If you ever want to learn about life from an early age, take up caddieing. As a 10 or 11-year-old, the stuff you will hear, it will open your eyes to the big world out there like no other way. It is an experience money can’t buy, listening to men talk about things going on in their lives and discovering words you didn’t know existed!”

Those are the words of advice from a man who should know. 

Troon Executive Vice President Mark Chapleski will retire at the end of July, following 24 years with the golf and club management leader. Chapleski has led the Troon International division since 2017, growing the company’s international portfolio to 40-plus facilities in 20 countries.

Mark Chapleski has been immersed in the world of golf for as long as he can remember and now — after a long and eventful journey that has taken him around the globe from the United States to Japan and then the UAE — the Troon Executive Vice President will retire at the end of July following 24 years with the golf and club management team. 

It can be strange sometimes when you set out on one path, with a plan in mind, and you end up somewhere completely different. Mark explains this is exactly what happened after his academic career and a faltering attempt at life on the pro tours. 

“I got pretty good in junior year in college,” he tells Golf Digest Middle East at The Els Club in Dubai. “I was an honorable All-American, and was planning to be All-American first or second team the following year, but my senior year didn’t pan out as planned. I didn’t play as well, putt as well, as I hoped, and that was pretty much my career done right there. There was another guy on my team who went on to play professionally for 10 years, but for me it never worked out. I played a few events on the PGA Tour, and I tried other tours like in South America, but my pro career was pretty much over before it began.

Playing golf in Hawaii with Michael Jordan in 1995

“I never thought I was going to be in the golf industry. I figured if I didn’t make it, I would become a stock broker or do something in the investment world, but I just kinda fell into it.” 

So as it was, Mark hung up his spikes. Then an opportunity arose at just the right time for him to prolong his time in the golfing realm. 

“After I got out of college, I met a guy who happened to be called Don King — not that one,” the now-62-year-old laughs. “I grew up in Michigan and other than travelling to play golf, I hadn’t been about. Don said there was an opportunity in Arizona at Yuma Country Club, if I wanted to come out. It’s a place that never rains and plenty of great weather. So I just up and left. The rest is history.”

And it is quite a history.

Chapleski with Bill Clinton

“I actually got my game back for about eight months while I was out there,” he adds with a shake of the head. “I had forgotten about this. My clubs got stolen and it was right after that I found something in my game. It’s not like today with all the technology to help you — if your clubs got stolen, you started changing stuff, because you had had the old ones so long anything else is unfamiliar.” 

With a shrug, he adds: “Anyway, I still couldn’t putt worth a damn so I never would have made much money on the tour.

“Yeah, so I decided to get into the industry and joined the PGA of America Programme as an apprentice at Yuma, I was in the golf shop, or doing whatever needed doing as an assistant pro.”

Troon Golf with Colin Montgomerie (left to right) ~ Mark Chapleski, Robin Evans, Colin Montgomerie, Jeff Spangler, Ken Kosak, Christo Diamandopoulos, Bruce Glasco

Following three or four years serving at the country club in the Southern California Desert, the next chapter in Chapleski’s journey began and it led to one of his bucket-list destinations.

“I knew I had to make a move or I could end up stuck there at Yuma forever, so I upped and went to Palm Springs in California and got a job working at Marriott Desert Springs, then the high-end Vintage Club. I was only there for six months when someone told me that a very well-known pro Craig Williamson, the man behind Kapalua on Maui, was opening a new club — in Hawaii.” 

Ko Olina Golf Club was the place where Mark would call home for the next 10 years, and he remembers it fondly. 

“Hawaii had always been on my radar since I was a kid, watching ‘Hawaii
Five-0’ with my dad, so I made the decision to head for O’ahu Island, and that is really where I cut my teeth on the business side of things in the industry. This was a start-up, so we were doing everything from scratch and I learnt a lot.”

While Mark was learning the basics, he was also part of a bit of sporting history — just one of his many fascinating tales.

“Craig came up with an idea — I guarantee you he was the first to do this — to put the Ko Olina ‘ladybug’ logo on the back of the shirts,” he explains. “Legend says that if a ladybug lands on your shoulder, you can blow it off and make a wish. This is 1990, no one had anything like this on their shirts, and I thought: ‘Hey that’s a bit weird.’ 

“But after the first year, the shirts with the logo on the back had gone from around 10 per cent of shirt sales to around 90 per cent… and now almost every sport has shirts with sponsors and things on the back shoulder. That was great to be part of.”

At opening of Velaa Private Island in the Maldives Velaa Golf Academy by Olazábal with VP of Agronomy Robin Evans (left) and Troon COO Bruce Glasco (right)

Mark climbed his way to Director of Golf Operations at Ko Olina when news came through in 1999 that the club was being sold to Marriott. Mark was on the move again — and this time ended up on Troon’s doorstep.

“I knew [Troon COO] Bruce Glasco from my days in Michigan on the amateur golf scene,” he says. “I think he was VP at Troon at this point, so I sent in my CV — they were expanding pretty fast — got hired and moved to Scottsdale, back in Arizona. 

“That’s when the call came in that a team from Troon was needed to go to do due-diligence on six golf courses in Japan. So a team including myself and Bruce went over there, and soon after [then part owner] Goldman Sachs said we need to open an office in Japan, because there was a lot of work to be done.

“We started the office in Japan with a team of four or five people. What was meant to be a short due-diligence trip turned into four years — four interesting years — working with bankers like Goldman, Morgan Stanley, all these guys. We were there to analyse and value their golf courses.” 

The culture of golf was quite different to in Japan, so it was a challenge to know just what was required and Mark was learning as he went along. 

“Golf in Japan was a day-long event back then,” he says. “The guys would go out in the morning, play nine holes then stop for lunch. Mandatory. You go in, get drinks, food, the lot, and then get back out for the back nine. By the time you add in transport, post-round bath and everything else, the whole day was gone.    

“However, we could see that was changing. The younger generation didn’t want all this. They wanted to get a round done in four hours as they had other things to do. So, we helped create what is now the second largest golf company in the world.”

Chapleski speaks to the Jazzy Golfer at Address Montgomerie 2019

Mark’s next stop would finally see him settle — the UAE in August 2004, and since then he certainly has seen some changes both to the golfing scene and the city of Dubai as a whole. 

“They were looking for someone to run the opening of Montgomerie,” he says. “I recall my first visit here from Tokyo. I think there were maybe five clubs at the time — Abu Dhabi, AD City, Nad Al Sheba, Creek and Emirates Golf Club. But the Montgomerie was being built and that’s what we were brought in to oversee.

“It has been quite a transformation since then. We went from one golf course at the Montgomerie, then the second one came up at the Els Club — there was no Sports City or anything, complete green field out there at the time. 

Chapleski at Asia Pacific Golf Conference 2019

“It is completely different now as a city and even the golfing scene is much more mature — and I feel Troon coming in helped create what we have today. The teaching and academy side has gone through the roof, too. From having the Butch Harmon Academy with us, and what that brought to the region, meant it really raised the standard of coaching across the board, Jumeirah Golf Estates raised their game, Pete Cowan came in, and you can really see it in the quality of the players we are producing in the UAE now. To get to where we are today has been an amazing trip.”

As Mark gets ready to step away from the coalface — and wind down the air miles — what is next for the Troon legacy in the UAE now that the likes of Yas Links, Saadiyat Beach and Yas Acres have joined the Viya portfolio? 

“There are still more courses that are being talked about and being planned, so I think the UAE will continue to be our home base,” he says confidently. “It is such a central location and has a great air lift with Emirates. We are still bullish about what this region holds for golf in the future. I believe there is a big opening for golf tourism in this country and it is something that we are definitely working on.” 

Whomever comes in next certainly has some big shoes to fill, and hopefully they will have just as many tales to tell.

Troon is a global leader in club management and development, with more than 770-plus facilities in 30-plus countries.

The post The Journey Man: Troon International’s Mark Chapleski is retiring after a well-travelled and intriguing journey across the globe, and he has a few tales to tell… appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

“In leading our international efforts, Mark has certainly left his fingerprints across the globe, growing the sport and the locations where golf can be enjoyed,” said Bruce Glasco, Troon’s Chief Operating Officer. “Mark’s passion for the game is surpassed only by his compassion for people and those providing first-class service to our many members and guests.  While I am sad to see him retire, I know he will be making an impact in whichever community he settles in.”

Prior to joining the business side of the golf industry, Chapleski enjoyed a successful collegiate golf career at Miami University in Ohio, where he earned All-American honours during his junior year. After a brief stint on the PGA Tour in the mid-1980s, the Michigan native hung up his golf spikes to pursue a career in club management. He entered the PGA programme while working at Yuma Country Club in Arizona and became a PGA of America member. After serving as an assistant golf professional at public and private facilities in the Southern California desert, Chapleski moved to Hawaii to work at Ko Olina Golf Club. He would later be promoted to Director of Golf Operations at Ko Olina, working nearly 10 years at the property.

Troon International’s Mark Chapleski.

In 1999, Chapleski joined Troon as the Director of Operations in Asia as part of the company’s start-up team in Japan. Five years later in 2004, Chapleski was appointed Area Managing Director for Troon Middle East and relocated to Dubai. In 2017, Chapleski became President of Troon’s International division, a role in which he oversaw the division’s growth and helped expand golf and golf opportunities across the globe. He was promoted to his current position of Executive Vice President in July 2021.

“Throughout my time at Troon, growing the game of golf has always been my number one passion. I have always believed that the work we do is having a positive and life-changing impact not just for the properties we oversee and the countries they operate in but most importantly of all, our colleagues,” said Chapleski. “The growth we have experienced has been nothing short of phenomenal. When I started in late 1999, I believe we had just under 40 golf courses, and the only international ones were a few in Australia.

“Today we are at 750-plus worldwide and 40-plus in the International region. As part of that expansion, we have been fortunate to have been involved in several projects that we were either first in market or new in a very immature market and realising the immediate positive impact we are able to make in these locations is very satisfying.

“Bringing a completely different level of operation and event experience to countries like Morocco, Egypt, India, Czech Republic, Cambodia and the UAE, to name a few, has been very rewarding for all of us in the International division. It has been a privilege to work alongside some of the most forward thinking, creative and devoted Troon associates both in the field and in our office.”

All the best from everyone at Golf Digest Middle East, Mark!

The post Troon International’s Mark Chapleski to retire in July appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Matt Smith
Construction work has commenced on the clubhouse at Al Zorah Golf Club, with the aim of transforming it into the leading tourist and golfing destination in the northern Emirates.

The world-class clubhouse will complement the 18-hole championship course, set in the natural landscape and mangroves of Ajman. The clubhouse at the Troon-managed course will offer full leisure facilities, including a gym, golf shop, tennis courts and swimming pool, plus food and beverage outlets will offer visitors a choice to dine, socialise and relax within the club.

Mark Chapleski, Executive Vice-President, Troon International, said: “We are extremely excited about this next phase of the Al Zorah golf journey. It will be a huge step forward with this new state-of-the-art clubhouse sitting right above the 18th green.”

BE AT 1 SERIES:
Tame ‘Sea View’, stroke index 1 at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club
Tame the 15th, stroke index 1, at The Els Club Dubai
Tame the 5th, stroke index 1, at Tower Links Golf Club
Tame the 15th, stroke index 1, at Yas Links Abu Dhabi
Tame the 7th, stroke index 1, at Dubai Hills Golf Club
Tame the 12th, stroke index 1, at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club
Tame the 13th, stroke index 1, at Al Zorah Golf Club
Tame the 10th, stroke index 1, at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club
Tame the 5th, stroke index 1, at Abu Dhabi Golf Club
Tame the 5th, stroke index 1, at Arabian Ranches Golf Club

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
The Middle East’s 18 favourite holes
The Middle East’s best par 3s
Top 10 Golf Courses in the Middle East: The Class of 2020

The post QUICKSHOT: Al Zorah Golf Club Clubhouse appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Matt Smith
Yas Acres Golf & Country Club is now in full swing, following its inauguration in December and is a fine addition to the UAE’s ever-expanding portfolio of courses.

For the budding golfers in Abu Dhabi and further afield looking for a new challenge, the Fry/Straka-designed nine-hole course offers something for all skill levels, day or night thanks to its fully floodlit set-up.

The par-36 course stretches from 2,554 yards at its shortest to a challenging 3,700 yards, from five different tee areas at each hole, overlooking impressive scenery in the heart of the Yas Acres community, with generous fairways, sizeable greens and plenty of water to keep you on your toes.

Visitors can also refuel at the clubhouse restaurants, work on their swing at the largest driving range in Abu Dhabi, alongside chipping and putting areas, hit the gym, play some padel tennis or relax at the pool.

BE AT 1 SERIES:
Tame ‘Sea View’, stroke index 1 at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club
Tame the 15th, stroke index 1, at The Els Club Dubai
Tame the 5th, stroke index 1, at Tower Links Golf Club
Tame the 15th, stroke index 1, at Yas Links Abu Dhabi
Tame the 7th, stroke index 1, at Dubai Hills Golf Club
Tame the 12th, stroke index 1, at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club
Tame the 13th, stroke index 1, at Al Zorah Golf Club
Tame the 10th, stroke index 1, at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club
Tame the 5th, stroke index 1, at Abu Dhabi Golf Club
Tame the 5th, stroke index 1, at Arabian Ranches Golf Club

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
The Middle East’s 18 favourite holes
The Middle East’s best par 3s
Top 10 Golf Courses in the Middle East: The Class of 2020

The post QUICKSHOT: Yas Acres Golf & Country Club appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The DP World Tour’s calendar year opener couldn’t want for a more picturesque, or challenging, canvas

By Kent Gray
Amateurs lucky enough to call the UAE home and international visitors in the know have been smitten for years. Now the rest of the golf world will be let in on the joys of Yas Links Abu Dhabi. Of all the 2022 Desert Swing events, the switch of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship from Abu Dhabi Golf Club after 16 editions is easily the most mouth-watering prospect. Kyle Phillips’s desert-links gem, ranked 48th in Golf Digest’s global Top 100 courses, has returned to its former glory after a challenging two-year dip in conditioning due to water challenges. Here’s hoping the famous Arabian Gulf breezes waft in over the mangroves to give Collin Morikawa, Rory McIlroy and co. a taste of the challenge presented by the undulating layout, particularly so on the stunningly difficult three-hole closing stretch which has been the scene of many amateur hour meltdowns.

BE AT 1 SERIES:
Tame ‘Sea View’, stroke index 1 at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club
Tame the 15th, stroke index 1, at The Els Club Dubai
Tame the 5th, stroke index 1, at Tower Links Golf Club
Tame the 15th, stroke index 1, at Yas Links Abu Dhabi
Tame the 7th, stroke index 1, at Dubai Hills Golf Club
Tame the 12th, stroke index 1, at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club
Tame the 13th, stroke index 1, at Al Zorah Golf Club
Tame the 10th, stroke index 1, at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club
Tame the 5th, stroke index 1, at Abu Dhabi Golf Club
Tame the 5th, stroke index 1, at Arabian Ranches Golf Club

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
The Middle East’s 18 favourite holes
The Middle East’s best par 3s
Top 10 Golf Courses in the Middle East: The Class of 2020

The post QUICKSHOT: Yas Links Abu Dhabi appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

That’s because they overcame visiting Madinaty Golf Club in the inaugural Egypt Troon Cup, a special match held on the opening day of the recent Ryder Cup.

In what Troon International are promising to be the first of many planned events between the two Troon-managed clubs, hosts Allegria triumphed with a tight 1.5 point advantage after 20 players represented each club.

A rematch has already been scheduled but Madinaty Golf Club will still have to wait until March for their shot at revenge.

“All of us at Madinaty Golf Club are extremely excited about our collaboration with The Allegria,” said Josh North, General Manager of Madinaty Golf Club.

“It is great to see two Troon managed golf clubs come together and put on unique events like this for our memberships. It was fantastic to see friendly rivalry on and off the golf course and we look forward to bringing the cup home to Madinaty in March!”.

Troon International Executive Vice-President Mark Chapleski was on hand to present the silverware.

“We have been involved with The Allegria since the start, 13 years ago and it was fantastic to see this event come to fruition with our wonderful new addition Madinaty Golf Club,” Chapleski said. “Egypt is a superb golf destination and Troon look forward to continuing to deliver superior playing surfaces and service at these two premier golf facilities”.

Troon International’s Mark Chapleski.

Throughout the year, members of Madinaty Golf Club and The Allegria can benefit from Troon Advantage rates to enjoy a secondary Troon course. The Allegria is located close to the Great Pyramids of Giza while Madinaty Golf Club lies to the east of Cairo, in close proximity to the Cairo International Airport. For those looking to combine luxurious Egyptian hospitality with golf at the Robert Trent Jones Jnr course, Madinaty Golf Club have teamed up with the Royal Maxim Palace Kempinski Cairo.

Madinaty Golf club, which opened in late 2020, is already playing a very active role on the Egyptian Golf scene having hosted the prestigious Egyptian Amateur Championship.

The post Inaugural Egypt Troon Cup hailed ‘huge success’ appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The 12th hole at Royal Greens comes after a nice stretch of birdie holes and certainly tests all levels of golfer. At 459-yards off the championship tees, this par 4 is a long, skinny and slightly uphill hole where an unfavourable left to right prevailing wind will push any errant tee shot into the desert and, even worse, out of bounds if you are not careful.

If you are successful in finding the small fairway by avoiding the well-placed fairway bunker, then there will be a long iron, perhaps even a fairway wood, into the extremely undulating green that has severe run offs. Dave Sampson from European Golf Design certainly wanted to test every element of your game at the 12th. –with Kent Gray

Tee shot: An elevated tee allows golfers to visualise their tee shot. However, the strong left to right wind seeds doubt … do you aim left and let the wind bring the ball back, or play a draw of the tee into the wind? Moreover, the fairway bunker at 250 yards off the tee is perfectly placed on the right and will catch a slightly wayward tee shot; forget reaching the green in two from there. If you are able to find the fairway or even the first or second cut of rough, you’ll have a chance of reaching the green in two but the odds will still be against you.

Approach: Accuracy and precision is key to your approach shot and anything on the green in regulation is a job well done. While there are no greenside bunkers to avoid, sometimes you wish there was to help stop the ball rolling down the severe run offs. If your approach shot falls short, goes left or right then you are left with a very difficult chip shot to try and save par.

Closing out: The 12th hole gets even better once you’ve finally reached the green. Welcome to one of our most undulating greens on the course which tends to slope away to the run off areas. That makes hitting any approach shot close difficult.  The three-tiered green allows many ‘interesting’ pin locations for our members and guests with everyone looking forward to hearing the ball finally drop and moving over the par 5, 13th hole.

BE AT 1 SERIES:
Tame ‘Sea View’, stroke index 1 at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club
Tame the 15th, stroke index 1, at The Els Club Dubai
Tame the 5th, stroke index 1, at Tower Links Golf Club
Tame the 15th, stroke index 1, at Yas Links Abu Dhabi
Tame the 7th, stroke index 1, at Dubai Hills Golf Club
Tame the 13th, stroke index 1, at Al Zorah Golf Club
Tame the 10th, stroke index 1, at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club
Tame the 5th, stroke index 1, at Abu Dhabi Golf Club

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
The Middle East’s 18 favourite holes
The Middle East’s best par 3s
Top 10 Golf Courses in the Middle East: The Class of 2020

The post BE AT 1: Tame the 12th, stroke index 1, at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Aldar Properties has agreed to sell the Abu Dhabi Golf Club complex, including the on-site Westin Hotel and club’s 27 holes, for Dhs180 million (US$49m) to an undisclosed investor, according to a report by Gulf Business, a Motivate Media Group stablemate of Golf Digest Middle East.

The announcement comes as Abu Dhabi G.C. prepares to host the 16th edition of the $8 million Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship from Jan. 21-24. The European Tour’s season-opener has received a $1 million prize purse increase as part of a 2021 schedule shakeup and is one of the circuit’s four gold-starred Rolex Series events with links to the new European Tour-PGA Tour alliance, no doubt making the sale more appealing.

Currently under a licensed and technical service agreement with Troon International, Abu Dhabi G.C. features the famed Peter Harradine-designed National ‘championship’ layout plus a floodlit 9-holer, Holes 19-27, or more commonly referred to as the ‘Garden’ course’.

The Westin Abu Dhabi Golf Resort and Spa, built in 2011 and currently operated by Marriott International, is a luxury five-star hotel with 172 keys, and features six restaurants, 2,256 square metres of conference space, two swimming pools and a spa, Gulf Business reported.

The complex, which also includes land for development of 46,543 square metres gross floor area, was acquired by Aldar as part of a wider transaction with Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Development Investment Company (TDIC) in 2018.

“We are very pleased to have successfully conducted the sale of this luxury hospitality complex, a testament to our team’s ability to create value through active management, despite challenges to the hospitality and tourism industry from Covid-19,” said Jassem Saleh Busaibe, chief investment officer of Aldar Properties.

“We will continue to pursue opportunities for significant growth and further diversification of the Aldar Properties portfolio.”

Last month, Aldar signed an agreement to divest two of its district cooling assets on Saadiyat Island to the National Central Cooling Company (Tabreed) for Dhs963m, Gulf Business reported.

It came a few weeks after Aldar had confirmed that would take over the management of several government capital projects worth Dhs30bn ($8.2bn), as part of an agreement with holding company ADQ.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
The Middle East’s 18 favourite holes
The Middle East’s best par 3s
Top 10 Golf Courses in the Middle East: The Class of 2020

The post REPORT: Abu Dhabi Golf Club sold for Dhs 180 million appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The 54-hole event at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, which offers valuable World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) points, has been confirmed for December 14-16 despite the on-going uncertainty created by the coronavirus pandemic.

Last year’s champion Josh Hill and leading Emirati Ahmad Skaik earned spots in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. In a media release, the tournament said spots in January’s scheduled Rolex Series event at Abu Dhabi Golf Club were “potentially” available for the 2020 winner and leading local.

Matt Waters, Group Director of Golf for Abu Dhabi’s Troon International-managed cluster encompassing Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi and Yas Links, told Golf Digest Middle East that discussions were ongoing.

Hill capped a memorable 2019 with a thrilling one-stroke triumph over Arjun Gupta to be crowned the second winner of the Championship following Dino Capazario’s triumph in 2018. With the victory, the then 15-year-old became the youngest-ever participant in the Abu Dhabi HSBC event and enjoyed a practice round with then World No.1 Brooks Koepka.

“Winning the amateur championships and securing a spot in one of the largest European Tour events was an incredible way to cap off last year. Having the opportunity, as the youngest ever player, to compete alongside some of the best players in the world is an experience I will never forget,” said the Dubai-based England Boys’ rep.

“It’s exciting to be going back to Saadiyat Beach Golf Club to compete, it’s one of the most challenging courses in the UAE so with the strong competition and course difficulty it’s an honest test of golf, you have to play well to win.”

Regardless of whether HSBC spots are available, Waters is confident of another enthralling amateur battle.

“At Saadiyat Beach Golf Club we pride ourselves in delivering the world-renowned Troon Experience, which largely consists of maintaining exceptional playing surfaces which we believe sets the course up to be the perfect Championship venue for a World Amateur Golf Ranking Tournament.

“We are thoroughly looking forward to welcoming a vast array of elite amateur golfers to Abu Dhabi in December and to witness what we hope to be a thrilling tournament for all.”

For more info on the 2020 Abu Dhabi Amateur Championships, please contact Daniel Richards: golfevents.sbgc@aldargolf.com

The post Organisers hopeful Abu Dhabi Amateur Championship will again lead to European Tour starts appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Dubai-based Troon International President Mark Chapleski discusses the impact of coronavirus on club golf in the region and how the disruption has presented unforeseen opportunities for the game

With Kent Gray

We suspect you won’t have experienced anything in business quite as challenging as the COVID-19 pandemic?
Coronavirus has impacted all of our properties across the world in a variety of manners. At one stage we only had two courses open in our International Division (in Australia) as we adhered to local Governmental and Golf Federation regulations. All of our courses are now open with the exception of The Allegria in Egypt and we were pleased to see Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in Saudi Arabia open on June 21. The data tells us that COVID-19 may have a more dramatic overall impact on the world than 9/11 and the Financial Crisis of 2008.  However, we believe that the golf industry is in a unique position to come out of this in a stronger position than before the crisis started. It has certainly been one of the positive green shoots, due to the inherent nature of how golf is played and operated, in almost every region of the world, as places are emerging from lockdowns. As a game, golf is naturally a social distanced sport and offers families a sport that they can enjoy together outside in the fresh air.

How challenging, from a staff welfare and financial standpoint, was the immediate shutdown period for the clubs under Troon International’s umbrella?
As a company, our priorities always centre on protecting our associates (staff), financial performance and the assets of our owners. We were able to ensure our agronomy teams maintained the golf courses with precautions such as split teams (to ensure work continues even if one team member gets infected) and re-housing associates on-site (including at The Track Meydan Golf in Dubai). Our Regional Corporate Agronomy leaders have been assisting our superintendents with best practices on maintaining our golf courses during these difficult times, when there are various limitations, not only on staffing but also the delivery of materials for example. We were also quick to minimise our costs to reduce the impact on our P&Ls whilst doing everything in our power to protect our associates, who do a phenomenal job day in, day out.

Our property leaders also did a phenomenal job in keeping our associates engaged throughout the lockdown periods, regularly providing updates and training and ensuring regular communication with them was maintained to keep them motivated.  It was a really tough time during the lockdown for us all and we are thankful for technology which has allowed us to keep connected throughout.

Al Zorah Golf Club (UAE)

Yas Links Golf Club (UAE)

What measures were put in place to assist clubs as lockdowns were announced, and then when partial re-openings were rolled out?
We currently operate in 33 countries and to take a positive from this crisis, we have been able to follow the migration of COVID-19 and continuously work with our property leaders and teams to share the lessons learned, best practices and relaunch strategies.

Ironically, the shutdowns that COVID-19 created worldwide, created an opportunity for our corporate office and our executives at the facilities to communicate in a manner that we had not fully utilised prior. We began over-communicating to our property leaders with guidance, global trends, motivation and proven best practices whilst engaging with them on a personal level to help guide them through the crisis. Video calls twice a week, with up to 20 properties at a time, became the norm. It was fantastic to see the engagement from the field, but also for our senior associates to be engaged with one another on a regular basis in that much more personal video-call setting.

This situation is new to the world and there is no magic wand. However, by doing the right thing and being kind, we are highly confident our properties will come out of this in a positive manner.

What role did Troon International play in lobbying governments to begin re-opening courses?
Our International office is based here in Dubai and we have been in the region since our engagement with The Address Montgomerie in 2001. As we manage 10 of the golf clubs here, this allows us to provide a voice from a large portion of the golf industry. I have to thank our industry counterpart, Chris May, for all of his efforts to work with government entities as well. From our long tenure we have a strong relationship with the Emirates Golf Federation who did a great job in communicating to all the UAE golf clubs since mid-March, and continue to do so. We must thank Sheikh Fahim, Adel Zarouni and Robert Fiala for their continuous support to the industry. In regards to other regions, Troon had several comprehensive documents gathered from resources around the globe that were also used by our teams in Australia, Cyprus, Spain, Bahrain, Malaysia and India to lobby the local governments in an effort to get golf facilities open as soon as possible.  We shared these documents with other non-Troon facilities too, as we saw it as an industry initiative as well as being the right thing to do given the circumstances.

What is Troon’s role in the future direction of the game given the ‘new norm’ in which golf now operates?
We are blessed to be partners with 475+ golf courses in 33 countries through our family of brands and companies under Troon. This provides us the opportunity to continue to grow the game of golf on a global scale, encouraging participation through our Troon Programs such as TroonFit, Troon Family Golf, and Troon Values Your Time.

Royal Greens Golf & Country Club (Saudi Arabia)

The Royal Golf Club (Bahrain)

What strategies are you most proud of to help get clubs back up and running?
Even during the pandemic, the wheels were in motion to make sure we are prepared for the now but also for tomorrow. Part of the now was the creation and global launch of our Moments Matter initiative. This content-led resource for our clubs, associates, members, and guests was a key tool and one that helped to educate, inspire, and entertain along the way. We have had Q&A’s, Live Golf Clinics and Messages of Hope from Team Troon members including Justin Thomas and Cheyenne Woods. We have also shared many other resources internally to our property leaders including ‘Relaunch Strategies’ and ‘Crisis Revenue Management’. Our technology partner has been advancing our Troon International App to reduce the physical touchpoints a golfer has when he visits a Troon facility in the region. We are continuously working hard on corporate led initiatives to assist our properties through the COVID-19 epidemic while working with each club on their relaunch strategy. The Troon Executive Card is a perfect example in this region; Our frequent player program provides cardholders with the best green fee rates at our facilities and many more benefits. In response to COVID-19, we launched the TEC Summer Pass with added value from our partners at Callaway. Again, best practices coming from our leaders around the globe are a key tool for each of our clubs to implement at their local level.

Has there been any unforeseen upsides to the temporary closures brought about by the pandemic?
Golf is in a great place due to it being seen as a safe sport compared to many other activities or sports. In golf, you have natural social distancing. Since the easing up of lockdowns, we have definitely seen an increase in participation. We did foresee this happening here in the UAE following trends in other re-opened markets and therefore our clubs here limited the first stage of re-opening to members only. Our clubs also stayed away from the popular ‘summer pass or full summer memberships’ to protect our members who, due to the restrictions in travel, will be spending more time in the UAE than past summers. The Track, Meydan Golf and Royal Golf Club Bahrain have seen a huge spike in participation from people coming back to and taking up the game. This is great news and we must welcome people who unfortunately are unable to play their usual sports in a bid to keep them in our great game for the long-term.

How big has the financial impact been for clubs in the middle east?
There has been revenue impact, but due to the necessary precautions being taken in expense management, this impact has been mitigated at the bottom line. We have seen average dollar per round strengthen after re-opening as we were cautious to do any “reactionary” discounting. Our thought was that there would be a lot of golfers in the region wanting to play golf as it was safer. Also, we felt it was irresponsible to fill the golf course up with discount golf when our members, who would typically leave during the summer months, remained here.

How many lost rounds have you estimated during the lockdown and due to the restricted tee times since the partial re-openings?
The National Golf Foundation estimate 20 million rounds were lost to the virus in the US alone. Our facilities experienced anything from 10-day closures to 95-day closure periods!  So to answer the question more specifically, if one facility was closed for 30 days during April in the UAE, we would have lost 4,000+ rounds.

Asia Pacific Golf Summit 2019

What are the immediate, short and long-term challenges facing golf in the “post” COVID-19 era?
Until there is a vaccine, it is anticipated that some of the COVID-19 restrictions will stay in place, along with social distancing guidelines. I do think that through this time, we will see leveraging of technology and this will remain after COVID-19.  For example, we are asking for rounds to be booked through the Troon International App, to keep our associates safe from being exposed to potential cross-contamination of answering the phones. Now that people are using the app more frequently, I don’t see them looking to make phone reservations in the future. It is just too easy to use. We are also not far from having auto check-in once a pre-paid golfer comes thru a geo-fence area, then he will simply need to scan a barcode when he comes into the golf shop.

There is evidence of an uptick in junior interest globally. are you seeing this in the middle east?
Yes. With other sports having a tougher time adjusting to the potential cross-contamination challenges that COVID-19 presents, golf is definitely seeing an increase in uptake as parents see the inherent safety of the game. Hopefully, golf also gets a boost within the physical education/gym programs at schools.  It has never been a focus of school PE programs in the past, but it should be, for multiple reasons.

What can clubs do to future proof their businesses in light of the lessons learned from the outbreak?
Embrace technology, ensure cleanliness is paramount to what they do, and continue to train and develop their associates.

In what way do you think the pandemic will reshape the game, from the casual player, to club golf and up to the professional level?
Although many parents are excited for the return of school following this long period of home-schooling, I know I am, I truly believe golfing families will become a core part of the golf club communities moving forwards. We have cherished this extra time spent together and this will be held in high regard. Golf is one of the only sports where you can play as a family, or even as three generations together. The golf industry must continue to embrace and welcome new players to the game. With this comes new customer desires and we will be as flexible with our strategies as ever. The new generation of golfers enjoy relaxed dress codes, on-course entertainment systems and quick rounds of golf. The Track, Meydan Golf has incorporated all of these – you can play in two hours listening to your favourite tunes from your golf cart in relaxed attire. This is great for the game and needed for us to continue to develop with the times.

Allegria Golf Club (Egypt)

Vattanac Golf Resort (Cambodia)

What impact will COVID have on new course builds /major course renovations?
New builds have certainly slowed down and have been slower worldwide over the past five years.  However, some areas are actually ramping up for several new projects, such as The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Some of the major hotel companies have gone on record as stating that they don’t see the tourism numbers returning to pre-COVID-19 numbers until mid-2022. I am not that pessimistic and believe that the tourism realm will be in a very good place by next year with pent up demand, in perfect time for the Dubai World Expo opening.

What benefits do you think clubs and members of Troon clubs have been lucky to experience during the pandemic?
I hope that they are appreciative of the professionalism that our associates bring to the club. In times like these, having strategies and the ability to implement them quickly and correctly are extremely important. The Moments Matter content certainly gave us the opportunity to continue to communicate with our members and guests during the pandemic. There have been daily Live Golf Clinics throughout April and May so hopefully our members picked up some tips. We have also been fortunate to have direct communications for our members through recorded video or live video from Team Troon Members Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Thomas, Gary Woodland, Matt Kuchar, and Cheyenne Woods. Ultimately, we are somewhat blessed to play and be involved in the game of golf as it is a passion with Troon.  As Simon Sinek says “know your Why”. Why? Because we love the game and all that it stands for.

The post SPECIAL REPORT: Business <del>as</del> (un)usual for club golf in the Middle East appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.