Golf’s first cyber protection policy

Linkscover, the golf club insurance specialist, has now become the first insurer to include comprehensive cyber cover for golf clubs.

Its managing director Paul Holmes talks to Tania Longmire.

There’s been a number of well-publicised cases of golf clubs losing thousands following a cyber attack recently, can they get insurance protection for this?

It’s impossible to predict exactly where the next cyber threat to your business will come from but when it does happen, the fall out can be complex and costly. However, with the right insurance cover, it doesn’t have to be devastating. Are you equipped to deal with loss of business income, interruption to your business, extortion, ransom, damage to your reputation, notifying your customers, legal penalties, investigation costs and compromised data? Linkscover is the first golf club insurance provider to include comprehensive cyber cover as standard.

What should golf clubs do about the growing threat of vandalism to their courses?

Course cover varies dramatically. The factors to consider are: the cover definition – not all policies cover the whole golf course. The inner limit per claim, some policies restrict this to as little as £20,000.

Linkscover provides £1,000,000 as standard and this covers all playing surfaces and includes greenkeeper error with no inner limit.

There have also been numerous stories of clubs being hit with large claims when wayward balls struck by golfers have hit someone. What can they do?

Risk management, operating procedures and risk assessments are key to prevention and defence. Just having a health and safety policy does not in itself ring-fence a club from vulnerability. Linkscover, in partnership with Ground2Control, offers golf club specific risk control systems and management, resulting in reduced premiums, claim prevention and more robust defences against third party claims.

Are there other issues clubs should be worried about?

A review by the Financial Conduct Authority has revealed that 40 per cent of SMEs could be underinsured. You may be surprised but this applies to golf clubs with regularity irrespective of who they are insured with.

The most common issues we see when reviewing golf clubs’ insurances is underinsurance; basis errors with incorrect asset value declarations and financial data. The list of cover shortfalls and restrictions in some policies are worthy of concern and to the untrained eye are difficult to decipher and compare. We are always on hand to provide guidance and assist clubs in ensuring that the cover we provide is the best that they can buy, meeting the demands and needs that they should expect.

Linkscover, which deals exclusively with golf clubs and has no call centres, states that it provides the most progressive cover available for UK golf clubs as standard.

Web: www.linkscover.com

Tel: 0203 858 0018

Email: office@linkscover.com