Troon, the leader in upscale golf course management, development and marketing, recently staged its annual Troon Conference in Arizona, with more than 250 managers and guests from its private, daily fee and resort facilities around the world in attendance. Reflecting the worldwide nature of the brand, delegates came from five continents, including a strong representation from the ever-growing Europe, Middle East and Africa division and a guest appearance from Masters Champion, Bubba Watson.
The conference allowed associates to share best practices throughout the week as well as providing a full programme of workshops and keynote speeches; all depicting the theme of “Grow yourself, your team, and your business”. As in previous years a host of awards were presented to facilities and individuals from around the globe, who have displayed outstanding performance and commitment to the Troon brand in 2012.
Amongst the highlight accolades from Troon’s ever expanding EMEA region was Chris Card, Group General Manager of Abu Dhabi Golf Club and Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, UAE receiving the prestigious ‘Troon Ambassador of the Year’ award. Card, who before taking the helm of two flagship properties in Abu Dhabi, held a similar role at the Turnberry Resort in Scotland. Chris was recognised for his commitment to ensuring that both his Owners and wider industry stakeholders recognise the key principals that the brand stands for, epitomised through his leadership and actions on a day to day basis. He has gone above and beyond to endorse the Troon brand, especially during major golf events, such as The Open Championship at Turnberry and last week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship at Abu Dhabi Golf Club. He has gained fans at the PGA Tour and European Tour, as well as the respect of owners and his peers for his enthusiastic attitude and ability to deliver in any situation.
The impressive Track at Meydan in Dubai was also awarded with a ‘Troon Rock Star’ award in the ‘Troon Rewards Capture’ category. The facility, which is uniquely situated next to the Meydan Racecourse, opened early in 2012, receiving rave reviews after joining the ever-growing Troon portfolio in the Middle East. Troon Rewards is the biggest golf specific loyalty scheme in the world and the Track amply demonstrated its appeal with the huge number of signups since the facility opened.
With a host of other exciting new ventures planned in the EMEA region for 2013, Troon will no doubt continue to prosper moving forward. The success and international transferability of the Troon model and the company’s continued expansion into the Asian market was also further demonstrated by Alpensia 700 Golf Club in South Korea winning Troon’s ‘Turnaround Facility of the Year,’ in a hotly contested category that included a number of high-profile facilities from across the United States.
“2012 was an incredibly successful year, globally, for Troon, but especially in the EMEA region where we continue to go from strength-to-strength,” commented Bruce Glasco, Vice-President and Managing Director, Troon International Operations. “All of our staff should be proud of what they have achieved and continue to strive towards improving the exceptional standards of delivery that our owners and guests have come to expect. Dana Garmany, our Chairman and CEO, was given a lifetime achievement award at the KPMG Golf Business Forum last year, following in the footsteps of Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Gary Player. He was also named the ‘Most Powerful Person in Golf’ by Golf Inc., so we are setting some very high standards at Troon, but I fully expect us to meet them in the year ahead and beyond.”
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