GMANZ Newscast January 2019

NEW YEAR’S GREETINGSOn behalf of the Board Members of the Golf Managers Association of New Zealand may I take this opportuinty to wish our members and sponsors a prosperous New Year and we look forward to catching up in the near future.Des ToppExecutive Officer

BMI Education programme 2019 The following BMI Education programmes have been confirmed for 2019:

8-12 April 2019 – BMI Leadership principlesBMI Leadership Principles is a 5-day, 40-hour intensive course designed for managers to develop their leadership, management and critical thinking skills. BMI Leadership Principles can benefit managers at all phases of their career development.

COURSE:

The Nature of Leadership Governance: Politics and Process.

Leadership Traits Successful Committee Strategies Leadership Goals Phases & Decisions Law Managing Relationships The Manager as an Ethical Force Power and Influence Leadership Case Study Situational Leadership Certification Update Strategic Planning Managerial Accounting Optimising Human Productivity Lumina Leader

This is a course for all BMI students. To register go to www.golfmanagers.co.nz and click here to view BMI Leadership principles flyer:http://www.golfmanagers.co.nz/assets/_site_/BMI_Leadership_Principles_flyer-April_2019.pdfComplete the registration form and return it to eo@gmanz.co.nz.

Entries must be in by 31 January 2019 to qualify for early bird pricing $1,845.00 + GST. Entry

fee from 1 February 2019 - $2,000.00 + GST

June/July 2019 – Food & Beverage ManagementA tentative June/July 2019 date has been set for the first BMI Food & Beverage Management course which will provide an in-depth look at food and beverage operations from a management and control perspective.The five-day program offers a combination of classroom, lectures and hands-on learning at various clubs and restaurants throughout the Auckland area. Visits to a major brewery and a craft beer brewery will also be included in the programme as are whisky, gin, wine, beer and cheese tastings courtesy of the Fine Wine Delivery Company.

COURSE: • Food service marketing • Beverage costing • Kitchen layout and renovation • Sanitation and Safety • Employee diversity • Menu engineering applications • Alcohol awareness • Beverage production: Coffee and Spirits • Catering and special events

To lodge an interest in this course, click here to view BMI Food and Beverage Management flyer:http://www.golfmanagers.co.nz/assets/_site_/downloads/BMI_Food_and_Beverage_June_July_2019-compressed_(3)_1.pdfComplete the registration form and return it to eo@gmanz.co.nz. Early bird pricing $1,845.00 + GST.

NOVEMBER 2019 - BMI REVIEW COURSEA tentative November 2019 date has been set for the BMI review course that will be open to BMI students nearing completion of their BMI CCM qualification. Watch this space for confirmed dates and venue.

BMI Sports & Recreation ManagementCMAA is excited to announce the addition of a new program to the Business Management Institute educational programme. BMI Sports & Recreation Management is a five-day, 40-hour, intensive program designed for managers to explore all aspects of the management a club’s recreational features and offerings in a comprehensive manner. Like the other BMI programs, this program takes a tangible, hands-on approach to the subject matter.

The curriculum will be multifaceted including the management, staffing, liability, and specific concerns for all areas of sport and recreation within a club or in our case the New Zealand sporting club market including:

Racquet Sports

FitnessSpa and SalonAquaticsYouth Programs Locker Room OperationsDesign and Development of Fitness and Spa FacilitiesOther Sports/Recreation like Rugby, Croquet, Bocce Ball, Lawn Bowls, other Games (Ladder Ball, Corn Hole, Beer Pong, Badminton/Volleyball, Horseshoes, Frisbee Golf, Frisbee football, dodgeball), skeets/trap shooting, curling, billiards/snooker, yachting, winter activities (snow shoeing, cross country skiing, skating, hockey).

The course which could open up opportunities for managers of other sporting organisations in NZ to join our Association will be discussed at the upcoming GMANZ board meeting to confirm when we will run the course in NZ with 2020 as an option.

Managers can attend BMI Golf Management, BMI Sports and Recreation Management or BMI Food and Beverage Management to meet the elective requirement in order to sit for the CCM Exam.

LOVE Golf Futures is inspiring more young people and families to play golf

LOVE Golf Futures is underway!

New Zealand Golf has shared a short video that captures the launch event for this new programme held at Boulcott’s Farm Heritage Golf Club.

Please click the link here to view - LOVE Golf Futures Launch Video

This is an new exciting initiative for golf to inspire more young people and families to play golf. To get started, talk to your local NZ Golf Regional Support Manager or get in touch with thiem.nguyen@nzgolf.org.nz

The LOVE Golf Futures programme has six key goals:   A new perception and increased profile for golf as a sport of choice for young people   Pathways for young people to start playing golf and support them to reach their level of

aspirations  Empowering young people to play their version of golf   A network of facilities that are attractive to young people and engages them easily   A skilled and passionate workforce of coaches, administrators and volunteers who

understand the wants and needs of young people  A cohesive structure that utilises the best resources and partnerships 

For more details, please visit the Love Golf Website where you can promote your coaching programmes, memberships and events for young people and families.  

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR MEMBER CLUBSApex Insurance - special offer for all GMANZ members

You will have received a communication from Dean Murphy NZ Golf outlining the Apex Insurance proposal for golf clubs. This is a follow on from the lead-up work that GMANZ did pre and post the GMANZ Conference with Apex Insurance. The upshot out of the joint GMANZ/ NZ Golf discussions that followed was that it would be deemed best if NZ Golf was the promotional vehicle across all NZ Golf clubs and that GMANZ would benefit financially from ‘commission’ earned on the sale of premiums to GMANZ members and that those funds would accumulate in support of our member education fund.The fully comprehensive golf club specific offer is a must for every club and apart from the financial benefits many other special features and flexible options are included.

We strongly recommend you get a new quote on your insurance policies.

Please contact Darrin Madgwick at Apex Insurance: darrinm@apexinsurance.co.nz including a copy of your existing policy summary and your premium account. Darrin or member of the Apex team will come back to you with a quote – you will be pleasantly surprised. For greater cover at reduced costs, we sincerely encourage all our GMANZ member clubs to get involved.

Office Products Depot – OPD special offer for all GMANZ members

Pleased to report that 30 GMANZ clubs have taken up the OPD offer and are now purchasing their office products, stationery supplies and accessories via the OPD network of stores and online at www.opd.co.nzGMANZ has already benefitted financially through a rebate earned on sales to members for the month of December Those funds will now accumulate in our member education fund.

You must enroll for the programmeSo please contact your local Office Products Depot outlet or go to their website https://www.opd.co.nz

New Appointments

Raj Goundon currently Manager Tairua Golf and Country Club has been appointed General Manager Akarana Golf Club. Raj previously Head Professional Natadola Golf Club Fiji and Manager of Hanmer Springs Golf Club is a keen BMI student and has enrolled in the upcoming BMI Food and Beverage Course coming up in June July this year.

Kerry Allen RIPSadly, we have to record the passing of Kerry Allen, General Manager Omanu Golf Club. Kerry who had been in poor health for some time passed away on 21 January following an unsuccessful lung transplant.New GMANZ Board member, Ian Litchfield a personal friend, offered these words ”Kerry worked for Telecom for some 20 years as well as serving on the Board and as chairman of the Omanu Board. He has been in the GM role some 2 years and was very successful in making Omanu the successful club that it is. He will be deeply missed.”

Our thoughts are with his family at this sad time.

Job Vacancies Manager Tairua Golf and Country Club – click on the link to view the advertisementhttp://www.golfmanagers.co.nz/assets/_site_/downloads/Tairua_Country_Club_GM_Advertisement.pdf

Manager Waitikiri Golf Club – click on the link to view the advertisementhttp://www.golfmanagers.co.nz/assets/_site_/downloads/Advert_Waitikiri_GM.docx

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ALL CLUB MANAGERS, ADMINISTRATORS AND BOARD CHAIRPERSONS

Barnett v Royal Queensland Golf ClubA few weeks ago, Judge Jarret handed down his findings in a very important court case. And his findings are something that every golf club GM in New Zealand and his/her board needs to understand, notwithstanding the fact it was decided under Australian law and not New Zealand Law. The short story is that Judge Jarret concluded that RQGC "contravened s.25(2)(c) of the Sex Discrimination Act by reason of the 2016 weekly playing schedule that the Golf Club put into operation during the 2016 playing year. It did so by operating a weekly playing schedule that in practical terms excluded Ms. Barnett from playing 18 holes of golf on seven days of each week when, over the same weekly period male Full Members of the Golf Club could play 18 holes of golf on seven days of each week." The full judgement is available here: http://www.austlii.edu.au/…/au/cases/cth/FCCA/2018/3697.html Translation....if a club’s constitution does not distinguish between male and female members...then a member is a member is a member... if you use any of (what I call) the 'protected criteria' (i.e. age gender, ethnicity etc.) to differentiate in what is provided to members, then you are skating on thin ice. 

Translation...if a club's male-only (or female only) competitions make it impractical for a member who is female (or male) to play 18 holes of golf on those days that are consistent with their membership entitlements (i.e. 5-day, 6-day, 7-day), then a club might be on even thinner ice. 

New developments in the golf club industry coming out of the US

Picture an upside-down funnel, says ClubCorp CEO David Pillsbury. He’s speaking metaphorically. At the top of the funnel, the narrowest part, are avid golfers, the backbone of the private-club business. At the bottom, the widest part, are social members who may never have played golf.Those avid golfers always have been the most coveted customers because they play the most golf and spend the most money. But here’s the rub: Their numbers are dwindling.“You’ve got all the same clubs chasing a shrinking audience, which is not a good formula …” Pillsbury said. “There aren’t enough people to support the narrow end of that funnel.”His plan is to turn the funnel right-side up and pursue the vastly larger market of casual or non-golfers who want to join clubs. Once ClubCorp, the country’s largest owner of private clubs, gets those people to join one of its clubs, it hopes to move them through its “membership stack,” from entry-level social memberships to sport memberships to the most lucrative golf memberships. To expedite this process, ClubCorp, in partnership with the PGA of America and RetailTribe, is testing a program at eight clubs, where the pros are spending less time behind the counter and more time calling and emailing members to entice them to the course, typically for casual events such as a Happy Hour Wine & Nine.“It takes ClubCorp from a golf-centric country club company to a lifestyle-centric company,” Pillsbury said. He’s convinced that “All of your best candidates for future (golf) memberships are already at your club.”Pillsbury’s strategy is representative of an industry-wide shift.Participation continues to decline,  and course closings annually outnumber openings. That’s not likely to change. Rob DeMore, president of Troon Golf’s private-club division, Troon Privé, predicts that 15 to 20 percent of private clubs will disappear over the next decade. Yet he remains “bullish on the future” because he’s convinced the investments being made now will pay off long term. Like ClubCorp, which Pillsbury said has spent more than $900 million on upgrades over the past decade, most of the money is being spent on new amenities that will appeal to a larger audience.

Brookhaven Country Club, a 54-hole ClubCorp property in Dallas, offers its patrons a “Drive Zone,” which is a green-grass version of Topgolf. (Brookhaven Country Club)“They’re not going to join a club that’s a golf club,” Pillsbury said. “There’s not enough breadth of experience for growing young families.”

Start with the clubhouse. DeMore said that more than 50 Troon properties are “reimagining” their clubhouses. “I see an expansion of fitness almost every single time we do a private-club renovation,” he said. Pillsbury estimated that more than 40 percent of ClubCorp members have separate fitness memberships. He doesn’t want them leaving the country club to work out. Even some of the most hardcore golf clubs are embracing the new reality. PGA West in La Quinta, Calif., has been billed as the western home of golf in America, but in recent years the staff saw members switching from full golf memberships, which are $1,400 per month, to $450 sport memberships that still allowed them playing privileges. “Adding the sports membership was to attract multigenerational (families),” said Jennifer Jenkins, PGA West’s director of marketing and membership sales. “The main reason we were losing our golf members wasn’t because of health or finances, it was because of the grandkids.” PGA West wanted to keep those members and their extended families on property. In November, PGA West opened its new $10 million sports complex, which offers residents casual dining, swimming, fitness, games for children and adults, and other activities. “Now the sports complex gives them a place where families can congregate,” Jenkins said.There are two natural areas to gather at the golf course: the bar and the range. DeMore said formal dining rooms are trending down, with most clubhouse renovations centering on a better bar experience.“People want more TVs, more bars, more casual, more views, more indoor/outdoor (seating), patios where people can eat outside,” he said. He thinks this reflects the fact that couples are having children later in life and prefer places where they can spend time with their kids. DeMore views the range as “the lounge” – a natural gathering spot at the club. “The opportunity to entertain me while I’m practicing will be essential,” he said.That means new technology. At the new Twin Dolphin Golf Club in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, Greg Villeneuve, whose firm, Summit Golf, manages the club, knew most of the members wouldn’t be golfers. “We had to ask hard questions: How can we get them excited about this new amenity and get them to be part of it and stroke that check for dues each year?” he said.Twin Dolphin put cabanas with refrigerators on its range, installed Trackman and powered the range for evening events. “We want to introduce them to the game through technology for instruction and fun in the

evenings and better uses for it where there’s no intimidation factor,” Villeneuve said.Brookhaven Country Club, a 54-hole ClubCorp property in Dallas, has gone all in on this idea with “Drive Zone,” a green-grass version of Topgolf, with Toptracer technology. Some of ClubCorp’s northern clubs have installed Golf Lounges, which bring the same concept indoors.“We think it’s indicative of what’s coming in the green-grass category as we try to broaden the appeal to a wider audience,” Pillsbury said.The on-course experience also is going to change. It’s already happening. Bernie Friedrich, senior vice president of golf operations and resort sales for Boyne Resorts, has embraced playability. Courses are getting wider; dress codes are out and music in the carts is in.“It has to be more social, it has to be more fun,” Friedrich said. “I think the best thing we could do would be to eliminate scorecards for a while.”Even PGA West has embraced this change, though it wasn’t easy. “Culturally, it was getting our club to shift and saying, how can we be more things to more people,” Jenkins said. “It was very difficult. Everybody who works here lives and breathes golf. To go to our head golf pro and director of golf and say, ‘Yes, we’re about golf, but it needs to be quicker, it needs to be more fun, we need to set up different games. It can’t be just competitive. We have to be more things for the families and the weekend (residents).”But PGA West is seeing dividends. The total number of memberships rose the past two years, including 30 new sport memberships since thesports complex opened, and the hope is eventually to convert those residents to full golf memberships. Another benefit: Five years ago, the average member was in his 60s; that’s fallen to 52, reflecting the return of families.The change might have been difficult, but it should pay off in the years to come.

You can now see Top Golf Tracer in action in New Zealand at the Remuera Golf Club and the Ellerslie Golf Course.

W h a t m a k e s m e m b e r s h a p p y ?

“Establish an atmosphere which fosters a sense of community and belonging – that is fundamental to member satisfaction.” – GGA Senior Associate Martin TzankovIn a recent interview, GGA Senior Associate Martin Tzankov revealed the results of member survey findings from a sample of private clubs that are subscribed to GGA’s Strategic Intelligence platform, all based in and around the Greater Ontario region in Canada.The Key Findings of the sample study were these:

Social Atmosphere and Food & Beverage ratings were most directly related to overall club satisfactionGolf Course and Practice Facility ratings did not strongly relate to overall member satisfactionThe Clubhouse Experience bears a moderate correlation to overall satisfaction

Martin went on to discuss the findings and why some aspects of club life are more closely linked to satisfaction than others in today’s market:

Did it surprise you that the golf course and practice facilities were not more directly linked to member satisfaction?

In some ways, yes. It’s something I imagine most club managers would think is number one when it comes to satisfaction. But in the context of members and membership, the course is something they know and that they (most likely) got to know before they joined. It may change or evolve over time, but this study suggests there are other aspects of their membership that are more directly related to their satisfaction at any one time.

Social atmosphere was found to be most directly related to club satisfaction. Is this an emerging trend that you have witnessed from other club data in recent years?

It’s definitely something we’ve seen over the years on a case-by-case basis through our engagements and this data reinforces our first-hand observations. A sense of community and belonging is so important to club members. This has actually not really changed over time, however the definition of what a sense of community and belonging is has certainly evolved. Increasingly, members are looking to be part of a club that is friendly and welcoming to families, and one that creates social opportunities for its members to interact and spend time with one another.

The notion of shared experiences, added to the distinct feeling of being part of something, does feel like the sweet spot all clubs should be striving to create for their members. This is backed up by the data and, I suspect, would be backed up by more far reaching extensive research too.

Why do you think Food & Beverage ranked so highly in relation to member satisfaction?

It’s almost the opposite to the golf course, in the sense that the food and beverage offering is something they are unlikely to have experienced many times, if at all, before they became members. So, by the time they become a member, if it does not meet their expectations, a survey tends to be where this is reflected.

Despite the questions relating to food quality, menu selection and the like, there’s a broader social context too. The club is somewhere a member wants to be proud of, perhaps even invite others along to experience – so when certain aspects are not up to the standard they expect, this can be a source of discontent.

With the findings of the study in mind, what one or two takeaways can you recommend to club managers with a view to improving the experience and satisfaction for their members?

I’d focus on bringing your members together – create opportunities for members to spend time and socialize together at the club on and off the golf course. A sense of community and belonging plays a pivotal role in member satisfaction.

The club should be viewed as the vessel which enables members to live out social experiences with other members, their families, friends and guests, so by opening up these opportunities, members can expand their network within the club and become more rooted in the social fabric.

When you observe your members using the club and its amenities through this lens, it can help empathize with what they care most about, or what voids may exist in the member experience.

Any final conclusions to draw from the findings?

The findings have reinforced our observations into which areas specifically impact member satisfaction most. But for the moment, this is really only an indication. We’ll soon be embarking on more extensive analysis, taking account of clubs further afield, looking more closely at

individual responses and mapping these to member satisfaction. This will provide an even more robust basis to examine where clubs really need to focus their attention in order to enhance the experience for members.

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