gmé | issuu 88

GolfManagement Europe

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An increasing number of pro shops are moving away from stocking traditional equipment in favour of apparel, especially branded shirts

page 25

i-kan gc offer the full range From range balls and mats, to synthetic turf and first touch equipment, i-KAN GC has the complete solution

issue 88february 2013

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FebruAry 2013 GME 3GolFmANAGemeNtNews.Com

publisher’s editorial

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t chuckle when both Nike’s multi-million pound superstars, rory mcIlroy and tiger woods, failed to make the cut at the Abu Dhabi HsbC Golf Championship.

It’s not that I want either of them to fail; I don’t – I want the world’s best to show us why they are the world’s best. It was just that after all of the hype surrounding

mcIlroy’s defection to Nike, it was nice to see wales’ Jamie Donaldson come through.

Nor would woods or mcIlroy be in the slightest bit perturbed that they failed to make the weekend. events such as these merely serve to line further the pockets of the big names who can demand exor-bitant appearance fees – in this case for just two days’ work.

the Nike duo were reportedly paid £2.5m to, effectively, just publicise their contracts in the middle east. And their agents have, apparently, been asking for similar size fees to appear in other early-season events.

while fans and the media line up to pour scorn on footballers for their massive salaries – particularly in a time of eco-nomic depression – little or no opprobri-um is aimed at golfers, yet the world no1 is reported to be earning a staggering £75m from his new Nike contract.

And golfers’ careers last much longer than footballers, who don’t progress to the barclays Veterans Premier league when they reach the age of 50.

should we therefore amend slightly our disdain for the modern footballer given he is looking to earn as much as possible between the ages of 18 and 35?

I think not. rather we should start to question the morality of such massive pay-outs in any sport.

on a more prosaic level, will the fact that woods and mcIlroy are all

swooshed-up actually persuade more people to play Nike? Personally, I’ve played titleist for some years now and even if I never saw another pro pull one out of his bag, as long as the quality re-mains I would not consider changing.

I understand the concepts of Pr, mar-keting and advertising, but there surely comes a time when the figures involved are so large that the positive message is outweighed by the negative Pr of public perception?

If the economic climate changes they may well get away with it, but if it persists or – heaven forfend – gets worse, then obscene contracts such as these may come back to bite sports companies in the proverbial. GME

nike investment in rory could be bad pr for golf

Michael [email protected]

the i-KAN GC family offers a comprehensive range of golf products and services.

7

A recent ruling by the FsA regarding ‘interest rate swaps’ could benefit many owners.

28

with many clubs celebrating their centenaries, what’s the best way to cash in?

31

A flexible, points-based scheme has increased membership at rye Hill.

37

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“will the fact Woods and McIlroy are all swooshed-up actually persuade more people to play Nike?”

4 GME FebruAry 2013

headline news

the National trust’s legal bid to block a £100m golf resort near the Giant’s Causeway has come under fire from former open cham-pion Darren Clarke.

the project includes a five-star, 120-bedroom hotel and 75 villas, built close to the world Heritage site, but the trust wants a judicial review of the planning approval.

but Portrush-based Clarke called opponents of the scheme “treehuggers” in messages to his 217,000 twitter followers.

He said: “All the treehug-gers coming out in support of Nt (National trust) against

the new golf course on the north coast at home #seethebiggerpicture #getalife.”

He later added: “Nice to see that a lot of you agree with me regarding bushmills Dunes. It can only help Northern Ireland. For those of you who don’t then unfol-low me please! #onlymy-opinion.”

environment minister Alex Attwood has been accused of second-guessing uNesCo’s views on the proposed golf resort close to the world Heritage site.

the National trust said he acted “unreasonably and irrationally” in granting plan-

ning permission for the resort, which would lie within a buffer zone protecting the landscape setting of the Giant’s Causeway, which was granted world Heritage status in 2003.

the conservation charity made the claims during the first day of a legal challenge to the controversial decision which overturns a series of planning policies designed to protect the landscape and environment around the visitor attraction.

lawyers for the runkerry project team have claimed that the charity’s opposition is based upon commercial interests.

Developers claim the proposed bushmills resort would create about 360 jobs and a further 300 through suppliers and construction.

the investment and advi-sory team, led by us-based Northern Ireland man Dr Alistair Hanna, have predict-ed the course and hotel could be ready by 2015.

bid to block Giant’s causeway resort comes under fire

Gary silcock has become a part of la manga Club’s illustrious golfing history after being appointed as the new director of golf at the luxury resort in murcia, spain.

silcock has a proven track record in the golf industry

having worked at a number of top resorts worldwide over the last two decades including st Andrews’ old Course Hotel, PGA National Ireland and, most recently, at the belfry – the setting for four ryder Cups.

the scot, who took up his new role last month said: “la manga Club is a name that is synonymous with golf and sport, not just in europe but around the world, and it’s a great honour to be working here.

“some of the biggest names in the game have been associated with the resort and it has always been a venue that I’ve admired and respected,” added silcock.

“Having worked for some top destinations in several different countries, I feel I have a lot to offer in improv-ing the service and the over-all golf experience that la manga Club currently provides.

“It’s a great opportunity and I’m looking forward to a new challenge.”

Allerthorpe Park Golf Club, in east yorkshire, has appointed insolvency practitioners KJ watkin and Co after being placed in liquidation.

the club locked its gates in early January and posted a notice on its website saying: “It is with regret that the direc-tors have taken the deci-sion to place the compa-ny into liquidation and the course is therefore closed until further notice.”

Allerthorpe Park, which has a teaching academy and pro golf shop, as well as a bar, clubhouse, function room and conference facilities, is run by head pro James Drinkall.

Drinkall, his parents Jan and Paul, and wife Alex, took on the business in 2008 on a long lease from owners John Atkinson and his son Jonathan.

the Atkinsons devel-oped the club into a nine-hole course in 1994 from agricultural land used to grow barley.

It was expanded in 1998 into a 13-hole course and again in 2001 to an 18-hole course.

silcock leaves The belfry for la Manga club

Colt mackenzie mcNair, the specialist executive search firm operating across the global golf markets, has announced the launch of an important new service, Cmm express, which delivers a targeted ‘10-day’ recruit-ment solution with the prom-ise of no fees until a success-ful candidate has been appointed.

this innovative and highly efficient service is designed

for junior through to head of department roles, and takes the typical pressure and administration of recruitment off the shoulders of the senior executive, with the objective of pinpointing ideal candidates within ten working days.

richard wood, director of Colt mackenzie mcNair, explained: “Cmm express has been created because the recruitment needs of all

golf businesses are chang-ing. we are witnessing a growing requirement for a more reactive product that offers speed, service and greater flexibility – and we believe Cmm express perfectly caters for this.

“Cmm express sits along-side, and complements, existing recruitment search-es and has the ability to rapidly deliver a very concentrated candidate.”

cMM Express in ten day pledge

MASTERING THE ART OF SYNTHETIC TURF INSTALLATIONS

6 GME FebruAry 2013

news

GolfBIC, the annual con-ference hosted jointly be-tween the uK Golf Course owners Association and the organisation of Golf and range operators, will take place at the marriott Forest of Arden on march 11 and 12.

Druids Glen’s chief execu-tive has announced the resort enjoyed its most profitable year since 2001 last year, to record profits in excess of €1m. richard Collins said: “we have had two years of sustained growth at Druids Glen in 2011 and 2012, and we are very optimistic for the future.”

Drainage installed by Duncan ross Contractors has relieved an area of severe flooding on family owned Goosnargh Golf Course, set in the heart of lancashire near the village of Goosnargh.

Lee Kristensen has been promoted to the role of product manager at ransomes Jacobsen.Kristensen will manage the development and enhancement of all Ipswich designed and built ransomes and Jacobsen products and liaise with colleagues at the Charlotte facility in North Carolina, usA with regard to the Jacobsen product line.

Everris launched a brand new, high-impact, controlled-fertilizer range at btme 2013. Proturf is designed for use on tees, surrounds, outfields and lawns. It contains Poly-halite, a unique mineral sourced from the com-pany’s mine in the north east of england.

in briEf;

A human skull was discov-ered on a golf course in east lothian last month, during a bunker renovation project.

the remains were unearthed at the musselburgh links golf course by contractors envirosports during an installation of their envirobunker system.

lothian and borders Police were notified and the remains were sent for analy-sis whilst the area was cordoned off and work suspended.

the skull was discovered by workers digging into the face of a bunker on the fourth green at the links course, which is recognised as the oldest in the world by Guinness World Records, with the course known to have been in use since 1672.

the second hole on the course is known as “the

Graves” as it is thought those who died in

the battle of Pinkie Cleugh were buried there in 1547.

Following archaeological tests on the

skull, it was reported that the

remains dated back to 500bC and

work has re-started.

skull discovered at Musselburgh links

la reserva Golf Club and Almenara Golf Club, both owned by NH resorts in sotogrande, Costa del sol have selected e-Z-Go as their preferred golf cars.

la reserva Golf Club is one of the most prestigious courses in spain, and features an 18-hole course designed by Cabell r. robinson.

the club has taken deliv-ery of a fleet of 50 e-Z-Go rXV electric golf cars which were by supplied by local e-Z-Go distributor, Green mowers.

lucas de la Puente, general manager responsi-ble for both courses said: “the electric rXV is undoubt-edly the best golf car out there on the market today.

“their styling is excellent and the automatic braking is a superb feature, especial-ly on a hilly course such as la reserva.

“most of our members are between 55 and 85 years old and the rXV is very comfortable and easy to operate. Very importantly, they complement the image here at la reserva, where everything we do is done to the highest stand-ards.”

Almenara Golf Club is a 27-hole facility which was created by Dave thomas, and here the club opted for e-Z-Go’s tXt golf car.

“the tXt golf buggy is an excellent choice for Almenara,” added de la Puente.

“the service we have received from Green mowers, through Pedro moran, their manager for the south of spain, has been fantastic.

“I can only liken it to deal-ing with the mercedes benz of the buggy world.”

E-Z-Go is the car of choice for nh resorts

Global Golf Advisors, one of the golf industry’s leading authorities on successful course ownership and management practices, has announced a new office outside Dublin, Ireland, to serve the firm’s clients across europe, the middle east and Africa.

the office will be managed by rob Hill, who has been appointed direc-tor of Global Golf Advisors’ emeA division. Hill, who joined Global Golf Advisors in 2012, has 15 years of advi-

sory experience to clients in the region.

“the growth of our busi-ness in the emeA now requires a dedicated pres-ence,” said stephen Johnston, president of Global Golf Advisors.

“we’re fortunate to have someone of rob’s experi-ence to serve clients, manage the business and grow new opportunities.”

Hill graduated from the university of wales with a degree in sports manage-ment, and also earned an

mbA from oxford brookes university in england.

hill takes on Global role


on the cover

facTfilE;

16 redcliff roadmelton enterprise Centre

monks way westmelton

Hull Hu14 3rsengland

TEl; (44) 01482 333123faX; (44) 01482 333128

WEBLINK; i-KANGC.Com

the term ‘one-stop shop’ is often over used in busi-ness, but the saying can certainly be justified when talking about the range of services that i-KAN GC offers the golf industry, throughout the uK and europe.

the i-KAN GC brand name has been developed to recognise the need to increase sports participation and infrastructure within golf, and caters for various different sectors under the i-KAN GC name.

the ‘GC’ initials cover a varied range of services, including ‘Golf Coaching’ – courtesy of sNAG – ‘Golf Centres’, ‘Golf Community’ and finally ‘Golf Components’.

the latter, i-KAN Golf Components, provides premier products to the driv-

ing range industry such as range balls, yardage mark-ers, baskets and mats, but it is a focus on education and practice which sets i-KAN GC apart.

“we firmly believe that i-KAN GC can help all golf

clubs throughout europe develop their coaching and practice facilities,” commented Guy Higton, director of i-KAN GC.

“Although we supply the complete range of practice equipment – all of which is competitively priced – in association with the other aspects of our business, we are in the unique position of being able to also offer additional business opportu-nities including sNAG.

“sNAG, which stands for ‘starting New At Golf’, is a great way to encourage

beginners to your golf club, and we have experienced a great deal of growth across europe with this element of the business over the past year or so.

“with our sister company european Golf – who are specialists in the supply and installation of synthetic grass, indoor and outdoor practice facilities, putting greens, adventure/mini golf, teeline and modular greens – we feel we offer clubs a one stop solution for all of their practice and coaching needs,” added Higton. GME

“i-KAN GC can help all golf clubs throughout Europe develop their coaching and practice facilities”

With a full range, i-Kan Gc really is your one-stop shop

8 GME FebruAry 2013

news

Club Car has announced a new leadership team. roberto Gorostiaga, Club Car’s emeIA leader, has left to join parent company Ingersoll rand, as latin American leader of the Industrial technologies

Americas division, based in sao Paulo, brazil.

Club Car’s marco Natale has been appointed as Club Car emeIA leader, reporting directly to president and Ceo marc Dufour, as part of the company’s senior team.

“Club Car’s growth in golf in the past year – despite the challenging economic situation – is the result of our customer-focused approach, strong product quality, reliability and tech-nology, as well as our commitment to delivering profit to our customers’ bottom lines,” said Natale.

“we work hand in glove with our clients and the long term relationships we main-tain with leading organisa-tions such as the european tour, the ryder Cup, the PGA and the eGCoA, is testament to the value we deliver.”

reporting to Natale are Kevin Hart and Dennis de roos, who have been appointed to the roles of golf business sales director and utility business sales director respectively.

natale heads up club car operation in EMEia

Golf course owners now have a new way to safe-guard their revenues against bad weather and course closure with raincheque, an innovative income protec-tion scheme costing as little as £21 a week.

with raincheque, courses could recover up to £100,000 of lost revenue depending on the level of cover taken.

And unlike insurance poli-cies, because raincheque uses a weather risk manage-ment model there is no need to prove loss of reve-nue: guaranteed payouts occur based on pre-set levels of rainfall at specific uK locations.

the annual premium guar-antees a payout for up to 20 days of income lost from adverse weather conditions.

raincheque is offered to clubs by PPJ Golf services ltd and otl (uK), who work in partnership with Coriolis Capital limited a london based weather risk manage-ment specialist.

For 13 years, Coriolis have helped companies around the world to reduce their risk associated with adverse weather conditions, and are regulated by the FsA and are members of the weather risk management Association.

Pat stanford of PPJ Golf services said: “Golf courses were decimated by the weather in 2012 and raincheque is a very cost-effective way for courses to safeguard themselves against similar heavy losses next year.

“Courses cannot control the weather, but raincheque gives guaran-teed management of the effect it has on day-to-day revenues.

“with raincheque, any club’s financial controller can ensure more consisten-cy to revenue and earnings by removing the risk of unknown weather factors.”

raincheque smooths out the financial effects of climatic variance by employing a weather deriv-ative hedge against the probability of certain events occurring.

this financial instrument is used to reduce the risk asso-ciated with adverse or unex-pected weather. the seller of the derivative accepts the risk by charging a premi-um to the buyer.

If nothing happens the seller makes a profit, but if the weather turns bad the buyer (any golf club) receives a pay-out.

they do not call for a ‘proof of loss’ – data collat-ed and published by inde-pendent meteorological stations is used to calculate the make-up of agreements.

raincheque set to guard against lost income

torrential rain on the wettest part of Aspley Guise and woburn sands Golf Club was less of a problem after treatment with their new AFt sandbander.

After the first pass on the problem part of the course improvement was instant – and continued despite up to an inch of rainfall during the follow-ing week.

Course manager tony lee said: “I haven’t been able to plan any routine this year, as we have had to react to conditions on a weekly basis. the inces-sant rainfall has caused problems at every level.”

lee read about the AFt sandbander in GME and went to take a look at it at nearby robin Hood Golf Course.

“I wanted to see if it would provide an imme-diate solution to our drainage problem,” he says. “I was so impressed I arranged a demo at my course to see if the sandbander could cope with the worst affected area – the approach to the 11th green.”

Heythrop Park resort has appointed sian eden as its new corporate golf sales manager, and matthew Chiddington as golf opera-tions manager.

eden has extensive experi-ence in the sales industry, in particular with new business development and key

account management in both the pharmaceutical and retail import industries.

she has been tasked with a clear brief to maximise revenue opportunities in corporate golf, with a view to positioning Heythrop Park as a premier golf destination in oxfordshire.

Her responsibilities will also include establishing and maintaining long-term work-ing relationships with key golf clients, as well as devel-oping and delivering golf days that meet and exceed guest expectations in terms of both service and experi-ence.

heythrop park make key appointments


news

LinksMaster is a specialist golf club insurance policy that can be tailored to the specific needs of your club, including comprehensive cover for your course, buildings, possessions, equipment, staff and members.

If you would like to arrange a free review of your current golf club insurance to ensure you are adequately covered, please contact David Morgan, Marsh (quoting: GME02/13).

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The information contained herein is based on sources we believe reliable and should be understood to be general risk management and insurance information only. The information is not intended to be taken as advice with respect to any individual situation and cannot be relied upon as such.

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10 GME FebruAry 2013

news

A much needed option for the long term control of moss on golf courses was launched at btme.Containing the active ingredient quinoclamine, mogeton will be available to use on golf courses from the start of may 2013.brought to the market by Certis, technical officer Alan Horgan explained: “Greenkeepers have been crying out for a new solution to control moss out on the course, so we believe mogeton will be an invaluable new tool.”

The Mere Golf Resort and spa has won the award for ‘marketing initiative of the year’ at the marketing Cheshire Awards. “we’re thrilled to have won this award,” commented mark boler, owner and Ceo of the mere Golf resort and spa.

David Joy has been appointed by the board of england Golf as the organisation’s new chief executive officer and will take up his role on April 22, 2013. speaking about his appointment, Joy said: “this is a really exciting time for amateur golf following the merger of the men’s and women’s game.”

The PGA has established a branded golf academy at China’s world famous mission Hills Golf resort.

Campey Turf Care systems had a surprisingly busy btme with two very successful days. Despite it being a very cold, snowy week, the visitors came and took advantage of the opportunity to visit the Campey stand.

in briEf;

GolfParc online resources, which is designed to support beginners understand the game of golf, are now featured in the new, Golf Foundation Passport scheme.

“when we set out to design a learning resource for golf we wanted to create a range of equip-ment that encapsulated the mental and physical chal-lenge of playing on the golf course,” said Peter Gray, owner of Factory eleven

which manufacturers GolfParc.

“we designed the equip-ment to replicate the experi-ence of playing on a real golf course, and to help the golf pro to create more opportunities for young people and adults to engage in the sport.

“that’s how we came up with a series of 3 dimensional hazards that could be used to set out a golf hole and mini course on the practice field or an indoor sports facility.

“the impact the GolfParc equipment has on the junior or adult starter is that they can immediately start play-ing the game and get an understanding of the deci-sions and execute the shots necessary to be successful.

“the fact that the complexity of the GolfParc hole can be adjusted to suit the level of the player makes it a powerful tool in managing a positive fun first experience of golf.

“we wanted to back up the physical performance with a range of online resources that would provide a learning platform to engage the new golfer in the language, rules and etiquette of golf to aid their learning and early progress.

“From designing your own golf hole to playing a golf game, all the resources on golfparc.com are a great way to carry on your golf learning at home.

“we are extremely proud that the Golf Foundation have chosen the GolfParc resources as a key feature in their new Junior Golf Passport learning Programme.”

Golf foundation utilise Golfparc resources

the uK Golf Course owners Association (uKGCoA) has announced the appointment of James Cameron to the newly created role of full-time general manager.

Cameron has been the general manager of Duff House royal Golf Club in scotland for the past three years, prior to which he has a background in senior management positions in sports marketing and media

in both his native scotland and the usA.

Jerry Kilby, uKGCoA exec-utive director, said: “the uKGCoA’s rapid growth has led to the necessity for full-time management and James has the experience and expertise to bring considerable value to the organisation.”

Having been involved with the uKGCoA since its estab-lishment in october 2010, Kilby – who is also Ceo of

the CmAe – will step down as uKGCoA executive director with immediate effect.

cameron in, Kilby out as all change at uKGcoa

A new general manager has taken up his appoint-ment at the belfry, ahead of a £30m refurbishment of the iconic hotel and golf resort.

willem Verhoeven, 33, has left his native Netherlands, where he co-owned the Hotel De wolfsberg – named best hotel in the Netherlands in 2011 – and trib event, a company specialising in the organisation of outdoor

concerts, to manage the 324-bedroom hotel.

He has previously worked in the uK, initially between 2002 and 2006, when he rose to the position of food and beverage manager at the st Andrews bay Golf resort and spa in scotland, and then later, from 2008 to 2010, as general manager at the malmaison, in edinburgh.

A graduate in hospitality administration from the International university for Hotel management in the Netherlands, Verhoeven said: “the belfry is hugely impressive with a beautiful property and superb facili-ties set in a wonderful loca-tion and this is a fantastic opportunity to be part of the exciting future that is planned.”

Verhoeven set to head up The belfry


news

two berkshire clubs are considering joining together after Newbury racecourse GC proposed a merger with Newbury and Crookham.

As part of the proposal, a new beginners’ course and driving range could be built on land south of the race-course, which Newbury racecourse Golf Club gained planning permission for back in 2009.

It is also proposed that the 140-year-old Newbury and Crookham, which is one of the oldest inland golf clubs in england, will manage both courses. meanwhile, the racecourse golf course will be reduced to nine holes, with 18 tees.

“this is an excellent proposal which will safe-guard golf at the race-course for our members,

whilst providing them access to a new facility and club house,” said managing director for racecourse and events at the racecourse Newbury, stephen Higgins.

“throughout negotiations, we have been impressed by the commitment and vision demonstrated by Newbury and Crookham Golf Club and we see this as an excel-lent long-term solution.”

the club manager at Newbury and Crookham, ed richardson, said: “our aim is to have the best golfing facility in west berkshire and we look forward to receiving members support to work with the racecourse to deliv-er this.”

the merger is subject to the approval of Newbury and Crookham members at the club’s AGm in April.

newbury racecourse propose merger talks

one of the biggest-ever orders for bunker Plug is being installed at the evian masters Golf Club, France, host of the 2013 evian Championship – the first women’s major golf tourna-ment to be staged in conti-nental europe.

to meet its new status as a women’s major venue the evian golf course has been remodelled and upgraded over the past 18 months to designs prepared by european Golf Design.

Included within the upgrade specifications were more than 80 bunker Plugs to be installed in all of the golf course’s bunkers to help prevent flooding during peri-ods of prolonged or torren-tial rain.

Former greenkeeper and bunker Plug inventor, Jeremy Parkman, visited the evian masters Golf Club last November to provide instal-lation training to the course’s constructors and the greenkeeping staff.

“Having given the presen-tation that led to the order from european Golf Design, I was very pleased to see the

project through to the instal-lation of the very first bunker Plugs on the course,” said Parkman.

bunker plug specified at Evian Masters in france

The GolfParc® range of equipment has been designed to create a fun based learning environment to practice and play all the key elements of golf for young people.

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GolfParc at Ryehill Golf Club Oxfordshire England


news

Divot bag, the unique solu-tion to divots that benefits both golfers and course managers alike, has report-ed significant growth in 2012, especially across europe.

the Divot bags, which are filled with a mix of sand and seed and are designed for golfers to carry with them, ensuring that the course is kept in tip-top condition all year-round.

“we’ve had a fantastic year,” said Nicola morley, md of Divot bag. “Despite the inclement weather in the uK last summer, our sales across europe really began to take off, so much so that we are now offering a

personalised bag which can either be printed with the clubs logo, or alternatively sponsored by a company.

“As the bags measure just 9” x 7” they are the perfect size to carry just enough divot mix for a single round, and therefore don’t weigh the golfer down.

“the personalisation of the bags is a really cost-effec-tive way to finance the Divot bags,” added morley, “and with 100 bags costing just £425 they can be a real-ly effective marketing tool for a potential sponsor.”

standard bags without any personalisation cost £2.95 and also available is an attractive Divot bag

stand which can be posi-tioned on the first tee to encourage golfers to collect a bag before heading off onto the fairways.

news

two bunker construction companies have formed an alliance to ensure that golf clubs throughout europe will receive the best possible

advice and service when it comes to developing bunkers on their golf courses.

blinder bunker liners and envirosports have each

developed unique bunker products which have been warmly embraced by golf clubs over the last two years.

blinder bunker provide a rubberised, flexible free draining liner which prevents contamination of sand while envirobunker is a bunker face and edge solution which is resistive to all forms of erosions.

both are developed from 100 per cent recycled mate-rial and have a design life of 20 plus years and together offer a completely mainte-nance free bunker solution.

blinder and envirobunker can be used jointly as seen at a recent project between the two companies at royston Golf Club where the two products were used together to produce a fully sealed bunker solution.

“we know that our prod-uct is suitable for bunkers with faces over 45 degrees and that blinder works best with faces that are under 45 degrees so we are more than happy to recommend blinder if we believe that is the best option,” said direc-tor of envirosports, rhydian lewis.

“blinder also offer a base solution, we do not, and like-wise we offer a finishing revetted edge solution which is unique to our prod-uct.”

murray long, director of blinder bunker liners added: “once we’ve taken a look at the bunkers in question we will offer the best solution and should that be envirobunker we will be more than happy to recom-mend that option.”

bunker alliance works well at royston Golf club

A national grassroots initiative in the usA to bring grass roots golf to millions of children and adults will be spearhead-ed by Jack Nicklaus and sNAG Golf in conjunction with the National recreation and Parks Association (NrPA).

the Jack Nicklaus learning leagues (JNll), using sNAG programming and equipment, will be rolled out in parks and recreation facilities in order to increase access to and engagement in the game of golf for young people and adults alike.

In an effort to be more competitive with other sports, golf will enter the team sport arena through parks and recreation facilities across the usA, as Nicklaus believes that the lack of a team element hinders the development of golf amongst kids.

“the youngest shy away from golf, because there’s no one to share responsibility with. It’s all on their shoulders,” he said.

“If adults think it’s hard to connect with a tiny golf ball using a long stick, imagine how a six-year-old feels?”

A member of the chart-topping military wives Choir has joined st mellion International resort as sales and marketing manager.

lisa brammer joined st mellion in 2009 in a business development role and was recently promoted to her current job, which coincid-ed with her choir’s success in the album charts.

she travels throughout the country singing in the influ-ential military wives Choir, and is featured on the

recently-released Stronger Together album.

the choir, which helps the wives and girlfriends of british servicemen express them-selves through song, helps raise money for the royal british legion and the soldiers, sailors, Airmen and Families Association chari-ties, as well as for the military wives Foundation.

the formation of the military wives has enabled brammer to sing at the Queen’s Jubilee at

buckingham Palace, in front of 60,000 rugby fans at twickenham, at the royal Albert Hall’s remembrance sunday concert and to record a number-one single with Gary barlow.

she said: “my job at st mellion doesn’t involve much singing but I do enjoy the creative side of sales and marketing.

“A goal of mine is to attract larger events both to st mellion and to the south west in general.”

st Mellion star in-tune with success

Divot bag develops personalised bags following European success


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The Solution to Bunker Face Erosion

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A Cheshire course is to submit plans which it believes will make it one of north-west england’s premier venues.

High legh Park has unveiled ambitious plans to make the club a magnet for golfing talent across the region.

the plans, which are still subject to approval by Cheshire east Council, will

see a golfing academy built at the club, due for comple-tion next year.

the specialists will include golf fitness professional Kevin Duffy; tour X, which offers customised golf club fitting; lee Cromblehome, one of the european tour’s mind coaches; mike Donald, who will be responsible for coaching development, and Natalie Adam, the

junior and ladies’ coaching development specialist.

Andrew Vaughan, owner of High legh Park, said: “the profile of golf in the uK is increasing all the time, and we wanted to ensure we are offering the very best in terms of development of new talent into the game as well as giving existing players access to these amazing services.

“the new academy will be accessible to all golfers and will offer an unrivalled service to help them improve their game.”

the academy is only part of the long-term vision for the club, which will also see the re-design of the existing 18-hole golf course, the introduction of a new nine-hole short course, and a small training course.

high legh park plans ambitious academy

Cushman has introduced the newest addition to its vehicle line-up – the rugged, reliable and versatile 1600XD-r 4x4 utility vehicle.

the 1600XD-r combines four-wheel-drive capability with a powerful 22 hp, 1,007cc three-cylinder oHV diesel engine to handle large tasks on tough terrain.

Its performance is further enhanced by an automatic, continuously variable trans-mission (CVt) with low – and high-gear ratios, a user-

selectable locking rear differential which can be engaged in both two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive operation, four-wheel inde-pendent suspension, and exceptional hauling and towing capacity, with a maximum vehicle load of 726 kgs.

“with Cushman’s 110 years of experience in the field, it is extremely exciting to introduce the 1600XD-r, which brings the Cushman name and reputation for

durability, quality and performance to a new class of vehicle,” commented richard tyrrell, product

manager at ransomes Jacobsen, the european distributor for the Cushman brand.

cushman introduces new 1600XD-r utility vehicle


company profile WEBLINK; mAterIAlmAttersltD.Com

The company name is as much a state-ment of fact as it is a description. Material does matter, and Material Matters is the simplest way of reducing the often prohibitive costs associated with running a successful golf club.

Since its launch in 2010, Surrey-based Material Matters has steadily built up its customer and supplier base to the extent that it now has more than 220 clubs, mainly across the south of England, all benefiting from the best volume prices available from a number of respected, specialist suppliers through its system of centralised purchasing.

The average annual saving for an 18-hole golf course often works out to be more than £20,000 per annum. Indeed, so successful has Material Matters been that it is now the official purchasing part-ner for the UK Golf Course Owners Association (UKGCOA), and also other prestigious venues.

Initially, Material Matters worked on supplies only for the golf course itself. However, so popular – and successful – did it prove that after just ten months trading the business was able to put in place a clubhouse proposition as well, offering the same great value for food, beverage and consumables.

Director Paul Mould explained: “We now deal with around 160 suppliers because we want to ensure we don’t narrow down supplier choice on the basis of driving the very best price.

“We leave a lot of choice with the clubs. Although what we do is price driven – and it remains a very important part of

our model – clubs want the choice of varying levels of qual-ity and service. Differentiation is vital.

“We’re now seen as the clubs’ first port of call for any purchasing requirement – even for the random one-off requests. Chances are whatever they’re buying for the first time we will have seen some-where else.

“We do a lot of benchmarking with each club so we understand their expenditure first before we do anything. All that data helps us negotiate the best price across each sector, and advise accordingly.”

In essence, there’s very little that golf clubs need to purchase that Material Matters can’t help with. And the success of the Windlesham Golf Club-based company has seen the development of a new online portal which enables clubs to save time on staff hours in addition to purchasing costs.

“Every golf club has eight or nine very important services delivered to them under quite complex contracts – tele-phone, insurance, photocopier, hygiene products – which they need help and support with. That’s particularly true in terms of utilities, as energy is a nightmare in terms of how you manage the contracts. We also offer a retrospective review so we can try to recover funds where they’ve been billed incorrectly.

“And we also help them manage energy consumption levels going forward.

“Taking liquid fuel as an example, we have a constant feed of prices so when we get a fuel enquiry we can instantly price it; we don’t need to enquire with four suppliers and, importantly, a member of the golf club’s staff doesn’t spend an hour enquiring with four suppliers.

“Clubs know they’re going to get a volume price and that all the account details, payment etc, are already set up for them. It’s not just a price tool, it’s also a time-saving mechanism.”

The culmination of that combination is the online portal which enables common repeat products to be ordered – at the best price – with the minimum effort and time.

“The portal stands alone, accessed through the Materials Matters website, with each person, within the club, having

Why Material Matters are the perfect fit at your club

As David Bowers discovers, material matters has the

ability to help your golf club saving more than £20,000

per annum.


a secure log-in, to ensure complete trace-ability. There are multiple security levels because, obviously, the general manager will want to see everything, while the course manager sees things only relevant to him.

“It enables clubs to manage most aspects of their purchasing at the click of a mouse, so that not only are they saving from a cost perspective but also in terms of staff time. The reduction in man hours is palpable,” added Mould.

The portal is a complete suite of six, simple to navigate tools offering the abili-ty to keep all important documentation stored online. Ordering is simple and Material Matters offers full support.

Like the company’s service, the portal continues to grow organically, and, in 2013, Material Matters is adding merchandise to its portfolio, offering the same level of expertise for shop supplies, such as apparel and golf balls, meaning it can now impact on every area of club purchasing.

And the new portal is proving invalua-ble to small to medium-sized golf groups with more than two clubs.

“Last year we started work with three golf groups; two in particular have four clubs each – not quite big enough to have a centralised purchasing team but with a

large enough volume to impact on their pricing. But, naturally, they don’t have surplus staff or resource to manage it.

“We sit in the centre as the purchasing partner, co-ordinating purchasing activity between their golf clubs to afford them the best position. They retain a local pres-ence, but whenever product can be grouped together we do that and the online portal is ideal for them.”

The Material Matters model works equally well for member and proprietary

clubs – the customer base is split 50/50 – and one needs only to speak to some of the customers to see how beneficial it has proved. Peter Hickling, the manager of High Post Golf Club in Wiltshire, said: “By joining Material Matters we have been able to make significant savings across a wide range of areas.

“Plus we know we have total peace of mind that we partner now in every purchasing decision we make, driving up margin and ensuring we have control.”

Material Matters mantra when it start-ed three years ago was ‘Quality, Service and Price’ – it has achieved that and gone a stage further, to be regarded by more than 220 golf clubs as a supplementary team member.

That speaks volumes for an ability to deliver on its promises. GME

Tel: 01252 621114 Email: [email protected] Web: materialmattersltd.com

OfficialPurchasingPartner of theUKGCOA

IncredibleSavingsConsultancy Matters

Practical effective solutions, exceeding expectations

Purchasing MattersEffective cost reduction across all club areas

Technology MattersMM Portal managing your purchasing

and contracts online

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merchandise solution

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Find out how we can help you in all aspects of your business

Energy MattersPricing, consumption advice and complete

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of areas.”


left hand pageright of reply

A former newspa-per columnist of my

acquaintance once told me that if the letters’

page of his newspaper was full of people complaining

about his column then he knew he was doing a good job.In the 16 years I have been writing a

leader for this magazine I don’t think I’ve ever received the amount of

correspondence I have in the last

few weeks following the last edition. To recap, I explained why I was prepared to drive 30 minutes from my home, avoiding better-placed private golf clubs, to be a member at a proprietary owned club which made me and my guests feel welcome.

There were other points made using terms such as ‘anachronistic’, ‘stuffy’ and ‘empire building’ – we won’t go over old ground again, but I hope you get the picture.

Publisher Michael Lenihan appeared to have opened a golfing can of worms last issue with his leader explain-ing why he had moved to a proprietary golf club in favour of a private members’ club. Here he discusses it further, aided by some of your responses.

The widening Gulf in Golf


Not surprisingly, not everybody agreed with me, but, if I achieved nothing else, my (virtual) mailbag illustrates that there is most definitely a divide in golf between proprietary and member clubs – and it’s not all about the amount of tax paid. A golf gulf, if you prefer.

Jon Mills, the secretary at Lydney Golf Club, in Gloucestershire, took time out to write and express his disappointment in my view.

He said: “I find it sad that you have sought to identify elitism and pomposity with, in your words ‘many private members clubs’. I am the secretary at one of these so-called elitist clubs where, yes we have a committee.

“We exist to provide a club for all our members to play, along with members of the public who would like to play our course without the restrictions of having to book a tee-time in advance. Our members take their chance on not getting on the course if non-members are there.

“Our club... is over 100 years old. However, the course we play on is just two years old. In this hard and unforgiving economic world we became the victims of a landlord going bust after promising funds to relocate if we did not object to housing plans.

“This was followed by a developer who evicted us with no compensation [and] those elitist private members, as you call them, at this club, raised £144,000 between 170 of them [and that] along with the bank, which gave us a mortgage of a further £144,000, enabled us to purchase enough land to build nine golf holes, which we did by using one contractor to build USGA standard greens, [with] all other work carried out by the members.

“The same applied to the provision of a clubhouse; this was an abandoned wooden hut which again the members took apart, transported to the site and rebuilt using all the saved equipment and furniture from our old club.

“Not all private members’ clubs are as you perceive them: we have 170 members with a membership fee of £385 for all adult members; we have a committee who all have a specific role to play and we all work for the members.

“We do not insist on a dress code and we do not make a profit – any extra income goes on the club and more impor-tantly on the course unlike our two local proprietary clubs who exist only to provide a profit for their owners.”

As Jon rightly says, ‘not ALL private members’ clubs are as [I] perceive them’. But in saying that, he tacitly acknowledges that many are, and I doubt many ‘elitist’ clubs charge less than £400 per year.

Personally I have no qualms about proprietary-owned clubs making a profit if we, the customer, get a good deal in the process. We live in a capitalist society after all, and the more money the industry generates, the better it will be for all of us.

The bottom line in any business is getting repeat custom – give them the right product at the right price and they will return. Golf is no different – or at least it shouldn’t be.

There weren’t many other private clubs who jumped to their own defence, though Bob Carrick, secretary at the renowned Hunstanton Golf Club, was another who did just that.

He said: “While agreeing with some of what you say I think you make a gross generalisation regarding private members’ clubs. There may be a small minority which dwell in the past but, in my experi-ence, the majority are well run and forward looking – they have to be!

“My own club, Hunstanton, is a private members’ club and I would like to think that we are not pompous and we pride ourselves in the welcome given to both members and visitors alike.

“We write to all our visitors to say thank you for coming and we get very few adverse comments.”

The views of one golf club manager, while a tad extreme, did tend, however, to sum up the opposing view of correspond-ents. I will, on this occasion, preserve the anonymity of the individual for obvious reasons.

The email stated: “I have said for many years now, the best thing that can happen is if a private members’ club went to the wall (unfortunately) in order for the ones that are left to get the message – that they need to change, in order for them not to end up going the same way.

“Empire building, the pursuit of self-interest, the idea that the first two letters in the word MEmber is the most important – has no relevancy in golf.

“The only way this is going to work from now on is if directors direct, manag-ers manage and members enjoy.”

And Philip Rowbottom, proprietor of Woolley Park Golf Club, in West Yorkshire, said: “What a breath of fresh air it was to read your editorial this morning. At last someone has realised what we proprietary clubs can offer them.”

It was interesting for me, as the recipi-ent of the emails and also the catalyst for them, to see that much of the correspond-ence in defence of private members’ clubs went to some length to mount a defence, while those from proprietary clubs felt it sufficient to simply say – metaphorically at least “Hurrah!”

Are private clubs paranoid? Or are they simply feeling persecuted?

And why did nobody from either side of the divide write in a positive vein about the other? All these questions and more won’t be answered by me, that’s for sure.

But it is a debate which will continue to rumble on between what is clearly becom-ing a much more divided industry.

And, as publisher of Golf Management Europe, I’m just grateful people take the time and trouble to read the magazine and write in.

Thank you all. GME

“Empire building, the pursuit of self-interest, the idea that the first two letters in the word MEmber is the most important — has no relevancy in golf.

The only way this is going to work from now on is if directors direct, managers manage and members enjoy.”

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club focus

When James Bond and Auric Goldfinger played golf, the venue was Stoke Park in London (though in Fleming’s original book their match took place at Royal St George’s).

If Ian Fleming was writing now, though, there would surely be only one venue for a global super-villain to take on the world’s greatest secret agent – Golf de Vidauban in the south of France. If – and it’s a big if – they could get on.

For Vidauban, discovered and devel-oped by Robert Trent Jones Sr and

designed by him along with his eldest son Bobby, is not only one of the few places in the world where the two RTJs collaborat-ed. It’s also, almost certainly, Europe’s most exclusive golf club, with only 21 members, most of whom are the owners of some of the continent’s largest busi-nesses.

Play – or indeed access to the property – is reserved exclusively for members and their guests, and the total number of rounds in the average week rarely gets too far into double figures.

Golf de Vidauban in the south of France is one of

european golf's most close-ly-guarded secrets. but even the wealthiest of

clubs need to embrace a green agenda nowadays,

says Adam Lawrence.

is Vidauban Europe’s most exclusive club?


facTfilE;

le Golf de Vidauban83550 Vidauban

France

TEl; (33) 04 94 73 55 87

EMail;[email protected]

GEnEral ManaGEr;richard sorrell

coursE ManaGEr;Chris Jassaud

club founDED;1991

Trent Sr found the Vidauban property while wandering around the area in the 1970s. It’s not unusual for golf architects to spot a great piece of land, but Jones’s next move was rather less normal – he bought it himself.

At that stage, his outline business plan called for the construction of four golf courses, along with housing and all the usual trappings of a luxury resort. Along with son Bobby, he designed the golf course, which finally opened in the early 1990s.

By this time, the French authorities had begun to take a keen interest in the devel-opment, and a lack of proper permits became clear. This planning issue has dogged Vidauban throughout its history, and, though now resolved, continues to cause issues for the course and its manag-ers to this day.

The course has been through a number of owners during its relatively short life, but has now achieved stability under an ownership structure that sees each of the members holding one share, with a controlling interest held by two of them – Liechenstein-based power tool magnate Michael Hilti, and former Goldman Sachs chief economist Gavyn Davies.

The two have a long-term business plan for the club which envisages an expansion of the membership, perhaps to around 100. Before the owners can move forward with this goal, though, some serious issues with the golf course itself need to be solved.

Several years ago, when the dispute with the local authorities was at its most intense, the government imposed a drastic reduction in the course’s permit for water use – essentially banning irrigation on any substantial scale, clearly a major issue in an environment where summer tempera-tures often reach close to 40c.

It was at this point that Golf de Vidauban called in Irish agronomist and golf consultant John Clarkin for help in adjusting the course to its new modern reality.

Clarkin has done all he can to reduce the course’s need for water, while still keeping it playable, adjusting mowing lines, dramatically reducing the amount of maintained turf on many holes, and build-ing a new practice putting green, divided into more than a dozen combinations of grass type, rootzone and irrigation tech-nology to identify the optimum solution for the conditions.

This work has seen water consumption dramatically fall, and, along with other proofs of the club’s goodwill, has enabled the owners, along with general manager Richard Sorrell, to negotiate a new water permit with the local authorities.

Vidauban’s water use will never return to the levels of the 1990s, but the club is now on much firmer ground, both literal-ly and metaphorically.

Much remains to be done before the course is back at the level its exacting membership – let alone potential new members – would expect.


A powerful electric fence around the entire course has just about put a stop to incursions by the local wild boar, crea-tures that may be tasty in a Provencal daube, but which can destroy an entire fairway in the space of a single night.

Sorrell hopes also to construct a reser-voir at the low point of the property, to capture and store rainfall, and to make the club as nearly self-sufficient in water as it can be.

A new irrigation system, allowing more precise application of the limited water resources – is in planning, and Clarkin’s test plots have produced results that will guide the hoped for greens reconstruc-tion.

What of the course itself? The difficulty of accessing Vidauban has made it some-thing of an urban (or perhaps rural) legend among the small but determined group of people determined to play all of the world’s greatest courses.

The respected website top100golfcours-es.co.uk rates the course sixth best in France – though admits that none of its staff have yet been able to actualy play there.

It is, without a doubt, a most glorious place. The views over the Provencal hills

are spectacular, and the twin Jones’s course is among the best of their work I have seen, with greens that are more contoured than many RTJ courses, and a great combination of challenge and fun.

But it is the course’s par threes that are the standouts. The great English architect Harry Colt was renowned for routing his courses by first identifying where he wanted to place the one shot holes; the Jones legacy, by contrast, is more to do

with long, testing and heroic par fours and fives.

Here, though, it’s the par threes that dominate, with the wild property being ideally suited to the creation of holes that need only a tee and a green complex (finding fairways in this terrain must have been rather more difficult).

Even if the planned membership expansion takes place, relatively few golf-ers will ever get to see Vidauban, which is, in some ways, a great shame.

Not only is it a glorious place and a splendid golf course, but it is also a tremendous case study for sustainable golf. If the most exclusive club in Europe thinks it wise to embrace a low irrigation model of course management, surely it must make sense for everyone else? GME

It’s also, almost certainly, Europe’s most exclusive golf club, with only 21 members, most of whom are the owners of some of

the continent’s largest businesses.


bunker erosion

It doesn’t seem that long ago that we were all becoming desperately worried about the scarcity of water and the effects that would have on our golf courses.

Even those golf clubs responsible enough to have collected all of its own grey water would face a backlash from the public who couldn’t wash their cars or water their gardens. It was a headache at the time.

Now, of course, the reverse is true and golf clubs are having to find ways of keep-ing open when all around is submerged in flood water. Quality drainage means courses return to playablity remarkably quickly nowadays, but it is the bunkers which can cause most problems with flooded, out of play, bunkers reducing the playing challenge, even if it does improve the scorecard!

There is an answer, however, and it has been developed by one of the world’s top course managers.

Sunningdale Golf Club’s, Murray Long, is the man in question and he has developed the Blinder Bunker, a rubber-ised coating which allows rainwater to percolate through the surface and prevents stones and other unwanted matter rising to the surface.

Produced from recycled material the bunkers are guaranteed for five years and have already been taken on by some of the top golf clubs in the country, while a contract to install them in Sweden has recently been signed.

“Bunkers have always been an issue for greenkeepers and I’d been thinking about potential solutions for some time. The idea of the rubberised lining came to me and since then we have been working of how best to bring Blinder Bunkers to market,” explained Murray, whose wife, Penny, carries out most of the day-to-day business of the company while Murray manages the two courses at one of the most iconic golf clubs in the world.

That work included the development of a number of prototypes which were honed until the perfect formula was iden-tified and then going through the pains-taking legal process of securing Patents and currently Blinder bunker liner has an International Patent pending on the prod-uct.

Over the last two years that Blinder has been operating, many clubs have bought into the product – often identifying the worst bunker on the course for the initial test.

As Scott MacCallum reports, when murray long

of sunningdale Golf Club developed a new bunker lining solution, little did he

know how successful it would become.

a blinding solution to bunker erosion

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The natural solution to pathways+44 (0)1344 621654www.theblinder.com

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Since then not one has come back with any issues regarding the bunkers and many have quickly rolled out Blinder to more of their bunkers.

“We have figures which show that the cost of installing one of our bunkers will be repaid many times over during the course of its lifetime, if you look at the cost in man hours alone of repairing and rebuilding washed out bunkers,” explained Penny.

Blinder surveyed golf clubs and discovered that flooded bunkers costs them on aver-age over £7,000 per annum in terms of man hours alone, adding further pres-sure to maintenance budgets, which are already under severe strain.

Take into account the added expense of materials and running pumps etc and operating cost to the golf club is significantly higher.

Blinder is extremely careful when it comes to installing their new bunkers knowing that in such a small industry the experiences of one unhappy golf club would become known across the industry in a very short space of time so the company works hand in hand with Profusion Environmental who are author-ised to install bunkers on behalf of Blinder.

The Salisbury-based construction company formed by Nigel Wyatt – a respected figure within the industry with over 30 years of experience – has ensured that Blinder has been installed to the highest possible specification and has already installed in excess of 12,000m2 of bunker lining.

“We are delighted that Blinder Bunker Liner has put its faith in Profusion

Environmental and I feel sure that our collabora-

tion will be increasing-

ly success-ful,” said

Wyatt. “I am 100

per cent confident in the quality of

the product and I needed to be 100

per cent confident in the quality of the instal-

lation. Profusion Environmental gives me that

confidence and I know that our customers will be satisfied with the new bunkers we give them,” added Murray.

“Our product is guaranteed for five years and anyone who contracts Blinder Bunker to build them some new bunkers can be assure that they will get the best possible product delivered in the most professional manner.” GME

“Blinder Eco Path has exceeded all our expectations. I have been extremely happy with the feel, look and durability, and I would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Blinder Eco Path.”

Eric Olson, Estate Manager Royal Automobile Club

The bunker lining solution+44 (0)1344 621654www.theblinder.com

International patent pending.Installed throughout UK and Europe.Environmentally conforming recycled rubber.Rubber designed and tested to bridge with sand and drainage stone.Withstands freeze, thaw cycles and extreme temperatures.Life expectancy of 20 years plus.Franchise options available.

“We have trailed and installed the blinder in a bunker that historically experiences sand slip after heavy rain events. To date after a very wet year we have not experienced one sand slip in this bunker.”

David Cole, Golf Course and Estate Manager Loch Lomond Golf Club

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question timeWEBLINK; FootJoy.Co.uK

What prompted FootJoy to move into the apparel market?

FJ is already a major player in the ‘Outerwear market’ and has a broad set

of existing core competencies in the apparel category.

We had been witnessing a growing demand from our exist-ing offering for a number of years and this encouraged us to

extend fully into the apparel market.

It was clear to us that in order to expand we should look to build on our current offerings and apparel was the obvious route for us to go down. We also appreciate how fragmented the apparel market is and with the strength of the FJ brand we feel we can become a strong

player in this market, just as we are with our shoe, glove and sock categories.

One of our key strengths and what sets us apart from the competition is that our sole focus is on the game of golf. With some other manufacturers, you have a designer working across numerous prod-uct categories and often in different sports.

Our team of designers will only ever create golf clothing and their vision will never be blurred by the considerations of other sectors like tennis and football.

The golf swing has unique movements and every decision on materials and cut of the clothing has been made with the golfer in mind. It’s pointless looking good if the garments you wear are restrictive and disrupt the freedom of movement throughout all phases of the golf swing.

footJoy placing value on your brand identity

with more and more club shops choosing to stock only golf clothing, it was little wonder that FootJoy moved into the growing apparel sector last year. european

marketing manager, Russell Lawes talks to GME about his plans for the brand.


Compared to shoes and gloves where FootJoy is regarded to be the leading brand, you will be competing with some big and established golf clothing brands, so where in the marketplace are you aiming to posi-tion FootJoy?

Before we entered the apparel market place we wanted to take a considered and focused approach to this move, and thus conducted the most extensive market research ever to be undertaken in the golf apparel market.

This included a UK consumer survey of over 2,000 golfers which collated inval-uable feedback and what they wanted from apparel. This gave us a great insight into the key areas that we needed to focus on as a brand as well as demonstrating that there was strong demand for a full line FJ apparel collection.

As with all of our other product catego-ries, we are targeting the avid core golfer and the product is firmly focused on traditional and contemporary designs that are constructed using the very latest high-tech performance fabrics, with shirts competitively priced in the £40-£55 bracket.

We appreciate that tastes and sizes differ so we have created a line that encompasses a range of different colours, styles and designs as well as two distinct

cuts that cater for the varying sizes of golfer across European.

Traditionally it has been the golf pro at a club who has made the buying decision in terms of club stock, but this is changing with more and more owners and directors of golf running and operating club/pro shops. Do you feel this will have an impact on your core market, as FootJoy has historically concentrated heavily on the PGA pro but not the golf course owners themselves?

We do not see this as having an impact on our core market and we certainly haven’t seen this to be evident during our recent sell in of the Spring/Summer 2013 Performance Apparel Collection.

The people that we do business with are educated buyers who look at historical sales data before purchasing new prod-ucts. With our dominant market shares, both on and off course, it makes sound business sense to continue stocking FootJoy products.

The strength of our brand and market shares are obvious to see, whether you are a PGA pro, facility owner or a managing director. Our customers want to stock the products that have strong consumer demand and brand loyalty undoubtedly facilitates strong sell through at retail.


Branded golf leisure wear – i.e. club logo on shirts – is a rapidly growing sector, and one area in which golf club operators are not competing with online retailers who invariably undercut their prices. Many golf club owners GME speaks with are only stocking branded golf apparel – Trump and Heythrop Park being just two examples – so what efforts are you making to build this side of the range?

Before venturing into the full line apparel market we already had an internal cresting team. We appreciated that the demand for FJ crested apparel would significantly increase as we expanded our offerings. That has certainly proven to be the case.

The internal cresting team has expand-ed and conducted extensive market research to discover the clear cresting opportunities for FJ apparel going forward. We have teamed up with a lead-ing embroiderer that is renowned for being one of the best cresting companies in the business. This ensures that the quality of our cresting operations are consistent with the product quality that is so evident across all FJ product lines.

Many resort courses throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa stock branded golf apparel in their club shops, as visitors often like to purchase a shirt as a souvenir of

their visit. How strong a presence does FootJoy have outside of the UK?

2013 will be the first year that we enter the full line apparel market in Continental Europe, Middle East and South Africa.

The bookings have been strong and alongside a co-ordinated and strategic marketing campaign we are confident that sell through will be as strong as it has been in the UK and Ireland in 2012. As mentioned above, we appreciate that the apparel market is extremely fragment-ed, but we feel that our core compe-tencies will see us become a very strong player in the apparel market over the coming years.

Will FootJoy be bringing out a Spring/Summer range as well as an Autumn/Winter range every year?

The current plan is to have both a Spring/Summer as well as an Autumn/Winter range every year.

At present the Spring/Summer range is a more extensive line with the Autumn/Winter line being a more compact and focused range that allows our retailers to have a new range of winter garments to freshen up the FJ offerings when the Spring/Summer lines are running low.

In five years’ time, how much of the market share globally would

FootJoy realistically like to have?

With everything we do, our goal is to be

the number one brand. We are the

number one in the shoe, glove

and sock markets and we will be striving

hard to claim the number one

status in apparel over the coming years.

We recognise that this is a tough challenge, but it’s a realistic challenge considering the strength of the FJ brand around the globe.

There are a lot of retailers and golfers alike

who believe in and trust products that bear the FJ initials. GME

SM 5.01, Holmfield MillsHoldsworth RoadHolmfield, Halifax HX3 6SNTel: +44 (0)1422 242880Fax: +44 (0)1422 243534Email: [email protected]

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interest rate swaps

Golf Clubs are absorbing the outcome of a pilot study by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) which found that over 90 per cent of the interest rate hedging products banks encouraged small and medium firms to take out were mis-sold.

The FSA said last month that in the 173 test cases it examined from across the UK, the overwhelming majority of sales did not comply with at least one or more regulatory requirements.

In addition, it added that a significant proportion of the cases will result in compensation pay-outs, but there are concerns that firms will not receive the level of compensation they are due.

Woodhead Investments, a Wakefield-based property group with over 300 resi-dential homes and some 150 commercial properties across the north of England, is one of the many SMEs taking specialist advice on the hedging products it was sold.

David Woodhead, a director, comment-ed: “We took on board a number of these interest-rate swap policies in good faith but found them to be damaging and extremely expensive to exit.

“We had to sell a number of properties in our portfolio to be able to cut our ties with the bank in question. It would be marvellous to see the FSA properly hold the banks to account for the stress and harm they have inflicted on family busi-nesses like ours – but I’m not holding my breath.”

The interest rate swap products were sold to companies on the basis they would protect them from interest rate rises by fixing rates on their loans. In fact, when interest rates dropped to historic lows, some businesses were hit with massive fees. Others complained they faced huge penalties for cancelling the hedges or refi-nancing their loans to take advantage of lower rates.

fsa confirm clubs were mis-sold swaps

A report published by the Financial services Authority last month concerning the mis-selling of interest rate

swaps could lead to compensation claims from golf clubs up and down the country as Alex McDonald explains.


Many SMEs have also reported that they were told that buying the swaps was a condition of taking out the loan, while others have complained of high-pressure sales tactics and large fees to exit the swaps.

Daniel Fallows, a specialist in interest rate swaps at Seneca Banking Consultants, which is handling claims worth in excess of £100 million for a number of golf clubs, said: “There is some good news in the FSA report – particularly that they have widened the test for claimants.

“Whether you are considered a ‘sophis-ticated’ or ‘non-sophisticated’ business is a key factor in whether you can claim. Previously the threshold was nominally at companies with a turnover of £6.5 million.

“The FSA has broadened this defini-tion slightly but we still feel that this will prevent many businesses who may fall marginally outside this test to be denied a right to redress on a product they did not understand.

“The FSA test which is based on the Companies Act test does not reflect whether a business understood what was in reality a highly complex financial deriv-ative product. We feel each case should be based only on its only merits.

“We advise some clients who exceed the turnover test many times over. However, it is very clear from the corre-spondence between bank and the compa-ny that the company did not understand what it was signing up to and being sold,” added Fallows.

“So the current test for non-sophisti-cated is still very restrictive.

“It’s also true that no two cases are quite the same and adopting a rigid and formulaic approach will inevitably mean injustice remains in many cases. It’s certainly important that any golf club which thinks it has been sold a swap, cap or collar takes specialist advice.

“The cases can be complex and not every business who bought one of these products will be able to make a claim.”

The FSA has made it clear that ‘conse-quential loss’ is to be part of redress, a statement which will be welcomed by the 40,000 businesses across the UK believed to be affected.

“We wholeheartedly support the FSA on this point,” said Fallows.

“It’s simply not sufficient for banks to reimburse the interest paid – these prod-ucts have in many cases destroyed good businesses that have been going for decades.

“The aim of the compensation process should be put the customers back in the position they’d have been in had these policies not damaged their businesses. There are numerous stories of misery across the county.

“The Financial Services Authority appears to discourage customers taking advice on these claims,” continued Fallows, who states that this is a straight-forward process – a view hotly disputed by the numerous legal teams that are representing the firms which were mis-sold.

“We whole heartedly disagree with the FSA’s suggestion the process of making a claim is straightforward – and that point smacks of lobbying from the banking industry.

“The fact that it has taken the FSA seven months to review 175 cases shows the complexities involved.”

Golf clubs may find other shortcom-ings in the FSA report, added Fallows: “There’s also still no real timeframe imposed on banks for starting redress – which is startling given that overall the report confirms what has been an epidemic of mis-selling to small and medium-sized businesses.

“There’s also no further light shed on the issue of suspending payments for those firms trapped with expensive hedg-ing products.”

Guto Bebb, MP for Aberconwy, and leader of an all party group of MPs inves-tigating the scandal, has already written to the FSA and the Treasury, demanding that banks must be forced to offer a moratorium on payments that small busi-nesses are currently still being forced to make.

“There are many businesses who are continuing to enter administration as a direct result of their obligations under their swap contracts,” said Bebb, who added that the existing offer of suspend-ing payments on a case-by-case basis was not sufficient and that more needed to be done to help the thousands of struggling victims.

The Federation of Small Businesses has said that the banks need to take “swift and decisive action” to compensate the busi-nesses caught up in the mis-selling scan-dal.

In the pilot study the FSA looked at a sample of cases from Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland. It is still reviewing sales by Allied Irish Bank (UK), Bank of Ireland, Clydesdale and Yorkshire banks, Co-operative Bank, and Santander UK. GME

“The aim of the compensation process should be put the customers back in the position they’d

have been in had these policies not damaged their businesses. There are numerous stories of

misery across the country.”

10th GolfBusiness ForumJoin a stellar line-up of investors, developers, golf course owners, operators and other golf business professionals for the leading international networking and knowledge sharing golf industry event. The 10th anniversary edition of the KPMG Golf Business Forum will bring together upto 300 key figures from the golf, real estate, finance and tourism sectors at the Home of Golf, St Andrews.

Date: June 3–5, 2013Venue: Fairmont St Andrews

For more information aboutthe event, please visit golfbusinessforum.com

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club anniversaries

Every so often there comes a time when you just have to party. At golf clubs, these special occasions suspend normality and generate fevered activity driven by specially formed committees.

Anniversaries or special centenary dates need to be marked accordingly, and these

committees are the ones to make it happen.

The team at Montrose Golf Links certainly did that last year

when they invited just about everybody to the east coast of Scotland to celebrate 450 years of golf at the historic Montrose Medal Golf Course.

“There simply wasn’t a downside,” says Alan Crow, chairman of Montrose Golf

Links Limited. “A lot of people went away with smiles on their

faces.”Montrose is home to the fifth oldest

course in the world where play was first recorded in 1562. Last year, the 450th Committee masterminded a series of events to mark this historic date including a re-enactment of the first locally record-ed golf shot and a weekend of matches in which 450 golfers were invited to play – in the end, 522 took part.

Montrose’s blockbusting programme also included a junior open, a special exhibition in a local museum and the extension of the 11th hole to 450 yards.

It was a year-long pageant of fun, but with all that going on, you might expect the coffers to be reeling. Not so, says Crow who praises the input of local spon-sors. “We got sponsorship from GlaxoSmithKline, the local Rotary Club, the Round Table and individual business-es that wanted to make a contribution to our celebrations. Because of our generous sponsors [GSK contributed £4,000], the net costs to Montrose Golf Links Limited was £700 for the whole year.”

While the generosity of local businesses certainly helped Montrose celebrate in style, it also meant the fun could be enjoyed by everyone – the Weekend of Celebration and the Junior Open were provided free of charge to all those want-ing to take part. “It has got to be inclu-sive,” advises Crow. “Just open the doors to as many people as possible.”

This all-encompassing approach rubbed off on the town’s three affiliated golf clubs that collaborated throughout the celebrations. In particular, this spirit of co-operation was most apparent in the junior sections that united under the

special anniversaries offer sports clubs a chance to let their hair down. Mark Alexander finds out how golf clubs

in particular, can celebrate in style.

it’s a celebration!


Montrose banner when playing in local tournaments.

“The co-operation and camaraderie between the three clubs was infinitely better than it is normally,” says Crow.

“There was a coming together, espe-cially in the junior sections.”

The political benefits of the 450th cele-brations at Montrose shouldn’t be under-rated but perhaps of equal importance was the coverage the town received in the local and national press.

In terms of return on investment, the Montrose festivities worked on many levels. Indeed, the way a club or town chooses to celebrate depends on the objectives of those at the helm. It is up to them to decide whether the celebrations take on a historic, social or commercial slant and this, of course, means there are many ways to celebrate.

“We were aware of a few clubs that were 125 years old but didn’t recognise the occasion at all,” says Ian Hutcheson, chairman of the 125th Anniversary committee at The Nairn Golf Club.

“We took the standpoint that there would be quite a few people who wouldn’t see either of the 100th or 150th anniversaries. For instance, if you joined in the 101st year, you would probably miss out. So we thought 125 was a reasonable time to celebrate.”

The Nairn Golf Club had a momen-tous year in 2012. Not only did it cele-brate 125 years of golf at the picturesque highland course, but it also hosted the Curtis Cup recording a remarkable win for the GB&I team. There was certainly plenty to cheer about.

As well as giving members cause for celebration, the decision to embrace the 125th milestone also gave the club impe-tus to market itself both at home and abroad. “It certainly gave us an opportu-nity to market the club,” says Hutcheson.

“Hopefully anyone who was up for the dinner went away with happy memories and would talk about Nairn in a favoura-ble context both nationally and interna-tionally.”

The idea of an anniversary providing the means to spread the word is one many clubs pick up on. Efforts are made to reinvigorate marketing initiatives while local, national and even international press are engaged.

Points of reference are created such as centenary books or, in the case of The Nairn Golf Club, a special whisky. Each acts as a way of engaging with the public who, after all, are potential members and future visitors.

Not surprisingly, anniversaries can be viewed as far more than simply glorified birthday parties.


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They can be a springboard for a range of promotional activities conveniently grouped together under terms such as customer engagement and brand manage-ment. They can provide the lynch pin around which a business can generate interest in itself and then convert that interest into memberships or green fees.

It’s not surprising that Bramley Golf Club in Surrey has taken its time to prepare for its centenary. “A lot of plan-ning has gone into this year,” says Stephen Knight, sales and marketing manager for the private members club.

“The Centenary Committee has been on the go for three years thinking about what to do, and we’ve already seen some of our events sell out. For example, there were 300 slots for our gala evening on the 15th June and they have all gone. We are staggered.”

Tickets for Bramley’s gala evening sold out in just over a month – it’s clear the club has a lot to celebrate. It was founded in 1913 with an official launch planned for the following year.

Unfortunately World War I disrupted the celebrations and the new club was never officially commemorated. That will be put right later this year when the club embarks on an impressive itinerary of well-thought-out events funded, in part, by a simple but remarkably familiar scheme.

“Over the last couple of years we’ve had a monthly Centenary Raffle, which is a little like the National Lottery,” Knight

explains: “So far it has raised £10,000, which has helped fund events and improvements around the club. In terms of raising money, the raffle has been exceptional.”

The refurbishment work so far has included introducing a new flower bed by the first tee, re-landscaping the ground behind the car park, renovating all on-course drinking fountains, creating new centenary tee signs and the unveiling a stone centenary plaque.

In terms of creating an environment in which members are happy to spend a few hours on a Sunday morning, its money well spent.

There is a clear commitment from the club’s Centenary Committee to think long term, with much of the money being directed towards on-course and club-house improvements. But there is also a fun element.

At the start of the year, the club intro-duced night golf which is made possible through the use of light sticks. Thirty five players braved a cold January night for the inaugural after-hours test. Due to the level of interest shown, more are planned.

“The centenary is a really good catalyst for us to start thinking of ways to make the club as exciting as it can be for exist-ing members and for those who might be looking to take up golf,” says Knight.

“It helps our profile, and there a lot of things going on that make the club very attractive. It’s very exciting and we will use that to our benefit.” GME

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trophies and awards

Faced with the task of running and hosting umpteen tournaments each

season, sorting the trophies and prizes is not a high priority for many organis-ers.

However, Melanie Osborne of Special EFX, the British manufactur-er of sporting trophies, says tourna-ment organisers are missing a trick and suggests they should view trophies and prizes as an important promotional tool and in the process could actually save money.

“I grew up in a house oozing Waterford Crystal golf trophies – Dad

was captain of the local golf club in Londonderry in the 80s. My golf is not

up to his standard but my husband has won a fair few trophies over the years,

but they don’t look particularly attrac-tive, so we don’t keep them on show.

“It’s such a pity, as trophies can be both pleasing to the winners and successfully promote a club and they do not need to be expensive.

EFX has designed and made some fabulous, contemporary styled golf trophies and the reaction is always posi-tive, if not total amazement.”

Those clubs that have suffered trophy thefts or are looking at their silver plate cabinet with trepidation, may also like to consider an alternative approach and style of trophy. There are some attractive alter-natives.

EFX is based at Ettington Park, near Stratford-upon-Avon, and is very proud of the many bespoke sporting cups, trophies and awards it has designed and made, all in the UK. The company receives commissions from event organis-ers, clubs and corporate clients alike, many with little idea of what they want other than it needs to be, ‘different’.

A design brief is put together with the EFX team and the key attributes are discussed. For prestigious tournaments, this often involves a sponsor’s logo and deciding on a suitable size and finish, to stand out in publicity shots.

the Fairway Collection of golf trophies from special

eFX is a major departure from traditional silver plated

trophies and cups writes Fay Handley.

a Touch of Glass


The design studio then creates a choice of designs for the customer, all free of charge, before working up technical draw-ings.

Nickel plated, polished aluminium is a popular material for such trophies and EFX is able to pierce and laser-cut it into infinite shapes, using its state-of-the-art, water-jet cutting technology. Silver and gold plate are also available but may be more tempting to thieves. The company also handles all the precision engraving, on site.

For club and corporate tournaments, EFX offers a number of options, with varying levels of exclusivity. Last year, it launched its Golf Pro service, which offers clubs the opportunity to have an exclusive range of club trophies and priz-es designed and made, for members and corporate golf clients alike.

The Golf Pro range is offered in a choice of bonded glass or laminated acrylics and features high quality graph-ics; the trophies are impressively heavy to hold and come in a choice of shapes and sizes, all of which can be mounted on solid aluminium bases suitable for engrav-ing.

For added prestige, clubs can replace the EFX supplied golf images and provide their own distinctive views and logos. The result is an impressive and commercial addition to the pro’s shop, proving popular with corporate visitors looking for a memento of their special day.

EFX has introduced a new collection of glass trophies this season, with innovative and sleek styling. The Fairway Collection, with its minimalistic and pure lines, is designed for those clubs and corporate clients looking for a touch of razzmatazz and cost from £50 to £150 each.

There is a choice of glass finishes and eight up-to-the-minute designs. Each trophy is made to order in a variety of sizes, from 17cm to 25cm high, and in a choice of cut, bonded or profiled glass, and are impressively heavy to lift, which is a key feature that never fails to impress recipients.

Costs are influenced, not only by complexity of design, materials and size, but quantity. For those customers with a series of events in a season, EFX suggests customers consider buying a base design in volume and EFX will then customise it for each event with graphics, different plinths and personalised engraving.

It is evident that the company’s great strengths are its versatility and the fact that it designs and manufactures to such a high standard. Lead times are therefore comparatively short – the company has been known to design, manufacture and deliver a series of cups and trophies for a tournament in just three days, but it is best to allow three to four weeks.

Now is the time to take a fresh look at your trophies and make sure you commis-sion designs that are memorable and effectively advertise your club, long after the recipients have gone home. GME


flexible membership

Spending 34 years working on every facet of a golf club’s operation is bound to give you an insight into the industry. But Rye Hill Golf Club’s Tony Pennock is now setting out on a path he hasn’t trod-den before – as a golf consultant, passing on his extensive knowledge to help others.

The man who has pioneered the renowned Points4Golf system has

seen his turnover at Rye Hill, six miles outside Banbury in

north Oxfordshire, increase by almost 300 per cent since he took it on ten years

ago. And, in partnership with PPC

Golf, Pennock has started his own consultancy, to offer advice and expe-

rience to clubs throughout the UK.Having started out with Ipswich Golf

Club, 34 years ago, Pennock, 54, has experienced all the highs and lows of working at both traditional members’

clubs and proprietary clubs; he’s worked on every element of a golf club’s opera-tion and has been, for a number of years, a source of advice for others within the industry.

Now, with Rye Hill firmly established he feels he can turn his attention to help-ing other clubs out of the rut they may find themselves in, with diminishing memberships and reduced visitor reve-nue.

He said: “I’ve always been passionate about making golf better and my desire is to share the knowledge I’ve built up over the years. You can see mistakes being made at other clubs and 34 years in the industry, always working ‘out front’, has given me a good insight.

“I know about the pro shop, dealing with members, greenkeeping, financing; I know how private clubs work and I know how proprietary clubs work... I’ve had to do it all to get to where I am now and feel

WEBLINK; PPCGolF.Com

Having worked in every facet of the golf industry, as well as launching the highly successful Points4Golf system,

tony Pennock is now offering his experience and know-how to other clubs as David Bowers discovered.

a proven and flexible approach to membership


that my knowledge has some value. People call to ask my advice so there clearly is something I can pass on.”

Pennock’s route to Rye Hill from Ipswich took him via Diss Golf Club and Thorpeness, where he also captained the Eastern Region PGA, was chairman of Suffolk PGA and set up the county’s coaching scheme.

The first two stops were ‘old school’ members clubs – “you called everybody sir or madam” – while the latter was a proprietary club. At each he was expected to perform many roles, which served him well for when he took on the lease at Rye Hill.

It was when Peter Fox took on the ownership of Rye Hill, however, just after Pennock first joined, that the latter saw the light. Fox had created a membership scheme based on points called Executive Membership – which had won an HSBC innovation award – and the incumbent professional set about developing the scheme further.

“I picked up the concept of Points4Golf from Peter Fox and developed the germ of an idea at Rye Hill. It took off really well: when we took over the business, the turnover was £280,000. Now it’s up to £750,000 off the back of a really buoyant membership which at the moment most golf clubs haven’t got.”

The Points4Golf membership scheme, employed by Pennock for the last ten years, is simplicity itself in its concept. He explained: “Golf clubs are shedding members hand over fist because people can no longer afford time to play the amount of golf it needs to justify their £1,000-a-year membership.

There are a lot more demands on people’s time these days – playing ten times a year costs them £100 a round.

“You can join Points4Golf from £99. You get 40 points and there is a matrix of points’ usage: if you play 18 holes in the week it costs eight points; 18 holes at the weekend will cost you ten points.

“We’re lucky in that our golf course at Rye Hill is unusual in that the fifth, 10th and 18th holes all come back to the club-house because of its layout.

“So we can also sell five holes at three points, which takes an hour; ten holes is five points and takes two hours... And the more points you buy at the outset, the cheaper they work out.

“Our annual fee at Rye Hill is £910, so if you played 60-plus times a year, you get your golf for the least amount of money. Beyond that you can buy five options on Points4Golf between £99 and £785 – you’ve got an option to suit however many times you’d play which is less than an annual fee might be.

“But, and this is crucial, then you are a member, and people like the idea of being associated as a member. You can get a handicap, play in competitions, there are no restrictions on what day you play, no restrictions for ladies or juniors – it’s flexi-ble golf to suit your lifestyle.

“At Rye Hill we currently have 810 members and 700 of those are on the points option. So it clearly works.

“Many people don’t understand or even know about the concept of points-based membership, but places like Goodwood and De Vere have picked up on Points4Golf and developed their own successful systems from it.

“when we took over the business, the turnover was £280,000. Now it’s up to £750,000 off the back of a really buoyant membership which at the moment most golf clubs haven’t got.”


“Most clubs however, won’t have the resources available to them to implement their own scheme, which is why I have developed Points4Golf to be as simple to use, and operate as possible. The system currently work with the Xpos till system from Crossover Technologies.

“There have been quite a few people attempt to copy it but without that bespoke platform it’s not likely to work.”

Pennock’s success, however, is not all down to Points4Golf. A lot of it is in the way he has embraced a modern, forward-thinking approach throughout his opera-tion.

There are no dress codes at Rye Hill, for example, and Pennock says he’s not had a complaint about it in five years – “most people don’t want to wear jeans to play golf – they’re not comfortable for a start” – and he has put a large amount of time, energy and money into the junior section.

He spent around £5,000 on a vivid, brightly-coloured, nine-hole, Golf Parc, for youngsters aged between three and nine. It proved so popular that the local cubs, scouts, brownies and guides came down regularly to have fun. It introduces the member of tomorrow to golf today – and Rye Hill has reaped the benefit.

Pennock said: “It may not be ‘real golf ’ but it is golf to them and that’s what’s important. They are the future of the sport, and it’s important they think golf is fun and don’t get told they can’t wear this or that and can’t make any noise or run around and play.

“Their Mum’s and Dad’s come with them and they buy cups of tea and coffee while they’re watching or sitting in the clubhouse, so very quickly the incremen-tal spend adds up.

“Very quickly the whole business starts to grow and providing you have people in place with the commitment to do it you can build up the whole business.

“Many clubs just pay lip service to their junior section, ours is a big part of our operation.”

The approach of Pennock may seem far removed from the ‘old school’ way of doing things – but that’s why it has proved so successful.

“There are some consultants out there, but they don’t really have my practical, hands-on experience,” added Pennock. “Some are former club secretaries; some are specialists in one particular area such as course design; and some are straight out of university with a degree in busi-ness.

“I have a business in golf that is proven to work... in golf.

“Points4Golf has been my main build-ing block and very closely behind that GolfParc and the junior coaching. It was all about growing into a modern facility. You need to embrace all of these things to survive in the current market.

“When I talk passionately to people about it they can understand it and realise it’s a good idea. But they don’t dare take the leap of faith and that’s where my enthusiasm can help bridge the gap.

“I can also support it with my own case study of financial evidence showing how junior and senior memberships have grown. I’m constantly being contacted by club pros, managers and secretaries asking me about my methods and they have done for years, so I felt there was a market out there for a modern approach to consultancy.

“I am confident that not only can I help clubs save money, but perhaps more importantly, make money. I have proved at Rye Hill that it is possible to maintain a golf course to the very highest standard whilst maintaining, and often reducing greenkeeping costs.”

One example of how Pennock’s lateral thinking works is when it comes to the subject of temporary greens.

“Clubs need all the green-fee revenue they can get,” said Pennock, “which is why I find it so frustrating that so many clubs these days choose to close their greens and instead play on temps when the temperature drops slightly below freezing.

“So many clubs don’t really appreciate the amount of revenue the will lose by playing on temps, and the vast majority of the time closing a green is not necessary.

“I have agronomy experience which I can also call upon, and can prove that closing a green with a slight frost is not detrimental to the health of the grass – the

greens at Rye Hill are always in A1 condi-tion, and we never close them unless we have snow on the course.”

Pennock strongly believes that he has the skill set and the experience to help golf clubs of any size or stature, and is clearly driven in his desire to help improve the game as well as the industry as a whole.

He is also keen to stress that appointing a golf consultant does not necessarily mean that a golf club is in trouble, or necessarily doing anything wrong.

“Sometimes, it’s useful to have another pair of eyes take a look over your opera-tion, as quite often owners fail to see issues relevant to the running of their club, whereas an outside consultant will.

“Often it’s the small details that can make a huge difference.

“I’m not going in to anywhere to rip anybody off; I know that any golf club I go into will get value from me, even if they didn’t, for example, suit the Points4Golf system.

“I want to share the knowledge now. It’s not going to save every club, and not every club will want to adopt it; it won’t suit everybody. But many clubs out there could benefit and that will go a long way to fulfilling my aim of making golf a better game for everybody.” GME

“But, and this is crucial, then you are a member, and people like the idea of being associated as a member. You can get a handicap, play in

competitions, there are no restrictions on what day you play, no restrictions for ladies or juniors — it’s flexible golf to suit your lifestyle.”

01394 [email protected]

Points4Golf is the proven, flexible, points-based membership scheme that is guaranteed to increase revenues and membership retention

at your golf club. Discover how Points4Golf can help increase your membership this season.


my view WEBLINK; tHeworDAssoCIAtIoN.bIZ

No-one would deny that business is tough at the moment. Increasing choice and dwindling incomes make for a sorry tale in the golf, travel and leisure indus-tries. But while the state of the economy is concerning, it also offers up opportunities for those willing to cease the moment.

The natural response to all this economic woe is to tighten belts and ride out the unrelenting economic storm. Cutting costs is the customary retort and, to be honest, making savings is no bad thing – necessity is the mother of inven-tion after all.

But cutbacks should be made carefully with the focus being on ridding yourself of unnecessary excesses rather than the core activities that make your business thrive. For instance there’s no point sack-ing the chef if you have a reputation for good food.

More importantly, there is little point of sacrificing your reputation to make a monthly saving.

Reputation management is key to bringing in the punters. Engaging local, national and international media in all its guises is, in turn, crucial to preserving your reputation, even in difficult times.

In fact, getting your message out there not only underpins your business, but can provide a massive opportunity to enhance or even boost your standing.

With so much doom and gloom around, the natural reaction is to shut up shop and hope for the best. While this response is understandable, it has the effect of emptying the playground – when once there were many voices, now there are only a few.

Instead of battling against every protag-onist in your field, these days the airwaves are relatively uncluttered leaving an open opportunity for you to take the lead.

But how do you get your message out there and how do you get your story told? In today’s media-savvy world, the options are almost endless.

Promotion in a downturn is not for the fainthearted, but as Pr expert Yvonne

Alexander explains, there has never been a better

time to get your message out there.

The power of pr


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Social media has started a fire-storm of interest in new ways of communicating with different audiences and potential clients. On Twitter alone, 750 tweets are sent every second.

As well as stirring up interest on social networks, a well-written press release can generate coverage in a number of outlets both in the UK and further a-field.

Indeed, some editors may want to use the release as a springboard to more in-depth features while TV/radio channels may be inclined to do follow-up stories.

The trick however is to identify what makes a good story, and then there’s the small matter of writing the press release and interviewing representatives to give the release a ‘voice’. The reward for all this effort is that pertinent press releases will be used more readily and achieve greater prominence than ones that are ill-conceived and rushed.

Another traditional and hugely effective PR tool is the press trip. For golf clubs, this can provide a means of getting jour-nalists out on the course and writing about their facilities, although increasingly these visits form part of a wider review of the region.

Co-operating with other clubs, resorts and hotels in your area to create a market-

able golfing destination, will not only attract journalists, but will also spread the costs of co-ordinating and promoting the trip.

The undoubted benefit of this collabo-rative approach is the persuasive stories that will appear in key publications and websites endorsing your area and in-turn, your club.

Press trips are without doubt great value for money, especially when you compare the investment against the cost of advertising.

The cost of a full-page advert in a lead-ing golf, travel or lifestyle magazine can vary tremendously, but for the sake of argument let’s assume it levels out at £3,000. Multiply that by four pages, which represents a typical destination report, and the corresponding cost would be £12,000.

Now, multiply that by the number of journalists invited on the trip (say five) and you have a comparable advertising spend approaching somewhere in the region of £60,000.

In addition, it is worthwhile devising a deal for visitors to play all three partici-pating golf courses, the details of which could be provided to the journalists as part of a press pack.

After all, journalists need information to write their stories and the more you provide, the better the chance they will use your messages in their final stories. A press pack therefore provides a conven-ient portfolio of raw materials (such as press releases, images, scorecards, inter-views and hole descriptions) that can be incorporated into the final copy.

Last, but certainly nor least, good imag-es of the course can not be underestimat-ed. If you are organising a press trip or are planning to promote your club in general, having access to professionally taken golf course photography is a worth-while investment.

After all, a picture speaks a thousand words and if your images resonate with the editor, you will gain more coverage than those who do not – it really is that simple.

There are many great ways of raising your profile – PR is just one of them. Its strength, however, lies in its affordability against the massive potential returns that it can generate.

In a world of increasing choice through the advent of social media, there has never been more ways of getting your voice heard. These are certainly heady times for those bold enough to seize the day. GME

Another traditional and hugely effective PR tool is the press trip. For golf clubs, this can provide a means of getting journalists

out on the course and writing about their facilities

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As I have said before, I don’t often get the opportunity to play golf these days – many who I have played with will tell you I struggle to play anyway, but that’s irrelevant.

At the most I probably hit the fair-ways about half-a-dozen times a year now; a couple of those will be golf days of one sort or another – generally the other – and the balance will be when I have a day off which coincides with a friend’s day off.

which is why, when I was interview-ing tony Pennock for this edition of GME – see page 37 – I was struck by the simplicity, and the advantages for both club and golfer, of his Points4Golf system. Personally I would jump at the opportunity to sign up to such a

scheme were it operated at one of my local clubs.

I like the idea of being a member of a golf club. I like the idea of having a drink with my wife and friends on the balcony overlooking the 18th green. And I like the idea of having an official handicap.

but I don’t much care for the idea of shelling out the best part of four figures and funding a subsequent divorce for four rounds of golf and a nice warm feeling.

but perhaps that’s exactly why ‘old school’ golf clubs – as tony describes them – are organised in the manner they are: to keep the likes of me out.

I don’t drive a big flash car; I don’t pay the higher rate of income tax –

though unlike starbucks I do pay the correct amount; I’m not a successful businessman; and I really would feel the loss of a £1,000 plus membership fee.

I’m not exactly riff-raff – working as a journalist and living on the Hampshire-surrey border I’d class myself as lower middle-class – but I’m not the type of individual ‘that’ sort of club aspires to.

I can even be a snob on occasions – I have been known to look down my not insubstantial nose at Primark – but I simply don’t make the grade.

If I lived near rye Hill Golf Club I have no doubt I would join its Points4Golf scheme, if the club would have me, of course. but the point is I’m not alone in being like this.

I have more than a dozen golfing chums who do not possess member-ship of a golf club but who, I am sure, would welcome such a scheme at a club near them.

It’s worth thinking about the next time your accountant sits in front of you wearing an expression like a bloke in a James bond film who’s just realised he’s standing atop a trapdoor over a pool of sharks. GME

the last word

points4Golf would work for both me and my family

“I don’t much care for the idea of shelling out the best part of four figures and funding a subsequent divorce for four rounds of golf and a nice warm feeling.”

David [email protected]

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