GolfManagement Europe

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It’s often said that a picture speaks a thousand words, but in the case of HK Golf, the picture is in fact a CGI image in stunning high definition

page 37

eclipsing the competitionThe Jacobsen Eclipse 322 is the world’s only diesel electric hybrid greens mower with no hydraulics

issue 71march 2010

ThE EssEnTial ManaGEMEnT publicaTion for EMEa Golf club opEraTors

marCH 2010 GME 3

publisher’s editorial

On page 42 of this issue, GmE’s resident curmudgeon, David Bowers, once again raises the thorny issue of dress codes.

This is, of course, just one hurdle the industry has to cross in order to attract more golfers and ensure the fairways are full all of the time.

It’s not the only issue we face but it’s certainly one which gets aired on a regular basis.

On the subject of dress codes, sev-eral people who know me well have commented that in my profile picture (above) I’m wearing a canary yellow shirt – sacrilege given the fact that I’m an Ipswich Town football supporter.

I would never normally consider wear-ing yellow – Norwich City play in yellow and green – because Ipswich Town is my club, and always has been.

If Norwich City reduced its season-ticket price by £100 and sent me a nice letter I still wouldn’t contemplate taking my business to Carrow road.

Portman road is where I belong – and I will once again purchase a season-ticket in the summer, even though this season has been one of the worst in living mem-ory. That’s the crux – Ipswich is my club, and I wouldn’t move elsewhere because something else was cheaper.

If golf clubs made their members feel that the club was their club, and ensured they were happy with the quality of the course and the fare on offer, surely those members would not then consider mov-

ing 20 minutes down the road to save £50 or £100 on their subs.

Clubs need to look after their members rather than simply expecting them to cough up their annual dues every april – and if they are losing members, to find out why.

If members aren’t playing enough, then that’s understandable – after all no one is going to buy a season ticket for

Portman road if they can attend only a quarter of the matches.

But the alternative is a club member-ship or privilege card, which ties that member to the club even though he or she is not committed for the full season.

It’s all well and good constantly bang-ing on about on-line booking facilities, but we should be shouting even louder for a membership scheme that keeps a golfer affiliated to their club.

The member can then get discounted rounds and tee-times normally reserved for members.

It’s not often that the business of football can actually teach any other in-dustry anything, but on this occasion they may just have hit on something. GME

Why yellow and green will never be my colours

Michael lenihanlenihan@portman.uk.com

The new Jacobsen Eclipse 322 is the world’s only diesel electric hybrid greens mower.

7

How former estate agent robin murdoch has defied the odds at Portpatrick Golf Club.

19

Bob Buckingham discusses his career which has spanned more than 30 years in golf.

25

Guy Buckey’s latest creation has no clubhouse and is linked to a park and ride scheme.

31

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Editor John VinicombeContributors mark alexander, David Bowers, Steve Chicken, Peter Dawson, Keith Haslam, michael Holmes, Peter Simm, Nicole Wheatley

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“I would never normally consider wearing yellow and green because Ipswich Town is my club”

4 GME marCH 2010

One of the best-known professional golfers in Ireland has been appointed direc-

tor of golf and head profes-sional at the Lough Erne Golf resort in Northern Ireland.

Lynn mcCool, a former competitor on the European, asian and South african Tours brings a wide range of skills and experi-ence to her new role follow-ing the departure of andy Campbell.

The 37 year old Irishwoman had a highly successful amateur playing career and subsequently won a Golf Scholarship at the University of Hawaii before embarking on a four year training programme at The Belfry.

Commenting on her new role, mcCool said: “Lough Erne is the most talked about golf venue in the industry and I am delighted to be joining the team.”

headline news

Carnoustie has been warned it could lose its right to host the Open Championship unless it improves its facilities.

The sport’s governing body, The r&a has labelled current provision at Carnoustie as “inadequate”.

It has said that without improvement the famous links is unlikely to be consid-ered as a future venue for the sport’s showcase event.

Now, in a bid to come up to scratch, plans have been submitted to angus Council for a new golf pro-centre at Carnoustie Links which could play a vital role in securing future championships.

agents working on behalf of the Carnoustie Golf Links

management Committee in order to bring the new facili-ty to the links, stated that the 2007 Open contributed £14m to the local economy, £26m to the Scottish econo-my, and delivered the equivalent of £34m in adver-tising value.

Consultancy firm Drivers Jonas LLP has submitted plans for the construction of a 1,000-square metre golf pro-centre and changing rooms on a 1.5 hectare site with direct access to the first tee and putting green on the championship course.

The proposal would see the current starter’s box removed and relocated within the new building along with improved chang-

ing facilities, a repair work-shop and a Carnoustie Links heritage display.

Graeme Duncan, general manager at Carnoustie Links, said that the impor-tance of improving facilities at Carnoustie could not be underestimated.

He said: “as well as deliv-ering the best possible facili-ties on a day-to-day basis, a championship course such as Carnoustie must meet the needs of the top profession-al golfers when they come to play in tournaments.

“In the near future, we have the Seniors Open Championship in 2010 and the Ladies Open Championship in 2011 and, of course, we remain hope-ful of the Open Championship returning to Carnoustie at some point.

“It is critical, both for Carnoustie and for the angus area in general, that we strive to improve our facilities wherever possible and seek to make Carnoustie the very best venue it can be.”

carnoustie battles to retain its open status

Golf club memberships in Ireland have plummet-ed by 25 per cent – and waiting lists at once exclusive clubs are now non-existent.

Crisis-hit clubs are desperate for new members and are dramatically reducing membership and green fees.

Kevin mulcahy, from Golf management and marketing Services, said: “membership numbers are down by about 25 per cent. It ranges from 20 to 30 per cent, depending on the golf club. Green fees are also down by the same amount.

“a busy golf club might have earned around €1m a year, but now they’re down by €250,000, which is a huge cut in their income.”

mulcahy insists the industry needs to change in order to adapt to the recession.

He added: “The golf clubs that will be able to survive the recession are those that are reducing their fees and advertising attractive packages.”

lynn playing it cool at lough Erne

PGa chief executive Sandy Jones has hailed the raft of initiatives that resulted from the first World PGa alliance’s formal meeting.

The meeting, held in Orlando following the PGa merchandise Show, comprised ten of the most established Professional Golfers’ associations – Canada, america, australia, Germany, Great Britain and Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, South africa, Sweden and Europe.

“PGa professionals have been a leading influence in the growth and develop-ment of the game of golf for decades,” commented Jones.

“The formation of the PGa World alliance means it will now be possible to bring together the best practices in the areas of education, game development and commercialisation of the PGa brand, which is perhaps the most recognisa-ble brand in golf.

“The unity provided by the alliance will mean that PGa members in every corner of the globe will benefit by this huge resource of knowl-edge available to them all.

“With golf now becoming part of the Olympics this will be vital, not least because every golfer who partici-pates in rio de Janeiro will have been influenced and mentored by PGa profes-sionals at some time or, perhaps totally, in their career.”

Jones hails pGa alliance a success

marCH 2010 GME 5

news

John Deere Credit has announced a new zero per cent finance programme on a range of commercial mowers.

This interest-free credit scheme covers John Deere’s new 8400 Commercial triple mower, the 1400 and 1500 Series front rotary mowers and the 997 zero-turn rotary mower.

Customers can order equipment from John Deere dealers up until 31 may 2010, and then make 12 interest-free payments.

“We are looking to help small to medium size contractors in particular gain the finance they need to purchase new equipment and keep their businesses running efficiently and cost-effectively,” said John Deere’s turf equipment product marketing manager Henry Bredin.

“With interest rates being relatively low at the moment, we are able to offer this attractive interest-free deal on a range of popular rotary machines.”

Dozens of Irish investors involved in the €162m purchase of a marriott Hotel on the world-famous Sawgrass golf course in Florida four years ago face massive uncertainty after the resort filed for bankrupt-cy protection.

rQB, led by financier Niall mcFadden and property developer Paddy Kelly,

assembled up to 40 unnamed investors in 2006 to acquire the hotel, which has connections to the PGa Tour.

It is understood that Kelly no longer has any involve-ment in the project.

The golf club was also where Tiger Woods recently issued a public apology for his marital infidelities.

The resort does not own Sawgrass, but controls the bookings for about 85 per cent of starting times there.

most people who play on the course stay at the hotel, which has more than 500 rooms.

There were also plans for a $900m leisure and residential development on the 65-acre resort.

Investment bank Goldman Sachs, which is owed about $193m, informed debtors it wanted to foreclose on the resort from last September after six months of talks over restructuring the loan.

Subsequent efforts aimed at resolving the problem, including efforts to raise $40m of capital, also hit a number of hurdles.

irish investors face uncertainty at sawgrass

Zero per cent finance on offer from John Deere

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Give your members luxury value for their membership, by offering premium VIP cars.Visit www.garia.com or contact us directly at sales@garia.com

6 GME marCH 2010

abu Dhabi Golf Club has scooped the “Best Golf Course in the middle East” award as well as the “Best Golf Club (overall) in the middle East” at this year’s middle East Golf awards.

It was in fact the third straight year that abu Dhabi Golf Club has claimed the title, an unprecedented achievement in the middle East golf’s history, and the second time in three years

that the club won the Best Golf Club (overall) award.

managed by Troon Golf, abu Dhabi Golf Club is home to the European PGa Tour’s abu Dhabi Golf Championship, and remains a central part of the vision in promoting the UaE capital of abu Dhabi as an interna-tional golf destination.

“This is a great moment in abu Dhabi Golf Club’s histo-ry in receiving such prestig-

ious awards and most nota-bly the Best Golf Club (over-all) in the middle East for the second time in three years,” said Ken Kosak, general manager of abu Dhabi.

“awards like these reflect the significant levels of hard work and dedication from those involved. all of us at Troon Golf are proud of what the property has achieved and are excited about the future and the opportunity to firmly position the golf club as a key prop-osition in abu Dhabi’s vision for tourism.”

mark Chapleski, area managing director of Troon Golf middle East added: “We are proud to be associ-ated with each and every property that we manage and when we see the hard work from all those involved pay off, it gives a great sense of pride in what we have achieved.

“There are some great plans for new courses in the UaE and we are all optimis-tic about the future for the golf industry here.”

news

Barenbrug and the STRI, have announced details of an innovative new trial taking place at Druids Glen Golf resort in County Wicklow, Ireland.Sown in September last year, the ‘Druids Glen Golf Green Differential Input Trial’ is the first of its kind in Ireland and aims to determine the influ-ence of both standard and relaxed input main-tenance regimes on grass species for golf greens.

Two golf buggies stolen from Farleigh Court Golf Club, in Surrey, turned up 30 miles away in addlestone. a police spokesman said: “This is not the first time buggies have been stolen from the area and we will be advising clubs on ways to improve the security measures they have in place.”

The PGA has warned that a massive scam involving the selling of fake golf clubs on the Internet is a stark reminder of the per-ils of buying equipment online. Consequently the association has advised all customers to buy equipment from one of its 7,500-strong band of PGa professionals in a bid to avoid unwittingly pur-chasing counterfeit gear in the future.

The Wisley Golf Club has signed a major recon-struction project with international golf course specialist Sternberg Golf Services of Sweden. The renovation, which is scheduled to begin in april, will feature the in-stallation of Sportcrete, a revolutionary engineered bunker-lining and drain-age technology.

in briEf;

abu Dhabi scoops award for the third year running

Colt mackenzie mcNair, the golf industry’s premier executive search and recruitment specialist, has partnered with IFm Sports marketing Surveys, experts in delivering first class analysis and market insight, to launch a golf industry first, the inaugural Golf Salary and Benefits Study 2010.

This important and comprehensive study, to be published in april 2010 and supported by the Club managers association of

Europe and the European Golf Course Owners association will collate remuneration, benefits and staff development informa-tion from business profession-als throughout Europe, the middle East and africa.

This annual report will give employers and potential candidates detailed infor-mation and insight into current business practice, focusing on salary and benefit benchmarking, demographics of senior

managers and staff devel-opment patterns and analy-sis.

richard Wood, director of Colt mackenzie mcNair, that works exclusively in the golf markets of EmEa and asia Pacific, said: “We’re urging all stakeholders in the golf industry to take part in this study.

“Their input will enable us to publish the most compre-hensive, valuable and useful insight document of this type.”

cMM launch inaugural salary study

Following the positive response obtained from the company profile article published in the January edition of GME, Carousel Golfing has announced that they are to launch a new rental scheme.

aimed at clubs of every status, the new scheme will offer owners and operators the option to rent the revolu-tionary bag storage system, rather than purchase them outright.

“The level of interest this year has been incredible,” said managing director, mike Waldron. “However, financing the carousels can often be a problem for clubs in these cash-strapped times, which is why we have decided to offer a rental alternative.

“We survey, we deliver and we install – it really is the easiest and most cost-effec-tive way to increase your bag storage capability.”

carousel Golfing launch rental scheme

marCH 2010 GME 7

on the cover

facTfilE;

ransomes JacobsenWest road

ransomes EuroparkIpswich IP3 9TT

United Kingdom

TEl; (44) 01473 270000faX; (44) 01473 276300

WEBlInK; raNSOmESJaCOBSEN.COm

ransomes Jacobsen has unveiled its latest generation riding greens mower, the Jacobsen Eclipse 322.

Featuring a unique hybrid drive system, this latest mower is a radical depar-ture from the hydraulically

driven machines of the past 40 years and is like nothing else in its class.

Designed to reduce oper-ating costs and increase productivity, the Eclipse 322 provides cutting consistency on all types of greens, irre-spective of the operator.

The hybrid technology in the Eclipse 322 combines two unique features; the machine is totally free of hydraulic oil and, because of electronic control, it can be customised to meet the specific requirements of any golf course.

Commenting on the Eclipse 322, richard Comely, ransomes Jacobsen’s prod-uct manager, said: “This machine is a world first in greens mowing.

“It uses a hybrid system utilising an internal combus-

tion engine and electronic technology to provide power to both the drive wheels and the cutting cylin-ders. Electric motors are more efficient than their hydraulic counterparts, but have traditionally been rath-er bulky.

“New technology provides more power in a smaller package, so now we can harness the efficiency of the electric motor.

“With a more efficient driv-etrain, a smaller engine is sufficient to provide enough power.

“Our extensive tests have proven that we can expect an average reduction in fuel consumption of 43 per cent,” added Comely, “whilst we have also calcu-lated that the Eclipse 322 can save operators an aver-age of 180 gallons of fuel a year (based on an annual 900 hours of operation).

“When you also factor in the reduction in hydraulic oil and filter waste, we antici-pate that an owner can realistically expect to save up to 35 per cent on operat-ing costs.” GME

“we anticipate that an owner can realistically expect to save up to 35 per cent on operating costs.”

The new hybrid that is a world first in greens mowing

A REVOLUTION IN GOLF BAG LOCKERS

The Carousel Golf Bag Storage System is easy to install, safe to use, and allows your club to increase – often treble – your golf bag storage capacity. Make more money for your golf operation by providing a top level of service to more and more of your customers.

Installations include:

Lough Erne, Dun Laoghaire,R&A St Andrews, Penha Longa,The K Club, Portmarnock,Aphrodite Hills and Royal Malta.

View a demo video online at www.carouselgolfing.comOnly 14 Carousel Units = 168 Bags

20ft

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RENTAL NOW AVAILABLE!

8 GME marCH 2010

news

a unique invention from a German company Green Toi, could be set to revolu-tionise the way in which golf-ers ‘take a break’.

For encased within the golf ball exterior is a fully operational toilet which has been developed specifically for use on the golf course.

The Green Toi toilet is designed to be easy to install whilst being comforta-ble and clean.

requiring minimal installa-tion – Green Toi does not need to be installed to mains drainage or hooked up to water and electricity – the ‘Golf Ball’ can be locat-ed virtually anywhere on the golf course with the mini-mum of disruption.

and due to its ability to be relocated, Green Toi does not require any planning consents.

Using the latest in solar technology, the Green Toi is chemical free thanks to its revolutionary recycling system which requires mini-mal manpower to empty.

With clubs placing more emphasis on members comfort these days, golf clubs can now extend the same levels of clubhouse comfort out on the course.

Heythrop Park resort, Oxfordshire, has a ‘green-keeping team’ of epic proportions, where you’ll find the likes of ‘The Golden

Bear’, ‘The Shark’ and ‘Tiger’ tending to this 18-hole championship course.

But these golfing greats haven’t jacked in their day

jobs – Heythrop’s high-profile workforce is in fact the result of estate manager Phillip Helmn’s ingenious coding of his brand new Toro fleet!

Having taken delivery of a 20-strong fleet in time for the course’s ‘soft’ opening in October, he decided to use nicknames instead of numbers in honour of the game’s legends to keep track of machinery mainte-nance (known as coding) – hence you’ll find ‘The Shark’ Toro greensmower cutting the course and ‘Tiger’ Workman utility vehicle transporting materials around the resort.

Steeped in history, the 300-year-old estate is already home to a five-star hotel, health club and spa.

“Heythrop is aiming to attract the five-star market and so we need five-star

equipment – that’s what Toro is,” Helmn reveals.

“all 25 years of my career, all I’ve really ever used is Toro. They’re just the best. I’ve looked at others, but none have matched up.”

However, because Heythrop is new to the golf-ing market, the operations team trialled all the major manufacturers’ machines – the result didn’t come as a surprise to Helmn.

“Toro came out best,” he continues. “Our operations director saw the quality of the products – Toro is the rolls-royce of greenkeeping machinery.

“While most manufactur-ers seem to have one machine that excels in one area, other machines are weak. But the full Toro fleet ticked all the boxes – there was nothing to surpass it.”

Golfing Greats arrive at heythrop park

Scotland’s national sporting body has carried out a dramatic U-turn and paid up after saying it would not fund a golf course development on the God-fearing Western Isles because it banned Sunday play.

Sportsscotland has contributed £64,000 to Harris Golf Club despite a year ago provoking a major row over refusing to hand over the cash to a facility open only six days a week.

The news comes as members of Stornoway Golf Club, on neighbour-ing Lewis, are taking legal advice and threatening to play on Sundays because their landlords refuse to open the course on the Sabbath as part of their lease.

Louise martin, chairman of Sportscotland, original-ly said the organisation could no longer fund facilities that open only six days. But now it has emerged that the body has paid up – without any deal on Sunday play.

Hugh maclean, captain of Harris Golf Club, said it was the result of “long negotiations,” and added, “Harris is a lovely course.”

KPmG’s Golf advisory Practice has published a new report analysing the effects of the economic downturn on the golf busi-ness in Europe, the middle East and africa.

The report measures the impact of the economic downturn on golf through the business performance of golf courses in 2009 and

reveals that two-thirds of the golf courses surveyed in the EmEa region said the finan-cial crisis had impacted negatively on their opera-tions, with nearly half of all courses reporting reduced revenues and profitability.

Golf courses forming part of a mixed-use residential community or a tourist resort were worst hit with 78 per

cent saying they had experi-enced a negative impact on operations.

more worryingly, 35 per cent of golf courses said they were experiencing lower or stagnant revenues without being able to reduce costs, raising the prospect of unsustainable business operations based on current trends.

KpMG publish new EMEa report

Green Toi unveils a fresh way to ‘spend a penny’

marCH 2010 GME 9

news

Weller Designs Limited Golf Course ArchitectsBishops Mead House, West Street, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7DU

E I G C AEUROPEAN INSTITUTE OFGOLF COURSE ARCHITECTS

Email info@wellerdesigns.co.uk www.wellerdesigns.co.uk Telephone 01252 712 127

Directors: David Weller Bruce Weller

Passion and Flair . . . is Excellence From concept to completion, Weller Designs, specialist golf course architects

• Course appraisals & surveying • Concept & detailed design • Full planning application • Environmental impact assessment

• New Builds • Remodelling • Construction specification • Site supervision

Untitled-1.indd 1 18/9/09 13:08:20

Desert Turfcare, E-Z-GO’s distributor for Bahrain, Qatar and the UaE, has delivered a fleet of E-Z-GO golf cars and shuttle vehicles to the newly renovated abu Dhabi City Golf Club, which re-opened last December.

When asked about his preference for E-Z-GO, rhian Lobo, abu Dhabi City Golf Club’s manager said: “The rXV fleet was selected for many reasons such as the ease of maintenance, since not many parts are

required, and my mechan-ic’s familiarity with this relia-ble brand. Both the manu-facturers’ warranty and Desert Turfcare’s warranty made it very convenient for us to decide on the E-Z-GO rXV.

“The battery filling system is a pre-requisite on all cars and one full battery charge can give us up to three rounds of golf.

“We are 100 per cent comfortable with the choice of E-Z-GO for our fleet.”

Only one of 20 golf cours-es in Beijing has been devel-oped legally, a member of the law committee in China’s parliament has claimed.

amid concerns about land grabs of prime farming land, China’s government put a moratorium on the development of new golf courses in 2004 and rein-forced the ban last year.

Development has contin-ued, however, and the China Golf association (CGa) puts the number of courses on the mainland at around 500, mainly clustered around the major cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

“There are many golf courses in Beijing, but only the one close to the ming Tombs has been legally

approved,” said Sun anmin, deputy director of the National People’s Congress (NPC) law committee.

The Beijing International Golf Club, which borders the ming Tombs reservoir, was the first course to be built in Beijing in 1986.

The 19 other courses in Beijing include the Jack Nicklaus-designed Pine Valley as well as champion-

ship courses, the Beijing Honghua and the CBD International, which have both hosted the European Tour-sanctioned China Open in recent years.

Sun suggested the devel-opments be given legal status retroactively, saying that golf courses helped China’s economy by provid-ing employment and green spaces in urban areas.

china course development ‘illegal’ claims npc

E-Z-Go helps re-launch abu Dhabi city Golf club

ELY

E Y

www.elygolfconstruction.com

ELYGOLFConstructRenovate Maintain

Reading, United KingdomTelephone +44 118 326 6168Email elygolf@btinternet.com

Appointed contractor for the renovation work being undertaken at Turnberry for the 2009 Open Championship

10 GME marCH 2010

news

Plans for a Frank Gehry-designed clubhouse has been revealed by Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC), the abu Dhabi-based master developer of Saadiyat Island and its Saadiyat Beach Golf Club.

The clubhouse, which is the world-renowned archi-tect’s first golf-related project, will be the centre-piece for the Gary Player-designed Saadiyat Beach Golf Course – the arabian Gulf’s first and only beach-front course.

The 18,000 sq m clubhouse will boast unique design statements, incorporating Saadiyat Island’s stunning

natural beauty to create an instantaneously recognisa-ble international landmark.

The clubhouse has been designed to meet Estidama regulations, the abu Dhabi-

specific building sustainabili-ty methodology, and is scheduled to be completed in 2013.

TDIC will put the project out to tender later this year.

Troon Golf has announced that La Quinta Golf and Country Club is committing significant resource and investment to further improve one of Europe’s most popular golf destina-tions.

regarded by many as one of the most enjoyable spots for golf, La Quinta has announced strategic rede-signs of key holes and reno-

vation plans for the irrigation system.

The host to the Benahavis Senior masters, this year won by multiple tour winner Carl mason, is situated in the heart of the marbella Golf Valley, only five minutes away from Puerto Banus.

The announcement of the “Plan de adaptacion”, will see the Championship venue embrace a new

decree recently set out by Junta de andalucía.

The new decree requires golf clubs to review all aspects of the management of their course, in particular, environmental efficiency of water use and safety stand-ards.

“This is a considerable investment and demon-strates the confidence and commitment of the Board to further establish La Quinta as one of the very best facilities in the region and Europe,” commented Scott Evans, director general at La Quinta.

“Our plan to develop the layout and irrigation system coincides nicely with the recent announcement set out by Junta de andalucía.

“We have developed a strategic partnership with the team at ramon Davila of Promotur in making sure we are operating at our most environmentally sensi-tive and as efficiently as possible, and we are all looking forward to seeing positive results.”

Gaudet luce Golf Club has taken delivery of new course maintenance equipment and a fleet of E-Z-GO golf cars from TH White Ltd, their local ransomes Jacobsen distributor.

Foremost Golf, Europe’s largest Business Group of over one thousand PGa professionals, has signed a partnership with The PGa and TGI Golf to join forces in holding what will be the largest golf trade show and educational event in Europe.

Rentaclub.co.uk, the UK’s first online golf equipment rental service, is giving golfers the opportunity to hit their best shots with top brand equipment, whenever and wherever they want. The exclusive new service will enable golfers to test drive new products from Calla-way, Taylormade, Nike, Cleveland, Srixon and mizuno, among others, just 24-hours after order-ing the clubs online.

Royal West norfolk Golf Club at Brancaster, King’s Lynn, has renewed its five-year machinery leas-ing agreement with John Deere dealer Ben Burgess of Norwich.

Pencilpal, a unique golf pencil that clips to your golf bag has been devel-oped by andrew Blades. Pencilpal is a golf pencil on a 120cm retractable cord which attaches to your golf bag and retracts back into position once it has been used. Costing £2.89, PencilPal is available in a variety of colours, and can also be personalised with any golf clubs logo.

in briEf;

la Quinta announces major upgrade plans

saadiyat beach club unveils stunning frank Gehry designed clubhouse

Campey Turf Care Systems, one of Europe’s largest independent machinery suppliers, is host-ing a series of pitch prepara-tion demonstrations at a number of European sports stadium and golf course venues this Spring.

See the latest renovation and maintenance machin-ery at work including the Koro Topmaker, aerators, harrows, topdressers and seeders from major manu-facturers including Imants, raycam, Vredo and Dakota.

The numerous events, which include a demonstra-tion day at Golf Course Trnovo Ljubljana, Slovenia, on monday, april 12, 2010 are open to everyone involved in sports pitch and turf maintenance and attendance is free.

campey’s European Demo Tour

marCH 2010 GME 11

news

When Colin aldous, chair-man and owner of Ufford Park Hotel, Golf and Spa in Suffolk first started playing golf 20 years ago, he never thought that one day he would own his own golf club.

as his love for the game evolved, culminating in him purchasing the club back in 1991, it was perhaps fate that he would record his first ever hole-in-one on the most romantic day of the year - Valentine’s day.

“I was just playing a friend-ly game with my eldest grandson Joshua,” said 65-year-old aldous, “when I teed-off on the 140-yard, par three, third hole.

“after striking the ball with my 7-iron, I lost sight of my ball in flight, and not seeing the ball bounce, I feared it may have gone into a bunker, or through the back of the green.

“But to my complete and utter amazement, it ended up in the hole!”

Golfpark Nuolen has become the first Golf Environment Organisation Certified golf club in Switzerland.

With a proud record of environmental perform-ance, achieving GEO’s award is confirmation that the club and superintendent Steven Tierney are at the forefront of sustainable golf course management.

Superintendent Steven Tierney has been involved in the project since 1997, and said: “It’s important for modern greenkeepers to seek recognition for their management practices and publicly represent their social and environmental responsibility.

“There are many awards and accolades available in the industry, but GEO

Certification is the most rigorous.

“Our goal is to manage Golfpark Nuolen to the high-est international standards and we’re proud to have achieved this recognition.

“The golf course, facilities and associated nature trails will be enjoyed by golfers, local schools and communi-ty groups for many years to come.”

Nuolen director of golf, artur Baselgia commented: “as well as sustaining local jobs, golf can provide improved access to green-space whilst improving envi-ronmental quality.

“as the Golfpark contin-ues its transformation into an ecologically valuable resource, so our manage-ment practices will continue to improve.”

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12 GME marCH 2010

news

Thomson Perrett and Lobb recently hosted golf industry leaders for a seminar on bunkering, embracing the three disciplines of design,

construction and mainte-nance.

The seminar, held at Burhill Golf Club, Surrey, brought together 29 delegates to

discuss the various aspects of bunkering, and listen to presentations from compa-nies specialising in bunker construction.

representatives from bunker lining manufacturers explained the benefits of bunker liners, whilst Nigel Wyatt of mJ abbott discussed bunker construc-tion techniques and Charles Henderson from the STrI explained the importance of particle size and shape in bunker sand.

a lengthy open discussion brought proceedings to a close, with a number of topics debated, including the merits of bunker mainte-nance and renovation.

Tim Lobb, who chaired the seminar, said: “We want-ed to bring golf industry leaders together, and the

subject of the seminar is one close to every course archi-tect, developer and manager.

“Bunkers have to be designed, built and main-tained and to have such knowledge in one room discussing the subject so deeply, intensely and passionately was great.

“Everyone was quite open in the discussions so we could really go into depth on the issues brought up.”

Craig Haldane, The Emirates Golf Club course superintendent, who trav-elled from Dubai to be at the seminar said : “It was amazing to have so many industry experts sitting around a table talking about a simple hazard.

“It was well worth the trip.”

Tpl host bunker seminar

a residents’ group has said it will “fight on” to save Knock Golf Club from redevelopment.

The Dundonald Green Belt association – which wants to save what they view as “treasured” open space – has slammed local politicians who they say have failed to repre-sent its views on the issue.

The group has lodged 766 letters of objection with the Belfast District Planning Office, over the plans to build up to 400 homes on land currently holding Knock Golf Club.

The new development would retain a nine-hole golf course and will see the conversion of the existing clubhouse for community use.

as the application stands 36 acres of the 90 acre site will be devel-oped, with three acres being reserved for social housing.

a spokesperson for the Dundonald Green Belt association said: “We feel the community’s view has been consistently misrep-resented in this matter.

“By lodging these objections we are letting all parties know loudly and clearly, that the community does not support this application.”

Toro’s renowned DPa cutting units are now availa-ble on its reelmaster 3100-D trim and surround mower.

Thanks to its ingenious one-click dial, the DPa – Dual Precision adjustment – cutting unit allows users to adjust and hold the bedknife in exact incre-ments for an unrivalled qual-ity and consistency of cut.

Popular among many top golf clubs, DPa blades also hold a sharp edge for long-er, ensuring that each blade of grass is cleanly cut – not torn – to keep the sward green and healthy.

Toro says that DPa units offer unrivalled consistency of cut during the life of the reel as well as a die-cast aluminium honeycomb frame that improves rigidity

and strength by 30 per cent and is also corrosion-resist-ant.

The unit’s bedknife can be quickly removed, replaced and reset for fast and fuss-free maintenance.

Toro’s UK sales manager Jeff anguige said: “We’re delighted to extend the DPa units to the reelmaster 3100-D because now, even more customers can experience the best cut in the business.”

Tom Hoch Design has completed the space plan for the clubhouse at PGa National russia at Zavidovo Golf and Lake resort, 65 miles northwest of moscow.

Tom Hoch Design has developed an integrated-site plan, interior space plan, and amenity program for the three-level centrepiece of the 18-hole, par-72 golf course.

all work was completed remotely from the compa-ny’s hq in Oklahoma City in conjunction with Braemar Golf, the St andrews-based golf services company who invited Tom Hoch Design into the project.

“Tom Hoch Design care-fully balanced the needs of the future local families, avid golfers and visiting VIP’s to create an amenity-filled and

destination-driven design theme,” said Constantin Zabrodin, project director at Zavidovo Golf and Lake resort.

“We are excited and honored to work with TrustStroyInvest, the devel-oper of the Zavidovo Golf and Lake resort and Braemar Golf on this land-mark project,” added Tom Hoch.

hoch on course at pGa national russia

Toro reelmaster mower cuts a dash thanks to new Dpa units

marCH 2010 GME 13

news

Club Car has introduced what it claims is golf’s first mobile information system.

Known as Visage, the new information system repre-sents the golf car industry’s most extensive marriage of vehicle and technology to help course managers address critical revenue and expense needs while enhancing customer satis-faction.

Visage utilises a combina-tion of mobile, wireless and Global Positioning System

technologies to create what Club Car calls the new face of customer experience.

“For 50 years golf cars were simply considered a form of transportation,” said Gary michel, president and CEO of Club Car.

“Visage broadens the role of the golf car by making it the delivery mechanism for tools and services that help courses operate more effi-ciently and make the game more enjoyable for their customers.”

as part of its expansive growth strategy, Crocodile Golf Products has appointed the multi-million Euro, Danish-based company Grene as its distributor of quality replacement mower blades throughout Scandinavia.

With over 140 golf clubs in Denmark and a further 540 in Sweden and 155 in Norway, Grene are ideally

placed to enter the Scandinavian turfcare market.

Traditionally established as Europe’s largest distributor to the agricultural and forestry sectors, product director, Karl Polsen believes that Crocodile Golf Products will provide the perfect platform on which to establish Grene in the Turfcare arena, first of all throughout Denmark and

then into Sweden, Norway and Finland.

Commenting on the deal, Polsen said: “The inherent quality of the products coupled with Grene’s unique ability to supply the market on a timely and effective basis will create a formidable partnership throughout the industry.”

The appointment of Grene follows more good news for

Crocodile Golf, who were recently able to assist moses Kivungi, head greenkeeper for the amahoro National Stadium in rwanda.

His company, Diani Flower and Landscape, are one of the leading turfcare special-ists in the region and when a problem occurred with some of their mowers, Crocodile Golf were able to offer an immediate solution.

crocodile Golf set for Viking invasion

Visage to revolutionise the golf car say club car

Find out how over 600 Golf Clubs in UK, such as Royal Troon, Carnoustie, Muirfield, Wentworth, Woburn and Royal St Georges, cut facilities costs whilst improving levels of service for their golfers.

They chose FAIRWAY™ Golf Shoe and Trolley cleaning stations from Air-Eze Ltd.

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14 GME marCH 2010

company profile WEBlInK; WWW.CarBON-NEUTraL-LaNDSCaPES.CO.UK

Whether you believe in climate change or not, many of your members, custom-ers, employees and local community lead-ers are concerned about the impact of green house gas emissions for future generations.

There is also a more immediate finan-cial interest as reducing emissions also reduces costs such as energy, fuel or ferti-liser. But it isn’t always easy to find out the best way to reduce your carbon foot-print.

That’s where Carbon Neutral Landscapes (CNL) can help, offering a structured way to reduce the carbon foot-print of golf clubs.

CNL is unique in that it not only deals with the buildings of a club but also undertakes detailed analysis of the course

as a whole, including all aspects of turf maintenance.

Other carbon reduction programmes focus only on buildings, failing to maxim-ise the advantages of the outdoor landscape.Reducing your greenhouse

gas emissions helps gain and retain customers and members, keeps community relations posi-tive and reduces costs. The good news is that golf clubs have a

unique advantage over other busi-nesses in that they have a large area

of landscape attached to their business. This landscape absorbs carbon dioxiode in particular and therefore helps to signif-icantly reduce a club’s carbon footprint.

Green house gases are so called because they increase the insulation effect of the atmosphere thus trapping more and more heat close to the earth. These gases include carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane, but for simplicity these combined emissions from a busi-ness or process are commonly referred to as a carbon footprint.

Most of the bad aspects of a golf club’s carbon footprint come from its use of energy for its buildings, fuel for its course

maintenance fleet, water for irrigation, agronomy inputs such as fertiliser and all of the business’s waste outputs.

The good aspect of a club’s carbon footprint is generated by the sequestration or absorption of carbon by the trees, grasses and other flora of the course. In a recent carbon audit an 18 hole club’s “bad” emissions were 144 tonnes and its “good” sequestration was 108 tonnes of carbon.

This offsetting of the emissions of the buildings against the sequestration in your own course landscape is not the same as carbon trading, which CNL does not recommend.

CNL uses the Par 0 system which has been used in Canada since 2007. The Par 0 system has been “Europeanised” by using the UK Carbon Trust and PAS 2050 carbon footprint calculation meth-ods.

The system uses a linked process of audit, analysis, business recommenda-tions, action planning, communication and a long term relationship to help the golf club on a successful carbon reduction journey.

Process flows are used to identify each service provision – the maintenance of 18 holes flows down to over 30 separate sub-processes. Non-golf activities such as hotels and fitness clubs can easily be included.

High carbon impact areas such as ener-gy and vehicle fuel are examined in great depth. Another unique aspect of the CNL analysis is the study of course main-tenance practices ranging from mowing patterns to fertiliser use. Golf car opera-tion is also studied.

This is where the strength of the team’s prior experience and environmental credentials really shows, with Dr Steve Chicken – CNL’s founder – having 12 years of senior management experience in the turfcare industry at Ransomes Jacobsen.

The audit analysis is presented to the club management, explaining the inputs

Carbon Neutral Landscapes is a unique company that helps golf clubs throughout Europe lower their carbon emissions whilst

at the same time, save money. article by Dr Steve Chicken.

reducing your footprint

marCH 2010 GME 15

into the recommendations and action planning process and also begins to devel-op the basis of a communication plan to the employees, members or other stake-holders.

Recommendations are not based on “one size fits all” checklists used by other carbon audit companies. With CNL each analysis is tailored specifically to the indi-vidual club.

As part of the recommendation proc-ess, CNL advises on the practicality of all the alternative energy generation options available to the club and produces a detailed cost-benefit analysis if an option is relevant to the club. Information on tax breaks and the availability of interest free credit for carbon reduction investments are included.

For example, the on-site micro-genera-tion of electricity has just become a more cost-effective option as the UK Government has just introduced a new feed-in tariff process which brings the investment payback of such an installation below ten years.

This process concludes with strongly data-supported recommendations being presented to the club management by the CNL team. These recommendations are tailored to the club’s financial planning process and capability.

The most recent club to begin its carbon reduction journey with Carbon Neutral Landscapes identified over £7,000 savings per annum.

Once the recommendations have been delivered to the club management and a plan agreed, the CNL team moves onto training the club’s employees and communicating the club’s carbon reduc-tion vision.

The training covers the need for carbon reduction, the club’s detailed plan and the role they play in the plan. Training certifi-cates are awarded along with the club’s certificate of recognition to the relevant Par 0 level.

The journey to neutrality goes from Bronze, where an audit has been done, to Platinum where carbon neutrality has been achieved – where reduced carbon emissions are totally balanced by the carbon sequestered by the course.

National law is already in place impos-ing carbon targets for large companies – it is only a matter of time before this widens to businesses such as golf clubs. A carbon reduction strategy can help retain existing club members and help recruit new ones.

Now is the time to act to reduce your carbon footprint to maximise your finan-cial advantage as well as gain the positive PR that it brings your business. GME

“The most recent club to begin its carbon reduc-tion journey with Carbon neutral landscapes

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To discover how your golf club can benefit, contact Carbon Neutral Landscapes on +44 1473 780052.

www.carbon-neutral-landscapes.co.uk

16 GME marCH 2010

advertisement feature WEBlInK; GarIa.COm

Golfers have always liked a gadget. Whether it be the latest design in golf ball technology to make your tee shot go that

yard further, the most up-to-date driver that can straighten out that

infuriating slice, or the latest GPS device to help you get more from

your game, we simply can’t resist it.

While the updates in tech-nology, manufacturing and

equipment never cease to amaze and continue to

fascinate us, things have remained fairly static in

the way golf cars have looked by compari-son.

Not any more.Designer Anders

Lynge’s brief was quite simple when he was

handed the task of creating The Garia Golf Car five years ago – produce a design that is innovative, unique and is the epitome of high-end luxury.

Well, he has certainly managed to do that with plenty to spare and Garia’s new kid on the block is a complete reinvention of the traditional golf car in terms of looks, engineering and accessories.

Whatever your taste, Garia has some-thing for you, from the chance to person-alise your car with your favourite metallic colour for the bodywork, roof and seats to choosing your own wheel trim colour and having a heated windshield complete with windscreen wipers.

You can even have your own fridge built into the dashboard if you want it!

Lynge said: “I was attracted by the idea of doing the best-ever golf car. You look at the market at the moment and the three main competitors look very similar.

Garia on course to become the world’s most

luxurious golf carDesigned in Denmark, The Garia golf car offers golf club operators a unique and

unrivalled level of comfort, which is set to revolutionise the way in which high-end golf clubs and resorts utilise their golf car fleets. article by Peter Simm.

marCH 2010 GME 17

“If you compare that to the golf market you can see a big contrast. Golf tends to be very high end.

“Everything in golf is about having the right gear, whether it be clubs, shoes or clothes, that makes you stand out from the crowd. But when you look at the golf car market it looked like there was very little you can do.

“We thought it would be a good time to introduce a car that wasn’t based on what has been done over the last 30 years. The cars during that time have had a lot of different functions but they are basically the same.

“I have a passion for cars and am very much into the Italian design and the curvy cars like Ferrari and Alfa Romeo. I thought I would like to incorporate a more adventurous and sporty look,” added Lynge.

“Personally, I’m very excited about it. I have been working on this since 2005 and is something that I have spent so much time on and totally believe in.”

Founded in 2005 by owner and presi-dent Jacob Brunsborg with the sole purpose of designing the golf car, Garia A/S has already spent some 100 million Danish Kroner (around £12 million) in developing and producing the project.

And, as you expect from a golf car that costs from f13,999 upwards to buy, no expense has been spared in its engineer-ing and production.

Each vehicle is manufactured at the Valmet Automotive factory in Finland, the same place as where Porsche’s Boxster and Cayman models are produced.

In addition, Garia’s suppliers include Comex, the Italian company who supplies gearboxes for Ducati racing motorcycles, and the SAPA Group, who develops and manufactures components to Aston Martin, Jaguar and Volvo.

“I am keen to show that it’s not just a pretty face but is excellent on the mechanical and engine side of things as well,” explained Lynge, a 27-year-old from the north of Denmark.

“The car has to ride well, brake well and be stable and the brakes we have (which are fitted on all four wheels) give it an entirely different feel. When people try the car, they just say ’Wow’ after driv-ing it.

“This is a car that brakes and handles. It has a double wishbone suspension like a Formula One car and handles like a go-kart. There is very little roll when going round corners and feels a bit more sporty than other golf cars.”

The Garia Golf Car was first unveiled to the golfing world at last September’s PGA Expo show in Las Vegas to some very positive comments and it was

presented to Europe at this month‘s Geneva Motor Show.

Dealers in Europe will start selling the vehicles from next month but The Garia has been available in the United States since January and Lynge revealed that short-term focus is very much on selling the car to the American market.

He said: “The feedback we have had so far has been very good. This is something completely different and now we want to get the car out to the clients.

“We have figures that show 60 per cent of the golf cars in America are not used for golf but for other purposes.

“Over there, they have the big houses in large, gated communities but they still drive the same golf car and I wanted to give them the chance of buying some-thing different.

“It had to look like a golf car but the traditional golf cars used were made many years ago and were not made for uses other than on the golf course.

“It’s very important that the functional-ity is good but it’s also very important that it looks good as well. These are vehi-cles that are intended for road use as well and we are working on a road-legal vehi-cle at the moment.

“All the requests we have had from Europe have been for personalised prod-ucts. Our focus is on America at the moment as their large gated communities are more suited to the product.

“The cars are just being launched to the dealers so far and we are aiming at present to produce between 4,500 to 5,000 cars annually.

“We are on our own in this niche of the luxury golf car market and it’s now our job to convince people that’s a new kind of product worth acquiring because in America, they’re certainly not used to this product.”

Garia expect the cars to be fully availa-ble across Europe later in the year and has some exciting plans for the future.

Just as importantly, as Lynge points out, it believes it has found its own role in the marketplace with its new car and everyone is committed to seeing the project succeed.

Lynge added: “I believe we have found our own niche in the market and we will do what we can to make it happen.

“I began working on this with Garia five years ago but first started work when I was still studying industrial design and it was my major project in school.

“There are 40 guys in Denmark and another 100 people in the factory. It’s a very young team but everyone is very gung-ho, working 60 hours a week and committed to the long-term success of the product.” GME

“I believe we have found our own niche in the market and we will do what we can to make it

happen.”

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marCH 2010 GME 19

club focusWEBlInK; POrTPaTrICKGOLFCLUB.COm

As career moves go, ditching estate agency for golf club management isn’t perhaps an obvious one, but it certainly suited Robin Murdoch.

In February last year, he left behind 25 years of selling homes to manage Portpatrick Dunskey Golf Club on the south west coast of Scotland. Within 12 months of his arrival, profits at the club had jumped ten fold.

The phenomenal turnaround began towards the end of 2008 when Portpatrick placed an advertisement in its local paper announcing a managerial opening.

The timing couldn’t have been better. Five years earlier, Murdoch had sold the Stanraer estate agency he had built up

over two decades and was now operat-ing as a property consultant. The

housing market was beginning to slow and the demise of the

UK’s financial sector was imminent.

Not surprisingly, Murdoch was looking for a new challenge.

His well-timed exit from property was, however, as much to do with golf as it was to do with the economy. As a keen golfer, he had passed on his love of the game to his son who had blossomed through the Scottish Golf Union coaching initiatives to become the club champion at both Portpatrick and at Stranraer golf clubs.

As a result, Murdoch knew the local scene well and was keen to get involved.

Moreover, golf would be like nothing he had experienced in estate agency, although he was keen to retain the customer-led approach he had nurtured and refined. “It was a fair old challenge and something completely different,” says Murdoch.

“In the estate agency business, you’re very people orientated. The attraction with Portpatrick was I’d still be dealing with people face-to-face.

selling upOn the west coast of Scotland, a small, provisional golf club is defying the odds by racking up some impressive

figures. Mark Alexander talks to the man behind the resurgence at Portpatrick Dunskey Golf Club.

20 GME marCH 2010

facTfilE;

Portpatrick Dunskey Golf ClubGolf Course road

PortpatrickDumfries & Galloway DG9 8TB

Scotland

TEl; (44) 01776 810273 faX; (44) 01776 810811

EMail;enquiries@portpatrickgolfclub.com

club ManaGEr;robin murdoch

hEaD GrEEnKEEpEr;alan mcWilliam

club founDED;1903

“For the club, I think they liked my positive approach with an emphasis on sales and marketing which is something they hadn’t embarked upon in the past.”

In fact, his commercial acumen would be a decisive factor in the club’s outstand-ing year which culminated in green fees shooting up by 17 per cent and net profits exceeding £30,000 compared to £2,374 a year earlier.

But before he could promote Portpatrick, Murdoch had to first rectify the clubs administrative shortcomings, help launch an online booking system and remedy staffing issues so both members and visitors received the same key messages.

Although his induction was fraught with challenges, Murdoch quickly got into his stride and soon set about improving the club’s lines of communication.

“Keeping people informed of what’s going on is very important,” he continues. “I adopted the policy of emailing the membership regularly about anything that was going on in the clubhouse; any altera-tions that we were making, any decisions that were being made and any marketing initiatives that were being launched.”

This direct approach was echoed by a commitment to improve the club’s website: “We’ve enhanced our website dramatically and that’s created a lot of interest.

“It was pretty thin on the ground before so now it’s got more information, more photos, more about the golf course itself as well as details about functions and competitions – we try to put as much information on the website as we can.”

Of course, Murdoch’s determined approach didn’t come cheap. In fact, between 2008 and 2009, the club’s expenditure on marketing jumped by 90 per cent to £7,398.

“The 2009 budgets had been set before I arrived so I had to persuade the committee as we went through the year to take steps to market the club as best we could, to put it out to more people and in different areas,” he says.

“I persuaded the club that we needed to keep our name in front of people in magazines, which they hadn’t done before.”

He also spearheaded the production of a promotional DVD to illustrate the club’s dramatic location which provides spectac-ular views across the Irish Channel from a set of cliff tops on which at least ten holes either start or finish. The place is breath-taking; the challenge was persuading visi-tors to go there to enjoy it.

Thankfully for Murdoch and Portpatrick, the summer of 2009 present-ed the ideal opportunity to bag some additional visitor income thanks to the Open being hosted at Turnberry for the first time in 15 years.

“Turnberry certainly helped,” Murdoch admits. “It helped not only in green fees but also in bar profits and shop sales. There was a spin-off, but it’s not the be-all-and-end-all. I think you could safe-ly say £7,500 of the profits came as a result of the Open.”

That still leaves a surplus of £20,000 to be accounted for, which Murdoch attributes to two things: “It’s down to marketing,” he says adamantly, “but we

marCH 2010 GME 21

also went out of our way to make sure people got a great welcome.

“From that, not only did we get annual repeat business but we also started to get people coming back twice a year. We’re maintaining that principle because we’ve already had repeat bookings from people who would have previously only visited us every two years.”

More visitors, visiting more often has helped Portpatrick generate over a £150,000 in green fees, and while this figure may be scoffed at by some head-line-grabbing courses, it’s worth noting that the club has just 11 members of staff which includes Murdoch and his green-keepers.

The club’s success stems from recog-nising the value of investing in how Portpatrick is presented and how it goes about promoting its facilities.

The remarkable hike in profits (up 1,186 per cent) is the just rewards for following such a bold approach.

“When I arrived here, there wasn’t a marketing committee or anyone who

could see the benefits of promoting our wears,” says Murdoch in a matter-of-fact tone.

“I argued we weren’t doing enough to push our club forward and we needed to spend money on attracting people to the golf club.”

As declining membership begins to cause concern throughout the industry, it

seems inevitable that visitor income will be called upon to make up the shortfall (interestingly Portpatrick’s 2009 subs were up £5,248 on 2008 figures). But to attract visitors, you’ve got to be proactive advises Murdoch.

“If you sit around waiting for things to happen, you’ll be on a hiding to nothing,” he concludes. “You’ve got to go out of your way to put yourself in front of people to say ‘we have a fantastic product here, come and try it’.

“A lot of traditional people won’t go along with it, but I’m beginning to turn heads here and even some of the tradi-tionalists are beginning to think I might have a point.” GME

“When I arrived here, there wasn’t a marketing committee or anyone who could see the benefits

of promoting our wears. I argued we weren’t doing enough to push our club forward and we

needed to spend money on attracting people to the golf club.”

22 GME marCH 2010

consultancy WEBlInK; PPCGOLF.COm

So what, or more to the point, who, is a Golf Consultant, and how can one indi-vidual make such a difference to your golf operation?

In essence, a Golf Consultant is hired either by a golf club, golf resort or golf developer who has enough foresight and wisdom to realise that they may not have all the necessary skills to develop their project, whilst also recognising that they may need some impartial advice in order to optimise the risk/reward aspects of their concept.

The client may be a private developer, with hotel or real-estate interests wishing to develop their golf portfolio, or the client may be wishing to buy or sell an existing golf property – either may call upon the services of a Golf Consultant.

The consultant, who acts independent-ly, often works in partnership with a major accounting and/or consulting group, which in turn offers the client the security and professional indemnities that investors often crave.

The Golf Consultant – who should also be able to bring an International dimen-sion to complement local knowledge – should be able to recognise that he may sometimes lack certain areas of compe-tence, and should have had enough years of experience to build up an international address book of specialised and trustwor-thy individuals to help assist.

These may include master planners, construction companies, housing devel-opers, hotel investors, hotel/resort opera-tors, financial and fiscal advisors, real-estate sales agents, public sector liaison experts and environmental impact study specialists – all contacts that are a mere telephone call away.

Typically, golf consultancy falls into three distinct categories with benchmark-ing and generic market feasibility studies being the most popular.

Secondly, a Golf Consultant can accompany the client throughout the projects development process, assisting in the financial engineering and structures, planning applications, marketing, sales and operational issues.

Finally, and on a much grander scale, strategy planning for destinations, be it emerging countries such as Morocco, Croatia, Greece or Turkey, or with exist-ing golfing facilities that need a boost to achieve the impacts envisaged of their individual or collective aspirations.

In an ideal world, the Golf Consultant is appointed in the very early stages, prior to the purchase of land, planning applica-tions and the selection of a golf course architect, although unfortunately, this is very rarely the case.

Expensive contracted or non-contract-ed procedures, planning applications and decisions are often undertaken through

Who needs a Golf consultant?

Professional advice is often hard to find, which is why

PPC Golf has partnered with Golf Consultant

Michael Holmes who offers an unrivalled level of service and expertise

to the golf industry.

marCH 2010 GME 23

the advice of friends, associates, and architects, many of whom have wholly personal, financial and implicated inter-ests in their recommendations.

The role of a good Golf Consultant is to offer professional and unbiased advice and to remain impartial at all times. Perhaps more significantly however, the Golf Consultant and the golf course architect should be considered friends and not enemies.

Several architects have been known to spend a significant percentage of their design fee revenue stream chasing new contracts, and increasingly, and especially over the past three years, theses projects have all required funding.

Typically, the project has outline devel-opment permission and the client is more often than not, the landowner. In addi-tion, the client is a property speculator with “assurances” that the mayor will grant planning permission for four Zillion houses, which will sell at four to six times the construction cost per square metre.

Sometimes there is a well organised plan, with zoning and outline planning in place with realistic financial projections. All that is then required is the engage-ment of complementary partners within mutually respectful price parameters to help realise the full potential of the plan.

Revenues from golf may be the primary motive within a project, but more frequently golf provision is a vehicle for other aims, ambitions and profit centres.

Golf Consultants have assisted in many successful projects over the years, yet perhaps the most notable examples are the projects where consultants have advised against proceeding.

I recall entering into dialogue with the Mayor of a remote and relatively impov-erished village in rural France, situated miles from the nearest town, with zero tourism activity, and some of the lowest housing prices in France.

The Mayor caught the “Golf Bug” a few years back and is determined to build an 18 hole golf course, regardless of the economics. Despite several doses of “real-ity” administered by numerous golf specialists, he still plans to go ahead despite the specialist advice that he sought.

Will this be another development for sale in five year’s time for 25 per cent of its original development costs?

When you consider that the cost of professional advice on offer from a Golf Consultant starts as low as $5,000 – around 0.05 per cent of the average cost of an 18 hole course development – then one could argue that the money spent, and the advice obtained, is invaluable.

Given this example, perhaps it’s still not surprising that even today, in certain countries in Europe, golf courses are being sold, and not for the first time, for a meager fraction of their initial construc-tion costs.

One of my clients recently bought four golf courses for less than ten per cent of their original construction costs in the late 1980’s, which is even more remarkable when you learn that each of these courses are situated less than 50kms from centres of major European capitals.

The role of a responsible Golf Consultant is to make a developer and/or golf course owner fully aware of the risks involved, whilst evaluating or suggesting modifications to the concept in order to combat unaddressed potential pitfalls.

These could be as simple as a recent g650 assignment to a beautiful lakeside location in northern Europe where plans had been submitted for a new 18 hole golf resort, with the clubhouse, golf hotel and residential apartments not having a view of the lake which was less than 300 metres away.

On the advice of the Golf Consultant, it was suggested that the clubhouse and golf hotel be re-orientated, therefore providing uninterrupted views of the lake, whilst at the same time, saving the clients blushes.

Michael Holmes (pictured above) is an Independent Golf Consultant, who has over 25 years experience working within the golf sector, both in the United States and Europe. He has a close working rela-tionship with Deloitte in Paris, and is delighted to be heading up the new Golf Consultancy division of PPC Golf.

If you believe that your golf club would benefit from the expert advice Michael can offer, then contact him through the consultancy section at www.ppcgolf.com or on the number advertised below. GME

+44 (0)1394 380800 | ppcgolf.com

Considering your next move?

Whether its a market feasibility study, raising finance, or due diligence prior to an acquisition, call us in total confidence for some honest advice. You’ll be so glad you did.

PPC

24 GME marCH 2010

marCH 2010 GME 25

in person

At the age of 55, Bob Buckingham, the recently appointed CEO of Bernhards, has no intention of settling for the easy life.

After many years as a high-profile figure with Toro, many might have expected

Buckingham to put his feet up for a deserved rest.

Fittingly, for somebody who worked his way up from the position of apprentice to Toro’s

director of sales for Europe, commercial and

irrigation, he sees his new role as a natural progres-sion.

But if things had worked out differently he might

have been treading this path many years ago, as he explained.

“Stephen Bernhard’s first approach to me was actually

some 18 years ago – we have always enjoyed an easy relationship where

we understood each other. But at that time I was very happy where I was and I wasn’t going to change,” said Buckingham.

Where he ‘was’ was Toro, a company with which he became intrinsically associ-ated. He might, however, have risen to the top with the grand old marque of British consumerism: Rolls-Royce.

He said: “When I was at school I want-ed to be an engineer. In those days there were two options – sadly in this day the options seem to have disappeared. The purest was ‘A’ levels and a degree process or there was the apprenticeship scheme which operated in those days.

“I looked at Pye Telecommunications which doesn’t exist anymore, Rolls Royce and Ransomes. I didn’t pursue it with Rolls-Royce and I didn’t want to go into electronics, so I joined Ransomes at the ripe old age of 16.

“I did eight-and-a-half years with Ransomes, three and a half as an engi-neering apprentice, six months per year at college and six months hands on training at the factory but then saw the bright lights of sales and marketing twinkling in the distance.

out of africa

Publisher Michael lenihan meets Bob Buckingham, a man whose proven managerial talents and

industry knowledge gleaned from working for the likes of

ransomes and Toro, are now being utilised by Bernhards.

WEBlInK; BErNHarD.CO.UK

26 GME marCH 2010

Buckingham had been born and schooled in East Africa. His parents lived overseas and moved around a lot so as they were moving to Pakistan and did not feel there was adequate schooling for expatriate youngsters in the country, he was sent to a boarding school in Framlingham, Suffolk. When his parents returned to the UK they chose to settle-down in the county.

“I did have a home in Suffolk that I visited when I came back for my school holidays.

“But I almost had a different house every time I came home – I lived in 14 different houses with my parents up to the age of 16 all round the world.”

His lifestyle changed almost immediate-ly once he’d moved into sales and market-ing – but he had his boarding school education to thank for his more cosmo-politan surroundings.

“My sales and marketing role was pret-ty much overseas almost immediately. I had reasonable French from my school-ing; and Ransomes sent me on an inten-sive German course because they wanted to do a demo tour of a new product in Austria.

“So by the time I was in my early 20s I was already doing a lot of work in conti-nental Europe.

“And then a colleague I worked closely alongside who looked after the USA moved away from the company and I took on the USA growth role, so I did a lot of work in America and Canada.”

With Ransomes having only seven or eight distributors, Buckingham found himself involved in a lot of training and care and maintenance lecturing.

He found he liked this side of the busi-ness and it was the catalyst for his depar-ture from Ransomes – he went off and qualified as a training personnel officer.

After four years he returned to the industry with a Toro dealership which he readily admits “really wasn’t my forte at all.”

But contacts he made there led to an invite to take over the business at CDC Landscapes, a company heavily involved in military grounds maintenance. During his five years there he instigated a new German office and he says “we took around £4 million worth of work out of Germany.”

He was head hunted by Toro and joined in 1987, subsequently spending the next 22 years there. He progressed from sales manager to sales director for Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and grew the business successfully in the region over the next ten years.

“I did four years in Waterloo, Belgium, and realised the whole way of working was changing. We decided to close down the corporate empire and start looking at home field offices.

“That team grew from two equipment people and four irrigation people to 12 people when I left, with each working from home, supported by a corporate structure which allowed the payment of expenses. There was no need for a big ivory tower…

“My greatest achievement was putting together the European team – they’re all still there today.”

But he grew frustrated as some of the company’s processes had clearly become outmoded.

“I may have worked for Toro for 22 years, but I’m not Toro today. I bear no ill will to Toro, but I think I’m happier here. It’s a different challenge.”

marCH 2010 GME 27

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“One of the weaknesses I saw develop-ing was that in economic good times everything worked well, but in downturns, we had no processes in place that would allow for, not so much termination, but the changes of status of distribution, ie performance evaluation,” Buckingham said.

“One of the things I recommended was that we needed a body that looked at busi-ness development and performance eval-uation. Having written it up and made the proposal to America they said ‘There’s nobody else to do it – will you do it?’

“So for my last two years at Toro I was director of new business and distributor development.”

Much of that work was in emerging markets such as eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa. It was while he was based in Cyprus that the success of his role paradoxically made his position redundant.

But a man of Buckingham’s calibre was not likely to be idle for long.

He said: “Most people weren’t aware until I changed my email address. And Stephen Bernhard contacted me almost immediately after that.

“Initially I came to meet Stephen as a consultant, not to join the company. He asked me to come in and look at the busi-ness and meet and work with the sales team.

“It was an opportunity for me to give my 30-odd years of experience in a bigger, structured corporate business,

helping the entrepreneurial business in which Stephen has done a tremendous job.

“In more than 38 years Stephen has taken this company and turned it into a world-recognised brand which punches well above its weight – but it needs further structure to allow it to continue to grow and maintain it’s current worldwide lead-ership position.

“I’m confident that given 12 months, you will see a subtle change with Stephen. He will continue to do the things he really likes to do: the seminars, the ambassado-rial role…

“At the moment he’s still got that entre-preneurial spirit; he wants to be out there making deals and winning new business, as has been his success over the past three decades, but for the long term success of the company we need more structure as well as our channel partners to be work-ing with us to win each aspect of the busi-ness together.

“If you don’t have trust in distribution how do you get investment from distribu-tion?”

Some distributors were wary of Buckingham at first, seeing him as ‘that Toro fellow’. But he soon won them over and will continue so to do.

“I may have worked for Toro for 22 years, but I’m not Toro today. I bear no ill will to Toro, but I think I’m happier here. It’s a different challenge.”

The clothes may have changed but the man can still walk the walk... GME

28 GME marCH 2010

from the r&a WEBlInK; raNDa.OrG

new rule will demand greater accuracy

as director of rules and equipment standards at The r&a, David Rickman is responsible for ensuring that golfers of

all standards conform to the latest rule changes. Playing from rough will be a degree or

two more demanding at the 150th Anniversary Open Championship at St Andrews in July.

However, this confident prediction is not due to any planned green-keeping intervention. The Old Course will be presented to the best players in the world in a condition entirely dictated by Mother Nature. How long, how verdant or sparse and how wet or dry the rough becomes is never our doing.

What we do control in the game is the protection of the traditional playing chal-lenge by balancing the importance of skill and judgement with innovations in equip-ment and technology.

We set the boundaries through a unified code of globally recognised equip-ment standards that is perhaps the most studied output of our governance part-nership with the United States Golf Association (USGA).

In the autumn of 2008 we announced the outcome of three years of fundamen-tal research – a long term study testing the hypothesis that more pronounced clubface markings, with larger volumes, could enhance contact with the ball in the same way that car tyre tread patterns improve contact with road surfaces in the wet.

Thousands of hours of golf robot and player testing were applied to the study of

this phenomenon, as well as examining the advanced physics of golf ball impacts.

The robustly evidenced conclusion was that a deskilling effect was present and that a new standard was required.

The new required standard on clubface marking came into effect as a Condition of Competition for the men’s and women’s professional game on January 1, 2010 and the rule is effective for new design equipment from the same date.

All things being equal, what we would expect to see in the professional game, in the months ahead, would be a greater emphasis on accuracy off the tee as the ability of even the most skilful players to control shots from rough is limited by the effect of the new equipment rule.

However, there is no controlled experi-ment here, with many variables at play, so it may be difficult to see an obvious or clear effect.

The same Condition of Entry will be introduced for elite amateur competition on January 1, 2014 and for all golfers in 2024 at the earliest, subject to prior review in 2020. Club golfers can check their equipment for future conformity to the new rule on grooves by visiting the Informational Club Database online.

As a service to professional tour players The R&A Research and Testing team has spent a significant amount of time in late 2009 and early 2010 attending tourna-

marCH 2010 GME 29

Code: GME/03/10/GEO

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ments around the world and providing help and guidance on conformity to the new clubface marking rule.

In the year, over 500 leading players brought clubs for testing to onsite testing facilities, where more than 5,000 individ-ual items of playing equipment were test-ed.

The precision testing equipment involved is an optical sensing device commissioned by The R&A Research and Testing team and trade marked Optigroove™ (pictured right).

The testing process involves making a silicon rubber cast of a section of each clubface. The cast making process takes seven minutes for each club and the profile sample is placed under the optical sensor to produce an immediate conform-ity reading on a computer that is accurate to nanometres.

Over thirty of these Optigroove™ devices have been sold to leading equip-ment manufacturers enabling them to batch test new clubs for conformity in original equipment manufacturing loca-tions around the world.

However, today golf club manufacture has become an industry concentrated in Kaohsiung County in the south of Taiwan where 80 per cent of world capacity is manufactured, and our staff have become frequent visitors to this part of the world.

Professionals, elite amateurs and regu-lar golfers playing by the same rules avoid what some refer to as “bifurcation”, liter-ally having two branches of the game.

We know from independent interna-tional research of player attitudes to equipment regulation that the majority of golfers expressed a strong preference for one set of rules for professionals and amateurs alike.

The same study, which was carried out in 2008, also highlighted the fact that golfers were content with the current limits on the distance that the golf ball can travel.

This position is unlikely to have changed because ball distance has been on the same plateau level throughout the period 2003 to 2009.

According to the PGA’s ShotLink data, the average driving distance is static around 286 yards and in our own study of club golfers, average driving remains around 210 yards.

The marriage of science and sport has undoubtedly led more people to enjoy playing golf. The same science enables us as rule makers to maintain a single set of rules suitable for all golfers and with success in the game conditional on play-ing skill.

In St Andrews in July, we expect the very best players in the world to be presented with a fair but appropriately demanding challenge.

Even though the Old Course, St Andrews is not a course known for its rough and the greens are enormous, it will require great accuracy and skill to score well and the new Rule has just made it a little bit more difficult. GME

30 GME marCH 2010

Construction Remodelling Water Features

Tel: 01604 468908Fax: 01604 474853www.deltagolf2000.co.uk

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marCH 2010 GME 31

course development

The fair county of Surrey bristles with golf clubs and with some of the world’s most famous spread over its affluent acres, it is about to get a new one.

It is, however, one with a difference and born defiantly in the face of an economic downturn. While building courses has been reduced to a trickle with banks unwilling to advance the funds causing developers to back off, Guy Buckley believed the time was right to create a facility with an eye to the future.

Clandon Golf enters the pay-and-play market in May in the heart of the stock-broker belt impudently cocking a snook to established clubs round about who may well have cause to feel the draught.

Where Clandon is different from its neighbours lies in a specifically targeted market who have no desire to join a club but are quite happy to book-in on line, play and go about their business.

Guy Buckley realised that his enterprise is to thrive if it was to answer the calls for a radical change in golfing culture. Leather upholstered arm chairs in a cosy clubhouse and gin and tonics in the spikes bar were not for him. In fact there is no clubhouse at all at Clandon. Buckley doesn’t do ambience.

But the first tee is only a few yards from a park and ride scheme at Merrow just outside the bustling city of Guildford. With so many potential users of the golf course on the doorstep it has a built-in recipe for success.

At least that is his contention and who is to say it will fail?

The 61-year old developer knows the golf industry inside out both in the UK, Europe and America. It is highly improb-able that he has got his Clandon project wrong and, if right, could well be the shape of things to come in a big way.

park and playGuy Buckley knows a thing or two about the golf business,

but even his latest venture at Clandon Golf is raising a few eyebrows as John Vinicombe recently discovered.

WEBlInK; CLaNDONGOLF.CO.UK

32 GME marCH 2010

Securing a 125-year lease on 160 acres of chalk down from Michael, sixth earl of Onslow on whom Buckley is on first name terms, was the key to the venture the germ of which was hatched at least a decade ago.

The key is location. The course is set on rising ground once farmed by Onslow affording spectacular views towards the metropolis. On a clear day the London Eye may be seen yet at Clandon is to be a world away from the tumult of the big city.

Blessed by a solid chalk base allowing for remarkable natural drainage qualities even following heavy rain there is no trace of mud on the spacious fairways allowing for easy walking. Set amid the gently roll-ing Surrey Hills there is usually a breeze enabling the drying-out process to be hastened.

The first nine opens this May with the second nine scheduled for a year later.

But let Buckley tell the story of what will shortly be unveiled.

“Ten years or so back while wearing my Clubhaus hat, there was consent for a course here. We put our rights claim in in 1999/2000 and I later got a call from Guildford City council asking if a park and ride scheme could be included on the site.

“Could it? I was only too happy to agree.

“There was also an option for building a fitness centre

with all the trim-mings to which I retain the rights although nothing has been decided

about that.“The

facility is to be run as two nine-hole courses, no cash paid,

bank cards only and book-ing-in on line via the internet.

“The caller gets a pin number, goes to the control centre at the course, keys-in and proceeds to the first tee. There is no clubhouse, just change shoes in the car park and play. It is perfectly simple and saves a lot of hastle for people coming from the built-up areas as the park and ride is only ten minutes from Guildford.

“For the first time I have the right product at the right time and in the right place. There is no shortage of chimney pots in the area and I’m told there are an estimated 15,000 students in and around Guildford.

“We are going to give the golf playing market in this area something special. It will be the last project I do, I haven’t got the energy for any more. Here is a bloody good golf course in a bloody good loca-tion and at a bloody good price.”

Simplicity is indeed the key to Clandon allied to natural beauty. At the control centre there is just one person and a vending machine supplying drinks and balls, but no food. “I had no desire to build a clubhouse,” says Buckley.

“That way so much money is lost; ask all those clubs in the red, that’s where the money goes.”

Guy Buckley is Clandon’s majority shareholder and readily acknowledges the value of his partnership with Geoffrey Legouix, a former professional.

He is the operational factor in the busi-ness sharing his interests as managing director at Caversham Heath, Reading and occupying a similar position and part owner of Aylesbury Park, Bucks.

Clandon is by no means Buckley’s only iron in the fire. His abiding love is Provence Country Club, a sort of French mistress. Formerly with IMG and behind the development of the Clubhaus group, Buckley was involved in other projects including Portmarnock Links.

It is hard to see that given his long experience Buckley has got it wrong about Clandon.

Peter Jones of PJA Golf has assisted with the design and lay-out of the course, which was routed by European Golf Design and constructed by Kestrel Golf, whilst Top Turf provided the irrigation.

marCH 2010 GME 33

Commenting on the project, Jones said: “This was a really interesting project to work on, given the current economic climate and the environmental challenges of the site.

“I’m really delighted with the outcome of the design, especially the strategy and drama of the holes that play in and around the old chalk quarry.

“ The course has been designed to be easy to maintain and has excellent ‘Green’ credentials in terms of the choice of grasses for minimal water use, and enhancement of the chalk land environ-ment.

“This course should appeal to the skill levels of all golfers and will be fun to play on,” added Jones.

“There is also something ‘raw’ and ‘fresh’ and about the way this course feels as you navigate your way around, not least when you witness the wild deer prancing across the course in the early morning mist.

“I think my favourite hole is possibly the 323 yard 17th hole which plays down-hill but is anything but easy. I think it ticks all the boxes for me both visually and strategically.”

When the 18 holes are complete the length will be approximately 6,100-yards (par 69) with five par 3s, two long par 5s, irrigated greens, tees and approaches.

Walking the course I was favourably struck by the absence of those infuriating silly little one-shotters. Every hole calls for skill and guile.

The breathtaking views will be particu-larly attractive to female golfers. Pretty is a big plus with the ladies. On the first nine the standout holes are the long downhill sixth and a dramatic par four eighth.

Both holes cross a former hedge line and make use of the trees.

But it is on the back nine that the course shows its teeth. The par five 13th, dropping steeply from the tee before swinging right then rises to a fine green-site.

A distinctive feature of the entire course are the large greens and strategically placed bunkers placed not too close but far enough off calling for a decisive shot instead of splashing out. Elsewhere is an array of pot bunkers giving that part of the course a Scottish look.

In my humble opinion, the best hole on the course has to be the 15th where to go anywhere near an old chalk quarry on the right will mean instant re-loading. The trick is to stay left but easier said than done.

“We want people to come and enjoy themselves. I want 80,000 nine-hole rounds a year and everybody to walk off the last green and say, wow!”

So says Buckley who, having spent 20 years in the USA and working for Mark McCormack, knows what the public in this day and age wants.

And to achieve what he believes will be a winner costs just £25 for 18 holes plus a quid for the park and ride fee. GME

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social networking WEBlInK; ImaGINEGOLFCLUB.COm

The Internet has always been heralded as a means to completely change the fortunes of the golf industry. Promises of increased rounds, a means to encourage new golfers, easier management of members and reaching the missing millions were initially greeted with opti-mism.

Clubs quickly acknowledged that they had to be ‘in it to win it’ and bought their domain names.

Website developers, search engine opti-misation companies, online advertising agencies and click-through specialists

were all quick to target the golf indus-try coffers – which as we all know are equipped with a secret pot of gold!

However, expensive marketing campaigns and websites that failed

to produce the expected results left a bitter taste in many people’s mouths and the result is a common scepticism of

the real value of the Internet.

There are many reasons

cited for the Internet not catching on in the way that it was hoped, but there is an argument that there has never been a genuine Internet specialist involved in the golf industry.

Golf website and software development companies have often been set up by golf-ers who wanted to turn their hobby into a job – but this has been the downfall of many.

Imagine therefore, what an Internet specialist with a love of golf could achieve...

John Casson is that man. Casson made his money as part of the team who devel-oped what is now one of the Internet’s most used services – account aggregation and what we commonly know today as price comparison.

“It’s still being used today on sites like Egg. We took the idea to the price comparison sites and our technology was used to pull together all the various companies and their products into one place.

“Whereas in the old days you would have to go into town and get three quotes from your insurance guy, now you can get hundreds of quotes from one site online.”

With the promise of new business and increased revenues – with no investment – Imagine Golf Club is challenging our opinions of the Internet as nicole Wheatley reports.

imagine if the internet worked for your club

34 GME marCH 2010

marCH 2010 GME 35

Not only did he persuade some of the world’s most powerful companies to change the way that they sold their servic-es, his work was instrumental in changing our buying habits.

Despite his success, which took him to a life we would all envy in La Manga Club, Spain, Casson is back online and is now turning his attention to doing the same for the golf industry with the Imagine Golf Club.

Casson’s vision was to create a single location for a worldwide community of all types of golfers to search for anything to do with golf as he explained: “We exten-sively researched the requirements, pref-erences and aspirations of the entire golf-ing community and it was clear that golf-ers wanted one information source for golf.

“Golf clubs and professionals also wanted a simple way to reach as many golfers as possible. The result is our site, www.ImagineGolfClub.com, where we have created a place where golfers, pros, clubs and anyone else involved in the industry can congregate in one place and commu-nicate with each other.”

Over the past eighteen months, his team has begun this process of uniting driving ranges, golf clubs and golf pros with golfers all over the world.

At the time of print, this represented 300,000 golfers and 39,000 locations! These figures indicate why Imagine Golf Club is important for the golf industry – it has incredible potential to grow the game of golf.

Casson elaborates: “We create web pages for pros and clubs free of charge and give them the tools to communicate with their members and with the wider golfing community.

“On a very simple level, there are already over 300,000 golfers on Imagine Golf Club who are searching for every-thing to do with golf and we help golf clubs reach those enthusiasts.”

Imagine Golf Club’s team creates the sites themselves, so even that part is managed very efficiently.

From a consumer’s point of view, the website is all-encompassing. It has features, equipment reviews, the latest news from across the globe, training tips, podcasts, blogs and the search engine that can find you a course or a teaching pro pretty much anywhere in the world.

If you choose to register on the site, you can create a profile for yourself and invite your friends to join your own private community where you can ‘chat’ with each other.

There will even be a function to organ-ise golf with your friends that will link to ‘apps’ on the iPhone, Blackberry and even sync with your Outlook calendar on your desktop computer.

This type of Internet site offers what is known as Social Networking – the most significant Internet phenomenon of the century. Although it’s not completely understood by those of us of a certain age, it is a very powerful marketing tool.

It is fun for the user, so they keep on coming back, and from a business point of view, it is efficient, allowing targeted marketing campaigns, professional and perhaps most importantly, it is free.

So if Imagine is offering its services for free, where does it make its money?

Casson explains: “We make our money from online advertising with people like Virgin Atlantic or with the manufacturers.

“We offer them the means to reach golfers that they can’t reach at the moment through traditional advertis-ing. Yes, there are other golf websites out there, but we can intelligently target people by gender and loca-tion for example.”

Data protection has also been a key concern of many using the Internet, and Casson is keen to reassure people that their data is protected. “We abide by the same privacy laws that govern sites like Facebook.

“Details are held in our secure, encrypted system, and we never share or give away this data to other people,” reassured Casson.

However you look at it, and even if you don’t quite understand it, Imagine Golf Club offers a new route to market.

It is an intelligent alternative to tradi-tional marketing and as there are no financial risks involved, it presents a great way to generate interest from new golfers and most importantly new income.and revenue streams.

At a time when money is at the fore-front of every decision making process, Imagine Golf Club is the breath of fresh air that can rejuvenate our faith in the Internet. GME

“On a very simple level, there are already over 300,000 golfers on Imagine Golf Club who are searching for everything to do with golf and we help golf clubs reach those enthusiasts.”

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ppcgolf.com/propertyGolfPPC

marCH 2010 GME 37

cgi graphics WEBlInK; HKGOLF.CO.UK

For whatever reason, sometimes in life you have little control over your career path, and events beyond your control choose it for you.

We might make lengthy business plans about how we see our various lines of work panning out in the years to come but, quite often, other opportunities suddenly appear and take hold, dragging you in another direction and rendering those initial plans superfluous.

And more often than not, that impulse decision turns out to be the best move you could have made.

This is certainly true of Harris Kalinka (HK), a design studio specialising in the production of computer generated images and animation.

Founded in 2004, the company, which has studios in London and Riga, Latvia, had focused solely on working in the building architecture industry.

But a chance encounter with golf a year ago forced them to have a rethink and HK Golf was created. They are now forg-ing a successful reputation for themselves in the golf industry, offering a variety of high-quality visualisation services for new and existing courses and resorts.

Andrew Harris, (pictured above) a partner at HK Golf, said: “It’s only in the last year that we have come into golf and we came into it almost by accident.

“About 12 months ago we were looking to expand our business in some way. We wanted to push on to something else outside architecture.

“I saw another company that had creat-ed a flyover of a golf resort and I was very confident that we could achieve a better result.

“I did a lot of research on golf course architecture and found the process and philosophies of designing a golf course quite intriguing, having studied architec-ture at university.

“From there, we realised there might be an opening for us because a lot of what we saw wasn’t quite up to the standard that we felt we could achieve.

“I sent Ken Moodie (former president of the European Institute of Golf Course Architects) an email and said that we would love to visualise a sample hole for him. He sent us the contour plans and references for the various grasses, trees and bunker details, and we would like to think he was delighted with what he received. We really enjoyed it – it was a fun project for everyone in the office to work on.

“We have become more and more interested from then on. I showed what we did for Ken to other golf architects and the response has been really quite positive.”

The Dream MakersBased in London and riga, HK Golf can turn dreams into

reality with their computer generated golf course images and flyovers as Peter Simm discovered.

38 GME marCH 2010

Having worked on a number of award-winning projects inside and outside the UK, the company has a high level of experience to call upon and offers a number of services to its golfing clients, including flyover animations and compu-ter generated images for a single hole or entire course and exterior and interior visualisations for clubhouses, youth acad-emies and entire resort developments.

In addition, the firm can create photo-montage images – compositing a 3D model into a photograph – retouch photo-graphs for existing courses and produce images for yardage books and other promotional material, and Harris believes there is great symmetry to be found between building and golf architecture.

The 29-year-old, who founded HK with Juris Kalinka, a friend from universi-ty, explained: “Many of our skills in archi-tecture are applicable and transferable to the golf industry. We found that a lot of people liked our work and we have set about building things up from there.

“In golf, we create a 3D model of the course in a very similar way to how we would create a building for an architec-tural project.

“The style of modelling that we have learned in the architectural world has lent itself well to golf and we have really had no problems adjusting to the golf indus-try.

“Obviously, one of the main differences is that we are dealing with a lot of trees and grass but a lot of our experience has been in landscape architecture so we have been able to draw on that.

“Golf architects are very experienced in the various types of trees and grass and this is something we are particularly care-ful about getting right. In a similar way to how a building architect might specifiy a particular brick, a golf architect might specify a type of grass.

“From my point of view, it is a very interesting subject and I have read many books on golf course architecture. We‘re looking to get involved as much as possi-ble.”

Whether it be helping to market a course before and after it’s built, raising investment for new or existing venues, for planning purposes or simply producing promotional material, HK Golf has some-thing to meet the needs of a wide segment of the golf market.

HK Golf worked closely with Moodie’s Creative Golf Design company last year in producing flyover animations for the nine-hole extension at Weybrook Park Golf Club in Basingstoke, Hampshire, while they are currently creating images and a flyover animation for a new driving range and six-hole short course in Edinburgh designed to get more children involved in golf.

Having taken the decision to increase their interest in golf in 2010, HK Golf plan to exhibit at some of the leading trade shows later this year, and they have recently been involved in discussions with architects from countries including America and Canada.

Harris added: “One of our unique sell-ing points is that we can offer the complete package. Ideally for us, we would like to undertake a project for a golf resort, creating a flyover for the course but also the buildings around it to show what we can do.

“We could produce a fly-through of the clubhouse interior, including restaurant and other areas of the facility such as the villas. This could all be shown in one continuous animation, and we certainly think it would impress. I think the quality of service that we offer seems to be of interest to many people.

“The golf side of things has given us a new lease of life and we are looking forward to going to some of the shows to speak to the architects and ask them their opinions so that we can tailor our service to what they require and hopefully be of benefit to them and the industry. What we have shown so far is positive but we feel there is a lot more we can do.”

Somehow you get the feeling you will be hearing a lot more of HK Golf in 2010. GME

“I saw another company that had created a flyover of a golf resort and I was very confident that we could achieve a better result.”

marCH 2010 GME 39

40 GME marCH 2010

my view WEBlInK; BraEmarGOLF.CO.UK

Braemar Golf started life ten years ago as a small strategic golf consultancy, founded by David Dean and Ian Ferrrier, emerging out of Gleneagles Golf Developments.

Dean admits that in the early days the idea was to work with people and projects they liked, and it is only now that some of these earliest consultancy assignments are starting to come out of the ground, such as The Carrick in Scotland and Navarino Resorts in Greece.

As with the development business, there were others which never saw the light of day, and it was this frustration which prompted a more proactive approach to the management side of the business.

In 2003, I joined Braemar Golf, and this was really the start of developing the company with a vision of becoming one of Europe’s leading management compa-nies. Little did we know then that just a few years later we would be constructing golf courses as well as assisting owners to manage them.

Our first major management contract was with the then Riffa Golf Club in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Riffa has always struck me as an extremely successful and sustainable model, never over stretching it self or trying to be anything it did not need to be.

The project was very well managed, met its target of employing a high percentage of Bahraini Nationals and was profitable from early on its history. It is how a good business should be managed.

In addition to the operational manage-ment, part of Braemar Golf ’s role was also to think about the future vision for the owners and to deliver further value.

We helped create a strategy which lead to the full redevelopment of the site lead-ing to what is today Riffa Views, a master planned mixed development incorporat-ing a new golf course, golf academy and nine-hole course, residential, leisure, social and commercial facilities.

To support the redevelopment and ensure the creation of a very high quality

golf course, Braemar Golf joint-ventured the golf course construction with Nass Contracting, and two years later, in 2008, the Colin Montgomerie Signature course was officially opened.

This venture is typical of the dynamic and entrepreneurial nature of Braemar Golf and also of how importantly we view regional partnerships to growing our reach and services and we will continue to search for mutually beneficial opportuni-ties with the right partners.

It is this approach to developing posi-tive working relationships and adding value to client’s projects which has posi-tioned Braemar Golf well through what have been difficult times for the golf industry in general, and has provided a strong platform on which to grow for the future.

Our approach has always been project and client led, tailoring our scope of serv-ices and importantly the execution of these services to meet the aspirations and requirement of each client and their project.

Braemar Golf has taken a flexible approach to delivering its services recog-nising that not all clients want to commit to a long term management contract.

Clients are challenging service compa-nies to demonstrate expertise and value and we are happy to build relationships with clients through multiple project phases before offering, if appropriate, full management contracts.

This can be clearly demonstrated at the PGA National Russia, which is part of Zavidovo Golf and Lakes Resort, about 100km NW of Moscow.

Our initial technical services scope has developed into a much wider role cover-ing the construction management of the golf course and development and management of the golf facilities.

We have been partnered with the clients preferred contractor who has never built a golf course previously and the combina-tion of their local knowledge and contracting skills, together with Braemar Golf ’s technical expertise and a fully

Ten proud years for braemar Golf

Braemar Golf recently celebrated ten years in the golf business. Keith Haslam, managing director, takes a look back at some of the company’s key developments whilst also focusing on the future.

“Braemar Golf has taken a flexible approach to delivering its services recognising that not all clients want to commit to a long term management contract.”

marCH 2010 GME 41

HAWTREEGOLF COURSE ARCHITECTS

Since 1912

5 OxFORd STREET, WOOdSTOCk,OxFORd Ox20 1TQ

TEL: (01993) 811976 FAx: (01993) 812448

WWW.HAWTREE.CO.Uk www.europeangolf.co.uk - info@europeangolf.co.uk – Tel. +44 (0)800 915 5201

Greens l Tees l Short Courses

Lee Westwood Darren ClarkeRichard Finch

Endorsed by top European Tour professionals

All year round natural play on asynthetic green

inclusive approach with European Golf Design and the client is creating a golf course of the highest quality.

In recent times the fickle nature of using personalities as brands is evident and we are proud to have built positive relationships with brands that endure the test of time and deliver integrity, tradition and innovation.

Since 2003, Braemar Golf have had a close relationship with the PGA and today are the official supplier of golf management and construction services to what is the oldest PGA in the world and one of the most recognisable names in golf.

Together we have created the first PGA branded Golf Academy in Asia, are devel-oping PGA National projects in Russia and Cape Verde and a PGA National Golf Academy Cyprus, will hopefully commence construction later this year.

Add to this a strong working relation-ship with the St Andrews Links Trust, where we deliver Instruction services at the St Andrews Links Golf Academy and you can see how importantly we view such relationships.

Having a business in the Home of Golf means the team are under the spotlight everyday, and we place great pride in the fact that our relationship with the St Andrews Links Trust has been beneficial to both parties, and also that the St Andrews Links Golf Academy has proved so successful whilst adding a new dimen-sion to golf in St Andrews.

Braemar Golf is also currently expand-ing and strengthening the team and have recently made senior appointments in Bulgaria, Russia and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

In certain cases, the provision of expe-rienced golf personnel with the support of the Braemar Golf team enables us to offer cost effective long term support and benefits to the client without the require-ment for a formal high profile manage-ment contract.

This approach has proved popular with certain clients, delivering what many clients really want – the combination of strong competent on site staff and the provision by Braemar Golf of the overall strategy, direction and support with the availability of the full range of expertise and benefits available.

We see 2010 as being a positive year for Braemar Golf, as we open Pravets Golf and Spa, near Sofia in Bulgaria (pictured right), an 18 hole Peter Harradine design in a beautiful location, finish the construction element of the PGA National Russia and aim to break ground on site at Palm City Family and Golf Resort in Denmark, which will feature another Colin Montgomerie design in association with European Golf Design.

With further opportunities pending in countries such as Morocco, Croatia, Turkey and the Middle East, we are confident that we are well placed for the next ten years and to deliver the compa-nies 2020 Vision. GME

42 GME marCH 2010

the last word

I picked up the most recent copy of Golf Monthly and saw its ‘debate’ was, once again, that old chestnut of golf club dress codes.

Isn’t it interesting that at a time when we should be doing all we can to get people on golf courses, this argument can still exist.

For what it’s worth, I do believe that dress code restrictions should be main-tained, but not necessarily at the level applied by some clubs.

I don’t like the idea of jeans on a golf course any more than I’d approve of my son’s under-15 football team turn-ing out on Sunday mornings in jeans and a T-shirt.

Certain standards should be upheld – but it’s the pathetic ‘knee-length sock’ type rulings which really hack me off.

Does it really matter if you’re wearing ankle or knee-length socks when wear-ing shorts? and for that matter if profes-sional golfers can wear a collarless shirt during a televised event why can’t I wear one during a monthly medal?

I believe we should be allowed to wear what we like on the golf course, within reason, provided everybody, male, female, young or old, is wearing a Pringle jacquard jumper.

This is after all the golfers’ uniform. It makes golfers stand out from the

crowd, and we should not be ashamed.

If middle-aged 20-something-stone football fans are prepared to wear a club shirt in horrendous man-made fibres (not to mention the £50 price tag) then we too should be prepared to embrace our couture culture.

But if there’s one thing which does need addressing when it comes to on-course attire it’s the view of apparel manufacturers that anybody with a chest size in excess of 48 inches does not play.

as a man of – let’s say – larger-than-average girth, I’ve discovered only two manufacturers who produce shirts which will contain my ample frame and allow me to swing without cutting off the supply of blood to my upper arms: step forward ashworth and Greg Norman.

To you I owe a debt of gratitude. In the absence of your apparel I have been known to ferret around the dump bins at Sports Direct merely to find something carrying an XXXL label.

and no self-respecting amateur golf-er should endure that – jacquard jump-er or no... GME

Dress code debate should be shelved once and for all

“if professional golfers can wear a collarless shirt during a televised event why can’t I wear one during a monthly medal?”

David bowerseditorial@portman.uk.com

+44 (0)1394 380800 | ppcgolf.com

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Code: GME/03/10/RXV

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