Winners unveiled at 59club awards

The 7th Annual ‘Service Excellence Awards Ceremony’, hosted at The Belfry Resort on February 27th 2017, played tribute to 59club’s top performing client clubs. Those honoured, and present on the night, are regarded as some of the very best clubs and resorts in golf.

The awards recognise the top golf venues across all business elements – sales, service, operations, retail, golf course, food & beverage and management – based on the actual scores they receive as part of the benchmarking process.  Audits include a series of mystery calls and visits from a trained 59club tester, who evaluates the experience afforded to both visiting golfers and prospective members in accordance with 59club’s non-subjective benchmarking criteria.

The climax of the night for many is when the 59club Industry Benchmark – the Gold, Silver and Bronze Flag Awards – are bestowed on the finest member clubs and commercial venues, that not only achieve the required standard of service as part of the benchmarking criteria, but also provide excellent facilities for golfers to enjoy.

The ‘Oscars’ of the golf industry saw 59club present 13 Gold Flags which included Celtic Manor Resort; Forest of Arden; Foxhills Resort; Gleneagles; Monte Rei; Rockliffe Hall; Son Muntaner; The Dukes – St Andrews’; The Grove and Yas Links within the Resort category. In the Members Club Category Emirates Golf Club Dubai Creek and Stoke Park also received ‘Gold Flag’ status.

To ensure venues of all sizes are recognised for their outstanding levels of achievement, 59club introduced two categories for selected individual and team awards, thus segmenting clubs who charge an average green fee of either above or below £75. This ensures clubs of all sizes and budgets have the chance to receive the credit they deserve based on the market segment they have chosen to compete in.

The Grove scooped one of the highest prized awards of the evening, earning them the title – ‘The Ultimate Golf Resort’. The Marriot Golf Group was also left revelling on the night as they too received six awards. The Forest of Arden received ‘Silver Flag Status’ and ‘Golf Sales Team of the year’. Breadsall Priory claimed ‘Bronze Flag’ Status whilst Debbie Hollins received the ‘Leading Individual Golf Membership Performance’ award. Their track didn’t stop there, as Adam Moule, (formally) Worsley Park, received the title ‘Golf Manager of the year’ and the team at Worsley went on to win the ‘Golf Operations Team of the year’ award, both within the under £75 green fee category.

Simon Wordsworth CEO at 59club, said: “The night was a credit to our partners and client clubs who have embarked on the journey to improve industry standards with us. These clubs have the competitive edge and naturally reap market advantage. The proof is in the results, and that’s what 59club give you – real honest benchmarking statistics, teamed with training support which ultimately assists clubs to advance. Success stories are evident at each and every club we are fortunate to work with – big and small. It’s only when you begin to appreciate how good or bad you really are that you can work to excel.”

Award Winners: Leading Individual Golf Sales Performance – Graham Auld (Linden Hall); Golf Sales Team of the year – Forest of Arden; Golf Membership Sales Team of the year – Herons Reach; Leading Individual Golf Membership Sales Performance – Debbie Hollins (Breadsall Priory); Leisure Membership Sales Team of the year – The Vale Resort.; Golf Operations Team of the year (average green fee below £75)  – Worsley Park;  Golf Operations Team of the year (average green fee above £75) – Monte Rei; Golf Retail Manager of the year (average green fee above £75)  – Carmen Laguna (Son Muntaner); Golf Retail Manager of the year (average green fee below £75) – Nick Taylor (Louth Golf Club); Food & Beverage Manager of the year (average green fee above £75) – Mohamed Hidhayath (Yas Links); Food & Beverage Manager of the year (average green fee below £75) – Graziano Sem (Castelconturbia); Greenkeeper of the year (average green fee above £75) – Craig Haldane (Emirates Golf Club); Greenkeeper of the year (average green fee under £75).

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A graduate of Cardiff University’s highly respected post-graduate magazine journalism course, Andy has successfully edited four different publications across the B2B, trade and consumer sectors. He is skilled at all aspects of the magazine process in addition to editing websites and managing social media channels.