This page is dedicated to all those golf clubs, managers, secretaries, captains, chairman's, committees and golf club operators who think they know everything about golf but in fact haven't got a clue what they are talking about, or any idea what a Golf Professional does for their golf club.

 Please take note and digest the articles below!

GROWING THE GAME: HOW GOLF GETS IT WRONG

by

Brandel Chamblee

Growing the game is mostly a 

result of natural forces and 

not misusing one of golf’s 

most valuable resources.

When I was new to golf the head professionals where I played, including Rives McBee, introduced me to the game, helped me get better and passed on their passion for playing. Before anyone had shot 63 in a major, McBee had a share of the record for lowest round in a major, a 64 that he shot in the 1966 U.S. Open at Olympic. He traveled with Lee Trevino early in their careers and he knew the game inside and out. Still does.

As a Head Pro, McBee, along with Jerry Andrews and Lanny Turentine, wasn’t holed up in an office. He was on the putting green, the driving range or the golf course, showing people how to play, explaining this part of the grip or that part of the stance. If he wasn’t in one of those places, he could be found at the 19th hole, talking about the history of this game, its traditions and past greats. For McBee and Andrews and Turentine, these weren’t just characters out of books, they were people they knew personally.

These men weren’t trying to generate rounds, they were trying to generate interest. They weren’t trying to grow the game, they were trying to preserve the game.

In my mind, the golf professional is the most important person in golf, the link between the golfer and the game. But another link, one between golf courses and boardrooms and Wall Street, has fundamentally changed the golf professional’s job as “growing the game” has become golf’s highest priority.

I hear repeatedly that golf’s participation numbers are falling; that the millennials aren't interested in it and the 18- 30-year-old set that was, isn't anymore; that those who care about the future of golf should all work to “grow the game.”

Today, that means getting the golfer to the course at all costs. It means cutting the cost of the green fee and the salary of the golf professional. It means trying to make the game easier (15-inch cups), faster (9- to 12-hole rounds) or even completely different (Footgolf).

The downturn in golf's popularity – and this is not the first one - is not because it is expensive, not because it is too difficult, not because of anything other than the natural ebb and flow of the sport.

Golf has always been expensive. In the 1600s a golf ball, or a featherie as it was known then, cost the equivalent of $14. A surgeon in Great Britain in 1700 made roughly $75 a year. The game has always been expensive.

Golf didn't just suddenly become hard; it has driven people crazy for centuries. The difficulty of the game has always been a large part of its allure. The difficulty is offset by the passion that people have for it.

As I said, this isn’t the first downturn golf has experienced. The first one in the U.S. followed the boom that came from Francis Ouimet’s stunning upset of Ted Ray and Harry Vardon in the 1913 U.S. Open playoff and the heyday of Bobby Jones, climaxing in his Grand Slam of 1930. During this period, the number of USGA-affiliated clubs rose from 267 in 1910 to more than 1,100 in 1932.

Golf's growth abated in the 1930s for two primary reasons - the stock market collapse of 1929 and Jones’ retirement in 1930. This was a one-two punch to an expensive, star-driven game that was almost exactly duplicated by the circumstances of the economy's downturn in 2008 and Tiger Woods’ scandal in 2009. The only difference? In the 1930s nobody was suggesting a need to grow the game.

After World War II golf enjoyed slow, steady growth until Arnold Palmer burst onto the scene in the 1950s. Then the game grew like bacteria in a petri dish, which is to say parallel to his popularity. Aaron Sorkin couldn't have written this guy. Spielberg couldn't have directed him. He mesmerized man, woman and child with great manners and all manner of gesticulations on the way to heroic wins and tragic losses. He moved people, literally, to the golf course.

Where Palmer’s popularity grew over time, Woods’ was like a bowling ball dropping into a koi pond. By 2013 there were 10,600 USGA-affiliated golf courses. That number, however, was down from the previous few years, as was the number of players, which is why there is such a hullaballoo about needing to grow the game.

Golf used to be mostly a break-even business. Courses and the experience were designed for the enjoyment of players. Profits went back into the facilities. This began to change when conglomerates began taking over ownership and/or management of courses.

The fallout from this has changed golf more than anything else in its history. Somewhere in a board room there is a man or woman whose job is to look at spread sheets and figure out how to maximize profits, to generate more revenue by generating more rounds. The burden of doing this often falls on the golf professional, so instead of being out on the range as Rives McBee, Jerry Andrews, Lanny Turentine and their ilk used to be, golf professionals are instead huddled in their offices trying to figure out how to generate more rounds.

The goal shouldn’t be to grow the game at all costs, it should be to connect on a one-to-one level with each golfer or prospective golfer, to help them appreciate why it's worth taking the time to learn how to play. Pay the golf professionals more money because they are worth every penny and will make people want to play this game. In time there will be another star every bit as alluring as Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer and Bobby Jones, and once again the game will grow.

THE IMPORTANCE OF 

THE PGA PRO AND 

HIS GOLF SHOP

by

Andrew Wood

Founder: Legendary Marketing

You have to visit a giant sporting goods store to buy bowling balls, baseball bats and football helmets. A few sports such as cycling and tennis have their own dedicated retail outlets but golf is the only sport where just about every club will have some kind of pro shop.

As a youth at Lilleshall, I marveled at the small shed of a pro shop run by PGA Professional, Gwyllam Hardiman and his two assistants, Shaun Ball and Kevin Short. It stocked everything you could possibly want. A fine selection of clubs, balls, bags, shoes, shirts and accessories were squeezed into a tiny space. The back of the shed was reserved for club repairs, re-gripping, re-shafting and refurbishing. Take in your favorite persimmon driver and whatever was wrong with it would soon be fixed quickly and professionally.

Hooked For Life

I was standing in the pro shop where, as a young teen, I often hung around between rounds, when a middle-aged man came in and started to look at the golf clubs. Gwyllam enthusiastically greeted the man and asked if he could help. The man had just taken up the game a couple of weeks earlier and wanted to buy a set of brand new Ping golf clubs. At that time, Ping clubs were in great demand in England and were comparatively expensive.

In response to Gwyllam’s question as to why he wanted Pings, the customer said he had been told they were the best. Gwyl agreed that they were very good clubs but suggested that, since the customer had just taken up the game, it would make little difference what clubs he used initially. Instead of buying a new set, Gwyl suggested he start with a used set, take some lessons and play a few times to make sure he was going to enjoy the game. Then, when he had improved to the point that he could benefit from top-of-the-range clubs, he should come back and see him. In this way he would not waste money on clubs he might never use.

I sat there hardly able to believe my ears as Gwyl successfully talked a customer out of spending several hundred pounds. The customer eventually left with a set of used Wilson clubs, for which he paid a fraction of what a new set cost. At best, Gwyl made £25 pounds on the deal. I couldn’t wait for an opportunity to ask him why he had done such a thing.

Gwyl smiled and said, “That man will spend more money in this shop in the next twelve months than any other three members combined.” He was almost right, the guy spent more money than ten other members!

Although he had not even mentioned the possibility of giving the customer instruction, the man came back the following week to sign up for a series of lessons with Gwyl because he liked him better than the pro at the range from whom he had been taking lessons. While he was there, he bought a pair of golf shoes, some socks and shirts. Later he bought a new bag, golf balls, a cap and a couple of swing training aids. When he signed up for a second series of lessons, both he and Gwyl were convinced he was hooked on the game and Gwyl took back the used set he had originally sold him in part-exchange and allowed him a few pounds off the price of a new set of Pings.

The customer’s game improved rapidly and it was easy to see that he did, indeed, spend more money during the course of that year than any three other members. Gwyl treated everyone that way and consequently had a very loyal following. Even though he did not give big discounts or carry a huge inventory and his shop wasn’t easily accessible, customers came from far and wide to buy equipment and take lessons from him simply because of his attitude and honesty. He had built an excellent reputation and was financially the most successful golf pro in the area. I think Mark Twain summed it up best when he said, “Always do right... that will gratify some people and astonish the rest!” That sums up how Gwyl ran his pro shop.

The Pro Shop is your Golfing HQ

While the hard goods and repairs have unfortunately disappeared from many clubs, the great pro shop is not only the place to buy balls and book tee times. It’s your golfing HQ. The place to have a chat about the weekend’s events, grab a coffee and ask a question about your swing. Take a few stabs on the green carpet with a new putter from the rack or discover how the latest high-tech driver feels in your hands with a few waggles.

While waiting for a guest or passing thunder shower, you should sink down into one of the comfy chairs in the corner and read a newspaper or one of the golf instruction books on the table with a lazy eye on the weather channel on the flat screen TV. The great golf shop should be like the kitchen at a party, the place where people feel comfortable lingering. Browse the logoed shirts, try on some sun-glasses and pick out a new pair of shoes for the season.

While today’s big box stores offer a kid-in-a-candy-store feeling, they lack the intimacy and service of your local pro shop. I remember as a kid in the 1970s, the British PGA running a promotion which declared: “People Who Know Buy from Their Pro.” It’s something I have always tried to do.

Grow the game and your business join the Golf Operators Association http://members.golfoperatorassociation.org

Brian Gaffney PGA Professional from Scarsdale NY also made some valid points in an interview on TV.

PGA Professionals come into the business for the love of the game but over time have become administrators. When I was young the Pro always played with the members 3 or 4 times a week which brought excitement to the Golf Club therefore boosting memberships. Seems now the PGA pros are the accountant, caddy master, green keepers assistant, general manager and working 70 hours a week therefore not creating relationships with the members. So maybe some owners of the Golf Clubs should see the full interview. Golfers join Golf Clubs to enjoy playing the game and creating new relationships.

THE PGA PROFESSIONAL 

AND THE STEADY 

DECLINE OF GOLF

by

Anthony Higgins

The nations passion for golf has decreased quite significantly in recent years with memberships falling which has been mainly due to time, price and accessibility and could have been for seen a number of years ago.  People taking golf holidays abroad is also significantly less as it now quite often costs more to fly your golf clubs there and back than it does yourself.

In August 2016 Nike and Adidas announced they will be leaving the golf business and Nike will stop producing golf clubs, golf bags and golf balls after years of falling sales.  Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Michelle Wie were all be looking for new sponsors and were left in limbo, this would also have an effect on the larger retailers of golf equipment.

An article in a Sunday newspaper on August 14 2016 stated that 10 million fewer people are playing the game since 2008 and the governing bodies had hired consultants to try and help them solve the problem.  The consultants concluded that as well as high costs, changes including axing strict dress codes and allowing smart phone use and drinking on the course should be made.  It is quite obvious that both parties are clueless about the situation and it could damage the sport further if some of its rules and traditions were abolished.

In recent years we have seen many golf courses go into liquidation or cease to exist with some golf facilities taking desperate measures to try and resurrect their falling income by introducing amongst other things Adventure Golf and Footgolf.  Only time will tell before we can truly judge the success and popularity of these 2 new sports which include the word golf, however it is very doubtful they will ever be available to play at Sunningdale or The Berkshire.  If golf clubs are serious about attracting new golfers to their club during these hard times then they should be offering a full membership, a flexi membership, a free taster hour every week with their PGA Professional plus a free trial membership of their club for people registering for a beginners course, any golf club not offering this can only expect their misery to continue.

It is now not viable for many people to become or stay a member of a golf club as time does not permit them to play often enough to justify the cost therefore a flexi membership or just being a green fee player has become more popular with Goodwood GC for example now having approximately 2000 flexi members.  This trend is not only affecting the UK but it is worldwide and started in the early 2000’s but a flexi membership offers great opportunities for a golf club or facility to target these nomadic golfers with the PGA Professional centric to all the initiatives.

Golf is one of the most difficult sports we know and to have fun playing golf one must play to their own satisfaction, it is very easy to lose the enthusiasm for golf if you cannot hit the ball, look stupid and feel embarrassed, therefore professional tuition and advice is imperative. 

An hours individual tuition with a PGA Professional now costs between £45-£60 which is far too expensive especially when compared to a driving instructor who charges £20-£25 an hour and has to provide a motor car, tax and insure it and pay for the fuel.  In a lot of cases an hours individual golf lesson also equates to what some people spend on a weekly shop.

There are people who are prepared to pay these fees but they are generally good golfers looking for expert advice to move to a higher level or established golfers trying to improve or solve a problem.  However members of the public when thinking of starting to play golf as a new hobby are seriously put off by these charges as was recently proved in a survey.  Given that individual lesson prices will remain the same then to attract people into playing golf one must heavily promote group lessons which is common practice on the continent, considerably cheaper and also gives the individual the possibility to meet other golfers and beginners.

The blame cannot be put on the PGA Professional, because his charges have had to rise due to the ever changing conditions of their contracts.  Many now have to pay rent to teach or a percentage of what they earn which can be as much as 50%.

On should also observe how over recent years the standard of golf to which the average club member and nomadic amateur golfer now plays has deteriorated to the point of near embarrassment due to lack of tuition, hence a lot of people are questioning the speed of play and using it as a reason golf has declined but they do not know why playing a round of golf is taking longer.  The speed of play is mostly determined by the standard of golf and with many golf courses now being modernised and made longer this new challenge could only make the problem worse and there could be good reason to start the handicap system at 54 in the UK for both men and ladies as they do in other European countries.  However even 54 would not be high enough but it would help motivate beginners through a false sense of success and improvement in the early stages of learning and enable certain golf clubs to enforce reasonable handicap restrictions if they so wish.

Some golf clubs and golf operators are now also insisting that the golf balls are not included in the lesson and also have to be paid for by the client and a non member sometimes also has to pay a range fee or a green fee if they are wanting on course instruction from the PGA Professional.  This is totally absurd and in no other sport does one have to buy or rent balls before having tuition as they are included in the tuition fee as expected.

These policies are nothing short of petty, idiotic and damaging to the development of golf.  They will only discourage the average person from starting to play and taking golf lessons or begin to play without taking lessons and become frustrated, disillusioned and stop playing.  Anybody taking lessons to learn to play golf will buy and use a significant amount of range balls to practice with in between lessons.

What would these golf clubs and golf operators think if they walked into the 19th hole after playing a round of golf and told they have to buy a glass, a plate and a knife and fork before they can order anything to drink or eat!!!!!!  How would people react if they had to put some petrol in the driving instructors car before they commenced with their driving lesson!!!!!!

One can only conclude that the stupidity, incompetence, lack of common sense, knowledge and experience from some of these golf clubs and golf operators is quite mind blowing and has played a major part in the steady decline of golf and the golf business.  A bad manager or committee without sufficient experience or knowledge can also take good staff and destroy them, causing the best employees to flee and the remainder to lose all motivation.

A successful golf club depends on the culture of the club and an environment needs to be created that is right for regular users and prospective new members and their families. A golf club needs to attract and welcome new people and personality, companionship, social events and entertainment are probably more important than the golf, these will help develop a healthy membership and green fee income.

The committee/management structure needs to be carefully chosen from experienced people who can all contribute to a certain aspect of the golf club and the PGA Professional should always be invited to sit on the committee. Marketing and in particular using social media needs to be focused on as well as having a user friendly attitude and service, golf clubs also need to be aware of stuffiness and restrictive rules that make people feel uncomfortable.

Unfortunately there have been and are too many armchair experts managing golf clubs and sitting on golf club committees which have hugely contributed to the difficulty some of these golf clubs now find themselves in.

Current members and clients are important to bring in future clients so keeping them happy and rewarding them is very important, new members are often the best ambassadors so working with them at the right time can be very beneficial. 

As we all know word of mouth is the best form of advertising.

Maybe we should take a look back to the 1990’s during the time of the golf boom and remember how golf clubs and facilities were managed then.

However with every recession comes a success story and it has been interesting to see the increasing rise and popularity of the Manor House & Ashbury Hotels in Devon.  These are the only Sport, Crafts and Spa Hotels in England and they boast 7 golf courses and a driving range and situated in the beautiful area of Dartmoor one would think it is not the best location to fill 7 golf courses.

On the contrary, it is full of various golfers year round from the UK and abroad through strategic marketing, price and its facilities, costing approximately £60 a day to include a nights accommodation, 3 meals and 27 holes of golf.  A bucket of balls on the driving range costs £1 for 50 balls (£4.50 at my local range), £8 for a buggy (£20+ anywhere else) with group golf lessons free of charge and the PGA Professionals employed by the owners.

It should now start to become understandable why some golf courses are empty and some are full.

The PGA Professional is the 2nd most important person at a golf club after the Head Greenkeeper, he is the link between the golfer and the game and the most influential person and valuable resource a golf club or facility could have. Recent TV interviews and articles by Brandel Chamblee “How Golf Gets it Wrong” and Andrew Wood “The Importance of the PGA Pro and his Golf Shop” with further comments from Brian Gaffney (these articles can also be found on this website) endorse this and they have received world-wide recognition for their views and opinions.

The job of the PGA Professional is to generate interest in the game at their golf club or golf facility which will generate more members, green fee payers and more revenue for the golf shop, driving range and bar/restaurant. They can be found in the golf shop, on the driving range, putting green or golf course greeting members and guests and giving people advice, showing them how to play or doing a club fitting. If they are not in one of those places they can sometimes be found in the work shop or at the 19th hole talking about the history of the game, its traditions and past and modern greats all of which generates interest and helps enhance the atmosphere of the golf facilities and the Pro’s popularity, reputation and character.

They should be paid for these services then golf lessons could become less expensive, as it is most have to do the job free of charge and in some cases a lot have to pay to go to work.

A lot of golf clubs should consider employing a PGA Professional/Golf Operations Manager who can multi task as a lot of golf clubs do not need both especially in the winter months and this would considerably save on costs.  The days of having the professionals shop as a separate building from the clubhouse have in many cases also become financially not viable due to staffing costs and the minimum wage, therefore unquestionably it would also make sense in a lot of cases if the managers/secretaries office and professionals shop both operated in the same area, room or reception area within the clubhouse, which during the day would probably become one of the most focal and meeting points of the golf club.  

The Pro could give the steward an hour off and pull a pint or make a coffee if need be and the Pro could go out and give a lesson and the steward could sell a golf ball if need be. 

This is not rocket science, it is called team work and common sense, something that seems to be seriously lacking in golf clubs these days. 

A golf club can live without a manager/secretary but it can’t live without a Pro.

WHY EGO KILLS MOST 

GOLF CLUBS

The number one reason many golf clubs and indeed most businesses fail is not because of poorly thought-out marketing campaigns, the wrong media, or the lack of funds.

It’s EGO!

That’s right, ego, pure and simple human ego, destroys more businesses, loses more battles, and kills more marketing campaigns than any other factor!

When wealthy owners, management companies, or committees make business or marketing decisions based on ego instead of a proven strategy toward the orchestrated accomplishment of clear financial goals, they make poor decisions.

They make decisions based on what they like, not what actually works!

They make media decisions based on what makes them look good to their peers, not what makes the phone ring. For example, “Did you see our ad in this publication or on that website?”

They copy their competition rather than innovating so they can be seen to be doing something even when it makes no sense. Like adding a spa!

They make misplaced decisions to keep poor performing staff under cover of “loyalty” and caring, but really they just want to look good.

They build corporate palaces, monster clubhouses, and ivory towers rather than functional and creative working environments, or entertainment centres burdening their organizations with mountains of debt they could easily have lived without!

They take the “NOT invented here attitude” to new heights and kill any program that doesn’t have their paw prints all over it!

When they see an idea they like and can champion as “their own discovery,” they bring it in as the month’s flavour, citing their “open-mindedness to new ideas.” Only to discard them six weeks later for a different flavour instead of working the plan they have in place to its logical conclusion.

They hire people they like, people they can boss around, people who won’t talk back or challenge their ego, not people who can quickly help them reach their goals.

Then, of course, they blame others for their failure, which despite their bravado, inevitably happens when people make business decisions from EGO rather than proven principles, and the pursuit of a worthy goal.

Don’t Let Ego Ruin Your Golf Club or Business!

"Golfers who know go 

to their Pro"