Managing golf clubs abroad: Lloyd Walton

The former assistant professional at Parkstone Golf Club in Dorset, Lloyd Walton, was recently named the new manager and director of golf at Palmilla Golf Club, one of the leading holiday resorts in Los Cabos, Mexico, having worked at a number of venues for global golf club management company Troon Golf in the UAE. Here, we speak to him about the golf industry in Mexico.

The UAE is a region you’ve worked in heavily, what makes this such an important market for Troon and how will you take these learnings into the Mexican market?

Arguably the UAE provides one of the highest service standards in the world with the excellent facilities and amenities on offer. Troon Golf helps create the best agronomic conditions and club environment for members and guests to enjoy. Golf in Los Cabos is an extremely competitive market with 18 courses within 40km, we provide a great eye on attention to detail, which I feel is what separates the good from the great. This will be a key focus on my role here at Palmilla Golf Club.

What does Troon’s footprint look like in Mexico?

Currently we have two facilities in Mexico, with the other one being at PGA Riviera Maya, near Cancun. Many of our guests are familiar with Troon Golf with a large portion of our daily market coming down from Phoenix, California and Texas where flights are just a few hours away.

How do you instil best practice across a facility?

For me here at Palmilla Golf Club, communication is key and with communication it is essential to set clear goals and expectations. Although my Spanish is improving day by day, use of imagery and presentations are extremely efficient in communicating to our 68 associates we have at the club.

How do you train local people to take on new positions?

Here at Palmilla all the associates other than me are local (Mexican). The associates here are extremely ambitious and feel a great sense of pride in the work they do. As a leader I feel it is essential that all associates are given a platform to grow should they wish, our ownership, Kerzner, provides fantastic opportunities for our associates to cross-train in other areas in the hotel as well as committing all associates to attend at least four hours of classroom learning per month. There is a great opportunity to grow skill sets and progress to new positions.

What is Troon doing to help stimulate the growth of the game in Mexico?

With the Troon footprint in Mexico being positioned in the two most in-demand destinations, Cancun and Los Cabos, naturally as the clubs continue to thrive from post-pandemic tourism footfall, our properties are increasing the emphasis on engaging with local communities to help grow the game of golf. Also with successful role models, such as Abraham Ancer, currently one of the world’s greatest golfers, this will set a benchmark for success for Mexicans to follow.