The annual 59Club customer service excellence awards are much-coveted – and the market-leading benchmarking and training company has released details of its clients’ individual staff members who are leading the way in their respective categories in 2015.
Consistent levels of good service are key in the industry and it’s certainly an applicable description for the current joint ‘greenkeeper of the year’, Davy Cuthbertson and Pete Newton, from Rockliffe Hall, as they are still ahead of the field in 2015.
St Pierre Marriott Hotel & Country Club’s Valentin Popescu was the 2014 ‘food and beverage manager of the year’ when the awards were handed out in February, but, as it stands, he’s set to be usurped by Margaux Park, at the Duke’s Course, in St Andrews.
While on the subject of the Duke’s, it was the course’s Ayden Roberts-Jones who scooped the ‘golf retail manager of the year’ accolade in 2014, but this year’s best performer, thus far, is Alan Soutar, at four-time Ryder Cup venue The Belfry.
Staff at Southport’s Formby Hall Golf Resort & Spa were delighted when colleague Leighton Williams secured the award for the ‘leading individual golf sales performance’, but currently it appears the title could be heading south to Stoke Park, in the guise of Ashton Kelly, who is outperforming all rivals so far in 2015.
The big winner in the 2014 awards, which took place at Forest of Arden, in February this year, was Dubai Golf. Not only did it take the award for ‘golf group of the year’, Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club and Emirates GC both secured coveted gold flag status, and Alan Mackenzie, from Dubai Creek, won the award for ‘golf manager of the year’.
However, the pace-setter for this year’s award is David Shepherd, from Monte Rei Golf & Country Club, in Portugal, who is looking to wrest the prestigious accolade away from his Dubai-based contemporary.
The ultimate winners of these awards – and many others – will be announced at the annual 59Club awards dinner next February, which will be, once again, held at Marriott Forest of Arden. This is a key event in the golf industry calendar and always proves to be a top networking opportunity.
Hosted by BBC Sport’s Dan Walker, the awards ceremony is all about recognising excellence and offers all 59Club members the chance to be acclaimed for their performance. 59club also awards gold and silver ‘flags’ to golf resorts and private-member clubs which not only provide great service but also excellent facilities for golfers to enjoy.
The industry experts at 59Club are on hand to provide support and assistance for all golf and leisure businesses keen to develop customer service and sales systems. Its products and insight provide measurable indicators which help maximise opportunities presented to each department within the club, from the sales team and front-line operators to those responsible for member and visitor retention.
59Club www.59club.com
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