Welsh Government | Golf Clubs Benefit From Driving Change

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Golf Clubs Benefit From Driving Change

Fifty-eight Welsh golf clubs have already taken part in Driving Change, a comprehensive training programme aimed at helping golf clubs to increase revenue.

Thursday 20 September 2007

The training programme involves a full-day seminar, followed by a personal advisory visit to the club and then a half-day review workshop to fine-tune ideas and recommendations made throughout the course.

Owing to its success and requests from golf clubs that have yet to attend or those with new club secretaries, two further seminars will be held on Tuesday, October 16 at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club and on
Thursday, October 18 at St Asaph Business Park.

Visit Wales is committed to assisting clubs to enhance their businesses and as a result will fund 85% of the cost of the course so that the clubs attending pay just £95 plus VAT.

Club representatives who have attended the programme have praised it and have used the knowledge gained to:
• take action to attract higher visitor revenue
• take measures to increase added value for their members
• introduce new revenue to the club/course.

Gwilym Jones, secretary of Porthmadog Golf Club, said: “The seminar was a real wake up call. Golf is a competitive market and clubs need to be aware that they must move with the times. Our customers are becoming more demanding and if we do not meet those demands they will go elsewhere. “

John Jermine, chairman of Ryder Cup Wales 2010, said: Interest in Wales as a golf destination is growing as result of securing the Ryder Cup tournament for 2010. Players who come to see what Wales has to offer will discover that we have some 200 courses in beautiful settings that offer the challenges of those in Scotland and Ireland but without the pressures of demand. If this availability is matched by quality service and other amenities, then the potential for growing revenues from visiting golfers could be substantial.”

Each workshop caters for up to 12 delegates and is suitable for anyone in the club with the enthusiasm to drive things forward, influence change and introduce new ideas. In most cases this would be the club secretary or manager together with a committee member.

September 20, 2007