Styal Golf Club was founded in 1994 by Richard Higham and Glynn Traynor. Richard Higham constructed the 18-hole and 9-hole courses, the 24-bay driving range, the clubhouse & restaurant and most recently their newest development – Styal Lodge – a stylish wedding & conference venue.
Throughout the construction period, Glynn Traynor also established a flexible membership system which now counts over 1,000 members, and formed the management structure and day-to-day running of Styal’s golf related facilities.
As their business was steadily growing, Richard and Glynn searched for a management system that would meet their needs, however, “The process was a painful and lengthy one,” says Richard. “We had been looking for a system for eight years.”
He tells how during this time they saw more than a dozen solutions and visited several golf clubs to see some of these in operation. “The process was frustrating; we always came away disappointed with the systems available.”
Then the partners came across NFS Hospitality, who offer their integrated and powerful IBS Club Management System. “The NFS system is the only system we have seen able to cope with our level of business,” comments Glynn. “For us, speed is essential. Transactions, information and reports were all key factors in choosing the system, as we want to be able to monitor, adjust and improve our business both effectively and efficiently.”
Now that Styal Golf Club has chosen to implement IBS software, the partners foresee several medium and long term benefits to deploying the system. “The way our business is structured, the member management module will improve our flexible membership system, so we can identify our members more efficiently and avoid any mistakes regarding data collection and charges,” says Glynn.
He adds that the tee booking system will free up valuable time for Styal’s members of staff to up-sell and improve customer care. “The online payment option will also alleviate more time for our staff,” Glynn continues. “Currently they spend at least three hours per day answering calls for tee time bookings, and countless hours dealing with green fee transactions.”
NFS’ IBS Club Management’s powerful database will also benefit Styal’s successful event business, enabling the company to collate information regarding bookings and customer requirements, which they can use to improve their service before, during and after events.
Steve Salter, Head of Golf & Leisure for NFS, comments: “It’s great that a number of clubs in the UK are starting to see the tangible benefits our IBS solution can offer them. With modern, future-proof technology, Styal Golf Club and the Styal Lodge wedding venue really have made the right decision after all this time to go with NFS.”
Steve continues, “After meeting Richard Higham and Glynn Traynor on a number of occasions, it gave me a greater understanding of their planned business model. With this in mind I have no doubt that the IBS solution, combined with our award-winning support team, will meet all Styal’s future business development and club management needs.”
NFS Hospitality www.nfs-hospitality.com