Author: Sarah Connelly

59club MEA & Asia brought the Golf & Hospitality Industry together on Thursday 8th March to celebrate elite standards of customer service excellence, as their annual awards event descended on JA Resorts, Dubai.

Festivities began with a round of educational and networking opportunities both on-and-off the course, before the evening celebrations paid tribute to the best performing properties within 59club’s mystery shopper programme of 2022.

59club’s coveted Gold, Silver and Bronze Flag awards were presented to nineteen properties across the Middle East, Africa & Asia for having achieved the required standard of customer service as well as providing the finest facilities and services for their customers enjoyment, as independently adjudicated by 59club’s comprehensive benchmarking system.

Emirates Golf Club received the highest of those accolades on the night – the Ultimate Service Excellence Award for their leading performance within the Gold Flag Designations. They also saw their F&B department awarded the team of the year title, a triumph that Mark Bull, 59club MEA Director previously revealed had seen Emirates’ CX performance across the F&B department rise by 5% and the overall golf operation up by as much as 6% over the past 12 months.

Cian Hurley, Director of Golf at Emirates Golf Club said of the awards, “We are delighted to have won the 59club Ultimate Service Award here at Emirates golf club. This is a true reflection of the overall team effort that goes into reaching and attaining the level of service standard we aim for. Working alongside the team at 59club has helped us to realise this achievement, the support provided is invaluable to us.”

Those properties achieving Gold Flag Designations on the night were: Abu Dhabi City GC; Al Hamra Golf Club; Dubai Creek; Dubai Hills Golf Club; Els Club, Dubai; Emirates Golf Club; Jumeirah Golf Estates; Trump International Golf Club; Yas Acres Golf & Country Club; Yas Links, Abu Dhabi.

Meanwhile six Silver Flag Designations were awarded to Al Zorah Golf Club; Arabian Ranches; Bryanston Country Club; Meydan Golf; Montgomerie Golf Club, Dubai and Vattanac Golf Resort. With Aquella Golf & Country Club; Riverdale Golf Club and Thana City Country Club claiming Bronze Flag Status.

Further celebrations were realised for Abu Dhabi City Golf Club, after they took the double crown having seen both their Retail & Membership departments awarded 2022 team of the year titles.

Rhian Lobo, General Manager, “We’re thrilled to win best Membership sales team, best retail store and reach the 59club Gold Flag award. Congratulations to the entire team for providing exceptional customer experience standards throughout the facility.”

Trump International Golf Club, Dubai became the my59 Ultimate Service Excellence Award heroes, an honour they have retained for the fourth consecutive year, having consistently demonstrated their commitment to regularly analyse and advance their customer service levels using a wealth of satisfaction surveys. 

As proceedings unfolded, first time 59club champions Yas Acres Golf & Country Club took to the stage – having only enlisted the customer service specialists’ services the previous year, proving they are true professionals when it comes to service excellence – having been awarded Agronomy Team of the Year for their consistency on the golf course.

Saadiyat Beach Golf Club also had reason to celebrate after seeing their team claim the enviable Golf Operations Team of the year award.

Meanwhile, 59club Asia saw success from two newcomers to the 59club community: with Aquella Golf & Country Club claiming a Flag Designation and both the Retail, and F&B Team of the year accolade.

Speaking of their Bronze Flag Designation and their multiple team of the year successes in what is their first 59club Service Excellence Awards Ceremony; Brian Gibson, General manager of Aquella Golf & Country Club said; “Working with 59club Asia has helped our team achieve the service levels required and elevate Aquella G&CC to be one of the top golfing destinations in Thailand, benchmarking Aquella G&CC against the top clubs & resorts in the world allows the team to focus on the guest experience and continue to exceed customer expectations. The on-site training provided by 59club Asia has been instrumental in our success, the team members are more engaged as a result of the tailored and detailed training sessions delivered by 59club Asia associates, not only are our team consistently delivering a great experience, as individuals the 59club Asia training helps develop and shape their career, providing vital guidance and development”

Renowned Riverdale Golf Club celebrated being awarded Bronze flag designation, having worked tirelessly with their team to develop member and guest experience following the significant challenges Asia experienced during the pandemic, achieving this awards testament to the teams dedication to Excellence.

The same can be said for Thana City Country Club who also celebrated achieving Bronze flag status, Thana City was especially pleased to be recognised after investment saw them rebuild their greens 18 months ago which has been lauded in the region, as they continue to drive customer experience and focus on attaining Golf flag status.

And finally, Vattanac Golf Resort also proved that standards at the Cambodian resort are amongst the highest in Asia, after they scooped 59club’s Golf Operation Team of the year title, and their greens department won Asia’s Agronomy Team of the year award for consistently delivering a well-defined and presented golf course of the highest standard.

Of the annual hallmark event in the golf & hospitality business community, Mark Bull 59club MEA Director said “It was our pleasure to gather the Industry together at JA Resorts for a celebration of the Industry success across MEA & Asia. Congratulations to all winning clubs and managers. We are already looking forward to making the 2024 awards a bigger and better event for all.”

Araya Singhsuwan 59club Asia Director, commenting on the success of the annual event; “We are immensely proud of all our nominees and winners this year, everybody has tirelessly dedicated themselves, not only to deliver above and beyond excellence, but to do better and achieve the best in both their personal and professional lives. It is inspiring, and we are very happy and proud to see their achievements. Once again, congratulations to all, and we will continue to support all of our clubs on their journey”

59CLUB MEA & ASIA ‘SERVICE EXCELLENCE’ AWARD WINNERS (in alphabetical order):

Ultimate Service Excellence Award: Emirates Golf Club;

Gold Flag Designations: Abu Dhabi City GC; Al Hamra Golf Club; Dubai Creek; Dubai Hills Golf Club; Els Club, Dubai; Emirates Golf Club; Jumeirah Golf Estates; Trump International Golf Club; Yas Acres Golf & Country Club; Yas Links, Abu Dhabi.

Silver Flag Designations: Al Zorah Golf Club; Arabian Ranches; Bryanston Country Club; Meydan Golf; Montgomerie Golf Club, Dubai and Vattanac Golf Resort.

Bronze Flag Designations: Aquella Golf & Country Club; Riverdale Golf Club and Thana City Country Club

Golf Operations Team of the Year: Saadiyat Beach Golf Club & Vattanac Golf Resort                                                                                             

Agronomy Team of the Year: Yas Acres Golf & Country Club & Vattanac Golf Resort                                                                                        

Golf Retail Team of the Year: Abu Dhabi City Golf Club & Aquella Golf & Country Club

Food & Beverage Team of the Year: Emirates Golf Club & Aquella Golf & Country Club                       

Golf Membership Sales Team of the Year: Abu Dhabi City Golf Club

My59 Ultimate Service Excellence Award: Trump International Golf Club, Dubai

Many of the UK and Europe’s leading Venues, Teams and Individuals were in attendance as 59club recognised those who delivered the very best service to their Members and Guests during 2022 at their Annual celebration of Service Excellence, which this year took place at The Hilton, St George’s Park on Thursday 2^nd of March.

Delegates enjoyed educational seminars during the day, which included Olympic Gold Medal winner and now Head of Performance for the League Managers Association, Tim Foster MBE; Bestselling author of “The Habit Mechanic” and founder of Tougher Minds Consultancy, Dr Jon Finn; and former Manchester United Captain and Premier League winner, Steve Bruce.

As day moved to evening; host for the evening, seasoned presenter, Vernon Kay opened the glittering awards ceremony that has long been regarded as the ‘Oscars’ of the golf & hospitality industry, since 59club’s honours list began some 13 years ago.

The event recognises the finest customer service providers for having achieved the highest standards of excellence across 2022. 59club’s accolades are determined by scores collected from their impartial mystery shopping audits, which evaluate the experience afforded to guests, club members and prospective members, in accordance with 59club’s objective benchmarking criteria.

On the night, 59club saw their UK & Southern European teams present 38 individual & team awards spanning 18 categories, recognising ‘service excellence’ across all areas of the businesses; sales, service, operations, retail, spa, golf course, food & beverage and management. With 59club continuing to reflect the very best performances, regardless of a venue’s size, scale or profile, by segmenting several individual accolades into 3 categories, based on a venue’s average green fee rate.

Of this year’s awards, Will Hewitt, General Manager of 59club UK, commented; “With a growth of over 20% in the number of venues taking our services, an award nomination this year represented an outstanding achievement across a number of hugely competitive categories.

59club awards are based on an objective analysis of the service provided at a venue, therefore recognising the venues, teams and individuals who truly do deliver world class service on a consistent basis”.

The Grove and Belvoir Park Golf Club collected the highest prized awards of the evening – Ultimate Golf Resort and Ultimate Members’ Club respectively. Both venues also achieved multiple individual and team successes; with Brad Gould and his team at The Grove collecting the enviable Golf Manager and Golf Operations Team of the Year titles (>£130 green fee category); with Alice Kozlowski adding the Leading Individual Golf Sales Performance award to The Grove’s trophy cabinet.

Belvoir Park’s celebrations continued long into the night with both Aaron Small and Stuart McDonald having been crowned Greenkeeper and F&B Manager of the Year, before rounding off the evening with the forementioned Ultimate Members’ Club Designation.

Another club seeing multiple successes was Long Ashton, who scooped Golf Manager of the Year for departing GM, Gareth Morgan; F&B Manager of the Year for a 4^th consecutive year for Glenn McNaughton; Golf Operations Team of the Year; and also a coveted Gold Flag Designation. In addition to this they also claimed the Ultimate Service Excellence Award for their fantastic efforts in utilising survey data to enhance their service offering.

Both Finca Cortesin and Branston Golf Club received a double dose of crystalware after Rocio Sanchez was crowned 59club Europe South’s Golf Manager of the year; and their Golf Operations Department claimed the Team of the Year accolade. Meanwhile Branston celebrated with a my59 Service Excellence Award; and a second victory after claiming Leisure Membership Sales Team of the year. 

The Awards became a landmark moment for Matt Aplin, Golf Course Manager at Goring and Streatley, who has now retained the title of Greenkeeper of the Year for an incredible 5^th consecutive year – an outstanding achievement given the quality of those competing in this category.

Alcanada, Camiral Golf & Wellness and Golf Son Muntaner were flying the flag for Spain, having each secured Gold Flag Designations. Marta Castells (Camiral) claimed victory in the Food & Beverage Category, while Paco Gavira (Son Muntaner) was crowned the regions Greenkeeper of the Year.

In Portugal, Quinta do Lago continue to lead the way by also securing a coveted Gold Flag, and in Italy, Royal Park I Roveri celebrated with a Silver Flag, and again as Fabio Vido claimed Retail Manager of the Year.

Lee Mathew Waggott, General Manager59club Europe South said; “Celebrating success is a key pillar of what we believe in and promote within 59club. Our venues across Europe South not only continue to deliver memorable experiences but are always striving to continue to develop their journeys by searching for those extra 1%’s day in and day out.

“In an extremely competitive landscape to receive a nomination and claim an award is a wonderful achievement, and the ability to share this recognition with individuals and teams across the property is incredibly important. We are extremely excited about the season ahead and welcoming even more forward-thinking & progressive properties into our Awards next year.”

Celebrations continued into the night, as 59club’s Industry Benchmark of excellence, it’s Gold, Silver and Bronze Flag Designations, were announced. These highly prized accolades recognise member clubs’ and resorts that provide excellent facilities for golfers to enjoy, as well as having achieved the required standard of customer service throughout 2022.  

This year, 59club presented 28 ‘Gold Flags’. The deserving winners were: Belvoir Park Golf Club; Camiral Golf & Wellness; Celtic Manor Resort; Club de Golf Alcanada; Delta Hotels by Marriott, Forest of Arden Country Club; Dunbar Golf Club; Edgbaston Golf Club; Finca Cortesin; Foxhills Club & Resort; Frilford Heath Golf Club; Gleneagles; Golf at Goodwood; Golf Son Muntaner; Gullane Golf Club; Hanbury Manor, Marriott Hotel & Country Club; Harpenden Golf Club; JCB Golf & Country Club; Long Ashton Golf Club; Mount Juliet Estate; Panmure Golf Club; Quinta do Lago; Rockliffe Hall; Royal Dublin Golf Club; Royal Dornoch Golf Club; The Belfry Hotel & Resort; The Grove; The London Club and The Mere Golf Resort & Spa.

17 ‘Silver Flags’ went to; Barnham Broom; Bowood Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort; Branston Golf & Country Club; Carton House; Cameron House; Clevedon Golf Club; Infinitum; Ladybank Golf Club; La Moye Golf Club; North Foreland Golf Club; QHotels Collection, Slaley Hall Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort; QHotels Collection, Belton Woods Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort; Royal Park I Roveri; Slieve Russell; St Mellion; The Kendleshire and West Herts Golf Club.

And a further 15 “Bronze Flag” Awards were presented to; Conwy Golf Club; Delta Hotels by Marriott, Worsley Park Country Club; Golf Son Quint; Golf Son Vida; Goring & Streatley Golf Club; Hickleton Golf Club; Newport Golf Club; Pula Golf Resort; Teignmouth Golf Club; The Astbury; The Bristol Golf Club; The Vale Resort; Vale Royal Abbey Golf Club; Woodsome Hall Golf Club and Wychwood Park.

For more information about 59club, visit www.59club.com

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Full list of award winners can be seen in the table below.  

59club UK & Europe South ‘Service Excellence’ Award Winners 2022/23:

Ultimate Golf Resort: The Grove

Ultimate Members’ Club: Belvoir Park Golf Club

Gold Flag Designations 2023: Belvoir Park Golf Club; Camiral Golf & Wellness; Celtic Manor Resort; Club de Golf Alcanada; Delta Hotels by Marriott, Forest of Arden Country Club; Dunbar Golf Club; Edgbaston Golf Club; Finca Cortesin; Foxhills Club & Resort; Frilford Heath Golf Club; Gleneagles; Golf at Goodwood; Golf Son Muntaner; Gullane Golf Club; Hanbury Manor, Marriott Hotel & Country Club; Harpenden Golf Club; JCB Golf & Country Club; Long Ashton Golf Club; Mount Juliet Estate; Panmure Golf Club; Quinta do Lago; Rockliffe Hall; Royal Dublin Golf Club; Royal Dornoch Golf Club; The Belfry Hotel & Resort; The Grove; The London Club and The Mere Golf Resort & Spa.

Silver Flag Designations 2023: Barnham Broom; Bowood Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort; Branston Golf & Country Club; Carton House; Cameron House; Clevedon Golf Club; Infinitum; Ladybank Golf Club; La Moye Golf Club; North Foreland Golf Club; QHotels Collection, Slaley Hall Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort; QHotels Collection, Belton Woods Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort; Royal Park I Roveri; Slieve Russell; St Mellion; The Kendleshire and West Herts Golf Club.

Bronze Flag Designations 2023: Conwy Golf Club; Delta Hotels by Marriott, Worsley Park Country Club; Golf Son Quint; Golf Son Vida; Goring & Streatley Golf Club; Hickleton Golf Club; Newport Golf Club; Pula Golf Resort; Teignmouth Golf Club; The Astbury; The Bristol Golf Club; The Vale Resort; Vale Royal Abbey Golf Club; Woodsome Hall Golf Club and Wychwood Park.

Golf Manager of the Year (59club UK)

Brad Gould (The Grove) Over £131 Green-Fee

Sean Graham (Foxhills Club & Resort) £61-£130 Green-Fee

Gareth Morgan (Long Ashton GC) Under £61 Green-Fee

Golf Manager of the Year (59club Europe South)

Rocio Sanchez (Finca Cortesin)

Food & Beverage Manager of the Year (59club UK)

Jacques Hobson (The Belfry Hotel & Resort) Over £131 Green-Fee

Stuart McDonald (Belvoir Park GC) £61-£130 Green-Fee

Glenn McNaughton (Long Ashton GC) Under £61 Green-Fee

Food & Beverage Manager of the Year (59club Europe South)

Marta Castells (Camiral Golf & Wellness)

Golf Retail Manager of the Year (59club UK)

Russell McIntyre (Gullane GC) Over £131 Green-Fee

Andrew Crerar (Panmure GC) £61-£130 Green-Fee

Ryan Crowley (Clevedon GC) Under £61 Green-Fee

Golf Retail Manager of the Year (59club Europe South)

Fabio Vido (Royal Park Roveri)

Greenkeeper of the Year (59club UK)

Scott Fenwick (Gleneagles) Over £131 Green-Fee

Aaron Small (Belvoir Park GC) £61-£130 Green-Fee

Matt Aplin (Goring & Streatley GC) Under £61 Green-Fee

Greenkeeper of the Year (59club Europe South)

Paco Gavira (Son Muntaner)

Golf Operations Team of the Year (59club UK)

The Grove (Over £131 Green-Fee)

Delta Hotels Forest of Arden Country Club (Arden Course) (£61-£130 Green-Fee)

Long Ashton GC (Under £61 Green-Fee)

Golf Operations Team of the Year (59club Europe South)

Finca Cortesin

my59 Service Excellence: Stoke by Nayland; Celtic Manor Resort; Branston Golf & Country Club; Edgbaston Golf Club; Radyr Golf Club; Farleigh Golf Club; The Vale Resort; Rockliffe Hall

my59 Ultimate Service Excellence

Long Ashton GC

Leading Individual Golf Sales Performance

Alice Kozlowski (The Grove)

Leading Individual Golf Membership Sales Performance

Philomena Wilkinson (Delta Hotels Forest of Arden Country Club)

Golf Membership Sales Team of the Year

The Mere Golf Resort & Spa

Leading Individual Leisure Membership Sales Performance

James Flesher (Dunston Hall – Q Hotels Collection)

Leisure Membership Sales Team of the Year

Branston Golf & Country Club

Leading Spa Experience Performance

Rockliffe Hall

Leading Individual Corporate Golf Day Sales Performance                                     

Cameron Dhir (The Astbury)

59club, the industry leading Customer Service Analysts and Training Provider has today announced its expansion into the Nordic regions of Iceland, Finland, Norway, Sweden & Denmark, bringing their wealth of Mystery Shopper Audits, Satisfaction Surveys and Employee Training Programs – created specifically for the golf & hospitality industry – to the fore.  

Impressive expansion plans have already seen local 59club divisions established, currently supporting hundreds of golf clubs, resorts and management groups within the USA, Canada, UK, Europe, Asia, Middle East, Africa and most recently Australia & New Zealand. It was only a matter of time before the global leaders firmed up their support in the Nordic regions, as they work tirelessly to help clubs shape and develop their sales & customer service cultures.

After a long-standing engagement between 59club HQ and The Scandinavian Golf Club, alongside additional partnerships with European Tour Destinations within the Nordic regions; 59club are delighted at the prospect of having feet on the ground to further support these venues, and attract many more just like them who share the same focus of elevating customer service levels, with the desired effect of driving retention, revenues, and profits.

The new opening welcomes Sebastian Czyz Bendsen, as 59club Nordic’s Sales Manager.

Having graduated from Kent State University, OH, USA with a BA in Finance and a MA in Sport and Recreational Management, and after a well-spent career in golf – most recently in his home Country working with the Danish Golf Union – Sebastian joins 59club with a wealth of attributes and a self-confessed love of educating and guiding leaders towards innovative ideas.

Many would say he’s the perfect fit, offering industry experience and driven by his passion and excitement for connecting Golf Club’s within the Nordic regions, with the resource and global formula to excel their customer experience, and to create an even better community for their members & guests.

Of the announcement, Simon Wordsworth, 59club CEO said “Sebastian is a real go-getter, and well versed in the role that Customer Service plays in growing the game of golf and keeping players enthused and loyal to the sport. And now as he joins 59club, he’s ready to take the support and intel he can offer to clubs a leap further. Sebastian appreciates the complexities of club cultures and has worked with similar principals when supporting the US collaborations with the PGA of America, ClubCorp (now Invited), the TPC Network and Kemper Sports. All private golf corporations, and all searching for means to optimize their business, as well as recent initiatives delivered by the Golf Union.

“We are all excited about the impact that 59club will make in the region, our global benchmarking data is second to none, and as always, we are spurred on by the rewards our clients enjoy, as we deliver the roadmap to measure, train, support and reward the individuals, teams, managers and groups we work with to perfect the art of delivering Customer Service & Sales Excellence – we can’t wait to get started!”  

• Opening offers are now being promoted, all clubs interested in becoming the first to sample 59club’s industry leading Mystery Shopping Services, Satisfaction Surveys and Training Tools are invited to reach out to Sebastian@59club.com to sign up for a demo and to unlock their FREE trial.

New South Wales Golf Club has taken its commitment to delivering a five-star golfing experience to its members and guests a step further by partnering with 59club, the industry’s leading golf & hospitality customer service benchmarking and training provider. Following the official launch of 59club Australia & New Zealand late 2022 – and after a successful round of trial mystery shopper audits – New South Wales is the first club in the region to officially partner with the customer service specialists, and will now benefit from the continual services and detailed feedback 59club will deliver on all elements of its club operations.  

As part of the new agreement, NSW Club’s staff and facilities will be rated across all sectors of its golf business including sales, service, operations, retail, golf course, food & beverage and management. Mystery shopper audits will include a series of recorded enquiry calls and live visits from 59club auditors, who will evaluate the experience afforded to members and visiting golfers, in accordance with 59club’s global ‘objective’ criteria.

The world-famous course – which ranks as #6 in Australia, #14 in the world outside of the US and #49 in the world – has been at the forefront of Australian golf for almost 100 years, with its expansive views of the Pacific Ocean on the La Perouse Peninsula. The world class facilities are now home to a brand new fine dining experience, paired with a degustation menu and wine room.

59club’s objective vision, expertise and universal intel currently supports hundreds of golf clubs, resorts and companies worldwide, with leading names such as TPC Network, Marriott Golf, Troon International, European Tour Destinations, Sawgrass, Emirates Golf Club, The Belfry Hotel & Resort, Gleneagles, Le Golf National and Marco Simone, all engaged in the network and reaping the rewards of elevated customer service levels & sales performance.

Kate Shanks, operations manager at NSW, said: “New South Wales Golf Club prides itself on providing a high quality golf experience based around our superb golf course and attentive service. We are constantly evaluating what we do and are always looking at ways to improve the golfing experience for our members and guests.

“The range of services that 59club provides will help us to analyse each part of our operation in detail, and the process will identify areas that require our focus”.

Sam Hughes, General Manager of 59club Australia & New Zealand, commented: “We are truly delighted to welcome New South Wales Golf Club to 59club. They are undoubtedly an industry leader, and it is always a pleasure to witness clubs of such calibre push the boundaries even further to deliver customer service excellence.

“We will assist the team to measure and compare their service levels against the highest industry standard and the elite performers on a global basis, and with a full schedule of training days to come, we very much look forward to watching the club go from strength to strength. Personally, it will be a great benchmark to see New South Wales Golf Club achieve a ‘Flag Designation’ at the 2024 ’59club Service Excellence Awards Ceremony’, and something that will keep everyone’s focus for the next 12 months.”

The 59club partnership is the latest investment that NSW is making in its golf facilities, with the club engaging renowned course architects, Mackenzie & Ebert, to implement a masterplan that will see all 18 greens complexes rebuilt and improvements to the strategy, playability and aesthetics of the course. Subject to final member approval, this work will be undertaken over a 6-month period commencing September 2024.

The CX Management Specialist has today announced its global operations have expanded into Australia & New Zealand. Bringing with them over 15 years of global customer service intel, plus a wealth of industry leading mystery shopping audits, satisfaction surveys, and employee education pathways.

Golf, Leisure & Hospitality Businesses within the region, can now look forward to enjoying the ‘richest’ rewards of their labor, as 59club’s proven formula of supporting club’s to elevate customer service standards and deliver improved profits is rolled out.

The latest opening serving Australia & New Zealand passes to Sam Hughes, the former Club Operations Manager at Glenelg Golf Club, Adelaide. Hughes’ experience at Glenelg Golf Club – widely regarded as one of the best Golf and Function Venues in all of Australia, boasting a string of awards to boot – coupled with his passion for delivering customer service excellence, will serve him well in his new role.

At the time of launch, Hughes was preparing to represent 59club at the Golf Business Forum / PGA Expo in Melbourne and went on to say; “It’s a privilege to be part of 59club’s global operations, and to be able to support neighboring club managers to integrate 59club’s proven formula to achieve the greatest service standards and financial successes.

“We’ve got off to a great start, planning and delivering a series of trial audits for club managers up and down the country, igniting their passion and desire for achieving service excellence, and I am excited to see our following grow after more trials and contracts are shared and exchanged in the months ahead.”

Hughes is not alone on this journey, and benefits from the support of 59club founder, Simon Wordsworth and his fellow Directors, along with the experience of seven other Regional Managing Partners spanning the UK & Ireland, USA, Canada, Middle East & Africa (MEA), Asia, with two others based in continental Europe.

The Customer Service Specialists are proud to work with hundreds of clubs world-wide, of all sizes and profiles, with customers who include the likes of TPC Network, Marriott Golf, Troon International, European Tour Destinations, Sawgrass, Emirates Golf Club, The Belfry Hotel & Resort, Gleneagles, Le Golf National and Marco Simone to name just a few.

Many of the greatest names in the industry credit 59club for their properties success, having worked with them to measure, train, support & reward their workforce, as they achieve sales & customer service excellence, while elevating customer acquisition, satisfaction and profits.

Head to 59clubau-nz.com for more information, or to sign up to receive a product demonstration; please contact sam@59clubau-nz.com

An exclusive event hosted aboard the Sunborn London; a floating super-yacht hotel in Royal Victoria Dock, marked the special occasion for those having achieved the highest long-serving standards of customer service excellence. With a previous soiree delivered days before at one of Dubai’s leading restaurants; Carine at Emirates, as 59club’s first inductees were welcomed.

Simon Wordsworth CEO of 59club said; “having amassed over 12 years of non-subjective performance data spanning all aspects of customer service, 59club has an unparalleled vision over those within the Golf & Hospitality Business who have proven their excellence, time after time, year after year. In honour of those years of dedication, the Eminent Collection was born to represent an international benchmark of excellence, which recognises the finest individuals & properties who are leading the industry in the customer experience realms. It is the only badge of honour that is an unbiased testament to having created a customer-centric culture, that puts the customer and their needs first, whilst regularly seeking objective affirmation that those needs are exceeded”.

Eligibility into the Collectionis based solely on achievements across the 59club Service Excellence Awards, with individual and team accolades, along with property flag designations, all contributing towards the Eminent Benchmark of Excellence; measuring performances over a minimum of 5 years.

Simon added “There is no debate to be had, you are either in or not, if in it is crystal clear why, if out then likewise you know what you must do. There is no self-assessment, no bias, no cloudy subjective entries – if you are in the Eminent Collection, you are there because you put yourself, your team, your venue up for independent non-subjective scrutiny of your customer service performance. The venues and individuals are proven to be amongst the best operators in the business – that is what the Eminent Collection is there to show. That is exactly why a brand like Club Car, who are all about customer experience and vehicles of the highest quality has chosen to support us in highlighting these achievements.”

Twelve Properties from within 59club’s international network achieved the Benchmark of Excellence. Four were from the UAE, one from Europe and seven from the UK.

2022’s induction roll also included twenty-two individuals. Three are from the UAE, one from the USA, one from Europe, and seventeen from the UK.

The Belfry Hotel & Resort
The Celtic Manor Resort
Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club
Emirates Golf Club
Forest of Arden
Foxhills Club & Resort
Gleneagles
Golf Son Muntaner
The Grove
Rockliffe Hall
Trump International Golf Club Dubai
Yas Links Abu Dhabi

Andrew Whitelaw GM/COO, Aronimink Golf Club
Anna Darnell Resort Director, The Grove
Barney Coleman Club Manager, Emirates Golf Club
Bernat Llobera Area Golf Director, Arabella Golf Mallorca
Chris May CEO Dubai Golf
Gary Silcock General Manager, Murrayshall
Stuart Collier Director of Golf, Stoke Park

Brad Gould Director of Golf, The Grove
Chris Reeve Director of Golf, The Belfry
Fraser Liston Director of Golf, Forest of Arden
Sean Graham Head of Golf Operations, Foxhills
Stephen Hindle Golf Manager, Worsley Park
Stephen Hubner Club Manager, Jumeirah Golf Estates

Angus Macleod Director of Golf Courses & Estates, The Belfry
Craig Haldane Golf Courses Manager, Gleneagles
Jim Mckenzie MBE Director of Golf Courses & Estates, Celtic Manor
Jonathan Wyer Golf Course Manager, Rockliffe Hall
Phillip Chiverton Golf Course & Estates Manager, The Grove
Rob Rowson Golf Course Estate Manager, Forest of Arden

Jacques Hobson Food & Beverage Outlets Manager, The Belfry

Simon Howell Golf Operations Manager, Forest of Arden
Tom Hughes Head of Golf Retail & Operations, The Belfry

View our digital brochures for more information about 59club products & services

59club Australia & New Zealand – Services & Support

Please contact your regional manager for more information

59club’s performance management tools have proved hugely beneficial for clubs across the globe – but now clubs can go one better in their efforts to streamline operations management and evaluate and advance member experience; by utilising the new mytell App.

This multi-functioning App captures live performance data submitted by the management team, employees and club members, supporting the venue to make informed decisions to elevate standards, satisfaction levels, retention, and profitability.

The management team through their use of the App can log observations during their daily departmental evaluations, both on and off the golf course.

With technology and convenience at the forefront of development, managers store data within measurable pre-set categories – spanning golf course & practice area presentation, maintenance & amenities, retail & front of house management and employee behaviour and well-being – meaning paperwork, email trails, group chats and the constant transferring of images becomes a thing of the past.

Complete with the ability to share live performance reviews with the team, set targets, track accountability, and monitor progress over time, the App fulfils every need.

A number of industry professionals supported the development of the new App, and they were all quick to praise 59club for the benefit the App would bring to the industry, as well as to them personally, one of those individuals was General Manager of Teignmouth Golf Club; Martin Hucklesby who said;

“Managing a golf club in my view is like any other service industry, it should be driven by its standards.  The vastly different areas of expertise required to be able to measure, manage & record ‘a score’ to these standards has always been something that as a General Manager I have done via a spreadsheet as I have walked through the club & course. Now with Mytell, and using technology I am able to do this via an App. It is brilliant, highly recommended and is on the front page of my phone!”

And it’s not just management who stand to benefit, the App also controls member feedback across golf, health & recreation when it comes to the club’s culture & community, the facilities & member services, its food and beverage outlets, and a huge part of ‘club life’; its people.

Whether a club chooses to invite all club members, or they prefer to limit its users exclusively to those within the management team/board/committee or perhaps they want to go one further and create an engineered focus group; this clever little App will store and channel feedback along with supplementary ratings, comments & images to the relevant department.

59club Director, and the technical brain child behind the Apps content and development; Mark Reed said;

“This is a step-change for club operations, anyone who is responsible for the daily delivery of club standards and ensuring member and guest satisfaction – from Golf Course & Estates Directors to Spa Managers – will tell you that paper trails and breaks in communication detracts from getting the job done, and serving customers well, but now with the launch of our new mytell App; we believe, we have the solution!

“But it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution: each venue can create its own bespoke, white-labelled experience, ensuring it retains control over which elements of the business its users can submit data around. And the App also contains the facility to create and customise subsidiary outlets, if, for example, the property has more than one golf course, fitness studio, or restaurant.

“From a member’s perspective it gives them an unprecedented opportunity to give praise where it’s due and highlight where they feel they are not getting value for money. The mutual benefits are numerous”.

The easily navigable App – available on both Android and iOS platforms – tracks trends, monitors patterns of performance, whilst generating statistics for periodic reviews. With feedback received within a secure dashboard, away from the public eye and with total confidentiality.

For further information on the mytell App, or any area of 59club’s industry-leading service, please contact your regional 59club manager.

We partnered with 59club 2 years ago and have been reaping the benefits ever since.

The ‘mystery shopper’ exercise is a fantastic, authentic way to review the standard of experience we deliver to every guest. Each visit we’ve received has helped us to identify where we need small tweaks to improve.

One important opportunity the exercise identified, is how we can bring forward our best-in-class guest experience, so that, from the resort’s very first touchpoint, even before booking, we set the standard for a seamless travel experience that invites guests to embrace their holiday mentality before they even set foot in the resort. 

We understand our guests are seeking the very best experience, and that begins from the first contact they have with the INFINITUM brand. For our team, this initial engagement is often via a phone call or through our digital channels, and, ultimately, sets the tone for the entire guest journey.

Undoubtedly, our work with 59club has allowed us to better understand this initial experience and how we can use it to elevate the entire guest journey to ensure we deliver excellence at every opportunity.

And we will continue to work on elements of the business highlighted by 59club’s data. At the heart of a world-class guest experience is the team, and we are committed to ensuring our dedicated professionals across the resort are fully equipped to deliver this inspired experience wherever our guests come into contact with our brand.

We pride ourselves on our overall guest experience, delivered through our entire team’s extensive knowledge and dedication, but we are always looking for ways to improve and that is where working with 59club has been really beneficial.

We will, therefore, continue to support our staff with innovative, industry-leading training plans incorporating 59club’s expert guidance, to ensure we remain at the forefront of guest experience, as we continue to evolve and strive for growth throughout the resort. 

That relationship with 59club has allowed us to identify the many strengths of the resort and how we can use them as an opportunity to go above and beyond our current offering.

This benefits the resort in two ways: firstly, it helps to elevate the experience of our guests, which remains at the forefront of every decision at INFINITUM; and, through building on our strengths, we can generate upselling and growth opportunities, which we are pleased to say have already driven value for the resort.  

I see no reason why facilities like ours should not work with 59club. Because we’re always open to understanding how we can better improve our product to provide all our guests with leading service, our work with 59club has created an honest space to reflect on our guest experiences.

I would encourage others to search out such feedback with an open mind when it comes to finding new ways to improve.

Source:
59CLUB CASE STUDY: INFINITUM – Club Management Association of Europe (cmaeurope.org)

Mike Kelly, Managing Partner of 59club USA, has been at the club operations game for a while. And as a general manager of any type of club – especially a golf club spanning hundreds of acres – it’s just not feasible to be everywhere at once. That’s where 59club USA’s mystery shopping services come into play.

Take a look at the video below where Kelly explains the ins and outs of mystery shopping, why it’s important for club managers and how it can help elevate the service level to meet and exceed your customer or member’s needs.

Have you played here before? It’s an innocuous and generally harmless question with enormous upside. Other industries – especially the restaurant industry – have used this relatively innocent question for decades in order to prime the pump for an engaging customer experience.

Asking someone if they have been to your golf course, restaurant, spa – or any other hospitality or leisure venue – opens the door for conversation and questions, builds rapport and emotional connection between the customer and your staff/brand, and provides an opportunity to share your club’s best stories or things a customer should know before heading out. 59club USA has crunched the numbers and, once again, the top-performing clubs never miss an opportunity to ask this question. The rest of the pack, however, fails to ask this question 64% of the time. Let’s dive in.

The most effective way to open the door for an engaging conversation and information gathering is to ask personal questions but asking a customer where they see themselves in five years or what makes them the happiest isn’t really appropriate during the tee time booking process. Asking if they have played the course before, however, is a semi-opened-ended question with a clear goal and hundreds of different avenues for additional conversation. If the customer has played the course before, it begs the question “when?” Was it a long time ago or before a recent renovation? Have there been changes to improve the club since then? Why did they take so long in between rounds? Are they from out of town and should their name and email address go into a special “feeder market” list bucket in your CRM system? Enormous amounts of information all gained from starting with one simple question.

These types of conversation starters not only gather important information for marketing and customer service operations, but also provide an opportunity to tell positive stories or provide important general information about your club to someone who may not know. If someone is playing for the first time, they might want to hear about a featured hole, strategy on how to play the course, where to find restrooms, course rankings or accolades, humorous anecdotes and other positive stories. If your club is undergoing capital improvements or repairing part of the course, this is the perfect time to alert the player so they aren’t blindsided when they encounter the issue on-course and so angry they create a Yelp profile just to leave you a poor review. The truth, they say, shall set you free.

Once again, the top clubs are doing this and the majority of other clubs simply aren’t. Every single club at the 59club USA Podium Level – an aggregate of the highest scoring clubs – asks this question during the tee-time booking process without fail. The industry average, however, is an abysmal 36%, meaning an extremely high percentage of clubs are leaving easily gatherable information on the table, and leaving the first impression of the golf club up to the player. The golf and leisure clubs who take charge of the first impression and subsequent conversations tend to score higher in other areas as well, creating a domino effect of individual, positive experiences which lead to a better experience overall.

What a year it’s been for James Ibbetson, General Manager of Farleigh Golf Club, having been crowned Golf Manager of The Year in the prestigious 59club service excellence awards, whilst simultaneously leading his team to a second victory, earning the enviable ‘my59 Ultimate Service Excellence’ title, in recognition of the club’s commitment to engage, analyse and enrich their members and guest experience utilising the my59 survey tools. All while dealing with the pressures presented by the pandemic, and after only one year with the Surry club.

Glory aside; Ibbetson explains how satisfaction surveys have become fundamental at Farleigh, and how 59club’s performance management tools are supporting his progressive plans…

I’ve been working with 59club for the best part of 12 years now and, when I joined Farleigh, in November 2019, introducing the survey tool was one of the first things I did. Indeed, I think it was the first members’ survey at Farleigh, and it’s something we have continued to do on an annual basis.

The members were given a month to complete the survey, and subsequently their feedback really helped shape the action plan for future development at the golf club, from a policy and procedure perspective, to managing potential investments, etc…

Working in the business, we don’t play the golf course that often, as much as we would like to get out there and see it from a member’s perspective; so we’re heavily reliant on gaining feedback from the members, who play the course day in, day out.

Delivering surveys is not a tick-box exercise; we use the process as a window to gain as much information from the membership as possible, and then we can start acting upon it. There’s very little point in doing a survey if you’re not going to do anything with the information you collate. We’re an open book with the data and try to communicate the results out to the members in as much detail as possible – from experience, the more invested the members are in the process, the more fruitful the feedback. It’s also important for them to feel as though their voice and opinion has been recognised, and the club are actively doing something about this.

We value our members interaction with the entire process and as such, we send out snapshots of the results: highlighting areas where we performed well, the 59club analytics in terms of where we sit in relation to the ‘industry’ and the ‘best performers’; and then also the areas where we didn’t do so well, outlining the actions we’re going to take to improve, and how we’re going to get there. We call this our ‘You Said, We Did’ action plan.

For the most part, members chose to remain anonymous when completing surveys, for those who were happy to waive anonymity it was straightforward to reach out to those individuals. Myself and the team make a point of calling these individuals to try to arrange sit down meetings to discuss their feedback, and any additional points that they may have since completing the survey, in greater detail. Annually, we probably sit down with 30-40 members in person to run through the results.

The 59club survey tool has developed over time, it’s a very user-friendly experience. Pretty much all the questions you’d want to ask new and existing members are already saved within the various templates, meaning you don’t need to spend hours and hours adding your own questions. Over the years they’ve developed a key list of questions and criteria that all club managers need. Or at least providing information club managers would like to have.

I’ve been guilty in the past, perhaps, of making some surveys too long, which has had a negative impact on the response rate. And that came out in some of the early feedback. Nowadays, we are more succinct, and focus on the specific areas we want to explore, and that naturally flows well from a members’ perspective also.

Feedback has helped us shape the decision making on our offering. It just gives you a well-rounded representation and, yes, some of the feedback you get may be a little bit pipedream-esque, but for the most part you do get real, solid insight that you wouldn’t have achieved otherwise.

Sometimes when you’re in the building six or seven days a week you may miss something that’s right in front of you. And you certainly don’t see it from a member’s perspective. It’s easier to push decisions through if members feel they’ve been actively involved in the process and there’s logic behind what we are trying to achieve.

You need to show the members that you’ve taken onboard some of the feedback and that you’re going to action certain things, even if you can’t action them immediately. Simply sending out a survey and then doing nothing with it is counterproductive. If that’s your intention, you’re better off not sending out the survey at all. Members take the time to submit their feedback, the least a club can do is sit down and analyse the results, communicating actions in the process.

The more information you have, the better – and the more a member feels involved in the decision-making process, the easier it is to get their support and their buy-in, which is, ultimately, what we’re after.

We don’t just survey members, though – we also use it for societies. Twenty-four hours after an event, all event organisers receive an automated survey from the my59 software, requesting their feedback: Communication before the event, quality of the F&B and the golf course on the day… amongst many other areas. So, we rely on the information collated by 59club heavily – one of our very early surveys, identified the need for a tee-time confirmation email which has long since been implemented and well received.

We have also taken this a step further in 2021 tailoring surveys for internal use, specifically for our Employee of the month nominations. In the past the nominees had been put forward by the Heads of Department – we felt however that it was important to open this up to all employees to get their buy in. A simple survey is therefore sent out to all staff each month requesting their nominations.

As a result of our 2021 Membership Satisfaction Survey (Sent out in October, over 240 responses, overall satisfaction score of 80%), the following have been identified as priorities for 2022 and beyond. Important to note that some of these areas have already been actioned:

A horsebox halfway house is now available on site during busy days and has been met with some fantastic feedback from members and guests alike.

Inefficiencies were identified with the current booking platform, and as such we are currently working alongside our software provider to make the online customer journey more fluid and ultimately user friendly.

Members can feel a little bit of an anti-climax around renewal time, with feelings as though you hand your money over and that’s it – and so in response to this, the ever-popular membership renewal booklet (with over £1,000 in additional value) will return for 2022. And, for the first time in the club’s history, all renewing members will receive a personalised bag tag on renewal.

Our member communication came out as excellent – during the lockdown, whilst the club was closed, we sent 2 member round ups each week, which we have now scaled back to once a week.

New tee markers, along with new divot bins and replacement tee caddies will be onsite ready for the season.

Full bunker audit instigated, with the most problematic bunkers being addressed as soon as possible with the remainder works scheduled in order of priority as part of a wider 3-5 year plan.

Additional staff training is currently being undertaken with a view to re-instate table service as of January 2022.

If you’re a club that wants to progress and are looking to focus on the things the members & visitors actually want, it’s a very, very useful tool. But the biggest piece of advice I have for anybody contemplating it is: if you’re going to do it, you’ve GOT to do it properly.

If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that Michael Gove MP was wrong when he said: “the people of this country have had enough of experts”. If you require a medical diagnosis, consult a medical professional, don’t Google it; if you want accurate information about a pandemic, listen to a virologist, don’t believe social media; and, if you wish to discuss the challenges and opportunities of the global golf and hospitality industries, few organisations are as well placed to offer comment as 59club.

With unprecedented access to performance data from a wide variety of venues across the globe, 59club, with its seven divisions, is in the perfect position to assess the vagaries of the sector, as well as knowing who’s doing what well, and when. And, who isn’t …

Mark Reed, 59club Director, explained: “When comparing 2021 performance levels with pre-covid 2019, we have witnessed a minor decrease in measured service standards within our golf visitor experience mystery shopping programme.

“Despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, golf clubs have experienced significant increased traffic, often alongside a depleted workforce and amid challenging operating conditions. It is, therefore, remarkable to think that fewer servicers have been servicing more people, but to almost the same levels of 2019, when it comes to ‘customer experience’.”

Available data shows that the global industry average for service standards across 59club clients had decreased by just 5 per cent in 2021, when compared with the pre-Covid 2019, and that visitor and member rounds increased dramatically, whilst staffing levels reduced.

It’s an anomaly, yet, perhaps, part of the reason for that lies in the fact those facilities are clients of 59club. That means, of course, each is routinely visited and rated. Those facilities where such measurement isn’t undertaken will not have access to such knowledge or data, though data suggests a 20 per cent lag across the industry for non-59club venues. (non-contracted venues receiving 59club trial audits).

Reed is prepared to go further, and posited: “Not only are we able to advise clients of performance stats, we are able to see when they invest a higher proportion of capital into 59club resources to develop and educate both new and existing staff and, ultimately, relate that to maintaining the experience afforded to members and guests.”

During the past couple of years, that investment has been made largely in onsite and/or remote training, in tandem with 59club’s virtual education platform; MyMentor, which affords data driven learning directly linking to an individual’s mystery shopper audit, and, as a consequence, filling any learning gaps for employees.

Indeed, a 34 per cent increase in the number of venues being trained – either in person or virtually – by 59club staff in 2021, compared with 2019, might be seen as a direct correlation with the service standards remaining almost the same. What’s more, across the ‘podium’ venues – the best-performing facilities – service standards have remained stable over the two-year period.

This is also reflected in 59club’s own performance in the years in question. It has seen a 200 per cent increase in contracted venues around the globe, in the two years since 2019 – and all this at a time when the globe – and golf in particular – spent large periods of time in both lockdown and shutdown.

A good example of how investment in staff training and data analysis can have a direct effect on satisfaction levels of members and visitors is Hoburne Golf, which operates three venues in the south of England: Crane Valley GC, in Verwood, Hampshire; Bulbury Woods GC, in Poole, Dorset; and Hurtmore GC, near Godalming, in Surrey.

Each has embraced the challenge of mystery shopping and has engaged in a tailored staff training programme that has delivered, not only, a 10 per cent growth in their 59club visitor experience measurement, but also a four per cent increase in membership satisfaction (measured using 59club’s Survey platform; My59, between 2019 and 2021).

That experience is not solely the preserve of Hoburne Golf, either. Harpenden GC, in Hertfordshire, joined the 59club community shortly after reopening following the first English lockdown in early 2020.

The club’s general manager, Tom Scott, explained: “Having worked with 59club in a previous role, I had a good understanding of what it delivers and felt it could support our aim of delivering a better level of service to our members and guests.

“We began a programme of mystery shopping in 2020 to gain a thorough understanding of our strengths and weaknesses and were thrilled to be awarded a Bronze Flag Designation in the 59club annual awards ceremony, based on our year one results, and a year later we increased to Silver; an incredible achievement in such a short time frame, which is testament to the commitment of our staff members.

“59club has supported the development of our team by delivering a number of engaging training sessions at the club, and we are delighted to report we increased our measured service across all operational departments in 2021, by 16 per cent.

“We plan to continue this training alongside the virtual mentor platform, which can be used on a day-to-day basis. The My59 Survey platform also allowed us to gather valuable feedback from our members on a number of important topics in a very user-friendly way, delivering an overall response rate of more than 75 per cent.

“This gave our data further credibility and allowed the club to make confident and informed decisions. The entire team at the club remains fully engaged in the process and we look forward to challenging ourselves further in 2022.”

Other clubs are following the lead of Hoburne Golf and Harpenden GC according to 59club’s own data. The total number of surveys undertaken by member clubs via the My59 Survey Platform showed a huge leap of 268 per cent in 2021 compared with those launched in 2019, across the globe. Positive engagement with members, guests and staff has never before been so prevalent.

Meanwhile, the MyMentor virtual learning experience now supports in excess of 2,250 employees to develop themselves and the team. And, with 59club clients reporting challenges in recruitment – especially with greenkeepers and catering staff – the on-line training platform is expected to further increase its reach in 2022, not least as recent independent data stated that one in eight roles in the hospitality industry remains vacant.

Ironically, the increase in 59club’s client portfolio may, initially, skew the average figures.

Reed added: “In addition to the challenges facing the industry it is important to note that an influx of new clients is likely to create an initial dip in the industry average as managers and their teams often spend time gathering performance data and generating a full understanding of strengths and weaknesses, before undertaking necessary training, reinforcing standards and developing a plan of improvement.

“However, with golf clubs becoming more accustomed to increased footfall, an increase in skills, and an increased sense of ‘business as usual’ – in tandem with a number of clubs moving in to a second year of measurement – we would expect to see a return to pre- pandemic levels or higher this year.

“Of course, clubs not utilising the 59club toolkit won’t be in a position to discover their strengths and weaknesses until much further down the line, by which time, they may have lost disgruntled staff or members, and be back to square one.”

He concluded: “One challenge that will remain this year is that of attracting and retaining great people. It is, however, very gratifying to hear more and more clubs recognising wellbeing, education and a need to invest in their people, and, to assist with this, 59club UK delivered more than 50 days of training and education within clubs between December and March alone.”

Ian Knox, head of European Tour Destinations – a network of world-class venues with a close association to the European Tour – has worked with 59club for over 10 years. Maybe the last word should sit with him – he is an expert, after all.

He said: “In 2020 and even the start of 2021, for a lot of venues it was a case of controlling costs, and there was almost a survival element. Now … they are realising their operational focus needs to be back on the levels it was, in fact, exceeding the levels it was. So now is the time we have been kicking in with mystery shopper visits and working with venues to look for areas where they can continue to improve.

“The biggest area people are now focussing on is human contact again. You’ve missed that through the problems you had with the pandemic, so that personal service, that personal touch is really going to be the key focus. That’s what we’re looking for our venues to be delivering.”

As the great Willie Nelson once sang, “Nobody said it was gonna’ be easy”, but, with experts available to guide one through the metaphorical minefield, it’s a journey that can be made with a lot more confidence.

59club, the industry leading sales & customer service analysts has today announced its global operations are expanding into Canada. The new opening signals great opportunities for the Canadian golf & hospitality market, as 59club’s signature performance management tools and global intel are now made available to businesses within the region.

59club has driven a data revolution within the industry, and are famed for their insightful customer satisfaction surveys, mystery shopping audits and employee education pathways. Their expertise and industry insight into global sales performance and customer service standards are well documented, and many of the greatest names in the club industry credit 59club for their properties success, working with them to measure, train, support and recognize their workforce as they achieve sales and customer service excellence, while elevating customer acquisition, satisfaction and profits.

Headquartered in the UK and firmly established in golf, hotels, leisure, spa and restaurants, 59club now has seven divisions across the USA, Middle East & Africa (MEA), Asia, two in Europe, with the latest opening in Canada.

With customers who include the likes of TPC Sawgrass, Bobby Jones Links, Emirates Golf Club – Dubai, Thai Country Club, The Belfry Hotel & Resort, Gleneagles, Le Golf National and Marco Simone to name just a few, and hundreds of other properties. When it comes to driving sales and customer service excellence 59club are proud to work with venues of all size and profile, supporting club management to deliver unprecedented service experience whilst simultaneously driving revenues and profits.

And the front man behind 59club Canada is Club Study owner and PGA member Ryan Tracy. Commenting of the new opening, Simon Wordsworth Founder of 59club said; “Ryan will be a great ambassador for our brand, and we are all excited to begin working with him and his existing clients as we introduce our products and services to the wider hospitality business community across Canada. We champion ‘service excellence’, and with this new division, golf as a global entity only serves to become bigger, better and stronger, with enhanced services and greater experiences tailored to the discerning golf & hospitality enthusiast, engineered from real live intel and expertise”.

Tracy added; “I have been fortunate to serve the golf industry in Canada for the last 20 years, specifically with Club Study providing customized pools of operational data in club management over the last two years. When a mutual client made an introduction to Simon, conversations over our shared passions and subsequently the similarities between the two entities made the decision for us to work together a natural progression. I realized immediately that the insight that 59club creates will help operators in Canada, and I am excited to bring these resources to market”.

And now as Club Study falls within the 59club armory, the pair can deliver even more industry insight as the bi-weekly national surveys, which had previously been connecting Club Managers in Canada & US, are now made available to the entire 59club global network.

Tom Rourke is general manager of Troon Golf’s The Els Club, in Dubai. Here he explains how working with 59club has achieved an unprecedented level of membership at the facility and why he regards 59club as an essential service provider, both now and in the future.

Although I had worked with 59club previously, I hadn’t utilised the membership sales experience audit as I was previously based at a daily fee only facility. Upon joining The Els Club and better understanding the membership structure, I thought the best thing to do would be to have 59club involved with some membership enquiries and mystery shops – to go through that experience to see where enhancements could be made to improve the conversion of our prospective member show rounds.

I met with 59club MEA director Mark Bull who discussed the expectations, the history of the previous membership enquiries from past mystery shoppers at The Els Club, the benchmarking process, audit criteria, and the recommendations to get the most success out of a potential new member or membership enquiry.

Subsequently, I sat down with our membership manager, Thomas Nicolson, and gathered his feedback before we instigated the first membership related mystery shopper enquiry. After receiving the initial audit report, Thomas and I analysed the feedback and established there were quite a few areas where improvements could be made. 

Thomas is a great member of the team and together we very constructively worked our way through the audit feedback; with Mark Bull on hand to provide his insightful recommendations on further measures to advance. 

Thomas took all of the data and feedback within the audit on board, and, worked to improve the membership enquiry process, and the following month, achieved a near perfect show round appointment mystery audit. The process has transformed our membership sales procedures, and, after receiving this great feedback, we started to look at the membership offering and made some additional adjustments.

And it’s really paid dividends. Thomas did a fantastic job: in December we had around 30 new members sign up; in January we had 40 new members; and, in February, another 15 – so it’s been a huge success. Since working with 59club, we’ve had more new members sign up at The Els Club than ever before.

It illustrates that by reviewing the customer journey and the show-round experience, utilising the 59club tools, and doing a refresher of all the Troon Golf operational standards as well, makes a massive difference, even at an incredible property such as The Els Club. We’re delighted with the results.

With 59club, the attention to detail from the tester is incredible and, when you’re able to review recordings of the telephone call, when you’re able to analyse the sales techniques demonstrated, and in other audits the upselling measurements in the golf shop, the photographs and the reports from the agronomy perspective as well, it is hugely valuable detail. 

There was already an agreement in place with 59club when I arrived at The Els Club, but I would be looking to work with them at any facility that I would go to within Troon Golf. It’s an absolute no brainer – the costs you’re looking at for 59club, the detail and information you’re going to receive, and the improvements you can make, mean you’re going to get back that investment 10-fold, with all the enhancements you’re able to identify and implement. 

As a new general manager or department head, there’s great value in reviewing the previous 59club mystery shops, so you start to understand the operation with a different set of eyes. And then to be able to meet with 59club and engage with them and understand what’s happened previously, the feedback that was given, and whether any adjustments were made, is a big help.

I’m also a believer in the integrity test side of the business, especially on the driving range or areas where, maybe, there’s fewer associates, or they’re further away from the main hub of the clubhouse. It’s fundamental for department heads and the GM to study these mystery shops and integrity checks, just to have some eyes on those areas from an experience side and a security perspective.

To be engaged with 59club to monitor your business, make improvements, and for it to complement Troon Golf, is for me, just the minimum standard. After the first couple of mystery visits and the results of the integrity tests, associates begin to see things differently and take call handling, sales processes, and cash handling more seriously.

It’s really been an eye opener for the team – you always get a few shocks, speedbumps and hiccups along the way, but you start to make improvements and the revenues will start increasing. Certainly, using 59club services will only increase revenues, whether that be on membership, green fees, retail, or on the driving range. To receive that detailed feedback helps enormously. 

There is such incredible value in the level of detail in the reports, it’s a set of independent eyes, seeing it through the eyes of the guest, which is so incredibly valuable. Nine times out of 10, you are going to see an increase in revenue, and that is an absolute no brainer.  

The wider business goal for The Els Club is to become more of a country club and engage with the local community. The Els Club will always be, fundamentally, built on an incredible golf course – Ernie Els did a fantastic job with the design.

But we’re currently underway with the construction of two padel tennis courts, a spa, ladies hair salon and a gents’ barber shop, and, because 59club does not just specialise in golf, we will also be engaging with 59club in these areas of the business. 

59club is very much across the whole area of hospitality and the business – which Troon Golf also specialises in – and it will further enhance the guest and member experience, help drive revenues and give the general manager, and his decision makers, and department heads the information they need at their fingertips.

As the flagship facility, all the fantastic standards we have within Troon Golf are at the very highest level at The Els Club. But, with 59club – whether it be SOPs, training, uniform standards, or something else – we’re just going to get additional feedback, which will only further enhance what Troon Golf has in place and ensure it is followed, consistently. We’re already at such a high standard, but it will give more information, data and feedback – and it’s always great to receive. 

We can also utilise other platforms within 59club that might not be on the guest side of things, such as associate training. There’s always something, for example, upselling, that you can never improve enough. If you want to improve the engagement with the guest, improve product knowledge, and the way that information is delivered, 59club is a great partner to guide you through that process and deliver training sessions. Department heads at Troon Golf always do an incredible job, but it’s additional support, and that goes a long way.

Having a 59club division ‘on the ground’ here in the region has made a big difference. I was very fortunate, previously, to do my PGA training with (59club CEO) Simon Wordsworth, and have worked closely with both Mark Reed, Matt Roberts and Andrew Etherington, so I know it’s an incredible team; but, having Neal Graham and Mark Bull on the ground here, is a great addition to the club. They are on hand with recommendations, training, or support, and will pop over at any time.

You don’t ever feel with 59club – unlike some – as if you’re on ‘the meter’; you know you’re calling them over to have a coffee, catch up and go through some feedback. You feel they are a pure partner and that they simply want to enhance the guest journey, and the operation, and genuinely care about The Els Club as a business. Both Mark and Neal have great experience in the region and it just further complements the club.

I feel the 59club team understood our goals from the start; the key part for us is we are all about membership – so we want to hit our full membership cap of 200 members which we’re now very close to achieving. They understood that, and, also, the history of The Els Club: that the number one focus is golf. They looked at how they can assist us and give recommendations, improve that mystery shop and guest journey, so that we could attract more members. Then we looked at the F&B experience, the upselling in the golf shop, the engagement during the experience with the guests, the experience on the golf course – every part of the business. But, number one, was membership and, then, the driving range, just looking to make sure policies and procedures were being followed.

It’s an absolute pleasure to be associated with and work alongside 59club and I’m sure the relationship and support will continue to enhance and complement The Els Club and Troon Golf’s operating and hospitality standards.

This year we were delighted to receive two 59club Service Excellence Awards, in both Golf Retail Team of the Year, and, The Els Club was awarded the highest honour, the Gold Flag Designation, which is credit to the hard work and high standards we all work to achieve. 

I do genuinely respect and value what 59club offers and to see it branching out now all around the world, is wonderful. It’s something golf never had previously, and I just hope everyone else values it as much as we do, and doesn’t see it as an expense line. Properties need to see their products and services as something that provides tangible value; with 59club your guaranteed to improve the overall experience, and ultimately that will make a difference to your profits.

North American customer service satisfaction and benchmarking firm59club USA announced today they added Landscapes Golf Management (LGM) – a sister company to Landscapes Unlimited – to their client roster. 59club USA will use their industry-leading proprietary software and objective data analysis tools to provide mystery shopping services to help audit and improve the golf experience, membership sales, event sales and group-outing sales for 20 LGM golf properties in 13 states.

“We’re obviously thrilled to begin working with Landscapes Golf Management and their extensive list of extraordinary golf properties,” said Mike Kelly, managing partner of 59club USA. “We look forward to showcasing our world-class customer service platform and providing knowledgeable insights which will help shape future plans and achieve customer service excellence throughout their portfolio.”

With the addition of 20 LGM properties, 59club USA expands its client roster to more than 80 golf properties in 28 states across the country.

“Landscapes Golf Management invests extraordinary time, effort and resources into all levels of our organization, especially customer service and training, but we understand there is always room for improvement,” said Tom Everett, president of LGM.  “By utilizing 59club USA’s services, we will receive access to real-time, unbiased data which will help us achieve our goal of consistent customer service improvement, and continued success and growth in all customer-facing areas. We’re extremely excited to begin.”

59club is a service-based management tool and customer service provider which uses objective data points and images to measure, improve and then maintain standards of customer service, in turn increasing visitor and member retention. Results of on-site testing from 59club are a boost to customer satisfaction, revenues and profits for clubs who use their services such as customer satisfaction surveys, mystery shopping services and employee training – both virtual and on-site.

Already, 59club USA has established and developed relationships with more than 80 well-known golf clubs and resorts in North America including 14 TPC Network properties, Reynolds Lake Oconee, The Mid Ocean Club in Bermuda, Haig Point in South Carolina, Bobby Jones Links, and now Landscapes Golf Management – two of the world’s largest golf management companies.

59club Ltd 2022. All rights reserved.

Troon International, a division of Troon, the world’s largest golf management company, has selected 59club to afford its venues full access to their market-leading ‘performance management’ products & services. 

Based from their corporate office in Dubai, Troon International works with clients across Europe, Middle East, Asia and Australia. 

Mark Chapleski, President of Troon International, explained: “Troon International has recognised the benefit 59club products bring to its venues. Existing General Managers and Directors of Golf have embraced the external mystery shopping audits and utilised the feedback to improve the customer experience, develop associates, improve financial performance and help provide valuable data in setting out their long-term goals and objectives.

“This enhanced service will allow each of our properties – outside of the Americas – to utilise 59club’s product portfolio, should they so wish.”

The catalyst for the new agreement was centred around 59club Middle East & Africa’s existing successful support of nine Troon International properties in the Middle East The Els Club, Dubai Hills GC, Address Montgomerie, Arabian Ranches GC, and Meydan Golf, in Dubai; Abu Dhabi GC, Yas Links, and Saadiyat Beach GC, in Abu Dhabi; the Royal GC, in Bahrain and 59club’s long standing relationship in the UK with The  Grove.

These venues already utilise 59club’s wide range of mystery shopping products, including the golf visitor experience; golf membership sales enquiry; group golf enquiry call and integrity audits. They have also adopted the my59 survey platform to measure their member experience; custom-fit service, with 59club delivering onsite staff training which is supported by the recently launched ‘My59 Mentor’ virtual training platform. 

59club MEA director Mark Bull explained: “We are delighted to extend our relationship with Troon International on a firmer footing worldwide and, although not mandatory, this allows access to 59club’s full portfolio of products, should the General Managers and Directors of Golf choose to use them.

Troon International venues taking up this opportunity will be provided with a minimum of four mystery shopper audits per year, focussed on both their visitor and member-experience, and will benefit from the additional service & support provided by their local 59club division and the new virtual Mentor training platform.

This partnership will also see Troon International venues eligible for entry into 59club’s Annual Service Excellence Awards, regarded as the ‘Oscars’ of the golf industry, as 59club recognise individuals, teams, venues and management groups for delivering the very best member and guest experiences. 

Kristoff Both, the director of Club de Golf Alcanada, on the holiday island of Mallorca, tells all about his time working with 59club, the success it has borne, and the many customer-service accolades celebrated during their seven-year engagement.

We all think, as golf managers, that we know our product; that we don’t need anybody from the outside to tell us if the grass is green or not, because we play golf and we see most of it from the outside.

But there are certain procedures that, sitting in your office, you don’t always get to grips with – that might be the different touchpoints: the restaurant, the pro shop, the caddymaster or the halfway house, where we need to know about the friendliness and professionalism of the staff.

So, for us, 59club’s mystery shopping audits are really productive – plus it takes me out of the line of fire! It’s not me who is saying to somebody ‘I don’t think you’re doing this or that’, it’s somebody independent and it’s there in black and white in front of them.

Once or twice a year, we also receive an on-site teaching seminar with a member of the 59club team whose experience in the industry speaks for itself, so it’s also very convincing and constructive for the team here. You have a professional helping them who’s been there and implemented that practice in the industry.

Most of the seminars or further education we can get here in Spain are not specific to golf, it’s for customer service in general. But to have somebody talking about retail skills, tee-time management and the overall customer experience in golf makes it more entertaining, hands-on, and relevant to the team.

As a consequence, the team is more conscious of things like upselling and cross-selling, and, while we’re some way from being on it 100 per cent, it’s a constant reminder that we have to do these things, and we have to do them better.

The comparison tool, where we can measure our service levels and sales aptitude against our competitors, is very useful and insightful. It’s not a race, but it’s beneficial to be able to demonstrate and ask ‘Why others are performing so much better?; what are they doing differently? Or what are they offering that is different or perceived to be better?’ Learning from others is another way we can progress as a team and as a facility.

I believe the biggest change we have implemented since working with 59club is in our booking procedure, which is now far more professional.

When you look at the results of the mystery shopper audits alongside some of the other venues, it has to be borne in mind that some venues have staff dedicated to simply taking bookings, so they have different procedures to the staff here who are answering other telephone calls and dealing with customers in the shop. But our written confirmations and practices are now more thorough in terms of the information within.

I also believe there’s been a noticeable improvement with the caddymasters in the way they interact with customers. Indeed, everything around the customer touchpoints has evolved down the years we have been working with 59club, and the results from the audits have been instrumental in that evolution.

I’m looking forward to working closely with the new southern Europe 59club division, headed by James Beesley. I was pleased to learn that they will be providing documentation translated into Spanish, for the Spanish market. To be able to give my team access to the system, instead of me having to translate everything, will make it a lot easier.

For the staff who do not have the ability to read English it would be hugely advantageous, and beneficial for Alcanada as a whole, to have everything in Spanish. And I imagine that goes for clubs in all other countries, too, to be able to work in their native tongue.

The history of our relationship with 59club speaks for itself – we have been working with 59club for seven years and we’re very happy. They’re very professional and very helpful in all aspects. And you only have to look at the range of products they continue to introduce to see that it’s not a company that is standing still. They’re progressing and, as their client, we can progress too.

The service excellence awards began as a nice little extra, but as more and more clients become eligible and, as 59club becomes more international, the awards will quickly become the ‘Oscars’ of golf in Europe; just as they have been regarded in the UK for some time now.

It’s always nice to receive recognition for the hard work you have done, so we do appreciate the 59club awards. There’s also an element of competition between colleagues at other venues who’ve known each other for some time, so that adds to the allure.

It’s encouraging for the staff to be honoured with an award – Alcanada is currently a 59club gold-flag destination, the highest accolade available for a venue’s performance. It’s a great achievement for us to be mentioned in the same breath as venues which are regarded as at the top of the game.

I’ve been in the business for some 20 years, and in my 18th year at Alcanada, so it’s very important for me not to be standing still, and products from 59club help me stay alert and abreast of what’s happening and available in the industry.

We need to continue looking for ways to improve and change things, and 59club helps me to do that. It encourages me to look around corners and not to do things the same way they’ve always been done.

If I had to sum up 59club in one word, it would be ‘progressive’: it’s always progressing and pushing the boundaries, and that, in turn, pushes its clients to achieve more, which is of benefit to the whole golf industry.

Addendum: One year after working with 59club, Alcanada received a silver flag in recognition for its service excellence, and has, subsequently, been recognised every year since, culminating with a Gold Flag designation.

For those wanting a proven strategy to retrain and upskill their workforce, measure in-house standards, elevate customer acquisition, satisfaction, and profits, there has never been a better time to engage with 59club.

Visit 59club.com for more information.

North American customer service satisfaction and benchmarking firm 59club USA announced today they have reached an agreement to extend their partnership with TPC Network which operates 30 high-end golf properties in North America many of which are featured on the PGA TOUR. The extension allows 59club USA to continue to use its proprietary, industry-leading software and objective data analysis tools to provide TPC Network with valuable, quantitative and unbiased customer service feedback. 59club USA will provide these services to 14 of TPC Network’s 30 golf properties.

“The training and testing platform created the much-needed visibility into our sales organization that we’ve wanted for a long time,” said Vic Aliprando, VP of Business Development of PGA TOUR Golf Course Properties. “We now have a consistent sales training program for all new hires which allows us to focus our retraining efforts specifically on those that need it and on the areas that they need. Mike and his team are incredibly responsive and have done so much to help our sales team.”

59club is a service-based management tool and customer service provider which uses objective data points and images to measure, improve and then maintain standards of customer service, in turn increasing visitor and member retention. Results of on-site testing from 59club are a boost to customer satisfaction, revenues and profits for clubs who use their services such as customer satisfaction surveys, mystery shopping services and employee training – both virtual and on-site.

“TPC Network and their team understands the importance of consistency when it comes to sales and customer service,” said Mike Kelly, Managing Partner of 59club USA. “We’re extremely excited to continue our relationship which has already paid dividends for their tremendous properties.”

59club USA has established and developed relationships with more than 50 well-known golf clubs and resorts in North America including 14 TPC properties, We-Ko-Pa Golf Club in Scottsdale, Cuscowilla on Lake Oconee, The Mid Ocean Club in Bermuda, Haig Point in South Carolina, Ruark Golf Properties in Ocean City, Maryland, and Bobby Jones Links – one of the world’s largest golf management companies.

About 59Club USA

59Club USA is specifically designed to elevate sales and service standards. 59club USA provides mystery Shopper Audits, Customer Satisfaction Surveys, and Training Services, empowering venue managers to analyze their entire visitor and member experience, enabling them to set targets, monitor performance and ultimately make informed decisions to enhance their guest services. To learn more about 59club USA, visit https://www.59clubusa.com/.

About TPC Network

Owned, operated, and licensed by the PGA TOUR, the TPC Network is comprised of 30 premiers private, resort and daily fee golf properties designed by some of golf’s most elite architects. Twenty of the clubs are operated by affiliates of PGA TOUR Golf Course Properties, Inc. Each TPC has hosted or has been designed to host TOUR-sponsored golf tournaments. Since TPC Sawgrass first opened its world-renowned PLAYERS Stadium Course in the fall of 1980, TPCs have provided the PGA TOUR with rent-free venues for tournaments, helping to boost championship golf purses and increasing charitable donations to grass roots non-profit organizations. At the same time, TPCs have provided recreational golfers with the unique opportunity to test their skills on the same layouts where the world’s best golfers compete.

TPCs are known for their history of hosting PGA TOUR-sponsored golf tournaments, their outstanding conditioning and amenities, as well as a commitment to environmental excellence. The TPC Network is also distinguished by its unwavering commitment to further the PGA TOUR’s giving back mission through support of charitable and community-based programs. For more information, please visit www.tpc.com. For the most up-to-date news, follow the TPC Network on Twitter (@PlayTPC), Instagram (@PlayTPC) or Facebook.com/TPCNetwork.

One of the UAE’s most-popular all day dining café has partnered with the market-leading performance measurement and management specialist, 59club MEA, to ensure it maintains the highest possible service standards across its branches.

The Coffee Club has engaged 59club MEA (Middle East and Africa) to measure and refine its customer ‘journey’ at 23 of its restaurants in the UAE: 9 in Abu Dhabi, 10 in Dubai, 2 in Al Ain and 2 in Ras Al Khaimah.

Since launching in Brisbane, in 1989, The Coffee Club has become Australia’s largest home-grown café group, with around 400 outlets in nine countries, delighting more than 40 million dedicated customers, with more than 20 of those stores located in the UAE.

Ravi Chandran, CEO of parent company Liwa Minor Food and Beverages, explained: “Like most hospitality businesses we have our core standard operating procedures and staff are measured against those. 

“However, we were hugely impressed with the data and information gathered by 59club MEA during its initial visits to our stores and it became clear to us that its testing procedures were far more thorough and beneficial than anything else we had seen previously.

“The company has an impressive track record in ensuring high-service standards across its client portfolio and this is a further guarantee to our customers that the experience they enjoy at The Coffee Club will be second to none.”

59club MEA’s directors, Mark Bull and Neal Graham had an appetite to demonstrate to the brand how its proprietary mystery-visit data can highlight areas of service which might otherwise be overlooked.

Chandran was so impressed with both the quality of ‘live’ information supplied and the initiative of the pair that The Coffee Club signed a one-year contract for 59club MEA to evaluate their outlets’ service performance. 

Graham explained: “Previously, 59club’s reputation in UAE – and beyond – has been built upon its work within golf and leisure clubs, but this arrangement is testament to the ability of its products across other sectors, including pure food-and-beverage operations. 

“Each of the outlets will receive four ‘casual dining’ visits through the year and each visit will be based on what we call the four pillars of the test: attitude; facility; process; and sales. 

“59club’s reputation is based upon the ability to drill down into each of those areas to ensure the test is not a mere ‘tick-box’ exercise – it’s an in-depth analysis of both the good and the bad of the customer experience. 

“It’s not about pointing fingers; it’s designed to help staff improve – maybe even in areas where they didn’t realise they were lacking – to provide direction for further training where required, and to ensure The Coffee Club continues to be known as the most customer connected café experience by being personalized, easy and rewarding.                     

59club MEA is one of six 59club divisions worldwide, with more to follow. It was created in 2019, initially to service existing clients within the region’s golf industry following the company’s strategic approach to measure, train and support its client properties to elevate sales and service standards from a dedicated local office. 

The subsequent agenda was to introduce its ever-evolving product range – Mystery Shopping, Customer Satisfaction Surveys, Employee Training and Management Development Programmes, plus Financial Operational Comparison Tools – to an emerging audience across the region’s diverse hospitality industry. 

And, as the new partnership with The Coffee Club demonstrates, its expertise and specialist tools are equally effective in a number of other leisure spheres – membership clubs, spa, hotels and F&B are just four sectors into which 59club MEA has expanded in little more than a year.  

Golf Business News Interview with Paul Armitage, a partner in 59club Europe West and North Africa, covering France, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Morocco and Tunisia and recently appointed COO of Open Golf Club

GB Paul, your new roles must involve you in a lot of travelling. How are you coping in the COVID-19 crisis?

PA  Well, we can still travel around in France, which is most important for the new job because we have got golf courses dotted around all over the country.

GBN How many courses are in the group?

PA Owned and operated there are 11 – one of them is in Belgium and ten are in France – and then we run a ‘marketing network’ in addition. Golf courses have been brought in under the banner of Open Golf Club and we actively promote them in exhibitions and IGTM. There are about 40 at the moment, all over Europe.

GBN You previously spent six years as Managing Director at Le Golf National, host of The Ryder Cup Matches in 2018. You must look back on that period with enormous pride and satisfaction because it all went so well.

PA  Yes, and that’s one of the reasons why it’s time to move on. When I was first employed back in 2014 I was handed a lot of missions and all those boxes have been ticked. I could have chosen to run all the day-to-day operations at the Club but I’m the sort of person that  needs a challenge. I like to be able to change things. That doesn’t mean I need full autonomy so I can do what I want – no – but I like to have an objective and to go through it from A-Z, changing things on my way to succeed.

GBN Who has been appointed as your successor?

PA When I announced my resignation, which was in December last year, I wrote a letter to my boss suggesting that he should give my deputy manager a chance. Philippe Pilato has been at Le Golf National for 25 years, almost since the day it opened.

He was a golf pro and he looked after the Academy. I thought we’ve got ‘a hidden gem’ here because we needed to implement customer service and a lot of tender loving care to put into what we were going to serve out to customers in the immediate future.

We were going to raise the bar, raise the prices and bring in a new experience. To get that to a successful end you need somebody who’s got a lot of empathy and love.

I said to Philippe look I think you are going to have to change jobs. He looked a bit down, thinking oh I’m going to get the sack here and I said no, no, you’re going to have to go home and think about this but I would like to identify a director of customer service for Le Golf National. Why do I want one? Because the Club needed someone who every day gets up and thinks about how they can give a wow or a great experience to customers. There was nobody in particular on the staff who was doing that.

He came back a few days later and said yes, let’s do it.

So that’s where he came from and he’s been a very, very, extremely good customer service manager. Then last year I took him up to Director of Operations – golf operations – and now he is GM!

GBN What have been the benefits to Le Golf National from hosting The Ryder Cup? Is there a payback for the huge investment of time, money and people?

PA There has definitely been a pay-back especially in the case of Le Golf National. First, the Ryder Cup obliged the French Golf Federation and Le Golf National to change, to not consider itself as a local pay-and-play public golf course but as a world class destination. I think we have created something there which is unique as a model because it’s probably, even at 150 euros or 175 euros, the cheapest round of Ryder Cup golf in the world. And it’s open. It’s not like many major golf destinations where you have to be invited by a member or you can’t get on. And the third thing is that we’ve got an extremely good standard for those who come from those kind of places where they’ll not be too surprised to come in and they’ll have customer service and a team, badged up and  welcoming, and bag-drops and buggies and everything you need at a world-class major tournament destination.

So I think that’s the major benefit. We have repositioned Le Golf National completely keeping at the same time a local, regional and national customer base happy.

GBN And what about golf in France generally?

PA  I think that this year everybody is struggling to have a normal year. I think COVID has knocked that on the head. There’s a lot of golf being played this year but there’s not a lot of normal golf, if you know what I mean: people travelling, playing in as many competitions as they have done in the past.

I think that France is resisting well though – official golfer numbers are down by around 3% this year.

The Ryder Cup in France also delivered as far as the media is concerned. Although we didn’t get live coverage on free to view terrestrial TV, we got a lot of media coverage, much more than we would have got from a French Open, so golf was definitely in the spotlight thanks to the event.

Now, when you talk to anybody about golf in France, there is the demystifying process which has been started so it looks and feels less elite. People in France definitely identify themselves more easily with golf.

A lot of people this September are coming into Open Golf Clubs for our ‘Golf Discovery Days’. They started last weekend and participation and sales have been quite good, in fact very, very encouraging for a COVID year when everything is supposed to be doom and gloom.

GBN  And then golf is coming in the Paris Olympics in 2024?

PA  Yes. I actually think that the Olympics could do even more good for golf in France.

We will get public TV coverage because it’s public television which has the rights to show the Olympics so there’s absolutely no reason why they should not put golf on TV. It’s almost definite that France will have both boys and girls in the Olympics. We probably won’t get a medal, but It won’t be like a Major Championship, at least we’ll have participation. I mean this month in the US Open there were four French players and I think that’s a record.

So from a ticketing point of view there should be a younger public coming to the Tournament because the ticket price will be very much accessible and it’s more of a general public environment. So, I think that the Olympics could do even more good for golf in France and is definitely great for French Golf 6 years after the Ryder Cup.

GBN Right, let’s talk about 59club because soon after you wrote your letter to your colleagues at Le Golf National in December, you must have been making your decision about getting involved with the 59club. We announced that in Golf Business News back in February.

PA Yes, indeed. I did everything the right order and there was absolutely no surprise to anybody about 59club. It was all talked through with the Federation and the staff and hopefully they will be using some of the 59club tools soon too. And the same with Open Golf Club.

There was absolutely no issue either with 59club because Open Golf Club will use the tools and are interested in the success of 59club. My role at 59club is to set up the business with Simon Wordsworth and our associate partner in France called Sylvain Marcati who comes from customer service in another industry to golf. I was determined to get this product on to the French market from 59club which helped me hugely at Le Golf National from 2017 onwards to improve our standards.

I think we were capable of improving them ourselves but we weren’t capable of benchmarking to know if we were doing enough and getting there quick enough and moving things in the right direction and also the training aspect of 59club, the tool is very powerful. I wanted the French market to benefit from the wealth of products which only Le Golf National and another golf club called Terre Blanche were using. Now we’ve got nearly 30 golf courses working on it already.

If golf in France wants to survive we have to stop, and this is important to say, we have to stop playing just the price game. We have to stop just using price as the way of satisfying the customer and getting new customers through the doors.

We have to use the service quality aspect to get results as well and get the prices up because golf has an insatiable thirst for investment in machinery and staffing. It costs a lot of money to run a golf course. So yes, if we all get on the bandwagon of customer service and improving our standards then there’s no way a customer can say, why did you put the price of the green fee up by a pound or two?

And that’s why I brought it in. So we’ve gone through quite a few weeks of translating it. COVID came along and to be honest it’s put us back half a year or a year on our business plans but I’m not bothered because it actually came at a perfect time to get it just right. So we have spent ‘lockdown’ getting the tools translated correctly into French and now German. They will be going into other languages soon.

GBN  Yes, because you’re involved in other countries too, aren’t you? Not just France?

PA Yes. We have created a company which will look after all of Western Europe apart from Spain and Portugal. We also have Morocco and Tunisia. We’ve got France, Germany, Austria, Holland, and Benelux so we’ve got a lot on our plate. A lot of it is taking shape right now and we are even looking at other European markets as we speak.

GBN Your objective to move away from concentrating on price, has that gone a long way?

PA  There were a lot of golf courses just communicating price and not service or standards. Online prices were going, and in fact are still going, way too low because if you start with a rack rate of £40 for a green fee and then you offer 50% off that price; or you are in a network  and you’re offering 50% off with a loyalty card then there’s not much left for the operator after commissions and you’re paying VAT. There’s probably only £15 a round left for you.

Out of that you’ve got to cut the grass, you’ve got to pay the staff to smile and you’ve got to get them in on a Sunday, which can be costly and difficult to recruit in France, etc., etc.

We should train up every single general manager in France, England, wherever about yield management. There’s no shame in saying we don’t know how to do it. Why would you sell a green fee on a Sunday morning for 15 euros? Well some people are doing it because they think that it’s the right thing to do. They think that if they don’t do it they won’t have a customer.

Well that’s not yield management, that’s shooting yourself in the foot. So, yes, I’m heavily into the business of helping managers to increase their customer satisfaction and their customer service which automatically, according to the lessons learned from Le Golf National, will turn into turnover.

People will come back. Repeat play thanks to quality is a reality. Customer service will do that once people have had a chance to compare. Word of mouth is still your best advertisement!

So all of that has gone through my thought process over the years.  I have moved away slightly from discounts without thought process. Which doesn’t mean that I don’t do it at all, but I have really professionalised my attitude towards yield management. I still do reductions, but I want to do them when I have a good chance of increasing my revenues! Not lowering them!

GBN What is the impact of COVID on golf in France?

PA  We’re pretty much back to what I would say is going to be normal as far as golfing is concerned.

GBN  Normal or better than normal? There’s been a lot of talk about an increase in rounds played during July and August.

PA  Oh yes, in terms of business July and August have been record months. They have been record months on a few Open Golf courses.

GBN  Just a few moments left so can we talk about The Open Golf Club specifically? That’s the most recent announcement we’ve had about your career to date. You have been appointed as COO, I believe.

PA   Open Golf Club is highly respected company here in France. They have been under the radar for quite a while. It’s a family business which today is still family-owned. Laurent Boissonas has taken up the reins. He wants to try and keep the spirit of a family company, but he definitely wants to modernise process and operations.

We have some wonderful facilities. They are premium places like Le Touquet with the hotels and 45 beautiful holes and then 30 minutes up the road is Hardelot, which is a European Tour qualifying stage venue – although not this year because there won’t be any, thanks to COVID, but next year I guess. Hardelot has 36 magnificent holes, very, very well-known to the Brits but not so well-known to the French.

Then we’ve got a van Hagge like Le Golf National at Seignosse, which is a magnificent golf course just north of Biarritz. In the mountains behind Cannes we have two golf courses and then around Marseille we have three and then in Paris we have two.

So we’ve got some wonderful sites. These golf courses are not desperate for investment either because the family have always kept high capex levels on the courses and they are pristine but we need to look at positioning the chain even more in the higher end of the golf market, making sure people know who we are and what we are about.

There’s a definite objective to do more customer service, modernising our approach by using modern tools such as online booking services. We also run all of the restaurants and hotels and we have a strategy there with some out of the box thinking.

So we will be coming up with new concepts in 2021, bringing in new lifestyle concepts.

The 9 hole concepts and the 6 hole concepts, they have a reason to be – there’s no doubt about it – but it’s still a lot about having a day out with friends or corporate friends. but you may need to do a couple of hours of work or an hour of work and deal with your emails before you go for the beer after a day of golf or after breakfast. We’re looking at that kind of aspect.

So yes there is lots of work to be done at the golf courses we own and then the other part of my job with Laurent is we’re going to kick off some new business revenue flows and we’re also going to be looking at good opportunities to grow.

GBN  Within France or beyond?

PA I think we would look beyond but not too far.

GBN  You are a very busy man, Paul.

PA  I just love it and my family know it. I just love to be thinking and creating. I like to get into the office early and jot things down. It gives me a couple of hours before everyone else comes in just to formalise ideas. It’s exciting working on new concepts and when I’m happy at work I also perform better at home.

GBN  That’s great Paul, thank you very much. Is there anything else that you would like to tell our readers?

PA  Yes. Stay safe during the COVID crisis but come over to France as soon as it’s over and play some golf!

Asia is a dream destination for golfers, renowned for its abundant natural resources, a great variety of high-quality golf courses featuring challenging and signature designs by world-famous golfers and golf course architects such as Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Sir Nick Faldo, and Robert Trent Jones Jr. Couple this with rich cultures, amazing culinary experiences and warm hospitality makes Asia a must-visit golfing destination.

Asia is also the birthplace of many world-class professional golfers that have won numerous tournaments around the world tours. With a high number of golfers flowing throughout the Asian region, many golf courses in South East Asia continually seek to improve their service standards and product offering, ranging from infrastructure development to enhancing service standards to exceed customers’ expectations.

With this existing opportunity 59club Asia, the global leading Mystery Shopper Audits and Customer Satisfaction Survey programmes, has expanded its network with Asian Tour Destinations to further enhance the growth of the golf industry in the Asian region.

Asian Tour Destinations is an exclusive network of world-class golfing properties which have a stamp of tournament quality and is a hallmark of distinction where their identity is closely aligned with the Asian Tour. Every Asian Tour Destination around the region boasts a range of international-class golf courses and facilities with services to club members, guests and to Asian Tour professionals. Asian Tour members will also be granted access to play and practice at each venue facilitating for the members at each club to enjoy direct engagement with the region’s best golfers.

This innovative partnership will undoubtedly help grow the game of golf and ultimately enhance the growth of the golf industry in the Asian region. 59club Asia will provide their expertise in delivering their intelligence Mystery Shopping Audit programme as part of the partnership. The Asian Tour Destination venues will receive invaluable objective feedbacks, from the mystery guests’ perspective that can be utilised to further enhance their members and guests experiences.

59club Asia offers ground-breaking Mystery Shopper Audits, Customer Satisfaction Surveys and Staff Training and is an ‘All-in-One’ solution for the golf clubs and businesses who seek to uplift their facilities standards along with enhancing their service, sales and product offering, ultimately enhancing customer’s experiences. We are operating in many of the world’s leading golf destinations such as Asia, the UK, the Middle East, Africa, and the USA for over a decade, enjoying many success stories of improving guest experiences and driving revenues. We have helped golf clubs and businesses succeed in their goals, improve staff performance, enhance the customer’s journey, improve repeat business and increase incremental revenues which ultimately increase overall profitability.

The golf industry in the Asian region has developed and grown rapidly in the past ten years, it is undeniable that the golf industry has become very competitive these days. The golf business can’t be left to chance, 59club Asia will work with you to improve your performance and best the competition.

A spa treatment is a reward considered as a soothing, rejuvenating and typically elegant way to pamper oneself. Due to the current stress created by the COVID-19 pandemic, a spa day would be very much appreciated more than usual. Since wellness and spa services are not only about massages or body treatments, they offer self-confidence, calmness and an escape from our hectic lives.

Wellness and Spa industry is also like other industries in the current hyper-digital world relying
significantly on their online presence, since over 90% of consumers seek out and put a ton of trust in online reviews. Online reviews hold tremendous power considering that customer reviews are a powerful marketing tool and a source of unstructured feedback. On the contrary, customer reviews on the online platforms are generally subjective and obscure management team to detect accurate defects. 59club Asia, Asia’s leading sales & service analysts and training provider, is delighted to offer Wellness and Spa industry a global standard solution for ‘sales & service’ etiquette improvements.

Given that subjective criteria restrict you from identifying your actual strengths and weaknesses. Our granular and tailored-made mystery shopping audits offer a highly detailed insight of the service level being delivered daily to customers at your venue in conjunction with non-biased and comprehensively objective mystery shopping audit results. Furthermore, our products identify true strengths and weaknesses within the services & sales area and exceptionally highlight opportunities for development through measuring your opportunity and losses against upselling skills of staff members. The results can be utilised to plan KPI’s and customise training programme s for staff members and departments.

59club Asia is the Mystery Shopping Audit and Customers Satisfaction Survey market leading provider. We deliver our services to hospitality businesses such as Hotels, Spa, Sport Clubs or Leisure Clubs, Fine Dining and Golf Clubs in the Asian region. Our clients benefit from a wealth of benchmarking tools allowing them to improve and maintain sales and service etiquette, increasing customer satisfaction, revenue as well as profits. On the other hand, staff performance and high standards set by their companies will be thoroughly supervised.

Visit www.59clubasia.com to find out more about 59club Asia Spa Mystery Shopping Audits and other products or contact our team at info@59clubasia.com for all enquiries.

During the third phase of easing the Covid-19 restrictions, hotels in Thailand are gradually reopening and resuming their business after temporary closures. Absolute Hotel Services, one of the fastest growing hospitality management companies in Asia with over 60 hotels operating and under development has recently signed a contract with 59club Asia who will be providing hotels under their management with valuable management tools to measure, improve and maintain their standards of customer service, increasing visitor and member retention in turn.

Absolute Hotel Services, headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand with regional offices in Vietnam, Indonesia, Hong Kong, India and now Europe with more expansions in the pipeline, provides a unique range of hospitality services and consultancy as well as hotel management services for the luxury to economy segments through its brands U Hotels & Resorts, Eastin Grand Hotels & Resorts, Eastin Hotels, Resorts & Residences, Eastin Easy, Travelodge and Vienna House.

Mr. Jonathan Wigley, Owner, Founder and CEO of the Absolute Hotel Services Group stated that “Within our group we have been doing mystery audits as part of our annual hotel process for the past 10 years and we worked with an external partner for this. The reason we switched to 59club Asia is very much the flexibility in the mystery audit programme and that we were able to work closely with the 59club Asia organization to develop the programme that works for us. It is also great value for money, I have to say. Third point is we are able to get some comparisons of our audits with other hotel groups which we’ve never had before, we found that’s a great tool and very worthwhile for us. I think once again with the Mystery Shopper Audits, it is viewing our hotels from a customer perspective. It will allow 59club Asia auditors to see our hotels through the eyes of the current consumer, which are obviously very concerned about safety measures and security during their stays with us. It is an integral part in us ensuring that things we have implemented in our hotels to deal with concerns of the Coronavirus from a guest perspective and I regard it is an absolutely paramount part of our check and balance process within our hotels.”

Ms. Araya Singhsuwan, Director of Operations of 59club Asia, stated with excitement about the contract signing with AHS, “59club Asia team is honored to deliver our products to Absolute Hotel Services, which are a renowned management group and operate highly reputable hospitality brands throughout Asia. Our granular and tailored-made Hotel Mystery Shopping Audits will ensure that the hotels under Absolute Hotel Services management with their brand specific standards and procedures will be individualized especially during the post-Covid19 reopening. Having the opportunity to audit the hotel brands under AHS management will allow 59club Asia to work with hotels from within the luxury to economy segments, which will highlight the flexible auditing features of our Hotel Mystery Shopper Audit programmes. It is a very significant first step of 59club Asia Hotel Mystery Shopper programme in Asia and a game changer for the industry.”

59club Asia delivers globally leading Customer Service Analysis, pioneering Member & Visitor Surveys, Mystery Shopping Audits and Staff Training within your business. Our clients benefit from a wealth of benchmarking tools that are used to train staff, set KPI’s, monitor performance, advance overall standards and compare the facility to make service level comparisons across the industry.

59club Director, Mark Reed is back from his Tour of the UAE where he has been busy corrupting the teams at Dubai Golf & Yas Links empowering them to convert more member sales and retain more club members.  

Training has focused on the exact same ‘59club membership sales procedures’ that assisted one of the largest golf group in the UK increase their membership sales performance by 77% in year 1, and 90% in year 4.  

Yas Links is fairly new to 59club after calling on their expertise last year, but the teams wasted no time in getting to grips with the 59club sales and service principals.  

Howie Roberts, Yas Links General Manager was quick to acknowledge the positive impact that 59club has had on staff performance and the way he manages his business when it comes to visiting golfers, members and prospective members.  

“I am confident that when a golfer visits Yas Links that everything we do has been carefully planned, that the service we offer is guaranteed and that when it comes to our bottom line we are doing well. 59club has assisted us to breakdown the customer journey and scrutinise the minuscule to make a big impact.  

Marks training day with the team put the icing on the cake for us, he gave them new focus, ignited the fire in their bellies and has given them new direction and a process that we now need to follow in order to excel.  We are already looking forward to Marks return trip as we constantly strive to do better”.

The team at Dubai Golf have worked with 59club to develop their sales performance & service etiquette for the past 5years where both The Emirates Golf Club & Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club as a result are witnessing some of the best membership conversion and retention rates that the group has ever seen.   

Chris May, Dubai Golf CEO said “Having Mark deliver the training to the team has given them a heightened perspective of the standards that we expect from our staff and the service that our members and guests deserve.  

It’s truly inspirational to see Marks passion and vision for wanting to create the best experience for our members from the very moment they join. The team are literally buzzing and can’t wait to incorporate 59clubs sales and service tactics into ‘club life’.  

59club Director Mark Reed added, “When members choose to join these forward thinking clubs, reassuringly they will never be treated like ‘a number’. These clubs work hard to assist members integrate into club life and guarantee to make their life as a member experience the very best”.  

Dubai Golf famously collected the ‘Golf Group of the year’ Award at the 2016 ‘59club Sales & Service Awards Ceremony’ famously regarded as the ‘Oscars’ of the golf industry. The Creek was honoured with the ‘Ultimate Golf Members Award’ and The Emirates went on to collect the 59club Gold Flag Award, further demonstrating the groups commitment to providing the best experience for visiting golfers and their members who are lucky enough to call Dubai Golf their club!  

59clubs UK ‘Sales, Service and Retention Roadshow’, coming to a club near you, takes place between the 5^th and 8^th of December 2016. The 59club Directors will empower you to convert more member sales & maximise member and visitor revenue. Whilst the infamous American, Gregg Patterson, will excite & entertain as he discusses the BUZZ, the LOVE and the GLOW enlarging and enriching the service experience.  

Contact 59club for further information on this must attend event aimed at Owners, Managers, Directors of Golf and all aspiring future managers – come and be enlightened!