The Autograph Collection hotel brand of Marriott International was launched in 2009. It is one of the 3 soft brands from Marriott International, the others being Design Hotels and Tribute Portfolio, both inherited as part of the merger…
You may remember from 2017 when I reported on Greg Norman's "Shark Experience" service for Club Car golf carts. Verizon provided the content (E.g. music, live sports, news, entertainment, golf tips by Greg Norman) in those days. It…
Inflation is a big challenge for many countries in the last couple of years. Not entirely unfounded, many people also fear a recession, which could reach us even this year. At the same time, I think it is…
The tour operator sector is probably the most behind technologically. A recent survey by Arival of more than 3,500 businesses found that more than half of day tour operators are still not using an online booking system. This is not efficient for…
The National Golf Foundation’s latest annual state-of-industry Graffis Report had a very interesting finding. Namely, while on-course participation in golf increased by 2% from 2021 to 2022, off-course participation in the game rose by 13% in that same…
It's unbelievable how rapidly the popularity of padel is growing. Gradually, it will be difficult to imagine modern golf clubs and golf resorts without padel courts. Am I correct? Am I exaggerating? What is certain is that according…
The Forbes Advisor made an attempt to rank European golf destinations based on new and not-so-new criteria: number and quality of courses, value for money, green fees, courses that are ranked as world-class, and annual sunshine, and rainfall. …
I find the 40th Porsche European Open (1-4 June) interesting because the news broke in the Guardian last week that Porsche's sponsorship had become doubtful. This may have arisen because Paul Casey and Martin Kaymer were banned from…
I always get very excited when I hear about a golf course designed by a famous golf course designer of the past (e.g. A.W. Tillinghast, Donald Ross, Harry Colt, James Braid, Charles Blair Macdonald, etc.) being renovated. Such…
INFINITUM has begun the sale of 119 exclusive homes in the second phase an ambitious real-estate project. The development - which begins construction this month – will be comprised of 34 terraced and semi-detached villas, 4 detached villas,…
I'm a little surprised that I haven't written about Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club in the last 14 years. Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club was designed by Brian Curley and Fred Couples in 2002. All this despite the…
I never thought I would ever mention Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States, in the Golf Business Monitor. The reason for this is that I don't want to talk about politics, but only about the…
I have enjoyed Troon's & Troon International's trust almost since the start of Golf Business Monitor in 2009. Thanks to them, I got to know many golf industry best practices. Adopting a 'growth mindset' is one of the…
Much has been written and said - including me - about Sotogrande during its 60 years of existence. Here I summarize what they can be really proud of and what their competitors can learn from. We will see…
It is unbelievable that in the first three months of the year, the traffic at Los Cabos Airport increased by almost 23% (22.8%). And that's just international traffic. It seems like the destination has quickly recovered post covid…
Golfers and golf club guests are expecting an interactive user experience in 2023. Interactive content is twice as likely to engage a visitor as static content. Those websites that continue to communicate in broadcasting style (aka one-way communication) in…
Last year I was asked to show examples of unique golf course designs. This is how I mentioned among the others the Tom Doak-designed The Loop (Forest Dunes), and the 6-6-6 golf course design of the Nikanti Golf…
I first heard about Ombria Resort in the Algarve in 2018 at the conference of the Portuguese National Golf Industry Council, where I participated as a speaker. Since then, many things from Ombria Resort's plans have been realized…
The Cape Kidnappers Resort (New Zealand) was launched in 2004. The American developer Julian Robertson (Kauri Cliffs' owner too) asked Tom Doak to design a golf course for the resort. This is how the 18-hole, par-71, 7,147 yards (6,569 meters) long…
I am sure you also looking for uplifting vibes and moments of joyful distraction to pamper yourself. An Instagram study found recently that the number of conversations about indoor golf grew by 153%. One of the latest trends…