The Golf Club Manager: October 2017

THE GOLF CLUB

MANAGER ISSUE SEVEN | OCTOBER 2017

THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE GOLF CLUB MANAGERS’ ASSOCIATION

NEWS

MEET THE MASTER

T H E S TO RY O F I N S P I R AT I O N A L PROFESSIONAL PETER BALL

INTERVIEW

IAIN CARTER

THE BBC CORRESPONDENT O N T H E S TAT E O F G O L F

EDUCATION

INCREASING MEMBERSHIP W H AT C A N YO U R C LU B L E A R N F R O M G O L F AT GOODWOOD’S SUCCESS? INTERVIEW

ADAM MOULE R OYA L B I R K D A L E ’ S C H I E F LO O K S B AC K AT T H E O P E N

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

’

2017 CONFERENCE 12-14 November Don’t miss the social side of the conference The GCMA Conference is the main social event in the golf club management calendar, offering a chance to catch up with friends, and to grow your network.

On Sunday, we start with two great opportunities to catch up with fellow delegates and GCMA members.

First, the chance to explore Mercedes-Benz World, visit Brooklands museum, and to take part in a F1 simulator fastest lap competition, and claim bragging rights for the rest of the conference!

Later, after a buffet dinner join BBC golf correspondent Iain Carter to hear some tales from the tours, alongside Le Golf National’s Paul Armitage, who’ll give an insight into the preparations for the 2018 Ryder Cup. Monday evening is the focal point of the social programme, beginning with a complimentary drinks reception for all delegates, kindly supported by Material Matters.

The rest of the evening will include various entertainment, and a buffet dinner, before the GCMA Golf Club Management Awards ceremony begins.

Once the winners have been crowned, there will be further opportunities for networking, before you are transported back to your hotel, where, we’re sure, more informal networking will continue!

BOOK NOW: GCMA.ORG.UK/ CONFERENCE

Programme GCMA 2017 CONFERENCE Mercedes-Benz World, Weybridge Linda Moir | Customer Service Expert Former Director of In Flight Services 12-14 November 2017at Virgin Atlantic, Linda led the London 2012 Gamesmakers

Iain Carter BBC Sport

Tales from a golf correspondent

Slumbers The R&A BookMartinNow: The state of the game

Call Marie onPaul 01275 391153 Armitage Le Golf National Adapting for change & Preparing for the Ryder Cup or visit GCMA.ORG.UK/CONFERENCE Nick Pink England Golf Rob Maxfield The PGA

Industry vision: moving forward

David Rickman The R&A Developing golf

Jim Croxton BIGGA

Working closely with your greenkeepers

Andrew Cooke Golf Tourism England The potential of golf tourism

Andrew Minty Langland Bay GC

Promoting your club without devaluing your product

Paul Williams Topgolf Nick Solski Boomers & Swingers Being different

Dr Laurence Church Priory Group Identifying your stress levels

Jonathan Shorrock KBL Solicitors

Governance: Legislation & Managing risk

Alastair Higgs Rain Bird Intelligent use of water

Sue Tumelty The HR Dept Preventing people problems

James Wilkinson Albatross Digital Golf

Generating income through digital marketing

Martin Robinson Fairhaven GC

Modernising the governance of the club

Stuart Leech Formby GC

Delivering the best food and beverage experience

David Bancroft-Turner Matrix Training Leadership & Political intelligence

Educate | Inspire | Inform Mark Hunt Headland Amenity Sustainable turf management CONFERENCE SPONSOR

CONTENTS ISSUE SEVEN | OCTOBER 2017

GCMA

CAREERS

06

The latest from the chief executive

38

12

Opinion: Why I changed my membership

The latest jobs for GCMA members

INDUSTRY

EDUCATION

16

What is this GCMA club famous for?

40

Making the most out of your meetings

18

The latest news from the golf industry

46

How to...build a successful membership

INTERVIEWS

REGIONAL

26

Royal Birkdale’s Adam Moule

56

Meet the manager: Neil Coulson-Bence

34

BBC Sport’s Iain Carter on the state of golf

60

The latest from the GCMA regions

26

34

56

The GCMA offers a recruitment service for golf clubs to advertise management vacancies, as part of the association’s commitment to providing career opportunities for its members. The GCMA journal and website are trusted channels for golf club management vacancies.

ADVERTISING PACKAGES: Magazine adverts include website listing for duration of vacancy ¼ page advert |£850 (+VAT) ½ page advert | £1450 (+VAT) Full page advert | £2450 (+VAT) Website only for duration of vacancy |£750 (+VAT) Non-manager roles: ¼ page advert | £250 (+VAT) e.g. Assistant / Food & Beverage Manager / Clubhouse Manager Includes website advertising for duration of vacancy

Recruitment

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If you wish to advertise a vacancy, please contact Tash Johnson: 01275 391153 | tash@gcma.org.uk

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SOCIAL MEDIA

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GCMA.ORG.UK/RECRUITMENT

THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE GOLF CLUB MANAGERS’ ASSOCIATION GCMA Bristol & Clifton Golf Club, Beggar Bush Lane, Failand, Bristol, BS8 3TH Tel: 01275 391153 | hq@gcma.org.uk CHIEF EXECUTIVE Bob Williams - bob@gcma.org.uk COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER Mike Hyde - mike@gcma.org.uk GOLF MANAGEMENT RESEARCHER Jim Cunning - jim@gcma.org.uk EDUCATION COORDINATOR Niki Hunter - niki@gcma.org.uk MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY Ann Jones - ann@gcma.org.uk EDUCATION AND MAGAZINE ADMINISTRATOR Debbie Mereweather - debbie@gcma.org.uk FINANCE ADMINISTRATOR Shirley Edmondson - shirley@gcma.org.uk BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Tash Johnson - tash@gcma.org.uk COMMUNICATIONS EXECUTIVE Marie Taylor - marie@gcma.org.uk PRESIDENT JR (John) Jones 2017/18 CAPTAIN Howard Williams BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mike Hoare, Gary Steele, Phil Grice, Eddie Bullock THE GOLF CLUB MANAGER IS PUBLISHED BY: SPORTS PUBLICATIONS LTD 2 Arena Park, Tarn Lane, Scarcroft, West Yorkshire, LS17 9BF, UK Tel: 0113 289 3979 | info@sportspub.co.uk PUBLISHER Tom Irwin - t.irwin@sportspub.co.uk EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Dan Murphy - d.murphy@sportspub.co.uk OPS DIRECTOR Will Shucksmith - w.shucksmith@sportspub.co.uk EDITOR Steve Carroll - s.carroll@sportspub.co.uk CHIEF DESIGNER Andrew Kenworthy - a.kenworthy@sportspub.co.uk DESIGNERS Vicky Jones - v.jones@sportspub.co.uk Emmi Parry - e.parry@sportspub.co.uk Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, but the publishers cannot accept responsibility for omissions and errors. All material in this publication is strictly copyright and all rights are reserved.The views expressed in The Golf Club Manager do not necessarily represent the views of the company or the editor. Every care is taken in compiling the contents but the publishers assume no responsibility for any damage, loss or injury arising from participation in any offer, competition or advertising contained within The Golf Club Manager.

THE GOLF CLUB

MANAGER ISSUE SEVEN | OCTOBER 2017

THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE GOLF CLUB MANAGERS’ ASSOCIATION

NEWS

MEET THE MASTER

T H E S TO RY O F I N S P I R AT I O N A L PROFESSIONAL PETER BALL

INTERVIEW

IAIN CARTER

THE BBC CORRESPONDENT O N T H E S TAT E O F G O L F

EDUCATION

INCREASING MEMBERSHIP W H AT C A N YO U R C LU B L E A R N F R O M G O L F AT GOODWOOD’S SUCCESS? INTERVIEW

ADAM MOULE R OYA L B I R K D A L E ’ S C H I E F LO O K S B AC K AT T H E O P E N

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

001 GCMA October 17 Cover.indd 3

ON THE COVER: Royal Birkdale’s Adam Moule

03/10/2017 10:44

WELCOME

ISSUE SEVEN | OCTOBER 2017

A

t the moment of writing, the South West region was hosting the first regional meeting for managers’ assistants.

This inaugural event was held at the association’s headquarters at Bristol & Clifton with 15 participants who perform a role in support of the golf club manager.

This is a new initiative we introduced following my discussions earlier this year with the Swedish Golf Club Managers (GAF), whom I learned regularly host meetings for assistants. In their experience, they encourage them to build their own network or community. With some unaware of the services provided by the GCMA, the meeting offered a great opportunity to educate them in the association’s work.

This opportunity was expanded with presentations on social media and the need to understand the role of the ‘competent’ person within the health and safety of the golf club. It was a resounding success and will be trialled in the London and Home Counties region in December.

Talking of meetings, national captain Howard Williams and I are about to start our annual visits to the regional meetings. Having already visited the Northern meeting at Northumberland GC, I look forward to meeting with as many of you as possible over the next couple of months.

As we go around the country we will be talking about the national conference, which is just

weeks away. With the support of exhibitors and the impressive venue, Mercedes-Benz World, we are set for one of the best GCMA conferences ever. The array of presenters that have been selected will inform and educate as well as inspire you to return to your golf clubs with a greater knowledge - that will only be enhanced by conversing with like-minded people from all parts of the UK. I recently spoke to a couple of members who suggested they couldn’t attend due to cost. My view is this is an investment in both you and your employer. Can you afford not to be there?

Bob Williams – chief executive

“The array of presenters that have been selected will inform and educate as well as inspire you to return to your golf clubs with a greater knowledge”

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What you

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

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

GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

The month in

PICTURES

1

Royal Cromer’s Jon Moore tees off in the first group at the Fairway Credit Finals Day. If it looked like a good swing, then it was the first of many for Moore round the splendid Blue course at

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The Berkshire.

He would compile an impressive 39 stableford points to triumph in the individual competition. The day was the end of a season-long tournament run with qualifiers held at GCMA regional meetings.

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2

Mike Hyde and Steve Kimbell made up the victorious Midland region team that triumphed at the annual Fairway Credit Finals Day. The pair had to endure a nervy

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wait to be confirmed, eventually getting the nod on countback from Wessex after both regions finished tied with 71pts.

It was the first time the finals had been played at the glorious surroundings of The Berkshire.

3

The first ever South West region assistants’ meeting took place at GCMA headquarters at Bristol & Clifton GC on September 20.

A total of 16 attendees enjoyed open forum discussions, a tour of the GCMA offices and a number of presentations. For more, see From The Regions (p60-61).

GCMA.ORG.UK | 11

GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

The club member’s view

THE YOUNG ONES If you’re actively seeking younger members, doesn’t it make sense to consider their life choices and adjust your packages accordingly?

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s I waited to see the manager of my club, in my mind I ran through what seemed a reasonable request. I had happily been a member of the club for two years, and I loved it. The course was superbly designed and wonderfully maintained. I had made some great friends. But as I was expecting my first child, I couldn’t justify the cost of a full membership.

I joined the club when I was 28, taking advantage of a discounted joining fee, and a substantially reduced yearly sub. Both typical gestures from clubs that indicate they are looking to expand their younger membership. I was impressed by their apparently progressive outlook.

Surely if they were actively pursuing my demographic, they had thought through the lifestyle choices I’d be likely to be making?

I was told that, while I wasn’t the first to have asked, the manager’s hands were tied by the club constitution, which didn’t allow for a flexible membership category.

I could put my membership on hold and, if I returned within three years, I wouldn’t have to pay another joining fee. Not much of

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a choice. That was two years ago, and I’m now happily a member at another club, with a flexible membership scheme that caters for my needs. I pay under £150 a year, which gives me between five and 15 rounds, depending on when I play.

There’s a crèche onsite, a playgroup and a hairdressers and there’s no dress code for the bar and restaurant. Not only are my children welcome, they are actively encouraged to visit.

When the time comes for me to return to full membership, where am I more likely to stay - my prekids club, which I can’t visit for a drink after taking the kids to the swimming pool next door without remembering to pack some chinos? Or the course where the owner knows my children’s names, and my cost per round averages

“The first warning sign was when I was asked to supply a postal address to which the club would send the membership pack”

Mke Hyde is the GCMA’s communications manager

about £25? No contest.

My favourite example is a well thought of club, to which I submitted an enquiry for membership after being surprised to find out they were actively seeking under 35s.

I especially liked the sound of the discounted rates, given the fees were notoriously steep. Having applied on the website, the first warning sign was when I was asked to supply a postal address to which the club would send the membership pack - hardly a sign of progressive attitudes. While discounted by 25%, the joining fee was still more than I spent on my last car. The annual sub would have required a new credit card.

Clubs are entitled to their own business models, but it suggests they aren’t as keen on diversifying their membership as it seems.

As a keen golfer with two young children, a busy job, and no time to commit to a ‘proper’ membership, I’m hardly unique.

I’m buoyed by the number of clubs who seem to be actively recruiting people like me. But unless others have thought through their offering, they are simply paying lip service to the idea of looking to recruit younger members.

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GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

Captain’s corner

HOWARD WILLIAMS

I

attended the #MoreThanGolf conference, run by England Golf at Villa Park in June the aim of which was to encourage innovation in golf, which is essential to protect the future of the game.

While a number of new formats were highlighted, including Golf Sixes, Golf in the Community, British Speedgolf and Topgolf, the presentation by Dr Steve Mann, from UK Active, really caught my attention. He champions the fun and enjoyment that being active can bring and the related health benefits with which golf can be positively linked - providing some detailed research information.

UK Active is a not-for-profit body comprising of members and partners across the UK lifestyle sector, with the emphasis on getting more people more active more often and therefore improving the health of the nation. (check out ukactive.com ) On average, a golfer walking a typical 18 hole course will cover approximately 4.5 to five miles. This is assuming they keep to the ‘cut and prepared!’

This is one of the tangible health benefits both for golfers and, potentially, the wider community.

Dr Mann shared some amazing statistics showing the reduction of risks in chronic conditions.

Six specific conditions were highlighted: hip fractures, diabetes, CVD stroke, colon cancer, depression or dementia and breast cancer. The minimum reduction

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The health benefits from golf are clear so why not use them as a tool to recruit new members?

Howard Williams

rate was around 20% but, in some conditions, the rate peaked at over 40%. Dr Mann then asked the following questions: Could there be a role for golf in the promotion of better health?

How could the golf community link with the medical community?

Is there an appetite for the golfing community to actively promote health benefits?

Are changes needed in attitude and culture?

Elements of the research have led to England Golf running pilot projects with the Stroke Association in various areas of the country. They have recently completed a successful programme, in Cheshire at Malkins Bank GC, resulting in health and social benefits. There are further

pilot projects with the Macmillan organisation and a GP referral scheme in operation and this is an obvious area for future expansion.

It’s certainly food for thought.

The more active we can become as individuals, and therefore as a nation, the less we will need to rely on the National Health Service. The cost-savings could be immense.

There are clear health benefits for golfers. Why not get your local doctor to refer their patients to your golf club instead of the gym? Prevention is better than cure so why not push the health benefits of the game in your next recruitment drive?

The next time you miss a left to right uphill putt and you feel the world is against you, remember, it’s for the good of your health.

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GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

This GCMA club is famous for…

ROYALWEST NORFOLK Be careful not to get stranded when you play this delightful links run by Ian Symington

T

here can’t be too many courses where you study a chart before you play a round.

But a failure not to put in the necessary groundwork before visiting Royal West Norfolk could end up leaving you in deep water.

For the King’s Lynn-based course, known to most as Brancaster, has a really interesting quirk – it is at the mercy of the tides.

The club celebrates 125 years this year and the classic links was the work of Holcombe Ingelby. Many of his original holes are still in play.

It’s a beautiful setting, with the North Sea in full view on one side and the saltmarsh on the other.

It is also played on a narrow strip of links-land and, when the tide is high, the course turns into an island.

This has some very interesting effects. You walk across the beach to get from the clubhouse to the course so, when the water comes calling, the former cannot be reached by car.

Both the 8th and the 9th holes, a 494-yard par 5 and a 405-yard par 4, are also affected by the tides and, while it will almost certainly be a great feeling to play the

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course in those conditions, you get the feeling a single sleeve of balls might not be quite enough.

The great golf writer, Bernard Darwin, described Brancaster as being “wonderfully peaceful” and with a “distinct charm and character of its own”.

Today that calm remains and it starts from the moment you make a call to arrange a trip to the course.

The club has strict limits on visitor numbers – although they are very welcome.

This is said to moderate levels to “ensure the playing experience is enjoyable for members and visitors alike”.

Unusually, only twoballs are allowed out on the course and those who get a tee time are encouraged to follow the members’ standard of playing foursomes.

Slow play may be a problem across the game generally, but not at Royal West Norfolk. Most rounds take three hours.

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

Email s.carroll@sportspubs.co.uk

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GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

In the

LOOP Golf’s troubles aren’t over for everyone There was good news for English golf when KPMG’s ‘Golf Participation Report for Europe 2017’ dropped into inboxes. The study, from information collected from golf associations earlier in the year, revealed a more than four per cent rise in the number of registered golfers in England between 2015 and 2016.

The total went up from 665,103 to 694.623 and that mirrored a trend across Europe, with a two per cent rise across the continent overall.

But there was more sober news for Scotland and Wales, both of whom saw a three per cent drop.

There was a near one per cent fall in Ireland.

Before anyone starts getting too self congratulatory, the survey also revealed that only 13 per cent of golfers in England were women in 2016 (12 per cent in Scotland and Wales) – a figure that’s still among the worst on the continent.

Are six hole courses the future?

Frilford Heath raised interest when they launched their new yellow six-hole course.

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

to our selection of three 18 hole courses means we are making golf accessible.

“Beginners and younger players who might otherwise be too afraid to play a longer course because of their level of skill can now be assured that they can play a game of six holes in an hour.”

It’s been designed specifically to make golf more accessible to young people and beginners and was opened by member, and European Tour professional, Eddie Pepperall with 100-year-old Hugh Chamberlain.

With a round taking no more than 60 minutes, no hole longer than 86 yards, and synthetic tees and greens, it will also give older members who find it difficult to play 18 the chance to stay in the game and assist time strapped golfers out for a quick knock.

Alistair Booth, Frilford Heath’s executive chairman, said: “Introducing a new six-hole course

Rules changes reach next stage Did you get involved in the consultation exercise for The R&A and USGA’s proposed rules changes in 2019?

Plenty did, the two governing bodies revealing more than 22,000 golfers – from 102 countries – had their say as part of the six-month feedback period.

Both bodies will now be reviewing all the comments received, with the aim of finalising the new rules next spring and starting a ‘comprehensive education programme’ later in the year.

A draft of the new Rules – reduced from the current 34 to a proposed 24 – was released in March, which started the consultation period that was open to the whole golf community.

@GCMAUK Shocking how [using social media] is even open to question a decade plus after FB and Twitter came out.

Or that clubs need a primer on getting started. @UWedge

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Kettle on. TV off. Time to read the latest edition of @gcmauk journal! @golfmanagergm

Great day with @ThePGA @GCMAUK @BIGGALtd - induction day for the diploma in golf club management - 3 years of hard work starts now! @haggis403

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We want to hear from you!

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

Meet the greenkeeping stars of tomorrow Nick Machin and Angus Roberts were named winners of the 2017 Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year awards.

They emerged following two days of stiff competition at BIGGA HQ, at Aldwark Manor, in York.

Royal Cinque Port’s Machin was proclaimed Student Greenkeeper, while Roberts, of Roxeburgh, was awarded the title of Young Student Greenkeeper. The runners-up were Stoneham’s Levi Pethick and Bramshaw’s Craig Woodman.

Jim Croxton, BIGGA CEO, said:

“It is clear from the impressive roster of previous winners of the Toro Student Greenkeeper awards when I say that success in this competition can propel you to the very top of the profession.

“The award in itself isn’t what achieves this, rather to be crowned winner you have to show incredible dedication to your own education and development, and these are the attributes that open doors to the fantastic opportunities this unique career offers.”

The awards are a nationwide contest hosted by BIGGA, Toro and Reesink Turfcare.

Welcome to our newest GCMA members Henri Henriques, owner/director of Pinner Hill in Chiltern & Home Counties Clair Lawton, assistant at Pinner Hill in Chiltern & Home Counties Paul Harrison, manager at Stockley Park, in Chiltern & Home Counties Bradley Gould, manager at The Grove, in Chiltern & Home Counties John Thornton, honorary secretary at South Shields, in Northern Tracey McDowell, manager at Kirkistown Castle, in Northern Ireland Stephen Scott-Bowen, manager at The Bristol, in South West Nigel Cooper, manager at Easingwold, in Yorkshire John Barnes, associate member at Sunningdale Heath; Jack Bridges, associate member at Rosewood Tuckers Point; Miles Carrington-Smith, associate member at Foxhills; Gavin Chappell, associate member at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club; Joanne Edgley, associate member at Burghill Valley; Matthew Short, associate member at Sand Martins and Matthew Tucknott, associate member at Radnor Golf and Leisure.

Members who have moved

Unreal stats from @GCMAUK @HowDidiDo that’s a lot of birdies #lovegolf @CSiDarrenWood

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@GCMAUK as you’d expect some simple but hugely valid points in this excellent [Linda Moir] article.

Top work! @StuartGillett

Sarah Walton is the new head professional at Belton Park, in East Midlands. Simon Bawden is the new general manager at Thurlestone, in South West.

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GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

Meet the

MASTER Peter Ball’s work in inner cities has seen him given the PGA’s highest honour.

The newly minted Master Professional reveals to Steve Carroll how he makes a difference…

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t Moor View Golf Centre – the Bradway driving range a short journey from Sheffield city centre – they’ve given Peter Ball a new nickname.

“They’ve started calling me Yoda,” laughs the veteran pro, who has been inspiring youngsters to reach their golfing potential for decades.

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“’Yoda will know what to do’.

The lads have been ribbing me a little bit but they are proud I have received Master Professional status.

They think it’s about time people working at the other end of the spectrum get recognised.”

You won’t find Ball at a plush private members’ club or out on tour coaching the world’s best.

But he has proved it is at the

sharp end that you can really make a difference.

What Ball does – not that he would ever admit it - is change people’s lives.

“I’ve just finished the Special Olympics,” he reveals,“and the first two medals went to a lad called Jack.

“He is autistic and I’ve been teaching him for about two years.

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He didn’t take them off all night.

“His language is very limited. You don’t know what he is feeling. But his face lit up like a beacon (when he received the medals) and it was incredible to look at.”

James is also on the autistic spectrum and picked up a silver medal at those same games.

It took him 13 years to play his first hole of golf.

“To get him to play a hole took a lot of encouragement,” Ball explains.

“But he now goes to play on different courses and he will socialise in the clubhouse. That makes me smile.

“He went on holiday, took his clubs and played in Wales. To go to a location and do something that enables the family to have a holiday is incredible.

“It’s an incredible change in the way his life is. His family life has changed.

“They can do things they couldn’t before. They can go to places they couldn’t before.

“That’s making a real difference.”

That ‘difference’ came about as a result of the Sheffield Inclusive Golf project, which provides accessible and inclusive sessions for young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

From there, the Special Olympics Golf Club was formed - to give these youngsters the chance to take part in the Special Olympics National Games that were held in the steel city.

It was work which landed Ball the Golf Foundation’s prestigious Burroughs Award and has also seen him join an elite band, one that includes the likes of Bob Torrance and Pete Cowen, as a Master Professional.

Ball has had a hand in the career of many professionals over the years but the one he’s always asked about is Danny Willett,

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“Danny (Willett) would always make it.

Jack could not have achieved without a huge amount of support” – Peter Ball whom he coached as a teenager when he worked at Birley Wood in the city.

He remembers:“It’s common knowledge that Danny would come from the moment he finished school until it was pitch black.

“My last class in the winter used to finish at 3.15pm and I would have an after school class.

“He would be here by then and, when I was clearing up and trying to put things away, he would still be here and I’d be teaching him.

“At 6.30pm, my wife used to phone and ask what had happened to me.

“In those days it was common to be in from 4.30 in the morning to 10.30 at night.”

Ball, though, refuses to take any credit - either for the long hours he spent with Willett, or the success the latter went on to have, culminating in his 2016 Masters victory.

“If you have a young person that wants that help, you have to be there to create that opportunity.

You can’t go home.

“That could be the difference between them carrying on or not carrying on. You have to go the extra mile. “(But) I get more satisfaction from seeing what Jack has achieved than what Danny has achieved.

“Danny would always make it. Jack could not have achieved without a

huge amount of support.”

When you talk to Ball, you immediately feel his energy, passion for the game and enthusiasm. It’s hard not to get swept along.

“I just enjoy what I do. I have been blessed to do what I do.

Somehow, people seem to be inspired by some of the things I have said about and to them.

“I just talk to young people and see what they want and see how I can help them and talk about their lives.

“A few months ago, I was driving along the road and I saw a few young people having a bit of a chat with a police officer.

“I stopped the car and walked across. No one knows me – I’m just the golf coach down the road.

“I asked the lads if they were having some problems finding things to do.

“They said ‘we’re in the wrong place’. I asked them ‘why not come and hit a few golf balls?’

“The police officer looked at me and I told him I’m a golf pro – that’s my game.

“I said if they were here at so and so at night, they would get some free golf lessons.

“They turned up. Sometimes you have just got to be in the right place at the right time.”

What is a PGA Master Professional?

A PGA Master Professional has the highest status of membership.

It is only awarded to qualified members held in“high national or international esteem, who has made a significant contribution to the development of golf as a player, coach, administrator or course designer.”

There are only 44 Master Professionals and among their number are David Leadbetter, Denis Pugh and Phil Kenyon.

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GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

A Matter of Opinion

FOREIGN AFFAIRS

T

he GCMA play matches against golf club managers from a number of countries.

Earlier in the year, a team travelled to Ekerum Golf Resort to take on a side from the GAF, the association’s Swedish counterparts. During the event, two members from each association sat down to debate issues faced by clubs in both countries. After discussing the recession, our foursome turned their attention to the game’s governing bodies…

“We are being given all this advice all the time - about what you need to do with your dress codes and all that - and that is irrelevant.”

– Jon Hall Do the respective governing bodies need to do more?

Jon Hall: My personal view is the golf governing bodies ought to put all their resources in to lobbying the government. I am sure they do already – to a degree.

There are 23 sports listed on the school curriculum and golf is not one of them. Think about the benefits golf brings. If you have an area and loads of your people play golf, and therefore are healthier and living longer, that means your hospital is more efficient. Your doctors’ surgeries are less busy, people are happier.

We need to do more to try and

The fabulous surroundings of the Ekerum Golf Resort, in Oland

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Do golf’s governing bodies need to do more to help rank and file clubs?

In the second of a two-part Matter of Opinion, four managers – two from England and two from Sweden – get things off their chests…

expose people to golf. We need to find a way of going everywhere and letting people have a go at golf. We need to break through this idea that golf is an elitist, stuffy, misogynistic thing. There is still a lot of that around. We are not going to get rid of it for some time yet.

We are being given all this advice all the time – about what you need to do with your dress codes and all that – and that is irrelevant. All golf clubs should do exactly what they want to do. But at the end of the day, most of them have changed and most of them are actually very

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welcoming and are very friendly.

But I would like to see all of golf’s governing bodies work in harmony and lobby to get golf on the school curriculum. I would just like to see the government take more of an interest in golf.

Mats Candinger: Is golf tax deductible for a company – for their employees?

JH: No, it isn’t.

MC: Because it’s not in Sweden and almost every other sport is. Golf, sailing and horse riding aren’t.

JH: We don’t pay VAT on golf club membership as a private club.

MC: We do.

JH: If you pay golf club membership to a proprietary club, that has VAT. MC: But as an employer in Sweden, you are allowed to pay for your employees for healthcare and that’s deductible for the company.

You can’t pay for golf and you have all the positive factors – they are well known – but it is purely for political reasons.

Karen Drake: That’s the government’s fault because they could so easily do it – like, for example, they did with the huge

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GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

cycle to work schemes where employees could purchase a bike through the payroll system and it was tax deductible. The employer benefited as well as the employee.

If they could incorporate something like that for golf, because we know the longevity of it, that would be a way of encouraging more and more people to take it up. They could pay their membership fees through their salary scheme and it’s tax deductible.

MC: And make it more acceptable and not seen as an elitist sport.

JH: That’s an interesting idea. You’ve just mentioned in Sweden there are many sports where that can be done.

MC: Now I think, we’ve come so far, you can go to a driving range – as an employee – and hit golf balls and that’s tax deductible for the employer. You can play on a pay and play golf course but the membership, and the ordinary golf as we see it, not yet.

KD: But at least that’s a start and you have to take baby steps in all of these things. It will evolve, slowly.

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“Governing bodies need to be far more creative in lobbying the government to making golf an attractive sport” – Karen Drake But the governing bodies need to be far more creative in lobbying the government to making golf an attractive sport to every person.

It shouldn’t come from the clubs, which is what you are saying in making them more friendly and welcoming. That will naturally evolve if more and more people come through the doors and are exposed to playing golf.

MC: The problem isn’t in the golf club. They are friendly and open to new golfers and visitors. It is the general opinion of golf we need to change and that’s a good way of doing it.

We’re going to have a massive

change with the introduction of the worldwide handicapping system. Is that in any way going to help?

KD: It just considers itself with the elite golfers and, again, they are still not doing something at the grassroots level. It’s irrelevant to your average amateur golfer whether they are part of the worldwide handicapping system or not.

MC: The problem is how it’s used – any system. In Sweden, we have players who register all their rounds and we have golfers who register one or two a year at the most. They don’t have a handicap reflecting their playing ability. With any handicap system, everyone needs to use it in the same way. I definitely don’t think we can get that.

JH: With anything like that, less is more. You make it as simple, as little demanding on people, as possible and little demanding on the clubs, in terms of administration. I agree with the sentiment around this table. I think they are just moving the deckchairs on the Titanic.

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MC: The handicap system today, as we have it in Sweden, would actually require everyone to register every round.

Jasmine Rawsthorne: And that’s never going to happen.

You are all members of your respective associations. Why do you think people don’t join?

JR: A lot of people don’t know what – in our case – GAF stands for and how much you can benefit from your colleagues. GAF needs to advertise more about what it is and what it stands for and what you can get out of being a member. I think that has been better in the last couple of years but, 10 years ago, no one knew.

MC: I can’t really understand the reason to not be a member in a network like that because you can get so much help from colleagues and your organisation.

KD: I have a theory – and this probably quite negative – but you have very good golf club managers, mediocre managers and poor managers. The reason they are poor managers is that they don’t want to raise the bar at their clubs. They are not conscientious enough to belong to the association and enable them to have better tools to do the job better. That’s changing – it’s definitely changed in the 20 years I have been in golf club management. It’s much more professionally run and I think the associations will benefit if they keep at it and keep trying to

MEET THE PANEL Mats Candinger Club manager at Saltsjobadens Golfklubb, Stockholm

“I can’ t really understand the reason not to be a member in a network like that” – Mats Candinger encourage more and more people to join so that we all become very good golf club members. I’m not saying that just because you are part of the association you are a good golf club manager but you are better equipped to manage the golf club.

MC: What GAF would benefit from is to offer ranges of education and networking for the different roles at a golf club in a better way than we do now.

I would love to see deeper cooperation between the PGA and GAF – or GAF themselves to have different branches in networking and education. I am not saying you should only go in that branch but to attract even more members from all the different jobs at a golf club.

JH: My perception of why some people don’t join the GCMA is that there are a growing number of new people coming into golf club management.

A number of them are exprofessionals, because the PGA are actively pushing director of golf roles and encouraging

Jasmine Rawsthorne Club manager at Varbergs Golfklubb, in Varberg

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Jon Hall Secretary at Headingley, in Leeds

professionals to become them, and I am seeing a number of people who have come into our area who have maybe worked at a proprietary golf operation. My honest belief is that they don’t think they need it.

They have all the answers, they think they know everything already, they know more than we do. A lot of them are very, very good and they probably have better training.

When you work at somewhere like Marriott for a few years, you are first aid trained. You are licence trained.

We were all HR trained when I worked for First Leisure.

We did all the training you ought to have as a golf club manager – all basic employment law training.

These people are coming in, and they are looking at the GCMA and probably, wrongly now, looking at the groups of older members that meet for a game of golf every three months and saying ‘that’s no use for me. I’m busy. I’ve got to run a business. I don’t need that’.

It’s a mistake for them to think that and they should come along at least and try it because if they came to one of our local managers’ meetings – we just get together and have short meetings, lots of questions and everyone helping each other out.‘Who do you use for this?’ If we try something and it works well for us, I tell everybody.

To me, there’s a level of ignorance and possibly a bit of arrogance with a lot of people who are coming into the job. I think they are missing a trick and it’s a shame.

Karen Drake Managing secretary at Burnham & Berrow

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The interview

ADAM MOULE To say it was a baptism of fire would be an understatement. In tragic circumstances, following the death of GCMA stalwart Mike Gilyeat, Adam Moule found himself in the hotseat at Royal Birkdale with the Open Championship just months away. The managing secretary tells Mike Hyde about the ups and downs of hosting the world’s oldest major

W

hat was the biggest challenge of hosting the Open?

There’s various questions and expectations that are placed on you that, because this was my first Open and only a matter of weeks into starting the role here as the managing secretary, you are trying to bring yourself up to speed very, very quickly.

Some of the challenges were trying to gain an understanding of so many different aspects of what was going to happen within the club in the next seven, eight, nine months while trying to run what is a very busy golf club.

It was getting to know the team and then these additional layers of trying to make sure that the club was well represented.

I was effectively a conduit for information from those outside agencies through to the very key individuals who were here – as volunteers – within the club that brought everything together.

For the actual week of The Open, my attention pretty much – and everyone else’s involved in

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the Open at Royal Birkdale – was centred around the clubhouse.

The R&A take ownership of the golf course and, as a result, they have control over all of those aspects.

But we contributed a significant amount, in terms of the volunteers, scorers, marshalling and so on. There’s an awful lot that goes on and it is just trying to keep all those plates spinning and making sure we are doing our utmost to make sure everyone gets what they want out of the event.

When did you actually start in your position?

I started on November 21, 2016, and, in hugely unfortunate circumstances, found myself here.

I knew that an awful lot of work had been done (by Mike Gilyeat), both from the whole signing up and the initial processes building towards the Open before he was taken ill.

It was very much a case of trying to pick up those strands and understanding where we were – alongside trying to get on top of what was about to come.

The key to that was forging

some relationships with The R&A and the other agencies’ main operational guys and their respective teams.

From that February, March period, the level of activity in and around the club really started to ramp up. April was when the first stands were being positioned and it then starts to feel and build and it is not just the activity but the excitement of what’s to come.

It was a baptism of fire and it was a fairly daunting introduction to life at what is, ultimately, a very prestigious and well-known members golf club.

You mentioned the Championship committee. No one could have pre-empted what happened last year but, presumably, there was a set up that allowed you to come in…

Very much so. I suppose on multiple levels it was a shock but the club first of all rallied round an ex-captain who had also been a secretary of a golf club.

He came in and looked after the role from April/May and then permanently really until my arrival in November. So there was

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Adam Moule looks on during Jordan Spieth’s victory speech at The Open

“It was a fairly daunting introduction to life at what is a very prestigious and well-known club”

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Stormy skies during The Open at Royal Birkdale

certainly continuity in that period.

That would have been the same with the interactions with The R&A in preparation for The Open.

They would have had a level of responsibility and I received a very strong handover, of where certain things were in the process, from a gentlemen called Roger Cox. The beauty of Royal Birkdale was, because it has hosted so many championships of various levels, there were a variety of individuals who have either done it or seen it before and they didn’t force their advice on you.

But if I needed clarification, needed advice, there were various people who were pointed out as being the person who used to do that role, or currently did that role, and they were a good person to go and speak to.

So the support from the club, throughout, and not just Open specific but just in terms of my introduction to the club, was one

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“The support from the club throughout, and not just Open specific... has been one of the real highlights” of the real highlights.

I worked for Marriott Hotels, previously, for 20 or so years and I’ve probably got a way of working in an environment I was used to being in.

So it was very different coming to a club of this type.

What made it that much easier was the welcome I have received since I have been here.

How much of your day-to-day operations were about The Open?

It varied. When I first started, meetings were perhaps monthly and I would have a meeting

and then probably half a day or so would be Open related and interpreting information you were receiving or that was being requested from you.

That built gradually, to the point where you could have quite comfortably two or three days worth of work that was just purely Open related on the run in.

Then you could still be trying to do your five or six days work outside of Open related matters.

It was a balancing act.

There was the expectation of the membership and the personal

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Who is Adam Moule?

Adam Moule undertook a qualification in golf course management before working for several years as a greenkeeper at St Pierre, in South Wales, during which the course hosted the Solheim Cup. Moving into golf retail, he became golf services manager.

He moved on to become director of golf at Sprowston Manor, before taking on the same role at Worsley Park. In the last 18 months before he took on the post of managing secretary at Royal Birkdale, Moule worked as director of golf and rooms. expectation of making sure my first six months were a success.

Getting to know members still had to continue – despite the fact we had The Open to follow.

There’s a huge amount of experience within the actual staff.

While I was very green and new coming in, I felt very comfortable because of the people who were around me. Again, as with the membership, I was accepted very quickly and very readily by them, which really helped me coming in to a fairly intense build for the next six to nine months. Being able to count on those guys and get some strong supportive relationships with them really early on was why I have been able to do what I have since I started.

That was Royal Birkdale’s tenth

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Open. Have you heard when you might get another?

I think The R&A have had a good Open Championship with us and I think that stands us in good stead. The whole Open rota has been quite fluid in the last few years for a number of reasons and I think The R&A simply wants to balance out where they take the Championship. In this area, you’ve also got Hoylake and Lytham close.

The North West does golf very well. It’s accessible. The logistics – certainly for us here, with the road infrastructure and Hillside station – lend themselves to putting on a successful championship. But The R&A are in control of that gift.

As part of the process, there is a debrief we do within the club.

Every lead of a committee that filters into the championship

committee produces a report. I’ll produce a report, which is shared internally but is then shared with The R&A and it is ultimately about finding ways of trying to put on a better Championship, if possible, or trying to avoid any challenges that we might have come up against.

What does Royal Birkdale look like during Open week?

Similar but different. The R&A actually change the configuration within the club.

We have the ladies changing room but, from their logistics, the player car park, VIP parking, player gym, crèche and so on was in that corner of Birkdale common.

From their point of view of security and logistics, the male changing rooms are at the far end of the club close to the first tee.

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It would have meant trying to get them into that area through the club or, alternatively, around the outside of the club. So through conversations and through honest dialogue, (they asked) could they make use of our ladies changing room for the players?

So they changed the look and feel within the club. We removed an awful lot of furniture. It’s a strange thing to say but we know that, because our members and their guests are going to be in there a lot more and getting a bite to eat and going out and watching the golf, it’s a bit more through fare.

In terms of numbers, on a busy day a few hundred might come through the club and it was more like a few thousand people coming through the club.

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We staff up and we try and build things both back and front of house to assist that flow.

Our snooker room is stripped out and that becomes a more casual dining area and so sandwiches, soup, a hot dish of the day and people who aren’t formally dining with us upstairs in the dining room can still come in and get something to eat. All these things need planning and a lot of it is bringing in the relevant equipment to assist – whether by hire or purchasing it in advance.

So a lot of my time was working through the logistics and how it was going to work. It certainly wasn’t just me. The team that I mentioned have come through Open Championships and they know what works and what lends itself to the club.

Then there is a chairman of house who has his views on the house structure. Ultimately, again, it is working with different teams to put on the best experience for the members and their guests when they are here.

Were all the members here during The Open?

I’m sure it wasn’t every single member but it certainly felt like every member was here and it is such a popular event. It’s a great way of socialising and for a number of our members who, perhaps live down in London and are country members, it’s an excuse to come back and meet family or be back in the area. When you were here, you were still seeing the same usual faces that you see every day. They were very proud.

Did the players engage much with the clubhouse?

Not so much. Between championships, and the last couple of championships, they

have got their own teams round them. They are obviously here to do a job. They do what they need to do. A number of them were coming in and, having used the changing rooms, were walking through the clubhouse to get to the first tee or go out to the putting green.

But I think the days of a couple of players sitting around a table while members were around them – no, not at all. There was a moment towards the end when Jordan Spieth, when he had done his media and come off 18, then walked through the club with the Claret Jug. There were some nice images that were captured with him. He came to a reception of our Championship Committee, which The R&A Championship Committee put on, and it was nice to meet and congratulate the winner.

How do you manage Open preparation,high levels of member play and the business you get from being a top end club?

Some of it is within our club’s policy of when what we call temporary members – visitors – can access the links. There are certain occasions when it is just reserved for members’ play. Towards the end you were getting an increased level of practice round requests, and things like that, media requests and, particularly, people from the US who were in the area and doing some advanced footage for their coverage.

There’s a lot of weekly and daily, and almost hourly, requests and trying to blend the right profile of people in and around the course is quite a tricky task. Having not had knowledge of previous Opens and the levels of demand that you get from, specifically, the media, the club appointed a media convenor who, in the last three or

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Royal Birkdale The jewel of England’s Golf coast, Royal Birkdale, found on the golden links at Southport, is considered one of the finest golf clubs in the world.

No course has held more championship and international events since the Second World War. Opens, Ryder Cups, Walker and Curtis Cups are among the prestigious events that have been staged on this corner of the Lancashire coast.

Royal Birkdale have hosted 10 Opens, the last of which, in July, saw Jordan Spieth lift the Claret Jug and Branden Grace break the scoring record for a men’s major with a 62 in the third round. four months, was an invaluable resource. They would say ‘send everything through to me’. The ones that turn up on the doorstep, that’s a bit difficult and you have to take those on their individual merits but, in general, it was having responsible people who know the club and were able to assist in making sure we were getting the right balance.

What does your role look like during the Open week?

Nothing that tied me down to a specific workstation or work area.

I was normally in at around 5am and leaving at about 10pm or 10.30pm as the club was being put to bed.

It was a constant cycle of walking round, saying hello to various people and our captain hosted various dignitaries.

Initially, it would have been meeting and greeting but it was also troubleshooting any little maintenance issues. It was being able to respond to those type of things – a toilet doesn’t flush, get a plumber in there, and things

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like that. Some of the biggest challenges are that the Open venues are very secure so it was making sure that everyone who needed to get into the club could and those who had no right to be in there couldn’t.

An awful lot of time was spent around that reception area of the club. Fortunately, the office I work from is just to the side of it. So you are able to keep in contact. It’s just being available to both the team and to members.

Could you enjoy it?

It was a fantastic experience. Prior to this, the most rewarding was the Solheim Cup. I was a greenkeeper at the time and (it was) very intense and there were long hours and a lot of concentration involved.

This was way beyond that because of the level I am at and the increased responsibility of making sure that everything was functioning as it should be, making sure that everything was in order.

But you thrive on it. Did I get a chance to appreciate play?

Certainly not.

But it was those half dozen special moments. From my position, nothing could be more rewarding than being stood on the 18th green as the Champion Golfer of the Year was announced.

Having that to reflect on as you go through your career is pretty special. There aren’t many people who get that as an opportunity.

To do that and also to do that so soon into my career with a pure private members’ club, and somewhere like Royal Birkdale, is an absolute honour.

What next?

Trying to understand Royal Birkdale as a golf club. It has been a whirlwind since I started here and it certainly hasn’t been a normal year – even by the club’s standards.

I have enjoyed the Open process but I’ve equally enjoyed the members’ events I have been involved in – those key calendar dates.

It’s a club that doesn’t rest and I am involved with a couple of really interesting projects which, are testing me and challenging me.

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A conversation with...

IAIN CARTER

G

ive us a hint of what you’ll be talking about at conference…

In the 15 or so years I have been covering golf full time for the BBC, a fair amount has happened and there are tales from the tour to be told.

Some of them will be humorous and definitely trying to give a flavour of what it’s like to be on the road in the golfing environment,

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but also as a broadcaster and the various trials and tribulations that have come along that are interesting and at times quite humorous.

I think, there is such a strong relationship between the playing side of golf and the professional side of it. I think it is trying to draw those two elements together.

My feeling is golfers watch the professional game.

That’s the way that television

coverage often addresses the sport. For me, on the radio, I am always talking to a wider audience.

I am trying, not to sell the sport, but make the sport relevant to a wider sporting audience than just the die-hard golf fans.

I just think it’s very interesting to see where the relationship between the clubs and the professional game sits at the moment. As someone who has played the game all my life, been

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Ahead of opening the first night of the 2017 GCMA national conference next month, the BBC’s golf correspondent, Iain Carter, discusses work, clubs and the state of the game with Steve Carroll

Also, I would like it to be an opportunity for people to ask me - having been really involved in covering the professional game and also as someone who has seen that side but has also been a golf club member for more than 40 years - what my thoughts are about the direction the game is going in.

I am a member at Cuddington, which (GCMA chief executive) Bob Williams tells me is a very historic place in the history of the organisation. I see that’s where the association was actually founded.

By coincidence I am a member there. I have only been there for

“I’m very passionate about the notion golf should be a family sport...golf has been very poor at fostering that view” a golf club member for more than 40 years, I wonder whether that relationship could be much stronger. We all delight in having associations from our clubs with players who are on the tours.

But how many pro shops do we go into where there’s a special offer to go to the BMW PGA Championship, or a EuroPro Tour event, or whatever it might be?

That fascinates me so I will be interested to talk about that.

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a couple of years. Previously I was at Hampton Court, which was known as Home Park, and I started playing in my home county of Leicestershire at Cosby. I was a member for 20 years from being a junior.

Do you get much chance to play during the season?

It’s difficult and it goes in fits and starts but, when I’m at home, I play as often as I can. In the last

couple of years, I have had the opportunity to play a lot more than maybe in the decade before.

I am very passionate about the notion that golf should be a family sport. I think that golf has been very poor in fostering that view of the sport. In Britain, we lag way behind the continent in treating the sport that way.

The way I look at it is I can have a game with my dad who is in his 80s, my wife and my teenage son. We can have a proper game together. It’s the only sport where that is possible. We couldn’t go for a proper bike ride together. We couldn’t play tennis, football or cricket. I think that is a calling card that golf hasn’t used as much as it should.

You rarely see entire families playing the game together...

Exactly and it’s set up that you have men’s competitions, and women’s competitions and junior competitions, which is fine. But where are the other opportunities that are presented so you are more inclined to go and play as a family rather than in your regular swindle? I think that the entire environment of the traditional golf club doesn’t really set itself for that and I think it is an opportunity missed. That’s not to say that the current set up is all bad. I think it is a lot better than the popular perception of golf.

I think golf clubs do a heck of a lot of good in terms of fostering camaraderie, exercise for age

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groups, where otherwise you are in danger of becoming a couch potato. I think there’s a heck of a lot that is very good about golf and golf club membership. But I think that there are key drop off moments in terms of golf club membership.

One is when you go away to university or college and become a student so you leave where you have been a junior member, a second area is when you start a family – because you haven’t got time to play and you’ve got extra demands on your disposable income and so golf has to go.

What is happening is that those people who have played golf are then returning to the sporting environment and buying a bike instead of golf clubs because it’s cheaper and there’s less time involved and they still fulfil all their family obligations.

I think you’ve got to foster an environment where someone is not going to give up their golf club membership when they become a parent and they are actually going

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to be able to see it as a vehicle to spend time with their family going forward. If we could come up with a way of making that a priority then you have got more chance – much more chance - of keeping members up and attracting people to the game.

pressures. I have learned to deal with those. When I am not away, I am basically working from home and can manage family time reasonably well. It’s great that my wife plays golf. My son plays golf.

We are invested in the sport and are making it work for us.

You must be away a lot during the season?

Yes, I am. It’s a constant battle to manage that. I realise I am very fortunate to do the job that I do and work in a sport that I love and be able to witness fantastic moments – whether they are in Ryder Cups, Opens or majors. I feel very honoured and very privileged.

I genuinely had that pinch me moment walking down the 18th with Jordan Spieth and Matt Kuchar at Birkdale and looking around me and saying ‘my goodness’. It was my 16th year of doing it and I still genuinely have that feeling ‘how on earth has this ever happened?’ It does mean a lot of time away from family and that brings its own stresses and

You’re a high profile correspondent in an age of social media. How do you deal with very public criticism?

I don’t subscribe to the view that you should use social media to slag people off. By and large, I won’t tweet criticism randomly. In my experience, if you approach it that way you are less likely to get abuse.

I get more criticism in terms of comments on my blog on the BBC website. At first, it jolts you a bit and then you see the figures of how many people click on the piece that I have written each day they are up. You compare that with the number of people who comment criticism and it is minuscule. If I put a view out there,

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I can’t expect people to all agree with me. Some people will express that in more hysterical ways than others. As for people criticising me on social media, I politely go back and argue my case.

What are your biggest achievements as a club member?

I would say reaching the final of the fourball handicap knockout, playing with my dad as a junior, back in the early 1980s. It was a fantastic summer. My dad was a very average golfer and I was an average junior.

We got all the way to the final and it was a fantastic father and son thing to do. They were great times spent together.

I think I’ve won three or four medals and, in 40 years, there have been probably been six or seven occasions when I think I’ve played really well. That still makes me come back the next week and do it again.

That still makes me want to practise and play. I got my

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handicap down to 5.5 last year. At this stage in my life, it shows what a great game golf is. If tennis had been my sport of choice, there’s no way at this time I could be thinking ‘I am playing the best of my life’. I think, as a 52-year-old, that my best golf days are still ahead. I still think they are. That’s what keeps me playing. That, for me, is probably the biggest thing.

How do you feel about the state of the game?

I am optimistic. I think it has become a game played by athletes. Golf is going to benefit massively from being an Olympic sport. It will lead to global growth in the game and there’s a fantastic opportunity to be harnessed there.

I think there’s a lot more dynamism about the professional tours at the moment. Keith Pelley has brought in a great many ideas that will make golf more attractive on the European Tour. There are similar thought processes going through the PGA Tour and the LPGA is very progressive as well.

That is going to be fascinating for the game in the way it will be broadcast and the opportunities are enormous – with traditional and new formats that we can’t even conceive of at the moment.

The opportunity is there for growth – real growth. But it does need golf at all levels to think of itself as a sport in competition with lots of other sports. It has to think very carefully about some of the rules and traditions of the game and whether or not they make it as attractive as it can be. Whether it’s that we need to be a little less formal, or a little less stuffy, we need to behave like other sports.

An evening with…Iain Carter opens the first evening of the 2017 GCMA Conference on Sunday, November 12. He will tell some tales from the tour, alongside Le Golf National’s Paul Armitage, who will give an insight into preparations for the 2018 Ryder Cup. To book your place, visit gcma.org.uk/ conference

GCMA.ORG.UK | 37

GCMA RECRUITMENT

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Region: Northern| Salary: Competitive Apply by: October 31, 2017 with CV to Ron Stewart, Vice President, c/o Tyneside Golf Club, Westfield Lane, Ryton, NE40 3QE – (Visit GCMA website for more details.)

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Good

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

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Making the most of

MEETINGS

I

was recently asked to stand for election to serve on a number of brand new committees and boards in the voluntary sector.

I could try for chair or vice chair of a congress size group of people (more than 20 members) or to serve on one of four smaller committees (less than 20 members each).

Once elected to one of the smaller committees, I might then be asked to stand for election as that committee’s chair or vice chair. The organisation running these elections was also looking informally for minute-takers.

These committees are one of the ways the current government is trying to engage people in decision making locally. You may already be serving on one of these committees yourself.

Most of us hardly knew each other I should point out that, in my case, everyone was being asked to stand for everything so that people had some sort of a choice of candidates - even though most of us hardly knew each other or quite understood what the committees’ powers would be.

It was for this reason - the

ignorance and the unfamiliarity - I decided against standing for any of the jobs on offer, preferring instead to suggest there was another way I might help the congress level people at their monthly meetings.

Accordingly, under the heading of any other business, I was elected unopposed and unanimously to be the executive secretary to congress.

I was also asked if I would be the minute taker but I declined.

I would have my hands full enough because it is the job of the executive secretary to assist the chair by working to make

“I was told it was ‘like an engine’ which made all the decisions and carried out the action points”

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Industry trainer, and motivational speaker, Frank Newberry is convinced we can all contribute to making meetings at work more productive and enjoyable…

the meetings themselves more productive.

My job was to be the ‘engine oil’ When I first worked as an executive secretary I was told that the committee was ‘like an engine’ which made all the decisions and carried out the action points.

My job was to be the ‘engine oil’ that ensured the smooth running of the engine.

It was to work with the congress chair - before, during and after meetings - by helping him to: Prepare and circulate meaningful agendas (before the meeting)

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Determine who does which action points (during the meeting) Chase up the action points (after the meeting) so that progress is made as intended In my first stint in this role I served on three church charity committees whose members included foreign bankers from the City of London and top businessmen, all of whom were very busy in their ‘day jobs’.

I quickly realised why they were at the top of their profession

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– they worked hard and appreciated others who worked hard. Fortunately for me, they all seemed to think I was a hard worker so they were very responsive both to me and my regular ‘reminders’ to them about their action points.

best job I ever had because the committees got so much more work done and this benefited many, many people in need.

So if your meetings at the club need a boost then consider giving someone the executive secretary role.

The best job I ever had Today, when asked, I say it was the best job I ever had. Why? Because I had all of the power (in these relationships with committee members) and none of the responsibility. It was also the

Bring in a facilitator This vital executive secretary role can also be combined with that of the facilitator.

The job of the meeting facilitator is to work with the chair to ensure discussions at the meeting are

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meaningful and the decisions taken are owned by everyone attending. ‘Owned’, in this instance, means every person attending the meeting is fully committed to making sure the decisions taken and action points agreed are implemented fully.

What about the chair?

Well, the chair is still in charge but, with a facilitator on hand, they can now contribute fully to the meeting without having to worry about maintaining a balance in the debate.

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The meeting was all talk and no action You may have attended meetings where people have talked a good game but it was all talk and no action.

I worked with one committee member who discovered to his dismay that one of the key players at their committee meetings would happily agree to all the action points at the meeting but, afterwards, would only implement the ones he liked.

The rest were delayed or deleted from the next set of minutes.

The person performing the deception wanted to avoid effort of challenge The individual even resorted to

changing or deleting the due dates of some points so decisions were either delayed or ‘forgotten’ about all together.

When confronted, the person took great offence and denied doing it. However notes taken at meetings held weeks and months before effectively condemned him. It quickly became clear to everyone that the person performing the deception wanted to avoid effort or challenge. This particular key player is now playing elsewhere.

The facilitator’s role can be made easier when the committee or the meeting adopts ground rules’ The facilitator then, during the meeting, reminds people when their words and actions fall short of the agreed ground rules.

Typical ground rules might be:

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Respect each other’s views Keep commitments made Maintain confidentiality Speak one at a time Keep an open mind Discuss openly Listen actively Keep to time Be fair to all Be decisive By listening attentively, and by intervening appropriately and confidently, a facilitator – armed with these ground rules – can transform many poorly performing meetings. Without the ground rules, meetings mayhem may well ensue!

The facilitator can break the decision deadlock Another problem a facilitator can help with is the tendency for some people to deliberately delay decisions out of self interest.

The facilitator, firstly by seeking consensus but, if that fails, by

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introducing different voting methods, can break the decision deadlock that can be such a discouraging aspect of decision making in the workplace.

A facilitator can remind the meeting an important decision delayed - one that may have been delayed for a number of different reasons - is a decision in itself.

It is a decision to ‘carry on as we are’ - a decision to ‘not change’. It is, so to speak, a win for the people voting ‘no’. A facilitator can break this deadlock by suggesting the decision being delayed be taken and actions undertaken for a ‘trial period’ so more meaningful data can be collected.

This approach is particularly useful for people who do not want to make a decision until they have all the information they need.

Much better perhaps to run a trial and then make a decision based on the results of that trial.

So if the decision making at your meetings could be better then consider giving someone the facilitator role.

An agenda for action Now we have a chair in charge, a facilitator to make sure everyone has a say, an executive secretary to chase down our action points - all we need is an agenda for action.

Sequencing for success If you have suffered in silence at meetings where people have discussed matters at great length but decided nothing then maybe an action agenda is what you need. The action agenda puts the agenda items in a sequence that promotes decision making and action. It puts discussion in its rightful place – at the very end of the meeting and only if any time is left. I call this ordering of the agenda sequencing for success.

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“I have seen action agendas repeatedly transform meetings and the effectiveness of organisations” The action agenda of a meeting is in three main parts.

The agenda items are separated into three categories. The categories are: information items, followed by decision items and, finally, discussion items.

I really like the time continuum aspect of this sequence.

INFORMATION may be old or new but it is usually information about the PAST – right up to the recent past. On the other hand, DECISIONS often need to be taken by people now, in the PRESENT. Once we have made our decisions based on good information we can take time to consider what we might do in the FUTURE. Here are some examples of each category – taken from meetings: Information items - PAST These can include apologies for absence, minutes of the last meeting, progress reports on action points from previous meetings, important updates and announcements and notices from other sources. All these are needed so the meeting can take everything into consideration when it makes a decision or takes action.

Decision items - PRESENT When the meeting has all the information it needs it can make the decisions it has to make.

Decision items can include

accepting the minutes of the last meeting as accurate, asking for more information (rather than wasting time with debate or guesswork), deciding to go ahead with a suggestion or deciding against a proposal.

Discussion items - FUTURE When the people attending the meeting have made all the decisions they need to make (at present) they can turn their attention to what needs to be done in the future.

Discussion items might include: suggestions for a Christmas activity, first thoughts on what the organisation needs to do to comply with new legislation coming into force next year, initial ideas on changing what we offer to keep pace with the latest trends, or discussing how we can take the lead with new offerings to our customers and other stakeholders.

Their meetings improve, their decisions get better Over many years I have seen action agendas repeatedly transform meetings and the effectiveness of organisations.

At first, people can resist having their contributions ‘moved’ to later in the meeting or to the next meeting.

They soon learn that, with skilful use of the information/decisions /discussion sequence, their meetings improve, their decisions get better and they even find time to shape the future of their organisation.

Industry trainer Frank Newberry has been helping people get better results in the golf sector for more than a quarter of a century.

For more information, visit franknewberry.com

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MEANS BUSINESS

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How to…build a successful

MEMBERSHIP

T

he rocky road of the recession – when membership plummeted by 20 per cent between 2004 and 2013 according to England Golf – might now be appearing in the rear view mirror but it’s foolish to suggest we are all out of the woods just yet.

Membership numbers have stayed largely the same over the past two years but, with the number of over 65s increasing by 13 per cent, there’s still plenty of work to do in the long term.

Traditional memberships, such as five and seven day, are being added to as clubs use country,

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academy and age-related packages in order to increase their numbers.

But it is not just as simple as bringing in new golfers. Club managers have to think hard about the impact they will have on the existing membership.

Introduce too many, with everyone wanting to play at peak times, and that will soon displease your previously loyal clientele – who may go elsewhere if they can’t get the times they want.

All of these issues, and many more, were considered by Golf at Goodwood general manager Stuart Gillett when he took the reins of the family-owned club

seven years ago.

What the club did was abolish membership, as you might know it, entirely. You can’t be a seven day member at Goodwood.

“We have a credit membership and, essentially, that is an annual fee, which currently for this year is £265, and then we have credit bundles on top of that. The minimum credit bundle you can buy is 30 and the maximum is 300.

“The bigger the bundle you buy the cheaper per credit it is. You can join – our renewal price is £430 (fee plus credits).

“That brings member benefits – access to some of the events across Goodwood like the Festival

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Golf at Goodwood’s general manager Stuart Gillett has overseen a dramatic increase in membership thanks to some innovative ideas and packages. So what can you learn from his success? Steve Carroll reports of Speed, some horse racing plus access to The Kennels.”

It’s all about the package at Goodwood. Join the club and you get this on top – two Festival tickets and a pair of tickets to the opening Saturday race meeting.

The point is to make people feel they’ve got value for money.

“Straight away you have almost got your money back,” added Gillett.“Your credits roll over every year. With our business, there’s a large volume, but what we want to do is get loyalty. So it is all about retention.

“Allowing those credits to roll over means that every year you are only asking for £430. So the value of credits that sit on your account will roll over and your 30 credits get topped up to whatever sits on your account.

“The beauty of it is that you never lose what you pay for. The only time you will ever lose it is if you leave.

What that does is it really helps our retention strategy, which is key.

“Our retention hovers between 85 and 90 per cent and that’s a good number. I firmly believe that very few people leave because they have got value for money.

“That’s key. The challenge that we’ve got, or historically have had, is making people understand how it works.

“How do you sum it up in one paragraph? That’s always been very tough. The pay-as-you-go mobile phone tariff is probably a simple way (of describing it).”

But what if everyone wants to

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play at the same time? They buy their credits, or they may have them stored up over many months and years, and they decide that this Saturday at 9am is the moment they want to get out for a round.

At Goodwood, last year, the Downs and Park courses saw just under 75,000 rounds played. That’s a huge number and potentially brings all kinds of scheduling problems.

So part two of Gillett’s membership strategy has been re-educating players about when they tee it up.

He explained:“If you want to play your golf on a Saturday morning on the Downs course it will cost you seven credits.

“If you want to play on the Park course on a Monday afternoon, it will cost you two. You can plan your golf accordingly to what you want to spend. That’s great because it gives us the opportunity to try and move people by pricing the segments accordingly.

“I think we know for a fact the

“The beauty of it is that you never lose what you pay for.

The only time you will ever lose it is if you leave. It really helps our retention strategy”

culture in Britain is for people to play golf in the morning. What we are trying to do is say to people ‘it’s busy’. “‘Actually, if you changed your habits and started playing golf at 2pm in the afternoon, you are paying half as much’.

“We’ve definitely seen a shift of people doing that.”

By using technology to help their cause – members can arrange games with potential playing partners at suitable times by using a club WhatsApp group, or a member-run Facebook page, unexpected benefits have arisen.

“All of a sudden, it becomes yield management,” Gillett said.

“You go to golf resorts where you are paying a lot of money on these golf courses and you end up playing with somebody from somewhere you don’t speak the same language and it harms your experience.

“Our job now, in terms of managing that member experience, is actually saying ‘how do we get more credits out of that tee time?’

“It might be, if we do the analysis at the weekend, we get 15 credits out of that tee time on a Friday.”

He continued:“The first tee is the asset. Without wanting to delve into it too much, we have gone from a position, five years ago, where we were driving corporate revenue, we were driving hotel revenue, we were driving pay and play.

“We are in a position now where

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membership comes first. We are trying to become, we want to become, more member based.

We want to be in a position where it would be great that – at peak times – it was just members and guests weren’t coming.

“It’s that progression from where we have been to actually becoming as member only as possible.”

Increasing and enhancing membership has been about creating a shared sense of belonging at Goodwood.

It’s also about giving everyone the same opportunities – rather than separating them into different classifications determined largely by how much money they are spending.

He said:“Fundamentally, as a member of Golf at Goodwood, you feel a sense of loyalty, pride, and I know there are a lot of clubs where if you are an associate, or a flexible member, you can’t play in club competitions, you can’t play in the team, or board competitions.

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“Membership comes first. We are trying to become, we want to become, more member based” “If you don’t come to us for two years, of which we have more than 100 people that won’t have been to us for two or three years, you are still a member.

“When you turn up, you are treated exactly the same as if you had been here every day. That is quite key.”

Golf at Goodwood’s success has resulted in a waiting list.

In a three-month spell at the end of last year, they welcomed more than 200 new members and close to 450 across the full 12 months.

There’s more to it, though, than merely numbers.

“What is interesting is the

demographic of it. There are a lot of 35 to 55 guys that are joining because they understand that it is not a massive outlay and a big commitment. It’s an investment because it sits on their account.

“That’s been the toughest thing – getting the message out there but, as the business has grown and the profile has grown over the last few years, what’s happened is that people have understood what the credit membership is all about.

“We’ve communicated it better and we have also improved the brand.

“People want to be part of it and we’ve really embraced being part of Goodwood. We are not going to rest on our laurels.

“We want to continue to drive it so the future, contrary to what members might think – that the prices are just going to go up – is about what’s yielding.

“We know we can get more usage for members out of what we have got, if we are a bit more savvy about it.”

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From the

HELPDESK This month: Breaking notices, refusals to wear PPE and...returning to work after sickness Our junior greenkeeper handed his notice in after three years of employment and agreed with the course manager to go after two weeks. Three days later he advised the course manager his new job started the next week.

I would like to know where we stand. Can we deduct anything?

Unfortunately, the only recourse you have would be to sue the employee in the Civil Courts.

However, you would have to prove that you were out of pocket due to the breach of contract.

For instance, if you had to pay someone to cover for the period of notice that was not worked.

You cannot legally deduct anything from the wages or holiday pay, so you should ensure you pay them the exact amount due.

However, take into consideration the loss of goodwill between you and the employee if you are asked to give a reference in the future.

A member of staff is refusing to wear PPE. As I see it we have a duty of care to all employees, as we provide PPE and that PPE must be worn where appropriate. Can you advise if there is any value to a disclaimer or that, as we have a duty of care, PPE provided must be worn?

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If a risk assessment identifies the need for PPE, it is the employer’s duty to supply it and to police its correct use.

Therefore, a disclaimer would not absolve the employer from their responsibilities.

Where someone persists in refusing to wear PPE and the problem cannot be resolved, the employer may choose to re-deploy them to another job or out of a dangerous area, or to take disciplinary action if necessary.

Visit: www.healthandsafetyatwork. com/content/refusal-wear-ppe What is the procedure for an employee returning to work after eight weeks’ absence, following a heart attack and having had stents fitted?

You will need to confirm that your employee can return to work by getting a fit note certificate from their doctor, which you do not have to accept if you have any doubts. However, it is worth always taking a copy of the fit note for your records. The fit note will include guidance from their doctor on how to support your employee’s return to work.

For example, in your case this could include giving him only light duties or a phased return to work.

If you cannot decide on suggested changes, your employee should

treat it as if they are not fit for work.

Visit: www.fitforwork.org There are equality complaints from ladies that they are unable to play golf on a Saturday due to gents’ competitions.

Currently, gents’ competitions are on a Saturday and the ladies’ on Sunday. Ladies are able to go out on a Saturday after the competition. Can you advise on equality?

It is perfectly permissible to have separate competitions for men and ladies where neither can play during the other’s competition time. I presume that men cannot play on Sundays during the ladies’ competitions?

As long as you do not have any restrictions for the ladies that you do not have for the men (or vice versa) then you are not in breach of the Equality Act 2010 as stated in Section 195.

This is further explained in the explanatory notes, again in Section 195. Some clubs have left free some tee times within competitions, for those wishing to play without taking part in the competition.

An online helpdesk staffed by industry experts offers an advisory service. Visit gcma.org.uk/ members.

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In the

PUBLIC INTEREST

W

hen you think of a municipal golf course, what images appear in your mind? If they didn’t have negative connotations, good for you, but the general image of public courses is not overwhelmingly positive.

Tired greens, scruffy fairways and overgrown rough – we are all aware of the stereotypes. But stereotypes are often wrong.

The Old Course at St Andrews is

one of seven public layouts that make up the Home of Golf.

How does that fit in with your view of municipals?

In Aberdeen, the city owns four 18-hole courses that are among the best you can play in the region.

Here, public golf is fighting back.

Golf Aberdeen are the agency that manages the city’s golf facilities on behalf of the council.

It’s an authority that has a long tradition of cultivating green space – renowned for its parks, horticulture and floral displays.

It was no surprise that the courses, looked after by the parks superintendent, were maintained to the highest standards. For Aberdeen, it was a matter of civic pride.

But with council finances under pressure everywhere, as austerity continues to bite and efficiency savings are expected, many other authorities have shipped their assets in order to raise revenue.

Aberdeen have resisted that trend, but is their affinity with golf now a bounty or a burden?

Golf Aberdeen’s plan, of

Aberdeen boasts some exceptional public courses

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Municipal golf is a term that comes with some baggage. But, in one Scottish city, it is fighting back, as Steve Carroll discovers

investment, engagement and promotion, is to get “the best possible use of these exceptional assets and develop a long-term future for golf in the city”.

Firstly, they realised the courses needed to look as good as possible if they were going to have future success.

Focusing particularly on the greens, they also spent a couple of years concentrating on investing in drainage systems and player feedback has consistently recognised the quality of the

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putting surfaces.

They made communication a central strategy of their plans. While Aberdeen’s courses are public, they are home to a number of private clubs.

There are three at King’s Links, two at Balnagask and one at Hazelhead – and they arrange tee times for their members as well as organising club competitions. Clearly, they also have

a keen interest in course condition.

So Golf Aberdeen set up an advisory committee for each course – almost like a traditional greens committee – so there’s regular discussion and liaison.

It’s a strategy, said managing director Alistair Robertson, that’s starting to bear fruit.

“We have a huge amount of visiting busy people from all over the world – for oil and gas – and many try and combine that with golf,” he said.

“We are being talked about

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(now) and being right in the city is making them (courses) more attractive. In America, many people play public courses and it doesn’t have the same stigma.”

Robertson added:“We have a very strong relationship with each of the clubs. We meet with the club representatives, including the grounds maintenance team and the greenkeepers, and plan the year ahead and plan the work.

“We try to make it an inclusive set up. We know they are good at what they do in terms of events, competitions and team management. We know we are strong at managing the services and our grounds maintenance committee are very strong also. ““Each party focuses on what their strengths are - it is one of the reasons we have seen a resurgence.”

Around 1,600 golfers are now part of the Golf Aberdeen brand and not all of them are members of one of the clubs. Robertson estimates that several hundred are simply happy to roam the various courses on an individual basis.

While numbers are buoyant, the

security of the courses – amid that climate of council belt tightening – is not in doubt.

“There is a strong feeling of commitment about golf,”

“There is a strong feeling of commitment about golf. It is part of the community up here.

That doesn’t mean it is easy”

said Keith Gerrard, director of operations and asset development.

“It is part of the community up here. That doesn’t mean it is easy.

We have to make sure we are demonstrating good quality and getting value for money.

“If we stop doing that the spotlight might change. But if we can maintain good quality, good offers, that’s a success. We’ve

The courses King’s Links Running on the Aberdeen beach front, golf has been played in this area since 1661.The current course was laid out in 1872 and it’s an old-school challenge for anyone with a feel for links golf.Think big dunes, very quick greens and lots of bunkers. Described as ‘golf in the raw’, watch out if the wind is blowing.

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started to tell people about that.”

Getting the experience right will be crucial to Golf Aberdeen’s longterm model. Ultimately, they need to encourage more people to play the municipal layouts more often.

Word of mouth is helping to spread the message, but online booking facilities, an improved website and Golf Aberdeen membership is also trying to make access to the courses convenient and cost-effective. Like most proprietary and private members’ courses, the organisation has a pressing membership issue. Of their 1,600 members, around 1,000 are over 50. So in a bid to take the sport to a new audience, Golf Aberdeen are working with the clubs, schools and Scottish Golf to expand access to lessons and allow people to get a feel for the game on six and nine-hole courses at the various layouts.

Through Sport Aberdeen, they have also introduced a specialist membership package that gives access to many of the city’s other leisure facilities. So you can play golf, while also using fitness suites,

Balnagask Widely acknowledged as one of the best municipal 18 hole courses in Scotland, James Braid, Archie Simpson and the Hawtree family all had a hand in carving out this coastal golf experience. Found in the heart of a local conservation area, the stunning layout requires nerve and balance in equal measure.

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swimming pools and ice rinks.

“Almost all new members, in addition to the 1,600 (we already have), are coming into that plan,” added Gerrard.“A lot of people play golf in the summer and are using the other facilities in the winter.

That’s the other thing that plays into the quality of the offer – value for money for both the members and the local community.

“In terms of protecting what we do, we are always trying to do things to give value for money. Since we added the new membership in April, another 200 people have joined the 1,600.”

Golf isn’t merely confined to tees and greens, either. FootGolf has been piloted, in a partnership with Aberdeen FC’s Community Trust Walking Football programme.

A pitch and putt course was converted and more than 1,200 people took part in the first four weeks. It’s all about presenting golf in a modern context, putting it in front of as many people as possible and then maximising the engagement that results.

“The challenge for golf in a

municipal context is to get the product right and promote it effectively to a much wider audience,” Robertson said.

“In Aberdeen, we have invested extensively in the product – the courses, the facilities and the playing experience – and the results are now beginning to show.

“The next stage is to make sure everyone in the city and beyond understands how easy and affordable it is to play some of the game’s most historic, challenging and enjoyable courses.

Hazlehead (Pines) A little bit more forgiving than some of the other courses in Golf Aberdeen’s portfolio – particularly off the tee – the Pines is more open and was revamped in the early 1970s by Brian Huggett, Neil Coles and Roger Dyer. Described as a“fair test of golf”,you can bask in some great views of the city from the 12th tee and the green on the 17th.

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“These are changing times for local government and for golf as a sport. However, while change may be inevitable, it is not necessarily a negative process. Aberdeen is unusual in the quality of its assets and Golf Aberdeen has recognised that it may have to be unusual in its approach to their maintenance and management if it is to ensure the long-term sustainability of the game and its facilities. Change is going to come but we are determined that our history will have a future.”

Hazlehead (MacKenzie) Laid out in the 1920s by Dr Alister MacKenzie, the creator of Augusta National and Cypress Point, this championship course parkland retains the architect’s basic design. Described as an“unforgiving test that rewards the brave”,the par 70 (6,209 yards) demands players become immersed in the challenge.

GCMA.ORG.UK | 53

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GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

Meet the

MANAGER

Sponsor of the 2017 GCMA Manager of the Year award

Neil Coulson-Bence, manager at Malden, in Surrey, talks to Marie Taylor

Neil Coulson-Bence

H

ow did you get into golf club management?

Following some time in business banking, and then recruitment, I found my niche in the hospitality industry - firstly as a troubleshooting relief manager for Greene King and then also moving into the prestige hospitality scene.

Eight years ago, I joined Malden as bar manager.

I’ve been supported by a fabulous club who promoted me from bar to house manager and now I’m

56 | GCMA.ORG.UK

club manager.

The committee have really supported my development.

What are the challenges?

The mentality in golf is changing.

We’ve had to innovate.

Twenty years ago we wanted to be a hidden gem and we were.

As the industry evolved, the membership wasn’t getting replenished. The days are gone when a big local character would join the club but maybe rarely play.

These days, everyone wants value for money, a fantastic experience.

It’s not just the course or the clubhouse it’s the whole vibe.

You’ve increased your membership by over 100 in the last 15 months. How have you done that?

The club and committee realised that subtle changes in dress code and acceptance of green fees was a way of marketing our lovely course.

Those members have joined in all categories over the last 15 months and a lot of them have been in the under 35 age group.

Our strategy was to bring in the

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younger member through lowered, intermediary, pricing and a tiered pricing and this has been hugely successful. We launched a new academy membership a few months ago and we aim to grow it to almost 30 members after its first year.

check out the club properly. This helps because when we also ask the current members to play with people looking to join this can sometimes be difficult to arrange.

We won’t talk about money or membership fees until they have

What parts of your role do you enjoy the most?

Interaction with the members.

Seeing them during the week, and at the weekend, and knowing they enjoyed the club gives me satisfaction. It’s the perfect opportunity to listen to their feedback on the club and, where possible, implement some change.

Listening goes a long way, which I am also told at lot at home as well.

“We won’t talk about money or membership fees until they have played the course and they’ve enjoyed it”

What’s the best piece of advice you have been given?

This is more inspiration rather than advice, really. In an article in the GCMA magazine a few years ago, I remember reading something about a recently retired club secretary who had taken himself on a tour, visiting various clubs.

When I read that article, specifically when he described that sometimes he didn’t get a reply from some of the clubs that he’d enquired at, I had a kind of eureka moment. As a result, myself and Ann (Beard, administration and events) created a process and a pathway for contact with all potential members. At Malden they are offered a courtesy game to allow them and their friends to

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played the course and they’ve enjoyed it. We believe they can’t make a good decision, one they won’t regret, unless they’ve done this. By doing things this way we demonstrate that we want our members to join us for a long time and not just for a first year.

There’s a real buzz about the place.

Referrals from members are up because we are allowing guests to visit with enquirers and then they are telling their friends about us. By the time people join they feel like they are already a part of the club.

“We are not just a golf course, nor a private members club, we’re more than that”.

What opportunities exist for Malden?

Being just a seven minute walk from New Malden train station,

we decided to expand our reach.

We got involved in the local community festival and we’ll be participating in community events at Christmas too to attract new visitors and members from the Putney and Clapham areas.

To help take advantage of our location we’ve expanded our locker space so that those members can leave their clubs here rather than struggle with them on the train.

What other innovations are behind your recent success?

Back in July 2016 we simplified the dress code. Now we allow smart jeans and shirts that are made to be worn ‘hanging out’ and are allowed to be worn that way.

We’ve found that this ended stopping people just ‘popping in’ because they weren’t dressed correctly. Now members pop in to see the new professional and have a coffee.

What is your proudest moment in golf?

Captaining the junior team at my first club in Solihull - Robin Hood - and beating my dad for the first time. Seeing my father drive off as captain at the same club a few years back was also pretty special.

About To contact Malden, call 0208 942 0654 or visit maldengolfclub.com

GCMA.ORG.UK | 57

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GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

From the

REGIONS INTERNATIONAL MATCH, September 5 and 6 Golf du Touquet, France The annual match against the GCMA’s French counterparts, ADGF, took place at Golf du Touquet. The match began with greensomes on the La Foret course, among the trees, and a ding-dong battle ensued.

The GCMA eventually came out on top 4.5-3.5 and, that evening, a gala dinner was held at the Le Manoir hotel.

Charles Debruyne, the club’s general manager, was there to give a potted history of Golf du Touquet, which was founded in 1931, and of their recent investment in a new clubhouse and surroundings.

The singles matches were played on the famous La Mer course – a Harry Colt design – and the French fielded a formidable side, with nine of their players having single figure handicaps.

Despite the exhortations of South East regional captain David Mabbott, the French responded to the challenge and won the singles 9-7 to take the overall match 12.5-11.5.

60 | GCMA.ORG.UK

But the GCMA are still 8-4 ahead in wins since the fixture started in 2005.

The GCMA team consisted of: David Mabbott (Langley Park), Mike Hoare (GCMA chairman), Howard Williams (GCMA national captain), John Holmes (Ifield), Andrew Hall (Dartford), John Hemphrey (Bearsted), Mike Verhelst (Bury St. Edmunds), Paul Smith (Faversham), Tom Scott (Wildernesse), Brian Bamford (Cherry Lodge), Grant Leggate (Chestfield), John Aughterlony (Rochester & Cobham), David Holmes (Prestbury), Tony Marsh (Sene Valley), Ian Symington (Royal West Norfolk), Steve Armstrong (Mid Kent) and John Edgington (GCMA South East regional manager).

were taken by Midland members, a team of national past captains entered, as well as a team from London & Home Counties.

There was also enthusiastic support from neighbours in the East Midlands.

New connections were made, and old ones refreshed, over play and the meal.

The event was a great success and details of next year’s competition will be announced in due course.

The winners on the day were: Tom Duke, Martyn Bonner, Timothy Hartley, Andrew Watson and Andi Marriott.

MIDLAND BOWL Monday, September 11 Little Aston

Penrith, England Golf’s ‘Golfmark Club of the Year’ in 2016, and Cumbria’s Community Club of the Year 12 months ago, hosted the North West region’s late summer meeting.

Club secretary Dennis Wright, who normally travels hundreds of miles to attend regional meetings, showcased the clubhouse and magnificent course to 28 members and guests in attendance.

The region welcomed national captain Howard Williams and he focused his attention on the upcoming national conference, urging as many North West members as possible to attend the

Encouraging collaboration and networking between regions, 48 GCMA members played in

the inaugural Midland Bowl - a competition it is hoped will now become a yearly event.

While the majority of tee times

NORTH WEST Tuesday, September 12 Penrith

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event.

Duncan Weir, The R&A’s executive director – golf development, provided an excellent overview of how the money generated from The Open, and other events, is invested back into golf.

A video clip, showing the work that had been undertaken in Brazil both before and after the Olympics last year, was particularly interesting.

There was no doubting that golf had significantly changed the lives of many young people in that country.

Neil Upton, Marston’s business development manager, provided another excellent presentation, and the free samples provided were appreciated by everyone who attended!

EAST MIDLANDS Wednesday, September 13 Coxmoor The East Midlands autumn business meeting was held at Coxmoor on September 13, when Providence Engraving’s Andy Morgan and Junier Brown Environmental Limited gave presentations.

Tim Hartley won the Eagle Trophy, with 39 points, and also retained the Past Captain’s Trophy.

For the first time, the region are hosting a business seminar on Tuesday, November 7, at Newark Golf Club, from 9.30am to around 12.30pm.

Guest speakers include Simon Binks, representing Cost Centre Services, Ground2Control’s Ian Ratcliffe, Revenue Club’s Chris Knight and Bobby Van Wyk, of All Square Golf.

SOUTH WEST Wednesday, September 20 Bristol & Clifton

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More than a dozen assistants to GCMA members attended a pilot networking meeting at Bristol & Clifton Golf Club.

Association chief executive Bob Williams attended to underline how the GCMA supports golf club managers and he expressed his desire to recognise, pay tribute and support assistants, whose role is often pivotal to the success of members.

Jim Cunning, the association’s

GCMA Regional Managers Full contact details can be found at gcma.org.uk/regions Chiltern & Home Counties

Martin Bennet East Anglia

Gary Smith East Midlands

Rod Savage London & Home Counties

Maureen Brooker Midland

Rob Wormstone Norfolk

golf management researcher, explained the GCMA helpdesk resource that is available to members.

He explained:“There is no problem that you have that someone else hasn’t had before, or at least is very rare.”

This was followed by a series of speakers, who gave a comprehensive introduction to health and safety and digital marketing.

Marie Taylor, the GCMA’s newly appointed communications executive, helped assistants to solve some of the gnarly problems on their to do lists by using the expertise and experience from the new connections they made on the day.

The consensus among the assistants was the new contacts they had made, and the experience they learned about, was really helpful.

Everyone who attended would relish another meeting of this nature in the future.

John Barnard North West

Neil Annandale Northern

Terry Minett Northern Ireland

Jim Cullen Scotland

Bernard Flockhart South East

John Edgington South West

Karen Drake Southern

Joan Raffety Wales

Mike Rees Wessex

Alex Taylor Yorkshire

Cameron Dawson

GCMA.ORG.UK | 61

’

2017 CONFERENCE 12-14 November Don’t miss the social side of the conference The GCMA Conference is the main social event in the golf club management calendar, offering a chance to catch up with friends, and to grow your network.

On Sunday, we start with two great opportunities to catch up with fellow delegates and GCMA members.

First, the chance to explore Mercedes-Benz World, visit Brooklands museum, and to take part in a F1 simulator fastest lap competition, and claim bragging rights for the rest of the conference!

Later, after a buffet dinner join BBC golf correspondent Iain Carter to hear some tales from the tours, alongside Le Golf National’s Paul Armitage, who’ll give an insight into the preparations for the 2018 Ryder Cup. Monday evening is the focal point of the social programme, beginning with a complimentary drinks reception for all delegates, kindly supported by Material Matters.

The rest of the evening will include various entertainment, and a buffet dinner, before the GCMA Golf Club Management Awards ceremony begins.

Once the winners have been crowned, there will be further opportunities for networking, before you are transported back to your hotel, where, we’re sure, more informal networking will continue!

BOOK NOW: GCMA.ORG.UK/ CONFERENCE

Programme Linda Moir | Customer Service Expert

Former Director of In Flight Services at Virgin Atlantic, Linda led the London 2012 Gamesmakers

Iain Carter BBC Sport

Tales from a golf correspondent

Martin Slumbers The R&A The state of the game

Paul Armitage Le Golf National

Adapting for change & Preparing for the Ryder Cup

Nick Pink England Golf Rob Maxfield The PGA

Industry vision: moving forward

David Rickman The R&A Developing golf

Jim Croxton BIGGA

Working closely with your greenkeepers

Andrew Cooke Golf Tourism England The potential of golf tourism

Andrew Minty Langland Bay GC

Promoting your club without devaluing your product

Paul Williams Topgolf Nick Solski Boomers & Swingers Being different

Dr Laurence Church Priory Group Identifying your stress levels

Jonathan Shorrock KBL Solicitors

Governance: Legislation & Managing risk

Alastair Higgs Rain Bird Intelligent use of water

Sue Tumelty The HR Dept Preventing people problems

James Wilkinson Albatross Digital Golf

Generating income through digital marketing

Martin Robinson Fairhaven GC

Modernising the governance of the club

Stuart Leech Formby GC

Delivering the best food and beverage experience

David Bancroft-Turner Matrix Training Leadership & Political intelligence

CONFERENCE SPONSOR

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GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

A week in the life of...

CARL RUNDGREN We meet the general manager of The Oxfordshire

O

nly a few minutes drive from the market town of Thame, The Oxfordshire is a luxury resort comprising a 50 bedroom hotel, spa and an outstanding championship course, which has previously hosted the Benson & Hedges International, Andersen Consulting World Championship and the Ladies English Open.

Carl Rundgren manages the

Monday I am working a late duty manager shift today.

I arrive just after lunch and first thing is a full walk around the resort, stopping in the kitchen for a cup of coffee and a catch up with the chefs.

I then head off to my office to catch up on last week’s figures, checking these results against the previous year and budget and also check on rooms bookings for the next few months.

I cover the duty receptionist for her dinner break and then spend some time in the kitchen and restaurant in the evening, watching the meals that are coming out for the guests who are dining in our 1 Rosette restaurant.

Tuesday First up is a morning meeting with our health and safety advisor.

64 | GCMA.ORG.UK

whole resort with a team of 10 heads of department and more than 100 staff.

The main part of his job is communicating with those teams to ensure guests receive excellent service and experience.

He says he can’t live without his Things To Do book, which goes everywhere with him - even on holiday! It’s filled with the various jobs he needs to do - preferably that day - and helps keep his work life in order.

We will complete a quarterly meeting today and go through all our health and safety documentation, ensuring as a business we remain compliant.

I head into the bar after lunch to catch up with the members following their roll up and get some first hand comments on their experience out on the course.

Late afternoon includes a meeting with our finance manager and sales manager to go through last week’s figures and to discuss and put plans in place to push sales in areas that may need it for the next few weeks.

Wednesday I meet with our company director to discuss figures and forecasts as well as a full report on the operations of the business including any health and safety issues that have come

up. He departs after lunch so I can spend some time going around all the departments checking on their managers and ensuring that good standards are being achieved.

Cleanliness checks of bedrooms, back of house and front of house areas are also completed.

Thursday I have the morning to myself in my office catching up on office work.

I get out on the golf course with the course manager before lunch, to check on the team’s current projects and work processes, discuss any issues that may be coming up around the course and generally have a good catch up with the greenkeepers.

A weekly function sheets meeting is taking place this afternoon, allowing all heads of departments the

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opportunity to go over the coming weekend and next week’s functions so as to allow us an opportunity to plan and discuss all the upcoming events.

Friday An early start as I am expecting 120 golfers for a company golf day with a shotgun start at 10am.

I have to roll my sleeves up and help the team to ensure that coffee and bacon rolls are out on time and replenished quickly.

The pro shop team have arranged the shotgun and, once everyone has had coffee and bacon rolls, they tee off.

After this, I spend some time in the HR office, issuing new contract and offer letter for new starters.

I will make sure to spend some time in the afternoon walking around with my maintenance team checking on

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projects that they have been busy with that week and that the property is in good condition to receive guests for the weekend. I finish my day off by checking on the food service during the company golf day dinner. It is a big event and this needs to go well and it does.

Saturday It’s going to be a busy day. The hotel, golf course and spa are all fully booked. All staff are ready and raring to serve the guests coming in.

I am out in the morning for a game of golf with a couple of members in a pro/manager match with my director of golf, Justin Barnes.

It is a charity match, where the members have to beat us in a greensomes game. Thus far this year, we are unbeaten and we are hoping

to keep our record intact. We try to get out and play a match once a month.

These have been very good for me as I get to know more members. We also get to see how our members tackle the course, allowing us to make decisions on course set up. They then get to ask us questions about the running of the club and the course.

We, fortunately, luck out this time and win the match on the last hole.

Sunday A day off to spend time with my wife and six year old son. Pure bliss. My role is very diverse and every day that I work is different. Problems come up that need solutions - some more creative than others. Working for my owners is a joy and it has been very fulfilling to have been involved in so many projects.

GCMA.ORG.UK | 65

GCMA | INDUSTRY | CAREERS | EDUCATION | REGIONAL

Scottish Golf

THE YEAR IN NUMBERS

34,720

1,119,921 Rounds of golf recorded and published at HowDidiDo.com

10,006

eagles or better

66 | GCMA.ORG.UK

Total competitions recorded by HowDidIDo in the Scottish Golf region.

GENTS:

GENTS LADIES

-5.4 -4.0 (plus) (plus)

23,575 11,145

570,376 birdies

LADIES:

LOWEST EXACT HANDICAP

4,875,675

Stats provided by HowdidIdo.com

pars

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

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