GolfManagement Europe

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The issue of what is deemed acceptable dresscode whilst on the course is once again causing

heated debate on both sides of the Atlantic page 20

the revolution continuesClub Car keeps on driving forward with deal after deal,from Celtic Manor to The Carrick at Loch Lomond

issue 61july 2008

THE LEADING BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR THE PAN-EUROPEAN GOLF INDUSTRY

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JULY 2008 GME 3

publisher’s editorial

Golf Management Europe is publishedsix times per annum by PPC Portman.

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Anybody who’s ever played sportwould admit, after a bit of encourage-ment, that initially they thought this couldbe their sport. This is the one in which I’mreally going to make my mark. Howgreat must it feel to be a world-classparticipant in any sport?

Actually it feels quite good – and Ishould know. At the time of writing I’mranked 59 in the world at PowerPlay golf.At least until a 60th person takes part in aranking tournament.

If you’re not familiar with the conceptlet me enlighten you. It’s brilliant!

Its inventor, former Walker Cup captainPeter McEvoy, believes it can do for golfwhat Twenty20 did for cricket.

In short, PowerPlay is a nine-hole formof the game, where there are two flagson every green. You can score extrapoints if you take a PowerPlay and go forthe Black Flag - but you have a limitednumber of PowerPlays in your round, sosensible course management is still amust. What it does do is encourage therisk-and-reward dilemma.

You must use a total of threePowerPlays in the first eight holes, and onthe ninth, you can take a fourth bonusPowerPlay - but you lose two points for anett bogey or worse. This is where gamescan be won or lost in the swing of a club.

I played recently and on two of mythree PowerPlay holes I managed netteagles which gave me eight points perhole. Chuffed? I certainly was.

Can you imagine how exciting thatwould be for a youngster taking his or herfirst steps on to a golf course?

PowerPlay golf is just the shot in thearm the sport needs at a time when thePlimsoll report is once again painting ableak picture of the industry as a whole.The timing could not be better.

If ‘traditional’ golfers are going to turntheir back on the sport, albeit temporari-ly, golf clubs everywhere need to findsomething new to attract people in –and at a reasonable cost to both thepunter and the club.

That undoubtedly explains the rapidtake up of McEvoy’s brainchild, not onlyin the UK but across the world – alreadyPowerPlay events are being planned onevery continent.

Congratulations are due to McEvoy forboth his foresight and ingenuity. With aprofessional event being planned,PowerPlay looks set to become our mostsuccessful export since... well, golf.

Now Peter, how do I go about gettinginto the top ten and securing that vitalPowerPlay Ryder Cup spot? GME

PowerPlay couldbe a lifeline toso many clubs

Michael Lenihanlenihan@portman.uk.com

Club Car appear to be on theoffensive with club after clubsigning new deals.

5

Leisurecorp is set to spend £55million on buying Turnberryfrom Starwood Hotels.

15

An in-depth look at golfbuggy safety following the on-course death of a driver.

18

Bruce Glasco talks exclusivelyto GME about his past and hisfuture plans for Troon Golf.

23

PPC

“If you’re not familiar with the concept let meenlighten you. It’s brilliant!”

July 2008.qxd 17/7/2008 2:31 PM Page 3

headline news

4 GME JULY 2008

A cliff-top nine-hole golfcourse in Yorkshire is expect-ed to go ahead after coun-cillors were told the devel-opment should have noadverse impact on thestability of the area.

The 86-acre site, at theReighton Gap Holiday Parksouth of Filey, is part of theFlamborough HeadlandHeritage Coast. The park’sowners, Bourne Leisure,

want to use 25 acres for alow-key “links style” course,intended to be played byguests and their visitors.

The former agriculturalland, which is not within theapproved boundaries of theholiday park, is rough grass-land with remnants ofhedgerows and gorse scrub.

Bourne Leisure is notproposing any buildings andsays the only groundworks

would be for the creation oftees, greens and bunkers.

Davina Willis has written tothe council objecting onbehalf of Filey Golf Club,Lebberston Golf Club andHunmanby Hall Sport andLeisure. She said: “There arealready three nine-hole golfcourses which are open toholidaymakers within a fewmiles of the proposed devel-opment.

“Golf is currently in declineand there is already strongcompetition for businessbetween these clubs. Thereis concern that a new facili-ty will further reduce theincome to existing facilities.”

Head of planning servicesGordon Somerville says theconcern is about commer-cial competition which is nota legitimate planningmatter.

Cliff-top course sparks fury in Flamborough Head

Parker moves tothe Country Club

In May, British Ensign GolfLimited and formerClubhaus managing direc-tor Charlie Parker joinedforces and announced theirnew company name with aspecific strategy to pursuethe development of theirfive freehold golf clubs,including Mill Ride in Ascot.

Under the new tradingname of Country ClubGroup (CCG), the companyintends to convert the exist-ing golf clubs owned by thegroup into modern CountryClubs featuring the verylatest facilities for members.

Plans are advanced atSlinfold Park Golf Club,Slinfold, West Sussex, wherethe development is antici-pated to begin in 2008 with

completion scheduled forthe first half of 2009.

At Cranleigh CountryClub, Cranleigh, Surrey amulti-million pound refurbish-ment will take place during2008 with completionscheduled for the first half of2009.

At Mill Ride Golf Club,Ascot, plans are also inplace to diversify the clubsleisure offering with a brandnew multi-million poundclubhouse to complementthe existing championshipgolf course.

Plans are also welladvanced at Kent National,Brenchley, Nr Tonbridge andat Mid Sussex, Ditchling, forsignificant investment anddevelopment.

In total the CCG iscommitted to expenditureon the existing portfolio ofover £15 million over thenext two years.

In addition CCG will beactively seeking to acquirefurther golf clubs that canbe developed into thecountry club model.

Commenting on the deal,Peter Blacker, managingdirector of British EnsignEstates, said: “We’e delight-ed to join forces with CharlieParker and are lookingforward to developing and

growing the business bothorganically and throughacquisitions.”

Charlie Parker, chief exec-utive of CCG said: “We arepleased that this new part-nership has finally beencompleted.

“With the resources wenow have, CCG can contin-ue to grow and develop itsfirst class leisure facilities. Weare convinced that the busi-ness will thrive with thebenefits being felt by all ourmembers, customers andstaff alike.”

A plan to remodel anEssex golf course byimporting hundreds oflorry-loads of soil has beenrejected.

Rochford District Councilrefused Lords Golf andCountry Club’s applica-tion to bring in 350,000cubic metres of soil,concrete, brick and tilesover three years. Work onthe course, in Rayleigh,would have meant 46 20-tonne trucks visiting thesite five times a day.

Hullbridge ParishCouncil, Essex CountyCouncil, Natural Englandand neighbours all object-ed. More than 30 letterswere sent by residentswho were concernedabout the scale of theproject and councillorsvoted to reject the plan.

Bushey Hall Golf Club,which is currently celebrat-ing its centenary this year,has strengthened itsmanagement team with theappointment of Glen Halseyas general manager.

Halsey joins from Surrey’sAddington Court GolfCentre where he wasgeneral manager for twoyears.

Halsey’s role at BusheyHall is to drive sales andgalvanise the club, and hesaid of his appointment: “Iam proud to be joining theclub at this time.

“The golf industry ischanging all of the time andI am looking forward toworking with the team toensure Bushey competesaggressively in the market.

“It’s important that wecontinue to improve the golfexperience at Bushey,ensuring the club maintainsstandards and cements itsleading reputation.

“Although the golf industryhas been hit by the creditcrunch, we are lucky tohave retained our level ofsuccess. We can’t, howeverrest on our laurels – my job,as I see it is to instil spirit, inte-grate the members andensure people continue toenjoy playing golf at theclub.”

Halsey’s has been specifi-cally taken on to introducea range of initiatives to growmembership and drivegreen fees up, all of whichhe is well positioned to dohaving achieved success inthe past.

At Addington Courtcertain areas of the businessgrew 59 per cent year-on-year under his guidanceand management.

Halsey aims to steer Bushey Hall tosuccess in competitive environment

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JULY 2008 GME 5

FACTFILE;

on the cover

Club CarIngersoll Rand

TEL; (44) 01942 503141FAX; (44) 01942 503150

So far, 2008 has been avery successful year for ClubCar who recently becamethe exclusive supplier of golfand utility vehicles to RyderCup venue Celtic Manor.

In adittion to this presti-gious contract, Club Carhas also secured deals atThe Carrick at LochLomond, as well as supply-ing a 144-strong fleet toBurhill Golf and Leisure.

Russell Phillips, vice presi-dent of facilities and devel-opment at Celtic Manor,was key in bringing ClubCar on board.

He is keen to ensure thatthe Welsh club works onlywith the best companies inthe business, and is delight-ed with the new partnershipwith Club Car.

Commenting after signingthe deal, Phillips said: “We

pride ourselves on workingwith the very best suppliers,and firmly believe that ClubCar provides the premiumproduct in the golf carmarket.

“The partnership with ClubCar is just one example ofour ongoing commitment toproviding members andguests with the very bestpossible golf experience.”

Celtic Manor has takenon 135 Precedent golf carsbringing the fleet total atCeltic Manor to 192, andKevin Hart, nationalaccount manager, sees thisas just the beginning.

"Club Car is delighted andhonoured to be associatedwith Celtic Manor,” he said.“We look forward tosupporting the Club in thelead up to the Ryder Cupand long into the future.”

All ten Burhill golf courseshave taken delivery of ClubCar’s latest golf car, thePrecedent.

Colin Mayes, chief execu-tive of Burhill Golf andLeisure said: “The investmentin a fleet of Club CarPrecedents and utility vehi-cles is central to our goal ofoffering customers the bestfacilities, the best serviceand the best value.

“It is also about driving ourbusiness forward and ClubCar has proved an excel-lent partner in this.”

Keep an eye out fordetails of more new deals inthe near future. GME

WEBLINK; CLUBCAR.COM

Club Car drives ahead withnew contract after contract

“It is also about driving our business forward and Club Car has proved an excellent partner in this.”

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Bernhard Langer visitedNavarino Dunes recently,the first high-end mixed-useresort in Costa Navarino inthe Greek region ofMessinia.

Managed by Troon Golfand designed by EuropeanGolf Design in associationwith Bernhard Langer,Navarino Dunes offers a vari-ety of distinct landscapes,with an undulating topogra-phy that boasts some spec-tacular sea views.

The course incorporatessome links-style features onareas of the course closestto the sea, with tall dunesdividing some of the holesadjacent to the goldensandy beach.

Ross McMurray of EGD,who has been workingclosely with Langer, said: “Itis one of the most beautifulplaces you could be askedto design a golf course, andfrankly the views are justbreathtaking.

“We wanted to create agolf course which will beexciting, fun and challeng-ing in equal measure.”

Langer took some timeout to visit the site andreview how the course isdeveloping and said: “I amthrilled to have an opportu-nity to develop a golf coursewhich will lead the way forgolf in this part of Europe.

“I know that many peoplehave already discoveredthis hidden unspoilt beautifulcorner of Messinia in main-land Greece. It is a placethat is rich in natural beautyand culture, which willenhance the region’sappeal to golfers looking fora beautiful golfing retreat.

“I’m sure that many willtravel to see its remarkablelandscape and play what isset to be a world-class golfcourse.”

The Navarino Bay course,designed by Robert TrentJones II, is also underconstruction at NavarinoBay and will also bemanaged by Troon Golf.

Both courses are sched-uled to open either in late2009 or early 2010.

news

6 GME JULY 2008

Melton Mowbray GolfClub has taken delivery ofa new fleet of equipmentfrom Ransomes Jacobsen.The new fleet has a retailvalue in excess of£180,000 and includes twoof the latest AR5 fine cutrotary mowers for semiand short rough.

Troon Golf has beenselected to manageAgalarov Estates,Moscow’s first fully inte-grated private golfcommunity, which is just25 minutes from thecentre of Moscow.

As many as 1,141 jobscould be lost at UK golfclubs as the industryconsolidates over the next12 months, according tothe latest findings fromPlimsoll Analysis.

Vasatorp Golfklubb inSweden, one of the fewvenues in Scandinaviawith a long tradition ofhosting championshipevents, opened its newtournament course, thelatest design from ArthurHills/Steve Forrest andAssociates last month.

The Roehampton Club hasappointed Marc Neweyas chief executive.Newey, 47, has extensiveexperience in the golf,leisure and sport sectors,and has just spent asuccessful three years asgeneral manager of RoyalMid-Surrey Golf Club.

Vandalised greens at aNorthampton golf club willtake up to a year torecover, according thecourse manager. Greensat Delapre Golf Club wereripped up by vandals whoused an off-road motor-bike to perform “dough-nut” skids across the grass.

IN BRIEF;

Langer takes time out tovisit Navarino Dunes

St Mellion demolished asredevelopment starts

Crown Golf’s £100mmake-over of St Mellion hasreached a landmark whenan employee whose familyhas been involved with theresort since its opening 31years ago, struck the firstblow to demolish its hotel.

The venue’s conferenceco-ordinator, Penny Baxter,kick-started the demolitionprocess, which will see thehotel replaced by a newflagship building with 80bedrooms, more thantrebling its capacity.

The redevelopment alsoincludes plans for 265 golfhomes and incorporates asignificant remodeling ofthe venue’s NicklausCourse, which will host theEnglish Open from 2009.

St Mellion director of golfDavid Moon said: “The newhotel will offer state-of-the-art, resort-quality accom-modation and we are alllooking forward to seeing itgo up.

“This is a tremendouslyexciting project.”

Lisburn Golf Club will startfrom scratch to provide theirmembers with a new £2.2mclubhouse. If all goesaccording to plan theprojected date for comple-tion of the ambitious projectis 2010.

Originally it had been theplan to refurbish andimprove the existing club-house, but now a completenew build will commence.

“It is the biggest project inthe history of the club and itcertainly has created a newenergy around the place,”said club captain JoeMcCullough.

“We have a magnificentcourse and now we willhave a clubhouse to matchit. This plan now means wewill have the most efficientclubhouse possible and I amdelighted the members

agreed to back this newapproach.

“Changing rooms andlocker rooms will be situatedon the ground floor.Members’ lounges on thefirst floor will provide goodviews across the course.”

When building work hasfinished, the existing club-house will be bulldozed anda new putting green andlocker rooms put in its place.

New clubhouse planned for Lisburn

July 2008.qxd 16/7/2008 9:55 AM Page 6

Eco-Link are professional Eco Engineers who alsooffer a complete Management and ConsultancyService, undertaking planning and supervision

of major installations.

Our knowledge and experience is matched byour genuine passion for solutions which will help

to reduce pollution of the environment,minimise waste and save money.

Eco link supply and install a wide range of alternative energy and eco-friendly solutions

including the wood-chip heating systems in useat Greetham Valley Hotel and Golf Centre.

JULY 2008 GME 7

news

Eco Link Resources 33a Newton Way,Woolsthorpe-By-Colsterworth,Grantham NG33 5NR

01476 860746ken@eco-link.co.uk

Scotland: 0131 225 5350

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Staying overnight atGreetham Valley Hotel, Golfand Conference Centre inRutland has become amuch ‘greener’ experiencefollowing the introduction ofnew ‘eco lodges’.

The first of ten log cabinssupplied by Norwegian LogBuildings arrived in June withthe final installation due forcompletion by the end ofthe year.

They will all be very highspecification deluxe lodgesbuilt of prime EuropeanSpruce, harvested fromresponsibly managed forestsin Norway.

The luxurious three-bedroom lodges willcomplement the 35bedroom hotel which will allbe heated by a wood chipheating scheme designedand installed by Eco- Link.

The future looks green atGreetham Valley

The Czech Golf CourseOwners Association hasbecome the tenthnational federationto join theEuropean GolfCourse OwnersAssociation.

During a recentboard meetingheld in Germany,the newly formedCzech Golf CourseOwners Associationwas formally accepted as amember of the EGCOA.

Commenting on the newmember, president Marcel

Welling said: “We arevery happy with the

initiative taken bythe Czech golfcourse owners tostart a nationalassociation.

“It will strengthentheir business and

co-operation. Forthe EGCOA it is

important to haveanother member in CentralEurope.”

Jirk Hamr, speaking onbehalf of the Czech GolfCourse Owners Associationsaid: “We believe in theimportance of an ownersassociation in our country.With the 90 courses we havein our growing market wesee a big potential for ourassociation.

“We choose to join theEGCOA to be able tocommunicate withmembers in other countries,learn from them and giveour experience to them.

“We believe strongly in co-operation.”

The EGCOA started in2004 and has members in 17European countries, repre-senting more than 600 golfcourses, and has close linkswith the NGCOA in theUnited States and Canada.

The Czech Golf CourseOwners Association wasfounded in 2007 by ownersat Golf Club Horehledy,Kotlina Golf Course Terezin,Golf Club Luby and GolfClub Liberec.

Czechs are latest recruits to join the EGCOA

July 2008.qxd 16/7/2008 10:00 AM Page 7

A keen golfer and entre-preneur has invented a newlightweight and environ-mentally-friendly paper golftee to prevent damage to

fairways during the wintermonths.

Nigel Nangreave fromLichfield, West Midlands,made the prototype Divot-

Stopper to protect his ownlawn when practicing chip-ping at home.

Now Aston Wood GolfClub in Birmingham hasordered 10,000 of the inno-vative ‘green tees’ and hehopes other clubs - keen toavoid costly excess damageto fairways in winter - willfollow suit.

Nangreave, who trades asNangreave Green Tee Golf,said: “I invented the Divot-Stopper to simulate playinga golf ball off the perfect lieand to elevate the ballaway from the ground justenough for the player’s clubto reach any part of theball’s surface.

“The Divot-Stopper allowsgolfers to achieve maximumshot control without taking adivot.

“And as each Divot-Stopper costs just 2p, theyare a very cost-effectiveway for a club to preservetheir fairways.”

The paper Divot-Stopper is100 per cent recyclable andsurprisingly durable. The teealso has plenty of room forprinting allowing clubs touse it for advertising.

“The Divot-Stopper couldwipe out unnecessary use ofplastics and while, beingbiodegradable, is moreeco-friendly,” addedNangreave.

The R&A has awardedDivot-Stopper Rule 14.3,making it legal for use as aCompetition Golf Tee, andalso stated that any clubwanting their players to usethe product on fairways canapply a local rule.

news

8 GME JULY 2008

Two leading golf clubshave cemented their long-term relationships with Toroby signing exclusivity deals.

Scotland’s Kingsbarns GolfLinks in Fife andPeterborough Milton GolfClub in Cambridgeshire arelong-standing Toro machin-ery customers - withKingsbarns also an irrigationcustomer since it opened in2000 - but both have nowchosen to commit to Toroon a five-year exclusivebasis.

Kingsbarns’ coursemanager Innes Knight saysof the club’s decision tocommit to Toro: “Toro kit hasalways been our preferredchoice because the qualityis superb and the level of

support we receive issecond-to-none.

“Kingsbarns will nowbenefit from an enhancedservice, such as improvedparts supply and product

testing. I think it's importantto have this in place for ourlong-term peace of mindand to ensure we takeadvantage of the best Torohas to offer.”

Top clubs sign Toro exclusivity deals

Green Tee brews up interest for Nangreave

The future of aHampshire golf coursecould be in jeopardy ifcouncillors agree to exam-ine whether the landcould be put to better use.

Eastleigh’s Fleming ParkGolf Course was oncehome to a prestigiousprofessional women’s tour-nament, but has since fall-en on hard times.

Last summer golfersturned their back on thecourse because of thedeclining state of thegreens and fairways,vandalism and antisocialbehaviour from youths.

In May, bosses from DCLeisure, which has run thecourse since 2000, metwith Eastleigh BoroughCouncil officials andcouncillors to discuss their“deep concern at esca-lating financial losses.”

The number of roundsplayed on the golf coursehas fallen from 67,000 peryear in 1993 to just 28,000.

Despite extensive invest-ment, including the build-ing of a new clubhouse,DC Leisure lost £120,000 onthe golf facilities in2007/08.

Council officers are nowrecommending thelaunch of a consultationof Fleming Park users andnearby residents, askingwhich services should beprovided.

A delegation, headed bythe Acting Premier of theProvincial Government ofthe Western Cape in SouthAfrica, visited the Europeanhead office of RansomesJacobsen recently.

Leonard Ramatlakane ledthe team of South Africanadvisors, who were here inthe UK to undertake due dili-

gence for an initiative that,if successful, will provideaffordable, available andsustainable golf to 21 priorityareas for social transforma-tion in the Western Cape.

The delegation visitedRansomes Jacobsen to seethe three-hole golf coursethat the companyconstructed last year onwaste ground and which willform the blueprint for similarcourses in South Africa.

The visit was arranged byFirstGolf, founded by GillWilson and Howard Swan,who are committed to deliv-

ering inclusive programmesthat allow people fromacross the social spectrumto develop their skills irre-spective of age gender,race or ability.

Commenting on the visit,Ransomes Jacobsen’smanaging director said:“We are delighted to beinvolved with this forward-thinking initiative, whichrecognises that offeringaffordable, available andsustainable golf in the lessprivileged township areaswill have a lasting impact onthe broader South Africa.”

South African delegation play Firstgolf

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JULY 2008 GME 9

news

Jumeirah Golf Estates inDubai has announced thefirst concrete pouring at itsNorman Clubhouse, anothermilestone in the progress ofthe development.

The Norman Clubhouse,designed by and namedafter golf legend GregNorman, will serve the Fireand Earth courses uponcompletion in November2009.

Work on the foundations,which at 131,000 squarefeet will be one of thelargest in the Middle East,was completed in April.

This follows the announce-ment that Norman’s Earthcourse has been chosen asthe host venue for the rich-est tournament in world golf,the inaugural Dubai WorldChampionship, in November2009.

Norman cementing afuture at Jumeirah

While very few coursesare currently being builtor refurbished in theUK, the ones thatare have chosen toinstall Rain Bird irri-gation equipment.

Rockliffe Hall is a newcourse where construc-tion is well underway onthe 375-acre develop-ment at HurworthVillage, near Darlington.

Designed by Hawtreeand constructed by MJAbbott, it promises to be

Europe’s longest coursewhen finished, and irriga-

tion of the playingsurfaces will be provid-ed by a complete Rain

Bird system, from theCentral Control systemthrough to the rotors.

Rain Bird have teamedup with Abbot’s onceagain at Fairmont StAndrews which was

formerly known as StAndrews Bay in Fife.Despite being relatively

new, the Torrance Course is

currently being upgradedwith its existing irrigationsystem being enhanced.

Now designated as anOpen qualifying course,Fairmont St Andrews joinsthe growing list of top cours-es that are making theinvestment in Rain Bird.

Another Rain Bird system isbeing installed at HeythropPark Golf and Country Clubnear Oxford, where theexisting nine hole course isbeing re-designed andupgraded to 18 holes.

Heythrop Park is a uniquecombination of state-of-the-art conference facilitieswithin impressive andhistoric country house andestate surroundings.

The course is a McKenzieEbert design and is beingbuilt by White HorseConstruction, and Rain Birdwas the natural choice for acourse and country clubthat is setting the very high-est of standards in terms ofcorporate conferences andhospitality.

The best are still choosing Rain Bird

July 2008.qxd 18/7/2008 9:03 AM Page 9

news

10 GME JULY 2008

Mowers manufactured inIpswich are being used atthe world renownedPebble Beach Resort inCalifornia, following anew five-year nationalsupply agreement withRansomes Jacobsen’ssister company in the USA.

Golf Son Gual in Mallorcais reporting a 45 per centincrease in internationalgreen fee sales in thethree months from March1, 2008. The figures are agood indication of GolfSon Gual’s growing repu-tation as one of Europe’sfinest golfing venues.

In conjunction with GolfDevelopment Wales thedevelopmental arm of theGolf Union of Wales, SwanGolf Designs have beencommissioned to under-take two more ‘starter’projects in South Wales,expanding the country’sgolfing base.

Eight out of the nine OpenChampionship coursesnow advocate reliefgrinding and own aHunter Grinder to keeptheir courses up to therequired standard forhosting the Open.

The Med Group has officially inauguratedAndalucía’s only newresort development withcoastal frontage, thePlaya Macenas Beachand Golf Resort, Mojácar.

The Castle Course, theseventh course at StAndrews which wasdesigned by David McLayKidd, has been officiallyopened by The Duke ofYork. The opening cere-mony was held on July 2,and was attended by 150leading figures from theworld of golf.

IN BRIEF;

A year on from opening,The Carrick on Loch Lomondhas received glowing praisefrom its acclaimed designerDoug Carrick, whom thecourse is named after.

The traditional Scottishheathland course incorpo-rates two distinct nine holes,with the front nine meander-ing its way adjacent to LochLomond along the ScottishLowlands and the back ninetackling the ScottishHighland Heath.

On a recent visit Carricksaid: “It was very encourag-ing to see how well the golfcourse is maturing. AlecGlachan, Paul McLearn andall the maintenance staffhave done an outstandingjob in developing excellentplaying conditions through-out the course.

“Having successfully host-ed the Scottish Ladies Opentwice within the first full yearof opening the course is atestament to their tremen-dous skill and hard work.”

The Carrick at CameronHouse was completed in2007 to complement the

internationally renownedCameron House Hotel. Bothsituated on the banks ofLoch Lomond and a stone’sthrow apart, the criticallyacclaimed Carrick is nowconsidered the jewel in thecrown of De Vere’s Deluxegolf resorts.

The Carrick and CameronHouse offer guests the ulti-mate leisure experienceincluding a range of topclass dining and spa facili-ties, five-star accommoda-tion and a top class 18 holegolf course.

Carrick added: “It hasbeen a tremendous honourand a privilege to design acourse in Scotland.

“I have been very fortu-nate to work with anoutstanding client like DeVere, who are committed toproviding visitors to the LochLomond area with a worldclass experience,” hecontinued.

“The recent improvementsto Cameron House Hotelare breathtaking andconfirm De Vere’s dedica-tion to excellence.”

Carrick thrilled by developments at hisLoch Lomond design

Ransomes Jacobsen hassupported an exchange visitof Czech greenkeepersorganised and facilitated byThe Club Company.

Six course managers fromCZ Golf, a golf course oper-ator and managementcompany based in Prague,visited The Tytherington Cluband spent a week looking atbest practice initiatives.

Nick Brown, export busi-ness development manager

at Ransomes Jacobsen,introduced the two compa-nies after signing an exclu-sive supplier contract withCZ Golf by their Czechdistributor ITTEC spol.

“During the negotiations Iwas asked if we wouldconsider arranging anexchange visit so that theCZ greenkeeping teamcould improve their under-standing of best practice asit applies to the UK.

“The Club Company is asimilar organization to CZGolf, but on a much largerscale and they are also aRansomes Jacobsen nation-al account.”

Czech’s make new matesat Tytherington Club

Plans to transform the UryEstate, near Stonehaven,Kincardineshire, into aworld-class golf and leisureresort have received thefinal seal of approval.

Planning permission hadalready been granted forthe restoration of Ury Houseto create a hotel, holidaylodges and 18-hole golfcourse, to be designed byJack Nicklaus.

But the project rested onthe approval of an applica-tion for 230 new homes,which will help to fund thescheme.

Kincardine and Mearnscouncillors had given theirbacking to the plans.However, they needed tobe rubber-stamped byAberdeenshire Council’spowerful InfrastructureServices Committee – the

body responsible for throw-ing out Donald Trump’splanned resort at Balmedie.

They gave their unani-mous support to the project,meaning it could now openas soon as 2010.

Commenting on theapproval, Nicklaus said hewas “delighted” by themove and that Ury Estatewas “set to become a terrif-ic destination.”

Nicklaus gets approval at Ury Estate

July 2008.qxd 16/7/2008 10:04 AM Page 10

July 2008.qxd 17/7/2008 7:27 PM Page 11

news

12 GME JULY 2008

An idea from Puttadspromises to deliver advertsthat will be seen every timea golfer looks in the hole.

The company suppliesPerspex discs which sit snug-ly inside the bottom of thehole allowing companies topromote themselves up to18 times every round.

Each disc is clearly visibleto anyone glancing into thecup whilst retrieving a ball,and don’t require anyspecial fixings or sleeves.

Keith Stark, one of thefounding partners of Puttadssaid: “We have spent eight-een months developingthese discs in order to makethem robust, durable andweatherproof.

“They are large enough tocarry a company logo,contact details and anadvertising message andwe are now starting to intro-duce the Puttads conceptto golf courses throughoutthe country.”

One in a Hole for Puttads

Hampton Court PalaceGolf Club has become thelatest club toinvest in thenew Toro GolfDecoderController irri-gation system.

Owned byCrown Golf, the112-year-old park-land site is the onlycourse in Britainwhere golfers canplay in the groundsof a royal palace.

Though flanked by theRiver Thames, the club is alltoo aware that water is anincreasingly valuableresource and so, when itsold irrigation systembecame wasteful, general

manager GuyRiggott soughtan efficient and

cost-effectivereplacement.

“We werelosing about 40per cent of thewater with our

old irrigation system,” recallsRiggott, so he turned to irri-gation specialists Irritech, tomanage the project.

Roger Davey explains: “Iselected a Toro greens, teesand approaches systembecause the company hasan extensive range of sprin-klers and its new GDCcontroller is the most flexibleand simple ever to bedeveloped.”

The installation contractwas awarded to Lakes andGreens, and managing

director Mike Collins said:“Keeping the course openthroughout the installationwas one of the main priori-ties.”

Among obstacles to over-come was a herd of 350fallow deer on the course,which, as the team discov-ered, were very inquisitive.

“We couldn’t use plasticsigns, tape or rope tocordon-off working areas asthe deer would have eatenit or, worse, become entan-gled,” added Collins.

GDC a hit with the herd at Hampton Court Palace

PPC0870 241 4678

www.ppcgolf.com

Would you like to reduce your

Business Rates?You can’t escape them, but we could reducethem, so why not give us a call and let’s talkabout lowering your business rates.

Scorecards | Course Photography | Marketing and Publicity | Property

July 2008.qxd 17/7/2008 3:55 PM Page 12

JULY 2008 GME 13

company profile

A fixture in the golf indus-try for more than 15 years,ProLink Solutions has drivenGlobal Positioning Satellite(GPS) systems from merenovelty to virtual necessity.

ProLinkachievedwhat otherscould not –delivering onthe enor-mous prom-ise of GPS –by sticking toa pledge ofpartnership.

When formerUS president BillClinton madeGPS technologyavailable to theprivate sector in

1992, ProLink quickly estab-lished itself as the categoryleader, providing golferswith accurate distancemeasurements by means ofvibrant cart-mounted moni-tors.

The company developedand patented many of theGPS concepts and techno-logical capabilities that arestill in use.

It took time for the systemto gain widespread accept-ance, however. While somebenefits became obviousstraight away such as quick-er round times, improvedgolfer experience, andmore repeat play, courseoperators needed convinc-ing that adding ProLink GPSto their buggies would deliv-er a positive return oninvestment.

Today, that evidence iseverywhere.

One need only review theworld-class resorts equippedwith ProLink GPS to recog-nise its value: The K Club inIreland; Valderrama inSpain; Fancourt Hotel andCountry Club Estate in SouthAfrica; and Four Seasonsproperties in France, Hawaiiand California among manyothers.

Dig a little deeper and itbecomes obvious why somany clubs now rely onProLink to provide newrevenue streams and bolsterexisting ones.

Just six of the many validreasons for choosing ProLinkinclude:

Green FeesOffering this amenity

allows courses to increasegolfer fees and derive morerevenue from buggy rentals.

Food and BeverageThe on-screen food-and-

beverage menu enticesgolfers to order those cost-lier items which take longerto prepare, as the wait timeat the turn is reduced oreliminated.

Tournament SoftwareProLink-

equippedcoursesrealiseupticks intournamentplay, asevent organ-isers preferthe system’sexclusive scor-ing software.

MarshalsThe club-

house can playmarshal by send-ing messagesdirectly to groups which falloff pace. One ProLinkcourse in California reportedsaving as much as $75,000

per year by reducing itsmarshalling staff.

MerchandiseMerchandise sales and

specials can be promotedvia the ProLink screens, driv-

ing golfers toshop on-site.

BrandsMajor inter-

nationalbrands areflocking toProLink’sadvertisingnetwork, aleader in thered-hot digitalout-of-homecategory.

A portion of thead proceeds flow

back to the course

– creating a profit centrewhich didn’t exist a fewyears ago.

These benefits havecaused a surge in world-wide usage of ProLink GPS.In 2006-07, a total of 333courses installed, upgradedor renewed their leases onthe system. The expansion isexpected to continue withthe additions of new distrib-utors in France (SportBusiness Group) and Spain(Golf Consulting Services) aswell as China.

Today, ProLink dominatesa GPS market that has seenscores of competitors comeand go.

With some 700 coursesworldwide using its system,ProLink has more thandouble the number of instal-lations of the next-largestsupplier.

The key to the company’slongevity, according toCEO Lawrence D. Bain(pictured above), is simplystaying true to its brandpromise: “Being a trustedpartner to our affiliate cours-es underlies everything wedo,” said Bain proudly.

“Thatmeansprovidingthem with thelatest technol-ogy, respon-sive support,and innovativemanagementsolutions.

“Courseoperators knowthe system willincrease theirrevenue, and

they know theycan count on

ProLink.“More than anything else,

that has been the secret toour staying power.” GME

“Course operators know the system will increase theirrevenue, and they know they can count on ProLink.”

WEBLINK; GOPROLINK.COM

ProLink dominates by staying true to its promise

FACTFILE;

ProLink Solutions410 South Benson Lane

ChandlerAZ 85224

USA

TEL; (1) 480 961 8800FAX; (1) 480 782 1559

info@goprolink.com

July 2008.qxd 11/7/2008 7:30 AM Page 13

July 2008.qxd 14/7/2008 11:26 AM Page 14

JULY 2008 GME 15

club focusWEBLINK; TURNBERRY.CO.UK

Turnberry’s famous Ailsa course wherethe Open championship is to be playednext year will not be affected by the£55m sale to a Dubai sovereign wealthfund.

I should think not. British golf hasnothing better to offer than this jewel onAyreshire’s craggy coastline and it maywell turn out that the purchasers have gottheir money’s worth.

The American hospitality groupStarwood Hotels and Resorts have signeda letter of intent for the sale of the hoteland golf resort which the parties expectto be completed by October 31 this year.Under the terms of the deal, Starwoodwill continue to operate the five-star

resort with a 30 year-plus managementcontract.

Dubai World-owned Leisurecorp arethe latest Middle East company to investin a British asset of this nature.Theagreement pairs together two big hittersin the leisure and hospitality field mark-ing the consolidation of a significant longterm partnership.

Leisurecorp will add Turnberry to agrowing portfolio which includesJumeirah Golf Estates, home to theEuropean Tour International headquar-ters and the Dubai World championship,the richest tournament in golf fromNovember, 2009 and Pearl Valley GolfEstates, home of the South African Open.

Turnberry shinesas Leisurecorpbags a bargainOn May 21, Leisurecorp, the Dubai-based developmentcompany, signed a letter of intent for the purchase ofTurnberry from Starwood Hotels. John Vinicombe reports.

July 2008.qxd 04/7/2008 9:53 AM Page 15

16 GME JULY 2008

FACTFILE;

Turnberry HotelTurnberry

Ayrshire KA26 9LTScotland

TEL; (44) 01655 331000FAX; (44) 01655 331069

EMAIL;turnberry@westin.com

DIRECTOR OF GOLF;Paul Burley

ESTATES MANAGER;George Brown

CLUB FOUNDED;1906

As part of the deal Leisurecorp hascommitted to a major investment in thedevelopment in order to release more ofthe vast potential of the Turnberry resort.This concentrates on a full redevelop-ment of the hotel which is planned toclose this year and re-open ahead of theOpen championship.

At present the hotel facility comprises219 rooms which includes 12 lodges andnine cottages as well as an outdoor activi-ty centre, spa and all the usual banquetand conference space. Importantly, noneof the redevelopment will apply to theAilsa or Kintyre courses.There is also thenine-hole Arran course and ColinMontgomerie Links Golf Academy.

Nice work if you can get it and SultanAhmed Bin Sulayem, chairman ofLeisurecorp’s parent company, DubaiWorld, was delighted at this latest strokeof business: “Turnberry is a world-classdestination and we can look forward toplaying our role in its future success.”

This is not the first partnership dealbetween Starwood and Leisurecorp. It isthough, the first in Europe. Alan Rogers,group chief executive officer ofLeisurecorp said: “Our ambition is tobecome one of the world’s leading sportsand leisure companies.The addition ofTurnberry will further enhance our port-folio. Next year Leisurecorp will beinvolved in an incredible hat trick of golftournaments across three continents -The Open, South African Open and theDubai World Championship.”

So in the last decade Turnberry hasseen three different owners. Starwoodbought it from the Japanese group NittoWorld in 1997 and six years after theleisure complex opened. Given the loca-tion it is not difficult to see whyTurnberry has been such a sought afterproperty.

In golfing legend and within livingmemory Turnberry is best rememberedfor the epic head to head duel betweenTom Watson and Jack Nicklaus when theOpen was first staged there in 1977.Thepair entered the last round neck and neckand by halfway they were the only twoleft in it.

On the back nine Nicklaus pulled awayslightly only to see Watson hole out fromwell off the 15th to draw level. A birdie at17 let Watson go ahead.

At 18 he lashed a one-iron to an idealposition while Nicklaus carved his driveclose to the gorse. When Watson fired aseven-iron within 3ft of the hole itseemed all over only for Jack to hole along birdie putt. Watson remained cooland holed his to win perhaps the greatestfinish the Open has ever seen.

Hubert Green, who finished third and11 strokes behind famously remarked: “Iwon the tournament I played in.Theywere playing in something else.”

Not everybody has genuflected beforethe image of Turnberry. On the outsidelooking in, Curtis Strange, who was towin the US Open, gave the 1986 Open amiss: “Why should I take two weeks outof my life to play in bad weather on sucha terrible course like Turnberry?”

Recalling the 1986 Open brings tomind Greg Norman’s record equalling 63that included three bogies in testingcondtiions and arguably the best roundever played in any championship, settingNorman up for victory by five strokesand his first win in a major.

Among classic links Turnberry iscomparatively recent dating back to 1906when it was the first hotel and golfcomplex in the world and copied manytimes since.Twice it has come close toextinction since 13 holes were laid downin 1903 as a private course owned by theMarquis of Ailsa.

The signature of Willie Fernie, a green-keeper and winner of the 1883 Open nolonger exists. A plan dated 1909 showstwo courses on site and his son Tombecame Turnberry’s first professional.The marquis agreed to the take over anddevelopment was helped by the Glasgowand South Western Railway, of which hewas chairman. By 1907 it had become agolf centre with a first-class hotel.

A branch line from Ayr throughTurnberry to Girvan was opened provid-ing a service not only from Glasgow butthere was a direct sleeper from Londonand the Midlands.

“Our ambition is tobecome one of theworld’s leading sportsand leisure companies.The addition ofTurnberry will furtherenhance our portfolio.Next year Leisurecorpwill be involved in anincredible hat trick ofgolf tournaments”

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JULY 2008 GME 17

Built in a golden age the rich andfamous flocked to Turnberry. You couldget on a sleeper in London and play thecourse next morning and view with awethe hotel that had electric lifts on eachfloor.

Sunday golf was played despite criti-cisms from the Kirk and everything wentswimmingly until the outbreak of war in1914. The land was requisitioned for useas a training station for RFC pilots whowere mostly Canadians. After the war theland was reclaimed and Turnberrybecame part of the LMS Hotels group.

The Ailsa course layout was revised byMajor GK Hutchison so that the numberof blind shots were reduced and the workcompleted in 1938.

A year later Turnberry was taken overby the RAF with the construction ofthree concrete runways and all the build-ings needed for a wartime aerodrome.For most of the time it was a trainingbase for Coastal Command and the hotelbecame a military hospital.

At the end of the war PoW’s wereconfined on what remained of the golfcourse, and to this day, a memorial tothose who died in both world wars maybe seen by the 12th green.

Once again Turnberry had to be recon-structed. That it did so quickly wasthanks to James Alexander, superinten-dent of British Transport Hotels and achunk of government compensation.

Frank Hole, the hotel chairman,convinced his fellow directors that

Turnberry had a great future andcharged architect Philip Mackenzie Rosswith the unusual task of making what hadonce been natural linksland look naturalagain.

In 1951 after two years intensive work,Turnberry re-opened and soon hosted itsfirst Amateur Championship and WalkerCup. In fact Turnberry has staged everymajor championship except the RyderCup but how long will it be before thatgap is filled?

There is no need to sell Turnberry tothe golfing public. It sells itself with itscraggy shoreline, majestic dunes and thelong sweeping sands of Turnberry Bay todelight the eye plus as much folklore tosatisfy any foreign visitor.

The ninth is probably the mostphotographed tee in British golf. Set on aperilously rocky outcrop with the seabelow, the golfer must brace himselfagainst an offshore wind and concentrateon his aiming point, a stone cairn andavoid not taking too many backwardsteps.

Eleven miles out in the Firth of Clydeis Ailsa Craig. This distant mass of gran-ite rises 1,208 feet above the waves and isa bird sanctuary. The locals say if youcan see Ailsa Craig it’s going to rain; ifyou can’t see it, it’s raining. On a clearday you can see the Isle of Arran andMull of Kintyre and sometimes all theway to Ireland.

What Leisurecorp saw was a gold mineunless I’m very much mistaken. GME

July 2008.qxd 09/7/2008 2:17 PM Page 17

golf car safety

Let’s face it, when it comes to golfbuggies, we’ve all had one.

You know what I’m talking about.Thetype of Evil Knievel daredevil momentwhen you’ve climbed behind the wheel ofyour rented vehicle and believed you’recapable of death-defying stunts in yournew toy while out on the course.

No matter that your buggy has a topspeed of less than 15 miles per hourand has been designed to carry yousafely around 18 holes of golf, youstill believe that you can push itsperformance to the limit.

But the issue of buggy safety hastaken on altogether more seriousconnotations in recent months after

an elderly golfer hit the headlines whenhe was tragically killed in a buggy-relatedaccident at Southfield Golf Club, Oxford,in April.

The 92-year-old suffered fatal neckinjuries after he slipped into a greensidebunker at Southfield’s fourth hole and thebuggy toppled on top of him.

Sadly, he is not the only golfer in theworld to have been killed in a buggy-related incident in the last 18 months. InAmerica last May, Edwin Payne diedwhen the 65-year-old’s golf buggy hadplunged 75 feet off a cliff and crashed onto a road below at Pala Mesa Resort GolfCourse, north of San Diego, California.

Just months earlier, Arkansas golferAlice Fryer, 87, suffered three broken

ribs and a punctured lung when she wastrapped underneath her buggy as sheattempted to turn it around in a tunneland was only saved because herhusband’s pleas for help were heard.

With more and more buggies beingleased and hired each year, it is clearly anissue that’s not going to go away andcarries potentially serious consequencesfor both golf clubs and the individualsrenting the vehicles if the matter is notaddressed properly.

Paul Male, who runs Abingdon-basedcompany Golf Buggies Ltd with his part-ner Alan Clarke, has been involved in theindustry for 14 years and believes thereare a number of issues that need to belooked at.

“There should really be more accidentsthan there are,” said Male, whose busi-ness specialises in the leasing, hiring andselling of new and re-conditionedbuggies.You have to be strict becausethey are potentially lethal machines.

“I know there are people out there whotry to adjust them so that they go fasterbut that only makes them far more joltyand unstable when they go off the track.”

Consider the facts.When you hire acar, you are required to present a drivinglicence and fill out countless disclaimerforms, but it’s very rare to be asked tosign something similar when renting abuggy, something that is of concern toMale.

Buggy death should act as a warning to every club

Following the death of an elderlygolfer in April when his golf carfell on top of him, Pete Simm talksto the company that leased thebuggy to see what lessons canbe learned from this unfortunateaccident.

18 GME JULY 2008

July 2008.qxd 08/7/2008 8:30 AM Page 18

JULY 2008 GME 19

He said: “I believe it is the duty of thegolf buggy suppliers to the professionalsto get them to book the vehicles in andout at clubs. But the trouble is that wehave probably become blasé about it, andyou cannot track everything that peopledo and follow them around the course.

“The fourth at Southfield is a par threewith an elevated green and the buggyshouldn’t have been on there.The manfell into the bunker and the buggy fell ontop of him.

“It was driver error but it’s importantfrom the golf club’s point of view thatthey have information saying whathappened, which is what they’ve done.”

Guided by officials from Health andSafety, Southfield Golf Club quicklychanged their procedures for hiringbuggies following their tragic incidentand their head professional,Tony Rees,believes more clubs should copy theirexample so they are not, potentially, liablefor accidents.

“Everybody needs to look at the situa-tion,” said Rees. “The main thing is thatpeople hiring out buggies should havesome sort of written rules before they goout onto the golf course and that coversyou, the hirer. I’m sure a lot of golf clubsin the Oxford area are doing it now.

“When people rent a buggy from usnow, they have to sign a document sayingthey have read our safety rules and regu-lations.Visitors are, strangely enough,perfectly happy to sign our disclaimerand we haven’t had anyone who have saidthey’re not happy to.

“There may be more paperworkinvolved but it means that, once they puttheir signature on the paper, you arecovered if something goes wrong.”

What about the part new technology isplaying in the buggy safety debate?Leading manufacturers Club Car, EZGOand Yamaha are bringing out newversions of their most successful modelsall the time which include the latest state-of-the-art braking systems.

In fact, EZGO’s new RXV model hasan automatic braking system specificallydesigned so as when the car comes to astop on a steep hill there’s no need toapply the brake. It applies automatically,so there’s absolutely no possibility of itrolling away.

But Male is more concerned with theattitude that companies, clubs and peopledisplay towards key issues such as main-tenance than the constant advances inbuggy technology.

He said: “I don’t think any amount ofnew technology is going to save someoneif they take a buggy where they are notsupposed to go. Let’s face it, we have alldone it. I’ve spun buggies before but it’simportant to strike a happy medium.

“I believe regular maintenance isone of the most important thingsand it’s good that companiesleasing buggies supply a fullservice history for eachvehicle.

“In our case, wedo maintenanceon vehicles oncea year and, insome cases, twicedepending on theamount they are used.

“We give every customeran operating and maintenancehandbook because it’s key toeducate people about the responsi-bility they have.The same applies toprivate individuals that buy buggies.

“Tyres are another important thing.The normal golf buggy tyre doesn’t havethe same grip as an off-road vehicle as ithas been designed to travel smoothly overgrass and fairways.

“The problem is that, when you aredelivering buggies, you can go into a cluband meet the pro or general manager andexplain the importance factors in buggyhiring and maintenance but that onlyworks if they convey your message toother people.”

With Male estimating that up to 4,000buggies are currently leased to golf cours-es in this country and probably around12,000 buggies in total in various differ-ent guises, he would also like to seeefforts made to educate people on safetymatters.

“It’s a question of education,” headded. “There are young professionalsout there who are not educated inanything other than club-fitting and shopkeeping.

“Maybe this is an area that the PGAcould look at in the future and be includ-ed as part of their training courses.”

But there is one club in England whohas taken their steps of ensuring safetywhile out on the course to an altogetherdifferent level - by installing their ownspeed humps on buggy paths.

When it was time for half theirtracks to be resurfaced, Shirley Park

Golf Club, in Croydon, took therevolutionary decision to

replace the more traditionalshale surface with arubber compoundincluding having

humps placed on a steepgradient by the eighth hole.Supplied and installed by

Poolsafe Ltd, and costing£54,000, it may not have been

cheap, but the decision has been greetedwith universal approval by club membersand visitors alike.

Steve Murphy, Shirley Park’s generalmanager, explained: “While we hadn’thad any accidents, we were getting a lotof instances of slippage so, when it cametime for the paths to be replaced, we tookthe decision to put down the new surfaceand install humps.

“The feedback has been very positiveand the important thing is that it puts youin control of the buggy rather than thebuggy in control of you which is often thecase.”

Now that’s something to ponder. GME

“The main thing is that people hiring out buggies should have some sort of written rules before they go out onto the golf course

and that covers you, the hirer.”

July 2008.qxd 16/7/2008 9:05 AM Page 19

20 GME JULY 2008

dress code

Ok so he’s not Tim Berners-Lee. And adiscussion on dress code at golf clubs isno embryonic inter-web thingy. But likeTBL – and because I was in desperateneed of an analogy – Michael Lenihan’sleader in the last issue of GME appears tohave started something.

Naturally for every person who backedhis viewpoint there was an opposingstance. Some even got so hot under thecollar about it – you can’t do that with acollarless shirt even if you are TigerWoods – that they took the trouble towrite in.

“Take these,” said the publisher drop-ping a file of letters on my desk, “andwrite a piece about the views on dresscodes.”

I should have realised something was inthe air when everybody else in the officesuddenly decided to nip to the toilet oroffered to make the coffees.Why I neverget wind of these things I’ll never know.

I realise it’s just a simple case of actingas devil’s advocate, putting both sides ofthe argument, throwing in a little bit ofcomment and finishing like a schoolexam question: Discuss.

But dress code? I always wear the samething when I play golf: Ashworth poloshirt; M&S chinos. It’s not that I’m acreature of habit it’s just that I’m in theobese percentage so I have to find some-thing that fits and stick to it.

I envy those people who have awardrobe which enables them to have

some sort of moral dilemma beforethey throw their clubs in theboot of their car.

When I was younger Ihad very definite views on

what I should beallowed to wear ona golf course. Iwanted to wear

jeans and a T-shirt.I wasn’t a regular

golfer but I was aregular teenager – I

wore jeans everywhere.Even on the golf course.

My local was a municipal and theyweren’t bothered as long as you paid yourgreen fee.

Most youngsters of my acquaintancethen all did the same thing. Now theyprobably wouldn’t be seen dead in jeanson a golf course – but then again most ofthem are insurance underwriters,accountants or, heaven forbid, journalists.

Stewart Barnes, from Yealmpton,Devon, took umbrage at Michael’s viewthat the cause of the issue may be deeprooted in the class system – a view I findmore than reasonable I have to say.

Stewart wrote: “Where has he been forthe last 20 years? He accuses golf ofbeing restricted by the ‘class culture’. Idon’t know what hallowed turf he treads,but I don’t know a golf club in this areathat is dominated by the so-called ‘middleclass.’

“Golf is so egalitarian now. AtYelverton Golf Club, in Devon, there aremore ‘working class/blue collar workers’ –to use the old language – than ‘middleclass/white collar’ workers; they are toobusy to play. I think it is Michael thatneeds to “move on” and get into the realworld.”

Whoa there Stewart, we’ve all had adrink...

Michael suggested it had ‘its roots’ inthe class system – not that we were stilldivided by class.To be fair, if young MrLenihan was any more Conservative he’dhave a powder blue wig and a twin-set.

Perhaps that’s why he asked me towrite this piece – he forbids me to wearmy Stalinist regalia in the office and sawit as an opportunity to hit back.

We all know the class system no longerexists in this country. Look at the Queenfor example: like most of us she’s nowhaving to go cap in hand to the taxpayerfor an increase of £4m per annum just tomanage the upkeep on her homes.Weknow how you feel ma’am – we’ve allbeen there.

Like it or not Stewart a lot of clubs arestill steeped in the old-style traditions. Iapplaud Yelverton for its all-inclusive

David Bowers takes alight-hearted look atboth sides of the dresscode argument anddecides he has a limitedwardrobe...

Dress Code. Is ittime to rethink?

July 2008.qxd 04/7/2008 2:37 PM Page 20

JULY 2008 GME 21

policy but even your assertion that themiddle classes/white collar workers worklonger hours has its roots in class andsnobbery. Does an insurance underwriternecessarily work longer hours than aplumber?

I’ve never seen an ad for a 24/7accountant: Pay Less Tax Immediately –No Call-Out Charge! It might work actu-ally.

And I know a few golf courses downyour way who would harrumph at yoursuggestion most of their members arefrom the ‘working class’.

But Stewart continued: “I have neverunderstood Michael’s reluctance, or poorold,Tom Cox’s, to wear the normalapparel for golf. It is as easy to select apair of chinos and polo shirt in the morn-ing as it is to select a T-shirt and jeans.Perhaps they have yet to grow out of theiradolescent desire to rebel against rulesand traditions and perhaps they bothneed to move on and achieve adult status.

“There are accepted dress codes forsoccer, swimming, rugby, motor-racingetc and everyone accepts these; why do apoor misguided minority have to pick ongolf to vent their adolescent angst.”

Beautifully put Steven – but I’m afraidthat’s where the wobbly wheel of yourargument finally breaks loose and rollsstraight into the kerb of speciousness.

The dress codes for football – notsoccer please, we’re not in the UnitedStates – and rugby are laid down in thelaws of the game.

Only an idiot would wear jeans and a T-shirt in the 100m freestyle, and you’dhave to be a bloody fool to get into a carwhich corners at 140 miles per hourwearing nothing more than a pair ofLycra Speedos.

And surely nobody is rebelling againsttraditional golf attire more than theprofessionals these days. I give you IanPoulter and the other members of theyounger generation of PGA Tour pros.

The biggest sellers in golf clothing atthe moment tend to be those that are,shall we say, a little bit more ‘edgy’.

I’m afraid that while I might be yourideal golfer – chinos and polo shirtremember – I have to say I find yourargument full of more holes than MissionHills.

Some of the same points were putforward by Steve Varcoe, the manager atEnmore Park Golf Club, in Somerset – isit only in the west country that peoplechoose to attack the views of ouresteemed publisher?

He said: “What would we think ifWayne Rooney played for United inflip-flops or Michael Vaughanfor England in his swim-ming trunks?”

Well, itwouldn’t begood forRooney’smetatarsaland it wouldn’tmake much difference to England’s crick-et team would be my honest assessment.

As Michael pointed out in an emailexchange with Steve: “Purists were up inarms about the multi-coloured ‘pyjamacricket’ kits and Twenty20 – all commer-cial concepts cricket needed to adopt notonly to re-invent itself but appeal to ayounger and wider audience. And itworked.”

Of course it would. Pyjamas are idealfor a sport where most of the spectatorskeep nodding off anyway.

Steve retorted in a positive vein: “I haveno problem with colours etc as long asthey are wearing recognised golf attire,”he wrote. “As far as I am concerned, ifgolf clothing manufacturers make shirtswithout collars and this is accepted by thePGA for pros, then it’s not a problem.”

That’s the crux though Steve. At manyplaces it is a problem.Tiger would not beallowed to wear those trademark mockturtlenecks.

Maybe it will all come down tocommercialism in the end, as Michaelsuggested.

As one director of golf said to me fairlyrecently: “If allowing youngsters to wear

jeans on the course meant I couldfill all the spare tee times I

currentlyhave I’d beall infavour ofit.

“Butfor God’ssake don’tquote me

on that –the members would kill me if

they thought I was being serious,” helaughed.

Well at least I’ve preserved hisanonymity.

Ultimately it all comes down to thestandards you wish to maintain – and theamount of money you’re prepared to loseeach year if you, like my friend, havedozens of empty slots every day.

Me? I’ve moved on. I’m comfortable inmy chinos and polo shirt. But then againwhen you play as badly as I do, the lastthing you want to do is stand out in acrowd. GME

July 2008.qxd 04/7/2008 2:42 PM Page 21

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July 2008.qxd 27/6/2008 1:36 PM Page 22

JULY 2008 GME 23

in person

Bruce Glasco isn’t afraid of taking theodd risk or two and he accepts hisapproach can be less than conventional.

“I tend not to be as traditional asmost,” he says when quizzed about hisfavourite golf resort. “Many people sayPebble Beach but I like Spyglass Hill, soI’m not you’re typical guy when it comesto resort golf. It’s odd and I’m sure yourreaders will cringe, but I enjoy Spyglass.”

Despite his self-confessed mavericktendencies, Glasco isn’t a radical – youdon’t head up the Europe, Middle Eastand Africa (EMEA) division of theworld’s leading golf management

company by being contentious.You do it by learning from the

best.“I’II always be partial

to Pine Valley,” he says ofhis favourite golfcourse. “Having playedit many times, I’venever had a bad daythere. It’s that special. IfI had one course to play

and then I had to put myclubs away, that would be

the one. It’s a pure golfexperience.”Glasco’s last-rights tribute

to the New Jersey course ispraise indeed.The 43-year-old

father of two has been playing golf for

most of his life although his currenthandicap of five is more a reflection ofhis annual quota of rounds than evidenceto his deftness around the greens.

His industry knowledge, however, issecond to none.With a career spanningthe harsh realities of pro golf to resortdevelopment and eventually to golfmanagement, development and market-ing, Glasco has form.

“Like many people in our industry, myearly aspiration was to be a player,” herecalls. “I turned professional while incollege and played in one tour event qual-ifying for the Hawaiian Open when Ilived there.

“I quickly figured out, however, that ifI couldn’t win every event I played in at alocal level, there probably wasn’t a greatchance of being successful at the nextlevel up. I didn’t have the short game toprogress so I quickly found myselfbehind a desk and focused on that.”

Before relinquishing his hopes forsporting greatness, he clinched the juniorchampion title for the state of Michiganand graduated from Western MichiganUniversity in 1989 with a degree incommunications and political science.

It was put to good use as he worked hisway up through the apprentice ranks. “Iwas always looking for an opportunity toadd tools to my toolbox,” Glasco says. “Istarted working at a municipal golf

Glasco ison the rightheading atTroon Golf

As managing director of Troon Golfin Europe, Bruce Glasco’s objectiveis to bring the company’s uniquebrand of high-end service to this sideof the pond. With an impressiveresume, Mark Alexander finds outthat he’s well suited for the job.

WEBLINK; TROONGOLF.COM

July 2008.qxd 04/7/2008 9:50 AM Page 23

24 GME JULY 2008

course while at college and moved on to amember-and-resort club at The BayhillClub where we hosted a PGA Tour eventand I got exposure to a number of figuresin the golf world including Mr Palmer.

“There are so many lessons he taughtme both intentionally and by accident,but one of the most important was tryingto be deliberate with my answers.”

Glasco followed two years at Bayhillwith a three-year stint at Pine Valley. Histactics were obvious - work with andlearn from the best. “Because the golfbusiness is somewhat incestuous witheverybody knowing everybody else, youget a chance to move quickly through theranks if you work for the right people anddo a good job,” he said.

“I’ve worked for the best people in golfat every step of my career whether thatwas having the opportunity to work forMr Palmer or working under CharlieRaudenbush at Pine Valley.”

His first head pro post came at thewonderful Kapalua Resort in Maui underthe stewardship of director of golf GaryPlanos who Glasco describes as “one ofthe most revered people in golf.”

In 1996, he took on a high-profile posi-tion at the Maroon Creek Club inColorado which shortly afterwards wasnamed third best new private course byGolf Digest.

With celebrities like Jack Nicholson asmembers and distinguished guests suchas Leonard Lauder dropping in, it was aglamorous place to work and Glascofitted in well developing a rapport withmany of the members. One of them,Gerald Hines, was developing his firstintegrated residential golf communityand asked Glasco to consider a careerchange.

“While still being involved with golf,I’d have the opportunity to learn aboutdevelopment,” he recalls. “It was achance to learn about a different compo-

nent of the business from one of the bestteachers. Mr Hines is one of the greatestprivate developers of my lifetime. But itwas risky because he had only committedto one project so there was no future afterthat.

“I remember thinking that regardless ofhow well it went, I would be happy withthe knowledge I’d gain because it wouldbetter me for the opportunities in thefuture. Looking back, I made the rightdecision but at the time it was difficult.”

During his three years with Hines,Glasco furthered his understanding ofreal estate by attending a trainingprogramme at Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology (MIT) and project managingtwo developments; the first in Coloradoand the second in Florida.

Responsible for building entire neigh-bourhoods as well as managing thetendering, bidding and developmentprocess, he was introduced to thecomplexities of working with govern-ments and municipalities. More impor-tantly, he realised the golf industry alsohad a lot to learn.

“I learned the golf business was notthat sophisticated when it came to finan-cial modelling,” he says. “Although Ithought I knew a lot about my businessafter running golf clubs, I learned fromHines that we were really in our infancyin understanding budgets and running abusiness from top to bottom.”

Although he admits the learning curvewas steep, the business skills he acquiredwould prove invaluable in his next andmost important move to Troon. “It wasn’tplanned,” he admits.

“At the time, Goldman Sachs wasgetting involved with Troon and I had arelationship with one of the company’sinvestment board.Troon was going togrow rapidly and needed some humancapital, so I was put in contact with Dana[Garmany] and one thing led to another.”

“They need to look ateach department as astand-alone business.They need to look attheir golf shop as abusiness and theyneed to look at theirfood and beverage asa business.”

July 2008.qxd 04/7/2008 10:00 AM Page 24

JULY 2008 GME 25

Glasco joined Troon in 1999, althoughit was once again not an easy decision tomake. He was happy with his projectmanager’s role at Hines but the lure ofsomething new called to him.

That, combined with a few choicewords from Troon’s founder, sparked aninterest that was hard to ignore. “Danawas so charismatic during our discus-sions and it was a chance to get involvedwith a smaller company,” he remembers.“I was intrigued.”

Following successful assignments asvice president of operations for WesternNorth America and senior vice presidentof the Australia Pacific division, Glascowas appointed head of EMEA in 2006.Operating the divisions from Troon’soffice in Geneva, he says successes downunder changed the way the company nowapproaches its new ventures.

“When I went to Australia, we were ayoung business internationally.Wefocused on a select number of countries,”he explains. “After successes in the asia-pacific region and the Middle East, we’renow more open to looking at newendeavours across the globe.When we gointo new countries, our learning curve isgetting shorter.”

It’s an ominous statement, especiallyfor Troon’s competitors who are compet-ing with a company with an impressivemarket share – in a Condé Nast Travelerpoll of 447 golf destinations visited by3,000 respondents over a period of threeyears,Troon accounted for over ten per

cent of the top 100-rated resorts forcourse design, speed of play, professionalstaff, accommodation, service, dining andfacilities.

So how does Troon do it? How has itmanaged to corner so much of themarket in so many countries. It all boilsdown to experience says Glasco, who’sbeen involved in more than 100 coursesin 19 countries. “Many times when we gointo clubs, we’re told some areas are offlimits because the club is happy with thatarea’s performance. Often that’s a tell-talesign that the business isn’t being run asefficiently as it could be.

“They need to look at each departmentas a stand-alone business.They need tolook at their golf shop as a business andthey need to look at their food and bever-age as a business.They need to approachit from a very detailed perspective andmake sure they go through their forensicaccounting procedures with the idea thateach department has to perform at itsmaximum.

“We’re also very careful when we entera new country,” he added. “We have amore refined list of questions to ask thanwe did five years ago and therefore we’reable to set up our structures more quick-ly, make decisions about whether it’s theright opportunity or not so not to wastetime, and most importantly, there’s agood chance we’ve seen it before, andthere are not a lot of golf managementcompanies that can say that. In fact, I’mnot sure there are any.” GME

July 2008.qxd 16/7/2008 5:40 PM Page 25

26 GME JULY 2008

development

The shock of the sub-prime crisis withattendant nose dives in property valueshas not prompted any appreciable radicalbacktracking in the golf industry.

At least there is no evidence of arethink in the UK stockbroker belt. It isstill all systems go for improvementprogrammes launched by Country ClubGroup at Slinfold Park in West Sussexand Arena Leisure, the racecourse opera-tor that owns courses at Lingfield Parkand Southwell.

While Arena Leisure made a sluggishstart to this financial year due to lowerattendances at its seven tracks, a £26mredevelopment at Lingfield Park inSurrey will benefit the 600 golf clubmembers after race goers get the majorslice of the action.

The parkland course that opened in1987 was bought by Arena Leisure, thelargest operator of UK horse racingfixtures, and members have no cause forconcern about the future of their golf asan extensive make over is about to begin.

The principal improvement is aMarriott four star hotel plus all the trim-mings expected of a sporting upmarketaddress where it is not unusual to see acejockey Frankie Detorri on the fairwayinstead of in the saddle. It is true to saythat golfers at both Parks, Lingfield and

Slinfold, will shortly play in swanksurroundings and who is to say that won’tmean an increase in fees.

It was in 2005 that the idea of a majoroverhaul at Lingfield came to Jon Wills,project manager at Arena Leisure.Theplan will create 85 new jobs, a factor thatalways impresses local red tape, andbuilding should be completed by the endof next year.

As an integral part of the racecourseand leisure complex, the golf sits nicelywith its equine setting. Ponds, streamsand a variety of mature trees adorn the6,487 yards that has proved good enoughto host a number of Surrey Open cham-pionships.

When Sir Henry Cooper, the club’shonorary patron is not engaged in hismany good works, he likes a round atLingfield and there is a “Cooper Special”membership package.

Chris Morley, 47 the golf operationsmanager and club pro, (pictured aboveright) is enthusiastic about the future:“The golf club has been profitable for thelast ten years and what is now about tohappen will make the course and facilitieseven more attractive.”

Surrey has a fair share of the UK’smost famous courses but until nowLingfield is not spoken of in the same

Despite all the doom andgloom that seems to besurrounding the UK economy at the moment,as John Vinicombe reports,not everything is as bad asit seems as refurbishmentwork gets underway atLingfield and Slinfold Park.

Under Starter’s Orders

July 2008.qxd 14/7/2008 1:26 PM Page 26

JULY 2008 GME 27

breath as Sunningdale,Walton Heath andWorplesdon. It is too young for that butthe whole estate of about 500 acres is notwithout its history.

Not until the London, Brighton andSouth Coast Railway extended its line toLingfield in 1884 did development in thearea start up. One person in particularrealised that the iron road opened upfresh opportunities for dalliance.

A special siding was built nearby todivert the royal train allowing the Princeof Wales (later Edward VII) access to ahouse overlooking the 12th tee for hisassignations with mistress Lilly Langtry.

The racecourse opened in 1890 and agolf course soon followed. Lingfield Parkchanged hands several times in the 1970sand in 1982 was acquired by RonMuddle of the Rowanglen company. Inaddition to the race course purchase hebuilt the 18 holes on land to the east ofthe race track.

With a total budget of only £250,000,the final design was the work of MalcolmWade, a Lingfield Park race course exec-utive who had 12 years experience in golfclub construction and greenkeeping.Previously he had built CottesmoreCountry Club in West Sussex.

The original intention was that itwould be a private club with a corporatemembership and a business packagereflecting the boom times of the eighties.Before the opening local golfers persuad-ed Ron Muddle to open up to a limitednumber of individual members playingprincipally at weekends when the busi-nessmen would be grafting in the City.

In the event membership was offeredon both corporate and individual basisincluding membership of the racing. Itworked, as obtaining membership else-where was difficult and new memberssigned-up from all over the South East.

Although the intention was thatLingfield would be a men’s club, anumber of corporate members werewomen which meant from the outset theyhad equal playing rights, a situation rarelyto be found in the area.The companyformed a committee accordingly.

Much work needed to be done andbetween 5,000 and 6,000 trees wereplanted. For several years memberscontributed £5 on their subs to a, ‘treefund.’

Between 1988 and 1991 the coursehad been starved of capital and in1988the golf and racing complex was sold toLeisure Investments for £7m. A yearlater as soon as the all weather race trackopened the property was put up for saleand within months Leisure Investmentswent into receivership as they could not

find a buyer for this and their otherenterprises.

The receivers realised that if they wereto obtain a good price for the golf club aspart of the complex it was necessary tocontinue maintaining the playing area byallowing limited funds for essential needsbut not covering major expenditure.

It was a low ebb for the club and whilenegotiations to find a purchaser draggedon there were tentative approaches madeto the receivers to see if they would letthe members buy the course.

Cork Gully, the receivers, felt theywould stand a better chance selling the

site as a complete package as racing wasgoing through a thin time but golf gain-ing in popularity. In 1991 it was sold toLingfield Park Ltd.

The company invested £100,000 inbuying equipment and course improve-ments followed.What had been wastescrubland and wet, unmanaged woodlandwas turned into an ecological habitat, andproving a desirable target when ArenaLeisure took over in 1997 for an undis-closed sum.

Now, with such powerful owners,Lingfield Park is set fair in just over 20years to hold its own with the long estab-lished Surrey courses and not a millionmiles away is Slinfold Park.

Owned by Country Club Group thatoperates five courses in the South Eastincluding Cranleigh and Mill Ride,Slinfold is also on the way up. Previouslyunder the company name of BritishEnsign Golf, the newly named CountryClub Group, which recently announcedthe appointment of Charlie Parker as itsnew chief executive, is about to embark ona £7m raft of investment that will see itsportfolio transformed into country clubs.

The starting gun for work will be firedat both Slinfold and Cranleigh with anopening date next summer. Slinfoldgeneral manager Stewart Judd can’t wait:“Once complete, the new facility will beone of the best in the South East.”

At Cranleigh, a multi-million poundrefurbishment has Matthew Orwin,group operations director, purring: “It isfair to say that the word ‘refurbishment’doesn’t really do the project much justice.It will be virtually a complete internalreconstruction encompassing all thefeatures of the Slinfold plan while at thesame time being true to the club’s ownunique identity. We don’t want them tosimply be ‘clones’ of each other.”

Charlie Parker added: “We will also beannouncing our ambitions for Mill Ridewhich will be benefitting from a newclubhouse to compliment the existinggolf course.” GME

“It is fair to say that the word ‘refurbishment’doesn’t really do the project much justice. It willbe virtually a complete internal reconstruction”

July 2008.qxd 14/7/2008 1:29 PM Page 27

construction

Twenty years or so ago, the number ofnew courses being built in England wasaround 40. In the last 12 months, it wasreduced to only a handful.

Like so many things in life, timeschange and it’s up to people to move withthem, and that is very much the case inthe golf course construction business.

For many, the 1980s was very muchthe boom time with constructors floodedwith requests to build courses and newvenues springing up like mushroomseverywhere across the United Kingdom.

But, inevitably, there had to come asaturation point and when that camearound, the construction business hadto re-adjust its sights. And, much like

Britain has done in the political world, itseyes have turned to Europe for the wayforward.

Russia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Macedoniaand Croatia.They are all countries thatwould have been viewed with scorn ifsomeone had suggested that they wouldbe the place to build at the height of theEnglish construction boom.

But they are the places providing thenew-build platform for members of theBritish Association of Golf CourseConstructors – as well as non-affiliatedcontractors – to take their businesses andindustry forward. And according to mostindustry sources, it is a trend that is onlylikely to grow bigger over the comingyears.

“In the UK, we have got to face thefacts that things are slow,” said BrianPierson, chairman of the BAGCC whohas been involved in the constructionindustry for more than 40 years.

As Pete Simm investigates, the UK market for new-buildcourses has pretty much come to a grinding halt, which

perhaps explains why so many contractors are lookingtoward Europe for work.

28 GME JULY 2008

Europe the way forwardfor golf construction

July 2008.qxd 07/7/2008 8:36 AM Page 28

JULY 2008 GME 29

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30 GME JULY 2008

“There’s the odd one or two but that’sit and Europe is increasingly the place tobe for new-build golf courses.

“There are projects coming off all overthe world including the Ukraine, Rhodesand Croatia and I, myself, am involved inworking on courses in countries includ-ing Belarus and Macedonia.

“The trend now is also for people tobecome project managers and you’refinding a lot of British constructors willgo into Europe if they don’t have to takethe risk of being the main contractor.

“What we have is the ability andexpertise to build the best golf courses,but constructors don’t want to run therisk of, for instance, buying materials ordealing with VAT issues.”

The plans for Russia and its capitalMoscow are staggering to say the least.Having just finished one new venue andwith two more in the pipeline, theRussian authorities have asked golflegend Jack Nicklaus to design another 15public golf courses in the next few years.

Nicklaus sees their request as thechance to shape and influence the gamein the country and the building is beingmirrored in the likes of old Eastern Blocpartners Bulgaria, Romania and theformer Soviet state Belarus.

Pierson is currently involved in build-ing the first course in the latter with PaulThomas, son of renowned architect Daveand he has already experienced a new setof obstacles that constructors need to bewary of when working in easternEurope.

He warned: “Projects in this countrytake years to get past the environmental-ists but working over there also has itschallenges.

“In Belarus, they have to save all theirtop soil and re-use it because it’s full ofnatural flora and fauna while all their treeclearing is done by hand.

“When I suggested I get a machine toreplace the old tractor that was pullingout tree stumps, I was told that the presi-dent of the country said it had to be donelike this because it provides local work forpeople like students.”

Andrew Jeffery, managing director ofGolf Tech GMBH, agrees with Pierson’ssentiments having encountered similarproblems in Bulgaria. Jeffery, who has 25years’ experience of the constructionindustry in England and Europe and

whose company is based in Germany,said: “The Eastern Bloc is still dippingtheir toe into golf.

“It is a different way of life. Bulgaria isgoing through a transitional period.There is a lot of money there but you doget bogged down with the tax side ofthings and there is a huge problem withthe billing which puts people off,” contin-ued Jeffery.

“We are very much in a pioneer type ofphase and we have to push that furtherbecause that’s the direction the industryis going but there are things to be waryof. It’s going to be a very interesting peri-od.”

While constructors are having to altertheir approach to the golf industry inEurope, they are also facing a new chal-lenge when tendering for contracts on thecontinent.

Just as in the UK, golf course construc-tion has fizzled out in America in the lastfew years leading to US constructorsseeking new markets to work in.

Pierson said: “American constructorsare having a rough time and they arebound to come over here.

“I’ve got three US shapers pursuingme at the moment for work while I’vealso been approached by an Americanarchitect to act as his job finder in theUK but that puts me in a difficult posi-tion because of my work with UK design-ers.”

Jeffery hasn’t got a problem with theadded competition, though. He said: “Ihave just become a member of the GolfCourse Builders Association of America(GCBAA) but it’s not a case of ‘if youcan’t beat them, join them’.

“America is bigger and larger than lifethan anywhere in the world and they doget things done.Whereas we have 18members in the BAGCC, they have morethan 1,000 in the GCBAA.

“They are working ostensibly in Dubaibut a lot of Americans, mainly shapers,have been emailing me asking for work.But I don’t think it’s a question of peoplebeing nervous about being rail-roaded.

“British companies know they have toventure into Europe because that’s wherethe future is and I’m okay with the ideaof Americans coming over.

“I feel I have a different style of workand, rather than being in direct competi-tion, I feel I can work with them.

“...a lot of Americans, mainly shapers, havebeen emailing me asking for work. But I don’tthink it’s a question of people being nervousabout being rail-roaded. British companies knowthey have to venture into Europe because that’swhere the future is and I’m okay with the idea ofAmericans coming over.”

July 2008.qxd 07/7/2008 8:39 AM Page 30

JULY 2008 GME 31

Brian D. PiersonTHE GOLF COURSE BUILDER

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44 (0)1425 475584brian.pierson@btopenworld.com

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“For instance, while Americans have aposition they can fill, they tend to do allblade work and cannot operate a 360machine.”

That is not to say that there aren’tmajor golf course projects taking place inthe UK. Aside from Donald Trump’sproposed $2 billion development inAberdeen, big money is being spent atthe likes of Rockliffe Hall, in Darlington,Heythrop Park in the Cotswolds andFairmont St Andrews’Torrance Course.

Some £50 million is being spent onconverting Rockliffe Hall’s 375-acre-siteinto a five-star leisure development thatwill include Europe’s longest course at7,800 yards, restaurants, a luxury hoteland spa retreat and private housingdevelopment.

The extensive construction programmeat Heythrop Park, one of the oldest andmost important parks in England, hasbeen designed by Tom Mackenzie ofMackenzie and Ebert and the build is ajoint venture between White HorseContractors and Ely Golf.

Construction work involves thecreation of a full 18 hole course, withpractice area and water storage facilitywithin the historical estate of HeythropPark.

The site, which sits on the edge of theCotswolds, was originally the countryseat of the Duke of Shrewsbury and isone of the oldest and most importantparks in England. As part of the projectthe park is being turned back to its

former glory including substantialrestoration of the parkland, parts ofwhich over the years had been turnedinto forestry and agricultural use.

Besides the construction of the course,a comprehensive drainage and waterharvesting system, together with a fullfairway irrigation system, are to beinstalled.

Scheduled for completion this autumnwith a projected opening of spring 2010,the site and new design have all the ingre-dients for providing a prestigious, top-class golf course set in outstandinglybeautiful Oxfordshire surroundings.

Indeed, Pierson believes that RockliffeHall and co are the examples that the UKshould follow if major new golf courseconstruction is to continue in this part ofthe world.

He concluded: “We have very few newstand-alone golf courses and are probablythe only country that doesn’t try to helpthe situation by putting houses aroundcourses.

“Most of the Eastern Bloc countriesare going the way that Americans havegone, the Spanish and Portuguese havedone it and that is the way we need to go.

“People say that we need to sell acertain amount of houses to make adevelopment work but I have worked inAmerica and I know there are enoughpeople who have the money to do justthat.They will sell and anything thathelps the rural economies has got to begood.” GME

July 2008.qxd 07/7/2008 8:44 AM Page 31

my view

32 GME JULY 2008

Most of the golfing world knows thehistory of the subcontinent’s contributionto the game with the oldest of club’s andcourses outside the United Kingdombeing in India.

Royal Calcutta has a special place inthe game’s heritage and is regarded as animportant milestone in golf ’s develop-ment as a global game.Yes, it came withthe British, as many of the world’soutposts of courses came, but India’ssignificance in tradition should not beunderstated.

Its basis, created all those years ago, isits launch pad for the future in seeing thegreat game expand throughout the coun-try both in terms of national participationbut also of international tourist attraction.

And what a future it can be! AlongsideChina, Eastern Europe and the Gulf, andperhaps a little further into the future,Brazil and Argentina, India is a hotspot in

golf and golf development.The expanding economy and the

rise of some golfing superstarssuch as Jeev Milkha Singh(pictured) will see it all happen, Ihave no doubt.

I first came to work as anarchitect in India two years ago

when the Karnataka GolfAssociation asked me for somehelp on their rather important18 holes to remedy a severe

drainage problem on the course

during monsoon times, and I have beenan enthusiastic visitor ever since!

My first taste of ‘Incredible India’ wasin the north, in Delhi, Amritsar and Agraand on the wonderful train journey toSimla with my wife, as a tourist.

Subsequently seeing other regionsincluding Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka,Mumbai, Kolkata has wetted my appetiteto see more, and learn more.

Of course none of those trips wouldhave been complete without seeing thegolf courses - Trivandrum, Ooty,Naldehra, DGC, RCGC,Tolly,Presidency,Wellington, Agra... the listgoes on.

A fortuitous meeting with a youngIndian, a cricketer of some note, and afair golfer - Nandan Heblikar - who cameto see me in St Andrews in order to studygolf course design heightened my interestin golf and golf development in India.

And two years later it, and I remain,listening, learning, benefiting from beingin the country.

I am clearly interested professionally inseeing the market expand from thecurrent 180 or 200 courses, but in asensible, paced, sustainable way. Boomor bust, as we have seen in other parts ofthe world, are no good to any man.

I believe that, at present, one half of thecountry’s courses are within the militarybases, as ‘environmental parks’, and Iwould love the chance to see some of

WEBLINK; FIRSTGOLFCOURSES.COM

The opportunity for IndiaPrincipal of Swan Golf Designs, Howard Swan, talks abouthis love affair with India and explains why he believes thishuge country has enormous potential to become amajor player on the world golf scene.

July 2008.qxd 08/7/2008 9:55 AM Page 32

JULY 2008 GME 33

them, and asses how they were designed,how they were built, and how they aremaintained and managed.

I will be intrigued to see whether theywill ever, in significant numbers,be available to the national golfingpopulation.

I realise that I am not the firstprofessional golf course architect tocome to India to work - Fream, Ryan,Hawtree all pre-date me togetherwith some more high profiledesigners - the Nicklaus’,the Palmer’s, theNorman’s of this worldand before them allPeter Thompson ofcourse, who withMichael Wolveridge, wasinstrumental in laying outKGA, presently being upgradedto true and modern tournamentcalibre and expectation.

The beginning for me inBangalore has been a fascinating one,building a new golf course from anoldish one with all the members lookingon and using so much hand labour tofashion it.To see the work being done soenthusiastically by all has been wonderful.

Back to the old times one might say -less of the bulldozer, less over elaborate-ness, more simplicity, more nature.

And hopefully I can, with my team,translate those sentiments into some ofIndia’s new courses like the one justbeginning at Mysore.

Like many these days it must be acommercial success so a resort, a golfvillage, a golf community - call it whatyou will - with residential units, houses,

apartments and hotels will be built tomaximise a price premiumand recover the capital cost of

the development of the golfcourse.

I am sure that there will bemany more around the citiesfor first or second homes,

andaround the

coast as inter-national resorts.

Whatever their future,these developments need

to be sustainable in threedistinct dimensions; environ-mentally, financially and

socially as outlined by theR&A.In other words, laying out new

golf courses, or bringing up to dateolder ones, with a best fit philosophy,whilst putting the design into the naturalcharacter, and at the same time preserv-ing and enhancing its value and diversity.

Or one could say, laying out new golfcourses which make commercial sense;

that register a realistic viability; that yieldan acceptable return and are not tooexpensive.

In other words, laying out new golfcourses which give opportunity to morepeople of any age, of either sex, of anybackground, to join the game and learnwhat it can bring... socially, respectably,respectfully and behaviourally.

In order to do this we require practicefacilities including more ranges,

academies and short courseswith either three, six or nine

holes.We need simple, modestly costed

courses to allow accessible, affordableand therefore sustainable golf, which is

what my FirstGolf initiative is trying todo.That must be our long term aim,worldwide, never mind just India.

To accompany such an expansion infacilities we need a parallel educationprocess to be developed, and I am tryingwith the help of the R&A, the IGU andElmwood College to do just that.

I do hope that 2008 might see somevocational courses in greenkeeping, golfmanagement, golf course management,mechanics, irrigation and even caddying,begun in two or three centres in India.

After all, if India is to expand, we needto be ahead of the game, and prepared forit in every respect to ensure its long termsuccess.

I hope, as a man committed to thecause, to be around long enough to seethat. GME

BRITISH ASSOCIATION OFGOLF COURSE CONSTRUCTORS

Promoting excellence inGolf Course Construction

throughout EuropeFor further information about the

British Association of Golf Course Constructorsor to join, please contact founder member

Brian Pierson on 01425 475584brian.pierson@btopenworld.com

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the last word

34 GME JULY 2008

It’s not often I’m compared to TigerWoods in any, way shape or form.

Admittedly our names might crop upin the same conversation occasionallyin the form of “Blimey Bowers you’renot gonna eat all that? Tiger Woodswouldn’t touch any of that rubbish.”

Or even “Crikey! Tiger Woods wouldhave been proud of that Bowers youjammy devil” when I thin one on thepar-three seventh at my club only tosee the ball skip across the water andsit majestically in the spinach short ofthe green.

But now I know how he feels. Iempathise. I can, almost literally, feelhis pain. I too am suffering from kneeknack which has curtailed my golf. Irecognised the look on his face afterhe powered away those drives duringthe US Open.

But like everything in life it all comesdown to money. Tiger was whiskedaway in a cloud of white coats, MRIscanners and talcum powder to havean immediate second operationwhich he is now recuperating from.

I’ve played nine holes in the last yearand my appointment to see myorthopaedic specialist is not untilAugust 4 – two days after my weddingwould you believe.

“Where did you go on honeymoonDave?”

“Hospital”, comes the reply.Not being able to play golf for the

past 12 months has not been toomuch of an issue. My colleagues in theGME office advise me I’ve never beenable to play…

However, I am starting to get itchyfeet – and grindy knee.

At 5pm, a couple of times a week,others in the office depart the officefor a quick 18 holes at a twilight rate,while I sit nursing my knee and watch-ing inter-county barrel jumping orwhatever else happens to be onEurosport.

Can you imagine if Tiger had tohave his operation on the NHS?

“Yes Mr Woods you definitely needan operation – it’s just a shame youlive this side of London. Were youbased north of the river you might beable to have it within six months. Thebest we can offer is early 2010.”

I’m expecting to take up golf againonce I reach 70 – by which time myoperation will be deemed unneces-sary as I will be able to have a legreplacement performed in my ownlounge by a hand-held, Star Trek-stylematter transporter.

In the unlikely event Tiger shouldread this, I’d just like to say I’m quiteprepared to take on your dodgy kneeas a replacement for mine. It mightafford some inspiration.

In the meantime make a swift recov-ery – golf will be a lot worse for yourabsence. GME

At last, I have somethingin common with Tiger

“I can, almost literally, feel his pain. I too am sufferingfrom knee knack which has curtailed my golf. Irecognised the look on his face after he poweredaway those drives during the US Open.”

David Bowerseditorial@portman.uk.com

PPC 0870 241 4678www.ppcgolf.com

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