Business 358.4.2015Business34 To subscribe visit www.thegolfpaper.co.ukTwitter @TheGolfPaper

EARLIER this yearwhen SKY announcedthey would be takingover coverage of TheOpen from the BBC in2016, the news wasmet with widespreadanger among golf’s topplayers.

Asked for his opinion Eng-land’s Lee Westwood, notnormally known for ventingcontroversial views in publicgreeted the news with thewords; “It’s an absolute dis-grace.”

His issue had nothing to dowith the dulcet tones of PeterAlliss’ commentary beingpensioned off or any opposi-tion to SKY who each yearpour many millions of poundsinto the pockets of EuropeanTour golf through their cover-age of smaller events.

Westwood explained: “Iwouldn’t have got into golf if itwasn’t for watching Nick

Faldo win the Open in 1987. Iwould watch every minute ofthe coverage, and you wanttoday’s kids to have the sameopportunity.

“The BBC is doing golf nofavours at all by letting theOpen go.”

And he got immediatesupport from former USOpen champion GraemeMcDowell.

The Ulsterman said: “Weare all very aware of thefalling numbers in golf andhow dangerously on theprecipice we are, regardingwhere the game needs to goin terms of attracting womenand children.”

However for all the doomand gloom expressed by thetwo Ryder Cup stars aboutthe falling interest in golf overthe past decade, two recentsurveys suggest the declinein numbers has started tobottom out.

And there is growing evi-dence that throughout the UK

governing bodies and manyclubs are starting to marketthemselves with an approachthat insists golf’s traditionalimage as ‘an old man’s game’is also a thing of the past.

Surrey-based Sports Mar-keting Surveys Inc (SMS) hasbeen monitoring Britishgolfers and their playinghabits on an annual basissince the mid-1990s.

And their survey of publicaccess golf courses in the UKin 2014 showed that themonthly average of roundsplayed over them had

increased by 3.5% from2,147 to 2,222.

SMS also revealedthat the number of ‘avid

golfers’ who played golf

on average once a week hadclimbed last year by around53,000 players to 479,000.

The only downside to theirannual report was that thenumber of ‘infrequentgolfers’ who play fewer than12 times a year had fallen to1,786,000, thelowestrecorded totalsince the turnof the centu-ry.

RichardPayne fromSMS com-mented:“While the2014 figuresgive the golfindustryreason to bemore posi-tive, thecontinueddecline of infrequent golfersremains a challenge thatneeds to be overcome.

“We have continuouslystressed the importance ofthe ‘three F’s’ – fun, flexibiliy,and family’, a vision which theindustry must fully adopt fol-

lowing these latest figures.“They need to convert

both first-time trialists andnew golfers who may beusing driving ranges into full-length course users, andprevent the loss of more infre-quent players.

“Golf isn’tin the depthsof despair asmany willhave youbelieve andour figuresnot only showthat there aregolfers outthere but thatthey want toplay.

“The gameneeds toadapt to theconstraints ofmodern life

in order to grow. “The industry needs to be

flexible and remember thatfirst and foremost golf needsto be fun!

“It should highlight thesocial side. How many othersports can claim that aneight-year-old and an 80-year-old can play togetherboth socially and competi-tively?”

Two years ago David Joywas appointed chief execu-tive of Golf England whichoversees amateur golf andfor many years was regardedas concentrating mainly on

encouraging the perform-ance of the very best players.

But with Joy at the helm,England Golf is now workingwith county unions and, to acertain extent, at club levelto increase the number ofpeople swinging.

Asked about the SMSsurvey, Joy said: “It is anotherset of encouraging resultswhich suggest that participa-tion in golf is stabilizing.

And it has come on theback of the Active PeopleSurvey survey results in Janu-ary which suggested thedecline is slowing down. Ithad been 12% in 2013 andwas down to 3% in 2014 forpeople who play golf everyweek.

“We are also looking athow many clubs are nowreporting that their member-ship figures have stabilised –20% say they are now fairlystable again. I have been inthe job for two years and wehave launched ‘Raising ourGame’, focusing on thenumber of people who playat their clubs regularly andclub economics

“We hope they are nowmaking changes to create amore friendly atmosphere.

“We also have 400 clubssigned into our ‘Get Into Golf’programme and engagedwith us as partners.

“It is important that GolfEngland plays a lead role inthe club scene rather thanjust being seen to work withelite amateur golfers.”

At club level, secretariesand managers could soonbenefit from another schemethat Joy has launched.

England Golf have nowstarted asking the develop-ment officers in place atcounty union level to workdirectly with clubs.

Through their input andincreased co-operation withthe PGA, the Golf Foundationand the Golf Club Managers’Association, Joy hopes thedecline in golf participationwill finally be stemmed.

guests were invited to try theirhand at the longest drive andnearest the pin.

Prizes of Ryder Cup 2014merchandise were providedby Gleneagles Hotel. Beautybrand La Prairie from HarveyNichols in Knightsbridge gavethe men mini hand massagesand the ladies mini facials.

Jill added: “The eveningwas full of buzz and enjoy-

ment and there wassomething for everyone.”

Beginner Samantha, a Cityworker, said she had enjoyedher first shot at the game.“Urban golf was a great loca-tion and the crowd wasfantastic. We made newfriends and had a whale of atime! Thanks so much.”

Dr Sophie West, a seven-handicapper, said: “Bubbles,golf, great company and thechance to try luxury brands –the perfect evening entertain-ment for golfers in London!”

Jill commented: “I wantedto get people golfing – partic-ularly the busy, successfulLondon career women.”

The event was one of aseries Jill has hosted to pro-mote golf. She is brandambassador for The WisleyGolf Club in Surrey, the Ren-aissance Club on the eastcoast of Scotland and Glenea-gles Hotel.

“I have played golf for over25 years and represented my

county and England Universi-ties and have now beenworking in sport/golf for thelast 15 years. It has given me somuch,” she explained.

“These events are my wayof giving something back andlearning and developing theskill of golf.

“Hopefully, it will encour-age more to continue, takelessons and enjoy the beautifulgame that I am so passionateabout.”

Jill de Villiers who is keen toencourage more youngpeople to take up the sport.

Jill says: “We had a range ofages as I wanted to promotegolf to all and encouragepeople to be golfing and meetlike-minded people. Our mostpopular group was the begin-ner group, although we didintermediate and advancedlevel tuition too.”

Professional Mitch Hollisprovided the tuition and

CITY girls forsook their stil-letos to try out golf at an eventat London’s Kensington UrbanGolf. Some 45 guests sampleda champagne receptionbefore getting down to thereal business of the evening, atwo-hour tuition session on thebasics of the game.

The ‘Golf in the City’ eventwas organised by seven hand-icapper and businesswoman

A GROWING army ismapping the UK’s golfcourses, and it’s allbecause of SkyCaddie,golf’s GPS rangefinderspecialists.

Heading the team isSteve Winstone, whomanages SkyCaddiemapping in Europe andthe Middle East. Steve’spersonal army is almost10,000-strong: his@SkyCaddieSteve Twitter account revealswhere he and his teamwill be next, with photosof their encounters.

As SkyCaddie hasalready mapped over99% of golf clubs inGreat Britain and Ireland, it’s the constantalterations which keepSteve’s team busy withupdates, ensuring thatSkyCaddie GPS ownershave the very latestcourse maps.

No aerial photogra-phy is ever used tomeasure SkyCaddieyardages – it’s all donepainstakingly on the

ground – and the brandis unique in creating allof its UK golf coursemaps on foot, usingtrained mappers carry-ing professional GPSsurveying equipment.

Each time a golf clubrepositions its bunkersor greens, or createsnew holes and lakes, itinvites a SkyCaddiemapper to come and re-measure the course.

Winstone adds extramappers – usually PGAprofessional and low-handicap golfers – whenneeded to assist withultra-accurate golfcourse maps.

“I’ve walked wellover 6,000 miles mapping British golfcourses” he said. “It islaborious, but there isno alternative. We walkthe circumference ofevery bunker, everygreen and every standof trees on the hole. Ourmapping methods arefar ahead of the otherbrands.”

THE large sign at the entranceto Playgolf’s Bournemouthcentre reads EVERYONEWELCOME. And they mean it.

“We don’t have a sign any-where on the site saying‘don’t’,” says Peter Gilbert, theoperations manager. “Wedon’t want the negative; wewant to accentuate the posi-tive. We want to break downevery barrier. Take our dresscode for example: we havetwo rules, which are suitablefootwear and please keepyour top on.”

It’s a sad fact, but as Gilbertpoints out, the very word ‘golf’puts off visitors who associateit with middle-age, exclusivityand rules. But putting anotherword in front of it can havemagical effects. Last year,Playgolf (a case in point)launched the first Footgolfcourse in Dorset.

The best way to describethe game is that it’s golf,except that the player’s leg isthe club and a football is theball. The hole is half a metrewide and 40cms deep, aboutthe size of a large bucket.

At Playgolf Bournemouth,Footgolf is played on a nine-hole golf course but withseparate greens. For golf,there are three par-four holesand six par-threes. For Foot-golf, in which scoring is moredifficult, it is seven par-foursand two par-threes. Bothgames can use the samecourse at the same time.

It’s hard to imagine any-thing quite so divergent fromwhat might be called theexclusive or apartheid poli-cies of so many traditionalclubs. As well as Footgolf,plans are in hand at PlaygolfBournemouth to invest£500,000 in an Adventure Golf

course, which is where Indi-ana Jones meets crazy golf.

As a commercial operation,footfall is the watchword.“Our competitors don’t comefrom traditional golf clubs butleisure centres and the like,”says Gilbert.

Playgolf also operates TheKitchen Club, which standsalone as a restaurant and con-ference venue as well ascatering for the golf centre.“It’s family dining at reason-able prices, using local-sourced good-quality food,”says Gilbert. “We have quiznights and a Masterchef-stylecompetition and kids’ golf-ball painting sessions.”

But Playgolf is not just afairground for gimmicks. Theneeds of the serious golfer arealso addressed. With anestablished 18-hole courseand two-tier driving range,Playgolf Bournemouth is alsothe home of the Christchurchclub and is the official trainingbase for the county’s teamsand the British Army. “We areopen to all, but we don’t shutthe door to the elite,” saysGilbert.

Dan Frost, one of the bestknown young coaches in theUK, is the director of instruc-tion for the Playgolf group andleads a team of seven teach-ing pros at Bournemouth,teaching every standard frombeginners to tour profession-als as well as an academy of100 juniors.

The Playgolf philosophy ofcombining family fun withgolfing excellence is also evi-dent at Playgolf’s three othercentres, at Colchester,Leatherhead and London (atNorthwick Park, near Harrow).Playgolf, which started in2009, hope to reach a maxi-mum of ten venues in the UK inthe medium term.

By Graham Otway

Is golf on the slide? Not according to new survey

Get a kickout of thisnew way ofplaying

into the swing with night of funCity girlsJill gets

Trump getsbacking fornew course

By Julie Stretton

Sitting pretty:Jill de Villiershopes to inspirecareer women toplay golf

Steve doeshard yardsto ensuremaps work

Team leader:Steve Winstone

IT LOOKS like plain sailingfor Donald Trump’s plans tobuild a second course, theMacLeod, at his Aberdeen-shire resort, TrumpInternational Golf Links.

Having submitted plan-ning applications to thecounty council for the newlayout, along with a 30-bed-room staff building, a400-plus capacity ball-room/banqueting facility,additional hotel accommoda-tion and ancillary leisurefacilities, Trump was told byRobert Collier, chief execu-tive of Aberdeen & GrampianChamber of Commerce:“The business communitywill welcome the continuedinvestment. These plans con-firm that investment in thesite continues to build a valu-able asset for the region.”

Driving rangeplanned forDocklands

Justiceputs paidto Watson

A NEW driving range willopen near London’s O2Arena on July 1 as part of a160-acre scheme that alsofeatures 15,000 homes, ariverside running track andtree-lined park.

“The driving range will benearly 300 metres long. If youhook a shot you’ll be headingtowards Canary Wharf and ifyou slice you’ll be goingtowards the O2,” said RichardMargree, CEO of developersKnight Dragon.

A joint venture betweenKnight Dragon and N1Golf,the range will have 60 bayswith flight technology andscreens, a central entertain-ment area, a fine-diningrestaurant and a fully stocked,3,000sq ft retail shop.

N1 Golf’s Declan Malonesaid: “This is the biggest thingto happen in golf in Londonfor 30 years.”

TOM Watson has beensacked after 10 years asprofessional emeritus atThe Greenbrier, the WestVirginia resort that annu-allys hosts the PGA Tour.

Jim Justice, the billionaire coal magnatewho owns the iconic complex, said Watson’scontract had expired andwould not be renewed.

“Although Tom has beena great emeritus, it is veryexpensive and Tom’s timeis very limited,” Justicesaid.

Watson, 65, was only thesecond professional emeritus at The Greenbrier, having succeeded Sam Snead.

Back of the hole! Footgolf player takes aim

By Nick Pitt

●The life story of‘Young’ Tom

Morris, golf’s first prodi-gy, has been turned intoa picture book that aimsto inspire children totake an interest in golf.

Written by St Andrewsgolf historian Roger Mc-Stravick, illustrated bylocal artist Maria AmeliaRandall and publishedby Cartographie Press,‘Little Tommy Morris’charts the life of thefour-time Open cham-pion who died, aged 24.

●ARNOLD Palmer is set to build

his first golf course in Scotland.

Mark Parsinen, owner of Castle

Stuart Golf Links in the Highlands

where the Scottish Open was

staged from 2011-13, says Palmer’s

design team will work on theresort’s second course with con-

struction due to start early next

year.“The site is to the south-west of

the existing course, and the routing

is essentially out and back,” Thad

Layton, vice-president of the Arnold

Palmer Design Company, said.

“There will be a new dormie house

near the start of the course, which

will play around the old (17th centu-

ry) castle.”

●A PLANNING application to

build an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus

signature course and 90 high-end

homes on the Ury Estate near

Stonehaven in north-east Scotland

has been submitted to Aberdeen-

shire Council by developers FM

Group.It is predicted that the £80m

project will create 200 new jobs.