In their own words: European Tour CEO Keith Pelley

Alistair Dunsmuir
By Alistair Dunsmuir July 1, 2018 07:47

I thought long and hard about what to write about in my first column for The Golf Business, but a recent trip to our European Tour Properties Annual Conference at the London Golf Club in Kent helped me make up my mind.

European Tour Properties is a hugely successful part of our overall business with now 28 European Tour Destinations spread across 21 countries, including iconic venues such as Le Golf National, host of this year’s Ryder Cup. It focuses on assisting golf clubs and resorts worldwide by working with them and providing access to brand assets of the European Tour to enhance the experience of the consumer.

Keith Pelley

I’ve spoken at length about what I believe is required to grow the game of golf. That’s not just by us, but by golf clubs and providers of any golf experience in general. And at the heart of that lies innovation.

In recent weeks and months, we’ve seen innovative formats of the game grip the imagination of fans old and new. GolfSixes, held at Centurion Club in May, was a huge success with large numbers of men, women and children watching our fast-paced version of golf which included two women’s teams competing for the first time.

We also staged the Belgian Knockout at Rinkven International Golf Club in Antwerp. The tournament encompassed 36 holes of stroke play with nine-hole stroke play matches over the weekend.

In my opinion, these diverse competitions and formats of golf are vital to the worldwide growth of the game. The 72-hole tournament will always be at our core but there is room, and indeed now a narrative within the game, for something else. And this is where golf clubs can help.

Although the tournaments above are on our international schedule, they can be adopted by different clubs and organisations anywhere in the world.

While I appreciate that the condition of the golf course is always at the forefront of any club’s thoughts, you need quality and originality off the course too.

In the fast-paced and modern world we live in today, not everybody has the time to – or even wants to – play 18 holes. So why not introduce competitions to engage with members who want something different? A nine-hole tournament could be the way forward, as could a GolfSixes event.

Whether you’re a club with less than 100 members or more than 1,000, you need to think differently. Local clubs and local courses are the bedrock of golf, and they can all take small but important steps to grow the game we all love.

To find out more about European Tour events such as GolfSixes, visit www.europeantour.com

 

Alistair Dunsmuir
By Alistair Dunsmuir July 1, 2018 07:47
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