Dear Industry Colleague,

Congratulations must go to Matt Fitzpatrick for his great triumph against his good friend Rory McIlroy in Dubai last week. It was a very strong performance to cap an ever-improving season.  Rory too, capped a great year in which he became a Grand Slam Champion with his Masters victory in April and claimed his seventh European Tour title. We are fortunate to have such exceptional golfers on the DP world tour, even if they are not available for the whole year’s schedule.

LIV Golf which could presumably now be known as LXXII Golf, due to its switch from 54 holes to 72 holes in the coming season, is also making many changes. It seems that the US Tour and LIV Golf are no closer together, despite promising to heal their rift. The DP World Tour could end up being the beneficiary of ex-LIV players such as Henrik Stenson who has lost his LIV status and now is seeking a return to full-time golf on the European stage. More such players could follow. Exciting times.

Our articles this month  feature the changing sands of the golf industry.

🚩 Payment systems: Golf ranges have experienced a massive improvement in their fortunes in recent times, much of it led by technology. But this is not the only reason for their increased performance. Bays can now be booked in advance at many golf ranges and the simple convenience of being able to use a credit card to purchase balls at a golf range is transformative to their finances. Tokens are definitely on the way out as it is hard to track and police their use. Today we all carry a phone or a card and these can be simply used to dot and dab at a suitable ball dispenser and provide a bucket of balls. This is a major advantage to the range operator as customers are far less price-conscious when using a card or phone.

🚩 Membership: As Cape Cornwall Club goes on the market, it’s keen to share its approach to capturing membership from far and wide.

🚩 Sustainability: Golf courses are having to take a different attitude to how they cut and maintain their grounds. A greener outlook is necessary and useful and future legislation, especially water conservation, will no doubt result in even tighter controls on how courses can be maintained. Our article on Tierra del Sol in Aruba shows how this terrific Trent Jones layout has been reimagined with the help of GEO who have guided the course to a more sustainable future.

It’s good to stay in touch.

Best wishes,

Colin Jenkins
(07768) 887033