Industry news
Industry news
GOLF MANAGERS ASSOCIATION NZ
OFF TO A FLYING START IN 2018
T
he first GMANZ Board
meeting saw Michelle
Campbell GM Hastings Golf
Club welcomed onto the Board.
D
elivering a keynote address at an Asian
Golf Industry Federation-organised Club
Management Mini Summit, Jonathan
Smith, Founder and Executive Director of the
not-for-profit Golf Environment Organisation
(GEO), said that golf can be a leader in
sustainable sport and business, universally
valued for its positive role for nature and
people.
Around the GMANZ Board table
for first 2018 Board Meeting:
L to R: Chris Davies General
Manager Remuera Golf Club
(Chair), Michelle Campbell
General Manager Hastings Golf
Club, Des Topp Executive Officer
Golf Managers Association of
New Zealand, Ross Bond General
Manager Shandon Golf Club,
Michelle Towersey Manager
Tauranga Golf Club, Travis Gawler
General Manager Akarana Golf Club, Andrew
Bell General Manager Clearwater Golf Club
GMANZ NEWS
Pleasing to note that the number of NZ
affiliated golf club members has risen 2%
nationally over the last 3 months possibly
as a direct result of the fine weather. The
number of rounds being played in in the
same time has also increased but is still not
enough to make up the deficits from the very
wet 2017 winter which had such a negative
effect on many clubs’ 2017 financial results.
2018 promises to be a very exciting
educational year for GMANZ with a team of
8 managers attended the conference in San
Francisco for the CMAA World Conference.
They attended the required number of
conference educational sessions during the
week-long conference and they gained 30
credits towards their BMI qualification.
8
ASIAN GOLF INDUSTRY FEDERATION
SUMMIT STRIKES A CHORD ON
SUSTAINABILITY
Staged at Sentosa Golf Club during the SMBC
Singapore Open, Sustainable Practices in the
Club Industry was the theme at the Summit
which attracted more than 40 influential
individuals from the regional golfing industry.
GMANZ is very active in the education space
with 16 members enrolled for BMI Golf
Management in April together with a number
attending BMI International in October.
The highlight will be the 8 th Biennial GMANZ
Conference in Queenstown 0n 9-11 October.
With a theme of Innovate->Change->Success
this 2-day event opens up with a full day of
guest speakers from around the world, while
day 2 pitches the programme directly back at
the attendees to bring an open mind to the
table and by way of an Ask the Expert session
and a 3 session Hackfest come up with new
strategic initiatives that delegates will be able
to take back to their clubs to implement.
NEW GMANZ WEBSITE GOES LIVE.
Over the last 3-4 months we have been
working with Announce Design to redesign
our GMANZ website and now very proud to
announce that the site is live. You can check
it out by going to www.golfmanagers.co.nz.
The Golf Marketing Professionals I www.golfindustrycentral.com.au
Smith, whose 20-year career in golf and
sustainability has spanned strategic planning,
development of internationally accessible
tools and solutions and grass-roots advisory,
outlined how sustainability is becoming integral
to successful and profitable businesses,
consumer expectations and government
policies and regulations.
Using a range of real world examples, Smith
highlighted how much value individual golf
facilities could gain from being proactive
leaders in their communities, and how their
work to foster nature, conserve resources and
support communities could benefit the bottom
line.
He also described the significant upgrades
made to the on-line OnCourse programme for
sustainable golf facility management, including
how it helps club and course managers to
review, plan, track and promote their best
practices, key data and highlights across
course, clubhouse and maintenance facility
operations.
Smith, who acknowledged the support of
long-standing strategic partner The R&A, as
well as other valued partners, the Vidauban
Foundation, Toro, Textron Golf and Rain Bird
and the Asian Golf Industry Federation, said: “In
so many ways, from eco-system services and
conservation of wildlife, to health and well-
being for all ages, volunteering, outreach, jobs
and supply chains, golf is good for nature and
communities.
“Now, as regulation threatens, as resource
costs increase, as communities and consumers
expect more, and as new financial incentives
emerge, it makes every sense for golf facilities
to explore their practices and look for new
ways to increase value and reduce costs. There
really isn’t anything in sustainability that isn’t
good for golf businesses.
“As an organisation founded to help golf step
forward as a proactive and valued leader in
sustainability, we are very pleased to see the
new OnCourse programme being utilised by
grass-roots facilities as well as national golf
associations. It is particularly exciting to work
in close partnership with associations who are
seeking to present a custom-built member
service to clubs, as well as being able to quickly
demonstrate credibility, data and results to
governments and the public.”
Golf Industry Central I Autumn 2018
9