My father purchased the former Open Championship venue, Prince’s Golf Club, in 1975. My siblings and I were very fortunate to have the run of such a prestigious golf course where we learned to play the game. My three brothers and two sisters played regularly - although not generally together – so I guess this was the really where I started my golf career at a very early age. Most of us went on to represent the county and three of us have now turned professional. I played full time for many years, competing on both the Challenge Tour and on a handful of occasions on the main European Tour.
In 2005, whilst playing football with some friends, I snapped my patella tendon, which sidelined me for around a year and unfortunately on my return the knee never fully healed. During this period I felt that I needed to move on from professional golf, and so took over the role of Head Professional at Prince’s and started my PGA training, which I completed in 2012. I would recommend any aspiring golfer should complete the PGA training as a solid foundation for any role within the golf industry - whether playing or management.
At Prince’s we work closely with Troon Golf and I have learned many things from them over the past five years, which has helped me step up to my current position as General Manager. Although it’s a challenging role, it’s one that’s very rewarding when all goes to plan.
Golf Features: With the golf season set to start how would you assess the public appetite for golf for Prince’s and the immediate coastal area? Are bookings up at this time of year versus the year prior?
Rob McGuirk: We are very fortunate to have the Prince’s golf course - three nine-hole courses: Dunes, Shore and Himalaya, coupled with our on-site accommodation and great staff, to offer visitors in an area with a rich golfing heritage. To have such good quality links golf, playable throughout the year, in such close proximity to London has always been a draw for golfers from all over England and indeed Europe. Bookings are looking extremely healthy for the coming season and our membership numbers are consistent this year, which we really pleased about.
Golf Features: There seems to be a generational shift in what golfers want when making arrangements for golf. Do you see any noticeable differences between those 50+ and those under that?
Rob McGuirk: I am not sure that this affects us here, as we are a very relaxed club. We know that the modern golfer uses social media and the Internet to choose which courses they would like to play, so we feel that we have to be active in these areas. Golf tour Operators like Golf Breaks and Your Golf Travel also bring us business so it is imperative that we embrace these companies and work with them to increase business. As for the older generation, they are becoming more tech savvy and we have seen no real difference in how they book their golf trips. Our members use computer/Internet registration for their competitions, which seems to be popular.
Golf Features: Course upgrades were carried out in 2010 by European Golf Design - what were the main things done to the course?
Rob McGuirk: We felt that the course was falling behind our competitors and, with the imminent construction of The Lodge at Prince’s, we felt that we needed the course to reflect the quality of the new accommodation. Michael Lovett, the GM at the time, had worked with EGD in the past and with his vast experience Michael oversaw the improvements to the bunkering and routing of the course. We moved two fairways and implemented some new tees to give us more interesting tee shots. The major upgrade was the bunkering with all 93 bunkers being renovated. We were fortunate to have one of Britain’s brightest young green keepers in Sean McLean look after the renovation project.
Golf Features: Outside of people within a 100km radius, where do most of your players come from? Do such players make it a point to spend a night or just play and head home?
Rob McGuirk: The way we package the ‘stay and play’ at a cost just above the price of playing two rounds encourages most of our clients to stay with us. For instance our winter deal of £99 for one night and two rounds of golf attracts many golfers from nearby Essex. Golfers are attracted at that time of the year by the favourable links course conditions. In the summer our clients travel from further afield and with the quality of the accommodation, we see more ‘stay and play’ golf than daily green fees.
Golf Features: From a percentage standpoint, what is the approximate percentage for foreign play and where do they mainly come from?
Rob McGuirk: I would say 15% - 20% would be foreign and mainly coming from France and Holland.
Golf Features: What steps are being taken to address slow play - for example, are rough areas being thinned out so people can quickly find a stray shot? Is the facility placing staff at strategic locations to keep an eye on how rounds are going?
Rob McGuirk: It is a difficult question as we are restricted to when we can cut the rough, being an SSSI site. I also think that if you do not have rough on a links course you lose that definition which frames the course. In saying that, we monitor crossovers and implement 10-minute intervals, which gives the golfers ample time to tee off. The benefit of having three nine-holes means that we can separate members and visitors as they tend to play at differing speeds. I recently played Saadiyat Beach and they had a sign on the course that summed up slow play, which we will be displaying by all our first tees to ensure decent pace of play.