European Tour CEO Keith Pelley to write for The Golf Business

Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, has agreed to provide regular editorial contributions to The Golf Business.

The 54-year-old Canadian has led the European Tour for the last three years, during which time it has received worldwide recognition for leading the transformation of global golf through innovation both inside and outside the ropes.

Inside the ropes, it has won plaudits for several new formats, especially for the introduction of GolfSixes, the European Tour’s ‘fast and fun’ six-hole tournament, which was played recently for the second time at Centurion Club in Hertfordshire, involving 16 teams of male and female professionals and a €1 million prize fund.

The format has proved so successful that both England Golf and the Golf Foundation are utilising it to encourage more people to play golf in the UK, as well as Federations across Europe in Belgium, Denmark, France and the Netherlands.

Keith Pelley, at the offices of the European Tour at Wentworth.
(Photo by John Phillips/Getty Images)

Outside the ropes, the Tour’s ground-breaking social media strategy has seen many accolades come its way including winning the ‘Best in Sports Media’ category in the recent Sports Business Awards, and ‘Best Social Media Campaign’ for its Access All Areas work in the BT Sport Industry Awards in April.

Pelley has been a keen advocate of modernisation of golf clubs and, in an interview with The Guardian newspaper last year, said that if the industry is willing to change it could meet the huge demand to play golf that exists in the UK, which, in turn, could end the financial difficulties some clubs have suffered from in recent years.

Pelley joins the likes of Robert Maxfield, CEO of the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA), Steve Mona, CEO of World Golf Foundation (WGF) and Jim Croxton, CEO of the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA), who also regularly provide perspective to the magazine.

“It’s so important that, as an industry, we facilitate the growth of golf,” he said. “I will be using this column to give examples of the innovation that is achieving this and to communicate more with golf clubs to ensure both parties can secure this growth.”

 The Golf Business is posted to more than 97 per cent of golf clubs in the United Kingdom and has a large social media following. The magazine profiles at least one golf club manager, one PGA professional and one golf course manager in every issue.

“We’re absolutely delighted that Keith Pelley has agreed to contribute for us,” said editor Alistair Dunsmuir.

“As European Tour CEO he’s one of the most important people in the industry anyway, but on top of that he’s full of ideas that are pertinent to our readers. I think golf clubs will realise through his column that they have a very useful ally in a high place.”