Golf Management Australia would like to sincerely thank all our valued partners for their ongoing support of GMA and our members.
MAJOR PARTNER of Golf Management Australia
PREMIER PARTNERS
NETWORKING PARTNERS
NATIONAL BUSINESS PARTNERS
What an amazing week it was in June at the GMA/ ASTMA Conference & Trade Conference in Brisbane. The feedback, both anecdotally and in the survey, from delegates has been nothing short of fantastic.
In addition to great networking and learning, for GMA it was a celebration of the states coming together as one united national body. On the Monday morning of the conference week before golf, it was a chance to host a breakfast with committee members from the five state entities, the GMA board, life members and past chairs to thank them.
The Gala Dinner was the highlight of the social events and was a chance to recognise members who have achieved the Certified Club Manager (CCM) designation by completing the BMI program. Additionally, we recognised those who have been members of GMA for 15+ years, as well as have a few words with the longest serving GMA member, Barry Linke, who has now departed The Grange Golf Club after an extremely distinguished career.
We missed acknowledging a few on the night who have been members for 15+ years due to inaccurate records, and others that were unable to attend, so we’ll make up for this next time. Celebrating extended tenure is worthy of acknowledgment and is something that we will continue to do.
Thanks to our major partner, Schweppes, for their fantastic support of GMA which allows us to deliver such a great event. The Schweppes Gala Dinner was certainly a highlight with ventriloquist Darren Carr.
The scenes on stage with an unsuspecting Michael Burgess from Metropolitan GC, where he made it known in no uncertain terms by repeating that he was “a general manager!”, had everyone in stitches. I am certainly glad it was Burgo and not me!!!
Congratulations to the winners of the various golf events, most notably the WA team who took out the Jack Merrick Perpetual Trophy, Brad Robb who took out the Ted Coker Championship Cup and Leon Thompson Memorial Trophy, and Fiza Errington who won the Billie Friedlander Trophy.
Thanks also to all of our partners and exhibitors who joined us and assisted with product and service advice.
We thank ASTMA for their collaboration on the event and importantly, we thank Paul Vardy and his team of Courtney Flores, Mike Orloff, David Brand, Rod Haines, Jodie Alaban and Leigh Monti for a great result of which we can all be proud. You all certainly exceeded expectations and delivered for GMA members.
The board and management will meet in August and review the event in its entirety to consider plans for future events.
In other GMA news, by now we are getting into the routine of our newly merged association with a new constitution, by-laws and membership categories. Nominations for Chapter Committees have been received and the process has commenced at chapters to choose their board nominee for the 2024/25 year.
The future is extremely bright for GMA with many plans for the coming years. We look forward to seeing members at a host of GMA events lined up in coming months.
Golf Management Australia (GMA) is a national body representing the golf club management industry with a vision of developing and supporting leaders in the profession of golf and club management in Australia.
Golf Management Australia Ltd. PO Box 859
CROYDON VIC 3136
www.golfmanagement.com.au
Aaron Muirhead (Chair) Oxley GC, QLD
Kieran Semple (Deputy Chair) The Coast GC, NSW Damien Todorovic The Western Australian GC, WA Brenden Ellam Castle Hill CC, NSW
Barbara Kelly Chirnside Park CC, VIC
Mathew Loughnane Yarra Yarra GC, VIC
Mark Tan Royal Adelaide GC, SA
GMA TEAM
Paul Vardy Chief Executive Officer
Leigh Monti Commercial Manager
Courtney Flores NSW/ACT Ops. Manager, Programs
Mike Orloff QLD Ops. Manager
Rod Haines VIC/TAS Ops. Manager, Finance
Jodie Alaban WA Ops. Manager
David Brand SA/NT Ops. Manager, Media & Comms.
CLICK HERE FOR MEMBER ONLY GMA RESOURCES & LINKS:
• GMA Connect
• Member Directory
• Event Calendar
• Industry News
• Member Assistance Program
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.
PAUL VARDY
Thanks to all delegates, corporate partners, exhibitors, presenters and host clubs for making the GMA/ ASTMA Conference & Trade Exhibition, proudly brought to us by Schweppes, such a success.
There was a wonderful atmosphere amongst delegates, all keen to network, learn and enjoy some social time. There were two standout themes in the conference. The first was artificial intelligence and the impact it will have on the business of clubs/facilities. The second was the need to truly understand the business of clubs and the central role that capital planning has on achieving success over the long term. Members told us what topics are important in our 2023 GMA member insights survey so it is perhaps no surprise that these topics resonated so highly.
To have excellent speakers is a big help. Adam Spencer and Julian Moore certainly delivered on the AI front, opening up our minds to the amazing things happening and what we can be a part of. We were honoured to have Ray Cronin from Club Benchmarking USA join us, all the way from Ireland, where he now lives. Ray’s amazing capital planning insights and unpacking the business of clubs, all delivered with his Boston accent, was masterful. That we have access to Club Benchmarking data from Australia through GBAS means that Ray could compare worldwide
insights with the Australian market. We're grateful also to Gregg Patterson, who not only presented three times, but led the Chauwalkqua on the Monday, which was a great experience for those involved.
Thanks to the delegates who responded to the conference survey. It gives us great feedback on all aspects of the event and what is important to members.
We have a full wrap in this edition of the journal so please enjoy.
Thanks to all presenters and panellists who made for a rich array of topics and insights.
A successful conference takes a team effort and it's nice to give a big thanks to GMA’s board, led by chair, Aaron Muirhead, for terrific support throughout. Thanks also to our team of Courtney Flores, David Brand, Mike Orloff, Rod Haines, Jodie Alaban and Leigh Monti. As program manager, Courtney had a huge part in coordinating the behind-thescenes arrangements to make it so enjoyable for members. It was terrific to have Leigh closely looking after the trade exhibition area. Thanks to the Brisbane and Indooroopilly golf clubs for hosting the golf day and to Mike for his coordination. A big thanks to David for his media and communication work, and the photos you will see in this edition, and to Rod behind the scenes crunching the numbers.
Thanks to Mark Unwin and Simone Staples from ASTMA for the fantastic collaboration on the event. We look forward to reviewing the event and making it even better next time.
To assist us in better informing and educating our members, we would like your assistance to continue providing relevant, interesting and unique stories from within the golf management industry that we can share in this journal.
If you would like to write a piece for the GMA Journal, we’d certainly love to hear from you.
Eastlake GC has welcomed its new GM, Rob Blain from NSW GC, who replaces the outgoing Brendan Taylor
Westward Ho GC has farewelled GM, Steven Freeling (and GMASA executive member) with former Golf Australia (SA) events manager, Colin Anderson , appointed as his replacement.
Barwon Valley GC's Nathan Sharrock has left the Geelong based club to take up Tasmanian residency in the GM role at Royal Hobart GC.
Ashlee Scott is leaving the golf management industry, departing Warnambool GC to join the AFL fraternity in much warmer climates, working for the Brisbane Lions.
The Eastern GC has appointed former Grange operations manager, Simon Andrew CCM , in an equivalent role at the Yarra Valley based club.
Box Hill GC operations manager, Haydn Thompson , has taken on a leadership role at Burnley GC, which is currently under redevelopment.
NEW GMA MEMBERS
NSW/ACT Chapter
Matthew Carter (The Grange GC); Des Mulcahy (Royal Sydney GC); Katrina Griffiths* (Pymble GC); Brett Parker (Northbridge GC); Aaron Keevers* (Wollongong GC); Bella Wood* (Belmont Golf & Bowls); Pat Cullen (Massey Park GC); Joanne Mills (Goulburn GC); Blair St Anne (Moruya GC); Paul Clarke (Bayview GC);
QLD Chapter
Sean Dobson (Royal Queensland GC); Patrick Young (Brookwater G&CC); SA & NT Chapter
Rohan Bock (Copperclub The Dunes); Brad Ashby (Aston Hills GC); Colin Anderson (Westward Ho GC); VIC & TAS Chapter
Rhys Opdecoul* (Rosanna GC); Chelsea Synon* (Rosanna GC); Randall Mitchell (Drouin GC); Zak Ginevra* (The Victoria GC); Nathan Cachia* (Huntingdale GC); Peter Coe (Sandhurst Club); John Griffiths* (Box Hill GC); Chris Thorn (Garfield GC); Brock Rogers (Bendigo GC); David Tapping^ (Melbourne Golf Park); Andrew Bourne* (Ranfurlie GC); WA Chapter
Michael Armstrong* (Maylands GC); Mark Diffen (Broome GC);
^ Golf Facility members * Provisional members
Please send your material to our Media & Communications manager, David Brand - david.brand@golfmanagement.com.au.
Are you ready to transform your Food & Beverage operations and enhance your venue’s success? Join us for a dynamic and educational day with the renowned Liz Perkins!
This event is tailored for general managers, chefs, 2ICs, front of house managers, and anyone eager to revolutionize their F&B strategies.
Event Highlights:
1. Financial Literacy 101
Unlock the secrets to best practice numbers in Food & Beverage. Learn how to accurately calculate and manage your venue’s financial metrics to drive profitability.
2. Cost of Goods Mastery
Discover how to fine-tune your venue’s cost of goods with an effective stock control system. Reduce waste and boost your bottom line.
3. The Art of Hospitality
Dive into the nuances of service versus hospitality. Understand how to elevate your guest interactions and create memorable experiences.
4. Hospitality Marketing
Transform marketing strategies into actionable insights for your team. Learn how to bring your hospitality vision to life and enhance the guest experience.
This is your chance to gain valuable
knowledge, network with industry peers and refresh your approach to F&B management. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to elevate your venue’s performance!
Cost:
Members: $70pp
Non-Members: $99pp
Cost includes full day education and full day catering.
VICTORIA (Huntingdale GC)
Wednesday, 11th September
SOUTH AUSTRALIA (Glenelg GC) Friday, 13th September
WESTERN AUSTRALIA (Royal Perth GC) Monday, 16th September
QUEENSLAND (Bidfood Innovation Hub) Wednesday, 18th September
NEW SOUTH WALES (Moore Park GC) Friday, 20th September
Bookings are now open via the GMA website events page.
For more information, please contact Courtney Flores at courtney.flores@ golfmanagement.com.au or 0404 911 383.
Liz has 25 years of hospitality experience from cookery, operations management, teaching, business ownership and now as a business coach.
She specialises in helping hospitality business leaders gain control over their businesses and improve their profits.
Her practical industry experience and knowledge, combined with her passion for growing leaders and teaching business, helps her to effectively create solutions to fit any hospitality operations.
Congratulations to the new Chapter Committees that have been formed under the newly amalgamated association.
NSW & ACT CHAPTER
• Brenden Ellam (Castle Hill CC)
• Cameron Harvey (Muirfield GC)
• Barry West (Mollymook GC)
• David Lulham (Nelson Bay GC)
QLD CHAPTER
• Aaron Muirhead (Oxley GC)
• Geoff Kuehner (The Brisbane GC)
• Gavin Lawrence (Keperra Country GC)
• David Marr (Pacific Harbour G&CC)
• Tim Gahan (Headland GC)
SA & NT CHAPTER
• Mark Tan (Royal Adelaide GC)
• Brett Lewis (Kooyonga GC)
• Robert Vincekovic (Glenelg GC)
• Daniel Loveridge (Blackwood GC)
VIC & TAS CHAPTER
• Michael Burgess (Metropolitan GC)
• Barb Kelly (Chirnside Park CC)
• Mat Loughnane (Yarra Yarra GC)
• Chris Poulton (Spring Valley GC)
• Christian Tanner (Riversdale GC)
WA CHAPTER
• Damien Todorovic (The Western Australian GC)
• Des Shearer (Bunbury GC)
• Fiza Errington (Gosnells GC)
• Murray Paul (Lakelands CC)
• Craig Ridge (Royal Perth GC)
GMA's Employee Assistance Provider, Acacia, is once again providing members with access to R U Ok? Day free and paid sessions during September.
This year's topic is "Ask R U OK? Any Day”. A lot can happen in a year, a month, a week. So don't wait – learn to Ask R U OK? Any Day of the year because a conversation could change a life.
For more information, click here to access the Acacia Connection MAP portal.
Dates
Monday, 21st October to Friday, 25th October 2024
Venue
Woodlands Golf Club, Melbourne
Cost
GMA Members - $2,300
Non-GMA Members* - $2,500
* conditions apply
The above cost includes tuition, daily morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea, a group social event, a group dinner & drinks and a CMAA curriculum fee.
GMA, in partnership with the Club Managers Association of America (CMAA), is excited to offer the Business Management Institute (BMI) 'Leadership Principles' course in October.
The BMI ‘Leadership Principles’ program is a 5-day intensive program covering core golf club leadership elements including:
• Finance/Accounting
• The Nature of Leadership
• Executive Presence
• Code of Ethics
• Technology
• Strategic Leadership
• Governance
• Creativity and Innovation
• Lumina Leader Assessment
• Case Study
You will get the latest insights on these topics and group discussions facilitated by experts.
BMI 'Leadership Principles' is one of four core BMI programs that are essential to a Certified Club Manager
designation. The other core BMIs are GM/CEO, Food & Beverage Management and Club Management. The BMI Program offers the ultimate club manager professional development. It is delivered within an open learning environment, whereby shared experiences are explored within each workshop session. You don’t learn in theory, you learn in context with your club.
The BMI Program will be facilitated by a line-up of subject matter specialists. It provides outstanding industry wide networking opportunities capable of providing career long support to all BMI participants.
Alignment with the CMAA provides Australian based BMI participants with complimentary education only registration at upcoming CMAA World Conferences for up to two years after the BMI is taken.
Click here for more information on the BMI Program.
Click here to register for BMI 'Leadership Principles'
New features Released in 2024
Membership Sign Up Form with Payment
SMS Messaging
Bulk Payment Entry
Auto Payments: account balance and top ups
Tag Integration with Golf and Local Cache
Pace of Play
MiScore Average Round Times
MiScore SideMatch and Private Comps
OneGolf App
The Kingston Heath and Victoria golf clubs will co-host the Men’s, Women’s and All Abilities Australian Open this year from 25th November to 1st December.
This is an incredible opportunity for any experienced course staff (local or interstate) to gain valuable insight and hands-on experience in tournament preparation and presentation. The upcoming Australian Open has a unique format hosted on two of the great courses in the world. Now is the time to take advantage of this rare opportunity!
Should you be interested in volunteering for this event, please complete the application form and send to: heath@kingstonheath. melbourne – Attention: Hayden Mead and Steven Newell
Applications close on Friday, 23rd August. Please note there are limited vacancies at both venues.
Download volunteer application form here
A field of 36 players teed it up at Royal Adelaide GC on Friday, 17th May for the GMA Challenge golf day.
The event, a 2BBB Stableford, with teams made up of GMs and their club president or captain, is one of the most popular days on the SA calendar, and is always well supported by clubs and GMA corporate partners.
Royal Adelaide once again turned on the weather with the links in fine condition. It is always an honour and privilege to walk the hallowed fairways of the world-renowned Seaton layout.
With Acushnet providing a range of Titleist and Footjoy gear as prizes, the competition was intense.
With three consecutive titles to their name, the Mount Osmond pairing of Damian Wrigley (GM) and Nathan Gray (President) were the early favourites, and, unsurprisingly, they did not disappoint, firing a 2BBB score of 45 points to convincingly win a fourth consecutive title.
Runners up were the Blackwood GC pairing of Daniel Loveridge (GM) and Brian Pescud (Committee) on 41 points, knocking of the Flagstaff Hill GC team comprising Chris Coulter (GM) and Michael Cooper (Captain) on a countback. New GMA member, Rohan Bock, from Copperclub The Dunes at Port Hughes, and his chairman, Brian Cugley, finished in fourth position on 40 points.
As is always the case, thanks go to Mark Tan and his team at Royal Adelaide who went above and beyond to host the event, with tasty egg & bacon rolls and coffee in the early morning pre-golf, and a delicious 3-course lunch served up to attendees who participated in the day.
A reminder about the FREE services included in your GMA membership
The GMA Member Assistance Program (MAP) is provided to GMA members and their immediate family through our service provider, Acacia EAP. Acacia EAP are a national independent service provider specialising in supporting people in dealing with personal or work-related issues in a positive way.
Golf Management Australia offers its members the services of Michael Horton, from law firm RBHM Commercial Lawyers, in the role of Honorary Solicitor. The role is intended to enhance and assist General Managers/GMA members in delivering a more valuable service to their golf clubs and Boards.
After 17 years of dedicated service, Ben Telley, honorary secretary of GMV and general manager at The Eastern GC, has concluded his tenure in these roles.
The GMV executive team recently gathered to honor his significant contributions to the association. Ben's strategic insight, meticulous approach and enthusiasm have left a lasting impact on the Victorian golfing community.
While Ben is stepping away from GMV, he will remain involved in the industry through a new role with Greenspace Management, where
his expertise will continue to benefit the field.
To celebrate Ben's career, a gathering was held at Victoria GC, where past and present GMV executive members enjoyed a round of golf followed by dinner. Ben's engaging personality and storytelling were highlights of the event, bringing joy to all attendees.
on the
industry. While no champagne was involved, a golden ale toast from Russell Donovan provided a fitting tribute to Ben's warm and positive presence.
A memorable moment occurred on the par 3 16th hole when Ben made an impressive par save from the bunker, a play that kept the match exciting and drew cheers from his peers.
As the evening progressed, dinner and conversations flowed, with attendees reflecting on Ben's impact
The event concluded not with a final farewell, but with an acknowledgment of future meetings and new beginnings. As Ben Telley moves on to new challenges, he leaves behind a legacy of memorable experiences and valued contributions to the golfing community.
COURTNEY FLORES • Chapter Operations Manager (NSW & ACT)
After two weeks of rain and only a couple of days recovery, the NSW Guest Day, incorporating the Ken Collins Trophy for GMs, was held at Manly GC on the northern beaches in May.
The course was in fantastic condition considering the recent weather, and the 50 players that attended the day, all enjoyed the outing. Adam Groom, from Pay As You Golf, was the key sponsor for the day and gave an update to attendees on the recent activity of the business. We thank all sponsors for their support of GMA.
The Manly course responded well for players, with some great scores posted. Robby Stephenson, Links Shell Cove, took out the Ken Collins Trophy for the best GM score with a fantastic 40 points off a 3 handicap (pictured bottom left). The sponsor’s trophy was taken out by Ross Haron, Transform Golf Shop Specialists, on a countback from Schweppes' Todd Eadie. Garry Burkinshaw won the guests trophy with a fine 39 points, and the 2BBB event was won by Kieran Semple (The Coast) and Robby Stephenson (Shell Links Cove) - main picture above.
Every player dreams of a hole-inone, and for Steve Kent, from Club Car InGolf & Utility, his first ever hole-inone came on the 7th hole, where his golf ball hit half way up the flagstick, only to see it sent straight down into the hole. Manly GC GM, Daniel Constable, was able to supply Steve with a framed photo of the 7th hole as a memento of the achievement. Well done, Steve!
Thanks go to Schweppes and Callaway for supplying the refreshments and prizes for the day, as well as all members for supporting the event. Special mention to the Manly GC team who went out of their way to ensure everything was perfectly set for the day.
$29.95
AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE
The GMA Green Book: The Essential Guide to Strategic Planning for Golf Clubs
The GMA Green Book is produced by GMA with corporate specialist Tony Sernack.
Copies of can be obtained for $29.95 each (or $250.00 for a pack of 10).
To order your copy, please contact GMA CEO, Paul Vardy: paul.vardy@golfmanagement.com.au
If you’re reading this journal, you can thank Avenue, our newest GMA networking partner, who jumped at the opportunity to support GMA and its members.
Based in Moorabbin, Melbourne, Avenue is an innovative print, design, and mailing company owned and managed by Peter Barnet. With over 60 years of experience, they know the golf industry to a tee, partnering with golf clubs across Australia to address their challenges with print, design and mail solutions that are always on brand, on time, and on budget.
Call Peter to discover how Avenue can assist your golf club. The GMA team highly recommends their services.
Naturalaz is an industry pioneer in sous vide meats, guaranteeing tender, moist and flavourful products. Sous vide is a French technique, meaning ‘under vacuum’, it involves sealing ingredients (usually protein) in water-tight vacuum-sealed bags and cooking them immersed in a precisely controlled water bath.
By maintaining a constant and precise temperature, sous vide ensures that food cannot over cook, while tough connective tissues break down into tender, flavourful gelatine. This method is perfect for achieving consistent results with roasts, steaks, poultry, joints and braises, preserving all the natural juices and flavours.
From ribs to shanks, Naturalaz offers the perfect range of ready-to-reheat classics for your venue.
To place an order or for more information, contact your local Bidfood branch or log on to myBidfood.
The Club Car GMAQ Executive Day (EC Coker Shield) is the premier event on the QLD calendar and always sees the biggest player attendance. This year was no different.
Held on Tuesday, 14th May, a strong member field of 92 players was battling it out at the beautiful Maroochy River Golf Club on the Sunshine Coast.
The event was touch and go on the weekend prior as the Sunshine Coast had been experiencing continual wet weather for a few months, and the
course was still a little saturated.
The weather turned for the better on Sunday afternoon and the course was able to be opened for play after having a week’s closure.
The event format had each GMA member bring three club executives, who were then shuffled in pairs of two, then paired up with other clubs. Team scores were then totalled to identify the EC Coker Shield winner.
A separate 4BBB team event is run in conjunction for all our corporate partners and GMA members who didn’t field a full team.
A special moment of reflection was held for GMA Life member, who passed away late last year and whom this event is named after - with 2024 the 36th year being held.
Last year’s event was taken out by the team from Toowoomba GC on 85 points, but they were not successful in a repeat this year - however, it was a close one.
This year’s event was taken out by host club, Maroochy River GC, on 86 points. Women’s Captain, Julie Turner, had a hole-in-one for 5 points which helped pip 2nd place Noosa GC by a single point.
Congratulations Team Maroochy River and thanks to the entire team for their great hospitality.
The top four teams in the main 4BBB event of the day were:
• 1st: Jason Patterson/Alan Hong Choy (Wantima GC) - 43 points c/b
• 2nd: Brendon Driscoll (SENPOS)/ Stephen Hutchison (Twin Waters) - 43 points
• 3rd: David Beard/Peter Waugh (Nudgee GC) - 43 points
• 4th: Gavin Lawrence (Keperra)/ Sonia Kirkman (Transform Golf Shop Specialists) – 42 points
A big thank you to Club Car’s Kevin Gates and the team from Golf Cars Australia for their continued support, to Maroochy River Golf Club general manager, Nigel Gibson and his team, Acushnet for all the great prizes, and to all the other corporate partners and guests in attendance on the day.
See you all next year!
Our national conference has always aimed to deliver an enriching experience for all attendees, and the latest delegate survey results speak volumes about the success of this year’s event.
Here’s an overview of the survey findings, highlighting the conference's impact and value:
The conference's diverse speaker schedule received a high approval rating, with 95.1% of respondents rating it as excellent or good. This underscores our commitment to addressing a broad spectrum of relevant issues within golf management.
Networking Opportunities:
Corporate Partners/Exhibitors
92% of attendees found the networking opportunities with corporate partners and exhibitors beneficial.
Other Delegates
Even more notable was the interaction with peers, as 98% of the delegates appreciated the chance to connect with other industry professionals.
Personal Education
The conference proved to be a significant learning opportunity, with 92% finding personal educational benefits.
Benefits to Clubs/Facilities
Furthermore, 87% of the respondents felt the conference
positively impacted their clubs or facilities.
Additional Features Conference App
The app was well-received, with 94% praising its effectiveness.
Timing of Conference
The timing of the event satisfied 86% of the attendees.
Communication
Exceptional communication was highlighted by a 97% approval rate.
Overall Organisation
The organisation of the conference was rated excellent or good by 98%.
Overall Experience
Lastly, the overall experience at the conference was rated positively by 97% of attendees, confirming that the event not only met but also exceeded expectations.
1. Adam Spencer - Understanding innovation & emerging technologies
2. Julian Moore – Live interactive session on current AI tools to help management professionals
3. Ray Cronin -Understanding the language of capital planning
4. Cameron Schwab - Levelling Up: What business can learn from elite sport
5. Ray Cronin – What business are you really in?
These outstanding results reflect the collective efforts of everyone involved in the conference. Thanks too for the individual feedback which has a qualitative value to us. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all the delegates, speakers, exhibitors, and staff who contributed to this success. We're motivated by your feedback and are already looking forward to delivering an even more impactful experience next time.
We’re in the capital planning business and we need to explain this to boards.
“The
future will come. It will be more expensive than expected. Get ready.”
These are the words of Gregg Patterson, leaning forward with eyes set, jaw out and his hand claw-like holding a skull for full effect. Whilst Gregg’s more of the club people man, they are a great introduction to the club numbers man, Ray Cronin.
It was amazing to have Ray Cronin, from Club Benchmarking, join our conference and deliver two world-class presentations on the business that we’re really in.
In short, clubs are capitalintensive businesses, right up there with power generators with around a 3:1 ratio of capital investment for every dollar generated. This being the case, boards should be spending a lot more of their time on this as a strategic item and less of their time on the operations.
Cronin explains it’s a complex business and one that he’s had to study closely for over 15 years to get his head around.
And listening closely to the
numerous gold nuggets of insight he delivered, he really has got his head around it and so should we. With his experience as a club board member, a club president, and later, in analysing hundreds of club financials via Club Benchmarking and speaking in over 800 board rooms, he’s well placed to form his views and share them.
Directors and their openmindedness are vital to success in long term capital planning. Yet too often those that may run their own successful businesses assume the issues in one industry automatically translate to a club. They are mistaken.
Take Ray’s reference to a commodity business versus an experience business. Does the club compete on the price it charges or the experience it offers? Too many people with a background in a commodity product allow the club to get stuck on price and on costs when it is a business clearly
built on experience. Clubs who compete on subscriptions do deals and reduce or eliminate joining fees, often setting in place a spiral of depleting members' equity.
“We need to resolve this issue," says Cronin, indicating it’s the GMs that are going to have to get good at explaining it to board members and finance committee members. "It’s the choices in the boardroom that dictate the outcome."
Cronin refers to the boardroom as often a combative environment. Opinions are thrown back at him thick and fast but he maintains, “Without data, you’re just another person with an opinion.” His experience suggests that only about 10% of directors understand good capital planning and its place in clubs, so a lot of work needs to be done.
In particular, he has little patience for directors who focus on food and beverage sales and margins when, in almost all clubs, it is an amenity for members, not a profit centre. Being highly capital intensive, the focus instead needs to be on understanding the big impact of capital planning for the long-term success of clubs. Ray refers to a club that’s going bankrupt with declining members equity, but who’s patting themselves on the back for achieving a profit in Food & Beverage.
After all, every minute of every day, the club tees, greens, fairways, sheds, irrigation systems, clubhouse, plant and machinery are put to use. They’re essential
“Without data, you’re just another person with an opinion.”
and they add up to a lot- and they’re depreciating. Just how we deal with depreciation was one of the key themes of his presentations.
Some clubs, following a project of upgrades, combine items into a single depreciation rate instead of recognising vastly different useful life end dates. Some clubs calculate low rates of depreciation that hide the true costs of the declining assets. He calls this a form of hidden debt from the members to the club. The members should be paying for it but they’re not.
One club is depreciating its clubhouse at 1.15%, where it should be in the range of at least 2.5% to 4.0%
Clubs can have significant plant and machinery items that are fully depreciated. Whilst efficient on one level to get more life out of the assets, this presents a problem. While it’s costing nothing as an expense on the Income Statement, when it comes to replacing items where clubs haven’t put aside provisions, there’s price shock for their actual replacement.
From its purchase date, a capital item is likely to be multiples of its original cost to replace. In fact, Ray suggests clubs are going to need to invest 15-20 times their annual depreciation expense over the next decade to cover future capital costs. And if they have heavily run down their asset values over time, as most clubs have, they are going to need a higher multiple again.
Cronin explained the level to which assets (assumed to be depreciated accurately) are depreciated. The green bucket clubs have remaining asset values (or Nett Property Plant & Equipment or PPE = Gross PPE + Capital expenditures –accumulated depreciation) of 55% or higher, the yellow bucket clubs are in the 40-54% range and the red bucket clubs have 39% or less. Ray says in Australia about 80% of clubs aren’t hitting the green bucket threshold, whereas in America it's about 55%.
When asked if clubs/facilities keep up with capital replacement, 14% said Always, 66% Mostly and only 20% said No. (2023 GMA Insights Survey)
There are examples of clubs expensing large capital projects so as to get them off the books as a pesky depreciation item. Whilst causing a one-off massive P&L loss, which can be explained to members, in decades to come when the assets need replacing there is no practice of depreciation. Again, replacement costs can come as a rude shock when adequate reserves have not been put aside.
So when clubs update capital, whether it be from reserves or from a windfall, and they aren’t requiring members to start paying a form of capital levy through depreciation, problems are set up for the future.
Then there's the distinction between obligatory capital (replacing what you have) vs aspirational capital (new items for the members). As Cronin says, members will be on the hook for it one way or another as they participate in the consuming of the capital. So for clubs to embark on new items of capital for members, they should ensure existing capital is being paid for in its future replacement and funds are being generated for new capital that will also need to be adequately replaced.
When asked if the GM’s club/ facility plans to add new capital facilities in the next 5 years, only 32.3% said no. (2023 GMA Insights Survey)
Cronin has seen hundreds of club capital plans and gives most of them an “E”, or a “D-” if he’s “being kind”. With accurate and substantial capital planning being the big difference between the successful clubs and the unsuccessful clubs, it’s imperative that assets are depreciated correctly and that replacement costs are known, updated and provisions made for.
50% of GMs say their club has an up-to-date Capital Reserve Study. (2023 GMA Insights Survey)
Cronin pressed the point. “Operating revenues don’t create the financial outcome. What creates the financial outcome is that capital that’s in excess of the depreciation on the capital ledger.” Operational revenue walks out in the staff payroll, the bills in food and beverage in the members’ bellies. That’s where the money’s going.
As depreciation is often handled poorly, the replacement costs are not factored in and the aspirational capital is not adequately funded. Cronin suggests it would be clearer if all capital-related items appeared on the capital ledger. That would see the Income Statement show a tidy operating profit but the reality would kick in when showing the true amount of capital that must be funded in order to maintain and improve assets and to keep improving the club whilst building members equity (net worth) over time. This way of presenting accounts may not change any time soon but the need for general managers to be able to explain capital planning and the central role it has in club financial success is here and now. Clubs must plan for the replacement costs, not be anchored to purchase costs.
For members' equity to increase and stay ahead of inflation, adequately funding depreciation is the starting point. Aspirational capital for teaching facilities, mini golf or new storage facilities to meet the future needs of members is currently something beyond many clubs in Australia without changing the way they plan.
Have a look at the video recordings and start reviewing your capital plans. Understanding and explaining capital planning needs could be your biggest contribution to the long-term success of your club.
Video presentations from the 2024 GMA/ASTMA Conference & Trade Exhibition, are now available for members to view on the GMA website. Click here to view the presentations. For Ray Cronin's PowerPoint slides, please email Jeff Blunden (jeff@ golfbas.com)
Delegates were blown away by the conference presentations on AI from Adam Spencer and Julian Moore.
Some were somewhat freaked out too! Designing a website live onstage and creating a GMA jingle with very little effort along with avatars who speak any language you like, is something that’s a lot to take in. But don’t be fearful of something that is going to keep coming, just like “the internet of things” in the 90s and ever since.
The speed at which AI is assisting everyday tasks in business is nothing short of amazing. AI has been described as like having an IT graduate with an IQ of 155 being your assistant who’s getting better and better every week. As Julian Moore points out, it’s a tool to use for productivity and personalisation but it has no soul and needs context, hence it needs humans.
Some of the things it can do include:
Data Analysis and Pattern
Recognition: A large language model, trawls the world’s websites, accessible databases, books, journals, academic papers, videos, social media to generate the
answers to questions that you have.
AI can analyse the vast amounts of data quickly to identify patterns, trends, and insights.
With Predictive Analytics: AI can predict future trends based on historical data. Drop in your point of sale data and find a member who’s dropped their usage of the club, add in your golf activity and see who’s most likely to drop to a Non-Playing category or leave the club!
Natural Language Processing (NLP): AI can understand, interpret, and generate human language. This includes chatbots, virtual assistants, language
translation, and sentiment analysis. Imagine informing your members with a unique message about their tee time, junior program or annual lunch booking.
Image and Speech Recognition: AI can recognize and interpret images and speech. This is used in facial recognition, medical imaging, autonomous vehicles, and voice-controlled devices. Imagine booking groups of international visitors who can now understand the booking arrangements in their language. Julian Moore suggested it can interpret scans of breast cancer patients 400% better than a radiologist.
Imagine identifying the disease in grass, the moisture content and cutting height in a fairway or
green, the source of a drainage issue, scanning the shelves to tell you how much liquor in each bottle and its value for a stock take.
Automation, Personalisation and Robotics: AI can automate repetitive tasks, tailor recommendations and content to individual preferences and perform tasks ranging from industrial manufacturing to surgical operations or teaching a golf swing!
There are now thousands of AI platforms available and most of them are improving all the time. But in the end you, AI requires a level of human intuition and knowledge to ask the right questions. AI won’t take over most jobs, but people who know how to use AI will take over most jobs. Just like learning to use tools like the web or software program it makes things more efficient but leaves skilled people at the centre of decision making.
Before getting too into it, there is this important suggestion from Julian Moore. Under Chat GPT, under your Profile, you should visit the Settings, and turn off Improve The Model for Everyone. That means your data will be secure. In fact, it's now 300% more secure than email.
You can Customise ChatGPT, just for you:
Example: As the general manager (or other role) of xx golf club, I need insights on golf club management, member engagement strategies, and financial performance metrics of golf clubs. Additionally, provide me with weekly updates on the top trends in golf club management and new developments in AI technology relevant to the industry.
1. SETTING LANGUAGE AND STYLE PREFERENCES
• Language Preferences: Specify if you prefer British English (e.g., colour, optimise) over American English (e.g., color, optimize).
• Formality and Tone: Indicate whether you prefer a formal, informal, or specific professional tone.
2. CONTENT TAILORING
• Industry-Specific Responses: For instance, if you're in golf club management, ChatGPT can focus on providing insights relevant to golf industry trends, member engagement, and club management.
• Interest-Based Updates: Request regular updates on specific topics, like AI developments or golf management news.
3. RESPONSE FORMATTING
• Summarization Style: You might prefer bullet-point summaries for complex topics, with detailed expansions under each point for clarity.
• Data Presentation: Indicate if you need data displayed in tables, charts, or visual formats for easier interpretation.
4. PERSONALIZATION
• User Profile: Provide personal information like your role, industry, or specific interests, so
IRRIGATION HAS ALWAYS BEEN IN YOUR HANDS. NOW
responses can be more tailored.
• Specific Requests: Specify particular types of information or data, like financial ratios or survey analysis, which you need ChatGPT to focus on.
5. INTERACTION PREFERENCES
• Command and Control: You can set up specific commands or keywords that trigger customized responses or actions from ChatGPT.
Feedback Loop: Regularly
"As I reflect on my journey as a first-time delegate, one phrase resonates deeply: "Emerging Stronger Together." The conference exemplified the power of collaboration and shared learning in driving our industry forward, and I am honoured to be a part of this dynamic community of golf industry professionals."
- Dave Anderson
As the vibrant city of Brisbane played host to the recent GMA/ASTMA Conference & Trade Exhibition, I had the privilege of attending as a first-time delegate. Stepping into the bustling conference halls amidst fellow industry professionals, I immediately sensed the opportunity for growth and learning that awaited me over the next few days.
In my role as the house manager at The Western Australian Golf Club, I've always strived to stay abreast of the latest trends and innovations in the golf industry. The conference presented an unparalleled platform to achieve this goal and more. From insightful keynote sessions to interactive workshops and networking events, every moment was crafted to enrich our professional lives.
One of the highlights for me was the series of workshops on modernizing club management practices. Learning from industry experts about leveraging technology to enhance member experiences and optimize operations was particularly enlightening. These insights not only broadened my perspective but also provided
practical strategies that I could implement upon returning to my club. Discussions on sustainable practices in golf course management were also eye-opening, reinforcing our responsibility towards environmental stewardship. Moreover, the conference offered a unique chance to connect with peers from across Australia and beyond. The exchange of ideas and experiences during networking breaks and social events was invaluable. I found myself discussing best practices in membership engagement with managers from other prestigious clubs, gaining fresh perspectives that are already proving beneficial in my day-to-day role.
Beyond professional development, the conference
had a profound impact on my personal growth. Engaging with like-minded professionals who share a passion for golf and club management was both inspiring and motivating. The camaraderie and sense of community fostered at the event were truly uplifting, reminding me of the collective dedication that drives our industry forward.
Attending sessions on leadership and personal development also encouraged introspection and self-improvement. Learning from leaders who have navigated challenges like those we face at our club provided valuable lessons in resilience and adaptability.
From a broader industry perspective, the conference underscored the importance of collaboration and knowledgesharing in advancing the golf industry. The discussions on trends in golf tourism and strategies for attracting younger demographics highlighted the need for
"Engaging with like-minded professionals who share a passion for golf and club management was both inspiring and motivating."
- Dave Anderson
continuous innovation and adaptation. As a result, I returned to my role at the The Western Australian Golf Club with renewed enthusiasm and a strategic vision for the future.
In conclusion, my experience at the GMA and ASTMA Golf Industry Conference in Brisbane was nothing short of transformative. It not only equipped me with practical tools and strategies for enhancing club operations but also fostered personal growth and strengthened my commitment to the golf community. I am
grateful for the opportunity to have participated in such a prestigious event and look forward to applying what I've learned to further elevate our club's offerings and member experiences.
As I reflect on my journey as a first-time delegate, one phrase resonates deeply: "Emerging Stronger Together." The conference exemplified the power of collaboration and shared learning in driving our industry forward, and I am honoured to be a part of this dynamic community of golf industry professionals.
Among the many highlights of the GMA/ ASTMA Conference & Trade Exhibition in Brisbane, the Chauwalkqua, hosted by the legendary Gregg Patterson, stood out as a unique and invigorating experience for the 22 attendees.
Jodie Alaban, our WA Chapter Operations Manager, was tasked with the supervision of this new event and provides this report.
The Chauwalkqua was an energising blend of a little walking and a lot of talking, perfectly embodying Gregg's high-energy approach to networking and bonding. Participants embarked on a brisk walk through the scenic surroundings of Brisbane, with Gregg leading the way. His infectious enthusiasm and insightful anecdotes kept everyone engaged, turning a simple walk into an unforgettable experience.
As we strolled, conversations flowed effortlessly. Colleagues from various clubs and organisations bonded over shared experiences, exchanged ideas, and forged new connections. The informal setting allowed for genuine interactions, breaking down barriers and fostering a sense of camaraderie among the participants.
The Chauwalkqua was more than just a networking event; it was a testament to the power of human connection. By the end of the walk, participants not only left
with new professional contacts, but also with a renewed sense of inspiration and motivation. The shared experience strengthened the bonds within our community, reinforcing the importance of collaboration and support in our industry.
Thank you to Gregg Patterson for hosting such a memorable event and to all who participated in the Chauwalkqua. It was truly a highlight of the conference, leaving us all eagerly anticipating the next opportunity to walk, talk, and connect.
(left) The amphitheatre gave an intimate feel to the event
(below) MC, Tim Gilbert, opens the 2024 GMA/ASTMA Conference & Trade Exhibition
(above) Adam Spencer spoke of business transformation from AI plus some of the risks
(left) Dr Juliette Tobias-Webb shared research into behavioural science for leadership and to improve performance
Cameron Schwab’s story and learnings were truly inspirational.
Cameron spoke of real lessons from elite team sport and how they translate to the workplace. He spoke about the ambiguity of leadership and that fear and laziness hold people back.
He shared some gems he’s learnt over his life such as “Failure is a bruise – not a tattoo!” and “Life is good but it doesn’t promise to be fair.”
“It's not how you get knocked down, it’s how you get up!”
Carly Goodrich from Golf Australia connecting the golf industry with government. Carly spoke on the findings into research on the community benefits of golf
(below) Ray Cronin explains the business we’re really in
(left and above) Ray Cronin commanded a packed room as one of the most popular speakers, whilst outlining the importance of capital planning
(right) Gregg Patterson on a mission from God, delivering the high octane service experience
(below)
(below) Governance leadership and clarity of roles panel: Paul Vardy, Andrew Kenny, Deb Kember and David Burton
Julian Moore gives us a cheeky insight into AI use we can start playing with now. His creation of the 'Women Golf Only Boys Suck' website was funny as was the video and jingle on 'GMA leads the way'
(left & above) Daniel Bull closed out with a story of overcoming adversity to reach new heights (below) The 2024 GMA/ASTMA Conference & Trade Exhibition was a triumph for all
Western Australia ended its 11-year drought to clinch the Jack Merrick Perpetual Trophy at the 2024 conference golf championships held at The Brisbane Golf Club.
Demonstrating exceptional teamwork, they secured the team trophy with a combined Stableford score of 177 points (best 5 out of 7 players), finishing 12 points ahead of runners-up, Victoria, who scored 165 points. Queensland took third place with 157 points, followed by New South Wales on 152 points and South Australia with 144 points.
The championships offered delegates the opportunity to play on two of Queensland's leading golf courses, hosted by the Brisbane and Indooroopilly golf clubs. While state team members competed at Brisbane GC, the rest of the field was spread across both venues, vying for GMA’s three major individual titles: the Ted Coker Championship Cup, the Billie Friedlander Trophy, and the Leon Thompson Memorial Trophy.
At Brisbane GC, Fiza Errington of Gosnells GC celebrated her
third win of the Billie Friedlander Trophy with a score of 36 points. Brad Robb from Southern GC captured his second Ted Coker Championship Cup with an impressive scratch Stableford score of 37 points and also claimed the Leon Thompson Memorial Trophy with 39 points.
At Indooroopilly GC, Geoff Black of Elanora CC took out best delegate score with 33 points, with Sonia Kirkman of Transform Golf Shop Specialists winning the best corporate partner trophy, also with 33 points. David Scott of The
Lakes GC secured the next best score behind Robb at Brisbane GC, with 37 points.
Thanks to both host clubs for the privilege of playing their beautiful courses and for their outstanding hospitality. The dinner experiences for delegates were truly exceptional and were well received by everyone on the day.
Special thanks also go to our produce suppliers at both golf clubs: Schweppes, Gage Road Brew Co, and Bidfood for the oncourse hot winter delights.
We
(above) Des Shearer making his presence known at the Schweppes Darts Club.
(left) Des Shearer & Adam Bryant facing off in the "Dart Off".
(far left) Damien Todorovic & Christian Tanner go toe to toe in the "Dart Off". Damien took out the "Dart Off" and winning the ultimate Australian Open experience.
Life may have changed since his retirement for longtime GMA member Trevor Harrison, but his sense of purpose has not.
GMA Journal contributor, Karen Harding, spoke with Trevor about life after work and some of his "Golden Nuggets".
Throughout his professional career, Trevor Harrison thought, worked and lived with purpose. It’s no surprise that he approached retirement in the same vein and that he continues to live that retirement with purpose and meaning.
“The biggest thing when you give up work is missing your purpose. Every day you get up, you’ve got a purpose.
We still have purpose in different ways; it’s just not purpose under pressure,” he said from somewhere in the northwest of Australia.
Harrison’s well documented career, culminating in receiving one of the inaugural Distinguished Service Awards at the biennial Golf Management Australia Conference in 2022, reflected his commitment to
the community he was serving, his connection with his peers, and his passion for GMA. He was previously awarded GMANSW Fellowship in 2019 for his 18 years of service to that organisation.
As he drew closer to retirement, Harrison, along with wife Judy, made plans for their future and took time to reflect on his long career. The result of his reflection was made available via a list on LinkedIn of ‘Golden Nuggets’ - tips, values and words of wisdom acquired along his own journey as a club manager.
That journey was 42 years in the making, 31 of which were in golf clubs, starting with Blackwood GC in South Australia and concluding at Nelson Bay GC in NSW in October 2022.
The role of a general manager has altered significantly over the years –and he is the first to acknowledge that - but Harrison’s pearls of wisdom are still relevant today.
“These were the things that got me through to have the long career I had. I listened to people, I used their knowledge, they represent my values and I just went with that,” he said.
Those who have read them will acknowledge their wisdom and practicality. Some look backwards over the journey but in true Trevor Harrison style, some look forward, which may be the wisest advice of all.
#8: “We can all be part of the change that assists our kids and grandkids.”
Harrison himself has seen and been part of a lot of change, from a world where ledgers and double column accountings were used, where newsletters were handwritten before being typed, from the early development of office technology to the digital world of today.
“I think I came in when change was starting to happen,” he recalled. “Managers were basically office workers in the morning and spent the afternoon interacting with members. I can remember when we got our first fax machine and had to explain it to people who didn’t understand. We even had the old five-and-a-quarter inch and three-and-a-half inch floppies (floppy disks) back then.
“So, yes, I’ve seen a lot of change and it’s continuing. Change is inevitable. I accepted change, I always have. If we didn’t have change, we’d still have square wheels, I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now. We’ve got to keep evolving.”
Resilience and positive outlook are other components to accepting change and Harrison’s have been tested many times, no less than at Nelson Bay after he arrived in February 2015, facing a few challenges to revive the club but also some strong positives.
He accomplished much in his first six months but was confronted by a substantial fire triggered by an electrical fault in the early hours of Father's Day. Harrison was at the GMA conference when he started receiving messages from the club.
“My world changed,” he said. “But from that afternoon, we started to work our way forward.”
It took 23 months to navigate the various processes and to rebuild the clubhouse. Sadly, many memorabilia and important records and honour boards were lost forever.
“Through adversity we saw the best in our members and the community. Within that time, we opened a $10m state of the art clubhouse that would serve members, community and visitors for years to come. The new clubhouse increased our trading by $1.5m in the first year and that trend continued.”
But then…. Covid - and another test of fortitude.
“That certainly changed things again. Who would have thought that was going to happen? But experience helps you get through and make some wise decisions and recommendations to the Board.
“The amazing statistic from Covid was the increase in golf popularity. Nelson Bay went on to record its two most profitable years in the club’s 60-plus years of operations.”
#10: “Networking is the key to learning.”
By his own admission, Harrison relied on two things to deal with the double whammy of the fire and pandemic within a short space of time:
“I had the constants of Judy and also my GMA and local clubs networks,” he said. “I reached out to other GMs who had had similar experiences. Regular contact, particularly through Covid, provided assistance with what we were all facing.”
From the beginning, mentorship has been part of Harrison’s life. He himself spoke often with Richard Smith (Roseville GC, NSW), as well as with Dean Stanton (Tea Tree Gully GC, SA), Barry Linke (The Grange GC, SA) and Paul Sutcliffe (The Vines GC, SA) amongst others.
“They were all my vintage, starting out at the same time, so we leaned on each other, but I also knew there were others if I needed.”
Networking and learning was not confined to just other GMs either.
“I also gained knowledge from course superintendents, professional golfers, contractors and support staff to assist in new projects we were investigating.”
#4: “Work as a team and the team will work for you, and the results will follow.”
Being part of GMA has been a big part of Harrison’s life, both professionally and personally.
“I was fortunate to host a GMASA event at Blackwood in my first week in the golf industry and then three months later, I was assistant hospitality manager at the 1991 GMA Conference held in Adelaide. It was from these events that I started to build my network with GMs and suppliers and I still have contact with many of these associates and friends some 33 years later.”
He's also rather proud of his fine track record in the Jack Merrick Trophy, the state teams championship that is played in conjunction with the annual
conference, particularly the four-peat achieved by Team NSW between 2005 and 2011.
Teamwork is also a big part of some of the recognition Harrison has received over the years, as he sees it.
“I have been fortunate to receive some awards and accolades during my career. This doesn’t happen just because of my efforts; it happens because of your partner, family,
mentors, the team with whom you work, directors, members and volunteers. I could not have chosen a better industry in which to work.”
Many of the GMs and other contacts developed over the years have featured in the Harrisons’ retirement phase as they travel around Australia.
Keen travellers, the Harrisons initially had an eight-week holiday just for some immediate R&R.
“I finished on the Friday and we left on the following Wednesday. We were prepared and everything was in place,” he said.
The bigger part of their retirement adventure began in January 2023 and the couple has been working their way around Australia in a caravan since. Still acting with purpose, the Harrisons’ planning began around two and a half years prior to setting off, increasing in intensity in the last 12 months, so that by the time retirement started, they were good and ready.
Twenty one months in so far – they won’t return to Nelson Bay until November 2024 – and they’ve travelled to some spectacular places and had some amazing experiences. Asked the highlights, Harrison was quick to say: “Just seeing this wonderful country.”
They’ve also seen an impressive number of cities and towns, “all unique in their own way”. They’ve played at a lot of golf courses along the way too. And they’ve been to LIV Golf in Adelaide.
“It blew us away with the energy, the vibe and the excitement of young and old. And it was great to catch up with Barry Linke, who was retiring after 35 years.”
How hard will it be for Harrison to settle down when he gets back?
“I’ll have to let you know,” he laughed. Watch this space, then.
Of course, true to their nature, the Harrisons have some plans on the drawing board.
“I think we’ll just enjoy being home for a while but we’ll still do some trips. We’ve got a trip to New Zealand in March. And we have our kids from America coming home for a while too. But we can shoot off, get away from winter for three months, go up north, there’s no need to sit around.”
Clearly retirement is sitting very well with the Harrisons. Living with purpose also means not fearing the end of a busy, productive and fulfilling working life.
#7: “If you’re brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.”
The Golf Travel Agency takes all
Data courtesy of Golf Australia shows competition rounds still hitting record highs in what can only be great news for the golf industry.
In 2023/24 to June, there were 12,202,440 rounds recorded which is up 7.3% on 2022/23 and 14.0% up on 2021/22. Rounds are slightly more buoyant in metropolitan areas at 7.8% and 16% compared with regional areas at 7.0% and 12.6% respectively. Whether it's metropolitan or regional, they are a great set of numbers. In terms of males and females, males make up 10,150,924 of the 2023/24 rounds which is 83%. The increase has been higher in males at 7.4% since 2022/23 and 15.1% since 2021/22
compared to 7% and 8.8% respectively for females.
The number of players recording rounds is also up. In 2023/24 there were 537,963 people submitting scores compared to 510,181 in 2022/23 and 468,854 in 2021/22. This represents an increase of 5.4% since last year and 14.7% since 2021/22. Another fantastic result. The male increase was 6.1% since last year and 16.3% since 2021/22 and the female increases were 1.9% and 7.1% respectively.
The proportion of competition golfers is skewing more towards males. In 2023/24 males were 453,444 or 84.3% males compared to 84,519 Females or 15.7%. In 2021/22, when 468,854 recorded scores, there were 389,968 males, or 83.2%, compared to 78,886 or 16.8%. So, while it’s great to see
more men and women playing more golf, the growth in golf hasn’t been quite as strong in females.
Another interesting statistic is that rounds per player has remained remarkably similar over the three years. In 2023/24, it was 22.7 compared to 22.3 the year before and 22.8 the year before that. In regional areas the numbers are around the 21 mark whereas metropolitan players are consistently at 25.0 to 25.5 rounds. Females average around 26 rounds in metropolitan areas compared to 22 to 23 rounds in regional areas. So, it seems that the more members join clubs and play golf, there is a proportional increase in the rounds played which seems to be quite consistent per player each year.
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Nobody wants to go through the experience of losing their golf club to fire. It’s something both golf clubs and the insurers of golf clubs have in common.
There has been a lot of activity at the Victor office recently in the attempt to make golf clubs as safe as possible when it comes to the storage and recharging of lithium batteries.
The activity has included research, consultation with equipment manufacturers, advice from the London headquarters of Chubb Risk Engineering, sessions with independent risk engineers, webinars with fire engineers on the specific topic of lithium batteries and the input of legal experts in insurance policy design. All with the objective of keeping the golf club environment safe with as little impact on operations as possible.
The best approach a golf club can take is to sit down and chat with your insurance broker. The position Victor takes on lithium batteries is unique to every club because every club has a different set of circumstances.
Your club’s insurance broker is your business consultant when it comes to insurance and risk protection. Let them explain the specific ins and outs of your clubs’ actual policies. Generic chat about generalised topics is highly likely to result in confusion and the spread of information that is not accurate for your clubs’ circumstances.
Victor policies do not have a blanket exclusion on motorised golf cars (carts), even if your club stores them under your clubhouse.
Resulting from the work described above, Victor has developed a practical benchmark guide to the basic safety measures your club should be adopting to ensure you’re not exposing your club, your clubhouse and your club people to undue risk.
When managed correctly, with quality equipment, lithium is a stable, safe source of power that golf clubs benefit enormously from. It’s incumbent upon all golf club industry stakeholders, working together, to ensure that the “When managed correctly, with quality equipment …” focus is always maintained.
That’s what Victor is striving for.
With 967 discussions and 91 logged items in the library, GMA members are engaging with GMA Connect to share questions, knowledge and resources. Join the conversation – share with your colleagues, or simply read the threads and stay informed. Thanks for your contribution..
GMA members can go to connect.golfmanagement.com.au and use your GMA sign-in and password to join in the conversations.
Victor Insurance Pty Ltd (Victor Insurance) is an underwriting agency and an Authorised Representative (No. 403803) of Marsh Pty Ltd ABN 86 004 651 512 AFS Licence No. 238983. This publication contains general information, does not take into account your individual objectives, financial situation or needs and may not suit your personal circumstances. For full details of the terms, conditions and limitations of the covers and before making any decision about whether to acquire a product, refer to the specific policy wordings and/or Product Disclosure Statements available from Victor Insurance on request. Victor Insurance makes no representation or warranty concerning the application of policy wordings or the financial condition or solvency of insurers or re-insurers. Victor Insurance makes no assurances regarding the availability, cost, or terms of insurance coverage.
Victor Insurance and Australian Golf Insurance are partnering with Golf Management Australia and Golf Australia to educate golf clubs on the need to consider insurance in a broader context.
© 2024 Victor Insurance Pty Ltd. All Rights reserved.
Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are widely used in our daily lives, powering everything from mobile phones to electric vehicles.
Recently, they've become the goto power source for micro mobility devices, including walk-behind electric golf buggies. However, the rise in Li-ion battery use has also led to an increase in incidents involving fires and property damage due to improper use, charging, or disposal. Here’s how to safely charge your golf buggy to mitigate against such risks.
Li-ion batteries can overheat and burst into flames if they are used, charged or disposed of incorrectly.
Fires involving Li-ion batteries can be difficult to extinguish and require large quantities of water. Li-ion battery incidents often result from:
• Poor component quality
• Flawed design
• Physical damage
• Improper charging or discharging
Recent incidents involving Li-ion powered micro mobility devices have been widely reported both locally and globally, often resulting in tragic consequences.
EV FireSafe recorded more than 500 battery fire incidents involving micro mobility devices in the first half of 2023, resulting in at least 36 fatalities. Fire and Rescue NSW responded to 114 Li-ion battery fires in the first half of 2023, reflecting a nearly 20% increase when compared to the first half of 2022.
Regulations relating to the use of Li-ion-powered devices vary in each state, and many Fire and Rescue authorities offer safety tips to mitigate the risks. To reduce the fire risks associated with LI-ion battery use, follow these practical steps::
• Avoid Battery Charging or Storage in Clubhouses: Ensure member-owned buggies or batteries are not charged in high-value club buildings.
• Implement a Cart Safety Inspection Policy: Ensure golf carts pass a safety inspection by a qualified contractor, with regular safety inspections performed annually.
• Designate a Safe Charging Area: Store and charge club-owned equipment in a low-value building at least 12 metres from non-combustible walls, and 24 metres from combustible walls or large openings in non-combustible walls. Charge batteries well clear of combustible storage on a concrete floor.
• Comply with Standards: Ensure the charging facility and equipment meet Australian Standards.
• Use Approved Chargers: Only use chargers supplied with or approved by the device manufacturer. Spare or replacement batteries must be compatible and approved by the device manufacturer.
• Check Battery and Charger Condition: Do not use damaged or discoloured charging cables or connectors, bulging or cracked batteries, or batteries with signs of impact damage.
• Monitor Charging: Disconnect devices once fully charged and avoid charging batteries overnight or unattended for long periods. You can consider setting timers as a reminder to unplug products.
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• Prepare for Emergencies: Develop emergency response protocols, including isolating power supplies to the charger, notifying fire emergency services, and using fire hose reels to cool batteries if safe to do so. NOTE: Li-ion batteries are unsafe to handle during initial stage of thermal runaway (battery overheating). Only trained fire emergency service personnel with suitable protective equipment should handle batteries that are venting gases or have elevated temperatures. Damaged or faulty batteries should be temporarily stored at least 24 metres away from facilities and combustible materials/ vegetation before being safely removed from the site.
Li-ion batteries offer significant advantages for powering golf buggies, but they come with inherent risks if not handled correctly. By adhering to these safety guidelines and being vigilant about charging practices, you can use Li-ion-powered golf buggies while minimising the risk of fire incidents.
*This article has been contributed by Chubb Insurance Australia.
Golf Australia has written to all clubs and facilities across the country to warn them of the dangers of fire from the lithium batteries of motorised buggies stored on site.
Golf Australia has urged facilities to conduct comprehensive reviews of practices around storage of buggies and their lithium batteries and make changes immediately.
Many clubs have already ceased the practice of storing electric push-behind buggies with lithium batteries after a spate of clubhouse fires in recent times, and Golf Australia is urging all clubs and facilities to avoid storing these batteries on site in any capacity.
a walk-behind, electric golf buggy lithium battery has self-combusted without being connected to a power source. While this occurrence was isolated, Golf Australia urges clubs to review their practices for storing and charging lithium batteries on-site, particularly given the risk to both injury and property damage.
“Foremost, this issue is critical to the safety of club members, staff and visitors. The safeguarding of millions of dollars of club property is also of major concern.
Some clubs are persisting with this dangerous practice, and Golf Australia is urging all clubs and facilities to avoid storing batteries on site. It believes that clubs continuing to do so place at risk the insurance programs of the whole industry.
Said Megan Carr, Acting Head of Clubs and Facilities: “Golf Australia has been informed of an incident where
An example of a lithium battery spontaneous combustion fire has been recently provided by the Oatlands Golf Club.
The lithium-ion battery was being stored on a countertop within the pro-shop, prior to return to the manufacturer for repair/ replacement.
While the battery wasn’t being charged or connected to the battery charging unit, a spontaneous combustion event occurred. Fortunately, the quick response by club staff to extinguish the fire was able to prevent any injury/property damage from occurring. This occurrence is currently being investigated.
“In December, Golf Australia advised clubs to remove lithium batteries from storage and onsite charging facilities, after recent golf club fires. Given the latest incident, we again strongly urge clubs to prohibit storing and charging of walk-behind buggy lithium batteries if they have not done so already.”
Carr said the battery issue had become a massive issue for clubs in recent times.
“Foremost, this issue is critical to the safety of club members, staff and visitors. The safeguarding of millions of dollars of club property is also of major concern.
While many clubs have implemented policies to this effect since December, it is understood that some clubs have not yet done so. This disregard for a well-known risk puts not only the assets of a club at risk but also the insurance programs of the entire Australian Golf industry.”
Golf Australia encourages club boards and facility management to prioritise the implementation of comprehensive risk management processes. If your board or management team need assistance with the implementation of a risk management program, please enquire at clubsupport@golf.com.au.
Carr said Golf Australia would continue to investigate the risks around the use and storage of lithium batteries within golf, and that the national organisation would distribute further information as it comes to hand.
For further discussion, please contact Megan Carr, Golf Australia’s Acting Head of Clubs and Facilities, at clubsupport@golf.org.au.
The number of Australian golf clubs to become signatories of The R&A Women in Golf Charter, fostering change and promoting equal opportunities for women, girls, and families, has officially hit the 100 mark.
Pacific Golf Club in Brisbane, the milestone setting club, hosted a special ceremony in June to recognise the achievement with CEO of Golf Australia James Sutherland and the R&A’s Director – Golf Education Jackie Davidson, among the guests (pictured right).
Clubs across Australia have pledged their allegiance to the Charter, which supports increased participation and leadership for women and girls in golf while also supporting the clubs to become the best version of themselves.
Australia’s first signatory came in 2021, with the 50th club officially
committing to the Charter almost one year ago to the day.
Strength is in numbers and 100 is a milestone worth celebrating, as well as an extremely positive sign for Australian golf that its clubs are engaged with the concept and showing intent to change the industry for the better.
At the 100th signing ceremony,
Jackie Davidson spoke of the encouraging uptake that has occurred globally, with more than 1,300 R&A Charter signatories around the world.
“I would like to acknowledge and thank Golf Australia for their continued commitment to the Women in Golf Charter. But also to the golf clubs who are the champions at the grass roots of the sport in Australia,” she said.
“Thank you for creating an inclusive environment that welcomes and encourages people to become lifelong golfers.
“The Women in Golf Charter has really galvanised the golf industry around a shared vision for golf and driven change.
“Since 2018 we have seen over 1,300 organisations in 75 countries, including Australia make their commitment to the Charter and the development of women and girls’ golf.
“We are already seeing the benefits of this in golf participation numbers around the world, a trend that The R&A and all signatories have a responsibility towards continuing.”
Launched six years ago, the Women in Golf Charter outlines that signatories will pledge to:
Develop and implement an internal strategy for enhancing gender balance at every level.
Establish senior management responsibility and accountability for gender balance and inclusion.
NATIONAL:
Greenspace Management
AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL
TERRITORY:
Fairbairn Golf Club
Murrumbidgee Country Club
Royal Canberra Golf Club
NEW SOUTH WALES:
Bathurst Golf Club
Bayview Golf Club
Dunheved Golf Club
Eastlake Golf Club
Newcastle Golf Club
Rich River Golf Club
Roseville Golf Club
Springwood Country Club
Wakehurst Golf Club
NORTHERN TERRITORY:
Gove Country Golf Club
QUEENSLAND:
Babinda Golf Club
Half Moon Bay Golf Club
Hervey Bay Golf Club
Keperra Country Golf Club
Maroochy River Golf Club
McLeod Country Golf Club
Nudgee Golf Club
Pacific Golf Club
Redland Bay Golf Club
Royal Queensland Golf Club
Southport Golf Club
Tamborine Mountain Golf
Club
The Brisbane Golf Club
Townsville Golf Club
SOUTH AUSTRALIA:
Blackwood Golf Club
Copperclub at The Dunes
Port Hughes Golf Club
Glenelg Golf Club
Kooyonga Golf Club
North Adelaide Golf Course
& North Adelaide Golf Club
Mount Osmond Golf Club
South Lakes Golf Club
The Grange Golf Club
TASMANIA:
Bridport Golf Club
Claremont Golf Club
Devonport Country Club
Freycinet Golf Club
Huon Valley Golf Club Kingston Beach Golf Club Launceston Golf Club
llanherene Golf Club Longford Golf Club
Mowbray Golf Club New Town Bay Golf Club
West Beach Golf Club Pittwater Golf Club
Golf Club
Golf Club Royal Hobart Golf Club Swansea Golf Club Tasmania Golf Club Ulverstone Golf Club
VICTORIA:
Barwon Valley Golf Club
Golf Club
Geelong Golf Club
Strongly advocate for more women and girls playing and working in golf.
Work with key stakeholders to develop and embed a more inclusive culture.
Promote the Charter and the goal of encouraging more women and girls to play golf and work in golf.
Reflecting positively on the past three years and the new milestone number, Acting Head of Clubs and Facilities for Golf Australia, Megan Carr, noted the real change occurring in the clubs as the major takeaway, while knowing there will be more clubs to join the 100 in the near future.
"We had 50 as a guide when we first adopted the Charter, so to see that number double in the past year is extremely positive," she said.
"While this milestone is worthy of recognition and celebration, the visible and tangible change that we have seen in Australian clubs and facilities off the back of signing this Charter is the real hero."
While Pacific is the 100th traditional
Golf
Gippsland
Lonsdale Links
Leongatha Golf Club
Medway Golf Club
Meeniyan Golf Club
Merbein Golf Club
Neangar Park Golf Club
Northern Golf Club
Portarlington Golf Club
Romsey Golf Club
Rutherglen Golf Club
Sanctuary Lakes Golf Club Shepparton Golf Club
Torquay Golf Club
Trafalgar Golf Club
Warrnambool Golf Club Western District Golf Association
WESTERN
Gosnells Golf Club
Lakelands Golf Club
Mount Lawley Golf Club
Sun City Golf Club The Vines Golf & Country Club
golf club to become a signatory, across the entire clubs and facilities network, which includes simulator centres, management companies and golf districts, Australia has a total of 105 signatories across all areas of golf, with the range of commitments particularly encouraging for Australian golf.
Signatories extend from the city centres to remote regional clubs, and include a variety from well-established golf clubs to new simulator centres.
In addition to the many clubs and facilities, Greenspace Management became the first off-course provider globally to become a signatory to the Charter late last year in a significant commitment by the group which manages four golf courses and four mini-golf facilities.
“Our country boasts numerous clubs and facilities that are fostering positive cultural change in the sport,” said Carr.
“This has led to increased participation and access for women and girls, aligning with our goal of future-proofing golf for all.”
Toro’s IntelliDash® is the ultimate one stop shop golf course irrigation and fleet management platform for superintendents and golf course managers.
It brings all of a course’s key grounds management information into one streamlined dashboard so superintendents can keep an eye on what’s important without hunting for the data they need. Real-time agronomic conditions, labour, asset location and equipment health data can be viewed at a glance — helping to simplify course operations, gain efficiencies and better allocate resources.
IntelliDash works with any computer or mobile device that’s connected to the internet for easy access from anywhere, anytime. A wide range of real-time data is available, and the dashboard can be customised to display what’s important to the course. It is simple to turn data sources on and off and arrange the widgets any way that suits. The dashboard can also be customised for every member of the team.
With IntelliDash, data from a range of products and inputs can be accessed to give superintendents the operational insights they need to make informed decisions on the fly. The platform also helps streamline logins, so it is easy to dive deeper into any info with a single touch. Choose from data sources including:
• Weather
• Evapotranspiration forecasts
• Irrigation info from Lynx® Central Control
• myTurf® Pro equipment management
• Labour and crew data from taskTracker™
• Chemical and fertilizer tracking from Playbooks™
• Soil monitoring data from Turf Guard® sensors
• Other Toro and third-party applications
IntelliDash is flexible by design, so it can grow with the course to meet changing demands. It’s also designed to adapt as equipment and irrigation system capabilities evolve, so the latest tools and info are always at a course’s fingertips.
Recently new updates have been introduced to IntelliDash: “The new updates we’ve introduced bring together key course elements to provide course managers and superintendents greater visibility to course health and unique access to equipment fleet and irrigation data,” says Norma Frotton, product marketing manager for The Toro Company’s golf irrigation business.
weather averages by combining multiple weather services for informed predictions.
• Weather Evapotranspiration Forecast. Plan ahead for water use adjustments with this forecast that estimates water loss from soil several days in advance.
• Setup Wizard. Customisle and integrate widgets to match user preferences.
• Language Options. Addition of eight languages. Options include English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Dutch, and Thai.
“As the only provider of both golf course equipment and irrigation, Toro is uniquely positioned to supply this information to courses via a single dashboard — and we’re committed to ongoing enhancements that will evolve this critical platform.”
Norma recently held several info sessions on Intellidash at the Sports Turf Management Conference in Brisbane and talked about the new updates including:
• Toro Irrigation National Support Network (NSN) Package Integration. Since February 2024, active NSN subscribers have access to the IntelliDash platform.
• Geofencing (beta). Monitor digital boundaries and keep equipment within designated course areas, ensuring proper use of equipment while providing protection for off-limits or wet areas of the course that need special care.
• Weather Averages. Calculates
• Announcements. “What’s new on Toro IntelliDash” keeps users informed of the latest features and widgets to get the most from the platform.
For more information on IntelliDash, please contact Sheldon Simmonds at Toro Australia:
E: Sheldon.simmonds@toro.com.
It has been a busy last couple of months for leading facilities management provider, First Choice Services.
In May, FCS marked a special occasion by increasing its commitment and expanding its national partnership with GMA, becoming a Premier Partner for the next three years. First Choice Services is actively engaged in various facets of the organization, from state business meetings to educational presentations. GMA has played a significant role in helping FCS grow its portfolio within the golf industry.
Last month, in June, First Choice Services participated in the 2024 GMA/ ASTMA Conference & Trade Exhibition, for the second time. Attending the event were FCS Director, Mensie Menashie, National Sales Manager, David High, and QLD Supervisor, Rhys Lindsay. David remarked, ‘It was
fantastic to be back. Last time it was a great opportunity for us to introduce the company. This time, many GMs sought us out to connect, and we received a lot of positive feedback. Our partnership with GMA and our presence in the golf industry, coupled with our reputation for excellence, are proving to be of great benefit to the company, and we are very grateful.
First Choice Services recently appointed a new Supervisor, Rhys Lindsay, in April, who is proving to be an asset to the company. The company’s golf club clientele attest to Rhys’ friendly and personable demeanor, and proactive approach. Keperra Country Golf Club's General Manager, Gavin Lawrence, said, "The team and myself are thoroughly impressed with Rhys and his communication and attention to detail. It’s a pleasure to see him each week at the club when he completes the site reports."
In Victoria, First Choice Services expanded its footprint by welcoming Riversdale Golf Club located in Mount Waverley, to its client base at the beginning of June. This partnership marks an exciting addition for FCS’s golfing portfolio in Victoria. The company is committed to continuing to bring their expertise and dedication, ensuring the club’s ongoing success in providing an exceptional experience for its members and guests.
First Choice Services continue to excel in providing comprehensive facilities management and services to businesses across all sectors. The company offers tailored solutions that bring convenience, efficiency and excellence.
For further inquiries, or to explore how FCS can tailor a program to meet the needs of your facility, contact: E: support@firstchoiceservices.com.au P: 1300 544 166
Lightning can strike twice, but with golfers out on the course, once is too often.
SINT and UBIMET partner to provide the most technically accurate lightning detection and warning systems to protect your players and staff.
The chances of lightning strikes harming golfers has been reducing through accurate storm technology and weather detection, but it remains a significant concern for every golf club. Accurate and high precision Lightning
Detection System networks (LDS) are the best weapon against potential injuries.
SINT and UBIMET LDS partnership includes additional benefits:
In Australia SINT has partnered with UBIMET who operates a nationwide LDS network used by aviation, mining, major sports & event venues, and golf clubs, and uses the newest and most advanced technology in the country.
With the addition of SINT integration, the UBIMET LDS network functions are increased to include configurable automated alerts and compliance testing including:
• Lightning proximity radius alerts pushed to SINT’S onsite integration system.
• Highly customisable alerts
• Alerts sent only during times when players are on the course.
• Automated compliance tests weekly.
• Interfaces to messaging systems - SMS to players, onsite siren activation, display screens When it comes to player safety there can be no compromise.
To discuss how you can improve your LDS network contact SINT on 1300 175 994 or email info@sint.com.au.
In Australia’s evolving golf industry, a unified golf management system and point-of-sale system can be invaluable to engaging customers, maximising efficiencies, and business profitability.
Finding a reliable point of sale provider is key to achieving a seamless experience, which is where our team at SENPOS Point of Sale can help.
For over 30 years, SENPOS has pioneered point-of-sale technology in Australia, collaborating with our customers to develop software roadmaps and products that enhance front and back-of-house operations while keeping pace with industryrelevant software integrations – In particular, MiClub, who is our preferred
golf management system. In addition, our customers also benefit from a local support team and dedicated account managers.
With a strong presence in the golf industry, we’re pleased to welcome aboard Oxley Golf Club (Oxley) as another golf venue benefitting from SENPOS Point of Sale. With nearly a century of tradition and excellence, Oxley Golf Club is one of Queensland’s leading golf clubs boasting lush fairways spanning over 6,200 meters, desirable for golfers across all levels.
National Account Manager, Brendan Driscoll, worked with Oxley General Manager, Aaron Muirhead, to introduce SENPOS throughout the venue, in the pro shop and at TopStroke mini golf, creating a complete point-of-sale experience. For Aaron, it was important to “have a [POS] provider that we can partner
with long-term” to be certain they are “keeping up with technology and using it to our advantage”. Transitioning to SENPOS, Oxley gain a partner who understands their needs now and into the future. SENPOS stood out because we “understand how golf clubs operate and have developed the software that fits smoothly into [their] operations” and have a reliable Support Team that answers “our questions and takes time” to provide training so all staff are confident using the system.
Your golf venue could also benefit from a SENPOS Point of Sale ecosystem. From first demonstration through to installation, our team create a seamless experience that makes transitioning to SENPOS simple. Our relationship with our customers doesn’t end after installation, it continues to grow alongside your business.
Talk to our team to create your complete point-of-sale experience today.
If you’re a member of a golf club, the chances are 3-1 in favour of you being part of a dysfunctional, stagnant, or at best, slowly evolving organisation, and one which is financially challenged.
And hard as it may be to take – you just might be part of the problem. You behave like a customer and not a shareholder or owner, you’re most pressing concerns are the ‘here and now’ – the state of the fairways and greens, the price of the pint, and making sure your subscription doesn’t rise.
You’re probably not even aware of one of the biggest threats to the future of your club – deferred capital investment.
The good news is your club is just like almost every other one, or at least the large chunk of clubs surveyed and analysed by Club Benchmarking – a firm which provides data analytics and financial analysis to the industry.
comes a valley and this is a leisure industry more sensitive than most to global economic forces.
The financial crash of 2008 brought many victims under, with golf in particular suffering devastating consequences.
And while there’s no guarantee of how any business will survive the next collapse in global markets – and there will be one – certainly with the right analysis and level of preparedness there are solutions on how to make your club a far more efficient and sustainable business.
membership fees, subscriptions which are invariably and uniquely set at unrealistically low levels in this country and don’t represent the true value of the shareholding afforded to each member.
So why, unlike almost every other business, do we pay so little for so much?
The key reason is that clubs and committees live too much for today, setting prices at low levels through a fear of upsetting the members by raising rates, almost living in terror that showing the members that they are part of a compelling association is something not worth paying for.
From its findings in Ireland and through its work in the US, Canada, UK and Australia, we discover that only around one in four golf clubs offer dynamic, compelling experiences for members that is also backed up by a strong balance sheet, fresh asset base and adequate cash reserves.
Club Benchmarking (CB) has revealed to Irish Golfer its latest findings from what is the most comprehensive live study of what drives sustainability and success in Irish golf clubs.
This highly revealing club finance and business intelligence data assessment is now being used to assure a proactive approach to club management through aggregating capital to re-invest consistently, and continuously – which its database reveals only 1 in 4 are doing.
At this point you might be tempted to say: ‘So what? My club is doing just fine, sure isn’t golf booming?’
And yes, you are absolutely correct, the golf club segment has never been in better shape, but with every peak
From its findings in Ireland and through its work in the US, Canada, UK and Australia, we discover that only around one in four golf clubs offer dynamic, compelling experiences for members that is also backed up by a strong balance sheet, fresh asset base and adequate cash reserves.
The majority of clubs are weak financially without the necessary subscription or green fee income to generate the capital necessary to reinvest in the club’s physical assets –which in many clubs are significantly depreciated.
Basically, it’s all about the capital, and in most cases deferred capital investment is the norm, and that’s the most single most significant factor in why golf clubs fail.
Typically, most clubs function on
There’s no logic to this, particularly when you consider that the broad demographic of any club is likely to be higher up the business intelligence chain than almost any other sport, yet we’re hesitant to do what we’d do in our own business.
Charging the amount necessary to allow for reinvestment is a basic economic principle yet there is a significant conflict of interest where the members of clubs are owners and get to set the price for their usage.
This is best told by Ray Cronin, founder of Club Benchmarking: “What we’ve learned after studying this data for 15 years is that there isn’t a greater conflict that I can think of in business than a member owned club, where the members are the owners and the customers, and they get to set the price as customers.
“Clubs live too much for today, they set the price lower, and they don’t have the money to reinvest properly.”
If we take available analysis shared with us by CB on the current state of Irish golf clubs, a quite extraordinary picture is revealed on the 70+ Irish clubs surveyed so far, where operating
revenue typically ranges between €1m and €8m.
This analysis is added into a total of 1,125 private member clubs analysed globally which reveals three quarters of all clubs are shrinking or moving sideways.
For 50 per cent of clubs this results in a weak balance sheet, which forces a declining net worth, significant deferred capital investment and a lack of adequate cash reserves.
CB has found that approximately 25 per cent of clubs are evolving slowly at best or moving in a sideways direction with barely acceptable numbers of members, added with a lacklustre to above average suite of services and amenities.
This works out with an average balance sheet, where net worth is flat or with slight growth in real euro terms, where there is significant to slightly deferred capital investment, and some cash reserves, and where there is a mix of members who think like customers and owners.
But all is not lost, the final quarter, or one in four clubs, embrace change through a purposeful investment policy, a full membership roster, delivering a compelling member experience through a broad range of services and amenities. This reflects on a growing net worth, with a fresh and up-to-date asset base and adequate cash reserves, and a club where the members think like owners, and as a result take far more pride in their club.
investment in such assets causes clubs to fail.
Put simply, if the members cannot produce the necessary money to reinvest in bare necessities, that club is doomed.
Forget the condition of the greens or the fairways, and analyse the state of the various assets, which are the key performance indicators on the health and wellbeing of a club as determined by Club Benchmarking.
Condition and age of clubhouse heating system / Kitchen equipment / Roof / Car Park condition / Furniture / Lifts / Boiler / Condition of course maintenance sheds / Condition of the equipment in those sheds
Another vital indicator of how successfully a golf club is run is the course maintenance spend, as a percentage of subscription and green fee income. The clubs which spend the most maintaining their golf course spend the lowest proportion of subs
are reluctant to charge members the necessary subscription and will instead cut back on assets within the clubhouse itself.
Some clubs within the CB analysis indulge in what is known as ‘head fake’, which is trying to produce numbers which show profit while ignoring general depreciation around the clubhouse.
This shift in accounting practices is not something a normal to high functioning business would do, depreciating assets in favour of keeping the price low, yet so many choose to have deferred or slight deferred capital investment strategy. The big question here is, ‘why’?
The why is because they haven’t conducted a proper business plan, or even bothered to map out the capital needs for at least 10 years, or even as far away as the next 20 – and if they haven’t got a plan, then they will not have collected enough capital income.
“Clubs should avoid being a position where they govern through fear where it should make sense to use data over emotion when making key decisions in our clubs..."
and green fee income, which CB has labelled ‘High Spenders’.
This in turn means that those which spend the least, spend the highest proportion and are labelled ‘Stretchers’.
CB doesn’t reveal the names of the clubs it works with, but from the above summaries you can probably spot your own member experience from those key identifiers.
An obvious point is that clubs with lesser green fee income are weak financially if they don’t have adequate membership or subscription income to generate the capital to reinvest in the club’s physical assets.
These assets, despite how they look to the naked eye, are significantly depreciated, and deferred capital
The metrics indicated that the clubs with inadequate subscription and green fee income are stretching to keep their course in shape, which then results in not enough money being left for all of the other necessary costs, including capital investment.
Our experts tell us that it is vital that every club should understand where they fall on the curve.
Determining the state of the physical assets is a vital measurement in determining the strength and potential of your club. In the Irish market it is clear that clubs which realise they are not generating enough cash
One of the most critical KPIs in understanding how a club should be run is to think of the golf club as a partnership and understanding the value of that and the cost of buying into such an arrangement.
Incredibly two thirds of Irish golf clubs have an entrance fee below value, in many cases there is no entrance fee at all. Why would clubs allow anyone to buy into their physical assets without paying the true value – take a situation where a membership has a true value of €5,000 per member yet many clubs have no entrance fee reflecting this worth, charging only a basic annual subscription.
A common factor is that many clubs tend to govern out of fear: ‘We don’t want to frighten the members, they’ll join other clubs.’
Smaller clubs, or clubs without significant green fee income, simply do not generate significant revenue to make up for the loss of not charging members the true value for each shareholding – and there’s the problem.
It’s likely that your club is one of the following:
1. The members are the owners and understand how much money, including capital investment, is needed to properly operate and reinvest. Or
2. The Members think like customers and the culture of the club is ‘Don’t raise my membership or charge me too much’
The second scenario is the most likely outcome where for whatever reason, perhaps misplaced modesty and humility, means that most of us walk around our club like we’re a guest or a customer, not like we own the place –and we do.
To end, let’s go back to the beginning and how Club Benchmarking was formed and how actual lived experiences helped formulate a business strategy which is being adopted by more and more membership associations.
The company was founded by Ray Cronin, a Bostonian who was a private club Board member for 10 years and President for three of those years. Cronin realised that without financial data or business intelligence, clubs really had no idea of what drove success or what threatened failure, and so he set about producing benchmarking platforms for the Finance and Operations of clubs.
“When you’re in a members club there’s always talk about how much the subscriptions are, how much we spend maintaining the golf course, how much we pay the general manager and those discussions come up in the Boardroom and we’d always get involved in debates,” he explains.
“Half the room thinks we spend too much or too little on whatever topic, and I’d just get frustrated because we never had data – how would we know? That’s why we started the company.”
In November 2022 the firm expanded across Europe, the Middle East and Asia through its European Directors John McCormack and James Burns,
who have 40 years’ experience in managing high end experience clubs.
“Clubs should avoid being a position where they govern through fear where it should make sense to use data over emotion when making key decisions in our clubs,” said McCormack.
“We are committed to helping clubs succeed through a core belief that when club leaders elevate fact over opinion, the result is a healthier club, more empowered management and boards equipped to focus on strategic values.”
James Burns adds: “The importance of data behind the clubs’ financial statements will allow Committees to become more effective and proactive ‘Asset Managers’ on behalf of the owners.” To best sum up, that means you – the owner and not just the customer.
