Here’s the top three things I learnt about the industry in January

From the role Germany could play in reviving your facility to a spike in burglaries at golf clubs, The Golf Business editor Alistair Dunsmuir reviews the last month in the industry:

3. Golf clubs need to be vigilant at the moment

In mid December we reported that several police forces were warning clubs to be on their guard following a spate of thefts of batteries from buggies. Over the holiday period there were a couple of horrific incidents at clubs, one involving a robbery and the other an attempted robbery. And in January more clubs experienced burglaries, in which equipment including clubs, trolleys and buggies were stolen.

Unfortunately this spike in crime appears to be another issue for golf clubs to be concerned about.

2. Germany could furnish your club with new golfers

Golf is currently big in Germany, a country that has more female golfers than any other in Europe. Some new research has also found that Germans spend more on their golfing holidays than any other nationality in Europe – twice as much as British golfers – although their preferred destinations are Spain and Austria.

Perhaps marketing to German golfers could be a way forward for your facility?

1. Training the golf club manager could give your venue a competitive advantage

This goes beyond just golf. A staggering nearly nine in ten managers of small to medium sized UK companies have said the training they have received, including for managing budgets, people and projects, has been insufficient.

Startup Stock Photos

A spokesman connected to the survey said that in countries like the USA, Germany and Japan, business management is seen as an essential discipline, but that’s not the case in the UK.

If your golf club invested more in the single-most important person associated with it – the general manager – it could achieve goals that your competitors can only dream of – because they too may not be giving the training and support that would enable the manager to take the venue to new heights.