The recent board meeting of the UK Golf Federation held at The Belfry Golf Resort came through with a strong message that business had recovered after a stuttering start due to the various Covid restrictions that affected much of the UK for the first part of the year.
It was clear that early season losses cannot be replaced but good trading for green fees, membership and driving range usage had been very strong and the milder end to the season had helped keep business on plan.
Colin Mayes – CEO of BHL (pictured) – commented, “All sectors of our business have performed well and great to see F&B continuing to grow and be a major part of our offering to our members and customers. It’s important that we all look to 2022 and onwards as the boost pretty much everyone in golf enjoyed post Covid needs to be nurtured and we must develop our offering to ensure we keep all these new and return to golf customers in the game.”
These thoughts were echoed by the owner of Maple Leaf Golf and UKGF Chairman, Richard Haygarth (pictured), who added, “We have seen so many new to golf and return to play golfers join us over the last 18 months who are changing the dynamic of our business.
“Many see golf as a leisure fun sport, enjoy the experience, play all the games and enjoy the experience of our driving range, adventure golf brings in lots of new golfers and they stay and enjoy our club facilities which is great.
“Golfers are customers whether playing adventure golf, using the driving range once a week or keen, competitive, handicap driven players and we must ensure that we learn how to cater for them all.”
Being live and not via video conference, the board meeting was also a great opportunity for the two new members, Marc Newey – Roehampton Club and Chris Eigelaar – The Belfry Golf Resort to meet the team face to face.
The board were pleased to see that membership of the UK Golf Federation had continued to grow over the last few years, now representing over 1,200 golf facilities across the UK. Part of this growth is communication with Government on important matters to our industry along with the 13 free benefits of membership and the introduction of 3 new Corporate Partners who can bring extra value to their business.
Looking ahead to the new year, the UKGF is delighted to see the return of GolfBIC after the previous edition was held online. Monday 21st March is a key date for members diaries as GolfBIC 2022 will return live and in-person, being held at The Belfry Golf Resort. It’s a busy, one day hit of great speakers, leading brand exhibitions and a networking Gala Dinner.
Full details can be found on the www.ukgolffederation.com website.
For more information contact: Doug Poole – CEO – doug.pooleukgf@gmail.com – mob: 07711 665247