Golf clubs rewarded for their up to par service

Scottish golfing venues received a variety of prizes at recent service excellence awards.

The very best individuals, teams and venues gathered in glitzy ceremony at St Andrews, The Home of Golf, for the 9th annual 59club Service Excellence Awards.

A day which started with a golf tournament on the jubilee and iconic Old Course, ended in a celebratory awards ceremony at The Old Course Hotel, within the Hall of Champions.

The highlight of the night belongs to Houssem Belabed from Gleneagles, who picked up UK Food and Beverage Manager of the year (Over £75 green fee) alongside a Gold Flag Resort which he collected on behalf of the team.

Another superb victory went to Sandy Smith (Ladybank Golf Club) who received the award for ‘UK Golf Retail Manager of the Year’ (Under £75 green fee).

Upon collecting the award, Sandy Smith, Retail Manager, said: ‘I’m absolutely delighted to win the award for Golf Retail Manager 2018 (Green fee under £75). It’s recognition of a real team effort at Ladybank Golf Club. Starting from the top, Gordon Simpson our G.M was instrumental in introducing the 59Club at Ladybank and our customers are now seeing the benefits.

‘This has taken a lot of hard work and training but in conjunction with the 59Club we are now becoming a destination of choice not just because of our fantastic championship golf course but also due to the skilled people on site at the club who deliver extremely high service standards. Thanks again to everyone at the 59Club for helping to improve our standards and grow our business.’

Other notable winners included The Dukes, St Andrews who claimed a Gold Flag Resort and Gullane Golf Club receiving a Bronze Flag Members Club. A new introduction to the awards were the ‘my 59 award’ which was collected by Dalmahoy for their excellent commitment and engagement on the my 59 software platform.

St Andrews Old Course Hotel hosted the awards

Simon Wordsworth, CEO at 59club, commented: ‘St Andrews Old Course Hotel has not disappointed in providing an exciting and memorable evening celebrating our 9th Annual Service Excellence Awards. The winners have all showcased the very best client experiences possible, a trait that will consistently see them advance standards across the industry and ensure they stay at the forefront of the golf and hospitality industry.

‘The team at 59club has consistently pushed the boundaries with customer service standards and thanks to our proven benchmarking tools and training support, the success stories amongst our client base continue to grow.

‘I’d like to congratulate all of our winners, nominees and venues we work with, who continue to dedicate themselves to delivering the best experiences possible for their members and guests.’

The awards, which recognised the leading golf venues that consistently achieve ‘service excellence’ across all areas of their businesses – sales, service, operations, retail, golf course, food & beverage and management – are determined by scores collected from an independent visitor panel who evaluate the experience presented to both visiting golfers and prospective members, all in accordance with 59club’s industry-leading, non-subjective benchmarking criteria.

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

59club’s Gold, Silver and Bronze Flag Awards, the Industry Benchmark, are a highlight for many. These highly prized accolades recognise member clubs and resorts that provided excellent facilities for golfers to enjoy, as well as having achieved the required standard of customer service throughout 2018.