GCM

september 2009

The
Business

Volume 5 • Issue 9
Magazine
for the Golf Industry
Golf Club Management Visit www.compleatgolfer.co.za for back issues of GCM

Kikuyu Is it as bad as
environmentalists suggest?
Also in this issue:
■ Six ways to achieve service through people
■ Dealing with cheats

■ The ultimate bunker solution

■ Re-thinking irrigation strategy

brought to you by

Golf Club Management September 2009 1

 EDITOR’S LETTER
CONTENTS
birdies and bogeys
Snippets of news from the last month 4

kikuyu
Curse or common sense? 7

Human resources
How to get service through management 13

from
Profile
Warrick Druian 15

leagal

the editor
Dealing with cheats 16

trees for courses

Planting the right trees in the right places 18

manager of the month

John Boyce of Modderfontein 20 Virtual versus the real thing
course construction
During a recent discussion with a general
The solution for bunker maintenance? 22
manager and the head professional at a club,
PGA Profile I asked about a group of their members that
Betty Mokoena 25 had recently resigned – most of them had
rands and sense joined another, more affordable club in the
Does your club deliver? 29 vicinity. Rather than bemoaning the fact these
members had deserted the club, the ‘guv’nor’
the environment and the ‘clubbie’ seemed quite pleased. “We
Save a drop 30
didn’t want them anyway – good riddance to
last word them,” and they actually made a good case
Keeping your members informed 31 why they were better off without them. The
same could be said for certain golfers of my
Cover Picture acquaintance. The point is, we need more
Gary Player Country Club
golfers (note that I wrote ‘golfers’, and not
simply ‘people who play golf’) and every at-
■ Editorial
John Botha tempt to promote the game should be made.
E-mail: bogeyfree@mweb.co.za But if it comes at too high a price we should
Cell: 082 498 7380 perhaps reconsider our frantic efforts to get
more feet onto the first tee, which brings me
■ publisher to the touchy subject of ‘virtual’ clubs.
Simon Turck There is a case to be made for making
E-mail: simon@ramsaymedia.co.za the game more affordable, and yes, we lack
Cell: 083 252 8387
municipal courses. It could be suggested that
certain semi-private clubs convert to pay-and-
■ Advertising play facilities (and there is nothing stopping
James Ferrans (National Sales Manager)
E-mail: jamesf@ramsaymedia.co.za them from maintaining their membership)
Cell: 084 252 6373 and, if properly managed, these clubs would
probably be better off. But when it comes to
To request your complimentary subscription to GCM, simply simply selling handicaps (which is effectively
SMS ‘GCM and your name’ to 35172 (SMS costs R3) or what these virtual clubs do) the line should be
contact Natalie Shekleton on 011 301 4448.
drawn by our governing body the SAGA.
Visit our website www.compleatgolfer.co.za Need I remind the administrators that the
for back issues. club system has served the game well for
centuries, and to allow certain individuals to
A monthly business-to-business magazine prostitute the most basic fundamentals of
brought to you by
that system is short-sighted, ill-considered,
and flat-out irresponsible? If making the game
more accessible means simply throwing all the
rules out the window, then we are dancing on
a very slippery slope – in our soft spikes.
I am sure that it is unnecessary to spell out
the importance of the golf club culture – but it
is so much more than simply paying a fee and
being considered a member. There should be
a sense of pride, a place where young children
are introduced to the game and patiently
taught the rules, where they should look up to
the management and club pro and dream of
one day actually playing league for their club.
They should live in fear of the disciplinary
committee and dread the prospect of getting
into trouble. A golfer’s club should be con-
sidered a home-from-home, and place where
like-minded people can socialise. Call me
old fashioned, but there is something rather
special about a new member being introduced
to the committee – and if it involves pomp and
ceremony, so much the better. Going online,
keying in your credit-card number and waiting
for your affiliation card to be posted is hardly
what club culture is about. At the very least,
a golfer’s club should be reasonably near to
where they live and not in another province.
Without getting into the handicap debate,
‘real’ clubs should stand up and be counted.
Unlike the development money debacle,
where clubs maintain they were not part of the
decision-making process, it might be a good
idea to for clubs to get together and sort out
the difference between a golf club and a golf
society, and who should qualify for an ‘official’
handicap. I won’t hold my breath.

Golf Club Management September 2009 3

Birdies and bogeys
New GM for
Roodepoort CC
Tony Louw has moved from Atlantic
Beach, where he was director of golf, to
Roodepoort Country Club where he has
been appointed as general manager.
Tony, a former international amateur
golfer, turned professional and has
served as head pro at The Lost City
and Westlake.
New addition to
Fourie family
GCM congratulates East London’s gen-
eral manager Brenden Fourie and his
wife Emma on the new addition to the
family. Amy is the couple’s first child.
4 September 2009 Golf Club Management
GCM’s Preferred
Suppliers
One of the key aims of GCM is to help
facilitate decision making for people
in the golf industry. Most golf clubs
and resorts have long lists of varied
suppliers, and GCM is about to em-
bark on a programme that will make
the processing of choosing a reputable
and credible supplier all that much
simpler. Through an instant
referral system, run by GCM, a
Preferred Supplier List will be
made available to all key decision makers
in the golf industry.
In order to qualify for the GCM Preferred
Supplier List, a supplier must obtain a mini-
mum of three different golf club referrals
or recommendations. Once GCM/PSL ap-
proved, the supplier will receive a Preferred
Supplier certificate endorsed by GCM and
will be featured in a listing on a monthly
basis published in GCM and on the web.
And you thought you were busy?
Most of South Africa’s bigger clubs host
between 40 000 and 45 000 rounds a
year, and occasionally a club might even
top the 50 000-mark. These numbers
might be impressive, but pale into
insignificance when compared to New
York’s Bethpage. This facility, which
is technically a ‘municipal’ club, has
Colin Hahn new pro at Graceland
Colin Hahn, who recently
spent six months at Boca
West Country Club in
Florida, USA, is now country
club manager at Graceland,
Secunda, assisted by Fay
Boardman, and is respon-
sible not just for the Gary
Player-designed course, but
also for the other sporting
activities at this Highveld
casino destination. Colin did
his PGA apprenticeship at
Bryanston in 1997 and his-
career has included stints at
■ F
 or more information contact:
Simon Turck on 083 252 8387 or e-mail
simon@ramsaymedia.co.za
Natalie Shekleton on 011 301 4448 or
e-mail natalies@ramsaymedia.co.za.
■ You can download the application form at
www.compleatgolfer.co.za – click on the
GCM cover and follow the links.
five 18-hole courses and averages 375
000 rounds a year (or 75 000 rounds a
year per course.) These figures are even
more surprising considering the famous
‘Black’ course is closed from December
to April each year, and the ‘Red’ course
is closed for five months between
November and April.
The Lost City, Country Club
Johannesburg and Glen-
dower. He will now oversee
developments at Graceland,
including repairs to the
dam wall to increase water
storage, improved tee-box
information and cart man-
agement and new uniforms
for the staff.  “We aim to
achieve Compleat Golfer
5-Star Golf Experience
status!” he emphasises.
Be sure to watch this space.
 Birdies and bogeys

ADVERT
Younge completes Open
hattrick at Turnberry
For the third consecutive year SAGA’s executive director Bruce
Younge officiated at the Open Championship. Younge joined 60
officials from various amateur and professional bodies from around
the world that were invited by the R&A to serve as rules officials.

Golfsmith acquires MacGregor

After 112 years as an independent golf equipment company, the
well-known brand of MacGregor has been sold to Texas-based
Golfsmith International.
MacGregor was for many years considered to be one of the
game’s premium brands, and was known for its classic forged irons
and hand-crafted persimmon woods, many of which are highly
collectable today. The company could boast among the devotees of
its equipment the most successful player of all time, Jack Nicklaus.
After in the doldrums for quite a while, the writing seemed to
on the wall when MacGregor withdrew from the PGA Merchandise
Show at the last minute earlier this year, and offered no new prod-
ucts for the coming season.
Greg Norman, a minority shareholder and chairman of MacGre-
gor, announced that he will be stepping away from the equipment
business – the only exception being his endorsement deal with
TaylorMade. Golfsmith will pay $1.75 million for MacGregor in a
deal structured over three years. ■
 KIKUYU
Well-maintained kikuyu fairways, such as those at Parys, take a lot
of beating in terms of aesthetics and playability, and much of the
bad press directed at this hardy grass is probably unfounded.

Curse or common sense?

It has become a popular notion among environmentalists that kikuyu (Pennisetum clandestinum),
should be considered to be an invasive, thirsty weed. Mike Wallington makes a compelling case for this
much-maligned grass species and suggests that recent research proves that kikuyu is in many cases
the sensible option.
Kikuyu has in recent years been given a grossly exaggerated and that real and meas- In research that has largely been ignored by
bad reputation by environmentalists. This urable water saving on golf courses is not the industry, Johan surveyed water usage of
thinking towards kikuyu as an unsuitable going to depend on the species planted, but different turfgrasses as affected by mowing
turfgrass has now become so entrenched rather a host of other factors that are current- height and fertilization. In his conclusion
that opinions and facts have become ly not enjoying the attention that they should Johan states that kikuyu had the highest
clouded. Research that has been under- from serious and genuine environmental water usage, and then using a table showed
taken has either been ignored or misapplied stewards. And by environmental stewards, I the comparative crop factors of the differ-
by environmental decision makers. This am not only referring to those that are tasked ent turfgrasses. The table (pictured over
has had very unfortunate economic with formally acting on behalf of the govern- the page) shows that kikuyu has in fact the
repercussions for the golf industry as well ment to protect our environmental heritage, lowest crop factor of the grasses when mowed
as the country. I will deal only with the but obviously also to turf grass managers, at 8mm. This is the common height used for
suitability of kikuyu as an ideal turfgrass for who, given the nature of their profession, are kikuyu on golf course tees and should be
golf courses, but it must be borne in mind environmental stewards, either good, bad the height for fairways when mowed with
that for sports fields much of the arguments or indifferent. lightweight fairway mowers. So it could be
presented here apply far more. This is argued that a golf course that has invested
particularly important when one considers SPECIES SELECTION AND in lightweight mowing equipment and is
the lack of sustainable funding for other WATER USAGE able to mow its kikuyu at 8mm will actu-
sport facilities at grass-roots level. Johan Jansen van Vuuren is a turf grass ally achieve water savings greater than a
agronomist who has consulted widely in the golf course with Florida, Speedy Royal or
WATER USAGE South African golf course industry as well Bayview, which are all Cynodons, mowed
Let me start by saying that kikuyu does in as the sports field industry, where he is cur- at the same height. Numex Sahara was the
fact use more water than local Cynodon rently involved in preparing our fields for the only Cynodon with less water usage at this
grass. I am not going to argue that point. 2010 Fifa World Cup. In a study undertaken height. At higher mowing heightskKikuyu
What I am going to do, however, is show that by Johan of optimal water usage by turf did use more water, but not significantly so.
the degree to which it uses more water is grasses, some surprising results are noted. This fact alone should focus our attention

Golf Club Management September 2009 7

KIKUYU

on the need for more research into species Comparative Water Use at a Constant Mowing Height of 8mm
selection for golf course and sports fields
Turfgrass type 1x60kg N per ha 2x20kg N per ha 2x30kg N per ha Average
in this country, relative to water usage.
EVAPOTRANSPIRATION (mm/day)
Research that has been conducted by the
Numex Sahara 3.85 3.87 4.17 3.96
University of Western Australia on kikuyu
Creeping Bent 4.38 4.18 4.76 4.44
grass has also focused on the role of fertili-
Kikuyu 4.09 3.9 4.39 4.13
zation in water usage. Greater education and
Bayview 4.63 4.37 5.02 4.67
dissemination of existing research data that
Speedy Royal 4.02 4.1 4.5 4.21
can help turfgrass managers conserve water
Florida 4.16 4.12 4.32 4.20
is certainly urgently needed. I would suggest
that the work that was performed by Potch-
efstroom University for the Water Research FERTILzATION AND WATER USAGE
Commission be studied in its entirety. If one The fact that we need more education on the impact that fertilization has on water usage by
wishes to state that kikuyu uses more water turfgrasses is abundantly clear from the research that Johan has undertaken. In discussing the
than Cynodon then this statement needs results of fertilization on water usage the term ‘highly significant’ is used throughout. Water-
to be clarified. In my experience, when I wise fertilisation includes controlled release technology, frequent spoon-feeding where chemical
have tried to engage well-meaning environ- fertilizers are used, and the use of organic fertilizer, which also has natural slow-release charac-
mentalists on the topic, they simply refer teristics. Numerous articles from sources all over the world indicate that nitrogen fertilization is
to the fact that kikuyu is on the proposed directly correlated with increased growth and therefore water usage. Low-wear sports such as golf
weed list, so therefore there is nothing to have an opportunity to save water and negate fertilizer impact on ground water with judicious fer-
be gained by debating the issue. I think this tilization based on research and field observation. This one factor is of far more importance than
standpoint is due more to a lack of knowl- species selection. This fact now needs to be acknowledged by environmental decision makers.
edge, than an unwillingness to work together Qualified and competent golf course superintendents with an understanding of judicious
with turfgrass managers. fertilization play a far greater role in conserving our water resource than species selection.

Evergreen Turf’s state-of-the-art sod cutting and stacking machine. This company is SA’s largest supplier of kikuyu, and cultivates some 500
hectares of this hardy grass. About 5 million square metres of kikuyu is supplied to its customers every season.

8 September 2009 Golf Club Management

 KIKUYU

The demand for kikuyu remains high, whether for residential

gardens, commercial properties or sports fields. 

DROUGHT TOLERANCE AND WATER USAGE

Another misconception in the environmental industry is one where

ADVERT
drought tolerance of a turf grass is understood as low water usage. This
can be clearly seen by the misunderstanding that we all seem to have
when it comes to specie selection for different turfgrass usage. Cynodon
is more drought tolerant than kikuyu, and yet can have a higher water us-
age than kikuyu. This highlights the need by the environmental industry
to look at the use of grass as ‘playing surfaces’ rather than as vegetated
areas. The fact that Cynodon is drought tolerant does not mean that
enough grass can be grown for a sports usage without water. Depend-
ing on mowing height and the usage to which the turf will be put and in
which climatic area of the country the grass is growing, Cynodon may well
be the more suitable turf grass, but drought tolerance should not enter
into the determination. Drought tolerance is an economic issue and not
a water usage issue with respect to the ‘sports turf industry’. If an area
has severe water restrictions where an extended drought is experienced
there may well be a loss of kikuyu grass, which does not have the same
drought-resistant plant mechanisms that Cynodon has, but both grasses
will not be able to offer a suitable playing surface without water. In my
experience (and in my opinion), kikuyu tolerates moderate drought condi-
tions better than Cynodon relative to playing conditions precisely because
it is not as efficient in shutting down to protect itself. Where drought-in-
duced dormancy occurs on kikuyu, there is an initial period when it does
not shed leaves or plant parts. Greater dormant cover then remains. If the
drought extends then loss of grass can occur. I have only seen this in the
drier and hotter parts of the country. Then, when the drought has broken,
some grass may have to be replaced, which is a cost issue and not really
a water issue, although more water will be used to grow in these small
areas where there may have been turf loss.

IRRIGATION AND WATER USAGE

I asked Ross Robson, who is an international designer of large-scale
irrigation systems and has vast experience in golf course irrigation
design, to help me with this section of the article because this is where
the greatest potential for water saving on turf facilities and especially
KIKUYU
In hot, dry climates, courses like the Gary Player
Country Club can use kikuyu without fear that it
will pose a threat to indigenous species.
golf courses exists. Ross covered a number
of important issues in his correspondence to
me, but of primary concern for me was the
CU (coefficient of uniformity). He also made
mention of computerised weather stations
linked to the control system to help the turf
manager in irrigation scheduling and quantity
to be applied. The CU is of vital importance
as this is actually the percentage of accuracy
that is used to determine the water applica-
tion through our system. Another name is
DU (distribution uniformity). If one irriga-
tion system has a distribution uniformity of
60 percent and another has a distribution
uniformity of 90 percent then it doesn’t take
a rocket scientist to work out which system
will work better with respect to efficient
utilisation of the water. Where water is a
limiting factor, it is essential that all possible
tools are put to work to use the available
water more effectively. Here are some areas
for consideration.
■ C hoose sprinklers with a high-performance
DU.
■ I nstall a computerised weather station that
can predict ET (evapotranspiration).
■ I nstall an evaporation pan that measures ET.
■ C hoose sprinklers that can perform
differently depending on the terrain
10 September 2009 Golf Club Management
(mounds, under trees, etc).
■ E
 nsure that the pump house and hydraulic
installation allows maximum performance
for the sprinklers chosen.
■ T raining of staff in the art of hand watering.
Under species selection we saw that at cer-
tain heights kikuyu may well use five percent
more water than Cynodon, but here, with a
well-designed system and the use of correctly
spaced quality sprinklers, there is massive
potential. Do you know what the designed
DU is on your golf course? Was installation
cost more important than DU? Is the design
a ‘target irrigation’ design? Should envi-
ronmentalists not rather be looking for the
introduction of minimum DUs as opposed to
insistence on species selection as the major
water-saving strategy? The current approach
is so obviously flawed that genuine and hon-
est interaction is now needed between the
environmentalists and the turfgrass industry.
INVASIVE SPECIES
Is kikuyu invasive and what is the policy
regarding kikuyu and why? I must admit that
when I came to this part of the article I was
not sure what the official stance is regarding
kikuyu. Although the reason normally given to
me as to why kikuyu is unsuitable is its water
demand and that there is also the feeling that
it is invasive. It most definitely is invasive,
and some of the characteristics that make it
an invasive grass also help to make it a suit-
able turf grass, particularly in a country where
large input costs are just not affordable.
Kikuyu is the preferred grass in this country,
as well as Australia, as the grass used by
farmers for livestock feed and is widely used
by dairy farmers. Wherever kikuyu has been
planted as a pasture, it has already, for all
intents and purposes, ‘escaped or invaded’
the area. If a 50ha dairy farm has kikuyu as
its preferred pasture grass, I am at a loss to
understand how a golf course occupying an
area of 35ha can possibly cause kikuyu to
‘escape’ into the area. It is of course non-
sense. Kikuyu is by its nature a very robust
and domineering grass. Once it is in an area
and the rainfall is sufficient it will ‘invade’.
With the above in mind, I think it is vital to
control, limit and even stop the use of kikuyu
on golf courses in an area that has no inci-
dence of kikuyu or extremely limited at worst.
This is especially important if the climate is
conducive to the vigorous growth of the grass.
Kikuyu does not grow well in sub-tropical
areas in this country, will struggle against the
local grasses, and will even become diseased

and die out if not cultivated. The aforesaid
brings us to a most important and necessary
determination. Do we want to stop kikuyu
where it is threatening the existence of local
flora, or are we against kikuyu from an aes-
thetic, purist ‘indigenous only’ point of view?
I do not think it is fair that environmentalists
sound the ‘invasive species’ alarm bells when
in fact the grass is not threatening existing flo-
ra. Another area where kikuyu has not posed
a threat relative to invasion is in the hot and
dry climates of the North West Province and
Mpumalanga. If kikuyu is not irrigated here
it will die out. Many game reserves and tour-
ist developments have planted kikuyu, with
some developments having been open for 25
years, and yet kikuyu has not escaped into the
natural areas. So here again the grass cannot
be considered truly invasive.
However, even in areas where kikuyu can
be considered invasive, ie as stated previous-
ly where the natural rainfall is high enough,
the grass can compete favourably and spread
naturally (without cultivation). An example of
this would be the southern coastal area and
Garden Route where kikuyu grows extremely
well year round. It is also an area where it
has been widely planted as a forage grass
for both beef and dairy farming. Is there an
intention to eradicate kikuyu in this area and
is it therefore vital that any further planting
of kikuyu be stopped? If the answer to this
question is no, then why is the golf course
industry not permitted to plant kikuyu even
in these areas?
We can therefore safely say that there
needs to be an environmental policy for the
use of kikuyu that is specific to geographic
and climatic zones in the country. I believe
the onus is on the environmental industry to
provide clear and practical reasons as to why
kikuyu cannot continue to be planted through-
out the different areas of the country relative
to the invasive potential of the grass.
PESTICIDE CONSIDERATIONS
As stated previously, the very attributes of
kikuyu grass that cause concern regarding its
potential to invade natural flora are precisely
the attractiveness of the grass relative to
herbicide, insecticide and fungicide use on
the grass.
Of all the grass currently being grown in
South Africa, kikuyu has the least need for
of all three pesticides mentioned above. In
fact, in most areas it has almost no need of
“Do we want to stop kikuyu where it is threatening the
existence of local flora, or are we against kikuyu from an
aesthetic, purist, ‘indigenous only’ point of view?”
pesticide. It is quite odd that pesticides that
can impact on ground water have started
enjoying widespread attention first in Eu-
rope and the USA and now in South Africa,
but no-one has surveyed local golf course
users as to their use of pesticides relative
to their overseas peers. Overseas, especially
in the USA, the turfgrass area of a golf
course, which can be as large as 60ha, can
require that the entire area is sprayed with
pesticides as part of a preventative and
curative disease-, insect- and weed-control
programme. Conversely, in South Africa the
area that needs to be sprayed where kikuyu
is the preferred grass is normally only about
one hectare – ie the greens only. This is
quite simply because kikuyu resists disease
and insect attack and healthy kikuyu does
not become invaded by any weed species
that I know of. I have only ever spot-sprayed
weeds in kikuyu and, where the kikuyu ‘yel-
lows’ disease has come in, and one only has
to wait for the weather to change to see the
grass become healthy again.
Golf Club Management
KIKUYU
THE FUTURE
There is quite simply no better grass than
kikuyu for the South African turfgrass
industry. It is an efficient user of water when
the use of water is measured against results.
It is the best possible grass to use in this
country relative to undesirable and potentially
ecologically unfriendly chemical inputs. In
my opinion, the threat that it may pose as an
invasive species must be a real and significant
danger to the survival of the local flora if it is
to be restricted for use in any given area.
In addition, it must be recognised that
water is a scarce resource and needs to be
managed accordingly. If a certain amount
of water is allocated to the golf course in-
dustry then so be it. The experts within that
industry will make the most of the allocated
resource. Currently, the water is allocated
and then the environmentalist tells the user
how and on what grass it can be used. This
does not make sense. The turfgrass specialist
has a far greater understanding of what is
required to stretch a water budget than an
environmentalist. If 50 000 litres of water
are needed to cool an industrial applica-
tion on a daily basis, this is an engineering
decision and not an environmental decision.
The original environmental input would have
formed part of the decision to allocate the
water resource in the first place.
Finally, my intention for writing this article
is not to impose my opinion on others. It is an
earnest cry to all involved in protecting the en-
vironment that the golf course industry is one
that needs to be protected as much as, if not
more than, the likes of the mining and forestry
industry. One of the major growth industries
in the future is tourism, and the provision of
golf facilities will play an important part in
the overall strategy to attract these tourists to
our country. The first step that is needed is
for political and environmental authorities to
recognise that golf courses are assets for all
in this country and are not for the elite. For
example, many people will never visit Sun
City and fewer still will play at the Gary Player
Country Club, and yet it is a South African
asset for all of us in that it has attracted tour-
ists who may well never have otherwise come
to our country. ■
September 2009 11
amateur golf
affiliation card and
handicap central server
Open letter to CMASA from the presidents of the SAGA and WGSA.
Dear members of CMASA
As you may know, National Golf Network (Pty)
Ltd’s (NGN) contract with the South African
Golf Association (SAGA) and Women’s Golf
South Africa (WGSA) as the official supplier of
the ‘SAGA/WGSA affiliation card’ to affiliated
golfers in South Africa comes to an end on 31
January 2010. This letter is necessary to
correct misinformation that exists about this
and the recent handicap tender.
Handicap Tender
The SAGA and WGSA are the duly recognised
governing bodies of amateur golf in South Af-
rica by government through the South African
Sport Confederation and Olympic Committee.
The SAGA is in the process of putting a
business plan in place. Key strategies include
regaining control of the issuing of affiliation
cards and managing and controlling a central
file server for the handicapping system.
In February 2009 it was agreed to put
to tender the SAGA central handicap file
server, with the objective of providing a
single source of all scores used to determine
handicaps for affiliated golfers for all affili-
ated clubs. This is not a unique approach,
as research indicates that a number of
countries’ national governing bodies have
recently taken a more active, participatory
role in the provision of a handicap service to
golfers resulting in improved service delivery
for clubs and golfers.
From the outset we wanted a multiple-
service-provider environment and to achieve
this we will require service providers to
enter into a license agreement where they
undertake to apply the handicap system as
determined by the SAGA/WGSA, in their ca-
pacity as governing bodies of amateur golf in
SA, and interface with the central file server
on terms determined by SAGA/WGSA.
In order to ensure the process of the
tender was fair and transparent, the SAGA/
WGSA put out a detailed tender document
which outlined the process all interested
parties were to follow. Fifteen companies
12 September 2009 Golf Club Management
submitted tenders.
The SAGA and WGSA appointed a tender
review committee that followed a thorough
and responsible process of evaluating the
tenders. We believe that the process was fair
and transparent.
Albatros
The committee concluded that the successful
tenderer was Albatros Golf Solutions (Albatros),
a company that has been in business since
1986, operating in 10 European countries.
Albatros’ tender submission, including its
presentation to the tender review commit-
tee, displayed that not only did it have an
offering that best fitted the requirements of
the tender, but it was also the only company
with experience in having provided a central
file server in a multiple-service-provider
environment.
Furthermore, Albatros’ offer included
some attractive website initiatives. A partner
company of Albatros, Deutsche Golf Online,
will be working with the SAGA/WGSA in
developing a website that will be a valuable
and useful tool to all golfers.
Some people have expressed concern
that the SAGA/WGSA has appointed a Ger-
man company. The SAGA/WGSA’s primary
objective in this process is to secure the best
possible service for South African golfers and
service providers, regardless of nationalistic
considerations. To achieve this, we believe
Albatros offers the best solution.
Road ahead
Now that the SAGA has concluded the tender
process, it intends working diligently towards
concluding a business plan with Albatros and
stakeholders, particularly service providers
and golf clubs. In this way it will strive to
provide products that golfers will find
effective and efficient.
The first phase of this process started on
the first weekend in August when the SAGA
and WGSA met with Albatros to work out
details of a roll-out plan. At this meeting,
representatives from the Club Managers
Association of South Africa (CMASA)
were present.
Conclusion
We would like to comment on an e-mail sent
out by NGN dated 24 July 2009, in which
NGN made statements about what the SAGA
is “trying to do”. We wish to point out that
the information contained in this e-mail
reflects the views of NGN and is not an
accurate perspective of the SAGA’s and
WGSA’s course of action and intentions.
According to NGN, in the same e-mail re-
ferred to above, the SAGA/WGSA is “to issue
an alternative card to the currently combined
handicap/affiliation card issued by NGN (the
black Srixon card)”. The ‘black Srixon’ card
is the current SAGA/WGSA Affiliation Card.
The SAGA has been concerned for a while
now that its identity has been increasingly
diluted through its relationship with NGN as
reflected in this quote.
The replacement of infrastructure at club
level is a decision for each individual golf
club. The SAGA/WGSA is acutely aware of
the cost implications to clubs in embarking
on this process. Contrary to NGN’s stated
claim, the new process should bring down
the costs of the provision of handicap
services to golf clubs.
We intend to keep you informed over the
next couple of months as we roll out our
plan to introduce the new SAGA/WGSA
affiliation card and handicap services,
applicable from 1 February 2010. We
believe strongly in the process we have
embarked upon and are confident that the
new process will lead to an improvement.
Yours faithfully
Enver HassenErica Lefson
President: SAGAPresident: WGSA
 Human resources

Manager’s tips
to improve performance
When it comes to the treatment of staff, you get what you create. Andrew Pons offers six ways to
achieve service through managerial practices.

six ways to achieving club service

■ P
 eople need to know A compelling Vision is a compelling motivator. Mission provides clear direction. What role does club vi-
the direction. sion play in motivating staff? What is the leadership role? Do all staff know and support the direction? Does the
leader positively challenge the sense of future and the way we do things?

■ P
 eople know their rights Legal compliance is the base requirement, not an optional extra. Non-compliance carries direct
and question employers. costs in penalties, fines and retrospective payments. Some breaches of labour law are criminal offences. What
are the 10 biggest labour risks for your club? Does every employee have a contract? Are the club’s basic condi-
tions aligned to law? Is the club’s employment equity plan and reporting appropriate? Have you assessed health
and safety risks? Is authority for safety delegated in writing? What about B-BBEE? How can the club maximise
its scorecard?

■ P
 eople perform best in Define management structures and disciplines. A healthy balance between building constructive rela-
structured/disciplined tionships and controls that further good management and employee accountability. Does the club have clear job
workplaces. descriptions/profiles? Do people know how their performance is measured? Is remuneration structured around
key goals/increased responsibility levels? Does the remuneration structure foster high performance? Do people
get constructive/formal feedback on performance? Does the club have controls that ensure accountability? Does
the club have a code of conduct that is consistently upheld?

■ M
 anagers must deliver a You are the service you want. Staff and managers mimic the head honcho’s behaviour. If staff cannot see
service ethic. how playing golf helps the club they will think you are goofing off. Leadership and communication go hand-in-
hand. The leader cannot leave this to chance. Employees need to know what leaders are accountable for. Giving
the most basic service shows employees how important their job is. Do this from time to time.

■ S
 ustained service Learning and development are realities of life. People who are learning have focus and are less dis-
improvement and a tracted by sideshows, rumours and the negative. People are keen to find and work within a comfort zone. The
learning culture are learning zone is outside the comfort zone, so we should be encouraging people to go as far as they can with
inextricably linked. everything they have been given. Simple learning objectives for each staff member can make a big difference to
employee accountability.

■ S
 crew them and they Poor labour practices catch up with you. Many clubs persist in naming employees ‘casual’ even when
screw you. they work three days per week or have been with the club for a number of years. Others do not pay overtime
fairly. Management discretion and ‘paternalistic’ practices build resentment. People think their work adds
value, but if we give it ‘out of the goodness of our hearts’ and then withdraw it after a mistake it smacks of
unilateralism that is, at best, resented. It is often such actions that bring to the fore tough unionism. There is
some truth in the saying, ‘You get the union you deserve!’

Tel: +27 (0)11 803-2292

Cell: +27 (0)83 375 8757
E-mail: ponsproc@icon.co.za
Website: www.ponsconsulting.co.za

Golf Club Management September 2009 13


Killarney Coup
Former tour professional Warrick Druian recently joined Killarney Country Club as the
club’s head professional, and he is determined to set an example of what a five-star
pro shop should be all about.
“Perhaps it was something that was instilled
in me at young age – my father was involved
with Woolworths at a managerial level in
the early days and I learned the importance
of the fundamentals of successful retailing
from him,” says Druian.
GCM is currently formulating a system to
rank on-course pro shops, and the Killarney
model under the stewardship of the new
professional certainly seems to be on the
right track. The high quality of stock and
fittings, coupled with the uncluttered layout
of the shop conforms to the best modern
standards, but there is more to running a
successful retail operation. “It’s about serv-
Warrick Druian has reason to be proud of his well-stocked and pro shop. Many young pros could
learn a thing or two from this self-confessed perfectionist.
ice delivery – I want the members to feel
that they can come to me with any
suggestions to improve service, and if they
have complaints, I want to hear about them
and take the appropriate action,” says
Druian, a self-confessed perfectionist.
Clearly having the sort of personality that
suits his new position, Warrick Druian was
one of the most respected pros on our tour.
He always looked the part and his demeanour
both on and off the course presented a shin-
ing example to his less experienced peers.
His fellow pros, amateurs that he has played
with in pro-ams, and tour officials all agree
that he has consistently been a credit to his
Golf Club Management
profile
profession. He could also play the part, and
he can count victories in the Hollard Royal
Swazi Open and the Telkom PGA Champion-
ship as high points in his career. “I perhaps
should have won more, but I do not consider
myself to have been an underachiever on
tour, because I always gave 100 percent,”
he says, not that he has given up on playing
professionally. “Once things have settled
down and when I have the time to do some
practising, I will definitely play in a few
events again,” he says.
One of the projects that Druian will be
taking on is the installation of a state-of-art
workshop. In the ample area behind the
retail section of the shop, which has been
completely refurbished, the workshop will
undertake sand-blasting and club restora-
tion. “We will be able to offer this service to
customers, as well as other professionals. My
colleagues in the trade will also be able to
offer this service to their members, and make
a reasonable margin. In the current economic
climate the option of having clubs restored
should be an attractive one,” he says.
Druian will also be offering special tui-
tion to young, aspiring professionals – not
only helping them attain higher levels of
performance, but also giving them guide-
lines pertaining to other aspects of life on
tour. They would be well advised to heed
his advice – he has competed in the
European Tour school, in the United States
and in Japan.
“I consider myself fortunate to have
secured this position – Killarney has always
been considered to be a very prestigious
club,” he says, and he is determined not
only to offer a superior service to members
and visitors, but to assist the management in
fine-tuning the overall golf experience at the
club. “Just one of the plans is for a new driv-
ing range and practice area, and I am confi-
dent that Killarney will soon be recognised as
a truly five-star experience, comparing with
the best anywhere,” he says. ■
September 2009 15
legal

Dealing with cheats

Most clubs have them, every golfer must have played with one at least one, and everyone agrees
that they are an anathema. Yet cheats prosper. How should the industry, and more pertinently
the golf unions, deal with this problem?
Everyone that plays this game is proud of that hosted the event and the player’s home But of course the easiest, and most insidi-
the fact that golf is the only sport where the club is being sued, as well as the provincial ous way to cheat, is for dishonest golfers
player referees himself, and that integrity and union. So far the only result seems to be that to simply manipulate their handicaps – a
etiquette are the cornerstones of the game. certain lawyers are billing for large amounts practice that has obviously become quite
The sad truth is that this has changed, and of money, and the facts of the case have common. The SAGA is well aware of the
no-one can deny that basic honesty, which has failed to emerge. One thing that has come weakness of a system which allows golfers
been eroded in our society, is sadly lacking in to light is the fact that the SAGA is watching to enter any score they like, and it has been
the game. this turn of events from the sideline, and the questioned how the introduction of propor-
Cheats come in many guises; there are provincial union being sued maintains that it tionate handicaps being used for individual
those that blatantly disregard the most has lacked the support of the SAGA. competitions will eliminate abuse of the
fundamental rules, and when no-one is Without debating the merits of this case, system. “We must recognise that we cannot
looking, they might tee up their ball in the except to say that it would seem strange that design a system to catch cheats,” says Enver
rough or drop another ball when the one in certain individuals would go out of their way Hassen, the president of the SAGA. “It is
play cannot be found. Some may conven- to defame the name of another player without the vigilance of committees and members of
iently ‘lose count’ of the number of strokes reason, GCM will be watching this case with clubs that will catch them.”
taken or employ some imaginative account- interest. Should a precedent be set whereby Point taken, but, if once caught, the cheats
ing when filling in a scorecard. Most would every time a player has a dispute with a golf are prepared to spend the time, money and
agree that these players should be banned club it ends up in an expensive legal battle, effort to embark on litigation, the courts are
and effectively blacklisted. But this process few clubs would be willing to censure anybody going to be a lot more crowded than they
is never easy – particularly when most golfers for fear of ending up in court. already are. ■
are loath to become caught up in the rather
distasteful business of reporting the cheat,
and then having to give evidence before a
disciplinary committee, etc.
More than a year ago there was the case
of a player who was accused of cheating
during an amateur event. It would seem that
the player’s playing partners initially reported
the matter and the club where this occurred,
presumably after hearing the evidence, sub-
sequently banned the player. Normally the
club would then report this banning to the
provincial union, which would then inform
all the clubs within its jurisdiction. This
happened in this case, which meant that the
player’s home club also banned the player. It
would be normal procedure for the provincial
union to inform the national body, the SAGA,
and it would be expected for this body to
send notification of the banning to the other
Unions. In the meantime it transpired that
the player in question, maintaining inno-
cence, sought legal advice, and at the time
of writing this matter is still unresolved. GCM
is told that there are now several law suits “We must recognise that we cannot design a system to catch cheats,” says SAGA president
pending – the players that originally reported Enver Hassen.
the alleged cheating are being sued, the club

16 September 2009 Golf Club Management

trees for courses
Plant the
Right Trees
in the Right Place
This month Val Thomas chooses four trees that are not only environmentally
friendly, but will also produce beautiful blooms to add to the aesthetics of your
course. Illustrations by Joan van Gogh
Each and every ‘outdoor’ magazine article
this month will focus on spring! With really
large trees this often means new leaf growth,
rather than spectacular flowers. As a rule, big
trees do not expend a great deal of energy in
the production of excessive blooms, as repro-
duction for them is a process that stretches
over decades. This is unlike a pansy that
needs to attract pollinators each warm day
to ensure that its offspring carry on to the
following year.
A few of our trees, however, are spectacu-
lar at this time of year. Make a note now to
plant a couple in positions where golfers
can have long-range view of them from the
Calodendrum
capense
18 September 2009 Golf Club Management
course. After the soccer is over in 2010,
they can take renewed heart at the splen-
dour of indigenous South Africa in
the spring!
My constant challenge in this column
will be to choose trees relevant to the whole
country, as well as those suitable for planting
on golf courses. I am critically aware that
trees spread out across the hectares of a golf
course cannot hope to receive the individual
attention that is heaped
on a home-grown plant.
Not only will the trees’
‘personal
care’ be fit-
ted in among Erythrina
lysistemmon
a hundred
other chores, but
also the realities
of the harsher as-
pects of climate –
like wind and frost – are often more difficult
to guard against in the wide-open spaces of
long par fives. I often hear owners of household gardens
complain that indigenous trees do not grow
as well as woody exotics. However, my
experience is that, even on golf courses, it
is possible to achieve encouragingly rapid
sturdiness, height and health, as long as the
correct start-up procedures are in place. All
trees – not only indigenous ones – grow bet-
ter and faster if they are properly cared for in
their first few years. You need to plant care-
fully, with added nutrients, and water them
as steadily as you can afford to for the initial
dry season. You need to protect against the
wilder elements of strong wind and/or frost

Dombeya
rotundifolia
for the first two or even three years, depend-
ing on the size of the sapling and the severity
of your weather conditions.
In addition to these obvious rules, the
most important criterion in tree choice is
that it is suitable for your area. Self evident?
Maybe. But when it comes to indigenous
trees, unless you have evidence of another
tree really flourishing nearby in the same
“... it is possible to achieve
encouragingly rapid sturdi-
ness, height and health, as
long as the correct start-up
procedures are in place.”
environment as yours, you will have the best
results if you stick to plants that naturally
grow in your geographic area. You should
read the ‘extra’ information about habitat
preferences to establish if they are water-
loving, like rocks or prefer well-drained soil.
The four trees I have chosen this month
offer a wide geographical range, plotted
against my personal map of registered South
African golf courses. The trees are all from
different botanical families, so the types of
flowers are very varied. I have included their
flowers as well as their distribution maps,
to show where they grow naturally. If you
would like to read more about the trees
you can go to www.jacana.co.za where the
coverage is more detailed. The material is all
taken from the five books in the Sappi Tree
Spotting series, written by myself and my
co-authors Rina Grant and Eugene Moll.
trees for courses
Wild-pear Dombeya
Star-chestnut Family
Dombeya rotundifolia
This is a smaller tree but makes up for size
with the impact of its late-winter-to-spring
flowers. It matures at a height of between
three and nine metres and also thrives in a
wide variety of habitats, growing successfully
in well-drained rocky areas. It tolerates light
frost and is fairly drought resistant.
Sweet-thorn Acacia
Cape chestnut Thorn Tree Family
Citrus/Buchu Family Acacia karoo
Calodendrum capense Last month I talked about the African Olive
This is the largest of the four trees – reaching as one of our most widespread trees. Sweet-
20 metres in forests, and in more open sites thorn Acacia is the other woody plant that
maturing closer to 10 metres. It tolerates low qualifies for this title. It grows virtually any-
temperatures, but should be protected from where there is water available and it flowers
both wind and frost when young. Being in profusely after rain. It is a very rewarding golf
the citrus family, it has glands in the leaves course tree, as long as it is not too close to
that smell faintly of lemon when crushed. play because of the long, sharp thorns. It is
This tree is spectacular when in flower from hardy in drought (but will flower less),
September to December. tolerates frost and is fast growing. ■
Sacred Coral tree
Sweet-pea Family
Erythrina lysistemmon
This is another relatively large tree. Like
the Cape chestnut, it grows in forests
and is found in woodland too. It ma-
tures at between four and 12 metres
in height. It has beautiful flowers,
which last for many weeks, from
mid-winter through to October, fol-
lowed by small, but interesting,
pods with ‘lucky bean’ seeds.
It is fairly drought resistant
once established and will
tolerate moderate frost.
Acacia
karoo
Golf Club Management September 2009 19
 EXTRA SPECIAL manager of the month

Modderfontein Golf Club’s

John Boyce
raising the bar
John Boyce may have lacked prior experience in golf club management, but his skills
acquired in general management have served the club well, and the levels of service
at Modderfontein continue to improve.
Modderfontein Golf Club is perhaps one of with the club for many years. It was natural a new receptionist joined Modderfontein. It
the most underrated golf courses around. that when the club decided to revamp its may have been a daunting task to take over
Originally designed by Arthur Tomsett on course in 1990, Baiocchi was commis- the reins, but it did present the opportunity
land owned by the Modderfontein Dynamite sioned to do the work, and the result was a of a fresh start for the man who had no expe-
Factory, the course was opened in 1935 by vast improvement on what had been a fine rience in running a golf club, and he brought
none other than Bobby Locke. Locke was layout to begin with. Today the course is the a wealth of management experience to the
only 18 years old and still an amateur at epitome of a really good parkland layout, job. “It was matter of changing systems, and
the time, but was already being fêted as a with mature trees, water features and establishing systems where none existed
world-beater and held the Natal, Transvaal well-constructed greens. before,” he says.
and South African Amateur titles. The club’s It was in October last year that Boyce was Boyce grew up and was educated in
most famous son is Hugh Baiocchi, who grew appointed general manager of the club, at a what was then Rhodesia and, as a qualified
up here and whose father John was involved time when a new chef, a new accountant and industrial engineer, he had been involved in

Extra Special TIMES, EXTRA SPECIAL SCOTCH

Not for sale to persons under the age of 18

20 September 2009 Golf Club Management


working with the railways, post office and
mines. After moving to South Africa in 1980,
he worked for mining giant Gencor and was
later involved in the textile industry. He then
opened a family manufacturing business
which was bought out by his opposition. “Af-
ter this I joined a small group of companies
as general manager, and because one of the
shareholders was involved with the golf club,
I was introduced to Modderfontein when the
position became vacant,” he says.
Boyce considers himself fortunate in
having a chairman and a committee that is
supportive and, rather than becoming bogged
down in detail, they allow him to get on with
the job. “Our chairman Graham Dunford
has a strong personality – a man who knows
where we must take the club, but he is
interested only in getting to the destination,
not in the journey,” he says. “The quality
of our course speaks for itself – our course
superintendent Ryan Whitson and his team
do an excellent job in maintaining the layout what is a traditional golf club – the dark-
to the highest standards. In the clubhouse wood finishes and the plush carpeting makes
our service levels are being raised – this is this a very warm and welcoming 19th hole. ■
an ongoing process. I believe that one should
not try to fix something if it isn’t broken, but
we’re constantly trying to improve. This is
something that is always being impressed
upon our staff. Perhaps in the past being
‘average’ was good enough, but we have
changed that mind-set.”
Since being at the helm of the club, John
is proud of the performance of his team, and
is quick to give credit where it is due. “One
of the club’s assets is undoubtedly Rueben
Pale, who runs our beverage department – in
fact, when we take stock, we count him in!
We are also particularly proud of our catering
department run by JJ du Plessis and his
assistant Brandon Day. We are constantly
complimented on the quality of our food,
and the skills of these two guys comple-
ment each other perfectly,” he says. Another
invaluable member of the team is Hannetjie
Botha, who has been with Modderfontein for
more than 10 years and handles some 110
golf events a year. This includes the Central
Gauteng Amateur Championship (formerly ABOVE: Five-star service is of paramount
the Transvaal Open), very much a ‘Major’ on importance to John Boyce.
our amateur circuit. BELOW: Rueben Pale is Modderfontein’s
Modderfontein’s well-known club profes- beverage manager, pictured in the club’s
sional Mike de Villiers has been at the club recently revamped 19th hole.
for 33 years. He runs a top-notch pro shop
and has had much to do with encourag-
ing junior golfers. “We have a strong junior
section with some very good players among
them,” he says. Mike, a highly respected
coach who has fine-tuned the swings of a
host of notable players, including that of his
good friend Hugh Baiocchi, is always happy
to help up-and-coming golfers, and often
parts with his knowledge free of charge.
This club, which has seen considerable
residential and business development in its
area in recent times, must be considered to
be one of Gauteng’s premier facilities, and
Boyce is determined to see Modderfontein
favourably compared to the best in the coun-
try. “I firmly believe that the experience of
the course should be complemented by that
in the clubhouse, and we plan to continue to
raise the levels of service and the quality of
our facility,” he says. The recently revamped
bar goes a long way in improving the feel of
Not for sale to persons under the age of 18
Golf Club Management September 2009 21
Course construction
The ultimate solution for
bunker maintenance?
Compleat Golfer’s panel of judges who rank golf courses have found a recurring theme;
generally bunkering lets down many otherwise well-maintained courses. Patrick
Schoutens of On-Course Solutions says that his company has the answer.
The condition of bunkers can certainly make
or break a course, and besides the aesthetic
value of these hazards, they can positively or
negatively influence playability. On classic
parkland-type bunkers, there is nothing
better than having razor-sharp lips and beau-
tifully groomed turf contrasting with perfectly
raked sand. Every course superintendent
knows that achieving and maintaining this
look can be a nightmare.
All too often bunker lips crumble, resulting
in a rather ragged effect, and while the quick
fix is to re-trim the lip using a sharp spade,
this cannot be done too often as the bunker
simply gets bigger. This obviously ends up
Before
The greenside bunker on Blair Atholl’s 14th hole before the Bunkertac was applied, with the
bunker lip looking rather tatty.
22 September 2009 Golf Club Management
adversely affecting the design integrity, and
where this constant re-cutting of bunker lips
has become common practice, a course de-
signer will tell you that a year or two later he
can hardly recognise his own work.
The drainage systems becoming clogged,
expensive silica sand becoming contami-
nated and the degradation of linings are
common problems that greenkeepers have
to deal with and, while most do a sterling
job, with often limited resources, it was high
time that someone came up with a method
of bunker construction that made them
easier to maintain. Along came Bunkertac, a
trademarked product supplied by On-Course
Solutions, and from reports received by GCM,
this stuff is the proverbial ‘bee’s knees’.
The newly opened Jack Nicklaus-designed
Serengeti course was the first in Gauteng to
use this product, and course superintendent
Gordon Johnston cannot praise Bunkertac
enough. “This is unbelievable, really, it’s
awesome,” he says. Although the first bun-
kers to be treated with this wonder product
at his course are a little more than a-year-
and-a-half old, it is clear that Bunkertac has
more than lived up to its promise. “Besides
making our work a lot easier, it is obvious
that this stuff is just way better than the
likes of sand mats that constantly have to
be repaired after golfers or bunker machines
have damaged them. Our bunkers have stood
up perfectly after heavy rains, and I am com-
pletely sold on Bunkertac,” he says. So what
exactly is Bunkertac all about?
An environmentally friendly sand stabilis-
er, it is a purpose-formulated binding agent
for soil and sand. We are told that the key to
the product is its linear molecular structure
that is linked and cross-linked, which cre-
ates a stable bonding matrix. When used in
bunkers, the product, which is sprayed on,
forms a flexible, bound surface which has a
high-load-bearing and shear-strength capac-
ity while still allowing for drainage of water.
Used for sand-flashing, the product holds the
sand in place on the face, forming a neat, at-
tractive lip that will not degrade. It sounded
too good to be true, so GCM went out to Blair
Atholl, one of the courses that is converting
to Bunkertac to see if this product was all it
is cracked up to be.
“After less than two years in operation,
the bunkers at Blair Atholl were suffering
from excessive water run-off, erosion on the
edges and faces, and besides becoming
contaminated with soil, algae was also thriv-
ing in places,” says Patrick Schoutens, who
undertook to treat just one bunker before
 Course construction

after
being given the go-ahead to continue.
The conversion process involved removing
the existing sand (much of which was show-
ing signs of contamination), removing the
existing mat and nails, and covering the ex-
posed drainage channels with sand. Areas of
the bunker floor were reshaped and all loose
aggregate was swept up before the surface
was compacted. The area to be treated was
then moistened in order to loosen the tension
of the soil. The Bunkertac was then sprayed
evenly on the surface – several coats using a
specially designed spray lance which delivers
the product at specified rate. As each coat
is applied, sand is dusted over the surface
and blown off – the result being a perfectly
smooth surface.
On the completed bunkers, the difference
is marked – and it is understandable why this
product has received the thumbs up from
Ernie Els Design and Nicklaus Design for use
on courses they have designed. ■
The bunker after being treated – the sand-flashing providing a perfect finish and it is now
■ F
 or more info go to www.on-course.com or promised that this bunker can handle everything nature can throw at it.
e-mail info@on-coursesolutions.com.

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 PGA profile

Bet on
Betty
Any young, up-and-coming player should look to the example of Betty
Mokoena who has grabbed every opportunity that has come her way
and is in the process of forging a very bright future in golf.
Betty Mokoena could be the proverbial poster
child for countless causes and development
programmes in golf, having been guided and
assisted by many of them, most notably the
Ernie Els and Fancourt Foundation.
She would, however, only be their ‘poster
child’ because of the way in which she has
seized opportunities that have come her way
and made maximum use of them.
Betty has been apprenticed to 2008
PGA Teacher of the Year George Harvey
since 2007 and will write her final qualify-
ing PGA exams in early 2010. The PGA
apprenticeship course is something that
Mokoena speaks about with beaming pride.
“At first I was not sure what to expect, but
I have enjoyed every minute of the course,
with the highlights being the residentials.
I have learnt far more than I ever imagined
possible.”
She is particularly taken with the teaching Pictured from left to right: Betty Mokoena, George Harvey and Heinrich Bruiners. Both Mokoena
side of the course, an aspect of her career and Bruiners are apprenticed to Harvey and both, having been members of the Ernie Els and
where she believes she can make the most Fancourt Foundation themselves, are mentors at the foundation.
impact on the game she is so passionate
about. “That is how I would like to give back
to the game,” she explains. “I would love the philosophy: “Before,” she explains, On her chances of making it on tour, she
to teach youngsters to fulfil their talent and “coaching was all about applying the theory is typically forthright: “You can only go as far
potential – and not necessarily for money. of the perfect swing to the pupil. Now, how- as you set the bar for yourself. I have been
That to me is the greatest way of giving back ever, we are taught to understand the physi- lucky enough to have played with some of
for all the wonderful opportunities that have cal limitations of each pupil so that we can the best pros and I definitely believe that I
been given to me!” teach them to the best of their ability, not have the game to get there. I just need to go
But, unsurprisingly, playing the game pro- the other way around. about it properly. Having the PGA quali-
fessionally is the short-term priority. “Once “In the PGA course, we have been fications gives me the knowledge and the
I have finished my final exams, I would like exposed to so much more than the theory confidence to do it.”
to spend the rest of the year coaching and of the golf swing; we have learnt about the There is little doubt that Betty Mokoena
working on my game, then go to the Ladies game as a whole, which has included bioki- has a bright future ahead of her in the pro-
European Tour Qualifying School in early netics, fitness and the mental game. And the fessional game. It is likely that, having given
2011 to see if I can get my card.” best part is, I have been able to apply that the life of a professional golfer a go, she will
When asked about the importance of the to my own game and I have become a much be one of the most sought-after PGA
PGA way of teaching, she is quick to explain better player.” professionals in the game. ■

Golf Club Management September 2009 25

CMASA promotion

CMASA RESOURCES
CMASA can be a wealth of information for those in the golf industry. Here’s how...
Clubs can benefit from the extensive resourc-
es available to them from the CMASA library,
which has been a work in progress over many
years. Material specific to the club industry
is available to CMASA members in varying
formats. These resources include innovative
programmes and resources for the successful
operation of clubs and are designed to assist
managers and their committees with daily
operations and team building, as well as
committee and member concerns.
The library is stocked with a selection of
audio CDs, recorded at various world confer-
ences on club management, many of which
include employee motivation, leadership,
goal setting and time management.
Also included in the library are both hard
and electronic copies of operation manuals,
which include, among others, Guide to Mem-
bership Marketing, The Strategic Planning
Process, Board/Committee Resource Manual
and Effective Crisis Management.
CMASA has a selection of international
and local books for loan to members covering
topics such as marketing research, leading
teams, successful strategic planning, the
best ideas for running your club, membership
surveys, fundamentals of successful club
newsletters, communication in business, and
food and beverage operations

A group of club management education delegates participating in a team building exercise.

Postal address: Suite 374 Private bag X09 Weltevredenpark 1715

26 September 2009 Golf Club Management

 cmasa promotion

CLUB MANAGER COMPETENCY SURVEY UNDERTAKEN BY

CMASA IN CONJUNCTION WITH CMAA (Club Managers
Association of America)
This survey was undertaken by Dr Jason Koenigsfeld, senior vice-president of education for
CMAA for his doctoral thesis. These statistics are a working document as more data is collected
and managers evolve through different economic environments. Listed below are the results of
the South African model versus the American model.

CMASA – SOUTH AFRICAN MODEL

Aggregate ranking for the overall important and frequently rated managerial competencies
Importance Rating Frequency Rating
(5=critical; 1=not important) (3=all the time; 1=never)
Competency Aggregated Rank Average Rank Average
rating
Leadership 7.06 1 4.40 3 2.66
Accounting 7.06 2 4.34 1 2.72
Golf 6.96 5 4.26 2 2.70
HR 6.88 4 4.30 4 2.58
Management education is not always Interpersonal 6.85 3 4.34 6 2.51
sitting behind a desk in a classroom all Legal 6.74 6 4.21 5 2.53
day – it can also be loads of fun! Conceptual creative 6.61 7 4.12 7 2.49
Club governance 6.54 8 4.07 9 2.47
Marketing 6.49 9 4.05 10 2.44
All the abovementioned resources are
F&B 6.45 10 3.97 8 2.48
over and above the comprehensive collec-
tion of club policies and procedures and job Facilities 6.00 11 3.70 11 2.30
descriptions for staff across the board, as
well as sample performance appraisals and CMAA – AMERICAN MODEL
employment contracts, which are also
Aggregate ranking for the overall important and frequently rated managerial competencies
available to members via the website.
Importance Rating Frequency Rating
CMASA utilises extracts from these
(5=critical; 1=not important) (3=all the time; 1=never)
resources in regular newsletters to the mem-
bers to keep them updated on latest trends, Competency Aggregated Rank Average Rank Average
but this medium of communication probably
rating
doesn’t scratch the surface of the resources Leadership 7.23 1 4.54 1 2.69
available. Especially in today’s climate, Interpersonal 7.08 2 4.47 2 2.61
research and constant reading of resources is Accounting 6.94 3 4.36 3 2.58
vital for the creative thinking required in the HR 6.88 4 4.34 4 2.54
management of a club. Research and F&B 6.83 5 4.30 5 2.53
development of new products is just as Conceptual creative 6.77 6 4.27 6 2.50
important as networking. ■
Club governance 6.74 6 4.27 7 2.47
Legal 6.64 8 4.17 7 2.47
■ For more information on the
Golf 6.53 9 4.11 9 2.42
available resources contact CMASA.
Marketing 6.36 10 4.02 10 2.34
Tel: 011 482 7542
E-mail: admin@clubmanagement.co.za Facilities 6.24 11 3.96 11 2.28

Tel: +27 (0)11 482 7542 Fax: 088 (0)11 482 7542 Cell: 082 457 8235 e-mail: gm@clubmanagement.co.za

Golf Club Management September 2009 27

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Value and Substance
Does your club deliver?
In the battle to retain members and increase visitor rounds, many clubs find
themselves wedged between the out-of-bounds fence and an unplayable lie.
GCM looks at innovative ways in which golf clubs can keep the greenfee tills ringing.
It is no secret that the number of rounds
is falling, and the figures released by the
National Golf Foundation in the USA makes
for sobering, if unsurprising, reading. The
drop in rounds at pay-for-play facilities and
private clubs has failed to pick up, and the
numbers related to the corporate golf market,
whether the number of golf days or hiring
hospitality suites at golf events, has dropped
significantly. Since 2005 (when there were
30 million golfers in the US) and the begin-
ning of this year, this number has dropped
by 1.4 million. The gap between new courses
opening and those closing down has also
expanded – last year 72 new courses opened
in the US, but 106 closed. Despite these
trends, it is encouraging to see some clubs
actually managing to show growth in rounds,
membership and profits. These are clubs that
set and maintain high standards, and their
members and visitors appreciate that they
are rather special.
During the 1980s and early ‘90s, the
‘country club for a day’ idea worked well,
and there was a plethora of semi-private
clubs that offered what was effectively a
daily membership. The clubs that of-
fered this deal were a cut or two above the
normal pay-and-play facilities, and there
was no shortage of golfers that would pay
a premium to play a good course that had
all the trappings – energetic bag boys and
someone in uniform handing out souvenir
bag tags and brass pitch-forks emblazoned
with the club’s badge. One observer quoted
in an American business magazine put it
rather well when he said, “The mainstream
golfer, when subjected to the ‘country club
for a day’ pampering, is made to feel like he
has hired an escort rather than being out on
a normal date.”
With few exceptions, all of our golf clubs
are ‘semi-private’, and while we have a fair
range of facilities ranging from excellent
to average, simply hiring someone to greet
golfers on the first tee and to rattle off a
recitation about local rules, raking bunkers
and speed of play doesn’t quite cut it. In the
competition for the golfer’s rand, it will take
a little more than dishing out chilled towels
on a hot summer’s day to bring customers
back. One of the golden rules of five-star
service is to anticipate golfers’ needs, take
care of them, and get out of the way.
Often a knee-jerk reaction to falling
numbers is to discount prices, and while
this might boost revenue in the short term,
this strategy has negative connotations that
can be difficult to overcome later. As one
local club manager put it: “Offering new
members a special deal to join may result
in a few more members, but how does it
make existing members feel? We should
rather encourage our members to introduce
potential members to the club, and then put
an incentive scheme in place – perhaps via
a discount on their next year’s fees. At least
this way the members that have supported
the club benefit.”
Clubs would do well to consider that there
are many golfers who used to play perhaps
once a week, but are now limiting themselves
to a round once a month or even once every
six weeks. When golf was a regular part of
their budgets, they might have been price
conscious, but now that it becomes a special
treat they are more likely to spend more –
what psychologist might term ‘self-reward for
deserving behaviour’. But unless a club can
supply that ‘special treat’, no matter what
the charge they are unlikely to be lured back
in the future.
Something that has become popular in the
US is the idea of selling greenfee vouchers
– a discounted rate for say, 10 rounds with
a time limit attached. This is often done in
Golf Club Management
Rands and Sense
partnerships with other clubs, although in
South Africa it has been historically difficult
for clubs to work together. An attempt to
issue golfing ‘passports’ in the Southern
Cape region last year was a good idea, but
there was apparently a lack of consensus
when it came to marketing this scheme.
When it comes to retaining and growing
membership, the Americans are definitely
ahead of the game, and incentive schemes for
existing members to introduce their friends to
their club via member/guest days and other
functions has been highly successful.
Certain clubs have successfully promoted
social membership, which has proven to boost
food and beverage revenue, and of course
many of these social members can eventually
be converted into full or five-day members.
The storm of comments on
www.compleatgolfer.co.za following an
article on so-called ‘virtual clubs’ would
suggest that many golfers support these
purely for economic reasons, but an alarm-
ing amount of former members of traditional
clubs maintained that they had joined these
purveyors of official handicaps because they
felt that at their previous clubs they were
not receiving value for money. Rather than
offering discount golf, it has been proven
that by improving service, communica-
tion, course condition and giving golfers
what they want (ie that special treat), the
‘bargain basement’ golf clubs will never be
a threat to ‘real’ clubs. ■
September 2009 29
The Environment
Spare a thought
save a drop
Environmentalist Johan Bodenstein warns that as government tightens up on water
allocations, golf clubs would be well advised to re-think their irrigation strategy.
Managing golf courses is obviously challeng-
ing when water is scarce, and a pleasant
golfing experience to most golfers has much
to do with the conditioning of a course. To
achieve this, greenkeepers rely on, among
other things, a plentiful supply of water.
Many golf courses have for several years used
a water supply coming from boreholes or
rivers. The days of flicking a switch without
thinking about what is actually happening
in the river or underground water source are
limited – for too long water has been taken
for granted. Looking at global trends, it has
become apparent that water will be playing
a bigger role in years to come as it is
recognised that it is a finite resource.
The Department of Water Affairs and
Forestry has developed a programme to
monitor the amount of water available for
allocation per water-management area. Of
the 19 water-management areas (WMA)
in South Africa, only 10 WMAs still have
catchments with a surplus of available water.
Of these, half of them have only a single
catchment with surplus water. All the water
is otherwise accounted for, and already al-
located to maintain the ecological reserve,
provide water to the municipal water supply,
agriculture, industry and for recreational
use. There is simply no spare water in the
majority of South Africa’s rivers based on the
existing water available in farm dams, large
storage dams and in rivers. We will have to
embark on a major dam-building mission to
ensure adequate storage of water is catered
for. Gone are the days of turning on a tap and
believing that there is no end to the supply.
The Water Act (Act 36 of 1998) requires
all dams and boreholes to be registered
with the Department of Water Affairs and
Forestry to ensure all water use is taken into
30 September 2009 Golf Club Management
consideration when water licenses are
correctly allocated (see www. dwaf.gov.za/
WAR/documents/WARStrategyNov06.pdf).
Golf clubs need to review their water
utilisation patterns and make a contribution
towards using water more wisely. Are manag-
ers and greenkeepers aware of the amount of
water they are taking from the catchment’s
water reserve? In the balance of sustainabil-
ity it is possible that golf courses are
extracting more water than is equitable.
The Department of Water Affairs and
Forestry is currently busy with a Water Al-
location Strategy. The overall outcome of
this should further the key principles of the
National Water Resource Strategy:
■ T  o achieve equitable access to water, ie
equitable access to water services, water
resources and associated benefits
■ T  o achieve sustainable use of water, by
making progres­sive adjustments to water
use to achieve a balance between water
availability and legitimate water require-
ments, and by implementing measures to
protect water resources
■ T  o achieve efficient and effective use
of water.
Golf clubs need to consider ways to reduce
their water demand. One obvious way to
achieve this is to reduce the area that is
irrigated. The only way to maintain the area
no longer irrigated is to convert it into a
conservation area where nature is allowed
to determine the dynamics. It should be
planted to become a low water-demand area.
Suitable and appropriate endemic, indig-
enous plants need to be propagated as a wild
area. This will provide pockets of natural
habitat where invertebrates, birds and small
mammals can find food and refuge. These
areas, when well looked after, can still be
attractive and do not have to look unkempt
and neglected. Nature never looks wild
and neglected.
At older golf courses that use septic tanks
and soak-aways, and modern courses using
mini sewage works that generate grey water
as a by-product, improved management
practices are required. Instead of this water
becoming lost by filtering it into the soil and
into the natural ground water, why not divert
it to an artificial wetland created for the pur-
pose of filtering the water? When the water
emerges from the wetland into a holding tank
or pond it is then available for irrigation of
the course. The water would only have been
wasted if left to follow its normal course.
Rain water is free, but unless captured
and stored, it is lost. The runoff from
hardened surfaces of paved areas, roads and
roofs, if only piped away as the storm water
management plan requires, the water is
also wasted.
Thirsty alien plants utilise water indig-
enous South African vegetation should have
used, and running an effective alien plant-
control programme will eliminate them. Such
a programme will extend the life-span of
naturally fed irrigation dams. ■
■ J ohan Bodenstein can be contacted on
082 577 0898 or e-mail him at
johan@indiflora.co.za.

Keeping your
members informed
Randpark Golf Club is one of the industry’s success stories. The club’s vibrant atmos-
phere and its healthy balance sheet bear testimony to the fact that the management
is doing a lot right. Director of golf Derek Lloyd believes that good communication is
one of the keys to a happy membership.
Only in the last few years has communica-
tion at golf clubs been something that is
considered important. Gone are the days of
the notice board with outdated, tatty notices,
the suggestion book the club diary, and the
occasional announcement at prizegiving. All
of these methods were never really of any use
to the regular 20 percent of the membership
base that actively used the club anyway, as
they were kept informed of goings-on through
the most dangerous of all communication
methods – the rumour mill.
The old suggestion books at many clubs
can be a source of great mirth. All you have
to do is open a page, say, from 1976 and you
might see something like: “The price of the
toasted sandwiches in the halfway house is
way too expensive at 25c.” The committee’s
considered reply next to it reads: “This is not
a suggestion and therefore we cannot issue
a response.” Then two or three comments
on you will see the same handwriting – “I
suggest you drop the price of the toasted
sandwiches in the halfway house as they
are too expensive.” The committee, having
mulled over this, then replies: “We will inves-
tigate this matter.” The disgruntled member
is probably still waiting for an answer.
The golf club industry has made huge
strides in improving service levels, partly out
of necessity due to increased competition,
which has led to doing whatever it takes
to ensure member retention. The amazing
developments in communication technol-
ogy have helped. This has caused people to
expect instant gratification in this fast-paced
world. Successful clubs have embraced these
advancements. No communication tools are
more effective than the electronic club
newsletter. This is sent to all members
registered on the club’s database on a
weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis. It can
be simple, with generic copy, weekly results
and an events calendar, and it can also have
columns from staff telling of events, both
past, present and future. These newsletters
give the club a chance to keep members
abreast of events. A trophy winner acknowl-
edged and photographed, the regaling of
an amusing story, news of the passing of a
fellow member, players’ achievements and
commentary on club functions and events
are all of potential interest to the reader,
especially if they have been a part of the
event. Some of the braver clubs invite reply
through the newsletter, which often leads to
lively interaction and allows the responder
to be a part of the club process. This type of
involvement leads to greater club loyalty and
negates a lot of those detractors who say a
lot and do nothing; partly because they think
it will make no difference. If clubs embrace
the member think-tank, but make it quite
clear that, while all suggestions have merit,
not all can be implemented, you will develop
an interested and caring membership. Gone
are the days of autocratic club governance,
so be prepared to communicate openly with
your members – they will respect your trans-
parency and respond in kind.
There is also the club-generated newsflash
regarding an upcoming event. For example:
‘Christmas in July Bash. For booking call
the club or visit the website for details.’ This
serves to inform, without harassing the mem-
bers. This should be used sparingly so that it
has maximum impact.
An interactive club website that is easily
accessible and simple to negotiate is critical.
This tool must be regularly maintained to
Golf Club Management
The Last Word
ensure that details, events and all pertinent
information are correct.
There are two philosophies that will reap
huge reward; treat your members like royalty
and treat your guests like members. Treat
every guest as a potential member. After all,
once a player or guest has paid to be a part
of the facility for the day he or she should be
treated to all the member experiences – and
possibly more.
Signage around clubhouses and on golf
courses needs to be evaluated. A golfer is
often assailed with ‘Members only, no carts
allowed, no chipping, no more than two balls
per person putting’, etc. Such signage caus-
es a subliminal negative vibe and should be
removed and replaced with more informative,
welcoming signage. ‘Members only’ signage
should disappear – it is ‘poncey’ and very
often unnecessary – and any signs prefaced
with a ‘No’ should be re-worded to convey
the message in a more friendly fashion.
In today’s modern, fast-paced society,
golf clubs cannot adopt a head-in-the-sand
policy. Communication involves commit-
ted interaction with a view to being helpful,
informative and transparent. The more that
can be done to keep members and guests in
touch with what is going on the bigger the
benefits for all involved. ■
September 2009 31