The finest golf properties across the Middle East & Africa saw their management teams descend on Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai on May 26 to attend the 59club MEA Service Excellence Awards.
A day which started with a 9-hole ‘Team Shamble’ on The Earth Course, ended in a glittering awards ceremony as the market-leading performance-management specialist continued to honour its best performers across the region for having achieved the highest standards of sales and customer service excellence across 2020/21.
The winners were determined by scores collected from its impartial mystery shopping audits, which evaluate the experience afforded to visiting golfers and prospective members, in accordance with objective benchmarking criteria.
On the night, 59club MEA presented 16 awards, recognising ‘service excellence’ across all areas of the businesses – Sales, Service, Operations, Retail, Golf course, Food & Beverage and Management.
And, for one property, there was double celebrations as Abu Dhabi Golf Club saw two of its teams honoured after scooping Golf Membership Sales Team of the Year and Golf Agronomy Team of the Year.
Speaking of their winning performance, Francisco de Lancastre, Cluster General Manager said; “We are delighted to receive these two awards, as it is a testament to the hard work and effort demonstrated by the team over 2020. Working with 59club MEA throughout the year assists us to monitor customer service data and constantly strive to improve and evolve our renowned service and facility standards”.
Other Teams honoured on the night were Abu Dhabi City Golf Club who were awarded Food and Beverage Team of the Year, Emirates Golf Club who claimed Golf Operations Team of the Year and The Els Club, Dubai having scooped Golf Retail Team of the Year.
While Trump International, Dubai went on to receive the My59 Ultimate Service Excellence Award for their continued commitment to engage, analyze and enrich their member and guest experience, utilizing a collateral of survey tools across 59club’s software platform.
The final awards of the evening and always a highlight of proceedings saw 59club MEA present their Industry Benchmark of excellence, it’s Gold and Silver Flag Designations. These highly prized accolades recognise properties that provide excellent facilities for golfers to enjoy, as well as having achieved the required standard of customer service throughout the year.
This year, 59club MEA presented 8 ‘Gold Flags’, the deserving winners were: Abu Dhabi Golf Club; Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club; Emirates Golf Club; Jumeirah Golf Estates; Saadiyat Beach Golf Club; The Els Club, Dubai; Trump International Golf Club, Dubai; and Yas Links Abu Dhabi. Whilst 2 ‘Silver Flags’ went to Abu Dhabi City Golf Club and The Track, Meydan Golf.
Of this year’s awards, Mark Bull, Director at 59club MEA, commented: “It was an honour and privilege to host the first service excellence awards outside of the UK, special thanks to our host venue, Jumeirah Golf Estates and GolfBreaks for their support of the event, as well as all our event partners. Congratulations to all nominees and winners on the night, all of whom can be proud of the levels of service provided throughout 2020 and we look forward to continuing to support the industry in driving standards forward.”
59club MEA ‘Service Excellence’ Award Winners 2020/21
Golf Membership Sales Team of the Year, sponsored by Worldwide Golf: Abu Dhabi GC
Golf Retail Team of the Year, sponsored by Sunset Events: The Els Club, Dubai
Food and Beverage Team of the Year, sponsored by African & Eastern: Abu Dhabi City GC
Golf Agronomy Team of the Year, sponsored by Toro/Delta Turf Care: Abu Dhabi GC
Golf Operations Team of the Year, sponsored by Golf Genius: Emirates GC
My 59 Ultimate Service Excellence, sponsored by Club Car: Trump International, Dubai