Six Scottish venues are amongst the golf industry leaders to be recognised at the home of golf in 59Club’s service excellence awards.
The nominations for the 59club Service Excellence Awards have today been revealed, with six Scottish venues in the running for a golf industry sales and service excellence ‘Oscar’.
The glittering affair, to be staged this year at The Old Course Hotel, St Andrews, will see the good and the great of the golf industry come together to honor individuals, teams and venues for their industry-leading performance in sales, service, operations, retail and management.
The evening will be hosted by Alan Tait, on course commentator for BBC Radio Scotland and 59club’s very own Area Manager for the North of England and Scotland.
In a shake up to the historic awards format, and to reflect their international appeal as 59club continues to extend its footprint overseas, seven new categories have been introduced, ensuring the ceremony continues to reflect the very best performances, regardless of size, scale or location at home and abroad.
For 2019, an ‘overseas’ category has been introduced to no fewer than seven awards: Golf Membership Sales Team of the Year, Leading Individual Golf Membership Performance, Golf Operation Team of the Year, Golf Retail Manager of the Year, Food and Beverage Manager of the Year, Greenkeeper of the Year and Golf Manager of the Year. As has been the case in recent years, five of these seven will be further segmented, creating two categories for UK nominees in each, based upon average green fees; above or below £75 per person.
The awards are determined by scores collected from an independent visitor panel who evaluate the experience afforded to visiting golfers and prospective members in accordance with 59club’s non-subjective benchmarking criteria. Each venue is judged on performance in the following areas: sales, service, operations, retail, golf course, food & beverage and management.
The Belfry and Dubai Creek are the frontrunners among this year’s nominees, each of which is up for 11 nominations. The four-time Ryder Cup venue can boast a return to the reckoning for The Ultimate Golf Resort – a title it last picked up back in 2014 – Golf Operation Team of the Year and Greenkeeper of the Year, the latter courtesy of 2018 title-holder Angus Macleod’s re-nomination.
Venues in Scotland in the running for awards are Cardrona Golf Club (Golf Retail Manager of the Year – Under £75 green fee), Dalmahoy Resort (Golf Operation Team of the Year – Under £75 green fee), Dukes St Andrews (Golf Operation Team of the Year – Over £75 green fee, Food and Beverage Manager of the Year – Over £75 green fee, Golf Manager of the Year – Over £75 green fee), Gleneagles (Food and Beverage Manager of the Year – Over £75 green fee, Greenkeeper of the Year – Over £75 green fee, Golf Manager of the Year – Over £75 green fee), Gullane Golf Club (Golf Retail Manager of the Year – Over £75 green fee) and Ladybank Golf Club (Golf Retail Manager of the Year – Under £75 green fee, Food and Beverage Manager of the Year – Under £75 green fee).
Another new introduction to the night’s proceedings will see 59club bestow accolades upon venues for their commitment to engage, analyse and enrich their member and guest experience, utilising a collateral of survey tools across the my59 software platform.
Last year’s winners
A total of 19 venues will be recognised within this category, including: Colchester Golf Club, Dunscar Golf Club, Ferndown Golf Club, Gog Magog Golf Club, King’s Lynn Golf Club, Langland Bay Golf Club, Maxstoke Park Golf Club, Orsett Golf Club, Radyr Golf Club, Sherbourne Golf Club, St Ives (Hunts) Golf Club, The Scandinavian and The Vale Resort. The 19 venues will all compete to win an Ultimate Service Excellence accolade.
Always a highlight of proceedings among attending guests, the evening will also see the 59club Industry Benchmark, its Gold, Silver and Bronze Flag Awards, presented to golf resorts and private members clubs which have demonstrated distinction against broad criteria for both service and the quality of their facilities.
Simon Wordsworth, chief executive of 59club and a Fellow of the PGA, said: ‘Over the past 12 months, 59club members have again shown an incredible commitment to providing their members and guest with the golf industry’s highest service standards, and what better way to reward them than with what promises to be an evening to remember in St Andrews.
‘There is no doubt 2019 has been the most impressive year on record, with many of the categories far too close to call. More than this, however, the evening will stand as recognition of those individuals and teams who go above and beyond to ensure the experiences they provide are nothing short of exceptional. Our awards are a tribute to their tireless work and we can’t wait to join our guests in their celebrations.’
The 59club Awards are supported by: 3d-ifs, Albatross Digital Golf, BIGGA, CGI Insurance, Club Car, Clubface-golf, Colt Mackenzie McNair, Course Mate, Crossover, Design Elegance, England Golf, Fluid Productions, Foremost, Foresight Sports, GCMA, Golfbreaks.com, Golf Genius, Golf Retailing, Golftell, Kennet, Performance54, PlayMoreGolf, The PGA, Tacit and Toro.
To book a place at the awards evening taking place at The Old Course Hotel, St Andrews, on March 13, contact: naime@theaspirationgroup.com
For more information about 59club, visit www.59club.com.
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