GMA Journal (Spring 2018)

Golf Management Australia

JOURNAL SPRING 2018

Official Journal for Golf Management Australia Ltd.

p14 INDUSTRY SUPPORT

CONTENT: PRACTICAL TIPS FOR A 2019 WORLD

p32 PGA OF AUSTRALIA

MYGOLF: GROWTH FROM GRASSROOTS

VIC, NSW & WA STATE MINI CONFERENCES

WRAP-UPS INSIDE

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www.gma.org.au | SAVE THE DATE: 2019 GMA National Conference | MCG, Melbourne | 6-10 October 2019

Golf Management Australia

JOURNAL SPRING 2018

Official Journal for Golf Management Australia Ltd.

CONTENTS 4

FROM THE CHAIR

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LATEST GMA NEWS

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LATEST STATE NEWS

One GMA Update

State Mini Conferences, BMI Program

Staff the Most Important Asset, VIC, NSW & WA Mini Conference Wraps

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INDUSTRY NEWS

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INDUSTRY SUPPORT

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GOLF AUSTRALIA NEWS

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PGA OF AUSTRALIA

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GOLF COURSE REVIEW

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INDUSTRY SUPPORT

STATE MINI CONFERENCES

STAFF THE MOST IMPORTANT ASSET

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GMs Experience China

INDUSTRY SUPPORT Casual Employees Claiming Permanent Status, Content: Practical Tips for a 2019 World

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WHAT MILLENNIALS WANT

One Golf In Full Swing, Golf Month

MyGolf: Growth from Grass Roots

Strathfield Golf Club, NSW

Is Your Facility Women Friendly, How to Write an Engaging Newsletter

PGA OF AUSTRALIA

MYGOLF: GROWTH FROM GRASS ROOTS

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COURSE REVIEW

STRATHFIELD GOLF CLUB

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COVER PICTURE: Attendees at the GMA NSW State Mini-Conference at Killara Golf Club

Golf Management Australia Journal | Spring 2018

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FROM THE CHAIR ANDREW GAY | Chair, Golf Management Australia

It’s been another busy period for the GMA over the past few months with the upcoming inaugural BMI Programs running in Melbourne and Sydney and the continued work being undertaken in consultation with State GMA Associations regarding a potential movement towards a ‘One GMA’ model.

However, over this period of time the GMA Board has also received the resignation of GMA Board member, Paul Paterson. Paul resigned from his role at Avondale Golf Club in Sydney and has now relocated overseas.

Paul was an ‘independent’ director of GMA who has served on the national board for several years, as well as being a board member of GMA NSW. Paul played a pivotal role in establishing some momentum regarding the possible implementation of a ‘One GMA’ model and was also a driving force behind the GMA Strategic Plan.

The GMA Board has determined that given the scale of membership currently residing in New South Wales, it is important a replacement for Paul has experience with this membership base, and as such, will look to identify someone within NSW soon as a replacement.

One behalf of the GMA Board, I’d like to thank Paul for his outstanding contribution to GMA and GMA NSW and wish him all the best in the future.

One GMA Update: With the ‘One GMA - Business Case’ now distributed to State GMA Executives for their consideration, we are approaching an exciting time in this proposed movement.

While the GMA Board were delighted with how the proposed model has evolved, it has no doubt been due to the outstanding contribution each State GMA Executive has made to its development.

I’d like to once again thank all State GMA Executives for their continued assistance in the development of the model and we look forward to continuing to work closely with all states over the coming months.

2019 GMA National Conference: Planning is now underway for the 2019 GMA National Conference to be held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground from 6th to 10th October. Don’t forget to save these dates in your calendar…. more updates to come later in the year….

Golf Management Australia (GMA) represents a membership of more than 400 golf club managers across Australia.

GMA, through its state associations, provides a platform of professional and personal development and networking opportunities for General Managers and Assistant Managers/COOs of golf clubs.

GMA also has a focus on member support, club development, and member health and wellbeing.

Golf Management Australia Ltd. PO Box 106 DINGLEY VILLAGE VIC 3172 www.gma.org.au BOARD OF DIRECTORS Andrew Gay (Chair) Royal Adelaide GC Peter Busch Green Acres GC Anthony Masters Barwon Heads GC Aaron Muirhead Ipswich GC Cathy Neagle Elanora CC Brad Dawson Royal Perth GC EXECUTIVE OFFICER Jim Cail 0400 440 346 eo@gma.org.au

GMA Journal artwork and design by Brand Media & Consulting

Contents may not be reproduced without written permission.

Views expressed in editorial contributions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this publication and it’s management.

Golf Management Australia

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

ANDREW GAY Chair

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PETER BUSCH Director

ANTHONY MASTERS Director

AARON MUIRHEAD Director

CATHY NEAGLE Director

www.gma.org.au | SAVE THE DATE: 2019 GMA National Conference | MCG, Melbourne | 6-10 October 2019

BRAD DAWSON Director

JIM CAIL Executive Officer

LATEST GMA NEWS JIM CAIL | Executive Officer, Golf Management Australia

Firstly, I’d like to congratulate Western Australia, Victoria and NSW on the implementation of their respective State Mini Conferences throughout September.

The feedback I’ve received has been very positive regarding all conferences, with presentations from highly credentialed people including: • Wayne Schwass (Puka Up and former elite athlete) • Kirk Edwards (CEO - Village Entertainment and Top Golf) • Grant Rose (Strategy and Commercial Manger – Sydney Swans) • Julian Pace - Happiness Co. (Australia's small business champion award – Mental Health)

STATE MINI CONFERENCES Western Australia, Victoria & New South Wales

The work put in by State GMA Executives and their Executive Officers, I’m sure, was much appreciated by all attendees.

Well done to all involved….

FAM & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TOUR Mission Hills Haikou - Sheraton-Dunes Shenzhou, Hainan Island

GMA/CGE 2018 FAM & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TOUR TO CHINA’S HAINAN ISLAND With the two BMI Programs fast approaching, registrations for both events have now closed.

GMA is delighted to see 45 registrations across both courses in this, the inaugural year of the program.

We would like to thank all those GMA members who have supported the program by either registering themselves, or by supporting someone else to attend.

The two BMI Programs will be held at the following locations: • Melbourne: 15th – 19th October at Victoria Golf Club • Sydney: 22nd to 26th October at The Lakes Golf Club

The BMI Program has engaged some outstanding facilitators to drive the BMI Club Management sessions across the week, with facilitators including: • Dr Geoff Dickson from La Trobe University • Professor David Shilbury from Deakin University • Jason Koenigsfeld - Senior vice-president of professional development from the Club Management Association of America.

• David Burton – Experience GMA member and presenter, and NSW Golf Club General Manager • Richard Comerford – Financial consultant, University of Melbourne and Leongatha Golf Club Treasure

CGE Golf, through its partnership with GMA, recently conducted the 2018 FAM & Professional Development Tour to China’s Hainan Island in September. Three GMA members attended the tour, including Phillip Drew (Sandringham Golf Club), Di Fisher (Royal Hobart Golf Club) and Allan Harris (Noosa Golf Club).

Once again, the tour was an outstanding success for those that attended, with a testimonial from Phillip Drew in this edition of the GMA Journal, and now available to view on the GMA website. The team at CGE Golf, Kevin and Steve, continue to deliver amazing outcomes for groups looking for a seamless and meticulously planned golfing holiday to Asia.

GMA and CGE Golf are continuing to look at ways to build upon this professional development tour, with more information coming early in 2019.

Golf Management Australia Journal | Spring 2018

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LATEST STATE NEWS

GMV Excellence in Management award recipient, Peter Parks

NEWS FROM AROUND THE GMA NATION

GMV Employee of the Year award recipient, Callum Terrill

VICTORIA

VICTORIA

GMV MINI CONFERENCE SUMMARY

VICTORIAN GOLF INDUSTRY AWARDS

LES LEUNIG TROPHY Lindsay Bell from Heidelberg Golf Club is the 2018 Winner of the Les Leunig Trophy with a fine score of 38 stableford points around the Lakes Course at Yarrawonga. Well done Lindsay! Runner up was Cameron Mott from Cranbourne Golf Club with 36 stableford points.

KELVIN QUICK 2018/2019 Our 2018 winner, Craig Skimming from 13th Beach, holds the trophy. Regrettably, he missed out on qualifying, just falling short of the mark by some 13 shots. Better luck next year Craig.

The Arts Centre Melbourne hosted 230 people from the Victorian Golf Industry on Friday August 10th.

The night saw Golf Victoria, Golf Management Victoria, the Victorian Golf Course Superintendents Association & the PGA of Australia come together to celebrate the achievements of the people and clubs within the Victorian Golf Industry.

Amongst the attendees was Simon Brookhouse – Golf Victoria CEO, Peter Busch – GMV President, John Mann – VGCSA Secretary and Gavin Kirkman – PGA of Australia CEO. Also in attendance

was Mary Thomson, Victorian Golf Hall of Fame Members Michael Clayton, Bruce Green and Sandra McCaw, Golf Australia CEO Stephen Pitt, Golf Australia Board Member Jill Spargo, and Members of the Hall of Fame Selection Committee including Chairman Jeff Vincent.

The night opened with a special tribute to Jarrod Lyle and each attendee received a Challenge ‘Leuk the Duck’ pin. Later in the night the lives of three Victorian Golf Hall of Fame Members – Peter Thomson AO CBE, John Davis and Ian Stanley – were also remembered for their contributions to the golf industry.

The 16 KQ qualifiers in order for 2018/2019: Lindsay Bell, Cameron Mott, Chris Poulton, Ben Telley, Russell Donovan, Matthew Taylor, Michael Burgess, Peter Paccagnan, Josh Hall, Chris Anderson, Mathew Loughnane, Haydn Thompson, Julian Murray, Philip Drew, Shaun Smith and Anthony White.

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AWARD WINNERS GOLF VICTORIA AWARDS 2017 Inclusion Initiative

Pakenham Golf Club

GOLF MANAGEMENT VICTORIA AWARDS

MENTAL HEALTH - RESILIENCE

Employee of the Year

Callum Terrill (Metropolitan GC)

Our education day focused on mental health for ourselves and our staff.

Excellence in Management

Peter Parks (Commonwealth GC)

Wayne Schwass (Puka Up) lead the day with his story about living with mental health issues and how he is helping others deal with similar issues.

Pro Am of the Year (Metro)

Heidelberg Golf Club

Pro Am of the Year (Regional)

Bairnsdale Golf Club

Amelia Twiss (Psychologist) talked about emotional intelligence. She presented the SCARF model: a brain-based model for collaborating with and influencing others. Good for managers leading teams.

Vic PGA Legends Pro Am of the Year

Gardiner’s Run

PGA Legends Pro Am of the Year

Black Bull GC & Yarrawonga Mulwala GC

Club Pro of the Year

Heath Streat (Box Hill GC)

Management Pro of the Year

Josh Hall (Leongatha GC)

Nathan Tovey (Epar) finished the day off with practical information for Managers around compliance on Mental health in the workplace.

Game Development Pro of the Year

Christian Hamilton (Golf Vic)

Thank you to all who attended and participated in the discussions.

Apprentice of the Year

Dechlan Turkington

Superintendent Recognition Award

Steven Hewitt

VICTORIAN PGA AWARDS

VICTORIAN COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION AWARDS

www.gma.org.au | SAVE THE DATE: 2019 GMA National Conference | MCG, Melbourne | 6-10 October 2019

Bonville Golf Resort's Brad Daymond (left) and Graeme Martin (Image: Coffs Coast Advocate)

NEW SOUTH WALES

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE ASSISTS AT POPULAR GOLF EVENT

NEW SOUTH WALES

STAFF THE MOST IMPORTANT ASSET

“The course was in fantastic shape only three months out from hosting the Open,” GMA NSW Director Kieran Semple said.

“And we thank our event sponsor, InGolf & Utilities, distributors of Club Car.”

FRANCES CORDARO GMA State Operations Manager, NSW

The General Manager of Australia’s favourite golf course for the last two years, Brad Daymond, stresses staff as the most important asset of any business, in particular a golf club.

Presenting at the GMA NSW State Conference, the Group General Manager of Bonville Golf Resort said, “the biggest asset of your business is staff. It is also your biggest cost”.

Having worked at Bonville Golf Resort for over 26 years, Daymond is always pleased when he hears guests at the golf course comment on the behaviour of the staff.

“I love it when I have people telling me that my staff are friendly, that the room service ladies smiled at them as they walked through the resort.

“It means they are doing their job even when I am not looking.”

Daymond highlighted the need to invest in staff development and thus create a culture which fosters staff who love what they do.

“At Bonville we put a lot of time into hiring staff, our communication with staff, the culture. The staff must love the golf club, your product, so that then your customers love the product.”

Daymond identified two acronyms which

The annual GMA NSW President’s, Captain’s and General Manager’s Day was played in August at The Lakes Golf Club in Sydney, home to the 2018 Australian Open.

underpin his management style and the culture among staff at Bonville.

“Grace under pressure, or GUP, and problem and opportunity, PAO,” he said.

It’s so important that when there is an issue with catering or room service, that the manager does not lose his or her temper.

“When the pressure is on, you don’t want to blow up – grace under pressure,” he said. “But my real favourite is problem and opportunity. I love it when I can solve someone’s problem and not just send them away with an unanswered question.”

Daymond was confident his staff were delivering an exceptional experience to customers at Bonville while he was away today and solving issues to maintain its reputation.

“People will forget what you said, they will forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”

Video summaries from presentations at the GMA NSW State conference are available here

Popular on the golf calendar, twenty four clubs from across the state contested the Individual Stableford event with a 3-Ball Aggregate in conjunction.

“We were so pleased to have members of GMA NSW here,” Andrew Kirkman, General Manager of The Lakes said.

“In readiness for the Emirates Australian Open, we have been preparing the Club’s world class facilities for the last two years and with ninety days to go, it is about thanking our industry partners for their support and strengthening our valued relationships.”

The golfers played for the Alex Marks Perpetual Trophy for best individual General Manager score and The John Alenson Perpetual Trophy for best President, Captain and General Manager team score.

In the end a little home course knowledge saw the team from The Lakes take out the John Alenson Trophy with Great score of 100 points.

David Lulham, from Wyong Golf Club, had a terrific round of 2 under to win the Alex Mark’s Trophy.

Semple extended a special thank you to Schweppes, Garlos Pies, De Bortoli and Lion for providing product for the event and acknowledged the corporate partner teams from MPower Golf, Banktech and GolfNSW.

Golf Management Australia Journal | Spring 2018

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LATEST STATE NEWS NEWS FROM AROUND THE GMA NATION

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

2018 GMAWA STATE CONFERENCE NICOLE MARTINO GMAWA Executive Officer

The 2018 GMAWA State Conference was recently held in Geraldton, in WA’s Mid-West region.

The three-day event kicked off with a social game of golf at Spalding Park Golf Course, one of only two golf courses in Geraldton.

Attendees were treated to a NTP Competition in the Simulator and entry into the Club’s daily competition that was proudly sponsored by GMAWA. Unfortunately, GMAWA participants were nowhere near the top of the leader board! In fact, one Member who will remain unnamed took out the NAGA. Thank you to Spalding Park General Manager, Byron Clarkson, for welcoming us to your magnificent venue.

Day 2 and 3 of the Conference moved across town to the beautiful Geraldton Golf Course.

Sunday’s Conference was kicked off by Happiness Co’s Julian Pace, who delivered a passionate Keynote Speech that is “designed to support and impact people to better their lives”. The keynote and subsequent Emotional Intelligence and Workplace Culture workshops were very interactive and provided some great takeaways for the audience.

GMAWA Members Grant ShortlandJones, GM at Mandurah CC and Deborah Hupje, House Manager at Royal Perth GC also took the stage to deliver presentations on Club Planning and Development,

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and Food and Beverage in the Golf Club, respectively. Grant and Deborah shared their first-hand experiences of what works and doesn’t work in these areas - a great insight for those in the room.

The Executive Committee would like to thank Grant and Deborah for their contributions to the Conference and congratulate them both on the success of their presentations.

The educational component of the Conference was wrapped up in style by Clay Faulds of Oatley’s Fine Wines who treated attendees to a Wine Tasting Session. The Wine tasting provided an opportunity for Members to network and debrief the days learning experiences.

The third and final day of the Conference saw Geraldton Golf Course play host to the Billie Friedlander Trophy and State Matchplay Championship, before attendees braved the long 4 hour drive home.

Thank you to Geraldton Golf Club Manager, Sue Douglas, and her team who assisted with the successful running of the State Conference. It was an honour to be able to bring our Members to your Club.

“It was awesome to be able to show off our course and let others know what we have up here” Sue Douglas, Geraldton Golf Club Manager.

BILLIE FRIEDLANDER TROPHY It was an honour to have GMA WA Life Member Billie Friedlander (pictured above) in Geraldton to present the trophy to the winner, Grant Shortland-Jones.

Proudly supported by Callaway Golf Australia, the competing Members were treated to typical Geraldton conditions of clear blue skies and howling winds. The winds were clearly no issue for the in-form Grant, who won with 35 stableford points.

“It truly means a lot to win the Billie Friedlander Trophy. As a former GM of Mandurah CC herself, Billie has been a role model to me for many years and I’m honoured that she is here in good health to present her Trophy.”

‘SHORTY’ WINS 2018 STATE MATCHPLAY CHAMPIONSHIP The final of the State Matchplay Championship, which has been hotly contested by 19 GMA WA Members over the past few months, was played in conjunction with the Billie Friedlander Trophy.

Craig Ridge, Director of Golf at Lake Karrinyup CC was defeated by Grant Shortland-Jones, General Manager of Mandurah CC, 3/2.

Congratulations Grant!

Special thanks to GMA WA Captain James Wilkinson and the participating Members for administering and officiating the 2018 Matchplay Championship.

www.gma.org.au | SAVE THE DATE: 2019 GMA National Conference | MCG, Melbourne | 6-10 October 2019

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

GOLF SA CEO, CHRIS LUZ-RAYMOND, STEPS ASIDE IN SA

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN GOLF INDUSTRY AWARDS NIGHT Join the South Australian Golf Industry to celebrate the significant achievements of 2018.

One of South Australian golf’s proudest servants is calling it a day.

Chris Luz-Raymond, an active member and supporter of GMASA, retired in September as chief executive of Golf South Australia, after more than a decade in the post.

Luz-Raymond, much loved for his quirkiness, said the restructure of staff nationally as the One Golf model takes effect was the perfect opportunity to start the next phase of his life.

Golf Australia chief executive Stephen Pitt gave Luz-Raymond his “wholehearted thanks” for his service.

“Chris has been a loyal and dedicated administrator and we know that his efforts and team leadership have improved golf in South Australia markedly,” Pitt said.

“From his work with the former South Australian Golf Association until today, he’s been approachable to all in South Australia and for those of us around the country who came to learn of his passion and drive.

“While Chris has stepped away, his impact will endure, not least of which will be through his staff that will transition into the Golf Australia team under the One Golf umbrella.”

QUEENSLAND

JOHN DEERE TEAMS CHAMPIONSHIP Our John Deere Teams Event was held at the beautiful Links – Hope Island hosted by GM Tracey-Lea Tiley.

After playing on one of the Country’s best resort style course it was the team from Nudgee lead by their GM – Darren Richards who came through to win the chocolates.

Michael Ronan’s Ashgrove team finished in 2nd place and both team qualified for the John Deere Trans Tasman Final held at Maroochy River in September.

GM & PRO DAY – CALOUNDRA In August, we headed up to beautiful Caloundra Golf Club hosted by GM Jason Looker.

The South Australian Golf Industry Awards Night is an Industry initiative between Golf SA, the PGA Southern Division, Golf Management Australia (SA) and South Australian Golf Course Superintendents Association.

Luz-Raymond was full of praise for his staff. “(I) thank the Golf SA Team, past and in particular present, on behalf of all golfers in South Australia for their commitment to the promotion, advancement and administration of the game of golf,” Luz-Raymond said.

“It has been an absolute privilege and pleasure to work with you. None better. “(But) with One Golf now a reality, I take the opportunity to leave Golf SA a few months early into my retirement in the knowledge that the organisation and indeed the game of golf is in good hands.

“In doing so I thank the many, many people I have met through golf – committee members, golf administrators, industry stakeholders and others involved in the game.

“To those individual golfers for whom the game is their passion, their obsession, their ‘ joie de vivre’ and who have offered me all manner of advice on matters golf ... through their friendship during my tenure, I leave you with a quote from Harry Vardon: ‘Don’t play too much golf. Two rounds a day are plenty!’.

The annual event saw GMs invite their Professional and the PGA attended with Mark Weir presenting on a variety of areas the PGA are focused on at the moment and into the future.

Recently appointed Head Professional Tom Arnott, who had previously been at The Coast Golf Club and also Wantima Golf Club, finished the education section with some great experiences and stories from his time at the three Clubs.

The winners on the day were Course Architect, Richard Chamberlain, with 36 points, with Tom Arnott and Scott Wagstaff 3 behind on 33 points.

AGM AT OXLEY The second last event of 2018 will be the Annual General Meeting held at Oxley Golf Club, hosted by Brett Holland, on Monday 15th October.

It is intended to be an annual celebration to recognise achievements and contributions to the game of golf in South Australia.

Saturday, 27th October 2018 The Playford (Ballroom) 120 North Terrace, Adelaide SA. 7.00pm Pre-dinner drinks (Ballroom Foyer) 7.30pm Sit-down dinner (Ballroom) Dress: Evening wear (Lounge Suit / Cocktail Attire) Cost: $115 per person (All Inclusive) or $920 for a table of eight.

Includes pre-dinner drinks, 3-course dinner, drinks and entertainment

BOOKINGS CLOSE FRIDAY, 12TH OCTOBER REGISTRATION: Club Booking Form Individual Booking Form Info to pass on to your guests

QUEENSLAND

DUDLEY VON NIDA 2018 is drawing to a close with only Oxley’s round left.

The table heading into the AGM meeting looks like this: Pos

Name

Rounds

Average

Points

1

David Marr

6

4.83

29.00

T2

Scott Wagstaff

4

6.25

25.00

T2

Max Mason

4

6.25

25.00

T2

Aaron Muirhead

5

5.00

25.00

T5

Steven Middleton

5

4.00

20.00

T5

Mark Whiting

5

4.00

20.00

7

Charles McGill

7

2.57

18.00

T8

Jason Bradley

2

8.50

17.00

T8

Stephen Hutchison

4

4.25

17.00

10

Brett Holland

6

2.50

15.00

No doubt this will be a well attended meeting with the last golfing event of the year.

Golf Management Australia Journal | Spring 2018

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www.gma.org.au | SAVE THE DATE: 2019 GMA National Conference | MCG, Melbourne | 6-10 October 2019

INDUSTRY NEWS

GENERAL MANAGERS EXPERIENCE CHINA Following another outstanding GMA/CGE - FAM & Professional Development trip put on by the China Golf Experience team for GMA members, the following testimonial is by trip participant, Phillip Drew, General Manager of Sandringham Golf Club.

The eight years of research and relationship development by the team at China Golf Experience became very evident as the trip was seamless with everything meticulously planned and perfectly timed.

The accommodation was excellent and we were treated like royalty, eating outstanding food in a variety of restaurants and private dining rooms.

We were introduced to the resort managers, department heads and key personnel and had one on one time to ask questions as to how they ran their respective areas of operation. It is always good to get a new opinion on how a business is run.

The golf courses we played were all world class and the local caddies made navigating new courses very easy and enjoyable.

For those General Managers looking to offer golfing holidays in Asia to their membership, I can thoroughly recommend Kevin and Steve from GCE. On a professional development level, I have three important takeaways: 1. Never underestimate the value of training your staff 2. Make sure you have the right people performing the right tasks 3. Don’t be afraid to invest in extra staff to provide your valued customers with an exceptional experience I thoroughly enjoyed meeting two GMs and we had ample time to share ideas and discuss issues that were affecting our clubs.

This alone made the trip worthwhile.

Golf Management Australia Journal | Spring 2018

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INDUSTRY SUPPORT

CASUAL EMPLOYEES CLAIMING PERMANENT STATUS A recent Federal Court decision may have wide ranging consequences for employers employing casual employees, as Adam Clarke, Director at myhronline.com.au explains.

The Court found in favour of an employee first place. This becomes an issue for many employer not to agree to a casual’s request who successfully argued that they were employers in that a casual employee may for permanency. a permanent employee and not a casual, wait until they have left the employment In essence, this situation comes back to seeking to be paid annual and personal leave situation before making a retrospective how a casual employee is defined. The and other permanent entitlements. claim.

Federal Court’s definition basically stated As a result of this decision by the Federal Currently under the Fair Work Act, a that if there was a firm commitment to Court, employers could face these claims casual employee can request a change of ongoing and indefinite work, which can from casual employees be confirmed by a regular for benefits reserved for work roster for example, The Federal Court’s definition basically stated permanent employees such then there is a full-time as annual and personal or part-time employment that if there was a firm commitment to ongoing leave, as well as claims for relationship. and indefinite work, which can be confirmed by notice periods if they are To avoid these issues, a regular work roster for example, then there is a terminated. In a similar we recommend that case earlier this year, a employers review the work full-time or part-time employment relationship. casual employee was deemed relationships with their to actually be a permanent casual employees, to see employee and was awarded 15 years’ worth status to permanency (part-time/full-time) if they may fall into a permanent status. of annual leave. after 12 months of employment. Employers Employers may then want to consider if Already, casual employees have up to six can refuse the request on reasonable these employees should be moved to either years to make a claim for such entitlements grounds, including that it would require a a part-time or full-time employee status. after their employment ends. If a claim is significant adjustment to a casual employee's If this is the case, we recommend that successful, apart from the employer being hours of work, or they could foresee their documentation such as a new employment required to pay any outstanding entitlements position would no longer exist in the next contract is signed. to the employee, they may also be required 12 months. But as we have seen in the Please contact us if you require any to pay penalties under the Fair Work Act recent Federal Court ruling above, this advice regarding how this situation may apply to your business. for failure to pay these entitlements in the may no longer be a sufficient reason for an

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Need a little more support with HR but not sure where to start? We also offer a free HR Health Check – where we review all your HR documents, processes, contracts to ensure they meet HR Best Practice and most importantly legally compliant. This can be completed online by uploading your documents or via email if you prefer. We then supply a report detailing your current HR compliance and suggested changes plus list any new documents you may require.

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Golf Management Australia Journal | Spring 2018

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INDUSTRY SUPPORT GREG OAKFORD Senior Manager, Digital & Projects – Golf Australia @gregoakford on Twitter & Instagram

“CONTENT” PRACTICAL TIPS FOR A 2019 WORLD

We’re all past the days of debating whether it’s a good idea to take our digital marketing and communications seriously.

It’s time to take a deeper dive in the content we produce, or have produced for us.

It’s a broad brush term and probably something that gets overused in many contexts but ‘content’ needs a light shone upon it right here and right now and that’s what I’m going to attempt to do in this piece.

Understandably, we’re often drawn to the platforms that are currently being talked about. We throw around terms like organic and paid, which is great, you need to learn how platforms work.

But, we also need a strong focus on the content we’re posting on these platforms.

A huge variable to your digital success is the content itself. If your article doesn’t provide insight to its reader, if your image is resized so the edges are cut off, if your video is pixelated, and if your podcast episode has noise in the background, your content is simply not going to have the impact you want it to.

As some of the household platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn mature, many

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businesses are now pouring up to 50% of their marketing budget spend into the creation of valuable content. That’s on par with their paid media spend throughout the various platforms.

Previously, many were only investing 10-20% of their budget on the content.

This is a significant shift.

to interrupt what we’re seeking to do in our online activity.

WHY?

• Think about what’s interesting to your members and wider audience? Another way to look at this is, what’s in their best interests, not yours.

• Value can come in different shapes and sizes, it might be to inform, educate or even entertain.

• Quality over quantity. If you’re compromising on quality of content, you are more than likely wasting your audience’s precious time and attention.

Posting regularly is a good idea but only if you’re creating value.

• Content creation is subjective and you won’t get it right every time so it might be worthwhile engaging an agency or freelance content creator to set you on your journey from a creative standpoint.

The maturity of the market and people’s BS radars are up. We need to provide value through content in our marketing efforts and be much more subtle rather than ‘interrupting’ our audiences. News feed and in-stream advertising is less obtrusive than popup ads and hence get better results, however, nothing lasts forever.

It’s the same reason why the effectiveness of banner ads on websites has been reduced significantly over the past 10 years ago. We’re conditioned to know where they are on a website and we’ll do everything in our power to click the little “x” on the screen for them to disappear if they try

HOW DO YOU CREATE VALUE? There is no perfect science but there are some guiding principles you can use:

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BREAKING CONTENT DOWN TOOL S TO CHECK

1. WRITING

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The longest existing form of content, written word was the go-to way to communicate for thousands and thousands of years. The written word has certainly not gone away but with the emergence of technology, content is now consumed in much higher volumes via other sources such as video, audio and imagery.

written word)

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There is no doubt our attention spans have been conditioned for shorter bite sized content, particularly when viewing on a smartphone, which has often meant longer form written word content is not consumed as much. Having said that, written word still plays a huge role in how we communicate and should not be taken off the content menu. We do need to acknowledge, however, that it now has some neighbours.

Platforms that lend themselves to writing:

Websites / Medium / LinkedIn / Facebook / Email/Blogs

2. VIDEO Arguably the most powerful of content forms when done right, video can immerse viewers from both a visual and audio perspective. With video so accessible now in our daily lives via all of our smart devices, the medium has exploded.

It is estimated that, by 2020, 80% of global internet traffic will be attributed to video.

TOOL S T

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Platforms that lend themselves to video:

YouTube / Facebook / LinkedIn / Instagram / Snapchat / Vimeo / Websites

3. AUDIO Audio’s big distinction and advantage over other forms of content is that it’s passive. You can do other things whilst consuming. With smartphones on us all the time and the rise of voice devices such as Amazon Echos (via the Alexa voice assistant) and Google Homes (via the Google voice assistant), audio has a bright future. “Hey Alexa, play my golf club’s weekly update from our club pro”.

TOOL S TO CHECK

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Platforms that lend themselves to audio:

Apple Podcasts / Google Podcasts / Spotify / Stitcher / Soundcloud / Amazon Alexa and Google Home Assistant / Anchor

4. IMAGES We’ve all heard the phrase “a picture call tell a thousand words” and images on image friendly platforms have never been more popular to tell your story. Instagram is leading the way for image content in a 2018/19 world. Memes and quotes cards (i.e. an image or blank canvas with words laid over the top) are now part and parcel of regular image content.

Your smar tphone (you’ll be blown away at its came ra and editing func tionalit y)

Platforms that lend themselves to images:

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Instagram / Facebook / LinkedIn / Snapchat / Twitter / Websites / Email

TOOL S TO CHECK

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What’s the best form of content?

Well, you don’t get to choose. Your audience does. Sure, you can focus on the forms that you or your staff (or outsourced content creators) are best at, but you may be missing out on a big chunk of your audience who want different things.

Delve into your audience’s insights regularly and see which forms of content receive the best level of engagement. Even self-audit your own online content consumption. There’s no perfect science, but it’s time to experiment.

Golf Management Australia Journal | Spring 2018

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INDUSTRY SUPPORT

WHAT MILLENNIALS WANT Earlier this year Global Golf Advisors, in conjunction with Nextgengolf, released a follow up report to its ground-breaking 2017 study entitled ‘The Truth About Millennial Golfers’. GGA’s Michael Gregory, backed by the findings of the research, gives a Millennial’s take on what clubs need to do next to realise the clear opportunity this group presents…

We run the risk of a two-tier club membership model emerging. One where the long-held expectations and perceptions of existing, ageing members are at odds with the entirely different needs and expectations of a new wave of younger, more casual members.

The challenge for clubs? To create an environment which not only appeals to the new wave, but where members, of all types, can co-exist. For some club decision-makers this may be a source of discomfort, because enacting a change that leans one way or the other could potentially upset or alienate the other group.

From my experience, however, it’s clubs who resist change entirely that do themselves a disservice; sub-consciously siding with a diminishing number of older members, which, over time, makes their membership product less appealing to younger prospects.

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Now, being a Millennial, it would be natural or somewhat biased having conducted this research to declare that clubs need to change their value proposition for a younger audience, and that their survival depends on it. But while there is truth in this, clubs can and should choose to see this as an opportunity – it’s real, it’s there to be seized, and at some point (whether now or in the future) everyone will need to appeal to this new wave.

Seeing things from a Millennial’s perspective To help you on this journey, I’d like you to see the following as an insight into what Millennials think and feel about the prospect of joining your club. Each of the findings can provide the fuel for you to create a genuinely appealing product to this (potentially) lucrative group.

Millennials want flexible, scalable membership aligned to how they will utilise the club Think about what’s important in the life of a Millennial: work, health and fitness, family, friends – all of which impact on free leisure time. With such time and (in some cases) financial commitments already in place, a high-ticket membership subscription and entrance fee will not only be unappealing, it won’t even be on the radar.

51% of Millennial survey respondents stated their preference is a flexible membership with a low social fee that provides full access, with golf on a pay-peruse basis. Understandable when you look outside the four walls and find other leisure amenities and gyms offering ‘Build Your Membership’ options.

So, rightly or wrongly, Millennials prefer to customise and take an ‘á la carte’

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Millennials want more than just golf

approach, experience the product first (do you offer a membership trial?) and have confidence in the commitment they are about to make.

While this might sound like a ‘cake and eat it’ mentality, think about the lifetime value of these customers; if you can be flexible and deliver an outstanding experience from the outset, the likelihood is they will stay with you for years to come.

Millennials would prefer to pay a higher annual fee over an entrance fee Not only is the financial impact of an entrance fee off-putting, no matter how many years it can be spaced over, but Millennials also aren’t keen to commit or have a sense of being ‘tied-in’. Especially in cases where they are uncertain how much they will get to access the club (because of time constraints and family/work commitments).

This doesn’t mean to say Millennials will be looking to leave or switch clubs shortly after they join. They would simply rather not outlay a large financial sum at a time of life when, away from the golf course, they often have other life events and variable expenses (home-buying, weddings, children) to keep in mind.

The upshot – Millennials are receptive to a higher subscription fee, appreciating that greater flexibility should come at some cost to them.

From the research, we learned that 33 was the mostly likely age for Millennials to join – the ‘sweetspot’. A time at which Millennials, when considering membership, are also looking for fitness (71% of respondents), family access (65%) and a swimming pool (62%). Whether these facilities carry an additional, pay-per-use fee is at a club’s discretion, but simply the provision of such amenities can be a significant draw for a Millennial audience.

Something to bear in mind here: the provision of these amenities will help to boost the dwell time of Millennial members.

So, when paired with our other findings in relation to how new Millennials join a club (83% through recommendations from friends, family or colleagues) it stands to reason that the more a club becomes a part of someone’s routine or lifestyle, the more chance of them recommending membership to others.

A watershed moment When we embarked on this research with Nextgengolf, we did so with the ambition to grow the game and give the gift of golf.

What’s clear from working with club managers globally is that this is an ambition we all share.

Whether this is a watershed moment which helps you to rethink and act on how to connect with a Millennial audience is up to you. But from my, perhaps somewhat biased opinion, the ability for your club to shift gear and develop a genuinely compelling product offering to this group could help unlock those long-term members you are looking for – the ones who will form the future nucleus of your club.

Read the 2018 ‘Truth About Millennial Golfers’ Report

Note: The survey sample for the Truth About Millennial Golfers study focused exclusively on a sample audience of active, avid Millennial golfers with prior golf interest and experience in tournaments of golf events in North America.

This article was authored by GGA Senior Manager and Market Intelligence expert Michael Gregory.

For more information or assistance please contact Paul Hinton, Director at Global Golf Advisors phinton@globalgolfadvisors.com or call 0415 222 607.

FUTURE FORECAST What do Millennials really want?

AGILITY Millennials are mobile and will change levels of engagement more than previous generations.

LOYALTY/ INFIDELITY Given their agility, Millennial golfers require more robust and meaningful engagement to sustain their business.

RELATIONSHIP+ Millennials want to “connect” with the club to develop a sense of ‘ownership’ and cultivate a relationship that is more relational than transactional.

INCLUSIVENESS Millennials want inclusivity and often do not consider themselves to be ‘traditional people’. They are willing to try new experiences and co-create with golf businesses.

AFFORDABILITY Cost concerns are worries for Millennials and the biggest barriers between them and golf.

RELEVANCE Current membership, payment, amenity, and service options/ offerings do not appeal to Millennials in the same way as to previous generations.

Golf Management Australia Journal | Spring 2018

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GAME FOR MORE...

memories

Introducing the Club Car Tempo™ Designed with automotive styling and features that feel like upgrades, the brand-new Tempo represents the very best of Club Car: proven engineering, industry-leading durability, reliable comfort, and connected technology developed to enhance the ride and course operations.

Stories start here. See the new Tempo at clubcar.com and contact your Club Car sales representative for more information.

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INDUSTRY SUPPORT

UNDERSTANDING TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE PAUL VARDY Clubs & Facilities Support Senior Manager, Golf Australia

One of the best Captains I ever worked with had a standard question whenever an issue or concern was brought to his attention: “What’s the policy?”

This simple question was his way of range of decision making in order to achieve Other policies provide clarity on the club’s clarifying whether the issue at hand was the board’s ends. operations such as on the course with how a board issue or an operational issue. He Policy setting is very much aligned with a often greens are to be mown and the various understood clearly the framework by which board’s responsibilities of monitoring. A key cutting heights of grass. he, as a board member, was operating. It principle of good governance is that a board The board may set a whole series of has the impact of making everyone’s role should only monitor against pre-established policies that are binding on members and clearer, too. criteria. these are typically by-laws. As long as they A recent Golf Australia review of 435 In establishing a criteria for what it wants don’t contradict the club’s constitution, reports from the club health check found achieved a board avoids ad hoc monitoring by-laws can be changed by the board for that 35% of clubs reviewed policies every by individual board members and the communication to members at any time. year, 20% every two years, 19% every three unfairness of shifting goalposts that is the Typical by-laws relate to items such as; years and 25% said they never dress, access to the course and reviewed policies. practice areas, use of carts, visitors, When a board focusses on high level As part of a board’s stewardship payment of fees, extreme weather policies and getting these right, it can responsibilities, policies should and competition divisions. reduce risk and affect many issues with be reviewed on an ongoing basis.

Policies can serve the purpose of Policy setting demonstrates to keeping the club and its board out of far less effort. all stakeholders that the board trouble. These may include policies is operating in a consistent and related to environmental, workplace professional manner. cause of much anguish in clubs. The board safety, privacy and one that has come into Policy is simply an agreed basis for action policies create the criteria by which the much greater focus, a member protection ahead of time. Boards and managers can’t GM reports and the board monitors and policy that covers child protection, be at the club at all times, yet responsibilities evaluates. discrimination, bullying and complaints rest on their shoulders at all times. When There are different types of policies. In handling. a board focusses on high level policies and setting clear instructions about what is to So, regular review of policies is a great way getting these right, it can reduce risk and be achieved, an executive limitations policy for boards to fulfil their stewardship role, affect many issues with far less effort. sets out for the GM what can and cannot be reduce risks in and improve the performance Management, staff and in many cases done in the process. of the club. volunteers, can get on with the maximum An example may be that any purchasing Visit the Golf Australia Clubs & Facilities over $5,000 must be approved by the board.

Support portal for more information.

Golf Management Australia Journal | Spring 2018

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INDUSTRY SUPPORT

Toro Australia has recently welcomed several new apprentices to its Turf Equipment Service Centres.

This brings the total number of apprenticeships to seven, with numbers expected to rise in the near future.

5 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD CONSIDER AN APPRENTICESHIP AS A MOWER MECHANIC IN THE TURF INDUSTRY

Richard Walne, Toro’s Managing Director, said that Toro strongly believes in investing in the future of the turf industry: “Building long-term relationships with our customers and investing back into an industry that has been such a great supporter of us is one of our utmost priorities. Offering apprenticeships in our service centres, combined with ongoing education by external providers, is one way how we can ensure ongoing skills development in the turf industry.“ Simon Howard (pictured left), National Service Manager - Equipment, said most students who are interested in diesel engines often don’t look further than diesel mechanic’s courses. However, people who are interested in lots of variety in their job, enjoy a challenge and are eager to learn, and who like being outdoors, should consider an apprenticeship in “Mobile Plant technology.”

So, what are the advantages of an apprenticeship at a Toro Service Centre?

1. Broaden your skill set and learn valuable job skills With an apprenticeship at Toro you receive on the job training, combined with periodic trade school attendance. The work offers lots of variety as you will learn about automotive electrical, hydraulics, engines (large and small), transmissions, air conditioning, welding, blade sharpening and machining and a large range of diagnostics and problem finding.

It will give you plenty of opportunities to develop your communication skills by dealing with customers and you will have a chance to be outdoors a lot of the time.

Toro offers their own certified courses and a national network of Equipment Service Centres. As your skills develop, you will be exposed to more variety and different places to work including workshops, golf courses and sporting venues.

2. Earn while you learn As an apprentice, you will sign an employment contract for four years with Toro’s apprenticeship provider. Under the supervision of the Service Centre Manager, you will gain paid on the job training whilst studying towards a nationally recognised Certificate 3 in Heavy Vehicles - Mobile Plant Technology. There is further scope to gain post trade qualifications.

Apprentices are paid a wage which will increase from year to year as you learn new and more variable skills.

Anyone can be an apprentice: students, school-leavers, people re-entering the workforce, or adult workers wishing to change careers. Toro welcomes applicants from diverse backgrounds and is an approved Gender Equality employer.

Apprentices have the same rights to superannuation, workers’ compensation and other entitlements or requirements as all other workers in Australia.

3. Gain independence Apprentices gain their independence earlier than their peers who are studying as you are learning on the job, developing new skills and earning money.

There are also regular opportunities to travel interstate for industry training, keeping you up to date with the latest in technology.

Ongoing support and guidance is provided throughout the apprenticeship.

4. Stay ahead of others and jump-start your career School leavers often find themselves in a situation where they lack the experience to

Jack Sorenti – first year apprentice in his 4th week; Cheryl Cox – administrator; Blake Dzenis – Leading hand; Daniel Ribbons – first year apprentice since November

get a job, but they can’t get a job to obtain the necessary experience. An apprenticeship is a great way to start your professional career and gain that experience.

Apprentices can start their careers when they’re as young as 17 years old, and will earn and learn as they go.

5. Doors will open As Toro is an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer), apprentices are trained on original equipment and develop a unique set of skills that is highly regarded in the turf industry.

Toro is renowned for their premium equipment, and the people who work here and the customers who use our equipment are very passionate towards the company and its equipment.

The contacts you make during your apprenticeship could help you secure a job at golf courses, in the sports turf industry, with equipment dealerships, councils and equipment manufacturers.

What do past apprentices have to say: Blake Dzenis (pictured above) finished his apprenticeship at Toro’s New South Wales Service Centre in 2015, and then moved into the role of Service Technician and quickly progressed through to Leading Hand.

Blake enjoys working at Toro for many reasons: “Every day I am challenged to better myself as a Technician. The technical support throughout Toro Australia is incredible.

Everyone is willing to help one another to achieve the common goal.

“Toro really sees the potential in its employees and encourages learning new skills by offering

training days, which is very beneficial as there is always room to improve, I am learning new things every day,” says Blake.

“The turf Industry is in a league of its own. You gain experience in all categories of mechanics which include both diesel and petrol engines, auto electrics, hydraulics and most importantly the diagnostics of them all. You are not stuck in the day-to-day grind of services that may be seen in similar industries.

“I have travelled all over NSW in my time at Toro, from the city to all along the coast and into the west. The type of machinery we work on out in the field varies from smaller mowers to the larger side of the business, such as directional drills and trenchers,” says Blake.

Working over in Western Australia is Shannen Rowe, Toro’s first female apprentice and now a qualified Service Technician. She has been with Toro since March 2014.

Shannon also believes her role is very varied as it includes pre-delivering machines, diagnosing, repairing and servicing, as well as visiting customers.

She says: “I love that I am able to develop a close relationship with so many customers and the team I work with is great. We work on many different types of machines, I can work on push mowers, big ride-on mowers for golf courses, trenchers, compact utility loaders, utility vehicles and more, every day is different.

This gives me a very broad knowledge and Toro have been very supportive so that I can continue gaining knowledge.”

Shannon has recently accepted a position at a Toro equipment dealership allowing her to further develop her work experience in the turf industry.

Golf Management Australia Journal | Spring 2018

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INDUSTRY NEWS

NEW RULES OF GOLF BOOK PUBLISHED Golf’s new Rules have been published by The R&A and USGA before they come into effect on 1 January 2019.

For the first time, a new “Player’s Edition” of the Rules of Golf is being introduced to provide a shorter, more user-friendly version of the Rules for golfers at all levels.

This version, which will serve as the primary publication for all golfers, features: • A more intuitive organisation with 10 simplified topical groupings • A “purpose of the Rule” description at the top of each Rule, to better define why each exists • Easy-to-follow, full-colour diagrams and charts • A simpler, more direct writing style.

Two million copies of the Player’s Edition will be distributed by The R&A, all with the support of Rolex. The new book will be translated into more than 30 different languages. The Player’s Edition is being launched alongside the modernised full Rules of Golf book.

David Rickman, executive director of governance at The R&A, said: “We are delighted to be rolling out the modernised Rules of Golf today. This is the biggest set of changes to the Rules in a generation and a major step forward in our efforts to make the Rules, and golf itself, more accessible and more in tune with the way the modern sport is played.”

Thomas Pagel, senior managing director of governance at the USGA, said: “From the project’s inception, our one goal was to

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make the Rules easier to understand and apply for all golfers. It sets a new standard in the way we write and interpret the Rules and is central to our efforts to ensure a healthy future for golf. We look forward to continuing that process in the years to come.”

A new Official Guide to the Rules of Golf is also available in digital, on website and app, from today, with a printed version being released in November.

Designed for golf administrators and club officials, the guide features interpretations on specific Rules (which replace the current decisions) and includes the first jointlyproduced committee procedures document providing practical guidance to committees for running competitions and overseeing general play.

Another key feature is the Modified Rules of Golf for Players with Disabilities. This document is released alongside the Rules of Golf and enables players with disabilities to play fairly with other players with the same or different types of disability and, importantly, with those without disabilities.

The modified Rules were developed in close consultation with the community of players with disabilities and disability organisations.

All of the new books are available in digital formats on www.randa.org, www.usga.org and through The R&A and USGA Rules of Golf apps. A range of explanatory videos

and resources are available on both websites to enable all golfers to learn about the 2019 Rules.

Extensive educational programs are being conducted around the world, including Australia, to ensure that golfers and administrators throughout amateur and professional golf are ready for the new Rules when they take effect.

The process to modernise the Rules began in 2012 with the aim of making the Rules easier to understand and apply for all golfers and to help make golf more appealing and accessible for newcomers.

Some of the key changes in the new Rules include new procedures for dropping the ball when taking relief, the elimination or reduction of several penalties, relaxed putting green and bunker rules, and rules that encourage improved pace of play.

Golfers are reminded that the current Rules of Golf remain in effect for the remainder of 2018. The Rules of Amateur Status and the Rules of Equipment Standards were not part of the review process.

USEFUL LINKS THE MAIN CHANGES WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW RULES OF GOLF ONLINE

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Golf Management Australia Journal | Spring 2018

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BARNBOUGLE LOST FARM

CAPE WICKHAM

JACKS POINT

Great Golf Made Easy Book a group trip for your club’s members and enjoy:

 Greater member engagement and retention

 A new revenue source with no risk

 Opportunity to incentivise club staff It’s so easy! Take advantage of:

 One point of contact to organise everything

 Zero financial outlay & no admin requirements

 Our in-depth knowledge of golf destinations Speak to a member of The Golf Travel Agency and realise the potential of golf travel for your club and members.

Call us on (02) 9555 5311 or email us at: info@thegolftravelagency.com.au

www.thegolftravelagency.com.au 24

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EDITORIAL

COULD THE US MASTERS BE YOUR GOLF CLUB’S NEXT GROUP TRAVEL DESTINATION? There are a lot of opportunities for golf club travel, including domestic destinations like Tasmania’s King Island and Barnbougle, the Mornington Peninsula and Adelaide. Or you could go further abroad to New Zealand’s Queenstown.

But have you thought about the ULTIMATE golf club holiday to arguably the greatest golfing event in the world?

THE US MASTERS Attending the US Masters is a once in a lifetime experience for most people, and one that people like to share with friends and golf lovers alike. We’ve all heard the stories about the notoriously hard to access ticketing system and, for some, it may fall into the ‘too hard’ basket.

But what if you had someone to make it all happen for you? What if you were able to bring a group of travellers from your golf club and have your own trip paid for so you could escort them on the ultimate golf expedition?

With almost a decade’s experience travelling to the US Masters, The Golf Travel Agency are pleased to be able to offer your club the opportunity to take a group over to the US Masters, without any of the hassle involved in trying to book it yourself.

The Golf Travel Agency choose to stay in the heart of Augusta, with both private housing and hotel accommodation within walking distance of Augusta National Golf Club.

During Masters Week, Augusta is buzzing with excitement and when you stay in town, there is an array of restaurants and sports bars to choose from. You can share the Masters experience with people from all over the world who have come to do

the same thing as you immerse themselves in the greatest golf tournament of them all. You may even bump into the odd golf legend along the way, with caddies and players (both former and current) often sited in and around the main drag.

The last thing you want to do is waste hours each day travelling from surrounding towns in heavy event traffic and instead spend those hours inside in the gates of Augusta National and making the overall Masters experience the best it can be.

With The Golf Travel Agency you can enjoy completely flexible itineraries - you can choose exactly how long you stay, which days you want to attend The Masters and which days you would like to play some games of golf yourself on some of the best private courses in Augusta and surrounding areas.

In addition to our Masters Packages, we offer extension packages that you can addon either before or after Masters Week.

Why not turn your 7 night Masters trip into a 10 night package and play golf at some of the world’s greatest golf courses such as Pinehurst No 2, Pebble Beach or the array of courses in Las Vegas and Scottsdale!

The Tour itself is fully escorted by The Golf Travel Agency, so all you need to do while you’re over there is make sure your members are having an amazing time.

If you can’t quite get the minimum amount of people required to be able to escort the trip yourself at no additional cost, you can still make an easy referral commission on every person you recommend that books a package of 7 days or more.

This is a great opportunity to create amazing camaraderie amongst your membership and to take advantage of a new revenue stream with no financial outlay or risk.

Speak to a member of The Golf Travel Agency today about organising a US Masters Tour for your members and realise the potential of golf travel for your club! Call (02) 9555 5311 or email info@thegolftravelagency.com.au.

Golf Management Australia Journal | Spring 2018

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GOLF AUSTRALIA NEWS

NINE HOLES FROM NORTHERN IRELAND As the dust settles on an incredible 147th Open, Golf Australia has announced that, in 2019, two Australian golfers will fly to Northern Ireland to compete in the R&A's nine-hole championship final at Royal Portrush – the venue for the 148th Open – the day before championship week begins.

The second edition of the R&A's nine-hole championship final was contested on 14 July on the first four and closing five holes of the Championship Course at the famous Carnoustie links, creating memories to last the 42 competitors a lifetime.

“We were playing just ahead of Adam Scott and Rory McIlroy, who were practising on the course, so we felt like we were really part of The Open,” said Christopher Cudahy of Tadmarton Heath in Banbury, England, who partnered Andrew Sabin to overall victory in the stableford competition.

“When you stand on the first tee and they

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call your name out, with all the grandstands around you, it raises the hairs on the back of your neck,” Sabin said.

“It’s a nerve-wracking but fantastic experience. I will remember it for years.”

The experience of playing nine holes at Royal Portrush, a venue to which the championship returns for the first time in 68 years, just before the world’s best get into their work, will go to the best individual male and female stableford scores at the second playing of Golf Australia’s national Play 9 final.

This event will take place on the Saturday of the 2018 Australian Open at The Lakes

Golf Club in Sydney, with qualifiers earning their spots through nine-hole competitions across the country.

It is hoped this once-in-a-lifetime prize will act as a further incentive for Australia’s clubs and facilities to stage nine-hole competitions before the qualifying cut-off of 21 October, to maximise golfers’ chances to win.

These magnificent opportunities are part of a global focus on nine-hole golf, which is becoming increasingly popular.

It can be played socially or competitively and is playing a significant role in keeping passionate golfers engaged with the game during time-poor periods of their lives.

www.gma.org.au | SAVE THE DATE: 2019 GMA National Conference | MCG, Melbourne | 6-10 October 2019

ONE GOLF IN FULL SWING Australian golf has taken a huge leap forward with Golf Australia’s One Golf structure coming into full effect on 1st October 2018.

Governing bodies in Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Northern Territory have signed service agreements with Golf Australia that form the backbone of the new face of Australian golf.

Golf Australia chief executive Stephen Pitt said the participating state and territory governing bodies that have come under the GA umbrella would immediately benefit from the economies of scale created and would have greater resources to tackle the sport’s biggest grass-roots issues.

“This will deliver great efficiencies for Australian golf, allow us to maximise revenue and ultimately invest more back into growing the game,” Pitt said.

“It will create a more attractive system for our partners and I’ve no doubt we’ll grow our sponsorship revenue very significantly in the future.

“Most importantly, though, it will deliver an alignment and co-ordination between Golf Australia and the state and territory bodies that hasn’t previously existed.

“This is the most critical thing for Australian golf – to have really strong, aligned decision-making processes that share a vision so we ensure we are working in

harmony towards one goal, not many, as has historically been the case.”

“And we’re so appreciative of the approach of all the states we’ve worked with in terms of their care for Australian golf and their desire to see the structure become more streamlined and efficient.

“We are in ongoing dialogue with Golf NSW and Golf WA about the desirability of them joining the One Golf structure and we hope that those bodies will, in due course, come on board so the One Golf benefits can work in their states, as well.”

Pitt said the ultimate plan was to have One Golf operating in every jurisdiction in Australia and for golf to have the most efficient, streamlined and unified governance structure in Australian sport.

“There are a number of sports considering their structure and many are looking at what we are doing with great interest,” Pitt said.

“Over the next decade we will see an enormous change in the structure of Australian sport, I believe, and it is great that golf can be at the forefront of this revolution, rather than being slow to adapt and risk being left behind.”

GOLF CLUB PARTICIPATION REPORT FOR 2017 RELEASED Golf Australia is pleased to present the 2017 national golf club participation report.

PITT: THANK YOU TO THE GOLFERS OF AUSTRALIA Golf Australia chief executive Stephen Pitt is delighted that so many club golfers have already registered their email address to view their handicap.

More than 100,000 members signed on in the first two weeks to a process that will help shape the future of Australian golf.

"We appreciate the small impost we have placed on the golfers of Australia, but the information we have collected will be vital to us in growing the game," Pitt said.

"We thank the golfers of Australia for helping us in our mission and look forward to providing more timely, accurate and appropriate communications into the future."

For those who haven't done so yet, the next time you log on through the Golf Australia portal to view your handicap, you will automatically be presented with a short one-off online form to complete.

For additional information, click here.

The fifth of its kind, the report provides annual figures and trends on membership, competition rounds, general participation and specific program participation. The report breaks data into states/ territories, districts, gender and age. The 2017 report also includes participation data recorded from AusPlay and comparison trends with other sports.

The 2017 report highlights the national golf club membership is 389,672 members, comprising 80% male and 20% females.

This represents a 1.1% decline since the 2016 report with declines of greater than 1% in most districts around the country. This reflects the challenges facing traditional sports from a range of societal and demographic pressures.

Despite this, club golf remains vital to regional communities and golf remains the most popular club sport for adults in Australia.

Regional areas recorded an overall membership decline of 1.5% whilst metropolitan areas fell by 1.1%. Social memberships increased by 4.3%, now accounting for 5.7% of total club memberships. South Australia was the only state to record membership growth in the year with a 3.4% increase.

Golf competition rounds remain steady. In 2017 10.3 million rounds were recorded, a slight increase on 2016 and an increase of 0.7% over five years.

Click below to view the snapshot document or the full report. > Snapshot Document > Full Report

Golf Management Australia Journal | Spring 2018

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SHARING IS CARING October is Golf Month and, to celebrate, hundreds of golf clubs and facilities around the country are hosting fun, interactive activities aimed at getting new people into the game.

There is still time for you to be part of our annual participation drive in a variety of ways: • Plan a Golf Month activity for October and upload it to the Golf Month website • Promote your activity using the range of marketing materials available • Highlight to your golfers that they can win a trip to Northern Ireland for the 148th Open by sharing the game they love with the people they love • Take the lead by sharing the game you love with the people you love and posting it on your social media channels.

SWING FIT BEGINNER TO WINNER IN A HURRY

From a Swing Fit novice in December to a title holder by August, Kathy Ferguson is loving her new involvement with golf.

Recent Swing Fit graduate Kathy Ferguson has quickly gone from beginner to winner after taking out the Golf NSW Working Women’s tournament in the Hunter Valley.

Ferguson and 10 of her fellow graduates to the event.

After only having her first taste of golf via the Swing Fit program at Bardwell Valley Golf Club in December last year, Ferguson claimed her first trophy by winning the stableford event among a field of 100 women from across NSW.

“Kathy is a very enthusiastic golfer, but more importantly, a truly lovely person.

After taking part in the Swing Fit program, Ferguson got the golf bug instantly.

15,000 REASONS TO CELEBRATE MYGOLF MyGolf par-teed in style in July as it celebrated an important milestone, with 15,000 participants introduced to golf through Australia’s national junior program over the last twelve months.

Josie Laurie (pictured above), an eight-year-old golfer from the Sandhurst Club in Melbourne’s south-east, was the 15,000th MyGolf participant in 2017-18 and, to celebrate, she invited her fellow Sandhurst Club MyGolfers and friends to her the ultimate MyGolf party.

30 kids enjoyed golf activities hosted by PGA Professionals, a jumping castle, face painting and a MyGolf cake.

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She signed as a member at her club and has since played weekly.

Sydney-based Community Instructor Andrea McGann, who delivered the Swing Fit program at Bardwell Valley, drove

Gavin Kirkman, CEO of the PGA of Australia.

From Royal Melbourne to Kalgoorlie Golf Course there are now over 400 active MyGolf centres in Australia, all helping kids to take their first steps in golf, which has helped the program, run jointly by the PGA of Australia and Golf Australia, more than double in size in the last two years.

“Junior golfers are the future of our sport. Recognising the importance for a united national junior golf program the PGA of Australia and Golf Australia aligned to deliver MyGolf,” said

“We are delighted to have introduced 15,000 children to golf this year; it’s is a significant milestone for the MyGolf program and points to a bright future for Australian golf,” said Stephen Pitt, CEO, Golf Australia.

MyGolf is designed for 5 to 12-year-olds and provides a safe, fun and accessible introduction to the sport of golf by promoting skills development, as well as the social and fun aspects of the sport, to the wider community.

Josie clearly loves attending her MyGolf session every week at the Sandhurst Club.

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“I was so excited to see her win her first trophy in her first event,” McGann said.

“To see where she has come from to now win a tournament with such a big field, it has made me very proud.

“It’s great to be able to see these women progress from being introduced to the game through the Swing Fit program to being out on course competing in these events.”

Visit www.swingfit.com.au for more information on how you can get started with the Swing Fit program.

“I love playing MyGolf at Sandhurst because you can do it at lots of different places like the putting green and driving range, and lots of different holes on the course,” said Josie.

“The driving range is my favourite because you get to hit the balls far and the signs tell you how far you hit it.

“The party today has been really good and my favourite part has been the face painting!

Visit www.mygolf.com.au for more information on Golf Australia’s MyGolf junior program.

CALLAWAY PARTNERS WITH GMA GMA is proud to announce it has entered into a partnership with Callaway to further support the GMA membership over the coming years.

With Callaway being an iconic organisation within the golfing industry, GMA Executive Officer Jim Cail indicated “GMA was delighted to be partnering with Callaway over the coming years, which will include amongst other elements, Callaway’s presence at the 2019 GMA National Conference in Melbourne and an involvement in selected GMA golf days across the country”.

Mr Cail said, “to have such a significant and world-renowned organisation keen to work with GMA is a fantastic outcome, and GMA looks forward to a long and successful partnership”.

Matt Meredith, General Manager of Callaway Golf South Pacific indicated

“Callaway is proud to partner with GMA, a key group in the golf industry”. Mr Meredith also indicated “the team and I at Callaway are keen to develop stronger relationships with all GMA members to ensure we are meeting their expectations and providing their business with industry leading products and services. We believe Callaway can complement every Pro Shop and could in turn benefit every golfer”.

“Callaway enjoys a very strong alignment with both the Australian PGA and Golf Australia and believe the GMA is a logical partner to ensure we connect with General Managers across Australia. Working with both PGA Pro Shop Managers and General Managers is a logical synergy for us. We

look forward to seeing you at your golf events and conferences” said Mr Meredith.

Callaway is renowned for developing innovative products that help golfers hit longer and straighter shots from tee to green; controlled, higher-spinning shots around the green; and smooth, accurate putts. Callaway Golf consists of 4 iconic brands — Callaway, Odyssey, OGIO and TravisMathew – that together offer golfers all over the world everything they need to play better and enjoy the game.

For more information Callaway and their associated products, click here to visit their website

INCREASED VISIBILITY

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Golf Management Australia Journal | Spring 2018

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INDUSTRY SUPPORT

THE PROS AND CONS OF CLUB COMMITTEES PAUL VARDY Clubs & Facilities Support Senior Manager, Golf Australia

“The Pros and Cons of Club Committees” is the title of an upcoming Gregg Patterson and Norm Spitzig workshop touring America. It’s a great topic and something that triggers a bunch of thoughts about the role that committees play in golf clubs in Australia.

People who know Gregg won’t be surprised that he is an advocate of committees, always has been. He sees them as a chance to get members in the room, discuss, argue, debate and build tribe at every opportunity.

Norm on the other hand is probably like the most managers, weighing up whether the work that goes into committees, the reports, questions, opinions and the writing of minutes that follows is worth the benefits of the exchange of ideas and group buy-in.

But, what sort of committee are we talking here?

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In assessing the pros and cons of committees, perhaps the most important thing is to establish what the committees are actually for.

Are we talking “board committees” or “advisory committees”? Board committees are formed to help the board do its work, whereas advisory committees are there to provide advice to management to help do its work.

The way governance is handled at golf clubs is very diverse. The traditions of a club typically play a big part in the formation of its committees. Some clubs have seemingly

endless committees whilst other clubs have very few. We often see the blurring of the lines between board committees and advisory committees.

Governance expert John Carver suggests that chairs should resist the temptation to create overlapping roles between board and management. This is not always easy to do but with more governance information readily available than ever before, clubs should be prepared to question whether the practices of the past suit the current needs of the club.

One thing is clear, boards have certain legal duties that require attention to issues of audit, risk and governance. Whether these issues are considered during the board meetings or via committees that report back to the board, they need to be attended to. A board annual work plan can help schedule this work.

As part of good governance, it is also useful for club boards to have a nominations

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committee that specifically looks at board succession planning. This typically has occurred in a more ad-hoc way in golf clubs but could be formally incorporated into a governance committee.

Many clubs have a membership committee.

In addition to reviewing membership policy, it considers new member applications for recommendation to the board. The rest of the work in membership is largely administrative and so should sit outside of the committee, saving time and improving role clarity.

Most clubs have a match committee. Like a membership committee, most of this work is policy related, such as in setting and reviewing conditions of board events and competitions. The review of golf operations, often included in a match committee, is a management function that best sits outside committee.

When a club is planning a large capital expenditure, a board may set up a special project committee. These tend to have

that to have a CEO/GM and not empower him or her to the maximum is self-defeating.

In talking with GMs, it seems that many clubs no longer have a house committee.

There remains plenty of means for advice and feedback on house operations. The easiest way is to walk the floor and ask members what they think of this or that.

Staff are an essential source of knowledge as are suppliers, fellow club managers, industry experts and publications.

An excellent source of information is the women’s president who’s most likely going to have a good feel for what the women members are saying. Above and beyond conversations with members, results from the point of sale system, profit and loss reports and member surveys are all essential feedback.

The other major operational area of the club is golf course maintenance. As golf courses attract the greatest amount of interest and criticism from members if things are not right, there are probably few

In a golf club setting, a low handicap is strangely viewed as a proxy for a sound knowledge of agronomy and a licence for strong opinions. a limited lifespan related to the project completion and are useful as long as the accountabilities are clear.

This brings us to the areas of house (sometimes called house and functions) and course (greens). As the major operational areas of the club, committees for house and course should be advisory committees.

Let’s start with house committee which includes food and beverage. Many of the issues that arise in a typical house committee do not relate to policy and so are a function of management. The days of stacking a house committee with board members and board appointed co-opted members may be on the way out.

John Carver suggests that when a board appoints a committee, it controls the mechanism for advice. When an advisory committee is set-up by the board, it’s not uncommon that a power imbalance forms resulting in managers taking instruction from the committee, not advice. Advice, in its true form, is something that can be freely accepted or rejected. Carver goes on to say

club boards prepared to forego a course (greens) committee.

Most general managers will admit the superintendent has the most difficult job in a golf club. Not only do they have to manage multiple stakeholders, they have mother nature to deal with as well as the inherent limitations of the site (age and profile of greens, age and state of irrigation system, shade, traffic, etc.). Superintendents most often sit on course committees populated with board members with a very keen interest in the golf course and a knowledge of comparative golf courses. In a golf club setting, a low handicap is strangely viewed as a proxy for a sound knowledge of agronomy and a licence for strong opinions.

Whilst the course committee should act in an advisory capacity, it has an important role of developing policy and long-range initiatives to recommend to the board.

The USGA Guide for Green Committee Members gives some great advice and highlights some common mistakes that greens committees make such as; short

tenure leading to ad-hoc planning, unbalanced representation (i.e. skewed to low markers) and a desire (often insatiable) to leave a mark on the course.

Another mistake, if left unmanaged, is the tendency for micromanagement. We’ve all heard of cases whereby an enthusiastic course chairman with a strong personality soon establishes himself (mostly a him) as a pseudo course superintendent. One such example saw the chairman requiring that the superintendent meet with him at 7am each morning. Carver refers to the risks of board members “indulging their personal interest” when it can only be justified in relation to debate about the board’s own policies.

This takes a level of discipline and a sound knowledge of governance, particularly by the chairperson of the board. An understanding of governance fundamentals can be a great help.

This debate on committees raises the issue of the important role that policy review and formation plays in good governance and whether board members singularly focussed on an area such as the golf course, should be on the board at all. They maybe best invited on an advisory course committee only, and one with a charter which gives a clear understanding of the role of policy and with clarity about what advice really is.

So, the pros and cons of committees is a great topic by Gregg and Norm. It would be fascinating to see how the debate unfolds.

Being two experienced managers, I’d expect that either way, both would maintain the required level of control over advisory committees, whilst respecting the work of the central role of the board in audit risk and governance committees.

From a role clarity perspective, the issue of whether the committee is set-up to be a “board committee” or an “advisory committee” is central to the debate.

What do you think?

Improve your knowledge of boards and committees. Register for Governance Fundamentals e-learning course – it’s only $49.50.

In addition to managers, it’s ideal learning for the chair of the board and board members.

Go to the tab on the GMA home page or at the homepage of the Clubs & Facilities Support portal

Golf Management Australia Journal | Spring 2018

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PGA OF AUSTRALIA

MYGOLF: GROWTH FROM GRASSROOTS 32

www.gma.org.au | SAVE THE DATE: 2019 GMA National Conference | MCG, Melbourne | 6-10 October 2019

GEOFF STEWART

General Manager Membership & Education

Is your Club doing all you can to contribute to the growth of your sport, or do you believe that is the responsibility of someone else?

With sports all actively targeting children as the next generation of players and fans, junior participation programs are now viewed by every sport as the cornerstone for future success and golfers, volunteers, clubs and golf industry employees must all play a positive and active role in this area.

Golf has an obligation to itself to compete strongly in the junior participation landscape and a fully united commitment is required if the sport is to reach its true potential.

In past years, golf lacked a unified approach from the sport’s national and state governing bodies in relation to junior participation programs, but with this issue now fully addressed via the development and establishment of MyGolf and its associated programs, now is the time for

all clubs and facilities to commit to their role in the growth of the sport. MyGolf is a program without barriers that is designed to introduce children to the sport, facilitate their learning and prepare them to play on course.

If golf is to take-on and compete with the large and well established junior participation programs as offered by other sports such as AFL Auskick, Tennis HotShots and MiniRoos, golf clubs must be unwavering in their support of MyGolf in order for the sport to thrive in the future. Golf clubs that are not offering their community a junior golf program, or clubs that are offering a non-MyGolf junior program are not providing the sport with the best opportunity for long-term success.

AFL, cricket, tennis and soccer all have the

Golf Management Australia Journal | Spring 2018

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distinct advantage over golf in that every one of their local clubs and facilities are dedicated to their respective national junior participation programs, with none offering a competing product or brand. Local cricket clubs, football clubs and basketball clubs also all understand that local responsibility for junior participation programs will lead to growth in participation at the local level, where the sport is played and enjoyed.

Now is the time for golf clubs and facilities to act and follow the successful and proven formula of other sports. All clubs and facilities must fall into line behind one junior participation program and brand. With the MyGolf Clubs Program available, complemented by MyGolf Schools (Sporting Schools) and the MyGolf Junior League, the pathways from schools to clubs and participation to playing are now established and accessible under a structured and recognised national brand.

MyGolf Benefits The MyGolf Program (Clubs), MyGolf Schools Program and MyGolf Junior League have all been designed to increase junior participation in the sport of golf and develop the next generation of golfers and golf fans for the industry. The benefits of the program include the following: • National branding, marketing, promotion and communication under the MyGolf brand.

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• National MyGolf Centre search functionality, registration and payment portal for parents.

• Consistent national curriculum with flexible delivery permitted.

• Ability to set flexible program fees, with no fee payable to governing bodies.

• Participation packs provided to all MyGolfers.

• Program specific training provided to PGA Members, PGA Trainees, Community Golf Instructors and school teachers to deliver the program safely, effectively and consistently.

• Unique MyGolfer-only engagement opportunities available.

• Access to the MyGolf Junior League to provide participation based competition for children.

• Link between MyGolf Schools (Sporting Schools), MyGolf Club and MyGolf Junior League to create a pathway for juniors from schools through to clubs for sampling, learning, on-course play and competition.

Benefits of full club and industry support of MyGolf Whilst the benefits of the MyGolf Program are obvious and significant, without support from all golf clubs and facilities, the program will continue to be limited in its capacity to attract the attention of parents and children amongst the variety of offerings available in junior sports participation. Other sports will continue to

hold a significant advantage over golf when vying for registrations with their unified and effective ‘one brand, one program and one message’ approach. In summary, the benefits and advantages of full industry, club and facility support of the MyGolf Program include the following: • Elimination of any confusion about golf ’s junior participation program.

• Provide golf with an opportunity to fully compete with other sports for juniors.

• Provide an increased chance of securing commercial support of the program.

• Maximisation of marketing spend and investment to increase awareness.

The question now has to be posed to all clubs and facilities not offering the MyGolf Program to their members and wider community – why not? If you are committed to the sport, why are you not delivering your sport’s national junior participation program?

Now is the time to act. We have a national junior golf brand, MyGolf which gives the

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sport a chance to compete with the offerings from other sports. The program is well structured and offered in approximately 300 golf clubs and facilities around Australia, but imagine the impact that could be made by golf if over 1600 golf clubs and facilities were fully engaged with MyGolf? For the future of the sport, if you are one of the approximately 1300 facilities not delivering MyGolf, you need to go to the MyGolf website and take action now.

What action can I take?

All golf clubs, facilities and individuals have MyGolf options and can take immediate action and align behind the MyGolf Program and brand: • If you do not currently run any form of junior golf program – go to the MyGolf website and register your facility.

• If you currently run a non-MyGolf junior program – go to the MyGolf website, register your facility and transition to the MyGolf Program.

• If you have registered as a MyGolf Centre but are not active – activate your MyGolf Program as soon as possible.

• If you are currently an active MyGolf Centre – look for ways to grow your program, such as offering a MyGolf Girls Program, MyGolf All Abilities Program or MyGolf (Sporting Schools) at local schools to generate further interest in the sport in your area. Go to the MyGolf website for further information.

• If you are a parent or golf club volunteer wanting to be involved as a MyGolf Program deliverer, go to the MyGolf website and Community Golf Instructor website to find out how to be involved.

It is never too late to take action in the area of junior participation - golf ’s future successes can be built on MyGolf.

USEFUL MYGOLF LINKS MyGolf Website Community Golf Instructor Website

PGA OF AUSTRALIA STATE MANAGERS David Barker – NSW & ACT dbarker@pga.org.au 0413 681 691 Nick Dastey – VIC/TAS/SA ndastey@pga.org.au 0400 232 824 Broc Greenhalgh – QLD/NT bgreenhalgh@pga.org.au 0402 021 280 Kim Felton – WA kfelton@pga.org.au 0413 404 380

Golf Management Australia Journal | Spring 2018

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COURSE REVIEW

STRATHFIELD GOLF CLUB ROHAN CLARKE | Australian Golf Digest, August 2018

Just three kilometres from Sydney Olympic Park in a bustling part of the harbour city, Strathfield Golf Club has long been a pillar of the Sydney golf scene.

THE DETAILS Strathfield Golf Club Address: 52 Weeroona Rd, Strathfield, NSW 2135 Green fee: $60 for social groups (subject to availability) Phone: (02) 9642 0326 www.strathfieldgolf.com.au

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It’s proud history can be traced back to 1898 when the course was situated between The Boulevarde and Homebush Road on what is now known as Strathfield’s Golden Mile of stately multi-million dollar mansions and federation homes.

But times change and the private club’s ageing facilities needed a makeover. In a bold attempt to reinvigorate the golf experience, three years ago Strathfield made a sensible decision to sell off its practice range, old clubhouse and car park to be redeveloped for residential housing.

Metro Property paid a cool $52.5 million for the opportunity, subsequently building 50 stylish new townhouses on a portion of the land that range in size from two to four bedrooms. Metro Property has since on-sold the clubhouse and car park site to developer Conquest, which has plans for two high-rise

apartment towers. ‘The Greens’ will have about 180 apartments across two ninestorey towers.

The mega-deal has allowed Strathfield to retire a $2 million debt, build a luxurious new clubhouse and fund course improvements on its property that neighbours Rookwood Cemetery, the largest necropolis in the Southern Hemisphere.

The club is confident its business plan is sustainable over the long term given the old clubhouse used to host more than 250 wakes a year.

At a cost of more than $20 million, the clubhouse will feature a lounge bar, restaurant, sports bar, café, gaming area and a 300-seat function centre as well as underground parking for 170 cars with a further 150 on-grade car spaces. The vast new golf shop has three hitting bays, each

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with simulators for club-fitting, lessons and rounds of indoor golf. Add a new fleet of up to 60 golf carts, and Strathfield will rival The National and Royal Sydney for the most exquisite clubhouse in Australia.

The current Strathfield site is unique. The Cooks River runs through the course where it forms the last green wetland area before the river morphs into an open concrete canal that leads all the way out to the estuary in Botany Bay near Sydney Airport. (The property’s important biodiversity is further emphasised by the breeding boxes for the red-tailed parrot that the club maintains around the par-3 fifth hole.)

Selling off the practice area, clubhouse and car park required a re-routing of Strathfield’s existing layout that opened in 1931. Sydney-based course architect James Wilcher was selected to reconfigure the 18

holes around the new relocated clubhouse on the western side of the property next to Rookwood.

Wilcher has designed loops of eight and 10 holes that return to the clubhouse. (Eight holes are located on the eastern side of Centenary Drive). Thus far, 14 new green complexes and 16 new tees have been added at a cost of $6 million.

The new course measures slightly more than 5,900 metres with a par of 70. That’s a marginal increase in length on the former par-71 layout. Significantly, the new routing is a vast improvement on the old layout that featured three back-to-back-to-back par 5s on holes 8, 9 and 10.

The course is less claustrophobic. More than 200 trees have been removed – and 200 planted away from playing corridors as well as several thousand native shrubs and grasses – mostly over the new back nine on the eastern side of the property. Importantly, the 50 new townhouses that overlook the par-3 16th and 17th tee (fetching prices of between $1.75 and $2.2 million) don’t detract from the golf experience.

Flemming Contracting carried out all the shaping and their superb contour work is apparent on the front nine. Nearly 20,000 cubic metres of fill was removed from the site of the new clubhouse and transported over to the second green and seventh fairway/green. That’s created a visually appealing high point on the relatively flat site, which makes for a more memorable experience.

Strathfield always had 18 holes open during the renovation work. The inconvenience to members was paramount – they played on good-quality temporary greens sown with bent for the two-and-ahalf years it’s taken for the reconfiguration to come to fruition.

Visitors to Strathfield will appreciate the transformation and conditioning. The redesign features A1/A4 bent on the putting surfaces, couch on the green surrounds, zoysia on the bunker faces and kikuyu on the fairways.

The putting surfaces are a lot more interesting than the old greens that used to be small, round and relatively flat.

From a visual perspective, the brilliant white sandy façades of the new bunkering provide a spectacular contrast to the green surrounds.

Wilcher has introduced lots of swales and run-off areas around the green complexes.

The surrounds are closely mown to encourage a variety of shots, in particular putting rather than flops and pitches.

“There’s some good character-building holes out there,” says general manager Neil Hardy. The opener is certainly an example.

It’s a ripping par 4 of 425 metres with the Cooks River stretching the entire left side.

The longest hole on the course is one of the most intriguing. The par-5 15th stretches 525 metres and the tee shot plays through a narrow chute to a fairway that doglegs slightly left. Two intimidating bunkers flank the plateau-style green, which has a narrow opening that enables an approach to be bounced through and up onto the elevated putting surface.

But the course renovation is only part of the Strathfield story. Once the clubhouse is fully operational in early spring, Strathfield Golf Club will be the envy of most golf clubs in the Sydney metropolitan region.

Strathfield Golf Club is a club on the move.

Visit Australian Golf Digest’s website for all the latest golf news and course reviews.

Golf Management Australia Journal | Spring 2018

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INDUSTRY SUPPORT

IS YOUR FACILITY WOMEN FRIENDLY? For a sport knowingly having to fight tooth and nail to gain and retain new members, nowadays, many golf clubs still make the silly mistake of often overlooking a vital part of our market base; the female golfer.

MIKE ORLOFF

Club Marketing Specialist Golf Industry Central Mike Orloff is a US and Australian PGA Member with more than 25 years of industry-wide experience, including 18 years working for two of the biggest international golf management companies in Australia and the USA – American Golf Corporation and Clubcorp.

Now based on the Gold Coast, Australia, Mike consults to clients directly as well as via workshops and conferences in New Zealand, Australia and South East Asia.

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A game deeply rooted in history and tradition, it might seem as golf is finally starting to see the light. According to reports, more women are being accepted at the professional level compared to only a few years ago, and even the oldest, most staunch of golf clubs seem to be changing their ways. British golf club Royal St. George, which once posted the sign “No Dogs, No Women”, revoked their female ban in 2015 and voted to allow female golfers and ended a 128-year male-only policy.

The facilities that take a proactive approach to welcoming the female market segment will not just grow their female member base, but will also increase their male member base at the same time. All big decisions, like what club to join, are not just made by a single person in relationships nowadays, but are usually mutual decisions between both parties. So where one goes, the other normally follows.

But there’s plenty of work still to be done.

According to Golf Australia’s participation report last year there were a couple of areas of concern, predominantly golf ’s performance in attracting female members.

Of new members in 2016 only 15% were female, meaning only 20% of members in total are female, indicating a decrease from 21% in 2012, which is a new record low.

Additionally the rate of decline in female membership was 3% in 2016, far greater than the 0.2% decline in male members.

So what’s being done?

On a national level, governing bodies within the sport is now forced to recognise the imbalance between the genders and are putting strategies in place. Earlier this year Golf Australia launched their 2025 vision for the future of women and girls in golf.

The four-pillar strategy aims to significantly increase a female club membership rate,

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along with improving culture at golf clubs around the country.

In New Zealand, NZ Golf launched the female focused initiative “She loves golf ” a few years back, which is a program aimed at introducing and encouraging more females onto the course for the entire month of November.

1.

Put potted flowers on the 1st and 10th tees as tee markers for the Lady Competition.

2.

Offer smaller portion food sizes and healthy alternatives on the menu.

Is your facility “women friendly”?

3.

When revenues and popularity are in decline, there’s plenty of room for reinvention. So what do you do? Get on the bandwagon and let “the other half ” in!

Naturally, as with aiming to attract any new market segment, there are a few variables differing in preferences between groups when it comes to club environment and management culture at our facilities.

How do you rate the cleanliness of the restrooms, locker rooms, and general clubhouse areas? Are we stocking the appropriate sized clothing in our pro shops that should have mirrors and clean, discreet changing areas? When did you last go out and play a round of golf (or a few holes) with your female members or showed up to help with their presentations?

Visit Golf Industry Central’s website to catch up on all the latest industry news, employment vacancies and marketing tips.

6 SIMPLE IDEAS FOR A WOMEN-FRIENDLIER FACILITY:

Introduce and connect your fema le members with other female members and gues ts at the club.

4. Give women many options for accessing the course. Many women are mums and cannot mak e it to the golf course until they drop off the kids to school or daycare. Offer alternative competitions (ie 9 hole, 6 hole, clini c on the range, etc.) for the beginner women so they can enjoy their limited free time at the club. Include the beginner in any presentations that may be occurring on the day.

5. Have female representation on the club’s committee along with some female staff members where possible.

6. Offer a “join with a friend” offe r to increase membership intake for your club.

If you simply show you really care and attend to the small things – you’ll make a big difference.

How are you communicating with your various target markets – including the local market of pote ntial customers and your exis ting customers? We can help by suggesting ways to improve your communication methods.

Click here to contact Mike Orloff

at Golf Industry Central

Golf Management Australia Journal | Spring 2018

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INDUSTRY SUPPORT

HOW TO WRITE AN ENGAGING GOLF NEWSLETTER Golf newsletters are an easy way to increase engagement and connect with your members. To get you started, MiClub’s Marketing Coordinator, Jason Doust, has put together this helpful list of tips on how to write an engaging golf newsletter.

As a form of communication, newsletters are quite straight forward. Essentially, you list everything that is happening at your club over the month, keeping everyone informed and promoting more golf. Anyone can send a newsletter, although it is easy to underestimate just how intricate it can be to construct a newsletter that actually gets read!

1. Keep it focused Feature one key piece of content. Many newsletters lose readers because they are so cluttered with information. Your newsletter should have one key piece of information that sets the tone of the email.

Readers will generally only spend a minute reading through your newsletters. So keep it focused! You could feature information about an upcoming competition, tips from your local golf pro, or other engaging

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content. Additional news items should be short and concise with links that direct readers to a page where they can read more.

2. Know your readers Personalise your email to reflect your club culture. If the newsletter is for your members, your content should speak to them. Consider what information your members are interested in and then provide it. Quality and personality in content will always be more engaging when it’s relevant to readers.

4. Design consistency The key to designing professional looking newsletters is keeping it simple. Colours should be brand consistent and one font type should be used for all text. One common theme should also be consistent throughout all published newsletters. Too many colours

3. CONTENT IDEAS • Update from the board of directors, golf director, or general manager.

• Member profile • Pro athlete profile • Special offers • Q&A • Surveys and member feedback • Event feature • Event calendar • Competition results • Golf store product reviews • Images of staff and members • Images of the course and facilities

www.gma.org.au | SAVE THE DATE: 2019 GMA National Conference | MCG, Melbourne | 6-10 October 2019

7. CALL-TO-ACTION

The key to designing professional looking newsletters is keeping it simple.

or overstimulating designs can have a negative impact on the readability of the newsletter. The MiClub Enews system comes with a branded template designed by the MiClub creative team. This tool allows you to create newsletters with professional pre-designed snippets, saving time for administrators.

For more information on design consistency, check out this great article from Design Shack.

5. Avoid excessive promotional content Newsletters are supposed to be a source of information! Including too many ads dilutes the quality of your newsletter by taking readers attention away from the story. Limit newsletters to only one or two promotions to maximise engagement.

8. Add Links Using links in your newsletter are very useful when referencing websites or a contact email. To add links to the MiClub Enews system just highlight the text that you wish to link and then click the link icon.

If you add a website URL into the “Link” field this will direct readers to that website.

If you wish to add an email link, simply write the phrase “mailto:” into the link field, followed by the email address you wish to direct the person to.

9. Proofread and test!

Before sending your newsletter be sure to thoroughly proofread and test your email.

Send a test email out to your personal email address for final check.

• Are there any spelling or grammar errors?

• Click on all links/buttons. Do they work?

• Does the email display correctly on mobile, tablet and desktop devices?

Email display can appear different on other mail clients or devices. The way an email looks in Outlook might look very different in Gmail. Your email might look great on a desktop computer, but when you look at it on a smartphone the images

Include one main call-to-action.

A call-to-action is a button or link that incites clicks or a response: “Click here!”, “Call now!”, or “Sign-up!”. To ensure the reader’s attention is not diverted from your links or buttons, include only one main call-to-action near the top of the email.

aren’t clear. If there are display issues you might need to make changes to your content.

10. Analyse reports Check campaign reports 2 weeks following the mail out. Improve the newsletter content by observing clicks and other performance metrics. How many recipients opened the email? If there was a low percentage of opened emails, then there could have been an issue with the subject line. How many recipients unsubscribed from the newsletter?

If there are people unsubscribing, then the content in the email might not be what they signed up for. Identifying what your readers are engaging with can provide ideas for future newsletter content.

For some more useful ideas on writing newsletters check out this nice article from HubSpot!

For more information on websites & Enews systems, visit MiClub’s website

6. Clear subject line and sender name This is the first thing your recipients will see. Who is sending the email and what it is about. If the subject of the email is not relevant, chances are your content will not be read. The subject line should summarise the key topic of your newsletter while grabbing the recipient’s attention. In the “From Email” section include an address you want people to reply to. This might be “enquiry@golfclub.com.au”. The “From Name” will display the name of the sender.

This could be the name of your golf club or a name that you have given your newsletter.

Golf Management Australia Journal | Spring 2018

41

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Take online golf bookings.

Process scorecards.

Manage competitions.

Promote your course.

Streamline key golf

Improve operational

Reduce administration

Engage golfers with

operations with an

efficiency and lower

activity and improve

apps, email marketing

easy booking system.

material costs.

player experience.

and golf vouchers.

www.gma.org.au | SAVE THE DATE: 2019 GMA National Conference | MCG, Melbourne | 6-10 October 2019

EDITORIAL

INSIDE GOLF SET FOR MAJOR BOOST VIA QANTAS, ISUBSCRIBE, GOOGLE AND FACEBOOK Australia’s Most-Read Golf Magazine, Inside Golf, has announced an expansion of their market-leading print distribution model, as well as a variety of online initiatives to further boost the title and provide a stronger voice to golfers than ever before.

Starting with the November issue, Inside Golf will be immediately available within Qantas lounges at all major airports throughout Australia (Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Hobart, Adelaide, Perth, Gold Coast and Cairns.) The agreement will not only provide Qantas travellers with Inside Golf’s award-winning golf and travel content, but will also boost the exposure of the magazine (and its loyal advertisers) to the multitudes of travellers who frequent the Qantas lounges each month.

“We are extremely proud to have our magazine now available in Qantas lounges,” says Sam Arthur, Publisher and owner of Inside Golf. “We have long believed that our magazine offers some of the best Australian golf content in the industry, and to now be able to share that content with an expanded group of respected Qantas travellers is very exciting.”

In addition, Inside Golf has recently partnered with online distributor isubscribe (www.isubscribe.com.au/Inside-GolfMagazine-Subscription.cfm) which will provide a home-delivery subscription service for the magazine. An annual subscription to the magazine is set at $59, making it the most affordable Australian golf magazine available (roughly half the price of the other leading golf magazines).

“The home delivery model is in direct response to numerous reader requests over the years,” Arthur says. “While our magazine has always been available at clubs across Australia, we continue to get requests from readers who either can’t make it to their club every month, or who simply want to give it as a gift to someone who loves golf.”

In their online platforms, Inside Golf has also seen solid online growth over the last two years. A recently-relaunched Digital version of the magazine—which is now accessible via all operating systems across all devices—has been well received by readers, while a recent integration with Google News has also seen a steady uptick in website visitation.

Meanwhile, the magazine’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/insidegolf), and their online email database/community have seen a meteoric boost in numbers.

“After two years of strong investment—in both time and money—our ever-growing Facebook community has clicked over to 20,000 fans, while our email database/ community is well over 32,000,” Arthur says. “Most importantly, however, is that these are organically-grown, genuine, active, engaged Australian golfers who love the game of golf. They are a loyal and energetic community that, I believe, are second to none in terms of engagement, loyalty and value to advertisers.”

Click-through numbers for recent Facebook and email campaigns appear to back up Arthur’s sentiments, with some recent Facebook promotions reaching in excess of 150,000 people each, while Inside Golf’s monthly Insider E-News newsletter is

currently enjoying a strong 30% open rate and 15% click rate (well above the industry average of 20% open/4% click rate). The weekly “Inside Golf Weekly” newsletter, too, is receiving a staggering 45% open rate and 15% click rate.

“We are actively delivering campaigns for our print clients every day throughout the year,” adds Arthur. “Currently, we’re running over 90 print and online client campaigns.

Why? Simply because these clients want to get their brands exposed to the tens of thousands of engaged golfers who read our magazine each and every month. Our loyal advertisers all realise that we attract engaged and valuable audiences right across Australia and New Zealand, and we connect advertisers to our audiences in creative and highly effective ways.”

Inside Golf is currently distributed to over 400 golf clubs in Australia, with a total circulation of over 42,000 copies every month, audited by the Audited Media Association of Australia every six months.

It is the only golf publication in Australia audited for monthly print numbers.

For more information: Call 1300 465 300, or visit www.insidegolf.com.au

Golf Management Australia Journal | Spring 2018

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SAVE THE DATE MCG, Melbourne, Victoria

GMA NATIONAL CONFERENCE 2019 6-10 October

We are pleased to announce the 2019 GMA National Conference will be held from Sunday, 6th October to Thursday, 10th October, 2019 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground Stay tuned for more exciting details in coming months.

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www.gma.org.au | SAVE THE DATE: 2019 GMA National Conference | MCG, Melbourne | 6-10 October 2019