Golf Club St Leon-Rot, Germany, venue of The 2015 Solheim Cup and a global leader in golf performance and junior participation, hosted the European Tour Properties Conference, April 4-6th.
The annual event brings together representatives from the network of 23 world class golf venues for three days of professional business education, operational best practice and networking.
Host venue Golf Club St Leon-Rot impressed delegates with its junior performance programme and futuristic amenities, including the Allianz Golf Arena, a two-storey indoor short game centre of excellence.
Expert speakers at the event included Derek Johnston and Rob Hill from Global Golf Advisors who presented ‘Performance Intelligence and Financial Benchmarking’, as well as Anja Schneider from global software company SAP on ‘Intelligently Connecting People, Things and Business’.
David MacLaren, Head of European Tour Properties, said: “For many of the venues, the opportunity to learn from leaders in the golf business, as well as speakers bringing intelligence and expertise from outside of the industry, makes our annual conference an important reason for being part of this growing network.
“Golf Club St Leon-Rot was an inspirational host venue and delegates learned from its remarkable vision and strategy. The integration of world class performance amenities alongside a clear process and positive club culture that welcomes and develops players of all ages is highly impressive. This is a practical demonstration of the values The European Tour is committed to.”
More than 500 children from non-golfing families are part of Golf Club St Leon-Rot’s development programme. The youngest, age three to seven years, enjoy group activities at the venue’s bespoke playground and 5-hole Bambini Course, while training and team golf starts from age eight. The club also has its own Sports Management Agency that looks after home-grown professional talent, including siblings Moritz Lampert and Karolin Lampert.
Golf Club St Leon-Rot General Manager Eicko Schulz-Hanßen said: “Golf Club St Leon-Rot has enjoyed a long partnership with The European Tour, previously hosting the Deutsche Bank – SAP Open, won three times by Tiger Woods, so it was a pleasure to welcome our fellow European Tour Properties venues for the annual conference.
“While we have our own clearly defined vision and philosophy, and have invested significantly in the development of young people, the strategy of our proprietor Dietmar Hopp has been to work with the best in the business and that’s why The European Tour brand has been an integral element in the story and success of Golf Club St Leon-Rot.”
European Tour Properties continues to grow and in addition to 23 world-class venues, three projects under development are also part of the expanding portfolio: Rossington Hall in Yorkshire, Hulton Park in Bolton, and Les Landes in south west France.
European Tour Properties www.europeantourproperties.com