects where you could argue that all staff should have training such as: * awareness of the club’s health & safety and policy – all staff * awareness of the control of substances hazardous to health

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(COSHH) regulations – all staff but department specific * when and how to report injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences regulations (RIDDOR) – all staff * fire safety awareness training – all staff * first aid – selected staff dependant on current regulations * manual handling training – most staff, dependant on duties * basic risk assessment training – all staff * annual updates in essential areas of fire safety and manual handling * Food hygiene or food safety awareness training – bar & catering staff and managers * Safeguarding children training – all staff who deal with children.

A member whose house is next to the golf course is complaining about the noise of greens machinery between 7am and 8am on Monday to Fridays.

Where does the law stand?

The complaint can be classed as a ‘nuisance’ and this is defined in law as “any continuous activity or state of affairs causing substantial and unreasonable interference with a [claimant’s] land or his use of enjoyment of that land.”

He could take out an injunction against you to force you to mow at a reasonable hour with the

court likely to define what was reasonable. There is the option to take the defence with the 20-year prescription rule, where if a private nuisance continues for 20 years it becomes legal, so long as the defendant can show it has been continuous and the claimant has been aware. Visit: gov.uk/guidance/statutorynuisances-how-councils-dealwith-complaints We offer those who have been members for 25 consecutive years a 10% discount on their subscriptions. They have to be 65 years or older. I wanted to check we could still do this legally and we don’t have to offer it to everyone who has simply been a member for 25 years...

This is a fairly common discount in golf clubs and until someone challenges in the courts there is not a ‘legal’ answer at present.

However, the GCMA believe this kind of discount will be difficult to defend if it does go to court.

The club has tied the discount to those who are over a certain age and are actively discriminating against those who are not. The only way it can be justified is if you have a deficiency in members over 65 and are seeking to actively promote that category.

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HEART TO

HEART

Steve Robinson visits Mid Herts Golf Club and speaks with General Manager Joy Pickard

J

oy, you have been using rijo42 for a number of years now, from your experience what is it that sets us apart from other coffee providers?

Having been a customer of rijo42 at my previous golf club, on joining Mid Herts as the new General Manager I was able to convince the Board of Management to dispense with the basic coffee machine from behind the bar. The selling points that sets rijo42 apart from other coffee providers that won over not just the board, but also the members, is the consistent quality of the coffee and the ease of use with the machine.

Members and visitors alike enjoy the opportunity of selecting their coffee option and being in control. The 10oz serving combined with the attractive crockery was also a winner and from a customer point of view, the prompt delivery service and efficiency of the technical team plays an important part in being able to provide the level of service the members expect.

I’m sure over the past few years you have witnessed a significant increase in sales of coffee, what’s your advice

to anyone when it comes to maximising the potential in this area and how significant is it in maintaining a busy clubhouse?

To encourage people into the clubhouse they need a reason and the idea of meeting up with friends for a ‘coffee morning’ is something that rijo42 allows us to offer. By situating our coffee machine in a prominent position within the club, with easy access at all times, people are encouraged to make use of it.

The pavement sign has proven a useful tool in attracting the local rambling groups to stop by the clubhouse for a coffee along the way and we are now offering a ‘cake of the day’ to accompany their coffee, giving our franchise caterer a small revenue stream. The Pilates and Yoga groups who attend daily/weekly sessions at our purpose-built studio on the upper floor often finish their morning with a coffee knowing that it is only 55 calories a cup, meaning they don’t feel guilty after a hard workout!

The ‘take out’ cups are very popular with the early morning golfers who will purchase a few tokens in advance and can pop in and pick up a coffee – some even forgo the take out cup and fill up their own Thermos!

You have recently taken delivery of the new RSD Touch Brasil and cup warmer. Having used our equipment for many years, what’s the stand out features that impress you about the new model and how has it gone down with your members?

The new RSD Touch has given the option to offer decaffeinated coffee, which is proving popular and the touch screen operation has been a real winner. With the addition of the Cup Warmer, members are finding their coffee stays hot for longer, especially in the winter months. The RSD screen has given us another opportunity for advertising and as we become more familiar with the functionality, we look to maximise the use of the display. There is no better way to capture the attention of someone than when they are standing facing the coffee machine waiting for their coffee to be dispensed!

CONTACT STEVE ROBINSON FOR MORE INFO: 07977 244621 / STEVEROBINSON@RIJO42.CO.UK

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from A-Plan Insurance Are you looking for a solution to add value to your membership and provide protection for your members and golf club?

“Having been working with Alex for over 12 months, the take up for the Golfplan club membership policy has been fantastic.

Our members immediately recognised that what was offered was great value for money for a very comprehensive plan.

Members who have found themselves in the position of having to make a claim have reported it has been a hassle free process which is always great to hear.

I would not hesitate in recommending any manager to contact Alex and find out what Golfplan can do for them.”

Heather Mulley | Manager | Enville GC 2019 GCMA Manager of the Year • Take this policy out at your golf club today and cover your members as beneficiaries • Stand out from the industry and add these members benefits into your membership package PLEASE NOTE: Terms and conditions apply, for full details of policy cover/benefit limitations and exclusions, please refer to our policy wording and summary of cover, a copy of which is available upon request.

Call Alex and his team today to find out how: 01527 868160 | golfplan.co.uk Golfplan is a trading name of A-Plan Holdings, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

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