We have gone from being a nobody into a really recognised golf club , and we did it with very little budget . The whole team made a huge effort with high service levels , strong marketing and dedicated greenkeepers . I ’ d call that a real success story . We made it , we saved it and we are now pointing in a direction that allows us to think about the future . That puts us in a position to go to the next level . With a good membership we will be able to invest more and more . We have a team of 30 including an exceptional head greenkeeper . This year , with the anticipated income , we had hoped to expand and improve our services but that will have to wait given the current climate . Not surprisingly , Covid-19 has put us into survival mode .
DG : For someone trying to get into the industry today what would be the most important piece of advice you would offer ? SB : You must have good knowledge , at least partly , of each department that ’ s in a golf club . You may not be the best person in a particular area , such as greenkeeping which is so specialised , but you must have some knowledge . So I would say a Golf Director , in Europe , at this moment must be able to maintain a golf course to the highest level and , for this , it ’ s about having the right team , with good greenkeepers the key . Then it ’ s about the income you can create for your club , knowing where to invest and how to incentivise your staff . You are also dealing with a lot of operations , and sales and marketing so you need to have a good eye for people who can support you in these areas . Build a team of strong people who know a lot about their individual specialties . Something else which is very important is that if you work in a mixed culture environment – we have members from 40 nationalities – you have to understand the differing needs and expectations of your members and customers . ( Stefano speaks five languages .) I am very lucky to come from Northern Italy , where we grew up speaking German , I have a Spanish wife , I worked for Marriott for 16 years , and I have lived in London and New York , so I know a bit about different cultures . It helps in day to day interactions with members and visitors , and also in the commercial area . For instance , English people see golf differently to Germans , A
French person doesn ’ t behave like an Irish person . Some international experience of these different cultures will be very important when working at an international course like this , or at most courses in Spain
34 DestinationGolf . travel