The new Gil Hanse-designed New Course at Les Bordes Golf Club (France) is likely to open on July 1. Before I introduce you to the new golf course, let’s talk about what are the business risks in NOT…
Paul Armitage left the club not so long time ago as the general manager of the Golf National. His successor is Philippe Pilato. He has been at Golf National for 25 years, almost since the day it opened.…
The growth of online golf retailing is forcing pro-shops and brick-and-mortar golf retailers to reassess the true value and role of their stores. I believe experience remains essential to the future of the store – but it needs…
Last year, was not an easy year for club managers to deliver the same level of customer experience as in a normal situation. People usually remember peak moments and pits during their stay in a golf resort or…
It seems like Saudi Arabia shifted to a higher speed in the transformation of its economy and society. The Saudis want to tackle as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development the issues of poverty, inequality, climate…
Two years ago, I wrote Saudi Arabia is diversifying its economy by moving away from oil. To achieve this, the Saudi government launched the Quality of Life Program. They are planning to invest 130 billion riyals (1 riyal =…
I am totally aware of the benefits of speaking engagements as a great tool to build my personal brand. This is why I started a couple of years ago to search for relevant golf business events and podcast…
Whilst 2020 presented many challenges to the golf industry and wider society, the recent release of the Confederation of Professional Golf’s [CPG] new strategic plan promises not only a thriving future for the organisation but perhaps more vitally,…
Those golf clubs will be able to realize their customer experience strategy who invest in their employees and put them first. They will be able easier to retain their best talents too. By investing in employee experience (EX)…
We have long witnessed a battle in the hotel industry between hotels and OTAs. Some experts believe the Covid-19 crisis will lead to the victory of direct booking or at least a bigger share. I don't say we…
In November, we talked about the new name of Billy Casper Golf (founded in 1989), Indigo Golf Partners (with nearly 7,000 employees; more than 160 golf courses, country clubs, and resorts in 29 states). In January 2019, the…
When I first tried to summarize Golf Business Monitor's achievements in 2020, I wouldn’t have thought that due to character limits on LinkedIn I will not be able to complete what I wanted to share with you. Golf…
As you know I am a great supporter of female golf participation and female golf tournaments. Do you remember when I wrote about the love.golf program (sponsored by Syngenta) a few years ago? This time I found another…
The COVID-19 pandemic affected almost every aspect of life and business in 2020. It will not be very different in 2021. Before I would detail the customer experience trends in 2021, let's see who are the winners of…
In the last four years, I wrote almost 20 articles about the importance of wildlife conservation on golf courses. Little or much? It is never enough to talk and take action on this area of sustainability (e.g. Syngenta’s Operation…
Yesterday became Jim Richerson, Troon's Senior Vice President of Operations the 42nd President of the PGA of America. The 32-year golf industry veteran will serve a two-year term representing 29,000 PGA Professionals & Associates in leading the PGA of…
If you are following regularly the golf participation reports of the National Golf Foundation and KPMG you can see a stagnation in golf participation in the US since 2013. At the same time, the sport & entertainment industry…
It seems like more and more events are moving online. The coming BIGGA online conference (10 November 2020) is not an exception. For a long time, I thought that online conferences are killing one of the biggest benefits/advantages…
I frequently read reports on digital transformation. The most recent report I read was Altimeter's The 2020 State of Digital Transformation. I found in this report that the TOP4 drivers of digital transformation are Increase productivity to streamline…
A year ago, I asked Francisco de Lancastre David as the new cluster general manager of Troon Abu Dhabi (=Yas Links Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Golf Club, and Saadiyat Beach Golf Club) about his future plans in the new position.…