gmé | issuu 27

european delightAn epic 34th Ryder Cup ended in glory for

Sam Torrance and the European team. Now all of the hype has died down, just howmuch does this victory mean to your club?

The leading business magazine for the pan-European golf industry

GolfGolfManagementE u ro p e page 15

October 2002www.portman.uk.com

UK £5.00 Eur €8.00US $7.75

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Contents

West Wing is a fantastic tv show - full of drama and superb characters. But itcouldn’t compete with the 2001 Ryder Cup for drama.

No scriptwriter could have come up with such a scenario. And in severalhundred years time when the 23rd century equivalent of Steven Spielberg

decides to turn the events of the De Vere Belfry in September 2002 into amovie, critics will say it’s implausible.

For a start the first drama surrounding the event happened a yearbefore it finally teed off. The tragic circumstances of September 11,2001, put everything into perspective - golf is just a game.

Twelve months later when we felt it was not disrespectful to onceagain feel passion for a sporting event, the gladiators from thetwo sides of the Atlantic gave us three days to remember for alifetime. Sure we won - apologies to any American subscribers -but the USA played just as big a part in making the 34thRyder Cup one of the most memorable yet.

It was special. And fitting given the circumstances of thedelayed event that though Europe produced the heroes,there were no villains; there was no need for a fall guy.

Nobody made a real hash of anything. Some playerssimply played better than others over three days. And,at the cessation of sporting hostility, it was gratifyingto see both teams congratulate each other in a bond ofmutual respect.

It was undeniably one of the great sporting events ofthe modern era, but we should not lose sight of thefact that it is only sport. Thankfully, nobody died.

Nobody made a ‘tragic’ error. For there are notragedies on a golf course. Nor are there on a tenniscourt or a football pitch.

The two great rivals will meet again soon; and theresult will be different. But we must always acceptdefeat graciously and victory magnanimously. Thereis no room for bitterness in a sporting arena.Golf, like most sports, provides an opportunity forgreat rivalry and wonderful competition - but itshould not go further. Nor should the media beallowed to build it up to such a point.

The events of September 11, 2001, provide a starkreminder to us all of our frailty and mortality andwe should appreciate competitive sport for just whatit is.

Europe won a golf contest. But two continents wonrespect.

Spills, thrillsand drama. We had it all

issue 27credits;editorJohn Vinicombe

contributorsDavid BowersAlister MarshallRob Wright

publisherMichael Lenihan

administrationSharon O’Connell

printColourspeed

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© Portman Publishing andCommunications Ltd 2002

cover story 7

brest iroise 23

water 18

safety 32

Golf Management Europe October 2002

News

October 2002 Golf Management Europe

Lead StoryBeleaguered golf operator Clubhaus plchas announced that it has sold a furtherseven courses, five of which are locatedin Germany.

Hof Trages Golf Club, Frankfurt,Lüdersburg Golf Club, Hamburg,Nippenburg Golf Club, Stuttgart, TutzingGolf Club, Munich, and the Seeburg sitein Berlin have all been purchased jointlyby two German companies.

The new owners - AS LüdersburgBeteiligungsgesellschaft mbH and CSBeteiligungsgesellschaft mbH - paidClubhaus a total consideration of£400,000 in cash, whilst assuming afurther £5 million in liabilities.

In addition, Clubhaus will retain shareswith a par value of €1 million, will bereleased from its guarantee with regardto a €3.3 million loan from a local bank,and will be relieved of approximately €2million of future obligations with regardto the Seeburg project.

In addition to the German sales,Montpensier Golf Club in Vichy, Francehas been sold to Thorpelane Limited for a

total consideration of £500,000 in cash,with the purchaser assuming a further£500,000 in liabilities.

Finally, Three Rivers Golf Club in Kenthas been sold to The Peachey Retirementand Trust Scheme for a total considera-tion of £2.25 million.

It is expected that all proceeds fromthe sales will be used to reduce groupbank borrowings.

The disposals are in line with thecompanies strategy outlined in the inter-im results announced on 28 June 2002,which stated that non-core assets wouldbe disposed of to reduce gearing andimprove the prospects for future growthand development of the company.

Montpensier, Three Rivers and the fiveGerman courses did not fall within thecore focus of the group, which, followingthe strategic review of the group's facili-ties, will focus on the UK Country Clubformat.

The remaining non-core asset disposalsare expected to be completed within thenext few months.

Clubhaus dispose of more‘non-core assets’

Plans for further development at TheBristol Golf Club have stalled after SouthGloucestershire Council’s planning offi-cers decided the scheme would harm thegreen belt.

However, parish council leaders saythey have no problem with the outlinescheme for the indoor health and fitnessfacilities, a 30-bedroom residential lodgeand practice driving bays.

A spokesman for the parish councilsaid: “Given that no part of the buildingcan be seen unless you are on the prem-ises of the golf club, the proposed devel-opment is not considered inappropriate.”

Members merely asked if a footpathcould be created to a viewpoint on aridge overlooking the Severn estuary.

The club which opened in 2000, has amembership of more than 600 and hasacquired an adjacent piece of landtotalling 200 acres.

The club eventually wants to build asecond 18-hole course bringing the costof the overall expansion to an estimated£5 million.

Expansionplans on holdat The Bristol

Textron, the parent company of Ransomes, Jacobsen and EZGO have announced thatwith immediate effect, they have changed their trading name to Ransomes Jacobsen.

The announcement was made at SALTEX in September which also saw the surprisedeparture of Glynn Patrick, the former European, Middle East and African sales directorwho has been replaced by David Withers (pictured above.) The news that Patrick hadleft the company by “mutual consent” had come as a shock to many of the dealers,and followed the announcement a few weeks earlier that the future of the Ipswichmanufacturing facility had been secured.

It’s all change at Textron

Work has just started in central Indiaon a new 18-hole course designed byDavid Hemstock. The course, to be calledthe Golconda Fort Golf Club, Hyderabad,is the first to built in India since the Rajended over 50 years ago.

The majority of the layout lies within alarge, ancient, pink-granite fort asHemstock explained: “This wonderfulproject combines a perfect setting forgolf with historic structure preservationand environmental improvement.”

India has over 150 golf courses,although in the last ten years a numberof high profile and top quality courseshave been constructed, mostly to helpsatisfy the country’s passion for golf.

India set fornew course


Toro Irrigation is nearing completion of one of its most significant new UK projects- the £650,000 installation of a new complete irrigation system for two traditional

links courses at the ambitious new Archerfield development new Muirfield. Ian Everard, project manager for development owners Caledonian Heritable said:

“Toro offered the most cost-effective package, which on a project of this size is animportant consideration.”

Ambitious scheme look to Toro

Royal Troon Golf Club have recently purchased two further 21” Lloyds Paladinmowers increasing the fleet of Paladins to seven machines. Course Manager BillMcLachlin has been a Paladin user for many years and uses the because of its reputa-tion within the industry as one of the best fine turf mowers on the market.

The machines were the first order that was supplied via the new Lloyds dealer forsouthwest Scotland Alex McDougal mowers.

Pictured with the Paladin Mowers, from left is Clive Nottingham managing directorof Lloyds & Co Letchworth Ltd along with Bill McLachlin course manager of RoyalTroon and Alex McDougal.

Royal Troon adds to its clan

It’s par for thecourse

The first students to take the UK’s onlyBA degree in golf management havebegun their studies in Dornoch, just ashort pitch from the internationallyfamous championship links.

Aged between 18 and 45, the 27students have come from Scotland,England, Wales, the Republic of Irelandand as far afield as Norway. During theirtime they will also work at some of thetop courses in Scotland, includingSt Andrews, Gleneagles and Turnberry.

Ian Fraser, the director of the DornochCampus, said the BA is a managementdegree aimed at creating a new breed ofhighly qualified managers to manage andrun golf facilities.

“It will bring a new professionalism tothe industry,” he said. “We want golf tostay as a game of the people, but if wecontinue the way we are going it willbecome an elitist sport.

“If we don’t start to manage our clubsbetter the costs are going to escalate.”

News


Thanks to two recent appointments,guests enjoying the Priestman champi-onship golf course at De Vere Slaley Hall,are finding an 11th hole with a difference.

Sally and Becky Hammel, two sistersfrom Kansas, USA, have joined De VereSlaley Hall in the role of golf retail assis-tants as part of a summer-long workingholiday around Europe.

They originally wrote to hotel manager,Andrew Coggings last year, to enquireabout positions after finding out aboutthe hotel on the Internet.

Both Sally and Becky aged 23 and 21are accomplished golfers with handicapsof five and six. As well as assistingcustomers in the golf shop and managingrefreshments on the courses, the girlsrun the Par 3 Challenge: an 11th holetarget teaser, where guests are invited togo head to head with the girls in a driveto the green.

The sisters have both played golf athigh competitive levels and have workedat various US golf courses for a numberof years.

Mark Stancer, golf operations mangerat De Vere Slaley Hall said: “Sally andBecky are true champions in the makingand a welcome addition to the team hereat De Vere Slaley Hall.

“I think guests will warm to theiroutgoing, bubbly natures and enjoy aninjection of healthy competition at the11th on the Priestman course.”

UnbeatableDuo at Slaley

Golf England has appointed MikeCouzens as managing director to run theongoing development of the new officialnational programme for amateur golf.

Couzens joins Golf England from CISCOwhere he was European marketing direc-tor. He has a wealth of experience indeveloping brands at Intel, where helaunched the Intel Inside campaign inEurope, and CISCO, where he broughtCISCO in as the title sponsor of the WorldMatch Play Championship.

Both brands went on to become two ofthe top twenty most valuable brands inthe world. He is also committed to bring-ing technology and the Internet into thegame and this will be key to the nextphase of development for Golf England.

“I admit it - I’m passionate about golf,and want to see more put back into theamateur game,” said Couzens after hisappointment had been confirmed.

“Golf England is an exciting opportuni-ty to bring more communities of peopleinto golf and to increase the effective-

ness of clubs through the application oftechnology and the Internet.”

Couzen’s appointment coincides withthe next stage in the evolution of GolfEngland. This includes the launch of theAssociate member scheme - the latestdevelopment initiative from Golf Englanddesigned to promote golf to a wider audi-ence, as well as technology testing at across-section of member clubs.

The Associate scheme extends thework started by the English Golf Unionthat already has over 7,000 members inits current scheme. Couzens added: “Thelaunch of the Associate member schemefurther emphasises Golf England’s ambi-tion to make golf more accessible and tobroaden the game’s appeal.

“By encouraging people to join thisvirtual club, they will be able to enjoymany of the benefits of a classic golfclub and more.

“It will raise the profile of the gameand it is hoped that it will help golfthrive in this country.”

Golf England set to evolvewith Couzens as new chief

Garcia Taylor Made for adidasSergio Garcia, has joined TaylorMade-adidas golf’s team of tour staff professionals.

Garcia will play TaylorMade branded golf clubs and Maxfli branded golf balls, and inaddition, he will switch to adidas headwear. He will continue to wear adidas golfapparel and footwear, as he has since turning professional in 1999.

Currently number five in the official World Golf Rankings, Garcia has won threetimes on the PGA Tour and four times on the PGA European Tour and played forEurope’s 1999 and 2001 Ryder Cup teams.

“I’m very excited about deepening my relationship with TaylorMade-adidas golf,given the company’s history of creating high performance and innovative products,”commented Garcia.


Craftsman Quality LockersAlington Road, Little Barford,

St Neots PE19 6WE England

Telephone: 01480 405396Facsimile: 01480 470196

www.craftsman-quality-lockers.co.uk

COVER STORY

Cover StoryThe Royal and Ancient Golf Club of StAndrews is the headquarters of worldgolf and one of the UK�s oldest golfclubs whose facilities date back to 1854.

In 2000 the R&A embarked on asubstantial £2.5 million refurbishmentplan to refurbish their clubhouse, a proj-ect which was completed earlier this year.

Craftsman Quality Lockers wereasked to draft a proposal and after anextensive evaluation process won thecontract. The challenge was to transforma once dark and cramped basement areainto a welcoming changing room envi-ronment in which members could feelrelaxed.

Craftsman installed American Oakcoin return lockers designed to accom-modate golf bags and holdalls.

In addition, multiple hangingwardrobes were installed to make bestuse of the existing space, without takingup too much room.

Feature bench seating was added tocreate a focal point and ample groom-ing stations were also provided.

Craftsman worked closely withWellwood Leslie Architects throughoutthe project, who in order to increasespace in this area, carried out substan-tial alterations to raise the ceiling andincrease connections between thedifferent parts of the locker room.

Colours were specifically chosen tocompliment the oak lockers and tomaximise brightness within the chang-ing rooms. Mirrors and lighting wereused to further enhance the atmosphere.

Lachlan McIntosh, projects secre-tary at the R&A is happy with the refur-bishment: �The improved changingrooms have had a major impact on thearea. They have transformed theambiance within the clubhouse and Iwould say that they have improvedmember satisfaction.

�We were already aware ofCraftsman�s reputation within the golfindustry - their lockers are well knownfor their quality and most importantly,their durability.

�This means that we won�t need toinvest further in this area for quite sometime. The appearance of the lockersfinally reflect the quality we wouldexpect at St Andrews.�

Craftsman’s Quality thekey factor for St Andrews

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News

Located in the Sanderstead countryside,Selsdon Park is one of Le Meriden’s flag-ship hotels and have recently invested ina series of portable dance floors by StageSystems.

Conference manager, Caroline Morrone,said: “Our conference and hospitalitysuites are well used throughout the year.

“Having lots of time to tidy, clear andre-set rooms for functions is a luxury.Given this, we’re interested in equipmentthat makes life easy.”

Panels have a lacquered hardwood,parquet surface that blends well withSelsdon’s decor, and they link togetherwithout the need for tools.

Colour co-ordinated trims complete thedance area which run flush to the floorhence there is no tripping hazard. Thefact that panels stack on wheeled trolleysmakes them easy to move around theSelsdon campus which comprises an 18-hole championship golf course.

“Wheeled storage is a great benefit,”added Morrone. “Wheeled storage meanswe can get a dance floor into the suite,set up and out again at the end of theevening without wasting valuable stafftime.”

A French greenkeeper is to be honouredby an International company in recogni-tion of the outstanding dedication andloyalty to his course, which ultimatelysecured its future.

Jean-Pierre Nicocia, course manager ofthe Prince de Provence will be presentedwith a Floratine International Keeper-of-the-Green award by David Snowden,marketing manager for Floratine Productslater this month.

The course designed by Robert TrentJones on the Cote d’Azure just north ofNice, was an ambitious project whichincluded three golf courses, housing andan outdoor theatre.

However, in 1993 the project was besetwith financial difficulties and ultimatelyhanded back to its French financiers withonly one course complete. A skeletongreenkeeping staff of three were retaineduntil 1997 when all were made redundantdue to lack of funds.

However, Nicocia refused to abandonthe course, and returned alone andunpaid throughout the summer maintain-ing the course in a hope that a buyerwould be found.

“It never occurred to me to abandonthe course,” said Nicocia. “It has suchbeauty that it was unthinkable that itcould return to waste land.”

Later that year, a consortium ofNorwegian golfers purchased the coursefrom the financiers and the course wassaved. “For years we had been waiting forsomeone to turn up,” recollects Nicocia.

Maintenance, which had been cut to aminimum, had to begin again almostfrom scratch. “The height of the greensafter two months without being cut wasmeasured in centimetres rather thanmillimetres.

“As for the rough, which had beenabandoned, it had become a playgroundfor wild boars,” concluded Nicocia.

French greenkeeper receivesdeserved recognition

A golf professional who was fired byhis club for vomiting on the carpetduring a Christmas party has won hisclaim for unfair dismissal.

Willie Milne, 51, a former EuropeanTour pro, was bunkered when officials atCarnoustie fired him for “gross miscon-duct” in January 2001.

They claimed he had disrupted theparty and the entertainer and paid“unwanted attention” to some of thewomen present.

However, a Dundee tribunal found inMilne’s favour despite saying he was 80per cent to blame for the dismissal.

The tribunal decided there had been“serious procedural shortcomings” whichmade the sacking unfair.

Golf Pro winstribunal case

A three-day festival of golf culminatingin a well attended Pro-Am saw the officialopening of the second nine holes at theGolf-Club Stiftland, Germany, recently.

The course, which was built by Brian DPierson, was the third course completedby the Dorset-based constructor inGermany over the past year.

The fully completed 18-hole par-72course, which includes a driving range,chipping green and putting green, is6,175 metres long.

The picture below shoes Brian Pierson(left) presenting club president DrWolfgang Ries with a Challenge Shieldfor use in club tournaments.

Stiftland openback nine

The Stage Floor


Matfen Hall, situated in rolling Northumbrian countryside and owned by Sir Hughand Lady Blackett, has purchased a fleet of 12 EZGO golf cars for use by members and

guests at the golf facilities at the superb leisure complex. Almost adjacent toHadrian's Wall and only 12 miles from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the golf course at MatfenHall is a 6569 yard, par 72 PGA tournament venue set in a classic parkland landscape

with challenging water features and a unique dry stone ‘ha ha’ wall hazard.

Maften Hall buy EZGO Fleet

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Martin HawtreeFellow of the European Institute of Golf Course Architects

Daly and theBlue SuedeGolf shoes

Big-hitting American pro John Daly isto design an Elvis Presley-themed golfcourse. The big Presley fan said: “Elvis’sfavourite house was the White Houseand we will replicate that.

“Donna Presley, his first cousin, willdecorate it as he would have wanted it -it’s going to be beautiful.”

It is one of several projects the long-hitter is currently planning. He will soonstart work on a course in China and alsoplans to create the world’s longestcourse in Las Vegas - 8,500 yards fromthe back tees.

Meanwhile, also in Las Vegas,construction is underway on a 24-hourgolf entertainment centre.

A mile off The Strip, the centredesigned by the firm headed by Pete Dye- the man behind Kiawah Island - willfeature 24 putting greens inspired byfamous courses from across the globe.

As if a Bernhard Langer designed Championship links wasn’t already enough,Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links has launched a brand new health club, so non-golf-ing partners can spend their days being pampered.

The health club is run by Maureen Mullen, who has eighteen years experience work-ing in America and who holds qualifications in both beauty and sports therapies. Averitable Who’s Who of famous faces have enjoyed Mullen’s therapies, including sportsstars, actors, politicians and business professionals.

American Beauty for Irish Links

News


South Dublin Council have recentlypurchased four new Lloyds PentadHydraulic gang mowers for cutting theparks, sports fields and golf coursesthroughout the area the authority covers.

Manufactured by Lloyds & CoLetchworth, the Pentad hydraulic gangmower is a very robust machine which isdesigned to cope with the rigours oftoday’s grass cutting requirements.

The equipment was supplied by Lloydsdealer, Dublin based Treacy Mowers &Machinery who, since becoming Lloydsdealers four years ago, have seen theirsales of Lloyds products go from strengthto strength.

Press gangedto Dublin

Charterhouse Turf Machinery, the distributors of specialist turf and grounds careequipment, have appointed two new recruits.

Paul Gregory, 23, becomes southern area sales manager with responsibility for salesof all Charterhouse turf equipment and Antonio Carraro tractors in the south ofEngland. Gregory, who holds a degree in Landscape Architecture from BirminghamUniversity, was previously a sales demonstrator for Charterhouse, and has been withthe company two years.

Charterhouse’s second new appointment is Ashleigh Harpur, who has joined asmarketing assistant and will work closely with Charterhouse director, Philip Threadgold.

Gavaghan’sfresh thinking

Plans for a new course on the outskirtsof Stoke-on-Trent have been lodged withplanners by a local businessman.

Tony Gavaghan, 41, believes thecomplex - planned for almost 100 acresof land at Werrington - will break themould by welcoming players of bothsexes from the age of five.

He said: “Clubs do not do enough toencourage youngsters into the sport andmy dream is to produce the Englishequivalent of Tiger Woods.”

Gavaghan is a member at Uttoxeter GC,where he took up the sport a couple ofyears ago. He added: “Novices often findcourses too daunting. We will change that.

“To give people confidence we willstart with easy-to-tackle holes andsteadily progress to more difficult ones.”

The proposals are for a nine-hole easycourse, a nine-hole intermediate courseand a nine-hole advanced course.

Innovative features include an all-weather putting green and a mini golfcourse for family use. There will also be acreche and in school holidays there willalso be training camps for children.

A Flowtronex Europe pumpset with aningenious addition - a unit that providesautomatic fertilisation within the irriga-tion water supply ensuring a consistentand time efficient application - has beeninstalled at one of Spain’s premier golfcourses.

Widely acknowledged as one of thebest courses on the Costa Del Sol, theSan Roque Golf Club will feature a new18-hole championship course for whichthe new state-of-the-art Flowtronex pumpstation will provide regular irrigation.

As the first of its kind in Europe, thisFlowtronex pump station has also beendesigned and built with a fertigation unitmounted on the same baseplate as thepumps along with the control panel.

“This innovative design project marks asignificant step in the future of pumpstation technology,” commented KevinShaw, Flowtronex’s European-based salesmanager.

“Flowtronex is pleased to provide acomplete solution to both irrigation andfertilisation for one of Europe’s top desti-nations for golfing holidays and tourna-ments.”

The Mediterranean is familiar territoryfor Flowtronex which has already installed11 pumpsets in Portugal in the past threeyears, including some of the most presti-gious courses on the Algarve includingQuinta do Lago, Vilamoura and the newlyopened Quinta da Ria.

“The fertigation system works byadding the fertiliser into the water at arate determined by the water flow. Thisautomatic process ensures the correctamount of fertiliser is being used and isan excellent labour-saving device,” addedShaw.

“During the dry summer months it iscrucial that golf courses are properly irri-gated and this new system has the addedbonus of all-important regular fertilisa-tion.

“This winning combination will ensurethe new turf flourishes and will allow theSan Roque Golf Club to continue offeringsome of the best golf in Spain.”

The Hampshire-based company has alsoinstalled three advanced pumpsets for theShatin racecourse in Hong Kong, thehome of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, andone of the world’s finest turf courses.

Flowtronex leading the way in Spain and Hong Kong

New intake at Charterhouse


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News


Construction work on Walhampton GolfCentre on the outskirts of Lymington hasrecently got under way. Farnham-basedgolf course architects Weller Designs -run by twin brothers David and BruceWeller - won the commission to designthe new 9-hole pay and play course.

The 50-acre site belongs to the Goodallfamily who have owned Bamptons Farmfor around 100 years. Like many farmers,they have been looking into variousdiversification projects as farm incomeshave declined.

Bruce Weller commented: “The pay andplay golfer now demands high qualityfacilities and Walhampton Golf Centre willbe no exception.

“The course is designed to be enjoy-able to both beginners and experiencedgolfers. The greens are to USGA specifica-tion and combined with the naturally freedraining site, the course will undoubtedly

gain a reputation in the area for greatgolf and excellent year round playingconditions.”

Contractors MJ Smith have beenentrusted with the construction work. Anexceptionally dry September and Octoberhas resulted in considerable progressbeing made.

Turfing of the putting surfaces isunderway with the intention to open thecourse in early summer 2003.

Rick Tapson, the overall project devel-opment manager, is excited at how wellthe project is progressing: “Bruce andDavid Weller have designed a stimulatingand challenging course that fits sympa-thetically into the existing landscape.

“They have communicated their ideasefficiently and effectively, contributinggreatly to an atmosphere of close co-operation between all of the partiesinvolved in the project.”

Weller twins get underwayon former farmland

HLL Humberts Leisure has beeninstructed by Leeds City Council to offerits portfolio of five pay and play golfcourses to the market on 75-year leases.

Additionally, Leeds City Council isoffering the freehold reversionary inter-est in the five-star Oulton Hall Hotel,which is let to De Vere Hotels.

The full portfolio, which is availableeither individually or as a packageincludes Temple Newsam, Oulton Park,Middleton Park, Gotts Park andRoundhay Park.

Council to sellgolf portfolio

A state-of-the-art LEGIC smart cardsystem to improve efficiency andcustomer service has been installed atSwitzerland’s newest golf course, theGolfpark Otelfingen.

Owned and operated by Switzerland’slargest retailer, Migros has invested €15million in its development including theinstallation of the latest smart cardtechnology.

The club, which occupies a 72-hectaresite just outside Zurich, first opened inAugust 2001.

Smart cardsin the swing

Stansfieldand Wardlego Dutch

Agronomist David Stansfield and inde-pendent irrigation engineer Giles Wardleare working together at RosendaelscheGolf Club in Arnhem, Holland.

Established in 1895 this pine andheather heathland course is the thirdoldest in Holland.

Stansfield has been advising the clubon agronomy for several years: “It hasbeen apparent from the beginning thatthe irrigation system had reached theend of its useful life.

“Even if it had remained reliable thedesign still needed to be updated to givea more uniform application on the greens,tees and dune-like fairways and achieve aconsistent presentation and a more stableenvironment for high quality turf.

“Once the club had taken the decisionto invest in a new irrigation system, itwas recommended they commission adesign from an independent irrigationengineer to ensure the new systemdesign was tailored to meet the club’sobjectives.”

Wardle of Wardle Consulting Engineerswas pleased to oblige: “After giving a talkto the NGA, the Dutch greenkeeper’s asso-ciation, earlier in the year we are reallypleased to start our first project inHolland and especially pleased to work ona course of the quality of Rosendaelsche.

“We have just completed the GPS surveyof the course to get an accurate scale baseplan with which to draft the irrigationsystem. The GPS survey is imported direct-ly into our irrigation design CAD softwareenabling us to design the system accu-rately and precisely and to tailor it to theunique circumstances of the course.”

Charles Allen has joined Campey Turf Care Systems as a full-time member of thecompany’s specialist contracting operation, which undertakes maintenance and

renovation work for clients throughout the north of England. Allen, who has beenassociated with Campey for several years, secured a work experience placement with

the Macclesfield-based company whilst at school and then after completion of hisGCSEs, embarked on a three-year HND course in Engineering.

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Ingmar Wolbert, 24, from Vorden in the Netherlands, is the 2002 winner of theGleneagles Excellence in Golf Award Scheme, which is sponsored by Ransomes Jacobsen.

Jimmy Kidd, golf courses and estate director at The Gleneagles Hotel said: “Ingmar,who is currently assistant head greenkeeper at Golf Course ‘t Zelle in Henglo, travelledto Sweden during his 12-month placement to study golf course management, and inparticular the trees that formed an integral part of the golf course.

“On his return his dissertation was a study of the trees that border the Kings andQueens courses here at Gleneagles and contained a detailed inventory that can beused as a guide for efficient tree care and management in the future. He is a worthywinner of this year’s award.”

Ingmar wins GEGAS award

The first championship course in Walesto be designed by Jack Nicklaus willopen officially next summer.

The £8 million, 18-hole, links-stylecourse will open two years behind sched-ule because of delays in the luxury hous-ing development on which it depends forits financing.

But through the combined efforts ofCarmarthenshire County Council, theWelsh Development Agency and theNicklaus Joint Venture Group, an ambi-tious plan has been agreed to kickstartthe £20m housing scheme.

Nicklaus has already visited the presti-gious Machynys Peninsula site, whichforms part of the Llanelli MillenniumCoastal Park, and his son Gary haspersonally taken charge of the designand layout of the course where the fair-ways, bunkers and greens have alreadybeen formed.

Just in theNick of timefor Jack

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Europe strike it rich

Profits generated by the 34thRyder Cup of blessed memo-ry are expected to be in theregion of £9.1m. The 50-50

split is between the European Tour andthe PGA.Richard Hills, the Ryder Cup director,

says that due to the postponementfor a year in the wake of September

11, the profit figure is subject tochange and added: �It is expected thatthe final calculations will take a little

longer than normal to be determined.�Nevertheless, this is splendid news

as the golf industry will benefit fromtop to bottom. Victory for Europe overthe United States at The De Vere Belfry

not only provided a world-class sport-ing event, but ensured the continuedgood health of the game.

�The European Tour and the PGA areboth cognisant of the need to filterrevenue through the respective channelsto ensure that a considerable amount goesto golf at grass roots level,� said Hills.

He was not prepared to talk specificamounts but the general picture isbright at a time when some lower eche-lons of golf are finding it difficult toattract sponsorships.

Among the widespread golfingpublic in the UK there have been criti-cisms of the Ryder Cup being played inSeptember. "

The 34th Ryder Cup was an outstanding success, not just for the victorious Europeanteam, but for the PGA European Tour who are set to share a cash windfall in excess of £9 million. John Vinicombe investigates where the money is headed.



Is there any possibility of bringingthe fixture forward to kick-start theseason? I put the question to RichardHills.

�The dates for the foreseeable futureare fixed for the month of September,�he said so that means no change in2006 at The K Club in Co. Kildare. Inthis respect the date is of little impor-tance and would probably be too late tochange now.

Ireland 2006 represents a partner-ship between the Irish Tourist Boardand three private sector companies -AIB Bank, the Irish Food Board andWaterford Crystal.

Ireland is the first �destination�sponsor of the Ryder Cup and Ireland2006 aims to use the event to promotethe country as a first class holiday, golf-ing and business destination. This is afurtherance of Ireland 2006 being asponsor of the 1999 European RyderCup team and an official partner of the34th matches.

All among the golfing public withaccess to satellite television agreed thatSky did a magnificent job and thatBBC�s coverage of the highlights wasalso well up to standard.

But is there any chance of securingan even greater world wide audience bythe matches being shown at the sametime on terrestrial TV? The shortanswer from Richard Hills is, no.FactorsHe explained: �All factors have to betaken into account. The European Tourmust be concerned not only with threedays of golf but with the other 51weeks of the year. We cannot build ourlives around three days only.

�We have to be conscious of theother European Tour events beingplayed during the remainder of the year.We are comfortable with the balancebetween satellite and terrestrial televi-sion, as are the regulating authorities.

�We have come up with a balance oflive coverage on Sky backed-up by avery good terrestrial highlights packagein the early evening. Early indicationsof the 34th matches are that the figuresin both cases are very good.�

The matches at The De Vere Belfrywere beamed into more than652,000,000 homes and in total thepictures reached 42 countries with 47stations broadcasting. ChinaThis included live coverage for the firsttime in Eastern Europe and China. As Hillssaid: �There are now very few places onearth where the Ryder Cup cannot bewatched in one form or another.�

Sky Sports, as the host broadcasters,stamped its own outlook on the event.For the first time Sky provided up toeight channels on its digital interactiveservice.

NBC served coast-to-coast Americawhile Canal+ (France), TVE (Spain),Telepui (Italy), Viasat (Sweden), TV3+(Denmark) TV3 (Norway), DSF/Premiere(Germany) and TGC of Japan were all on-site with commentary teams. The GolfChannel provided news coverage for theUnited States from the Media Centre andtheir own studio at the course.

As 30,000 enthusiasts passedthrough the gates each day a total of124 cameras, 90 kilometres of cable, 15kilometres of fibre optics, 30 kilometresof audio multiway cable, 25 outsidebroadcast production vehicles, 10 satel-lite uplink vehicles, 800 Kwatts ofpower, eight generators, 45 cabins, sixon-course studios and 30 camera scaf-fold towers were in place.

The team of commentators, produc-ers, technicians, and engineersnumbered close on 800 to service aglobal audience.

As for Sky, their service offered nofewer than eight different views on thetournament including the master cover-age, a live scoreboard, views from thepractice range, full live coverage of starmatches, a fly-over course guide andhighlights.

It is hardly surprising that the RyderCup will not return to terrestrial televi-sion but it should not be forgotten thatthose fans unable to access the boxwere kept with the action on theBrabazon thanks to a unique servicefrom BBC Radio Five Live.

Then there was the golf...

�WE HAVE COME UP WITH A BALANCE OF LIVE COVERAGE ON

SKY BACKED-UP BY A VERY GOOD TERRESTRIAL

HIGHLIGHTS PACKAGE IN THE EARLY EVENING.

EARLY INDICATIONS OF THE 34TH MATCHES ARE THAT THE

FIGURES IN BOTH CASES ARE VERY GOOD.�

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A Licence to Bill


After several considerablywet summers in the recentpast, golf clubs might beforgiven for wondering

why golf courses need irrigating in thefirst place.

Well, if the predicted climaticchanges as a result of global warmingare true this will bring wetter, milderwinters and hotter, drier summers. Sogood news for both drainage and irriga-tion engineers, although perhaps notquite so good for golf courses.

Currently �spray� irrigation accountsfor a mere 0.8% of all water abstractedin England and Wales. �Spray� irrigationis the term used by the EnvironmentAgency (EA) to describe all overheadforms of irrigation (sprinklers, rain-guns, booms and centre pivots). PotatoesThe vast majority of water in thisbracket is used by agriculture and inparticular for the irrigation of potatoes.

So the use of water for irrigation bythe sports and amenity sector is barelysignificant when compared to industrialand domestic use.

So why is irrigation treated withseemingly disproportionate attention bythe media and the regulators, especiallyin dry years?

Giles Wardle, managing director ofWardle Consulting Engineers has atheory: �Whilst irrigation does notaccount for much of the total waterused by the nation over the course of ayear, its use is concentrated in just afew peak weeks in summer when theresource is least available.

�Irrigation is a highly �consump-tive� use as very little is returned torivers, streams or aquifers. It is also ahighly visible use.

�With greater competing demandsfor this essential resource regulatorsand administrators are increasinglyassessing abstraction licence applica-tions and renewals on the basis of howefficiently the water is being used.

�This has heralded the introductionof Catchment Abstraction ManagementStrategies or CAMS the new regulationsgoverning the administration of abstrac-tion licenses.�

So how does all this affect a golfcourse? Well in the future, licenses willbe time limited, at the end of which therewill be a review. At the review the EAmay not renew your license if your use isnot environmentally sustainable, there isno justification for your need or the wateryou are consuming is not being used inan efficient and responsible manner.

So what are golf club�s options withregard water supply for irrigation?�Mains water or �potable� water. Thereis no license required for this option,just a supply contract with the localwater company,� continued Wardle.

�This represents a low capital costto set up the supply and storage facilitybut a very high operating cost. Thisoption is only really feasible if the irri-gation system only extends to thegreens and tees.

�A summer abstraction license totake surface or groundwater representsthe most economical option in terms ofoperating cost. "

Abstraction licences. How much do you really know about the cost of irrigating yourcourse? We asked two industry experts, Giles Wardle and Mike Martin to give us aninsight into the best alternatives available today.

FEATURE


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�If there is no surface water avail-able such as a stream or river, then thereis the additional capital cost of drilling aborehole and installing a submersiblepump to abstract groundwater. Investment�Nevertheless this investment shouldpay for itself in just a few years whencompared to the cost of mains water.However in many areas of the UK thereis no spare licensing capacity during thesummer months and this option is notpossible.

�If this is the case with your particu-lar catchment then the best alternative isto apply for a winter abstraction license.This type of license has been encour-aged by the EA, has been taken up bythe agricultural sector and is graduallybeing adopted by the golf sector.

�With this option a license is grant-ed to abstract surface or groundwaterduring the winter months to fill a largestorage reservoir with sufficient capaci-ty to sustain the irrigation systemduring the summer months.

�This option represents the highestof capital costs as the construction of areservoir and fitting of a liner canexceed £100,000.

�However once the capital invest-ment has been made the operating costsare extremely low as the EA annual feefor a winter abstraction license isconsiderably less than that for asummer license and barely significantwhen compared to the cost mains water.

�The likelihood of being granted awinter abstraction license is consider-ably greater than a summer license andonce you have stored water you are notsubject to any hose-pipe bans in theevent of a drought.�

In the case of a new golf courseconstruction this is an attractive optionas the cut dug in constructing the winterlake/reservoir can be used as the fill tobuild and shape the golf course.

The capital cost of the reservoir isall part of the construction and the costof the earthworks. Furthermore if acomprehensive piped drainage systemis being installed the drained water canbe used to fill the reservoir.

So long as the drainage waterremains within the piped system anddoes not appear at the surface then thiswater can be used to fill the reservoirwithout an abstraction license.

All that is required from the EA island drainage consent. If the reservoir isnot at the lowest point of the site or issome distance from the course, then thedrainage system can be piped to a sumpwhere a submersible pump can transferthe water to the reservoir.

On an existing course a winter stor-age reservoir may not be feasible asthere may not be an area of land avail-able in which to site the reservoir.

Construction of a winter storagereservoir as part of the golf course ishighly inadvisable; during the summermonths when the irrigation system isconsuming water, the level in the lakewill drop exposing the muddy banks,which will eventually dry up.

Another option is treated sewageeffluent, although this option is rarelypracticed in the UK but is common inparts of Southern Europe, such as theisland of Mallorca, where water is at anabsolute premium.

It is not necessarily an economicalsupply of water, unless your golf courseis located near the water treatment

station; otherwise a pipeline has to belaid to transfer the water.

Furthermore water quality has to beclosely monitored and salt-tolerantgrasses such as Bermuda and Paspalumare best adopted when using this sourceof water, which is only possible inwarmer climates.

So back to the UK, and the oftenquoted remark by the average golf clubthat �we�ve just had a wet winter, whydo we need to even think about irriga-tion?� Often golf clubs leave matters fartoo late, and this can cause undue pres-sure not just for the course, but on theirrigation companies themselves.

As Mike Martin, of York and Martinsays: �Consider however, a dry springfollowed by a long, hot summer. Theydo occur!�

Planning for the future is often thesecret to any success, but all too often,irrigation is a matter that is frequentlyleft to chance. �Quite apart from thefrustrations of an unreliable or poor irri-gation system, the importance of anadequate and reliable water supplyshould always command priority in aclub�s planning,� added Martin.Committees�Even today, club committees seem tostart budgeting for new or replacementirrigation works rather than firstlychecking the position of their watersupply. More often than not they findtheir proposed irrigation works a yearor two away because the water supplyneeds either expanding or re-licensing.

�On the assumption that the club�sirrigation system needs up-grading orreplacing, the club should firstly considerhow much water is required for what theywant their system to properly cover. "

�THE LIKELIHOOD OF BEING GRANTED A WINTER ABSTRACTION LICENSE IS CONSIDERABLY

GREATER THAN A SUMMER LICENSE AND ONCE YOU HAVE STORED WATER YOU ARE NOT

SUBJECT TO ANY HOSE-PIPE BANS IN THE EVENT OF A DROUGHT.�


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The Complete Solution for Turf Irrigation


�Furthermore, the EnvironmentAgency will require justification for thequantities to be licensed whether theapplication is a straightforward renewalof an existing licence, or an applicationfor a larger amount.

�It is important that the calculationsfor water requirements (evapotranspira-tion) provide the following information.

�The Peak Daily Water requirementis necessary to design the irrigationsystem, and Monthly and Annual quan-tities are necessary to evaluate thewater sources and any water storage.

�The quantities are based upon theirrigated areas and the efficiency of theirrigation equipment applying the water,including distribution efficiency andoverthrow.�

The basis for the water quantitiescalculations should be accurate climaticrecords and may take into accountwhether it is based on average informa-tion or on, say, the seventh driest yearin 20/30, or some other criteria. Rainfall�If the club has obtained rainfall dataover many years, this would be veryuseful,� continued Martin. �Havingestablished the quantities of waterrequired for the different purposes it isneeded, the club, or its agent, must makeits Water Abstraction LicenceApplication in accordance with the vari-ous Acts of Parliament, and Regulations.

�These govern not only the quantityof water to be abstracted during a stipu-lated annual period but also the rates ofabstraction per hour and per day. Theabstraction points, whether they aresurface water or ground water have tobe detailed, to include an accurate mapreference.

�Surface water abstraction mayneed to include details of inlet works ona river that need the EA�s approvalbefore construction. Approval from theEA is certainly required if a water-course is to be impounded.

�Often, surface water abstractionrequires pumping from a sump with aninlet sill set to a specified level toprevent abstraction if the watercourselevel falls below the set level.

�Sometimes, abstraction may be relat-ed to the water level elsewhere on thewater system and abstraction can be halt-ed by the EA if these levels are reached.

�If a ground water source is to beused, the proposed borehole construc-tion and its testing needs EA approvalbefore any drilling can take place.Approval for drilling and testing is like-ly to require other ground water sourceswithin a stipulated radius to be locatedand checked before, during and afterdrilling and testing.

�The EA may also require anEnvironmental Impact Study to becarried out, especially if there is, say, aSSSI or a wetland liable to be affectedby the abstraction in the vicinity.

�After the borehole is constructedand tested, the details of its finalconstruction, the test results and anyeffects on other sources have to beforwarded to the EA. The driller shouldalso lodge the details with the BritishGeological Survey.

�Water abstracted from surface orground that is to be stored in a winterstorage reservoir requires licensing in thesame way as any summer abstraction.

�Club�s should also bear in mindthat reservoirs and their construction isregulated in a variety of ways that takeinto account safety and may require theservices of an engineer on the relevantpanel to design or approve the design ofsuch works,� concluded Martin.

As the demand for water increases,so golf clubs will be forced to lookmore carefully at how to source waterfor their irrigation systems in terms ofits cost, availability and environmentalsustainability.

They will also have to monitor moreclosely the use of their supply and theperformance of their irrigation systemsto ensure water is applied in an efficientmanner.

The Environment Agency are ashelpful as their resources allow, butclubs must be aware that much of theresearch and on-site work has to beorganised and obtained to the EA�srequirements and satisfaction by the clubat its own expense.

�CLUB�S SHOULD ALSO BEAR IN MIND THAT RESERVOIRS AND THEIR

CONSTRUCTION IS REGULATED IN A VARIETY OF WAYS THAT TAKE

INTO ACCOUNT SAFETY AND MAY REQUIRE THE SERVICES OF AN

ENGINEER ON THE RELEVANT PANEL TO DESIGN OR APPROVE

THE DESIGN OF SUCH WORKS.�

Brest Foot Forward

CLUB INSIGHT


His first purchase when hegot there were two vacuumcleaners! Patrick Hedder-man, the joint owner of

Brest Iroise Golf Hotel & Leisure resortin Brittany, may have uttered the wordswith a broad grin on his face, but hewas uttering the truth.

And as a statement of fact it givesan immediate impression of the condi-tion of the course and hotel when heand partner Ross Honey purchased thecomplex just over 18 months ago.

The history of the 30-year-old, 30-hole complex almost mirrors thecontours of the two splendid courses,reaching terrific peaks and troughsalong the way.

And if Hedderman and Honey havetheir way, it will finish, like the majes-tic final hole on the nine-hole course, atthe highest point of the lot.

The two magnificent Scottish-styleheathland courses are now looking asthey were envisaged back in the late1960s - and on a fine day there wouldseem few better places to swing a golfclub.

But it wasn�t always this way. Whenthe Irish-Scots duo took control, just 18of the holes were playable - �And theyweren�t all on the same course!�Hedderman advises.TourismThirty years ago, the local chamber ofcommerce felt the need to attract tourismto the Brest region. It set out to establishwhat was referred to as a sporting centreof excellence - ironically, given theoutcome of this project, a phrase whichhas become de rigour in sports industries.

The estate they purchased encom-passed 600 acres. The existing golfcomplex covers just over half that. "

Golf has always had close links to tourism, but as David Bowers discovered when he visited the Brest Iroise Golf Hotel and Leisure resort in Brittany, France, this particlarcomplex has a lot more to offer than first meets the eye.


Hedderman explained: �I believetheir vision was ahead of its time.

�They wanted to have tremendousgolf - which we still have; cateringfacilities, most of which still remain; asite for a hotel, which is where the hotelis now; and they built and initially oper-ated Europe�s largest archery centre.�

There was also a state-of-the-artfootball pitch, which, though it can stillbe seen by virtue of its shape, is, likemuch of the remainder of the dream,now sadly overgrown by years ofneglect.

There were indoor and outdoortennis courts, both of which remain -the outdoor available for use by resi-dents of the hotel; the indoor sadlyderelict in buildings the size of aircrafthangars and of which Hedderman wasquick to spot the potential.

There are six lakes on the estatethough Hedderman admits he has onlyfound five. His son, Philip, has locatedthe sixth but dad has still yet to glimpseit.Housing�Throughout the estate, they zonedseveral areas for housing purposes andthe intention was to build houses, not tosell, but for people to rent for a week ora fortnight, to enable them to use theleisure facilities and make a viablebusiness,� Hedderman added.

Twenty-five years ago the golfopened, but ten years later the chamberof commerce had a change of policyand decreed estates of this natureshould be operated, not by the publicsector, but by private industry.

�They packaged the land into aleasehold and they made certain areasof the land freehold for other develop-ment,� explained the latest in a longline of owners.

�Over the last 15 years owners havecome and gone - I think we�re about thefifth. And each owner that came andwent didn�t develop, in one way oranother, parts of the estate.�

It�s a sad tale and one which isencapsulated by the dilapidated appear-ance of the football pitch, which is nolonger included in Hedderman andHoney�s plans.

The first set of houses were builtand subsequently sold off. The estate�sland therefore, now starts at the rear ofthat housing development.InfrastructureWhen the council started the develop-ment, it initially put all the infrastructurein place. So while the plots of landinitially set aside for housing may beunderneath decades of natural intrusion,all the plumbing, and electricity is in situ.

�When we arrived the clubhousehadn�t been opened for seven years; thehotel had operated only for about threemonths in the previous calendar year,the hotel in its best-ever year proudlyissued a press release acclaiming 22 percent occupancy; of the 30 holes of golfonly 18 were in play and that was amish-mash of holes all over the place.

�The others were simply overgrownor had drainage problems. You don�t needto be a rocket scientist to keep your golfcourse clear of water. You simply need toclear those drainage ditches out - but thathadn�t been done for about 12 years.

�At its height there were about 700members. Now there are about 370 andwe�re slowly creeping up. Members leftas they saw the course deteriorate andvice versa as they see the investment,people are coming back.

�Within six weeks we had reopenedthe clubhouse; and in another six weekswe started sprucing up the outside ofthe hotel and totally cleaned out theinside of it.

�This year we�ll have a 75 per centoccupancy and if we can do that we canstart to pay the bills on an estate like this.

�If you came to the complex previ-ously in the nine months when the hotelwasn�t open, you would have bought agreen fee from a travel agent, the hotelwas locked up, so was the clubhouse,there were no changing areas, norestaurant and no bar.�

The pro shop is now thriving andthe reputation of the hotel and club-house cuisine attracts locals forevenings and weddings.

The 6,296-yard par 71,18-holecourse, designed by Michael Fenn, wasacclaimed as one of the top ten coursesin France.

�AT ITS HEIGHT THERE WERE ABOUT 700 MEMBERS. NOW THERE ARE

ABOUT 370 AND WE�RE SLOWLY CREEPING UP. MEMBERS LEFT AS

THEY SAW THE COURSE DETIORATE AND VICE VERSA AS THEY

SEE THE INVESTMENT, PEOPLE ARE COMING BACK.


Fact FileClub: Brest-Iroise Golf Club

Parc de Lann-Rohou, Saint-Urbain29800 Landerneau, BrittanyFrance

Telephone: 00 33 298 851617Facsimile: 00 33 298 851939Email: [email protected]: www.brest-iroise.com

Manager: Patrick HeddermanManager: Ross Honey

Course Info: 27-hole ComplexRed Course: Par 71, 6205 yards (Opened 1976)Yellow Course: Par 37, 3642 yards (Opened 1976)

Members: 370Green Fee: €21 - €41

The lack of maintenance will haveput paid to that prestigious accolade, butit will be climbing back up the table inleaps and bounds now it is being giventhe care and attention it clearly merits.

It is a testing course and not particu-larly forgiving off the tees. But even fora habitual slicer such as yours truly theloss of a few balls does not detract fromthe overall experience which is one ofsheer golfing hedonism.

The abundance of wildlife and floraand fauna are seemingly miles awayfrom the daily hustle and bustle ofworking life and any golfer will be atpeace with him or herself and with theirgame - even if its as bad as mine.

It is laid out in such a way thatevery hole seems independent of therest of the course, so secluded are they.Fairways are generally screened fromadjacent holes by wonderful maturetrees and the smell of pine permeatesthe air from dawn to dusk - and proba-bly afterwards.

But while the golf may be thereason for most visits in 2002 - it is setto change. Hedderman explained: �Thegolf club here is just part of our project.The hotel is currently a two-star hotelbut within the next two years it shouldbe upgraded to four-star.�

In addition, other outdoor andindoor leisure pursuits will become amajor part of the overall complex. Thetennis is there - but will be improved.The �hangars� that currently houseredundant indoor courts will be devel-oped to provide top-quality leisurefacilities including pool, sports hall,health and beauty facilities.

�There is a future for it and a futurefor the estate,� Hedderman added proud-ly. It�s an exciting project. But, thepayback to our investors is coming outof building houses and selling houses.Planning�We are back in for planning on theinitial zoned areas. And everything on thehousing development will be screenedfrom the entrance by mature trees.

�There�s great access here. St Malois two hours away; Roscoff is 40minutes away; Dinard airport is twohours away and Brest airport, which is10 minutes away has daily flights nowfrom England with Buzz.�

The seven-year plan includes thebuilding of 300 timber chalets and 200apartments in areas of the estate. Thescrub will be cleared but the beautifulmature trees will remain giving a truerural feel to the area.

Hedderman speaks of the future ofBrest Iroise in glowing terms - and heknows a good thing when he sees one.His cv was probably enough alone topersuade the local council he was notlikely to be another fly-by-night.

Formerly managing director atMount Juliet, he was also generalmanager at Slaley Hall. Before that hewas operations manager at HenburyManor and at a 360-acre hotel estate inGlasgow. So he knows a thing or twoabout managing complexes of this size.

So when you tell your friends andplaying partners the one about theIrishman, the Scotsman and the Frenchgolf course, you can add that it�scertainly no joke - and take it in whileyou can. It�s a treat.

�IT�S AN EXCITING PROJECT. BUT, THE PAYBACK TO OUR INVESTORS

IS COMING OUT OF BUILDING HOUSES AND SELLING HOUSES.�

Missed Opportunities?


At the time of writing, anextensive clean-up opera-tion is underway as muchof north western Europe

tries to recover from powerful windstorms which have thundered their wayacross the continent with gusts of up to100mph.

You get the distinct impression thatmaybe winter�s posturing to arrive earlythis year.

Which, for any club that isn�tValderrama and not fortunate enough tobe able to offer all-year-round golf, isn�tgood news.HibernateTypically, most courses are tempted towrap their tees and fairways in strawand hibernate for the winter, as theweather is often decidedly unmercifuland totally unsuitable for a decentround.

Which of course means that all but themost hardy of golfers will play, assumingthe course can cope with inclementweather without becoming a quagmire.

The subsequent seasonal plunge inrevenues is naturally very unwelcome.So it makes sense for clubs to exploreevery possible means of sustaining theirprofitability across the most testingmonths of the year, to even out thepeaks and the troughs. "

As another golf season draws to a close, Rob Wright presents a few ideas that may helpincrease revenue during the dark and wet winter days. For instance, have you ever seriously considered playing golf in the dark? If not, then read on...


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Such challenges also apply to cours-es who arguably draw less sympathyfor not being able to field play on theirranges because it�s simply too hotduring certain hours of the day.

But whatever the root of the prob-lem, the best way to tackle a hazard,occasionally, is by choosing anunorthodox approach shot.GrowthManagement consultants will tell youthat the best way to find new opportuni-ties to extend your revenue streams isto broaden your thinking to includedifferent types of revenue growth andthen to look hard at the types of growthyou haven�t yet highlighted.

Which is probably how some brightspark came to hit on the idea of playinggolf - at night.

Now we all know that part of thebiggest appeal for playing golf is pittingyour skills against the challenges acourse poses whilst taking in somedelightful scenery.

But even though night-golf is notgoing to help much with either of thosecriteria, the idea really has caught on,principally because the other key driverfuelling the sport�s leisure profile - it�sa great game for spending quality timewith people - is particularly strong inthis new concept. PhenomenonApparently emanating from anAmerican company, the phenomenonhas already spread to over 60 countriesworldwide and is said to have spawnedover 150,000 after-dark tournaments.

So how does it work? There are twooptions, fluorescent lightsticks or flood-lights. Suppliers such as the UK�sOmniGlow in Wiltshire retail acomplete night-golf kit using lightsticks.Different coloured sticks are used toilluminate various parts of the course,such as the sides of the fairway, thepins, bunkers and water features, etc.

Luminescent circles are even placedin the holes to increase visibility whenputting. And specially patented translu-cent balls have their own glowing light-stick inserted inside before play so thatyou can keep your eye on them whenit�s pitch-black out there, performingmore-or-less like a real golf ball.

As the game takes longer to finishafter dark because of its strong socialdynamic, it�s recommended that onlynine holes are played, which can takegroundsmen around two hours to mark

out with lightsticks. Once ready, thepermutations for hosting an event arenumerous.

Day/night tournaments are of coursean option, with nine holes played in theafternoon, followed by nine holes atnight, with a break for a barbecue, or abuffet in between. The only concernthen is golfers can drink too muchbefore resuming their play, increasingthe risk of accidents.

But Nick Grundtvig, generalmanager at Suffolk�s Seckford GolfClub, wasn�t too worried about that.�Normally we refuse to let people onthe course under the influence of alco-hol, so it�s not an issue.�

More conventionally, an evening ofnight golf starts with registration withaperitifs, nine holes of night-golf,followed by a two or three-course mealand drinks to close. Obviously, with theideal clubhouse facilities, night-golfcan substantially increase food anddrinks revenues.

�And if you�ve pre-booked parties,groups and societies coming into thegolf club, I think they�ll still come evenif the weather�s poor,� added Grundtvig.

Seckford Golf Club are currentlyconsidering introducing Night-Golf.�Anything you can do to encourage thesocial aspect of the club in the wintermonths has to be good for the club,� saidGrundtvig.

But night-golf isn�t to everyone�scup of tea. Mannings Heath Golf Clubin West Sussex have tried it twice thisyear and have had to cancel on bothoccasions due to poor bookings.

Sales manager Steve Murphy nowdismisses it altogether as �a prelude togoing out and having a few beers.�GimmickyNight-golf is unashamedly gimmicky.It�s not the game to play if your memberswant to improve their handicap. �It�s asocial event,� underlined Grundtvig. �Ifyou intend to take it seriously, you�reaiming at the wrong market altogether.�

As such, it�ll probably only work atyour course if you�re able to market itsnovelty value in keeping with the spiritand character of your club and theexpectations of your customers.

Even so, it�s a great way of extend-ing your revenue streams from existingusers as well as attracting new clients,whilst improving competitiveness inyour local leisure area.

�ANYTHING YOU CAN DO TO ENCOURAGE THE SOCIAL ASPECT

OF THE CLUB IN THE WINTER MONTHS HAS TO BE GOOD FOR

THE CLUB.�


Conversely, floodlit golf has far lessnovelty value and is much more than agood money-spinner for clubs facinginclement weather. Some courses havefloodlit driving ranges, such asLondon�s Metro Golf Centre, pulling indedicated golfers looking to improvetheir game.

Open all year, seven days a weekfrom 8am �til 10pm, the Metro Centre�s48-bay covered range even allows foodand drink to be ordered by intercom anddelivered straight to each bay! AmenitiesSignificantly, facilities such as this candraw golfers from other clubs withoutsuch amenities, who then run the risk oflosing their members as they developnew relationships and leisure routineselsewhere.

But some clubs have gone waybeyond floodlights on the driving range.Bahrain�s only 18-hole PGA grass golfcourse officially turned on its flood-lights in June, earlier this year, afterfive months installation and an invest-ment of over US $1 million.

Riffa (above) is the only golf coursein Bahrain, Saudi Arabia to offer flood-lighting. Playing time has been extendedby around six hours, allowing players tostay up until midnight playing golf.

During the summer months, playingafter sunset can be a welcome relief fromthe heat of the day (Mediterranean clubswith scorching hot weather take note)and the facilities allow the club to caterfor the public�s multi-faceted demands.

The sport is now available to amuch larger group of people, whootherwise wouldn�t have time to playduring the day. Tee times are availableuntil 10pm nightly, with �lights out� atmidnight.

Whilst the benefits are legion, thereare drawbacks. Courses in hotter climesoften rely on irrigation at night to stopthe courses drying out.

Which is one reason why it might bea good idea to construct nine separatefloodlit par three holes which can be

completed in two to three hours, butwhich doesn�t interfere with the set-upfor 18-hole golf.

Additionally, some clubs wouldnever get planning permission for flood-lights, as they are either an integral partof greenbelt areas, or sited next to conur-bations and major transport arteries.

Seckford Golf Club are a case inpoint, having had planning permissionrefused several times by their localauthority on the basis of their proximityto a major carriageway.

Alternatively, looking away fromthe fairways, some clubs have otheramenities that can draw traffic asidefrom golf. Mannings Heath also offerfishing, biking and rafting on theirestate, which broadens their appeal tocustomers other than purely golfers.

Again, total volume growth can besubsidised not just by extracting morefrom existing patrons, but also by draw-ing fresh income from new customers.

Of course, if none of these optionsappeal, you can always resort to yourbar area and dining facilities to draw acrowd during the close season.

Mannings Heath�s award-winningrestaurant will be working overtimehosting events over Christmas and NewYear, as well as a Bonfire Night spec-tacular, running alongside cut-pricewinter golf for societies bookings. BarAnother option, to not only retain butencourage members to utilise your barfacilities, is to install a big screen ofsome description.

They come in many different shapesand sizes, but as John Shreeve, manag-ing director of Norfolk-based the BigScreen Picture Company says, they canhave a �dramatic effect� on your barsales.

�We have installed a few screensinto golf clubs over the past years, andthere certainly appears to be an increasein demand - especially at proprietoryclubs.

�The vast majority of our installationsbenefit from a major improvement in bartake, and as most of our systems can alsobe used with computers, DVD playersand videos, the can open up an entirelynew revenue stream for golf clubs.

�As a lot of clubs sometimes strug-gle to keep social events going through-out the winter, it is possible to introducespecial film nights, or simply as a wayof retaining business after golfers havefinished their round.

�It�s amazing, but if you put ascreen in any clubhouse, people willalways stay longer and watch whateveris on the screen.�

There are two main types of screenthat are available, and Shreeve�sbelieves that each type has its own indi-vidual merits: �If you are seeking apermanent fixture, then I would proba-bly suggest a fixed-plasma screen.

�Costs have come down substantial-ly in recent years, and the picture quali-ty on the LCD screen is superb.

�Alternatively, we supply quite afew image protectors that are often inexcess of 8ft wide. The image is simplyprojected onto a screen, which can berolled away when not in use.

�These systems are ideal if you donot want a permanent fixture at yourclub, but occassionaly want to holdspecial events. The uses are almostendless, and either option makes sound,financial sense.�

So some found for thought. And ifyour golfers really are suffering with-drawal symptoms from not having a teebetween their teeth, you can alwaysinvest in facilities on the back of whichyou can host a Winter Academy, so thatgolfers can work on their swing, as wellas their putting and driving game, readyfor the new season when it starts backup again.

But whatever you decide on,anything that stops your punters fromheading off to �sunnier climes� for around of golf or a quick social willprobably do just fine.

� Now in its 15th year

� Europe�s largest indoor turf exhibition

� 8629 visitors in 2002� Moves from NEC in

Birmingham to Harrogate International Centre

� A permanent home and set to grow

� Supported by Association of Golf Club Secretaries and Association of Golf Course owners

� BIGGA�s comprehensiveeducation programme

� Informative and practical education opportunities

� National Education Conference, Workshops and Seminar Sessions

Tuesday 21 January 2003 9.00am to 6.00pmWednesday 22 January 2003 9.00am to 5.00pm

Thursday 23 January 2003 9.00am to 5.00pm

The BIGGA Golf Experience

HARROGATE INTERNATIONAL CENTREKings Road, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, HG1 5LA

21-22-23 JANUARY 2003

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New products, innovations, top class educationand debate � the golfing world will gather

So whether yours is the longest drive or the shortest drive,hit the road for Harrogate where the BIGGA Golf Experience

will be a sure fire winner.

Continueto learn


Firm Focus

COMPANY PROFILE

Jencess Software and Technolo-gies, Inc. has been serving thegolf industry since 1983 and isenjoying considerable internation-

al growth and success by developing,marketing, and supporting its fully inte-grated golf club management software.

Originating from Canada, thecompany has experienced rapid growthby developing an impressive globalsales and support network, employingthe best people in the business andworking with local partner organisa-tions who understand the specificdemands and needs of their region.

Jencess� founder, Kirk Jensen, ispersonally involved in the selection ofeveryone who joins the team. �Heinsists that everybody who works withJencess has a golf background, includ-ing even the software developers,�explained Claire Coombe, director ofEuropean business development.

As a result, there are now well over800 courses worldwide benefiting fromthe flexibility and power of PROffice,Jencess� modular approach to golfcourse management software.

PROffice is designed to assist golfclub decision makers with all of theoperations and administration requiredto run a golf club as a business, thusgiving them greater control over theprofitability of the business. ModulesPROffice is divided into six modules,each of which can be bought separatelyor in clusters of any variation. Modulescover tee reservations, the pro shop,point-of-sale, bar and restaurant opera-tions, handicapping, tournaments andthe back office.

Whenever a club needs more fromany one module, it can graduate to itsPlus+ Module, instantly giving extrafunctionality without breaking thebank.

Subsequently, clubs can staggertheir investment over a period of yearsand let the system grow around them astheir business grows.

Each module runs from onecommon member and guest database,so not only is the system ideal for bothmembers-only or pay-and-play clubs, itall fits together seamlessly.

Data entered into one part of thesystem is available throughout PROfficeso that managers can instantly gatherincisive information from all areas of thesystem and soon be able to identify thepreviously guessed-at key drivers in theirbusiness, for example, precisely howmuch secondary spend is achieved pervisitor golfer, where, when and on what.

Any trends in takings can be easilyand quickly identified, with the mostprofitable lines and revenue streamsclearly highlighted through a compre-hensive set of management reports.

The system is designed withWindows® so that it is easy to learn anduse in order to avoid confusing employeesand irritating customers. Transactions canbe quickly entered, processed and paidthrough easy to navigate touch screens. FeedbackJencess continually reinvests in theenhancement of the product throughinvaluable feedback from its customers.This sends a clear signal to thesecustomers that Jencess plans to bearound supporting their investment formany years to come.

�PROffice fits the bill for commer-cially minded, bottom-line driven clubswho understand the importance ofmargins and profits,� summed upCoombe.

�I've been in this industry for overtwelve years now and it's great to beinvolved with something taking serviceand the business of golf to the nextlevel.�

Jencess and ‘PROffice’take Europe by Storm

�PROFFICE FITS THE BILL FOR COMMERCIALLY MINDED,

BOTTOM-LINE DRIVEN CLUBS.�

Jencess UKClaire Coombe +44 (0) 1749 871038

www.jencess.co.ukJencess FranceKirsten Mackenzie +33 (0) 618 457054

www.jencess.comJencess ItalyThierry Corte + 39 329 211 0883

www.jencess.com

Safety Issues

OPINION


Health and safety in yearsgone by for many was seenas an unnecessary burdenof paper work and doings

things to keep employees happy. In 1992 the law in the UK changed

and tightened up producing a new set ofregulations called The Management ofHealth and Safety at Work Regulations1992 that basically made risk assess-ment mandatory and introduced severalother key regulations applicable to golfclubs. Key RisksThe golf industry is now movingforward strongly in ensuring it is aleisure sector leader in health and safetymaking the game safer for all. I amgiving an insight into the key riskassessment requirements and why.

That�s the lecture part over now tothe real why�s and benefits and thereare real benefits. The main benefit ofrisk assessment is preventing accidentsand injury at your company or club.

Added to this is complying with thelaw and protecting your company orclub from legal action.

But where should you start?The first job of any responsible

manager is to ensure his company orgolf club has a clear and workablehealth and safety management system.

If this sounds like jargon it is notintended too as it is good business prac-tice well tried and tested throughout theUK and Europe and there are evenguides and standards to work too.

The main advantage of a workablesystem is to ensure the managementstays up to date, it gives continuity andcovers all of the company or club even-tualities.

Inside this management systemshould be a set of up to date suitableand sufficient risk assessments for alloperating areas of your company orclub. So,what risk assessments reallyneed to be in place?

Firstly, there is General HazardsRisk Assessments. This covers all occu-pational and work related activities forexample slipping, hot surfaces, loadsstacked too high etc.

All activity in the company or clubmust be supported by a current suitableand sufficient risk assessment. In short,this really means the fully understand-ing all of the hazards associated withthe work and these to be fully docu-mented for inspection at any time.

It is important that these are kept upto date if any changes occur in anyactivities. Standard formats for record-ing assessments are used.

The sort of hazards that we are talk-ing about include fire, dropped objects,slip/trips and falls, head injuries,escape, chemicals, noise, electricalpower, welding, grinding, rotatingmachinery, sharp objects, hot surfaces,working conditions, maintenance,gas/explosion and flammables.

This sort of list is not exhaustiveand a good risk assessment will gener-ate new hazards specific to the organi-sation.

The subject of Health and Safety at golf clubs has often been an area for debate during thepast few years, and as Jerrard Winter of specialists Haztek International explains, clubsneed not fear the often dreaded Risk Assessment.


Golf Management Europe is the leading business magazine forthe pan-European golf industry � the undisputed market leader!

For subscriptions and back issues call 0870 241 4678or visit our website at www.portman.uk.com

Golf Management Europe SubscriptionsSuffolk Studios

284 Ravenswood AvenueIpswich IP3 9TQUnited Kingdom

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Once this assessment is completedand the recommendations addressed thecompany or club should operate moresafely and in some cases more efficient-ly. Unfortunately it doesn�t end here, thelaw also for good reasons requires us allto perform a Fire Risk Assessment.MinimisedNew laws in 1999 required that allpremises must have a fire risk assess-ment. This all sounds very technical butin simple terms is a means of identify-ing all fire causes and ensuring theseare eliminated or the risk minimised byprovision of the correct facilities.

The main purpose of the assessment isto eliminate fire causes and ensure thepersonnel working in these areas get thebest possible means of escape and protec-tion. Examples of this may be fires causedby heaters left on at night, or blockedescape routes just when they are needed.

All company or club locations musthave undergone a formal Fire RiskAssessment, which should identify eachand every fire source and ensure allpossible measures have been put inplace to remove the fire hazard orminimise its consequences.

The fire Risk assessment may beinspected by insurance companies orthe Fire Officer so is mandatory. Theassessment includes areas such as elec-trical overload, smoking, open flame,welding, flammable materials, grinding,fat fire/chip pan, open gas, petrol fireand diesel fire.

We have now dealt with generaloccupational hazards and fire risks, sonow we have some specific otherhazards to cover to be totally complete.These are manual handling and chemi-cals (hazardous substances). These tworisk assessments are very specific as

previous to the activities carried out andshould an accident occur in relation tothese activities the risk assessmentswould need to be shown.LawSo, why undertake a Manual Handlingrisk assessment? Two good reasonsreally. One, because quite simply it isthe law, and two it may save a back orserious injury related to moving heavyobjects. Any handling of objects whichcould lead to back injury or injury tobody parts require a Manual handlingassessments.

This assessment basically looks atthe nature of the activity in terms ofweight, height, difficulty and assesseswhether the lift could be achieved withless or no risk to individuals.

Handling chemicals requires aControl of Substances Hazardous toHealth assessment (COSHH). Due tothe extremely dangerous nature ofchemicals, handling them requires goodcontrols in order to avoid an accident.Many employees are often disfiguredfor life both facially and on their bodiesfor not taking the correct and properprecautions.

The COSHH assessment shouldidentify all of the chemicals used by thegreenstaff and ensure a formal record iskept of each chemical and the harm itcan cause if spilled or incorrectlymixed.

The assessment should then recom-mend the safeguards for use (ie PPE,Chemical suits, neutralisers) and ensurethat they are always readily available.Chemicals should always be storedsafely in locked containers such aschem-Stores and a signage procedureused.

NEW LAWS IN 1999 REQUIRED THAT ALL PREMISES MUST HAVE A FIRE RISK ASSESSMENT. THIS ALL

SOUNDS VERY TECHNICAL BUT IN SIMPLE TERMS IS A MEANS OF IDENTIFYING ALL FIRE CAUSES AND

ENSURING THESE ARE ELIMINATED OR THE RISK MINIMISED BY PROVISION OF THE CORRECT FACILITIES.

Portfolio


01473 830492

Scotts protection is certifiedThe controlled release fertiliser

brands Osmocote, Sierrablen andAgroblen produced and marketed byScotts, have been certified as manu-

factured to the most stringent ofenvironmental standards. This follows

the confirmations that the Scottsproduction plant in Holland has

achieved the ISO 14001 Standard forEnvironmental Management.

01254 262431

Netlon tees-up turf protectionA simple plastic paving system isproviding the perfect solution toturf erosion on two separate golf

courses. Head greenkeepers atWellingborough GC, Northants andSaltford GC near Bristol have both

used the Netpave 25 turf protectionsystem from Netlon to provide

stability and protection on heavywear areas of their grounds.

01473 270000

Longhirst continues upgradeLonghirst Hall Golf Course in

Northumberland has recently takendelivery of new turf maintenance

equipment from Ransomes Jacobsen,including three Ransomes Super

Certes pedestrian mowers, an electricJacobsen E-Plex and two Jacobsen

G-Plex II’s for greens mowing. Inaddition 11 EZGO electric golf cars

have also been supplied.

01480 226800

Otterbine choose LelyLely UK has been appointed as theexclusive distributor for Otterbinewater aeration systems, fountains

and other associated products. Theappointment is with immediate

effect and covers the UK andIreland. Otterbine-Barebo is the

world leader in lake and pond waterquality management systems with

over 300 distributors globally.

01530 510333

New Smart Card terminalsFlint’s new range of counter-top and

hand-held Smart Card terminalscomply with the security require-

ments of the future, supporting Chipand PIN processing. Intellect card

terminals from Flint provide acomplete future-proofed card trans-

action processing solution for point-of-sale payment, e-purse, vending,

loyalty and ticket systems.

01959 542000

Unique ‘thin’ PC hits TownDensitron Technologies have

launched the Cassius Pro PC, aunique space saving computer that

compresses all the essentials of afully functional professional PC intoa single, stylish flat screen unit just

2.5 inches thick. They have elimi-nated both the separate tower unit

and unsightly cables using only awireless keyboard and mouse.

01480 226800

Toro top-dog in irelandOne of Ireland’s elite courses,

Carlow Golf Club, has made Toro itstop choice by signing a five-year

agreement with the company for allof the club’s turf maintenance

equipment. A new nine-hole courseis due to open next year, and thisexpansion has prompted the deci-

sion to choose Toro as the clubsturfcare machinery supplier.

01622 723300

PUREDraft set to clean upParker Balston has introduced the

PUREDraft beverage carbon dioxidepurifier to ensure the efficient

removal of unwanted taste, odours,hydrocarbons and particulates from

carbon used in the brewing, softdrinks and bottling industries. Easily

fitted into the gas supply line,PUREDraft contains a two-stage

filtration process.

Count on it.

© 2

003

The

Toro

Com

pany

From the front nine to the backyard,you can count on us.

With over 88 years of experience, Toro is the most trusted supplier of turfequipment and irrigation systems to golf courses, parks and individual lawnsaround the world. Our commitment to providing innovative, high qualityproducts and systems to help grow and maintain turf is legendary. We careabout preserving the tradition of golf. We also care about providing the rightsolution to you. Make Toro the preferred name at your home today.

www.toro.com

RENT AND WIN

We will rent you one.

IT�S A CASH MACHINE. BUT DON�T BUY IT.

MOX - Member of LeasePlan Group - Tel : 0870 1646 004 - Fax : 0870 1646 009

Do you want to improve your club's image, please a demandingclientele and generate extra profits at the same time? Do you want tofinance, maintain, insure your fleet of golf vehicles all in one simplemonthly bill? May we suggest doing it with the European leader.Please contact MOX or visit our website at wwwwww..mmooxx-iinntt..ccoomm..

LA

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AR

gmé | issuu 27

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