One hundred and twenty-seven golf course managers from all over Spain, and some from Portugal, gathered in September for three days at the RCG La Herrería for the VII Technical Conference organized by the Spanish Association of Golf Managers-AEGG, which has become an essential annual forum for discussion in which members share information and experiences.
The conference began with the presentation of the “Study on Golf in Madrid”, prepared by Sports Marketing Surveys for the Madrid Federation, followed by a round table discussion under the question “Do we really want to popularize golf?” which gave rise to a controversial debate: have we made a mistake with the golf model, have we followed a model to develop this sport, what are the needs of today’s golfers?
The questions raised in that debate and the answers that were given were formulated by the concern that invades the golf course managers, and the golf world in general, about whether we are providing the development model required by the current dynamics of golf, how much time people have to practice it, if it is necessary to improve the offer (6 or 9 holes green fees and at lower prices), propose parallel activities, etc., being clear that young people will not approach this sport if we are not able to adapt to the current demands on rules, times, prices, and we fail to make it more attractive…., being clear that young people will not approach this sport if we are not able to adapt to the current demands on rules, times, prices, and we do not manage to make it more attractive.
The conference served, among other purposes, to introduce extremely useful tools such as “TeePanel”: a new Business Intelligence system that integrates all the information related to the golf course with the possibility of cross-referencing data through a simple click, designed by Antonio Conde, CEO of Golf en red.
One of the presentations that attracted the most attention was given by Chema Alcázar and Javier Oliván on the advantages and disadvantages of in-house or external management of the Food and Beverage department, types of contracts, event management and everything the golf director needs to know about the catering of his club; and specific cases for the development and marketing of golf destinations were also presented, taking the examples of El Algarve (Portugal), La Cala Golf Resort (Costa del Sol) and La Manga Club Resort (Murcia).
The attendees received exhaustive and interesting information on banking products and financial training (Paneque Asesores), solutions for the use of authorized phytosanitary products (Lorenzo Elorduy, ICL-Syngenta), alternatives to making heavy investments and costly operations to guarantee the quality of irrigation water (Suez Group), in addition to learning about the training program of the Club Managers Association of Europe and the vision of the Golf Course Owners Association.
Salvador Álvarez Escobar, president of the AEGG, took stock of the situation of the entity: “In 2016 some very important milestones have been achieved for us: we have already exceeded 200 associates, several Portuguese colleagues have joined and we are also part of the European Association of Managers, which means that we are on the right track, being a cohesive collective that every day has more strength and a single voice”.
“I have a lot to thank: our manager Manuel Lozano for his invaluable work at the head of the Association, the training courses are filled, the job bank works very well and we continue to sign agreements with numerous companies; and all the associates for the incessant collaboration among colleagues, since you attend and respond quickly to the hundreds of queries we receive, providing solutions in general, and especially for younger managers.”
The Spanish Association of Golf Managers was established to promote and defend the professional and corporate interests of its members (218 to date). Its founding objectives are to organize, promote, develop and represent the profession of Director and/or Manager of Golf Clubs and Courses, ensuring the professional and ethical level of its members.
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