By Andy Hiseman, Hiseman Limited

Award-winning golf operator Crown Golf has launched a new golf coaching programme, intended to revolutionise the way beginners take golf lessons at its network of Academies across the south of England.

And the new scheme – which starts with a seven day free trial – marks the group’s largest-ever initiative to boost the number of golfers in the UK, with the resulting influx set to bring an additional £1 million new revenue to the sport by the end of this year.

In the new scheme, called Discover Golf, golfers pay a monthly subscription rather than buying a set package of lessons. They then qualify for unlimited access to group coaching sessions during their subscription, with a minimum of 20 hours of coaching available every month.

The programme, which costs £49.99 per month, also gives golfers a 10% discount on all food and beverages within the clubhouse, plus free range balls and free play on the golf course during the programme’s sessions.

Discover Golf is now on offer at the company’s twelve-strong Crown Golf Academies network, at venues ranging from St Mellion International in the west, to South Essex in the east of England.

Designed to attract complete beginners to the sport, the scheme is intended to create the simplest possible route towards becoming a golfer, giving advice on etiquette, rules, and general golf club culture, as well as instruction.

“Many people have no idea how to become ‘a golfer’,” said Rob Spurrier, Crown Golf’s Group Academy Manager. “They know that you can go to a PGA pro for lessons, but learning to hit the ball is only part of it, as we all know.

“Discover Golf helps you to become a true golfer, rather than simply someone who can hit a golf ball. A true golfer knows not only the rules of the sport, but he or she also knows golf’s potentially daunting traditions and rules of etiquette, and also knows how to get the most out of the social aspects of a golf club.

“It’s a fun and very easy way to truly discover golf. We take a person from raw beginner to someone who can play on a full size golf course with complete confidence – and it gives you the flexibility to choose when and what to learn.”

The scheme is open to all ages, and gives subscribers two clear milestones: Learning To Swing, containing the programme’s tuition content; and Learning To Play, where subscribers learn about putting their skills into practice on the golf course, and also learn about the other aspects of being a golfer.

“At a conservative estimate,” said Spurrier, “Discover Golf subscribers will inject an additional £1 million into the UK’s golf economy in 2010, with that number rising far higher in 2011 and beyond. The lifetime financial value of introducing a complete beginner to golf – and ensuring that they stay in the sport – is immeasurable, and critical for the long term future of the game in this country.

“When you consider that in 2009 alone, we coached over 30,000 children at our Crown Golf Academies, you can begin to see the enormous potential of a programme which truly turns people into life-long golfers – rather than leaving them with a few skills which they may, or may not, use over a long period.

“Discover Golf de-mystifies not just the how-to part of golf, but also helps people see why those of us who are already golfers think that it is the greatest sport in the world.”

For all information, including the terms and conditions which apply to Discover Golf, see www.crowngolfacademies.com.

CONTACTS

(Crown Golf) Rob Spurrier, Group Academy Manager, r.spurrier@crown-golf.co.uk, 07920 509545

(Media) Andy Hiseman, andy@hiseman.com, 01780 757461

Helping new customer improve trade marketing strategy prior to launch of business.

Discover Golf is #1 story on new look Golfbusinessnews.com

Submitting GolfMark / Crown Golf article for CMAE Club Networker July 2010

By Andy Hiseman, Hiseman Limited

Imaginative ‘Old and New’ golf event hailed as success by participants

Ian Gaunt, Assistant Director of Sport at St Andrews University, staged a superb finish to win the first hickory-only PowerPlay Golf event held at Kingarrock Golf Club on 4th June.

Gaunt, who played professional football for Walsall FC, scored an amazing 22 Stableford points over the last 4 holes to total 29 points in winning the 9-hole ‘PowerPlay Golf Kingarrock Hickory Cup’ tournament. His spectacular finish, which included three successful PowerPlays, edged Neil Paton, Head Pro at St Andrews Old Course Hotel, and 13 year-old Douglas McEvoy, son of PowerPlay Golf founder Peter McEvoy, into joint second place on 25 points apiece.

All entry fees for the event were divided between two Scottish charities: Erskine House, and The Bill McLaren Foundation.

Heralded as a meeting of the old and the new, 40 golfers played golf’s new global ‘two flag’, risk-and-reward format using hickory-shafted clubs around the beautiful Kingarrock course at Cupar, near St Andrews.

Kingarrock only allows hickories to be played and provides golfers with an experience of how golf was played in the past – and the juxtaposition of golf’s newest global format with equipment from eighty years ago certainly impressed winner Gaunt.

“I loved the experience”, said Gaunt. “It took me a few holes to get the hang of it but once I got into my stride I used my PowerPlays well and had a very exciting finish.  It was a great concept to combine the two ideas”.

Neil Paton agreed “As a teaching pro I think that players will learn a lot by playing hickories: it’s great fun, the smaller sweet spot requires a more accurate strike, and you need a more disciplined golf swing. By adding PowerPlay Golf’s extra demands on course management and decision-making, Kingarrock created a fascinating test of golf”.

Kingarrock Hickory Golf owner David Anderson said: “When I ran the idea to stage a PowerPlay Golf event at Kingarrock past Peter, he immediately saw its potential, and the reactions we received from those who played vindicated our decision to combine these two elements at different ends of golf’s historical time line. We certainly hope to stage more PowerPlay Golf events here in the future”.

PowerPlay Golf co-founder and ex Walker Cup Captain Peter McEvoy OBE said: “Just like on the golf course, where you need to combine imagination with playing skill, those of us involved in running the game must also think creatively – if we are to ensure that the game continues to grow and adapt to the demands of modern life.

“Our two-flag format is now in 29 countries, and has gained countless devotees at almost 400 Official venues – but Kingarrock is unique in the world of golf, and I am delighted that our inaugural PowerPlay Golf Kingarrock Hickory Cup was such a success”.

For the latest information visit either www.powerplay-golf.com or www.kingarrock.com.

CONTACT: Peter McEvoy OBE, PowerPlay Golf, +44 (0)1684 291345 / peter@powerplay-golf.com
  David Anderson, Kingarrock Hickory Golf, +44 (0)1334 653421 / info@golfandthistle.com

(Media)  Andy Hiseman, PowerPlay Golf, +44 (0)1780 757461 / andy@powerplay-golf.com

Just completed strategic review of Cheshire East Council’s two municipal courses.

By Andy Hiseman, Hiseman Limited

Leading golf course owner / operator Crown Golf has put Cotgrave Place Golf Club, near Nottingham, on the market at a guide price of £2.35m.

The magnificent 36-hole freehold venue, one of the East Midlands’ premier golf facilities, is set in over 240 acres and includes a floodlit driving range.  With almost 1,000 members and strong green fee, golf society and function revenues, the highly profitable business has a proven trading record. Its two-story 1,150 sq m clubhouse provides conference and banqueting facilities for up to 150 people seated.

Set in glorious Nottinghamshire countryside, in a commercially convenient location 15 minutes from the city centre, Cotgrave Place Golf Club – established in 1991 – has a favourable business mix between its golfing, retail and F&B incomes.

Crown Golf has engaged Humberts Leisure to manage the sale, which forms part of the Binfield, Berks-based company’s strategic plan to build a long-term, sustainable golf business.

Stephen Lewis, CEO of Crown Golf says, “Concentrating our golf clubs in the south of England has its operational benefits, and this was a key consideration in our decision to sell Cotgrave Place Golf Club in Nottinghamshire.

“As a group we continue to focus on those clubs which we wish to retain either for operational reasons, or for their development potential.”

Expressions of interest should be addressed to Ben Allen at Humberts Leisure, 01962 835960, email ben.allen@humberts-leisure.com.

Q&A with Stephen Lewis, Crown Golf’s Chief Executive Officer

Why have you decided to sell Cotgrave Place Golf Club?

“Following a phase of acquisition in 2004-2007, we have entered into a period of consolidation, focussing on the clubs which the business wishes to retain for the long term – either for operational reasons, or as a result of their development potential.”

Have club staff and members been told?

“Yes, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank them all for their efforts, support and loyalty over the years. Cotgrave Place Golf Club is a highly profitable business and we would expect to find a buyer quickly. Therefore, we hope there will be minimal impact for staff and club members during this process.”

Looking at the map of Crown Golf’s courses, is there a geographical reason why you have chosen to sell Cotgrave Place Golf Club?

“The sale of The Vale (Worcestershire) and The Chase (Staffordshire) in 2009, and handing back Abbotsley (Cambridgeshire) to the landlord in Spring 2010, have all helped us to create a business which is more based around the south of England.  This relative concentration of clubs has its operational benefits, so yes – geography was a consideration in our decision to sell Cotgrave.”

How is Crown Golf trading in the current economic climate?

“The cold winter did not help any of us in the golf market, but our annual membership renewals this spring have been excellent; our flagship venue, St Mellion International Resort, is trading very strongly, and has recently opened its new Kernow Course; and our green fee and casual lines are performing well. Like all businesses, we have to adapt to the prevailing economic conditions, and we will always explore all our main options, but every decision we make has to fit in with our long-term plan. We believe that is a sensible approach.”
 

CONTACTS

At Crown Golf:  Stephen Lewis, CEO: 01344 383975 / s.lewis@crown-golf.co.uk
   Matthew Lynwood, Property Director: 07977 503015

At Humberts Leisure: Ben Allen, 01962 835960, email ben.allen@humberts-leisure.com

Media:   Andy Hiseman, Hiseman Limited: 01780 757461 / andy@hiseman.com

By Andy Hiseman, Hiseman Limited

£2 million investment produces Cornwall’s new championship golf course

Following a two-year £2 million investment the new Kernow Course at St Mellion International Resort is now complete.

With the Kernow Course now open, St Mellion – owned and operated by award-winning golf group Crown Golf – once more merits a place in the upper tier of European 36-hole golf resorts.

With nine brand-new holes, and with nine of the best from the original Old Course, this comprehensive redevelopment is set to boost visitor numbers to Cornwall.

And the Par 70, 18-hole Kernow Course is now a wonderful complement to the mighty Nicklaus Signature Course, which also winds around St Mellion’s spectacular wooded valleys.

With stunning views and eight brand new USGA-spec greens, The Kernow Course has been created to give golfers a highly enjoyable experience. It is longer than the resort’s original Old Course, with many new tees and hundreds of new trees. 250,000 tonnes of earth have been moved to provide a fresh golfing challenge which, while more benign than the Nicklaus, still has teeth of its own.

Standout holes include the new 1st, a tricky par 5, which demands an accurate first tee shot of the day, and the new 6th, the hardest on the course, which features an unusual approach to the green over a traditional ‘Cornish hedge’. There is a brand-new sequence of holes to start the back nine, where the 10th, 11th and 12th, while relatively short, all ask golfers to make a series of exciting risk-and-reward decisions. But not all is brand new – the picturesque all-or-nothing par 3 14th hole, an old favourite featuring a drop shot across a lake, still adds its charm to the latter part of the round.

Golf course architect Alan Leather was briefed to retain the best of the Old Course in creating a new course which keeps pace with advances in golf equipment technology. Work began in May 2008, with golf course constructors European Golf Services working closely throughout the process with St Mellion’s Course Manager Mike Bush to ensure the new course opened in pristine condition.

“The formal opening of our new Kernow Course is an important factor in St Mellion’s transformation into a stylish and modern resort,” said Crown Golf Chief Executive, Stephen Lewis. “Our two golf courses, set in 450 acres of stunning Cornish countryside, make St Mellion the only English resort to have had full European Tour golf staged on both of its courses. With a fantastic new hotel, and unrivalled leisure, spa and meeting facilities, I believe that St Mellion can now claim to be one of Europe’s leading full-service resorts – and the premier destination for both business and pleasure in the South West of England.”

St Mellion’s Golf Operations Manager, David Moon, is looking forward to the new influx of golfers keen to try out the new Kernow Course. “It has certainly undergone some spectacular changes from the Old Course,” he said. “People hit the ball further nowadays, so our new golf course is longer and a little tighter, and there are some unique and memorable hazards to overcome. However it is still a fair and extremely enjoyable course for golfers of all standards.

“We think that The Kernow Course and The Nicklaus Signature Course now combine to create one of the UK’s finest single-resort golfing experiences.”

In 1976 The Old Course, as it was then known, was designed by J. Hamilton Stutt for the Bond Brothers, and St Mellion was soon heralded as the bright new star of golf in England’s South West. The Old Course quickly established itself as a leading tournament track, hosting its first major international event – the PGA Cup match between GB & Ireland and the USA – in 1978, and its first European Tour event – the Benson & Hedges International – in 1979. The Tournament Players Championship of Europe, and the Weetabix Ladies’ British Open, both brought professional Tour golf back to the venue, and to Cornwall, in the following years.
 
When its second course, designed by Jack Nicklaus, opened in 1987, the now-36 hole St Mellion facility became one of the UK’s most outstanding destinations for holidaying golfers, golf societies and corporate golf organisers – a reputation it maintains to this day.

In 2007, St Mellion entered a development period every bit as dramatic as its early years, when successful Australian businessman Jeff Chapman – Chairman of the Bennelong Group of companies, which is Crown Golf’s parent company  –  personally funded a £20m investment programme at the resort. Chapman, an accomplished sportsman and a former Aussie Rules footballer with Melbourne in the VFL, had a vision to bring Tour golf back to the South West of England, echoing the dream shared by the Bond brothers thirty five years earlier.

St Mellion had become a key focal point in Crown Golf’s long term success strategy since the group acquired it in December 2004 along with the rest of the American Golf group of UK golf clubs. The investment enabled Crown Golf to transform St Mellion into a fitting flagship for the group.

With the Nicklaus Signature Course fully refurbished and reopened in summer 2009, a spectacular new 80-room four star hotel including three dining experiences, thirteen conference and banqueting suites, and a luxurious Spa complex including three swimming pools, and with the announcement that the European Tour will return from 2011 with The English Open, St Mellion has frequently been in the news recently, and has gained many new admirers.

“We have already received great feedback on the improvements, and people seem to be delighted,” said Moon. “There has been a great deal of anticipation for the new Kernow Course. And the change to the name, Kernow, which means Cornwall in the Cornish language, has also been popular.”

Situated near to Saltash in Cornwall, close to the villages, beaches and attractions for which the county is famed, but also within twenty minutes’ drive of Plymouth’s railway and airport, St Mellion offers easy travel links via Air Southwest, a low-cost airline offering daily scheduled flights into Plymouth from 11 airports across Great Britain & Ireland.

The resort is also a boon to the local economy. Hundreds of people are employed there either on full-time or part-time basis, and the St Mellion Economic Impact Final Report (Roger Tym & Partners, Sept 2006) estimates that £2.1m is spent off-site in the area annually by people staying at St Mellion International.

“Whether you come here for business, golf, to celebrate or simply to relax and explore Cornwall, I believe that the comprehensive level and quality of facilities here are unrivalled,” said Stephen Towers, St Mellion’s Resort Director. “My team and I are committed to delivering the highest possible quality, throughout the facility, and we invite all golfers to come and play the new Kernow Course, here at St Mellion International Resort.”

Book your stay at St Mellion by calling 01579 351351, or see www.st-mellion.co.uk.

CONTACT ST MELLION INTERNATIONAL RESORT
Stephen Towers, Resort Director / David Moon, Golf Operations Manager: +44 (0)1579 351351

MEDIA
Andy Hiseman, Hiseman Limited: +44 (0)1780 757461 / andy@hiseman.com

Sending press release announcing imminent sale of Cotgrave Place GC

Uploading photos of new Kernow golf course at St Mellion in Cornwall