Integrated Golf Product for Fife Final Report - Home Page

Transcription

Integrated Golf Product for Fife Final Report
June 2010
Integrated Golf Product for Fife - Final Report
Contents 1 Summary of Findings and Recommendations ............................................................................ 3 2 Introduction & Overview ............................................................................................................ 8 3 Defining the Roles and Activities of Golf Organisations in Fife ................................................ 14 4 Summary Research Analysis ..................................................................................................... 21 5 Fife Golf Tourism Product Review & Gap Analysis ................................................................... 23 6 Market Analysis ........................................................................................................................ 32 7 Competitor Analysis and Best Practice..................................................................................... 39 8 The Business Case for a Fife Golf Alliance ................................................................................ 46 9 Marketing Strategy for Fife Golf Alliance ................................................................................. 58 10 Next Steps................................................................................................................................. 66 11 Appendices ............................................................................................................................... 69 Appendix 1 ‐ References and Source Material Appendix 2 – Consultations Appendix 3 ‐ Golf Club Survey: Participating Golf Courses Appendix 4 ‐Audit of Golf Courses in Fife Appendix 5‐ Summary of Survey of Golf Courses Appendix 6‐ Tourism Industry Survey Results: Summary Appendix 7 ‐ Golf Tourism across the World June 2010
Page 2
1
Summary of Findings and Recommendations BTS was commissioned to test the feasibility and appetite to establish an industry‐led Fife Golf Alliance, whose role would be to lead on golf promotion and development. We conducted desk research and a programme of consultations with key partners, businesses, telephone surveys with Golf Courses and online surveys with tourism and golf businesses and golf courses. It is widely acknowledged that Scotland and Fife have an exceptionally strong golf tourism product. As well as being considered worldwide as the home of golf, Fife has a larger proportion and variety of golf courses than the rest of Scotland. The challenge is to increase the number of golfers to the region, the length of their stay and their expenditure, in order to sustain employment and their economic value to the Fife economy. Our task was to establish whether and how the planned Fife Golf Alliance would fulfil this brief. Our main research findings are that: 1. Although there are examples of good collaboration in the region, there is limited networking and sharing of information across the golf industry, restricting the ability of tourism businesses and golf clubs to learn from one another, market collaboratively, share information and work together to raise service and quality standards for visiting golfers. 2. Many private members clubs have limited resources (financial and human) and do not effectively plan their business – in terms of welcoming visitors. Many clubs are positively unwelcoming or pay lip service only to welcoming them, restricting for instance tee times. They need help to become more customer focused, understand who their visitor is, where they come from and how to generate more income. 3. There is an intense sense of fragmentation and need for leadership in the local golf market, with the planned Alliance being seen as providing this solution. 4. Improved on‐line tee booking systems are required for both members and visitors to give better accessibility to all and to support ease of booking and ultimately revenue generation. 5. More reliable data on the scale and profile of the golf market in Fife is required. 6. There is, we are told, a need for greater transparency on the marketing activities being led by VisitScotland. 7. We have been advised that there is a continuing need to re‐evaluate how Old Course Tee Times are allocated i.e. to Tour Operators. 8. The consensus from our consultations for the types of activities that the planned Alliance needs to take forward, in order of priority, are: June 2010
Page 3
•
joined up marketing and promotion of the Fife‐wide golf product; •
business development to support courses and clubs, including membership ones to retain and grow membership; •
enhancing quality and service standards; •
industry leadership and engagement. In terms of the Fife Golf Alliance itself, there was overwhelming support for the proposition – to promote golf Fife‐wide and to do so with a public private partnership, with the private sector taking the lead role. The key caveat is that the St Andrews identity or brand must not be lost and to do so (i.e. to use Fife as the attack brand and subsume St Andrews) would be counterproductive. St Andrews is best known. But the proposition of presenting the golfing attributes of the rest of Fife, offering golfers of varying ability a range of playing and golfing experiences at varying prices was seen as a very positive opportunity that would be supported, subject to the costs. The proposition is that: Fife has a supreme range of courses available for every type of player, at every price. St Andrews and Fife offer everything from iconic, championship, challenging and enjoyable courses for the experienced, for golf buddies and for the novice – from within Scotland, the UK and overseas visitors. Golf development in Fife is a crowded marketplace, with many agencies and organisations and many initiatives. However, greater coordination, closer working and focusing on all aspects of golf development are needed for Fife to realize its ambition and vision of making Fife “the location of choice for golf”, as catalogued in Fife’s 2007 – 2015 Tourism Strategy. A Fife Golf Alliance with a clear and defined role should be able to leverage the resources and support the most appropriate organizations and businesses to deliver and develop Golf in Fife. Fundamentally it should enable the development of a coordinated Fife golf product that promotes Fife as the Leading Golf Destination in Scotland. The main report develops the business case and the marketing strategy for the Alliance. We recommend that it be called the Fife Golf Partnership. “Partnership” implies working together and equality of status where “alliance” signifies a coalition or grouping that may be temporary. The role of the Fife Golf Partnership should be: 1. Marketing and Promotion of Fife as a competitive golf destination, including •
June 2010
Booking and IT Page 4
•
Customer service 2. Capacity of Clubs and Courses, including •
Business & Skills development •
Revenue generation 3. Quality Standards The key objectives and functions of the Fife Golf Partnership should be: 1. To take a leadership role in marketing and developing golf in Fife. 2. To develop a collective identity for golfing in Fife. 3. To position St Andrews and Fife as a competitive, compelling golf destination. 4. To develop collaborative marketing and promotional campaigns aimed at the golf visitor. 5. To develop accommodation and pay and play packages for visiting golfers. 6. To build on and help extend successful marketing and booking schemes (e.g. First in Fife). 7. To plan and develop easy‐to‐use tee booking systems. 8. To identify ways in which courses and clubs can enhance the quality of customer service and the welcome for golfers. 9. At a course or club level provide signposting opportunities for: •
Management development at courses and clubs to help them manage their members, finances and revenues more successfully (and thus potentially help them support themselves through recession and changing membership dynamics); •
Business development to help individual courses and clubs to generate more revenue and ensure effective customer care; •
Individual marketing support to help courses generate sales. 10. To support high golf industry standards of course management and maintenance, including sustainable practices. The Fife Golf Partnership should be an industry led membership organisation, ideally set up as a legal entity in order to gather members’ funds and spend funds on marketing and promotion. It also has to be a legal entity in order to bid for most public funds, e.g. from Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise and VisitScotland. We recommend a company limited by guarantee with no share capital, June 2010
Page 5
being a well tried and tested model. The biggest advantage is that the liability of members is limited (to say £1). We consider that the Partnership should be private sector led and open to all tourism and golf related businesses, as well as stakeholders. However in the current economic conditions and the scrutiny many “arms length” local authority companies are being placed under, we recommend a phased approach to establishing a separate legal identity. This will give the Fife Golf Partnership time to establish credibility, resources, recruit members and source funding to ensure a sustainable long term future. A leadership group needs to be recruited first to steer the establishment of the Partnership. We see the focus of funds collected being expended on marketing and promotion and not on an office, senior staff and supplies and services. When recruiting members, the Partnership must demonstrate cost effectiveness and value for money ‐ benefit of membership should include cost savings on marketing. A full business plan needs to be prepared for the Fife Golf Partnership, including the cost of anticipated promotional activity. The real success of the start‐up will be assured if the totality of Fife’s golf marketing effort is included (including Fife Council’s Service Level Agreement with VisitScotland). There are two marketing aspects to this project, both of which we recommend (below) as being integral to the success of a Fife Golf Partnership and the marketing of Fife as a Golf Destination: In summary the actions are: 1. Fife Golf Alliance Marketing Plan ‐ Preparing the marketing plan for the Fife Golf Partnership, including pricing of membership and recruitment of members and stakeholders, to get the project up and running; this is detailed in the main report. 2. Golf Visitor Markets ‐ Preparing the composite Fife marketing strategy for the Leading Golf Destination in Scotland, including the identity and all marketing and promotional actions. This would be a next phase action. The main report reviews the roles and activities of the many organizations in golf (and which should be targeted for membership of the Alliance); the large amount of research available; the quality of the Fife golf product (our audit); the market and the characteristics of the various types of golfers and their country of origin; what competitors are doing; an options appraisal and a risk analysis. Fife Golf Partnership: Summary of Recommendations
1 Name: The planned Alliance should be called the Fife Golf Partnership
2 Role: The Fife Golf Partnership functions should be
1.
June 2010
Marketing and Promotion, including tee time booking and IT and customer service enhancements; Page 6
Fife Golf Partnership: Summary of Recommendations
3 2.
Building the capacity of clubs through business & skills development and revenue generation 3.
Improving quality standards Objectives: We recommend that the key objectives and functions of the Fife Golf Partnership be:
1.
To take a leadership role in marketing and developing golf in Fife. 2.
To develop a collective identity for golfing in Fife. 3.
To position Fife and St Andrews as a competitive, compelling golf destination. 4.
To develop collaborative marketing and promotional campaigns aimed at the golf visitor. 5.
To develop accommodation and pay and play packages for visiting golfers. 6.
To build on and help extend successful marketing and booking schemes (e.g. First in Fife). 7.
To plan and develop easy‐to‐use tee booking systems. 8.
To identify ways in which courses and clubs can enhance the quality of customer service and the welcome for golfers. 9. At a course or club level provide signposting opportunities for: •
Management development at courses and clubs to help them manage their members, finances and revenues more successfully (and thus potentially help them support themselves through recession and changing membership dynamics); •
Business development to help individual courses and clubs to generate more revenue and ensure effective customer care; •
Individual marketing support to help courses generate sales. 10. To support high golf industry standards of course management and maintenance, including sustainable practices. 4 Status: The Fife Tourism Partnership establish a working group to take forward the Fife Golf Partnership The FGP working group would work under the auspices, reporting back to the Fife Tourism Partnership 5 Leadership Group: A leadership group needs to be recruited first to drive the set up this should include golf courses (3 representatives), accommodation providers (2), a tour operator (1) and the Council (1). 6 Business Plan: A full business plan needs to be prepared for the Fife Golf Partnership. 7 Membership: This should be open to all, with four categories of membership ‐ Golf courses and clubs; Accommodation and ancillary tourist facilities; Golf tour operators; Public agencies and professional golfing associations and stakeholders. 8 Fife Golf Alliance Marketing Plan: The marketing plan for the Fife Golf Partnership should be developed and would include pricing for membership and recruitment of members and stakeholders. 9 Marketing Fife: A composite Fife marketing strategy for the Leading Golf Destination in Scotland should be prepared, including the identity or brand, the balance between St Andrews and the rest of Fife within the brand and marketing and promotional actions. 10 Action plan to launch: We recommend next steps to be taken in the main report 11 Research: The Fife Golf Partnership, with Fife Tourism Partnership and Fife Council should initiate research of the golf visitor to better inform marketing, product development, business development and quality standards. 12 Tour Operators: Should be encouraged to help develop and promote stay and play packages 13 Booking systems and tee time: Clubs and courses should be encouraged to adopt online booking systems June 2010
Page 7
2
Introduction & Overview This report was commissioned by Fife Council and has been prepared by BTS during March and April 2010. The purpose of the study is to audit the Fife Golf Product, identifying gaps in the product and to develop/ prove the business case for a Fife Golf Alliance ‐ as an industry led organisation to lead on golf development and promotion in Fife. The work has included extensive desk‐based research drawing together research material from a number of sources and has been supplemented by a programme of consultations with key partners, businesses, telephone surveys with Golf Courses and on‐line surveys with tourism and golf businesses and Golf Courses. The brief set out five areas to be reviewed in the course of this commission, whose objective has been to provide a business case with recommendations, conclusions and a marketing plan to outline the set up and structure for a Fife Golf Alliance, referring to the Fife Tourism Strategy and Promoting Fife plan: a. Research & Analysis ‐ Taking into consideration the internal (Fife Council) and external papers and findings in existence, complete a robust review and critical analysis of the Fife golf proposition. b. Gap Analysis – Conduct (further) investigation to cross reference and analyse the responsibilities and remit of bodies currently remitted to develop and promote golf in Fife, (Scottish Golf Union, and Golf Tourism Scotland etc.) to produce a gap analysis and ensure duplication of effort and activity is avoided. c. Engage with Stakeholders ‐ Engage with all relevant (private and public sector) Fife golf stakeholders to prove / disprove the hypothesis that Fife is in need of an overarching body [an alliance] to manage the end to end golf product. d. Competitor analysis ‐ benchmarking of those organisations/ agencies/ bodies who have a keen interest to be involved in a prospective Fife Golf Alliance. Identify their immediate and longer term goals and opportunities. e. Best Practice/ Case Studies ‐ case studies of specific/existing alliances or models that have been successfully implemented and make model recommendation where appropriate. 2.1
Methodology BTS’s review and preparation of the audit of the Fife golf product has comprised: 1. Desk research of relevant golf related surveys and reports, previous economic impact studies and market data (full list of reports and sources are found in the Appendix 1); the key research reports include: June 2010
Page 8
•
Fife Tourism Strategy, 2007 – 2015; Growing Fife’s Future, Survey of Visiting Golfers at St Andrews, 2004/05, January 2006, MW Associates for St Andrews Golf Development Group; West/ Central Fife Golf Market Research, Research Report, Scottish Enterprise Fife, George Street Research Ltd •
2010 National Golf Tourism Monitor, GTS •
Evolving the “new strategy for Scottish golf tourism” – establishing the business case, SQW 2002 •
Scottish Golf Tourism Market Analysis Report, SQW, report to Scottish Enterprise, June 2009 •
VisitScotland Golf Visitor Surveys, 2006 and 2007; Golf Tour Operators Survey, VisitScotland 2006 •
The Future of Scottish Golf: A Vision and Framework for Success, March 2009 •
Golf Tourism in Scotland: Opportunities for growth, Tourism Intelligence Scotland, April 2010 •
Dr Robert Price, Management and Marketing of Scotland’s Golf Facilities: Research Report 2000 •
KPMG Golf Benchmark Surveys ‐ Great Britain and Ireland regional report, 2007; Golf in the economic Downturn, Golf Travel Insight in Europe, Middle east and Africa, 2008 •
UK Golf 2009, Research report, Mintel 2. Telephone survey with 35 golf courses in Fife; 3. A series of face to face and telephone consultations with stakeholders, representative bodies and individual golf tourism businesses (33 in total ‐ a list of consultees is attached in Appendix 2). 4. Electronic surveys of golf courses to gather more detail following the telephone interviews; 5. Electronic survey to 250 tourism businesses to gather wider tourism industry views on opportunities for greater golf collaboration (Appendix 5). 6. Review of competitor golf destinations, how they organise themselves and best practice. June 2010
Page 9
2.2
Background It is widely acknowledged that Scotland and Fife have an exceptionally strong golf tourism product. As well as being considered worldwide as the home of golf, Fife has a larger proportion and variety of golf courses than the rest of Scotland. Fife’s 2007 – 2015 Tourism Strategy emphasises the importance of golf in the mix of tourism products and its importance in elevating Fife to one of the few truly international destinations in Scotland. The strategic theme of making Fife the Location of Choice for Golf emanates from recognition that while golf is played throughout the world, Scotland, and St Andrews, is its spiritual home. While the international quality and reputation of some of Fife’s golf facilities, in St Andrews, is recognised worldwide, there are wide variations in the quality of golf facilities across the region as a whole. And yet the opportunity exists to bring these facilities more closely together to capture a greater share of the golf visitor market, support the promotion of Fife as a destination and generate greater economic benefit. Golf tourism generates around £220 million p.a. for the Scottish economy, comprising the value of visiting golfers staying overnight (£187 million) and expenditure by visitors to major golf events (£36m). The St Andrews Links Trust estimates that around 700 jobs are directly supported by the golf industry in St Andrews alone, with another estimated 500 jobs directly supported by golf across Fife (i.e. green keepers, golf professionals, course maintenance etc.). On top of this there are many local businesses (i.e. hotels, guest houses, restaurants, bars etc.) that benefit from visiting golfers. The challenge is to increase the number of golfers to the region, the length of their stay and their expenditure, in order to sustain employment and their economic value to the Fife economy. This is the genesis of Fife Council’s ambitions to look at the golf product and market, through an audit of golf facilities, and identify ways in which the golf sector can organise itself to heighten promotion and development of the product. There’s already a lot of collaboration going on in Fife – at St Andrews Links Trust, St Andrews Golf Development Group, First in Fife Golf pass, Links with History and Elmwood College for instance. However, as with all tourism products and tourism destinations, there are always opportunities to o be more competitive and generate even higher profile, visitation and economic benefit, as well as identify new business and product development opportunities. The concept of greater collaborative marketing was also stimulated by an internal review of the East of Scotland Golf Alliance (EoSGA), of which Fife is a member. This public sector marketing alliance aims to increase the economic benefits of golf tourism in the East of Scotland. Its members comprise Fife, Angus, Dundee, Perth & Kinross and East Lothian. The proposition was made that Fife could better June 2010
Page 10
develop its own golf product and generate greater visitation if it were itself to create a Fife‐wide golf alliance. In 2009, Fife Council tested with golf industry leaders and stakeholders the concept of a formal collaborative effort, for which there was broad endorsement. 2.3
Overview We set out in the report to provide the business case for a Fife Golf Alliance. This essentially means establishing the benefits that a Fife Golf Alliance could bring to businesses that deliver products and services to golfers (including golf tourists). Central to this is the size of the sector and the levels of expenditure that are generated by golfers and visiting golfers. Golf expenditure does not just accrue to golf courses and hotels, there are opportunities for every business that deals with golf tourists including taxi firms and retailers, bars and restaurants, tour operators and manufacturers. Through the process of consultation and review of previous reports and other materials we have drawn a number of conclusions and these are summarised below. i.
There is limited networking and sharing of information across the golf industry. There is a need to support industry engagement and partnership working – opportunities for businesses and clubs to learn from one another; market collaboratively; share information. ii.
The need for business development within courses and clubs, as well as other golf related businesses – helping them become more customer focused, improve their service and standards and helping them grow. Many of the clubs are private members clubs with limited resources (financial and human) and do not effectively plan their business – in terms of orientation of course and club facilities to visitors. Failing to plan is planning to fail and guidance on effective planning and other management issues such as staffing, skills training, business and marketing planning is required. iii.
Knowing the visitor: The majority of clubs do not have robust databases with a procedure for noting enquiries and identifying the location of each enquiry or visitor. Therefore they are not able to identify the number of visitors or where the visitors come from, an impediment to targeting their marketing for maximum effect. iv.
The Regional Golf Development groups in Scotland that have been most successful have been driven by the private sector (golf course, local hotels etc.); they have also evolved around at least one of the signature golf courses which acts as a focal point for their promotion for golf tourism. These groups undertake joint marketing and usually work alongside VisitScotland in key markets such as North America, Scandinavia and Germany. The primary focus of these regional golf groups is marketing activity, with some business development. June 2010
Page 11
v.
There is a need for much more reliable data on the scale and profile of the golf market in Fife (and Scotland). vi.
There is a sense of fragmentation and need for leadership (which the new Scottish Golf Framework is expected to address). vii.
There remains a need for membership courses to address the challenges of recruiting and retaining members. viii.
There is also, we are told, a need for greater transparency on the marketing activities being led by VisitScotland. ix.
We have been advised that there is a continuing need to re‐evaluate how Old Course Tee Times are allocated i.e. to Tour Operators. x.
Improved on‐line tee booking systems are required for both members and visitors to give better accessibility to all and to support ease of booking and ultimately revenue generation. xi.
More analysis of course capacity is needed to maximise availability of tee times and improve yield for courses. xii.
The consensus from our consultations for the types of activities that need to be taken forward, is namely: o
Better capture of information on visiting golfers by courses o
More joined up working between different types of service providers e.g. hotels o
Greater and better use of ICT o
Increasing innovation (relating to new products/ use of IT/ marketing/ customer service) o
xiii.
Improving customer service. Support product development – working with the golf industry and using customer research to develop golf products attractive to customers that will increase the number of golfers using Fife’s courses. From our on‐line survey of Golf related tourism business, when asked specifically whether they thought the Golf Alliance is a good idea and should be developed o
69.5% said yes o
3.4 % (2 respondents) said no o
27% said they were unsure or would need convincing. June 2010
Page 12
The Scottish Golf Club Survey of 2007/08 highlights the most pressing issues facing Golf Clubs across Scotland, these being: ii.
Maintaining membership iii.
Increasing Costs iv.
Lack of/ growing visitor numbers v.
Cost of course maintenance and improvement vi.
Ageing membership There are many challenges and issues facing Golf Clubs and courses and this is succinctly summarised in the Tourism Intelligence Opportunities for Growth paper 1: “Within these issues there are clearly challenges, but in facing them, the starting point has to be to develop a deeper knowledge and understanding about the buying behaviours and trends of current and potential golfers, and then develop the business to make sure you are able to deliver what they want, in the way they want it. For many golf clubs and courses this requires a significant mind shift into becoming more proactive and more commercially focussed – and building the management systems needed to be able to do this.” While some frustration has been expressed about the quality of the total tourism product in St Andrews and Fife, and its compatibility with the iconic, world status of St Andrews for international golfers 2 and for hosting the Open Championship, any marketing proposition for Fife, and for Scotland, must recognize St Andrews’ international stature. Our consultations with the private sector and golf tour operators highlight and recognize The Old Course as an iconic must‐play course for many visiting golfers, especially the North American Market. It must be the founding stone of Fife’s overall golf marketing proposition. The Future of Scottish Golf ‐ A Vision and Framework for Success summaries the relevance and importance of Golf to Scotland simply as: “Golf is more than just an industry, it is a key pillar of Scotland’s international profile as well as a defining factor in the quality of life and culture for many Scots”. Fife has a significant role to play within this strategic context. 1
Golf Tourism in Scotland: Opportunities for Growth, Tourism Intelligence Scotland, April 2010
2
Issues being addressed by the St Andrews Partnership and Golf development Group, for instance
June 2010
Page 13
3
Defining the Roles and Activities of Golf Organisations in Fife The starting point for this report is defining the roles and activities of golf organisations in Fife and understanding their contribution to the overall Fife golf product. There are a number of organizations and associations all with a role or responsibility to develop golf in Fife; table 1 below summarises the role of these agencies and organizations. Table 2 on Page 8 summarises the various activities undertaken by each organization. In late 2007 a group 3 representing the various strands within the golf industry in Scotland was established in order to take the first steps towards the creation of a coordinated Golf Framework. This Framework Group represented both the private and public sectors and met to discuss common ambitions and agree the optimal way forward. The Scottish Golf Union Ltd (SGU) is the organization recommended by the Framework Group to adopt the lead role for the delivery and implementation of The Future of Scottish Golf: A Vision and Framework for Success, March 2009. Table 1 – Golf Organisations and their roles Organisation 4 Role 1 Fife Tourism Partnership A new partnership to lead and co‐ordinate tourism in Fife, comprising: •
an executive board to lead the partnership; •
a tourism business network open to all tourism and leisure businesses in Fife which will deliver networking and business development activities and information, sharing via a dedicated website; and •
a network of local tourist associations. 2 Golf Tourism Scotland The lead private sector industry body for golf in Scotland. GTS aims to represent the diverse interests of the industry and influence public and private sector activities relating to the development and marketing of golf tourism. Its membership is made up of golf courses, accommodation providers, resorts and tour operators and currently has around 130 member organisations across Scotland. GTS collates industry information through the annual Golf Tourism Monitor and the monthly Golf Tourism Barometer. They have a useful newsletter for members and non members. 3 VisitScotland VisitScotland is the national tourism organisation, responsible for promoting Scotland for tourism to other parts of the UK and internationally. In terms of golf tourism, there is a golf product manager responsible for the domestic UK market. International marketing is segmented by geography and golf is promoted alongside other products. Golf is an important part of international marketing. VisitScotland is currently leading the Drive it Home promotion as a follow on to the Homecoming 2009 programme encouraging more international golfers to visit Scotland. 4 Links With History A golf course led initiative, bringing together four historic courses in Fife ‐ Crail, Scotscraig, Lundin and Ladybank – to provide a one‐stop‐shop point of contact for booking and information about the courses, encouraging visiting golfers to play rounds at one or all of the courses. Links with History offers combinations of weekday or weekday and weekend rounds at various price points, including winter offers. 3
SGU,VS,SE,EventsScotland,PGA,GTS,SGU,SLGA,CNAE,BIGGA,LA’s,SiS,AiS,HIE, R&A, SportScotland 4
Glossary: SGU – Scottish Golf Union; SLGA – Scottish Ladies’ Golfing Association; PGA –Professional Golfers’ Association; GCMA –Golf Club Managers’ Association; CMAE –Club Managers’ Association of Europe; BIGGA –British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association; FGA – Fife Golf Association; SGDA – St Andrews Golf Development Group June 2010
Page 14
Table 1 – Golf Organisations and their roles Organisation 4 Role 5 St Andrews Links Trust St Andrews Links Trust is a charitable organisation established in 1974 by an Act of Parliament and entrusted with the operation and maintenance of the golf courses and facilities on the Links. All surpluses generated by the Links have to be directed back into maintaining and developing the courses and facilities. The Trustees are responsible for setting policy, for new developments and for ensuring that the Links is run in accordance with the Act of Parliament. The Links Management Committee is responsible to the Trustees for the operation of the golf facilities. Both bodies are comprised of volunteers nominated by Fife Council and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club. The local Member of Parliament is also automatically a Trustee, and one Trustee is nominated by the Scottish Government ‐ an indication of the importance of the Links to Scotland. 6 St Andrews Golf Development Group This group falls within the auspices of the St Andrews Partnership, formerly the World Class initiative in St Andrews. Focussing on golf development and golf promotion, the group facilitates the review and recommendation about how to keep St Andrews’ premier positioning as a golf destination, working with stakeholders in public and private sectors. It also provides a central web site for the consumer, with links to each of the 11 courses in St Andrews. The members comprise of: St Andrews Links Trust, Dukes Course, Kingsbarns, and Fairmont. They have a golf desk managed on their behalf by Links Golf St Andrews. 7 First in Fife A marketing collaboration of 13 Fife Golf Courses providing a Golf Pass for visitors. It is a commercially led initiative that has been praised for its success. Also bringing some accommodation establishments together it offers visitors easy, and discounted, access to tee times and stay and play packages. 8 Scottish Incoming Tour operators Association (SIGTOA) The Association was formed in 1994 by a group of Scotland’s leading golf tour operators to develop the golf tourism business to Scotland. All the members are required to have a Scottish office and be predominately involved in the golf tourism business. 9 Event‐Scotland Set up in 2002 as the national events agency, EventScotland is involved in promoting a number of major golf events taking place in Scotland. These include the Open Championships, held this year at Turnberry, and the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles. The organisation also promotes some of the smaller events i.e. 2009 Scottish Challenge at the Macdonald Spey Valley Highland Resort and the Cleveland Golf / Srixon Scottish Seniors Open at the Fairmont St Andrews. 10 Fife Council Through a range of departments the Council has responsibility (related to golf development) for community planning, economic development, tourism strategy (alongside the newly created Fife Tourism Partnership) and the management and operation of 7 Council run courses. The Council has recently decided to establish a Trust, into whose ownership and management these 7 courses will be entrusted. The members today represent the major golf tour operators based in Scotland (10 in total) and in addition to arranging tours to all the major courses in Scotland; they frequently feature golf tours to other famous golf destinations around Britain, Ireland and the rest of the world. 3 SIGTOA members are based in Fife. The Council also: 11 Scottish Enterprise June 2010
•
Helps promote access to golf and golf development with young and disadvantaged people; and •
Negotiates an annual service level agreement with VisitScotland for the marketing and promotion of Fife for tourism, including the golf product. Scottish Enterprise has a key role in supporting the delivery of the National Golf Framework in ways that align with its wider remit around Enterprise, Innovation and Investment, and to support wider industry engagement. This includes gathering and disseminating market intelligence and support for the industry, leadership groups such as GTS, SGU & CMAE to help them to support clubs and other golf tourism businesses to become more innovative and more visitor focused. One such business support programme is the “On The Tee” Initiative. Page 15
Table 1 – Golf Organisations and their roles Organisation 4 Role 12 Scottish Golf Union The SGU is the governing body for amateur golf in Scotland and has responsibility for four main areas: growing the game, developing talent, supporting the clubs and building partnerships. Although the SGU is not so involved in promoting golf tourism, they do promote access to Scotland’s golf courses through a marketing portal, Golf Central, and the Scottish Golf Card which encourages registered golfers to visit and play other courses. 13 Scottish Ladies Golf Association Works closely with the SGU to promote the interests of amateur ladies’ golf in Scotland. 14 Royal and Ancient Golf Club The R&A is golf's governing body and organiser of The Open Championship. R&A is committed to encouraging the playing of golf globally. Using funds generated by The Open Championship, its Golf Development Committee and Training Panel currently spend up to £4 million annually and are particularly receptive towards requests to support public facilities, junior golf and coaching initiatives. The R & A is also placing an increasing focus on the environmental aspect of golf course management and to helping the game to grow in both a commercially and environmentally sustainable way. 15 Professional Golfers Association The members organisation for professional golfers. They train and serve golf professionals whose principal aim is to offer a highly professional service to amateur golfers at a club, driving range or other golf establishments. 16 Club Managers’ Association of Europe The professional body for club managers in Europe. They provide wide ranging membership benefits, networking and marketing opportunities as well as guidance on best practice. The CMAE provides a forum for the encouragement, development and recognition of education and professionalism in Club Management. 17 Golf Club Managers’ Association Formerly the Association of Golf Club Secretaries, with a membership of approximately 2,500 Golf Secretaries (managers) and their Clubs through a network incorporating a National Head Office in Weston‐super‐Mare and 17 Regional secretaries spread throughout the UK. The provide an information service and comprehensive library (also online); training courses; a regional networking structure and meetings; subscription to the journal 'Golf Club Management'; members' benevolent fund; national conference and liaison with other golfing organisations. 18 British & International Golf Greenkeepers Association BIGGA provides support to golf greenkeepers. It is dedicated to enhancing the professional reputation and well being of golf greenkeepers. The Association provides subsidised learning and development opportunities to its members and promotes itself to the wider golfing and sporting community through its magazine, Greenkeeper International, its website, and Harrogate Week, a five day feast of workshops and seminars combined with the largest indoor trade exhibition of its type in Europe. 19 Elmwood College: Located in Cupar, the College has developed into a national and international centre of golf‐related specialisms. It is Fife’s own home grown centre of excellence in golf. Offering educational and vocational courses up to and including degree level (approved in 2010), the college specialises in golf coaching – motivating and encouraging young professional golfers who will be part of the next generation of coaches ‐ as well as land‐based and golf‐related specialisms of greenkeeping and golf course management. Since 2004, Elmwood College has extended its golf expertise through international partnerships in China. The College has also developed and operates Elmwood golf course in Cupar, providing public access as well as a base from which students can play and gain practical course management and maintenance skills .The College provides a range of other vocational training courses. 20 Fife Golf Association Established in 1908 the Association brings together 39 courses and clubs in Fife with the aim of encouraging competitions and championships, including juniors. June 2010
Page 16
1 2 Fife Tourism Partnership Golf Tourism Scotland 3 VisitScotland 4 5 Links With History St Andrews Links Trust 6 SGDG 7 First in Fife 8 9 10 SIGTOA Event‐Scotland Fife Council 11 12 13 14 15 Scottish Enterprise SGU SLGA R & A: PGA 16 17 18 19 CMAE GCMA BIGGA Elmwood College: 20 FGA June 2010
Participation Facilities Quality Assurance Monitoring and Evaluation Event Promotion Event Delivery Visiting Golfers Market Research Marketing ‐ Membership Marketing ‐ Visitors Destination Marketing Education Industry Engagement Networking Professional Development Skills Development Business Development Organisation Advocacy Activities Policy & Strategy Table 2 Page 17
3.1
Roles and Activities of Golf Organistions: Conclusions
Golf development in Fife is a crowded marketplace, with many agencies and organisations. There are many initiatives already in existence to support and develop golf in Fife. However, greater coordination, closer working and focusing on all aspects of golf development are needed for Fife to realize its ambition and vision of a Fife‐wide golf product and of making Fife “the location of choice for golf” 5. Each of the organisations detailed in table 2 above have specific roles and responsibilities for driving golf forward. All have varying levels of input and activity to support golf in Fife. There are a number of areas where improvements to co‐ordination and collaboration of activities would benefit the development of Golf in fife. Below we summarize the identified gaps in activity of the various organizations: i.
Business Development: while the business development needs of golf courses have been highlighted as a priority and are needed to be able to deliver to the needs of golf visitors 6, many courses and membership clubs are not receptive to change. Several agencies and professional golf organisations have some responsibility for delivery of business development and professional standards, but there is an undoubted gap in the capability of very many course and clubs in the region. ii.
Skills Development: again several organisations have responsibility for skills and professional development. We would suggest that the biggest skills gap – in relation to golf tourism – lies in course and club management that understands the needs of the golf visitor market, marketing and sales to this target market and customer care. iii.
Professional Development: addressed through industry trade associations e.g. CMAE, PGA, BIGGA. Signposting to opportunities may be needed to realise opportunities for individuals in the industry. Elmwood College could play a stronger Fife‐wide role here. iv.
Networking: Several organisation offer networking opportunities, but there is no specific cross sector bringing together of golf courses, tourism operators etc. There is a need for a strong network and communication across the cluster to improve the overall understanding of importance of golf tourism and how to maximise the benefits and learn from one another. v.
Industry Engagement: Several organisations provide opportunities but there is no Fife‐wide mechanism in place. vi.
Education: Well covered with Elmwood, but awareness of courses and businesses of the range of programmes available needs to be improved. 5
Fife’s 2007 – 2015 Tourism Strategy
6
As well as underpinning quality standards
June 2010
Page 18
vii.
Destination Marketing: No single organisation undertakes dedicated destination marketing for Fife. There is no clear branding, messaging or promotion of Fife as a Golf destination, with concerns expressed to us of the inadequacy of current VisitScotland activity. viii.
Marketing – Visitors: A number of organisations are marketing to golf visitors with evidence of some collaborative marketing e.g. SCDG, First in Fife, Links with History. But overall no cohesive co‐ordinated or clear offering for visitors about golf across Fife i.e. that Fife has product to meet needs from Beginners to Professionals! ix.
Marketing – Membership: Only SGU support clubs with membership activity and development, providing support to clubs to actively market membership. However this is only with PDF and web information. This is an area where clubs needs support and advice on how best to market to attract new members and is tied into the skills and capability of course and club management. x.
Visiting Golfers Market Research: Previously undertaken by VisitScotland and Fife’s Area Tourist Board, there is limited and dated information on volume value and characteristics of golf visitors to Fife. Need more information of golf in Fife and this is an area that needs additional activity. (See the next section on inadequacies of current research.) xi.
Monitoring and Evaluation: (See our critique in section 3 below on the inadequacies of the research base for golf tourism.) The biggest gap is in the ability and actions of individual courses and clubs to understand – by monitoring and research‐ who their customers are, where they come from, what they want and how to give them the best experience. xii.
Quality Assurance: the professional organisations have an impressive track record in promoting quality standards, but the biggest gap lies in the quality standards (and systems to deliver these) within individual courses and clubs to attract and accommodate golf visitors. 3.2
Recommendations
Our recommendation would be to have a unified framework that maximizes the opportunities for Golf across Fife and feeds into the wider vision for the development of Golf in Scotland. There needs to be clearly defined roles and responsibilities and representation of the golf industry & product within Fife to develop, co‐ordinate, and implement a range of services, which will add value to the golf industry across Fife. This will require leadership to drive and motivate all parties to ensure that this wider vision is delivered. A Fife Golf Alliance with a clear and defined role should be able to leverage the resources and support the most appropriate organizations and businesses to deliver and develop Golf in Fife. Fundamentally it should enable the development of a coordinated Fife golf product that promotes Fife as the Leading Golf Destination in Scotland. June 2010
Page 19
Below we have categorised the industry into key Drivers and Influencers on the quality and success of the golf product for Fife. • “Driver” organisations are those that fundamentally have responsibility for the development and delivery of Golf Tourism, from product development to marketing (in the widest sense). • “Influencers” are those who do not have direct responsibility but can commit to help make sure Golf Tourism is successful for Fife. Crucially, private sector tourism operators working (or with the potential to work) in this market are important, as are the intermediaries and agencies who can bring (more) golf related business to Fife. Fife Golf Alliance Drivers Influencers Golf Clubs & Courses Event‐Scotland Golf Tourism Scotland Scottish Enterprise VisitScotland SGU Links With History SLGA SGDG PGA First in Fife CMAE Fife Council GCMA Fife Tourism Operators BIGGA Intermediaries/ Tour Operators Elmwood College R & A FGA June 2010
Page 20
4
Summary Research Analysis This section briefly catalogues the available information about golf and the golf visitor market to support a robust review and critical analysis of the Fife golf proposition. Our conclusions about the business case for the Fife Golf Alliance come from: •
Available research reports ‐ those reviewed and referenced in this report are catalogued in Appendix 1. •
Our own consultation programme and analysis. In the course of this commission for Fife Council, Tourism Intelligence Scotland produced on 26th April 2010 a summary of golf research and market information in Scotland 7, providing a useful and accessible summary of most of the tourism, economic development and marketing reports available about the topic relevant to Scotland. Understanding the opportunities for Fife, and for the proposed Fife Golf Alliance, comes from an analysis of: 1. The Fife golf product (our audit and consultation programme); 2. The visitor market (existing and potential) and its characteristics (available reports); 3. The “fit” of the visitor market to the Fife golf product (BTS analysis, cross referencing other research); 4. The identification of the best way of organising, managing and funding the delivery of agreed Fife‐wide golf tourism objectives (consultative programme and BTS analysis). There’s plenty of information about the Fife golf product – much of it published (in terms e.g. of facilities on each course) and about the golf visitor market to Scotland. So national data exists, but there are two significant weaknesses in the availability of accurate research information for Fife itself, upon which future policy, tactical marketing of Fife for golf and viability of individual courses and clubs can be developed. We draw the client’s attention to these gaps: 1. The relative absence of information about visiting golfers to Fife. While there is a good historic survey of visitors to St Andrews 8, and VisitScotland has captured the characteristics of German, Swedish and American golfers to the country, there is no published dynamic or year on year and month on month information about flows of golfers, their characteristics, preferences, spend and or playing patterns in Fife. While the Scottish Golf Monitor looks at visitor rounds and green fee revenue, with supplementary information on visitor origin, this is supplied by a sample of golf 7
Golf Tourism In Scotland – Opportunities for Growth (http://www.tourism‐intelligence.co.uk/Intelligence‐and‐Insights/Guides.aspx ) Survey of Visiting Golfers at St Andrews, 2004/05, January 2006, MW Associates for St Andrews Golf Development Group 8
June 2010
Page 21
courses throughout Scotland, with information for participating Fife golf courses aggregated into a “Heartlands” region, including participating courses in Angus and Perthshire. 2. There is also either an absence of data on individual courses’ performance, or where courses gather information, as at St Andrews Links Trust for instance, there is a reluctance to allow public access to the data. Crucially, courses and clubs that gather information about visitors and monitor revenue are assumed to have a higher management capacity to business plan and determine their best marketing focus. Sadly, we can evidence from a range of sources 9 that most clubs, especially membership clubs, are not even conducting the basics of monitoring visitors, knowing where their customers come form or business planning. As two consultees indicated to us, many courses don’t even have annual accounts. The challenge for Fife then is understanding: 1. How effective marketing and promotion has been to attract visitors (because there is limited visitor research information available or undertaken to be able to monitor marketing efforts); 2. Whether the Fife golf product – in all its guises and complexities – fits or meets market need (because there is limited visitor information about golf visitors to Fife and very many ‐ we would argue, most – courses and clubs can’t report on who is visiting them); 3. What the golf development opportunities are and where the gaps in the market might be, and thus what the investment priorities should be; 4. Identifying ways in which golf courses and clubs that do not have management capability can be helped to management themselves more effectively; 5. Ensuring that, by understanding who visiting golfers are, and what their needs are, that the highest level of customer care and quality standards are delivered. 4.1
Recommendations
The Fife Golf Alliance, Fife Tourism Partnership and Fife Council must focus on the research and information needs identified here to better inform marketing, product development, business development and quality standards of the courses and clubs. 9
For instance, SGU Scottish Golf Club Survey 2007/8; Scottish Enterprise On the Tee business development and marketing programme, delivered by BTS, 2010; BTS survey of golf courses in Fife, Appendix 5 of this report; The Future of Scottish Golf: A Vision and Framework for Success, March 2009 June 2010
Page 22
5
Fife Golf Tourism Product Review & Gap Analysis In this section we review the golf tourism product in Fife, including not only the golf courses but also accommodation, customer service and other associated facilities available to golfers coming to Fife and an essential part of their experience, and the Fife golf product. Rather than a sector, golf tourism is better defined as a cluster group of related industries and organisations which are brought together with a common interest in the same customers and, at their best, by a common desire to share new ideas and business practices, to enhance competitiveness and innovation. Many businesses and organisations are involved in supporting golf tourism ‐ from the golf courses themselves to tour operators, events, hotels, retailers and many others. The relationship between these businesses is generally not one of purchaser and supplier as would be found in a traditional supply chain. Instead, each type of business contributes to the overall delivery of the tourism golf product and each element to some extent relies on the others. A definition, on this basis, would include all organisations and businesses that provide or support services or products to golf tourists. This cannot simply be defined by types of business, but rather, by their customers. The degree to which any business is involved in golf tourism will vary depending on their location and on their willingness to engage with the market. For example, virtually all the hotels and B&Bs in St Andrews will rely heavily on golf tourism and would be a very important part of the golf cluster, whereas many accommodation providers in Glenrothes or Dunfermline will have less contact with golfers. The figure below would typically constitute the golf cluster golf cluster for Scottish regions as defined by SQW in their 2002 study. It captures the main business types that the Fife Golf Alliance should be seeking to engage. June 2010
Page 23
Golf courses and facilities are at the heart of the cluster as they are the main reason for golf trips, but the core also includes accommodation providers, specialist tour operators and events. The other groups are shown as partly core and partly supporting. Retailers, bars and restaurants, manufacturers and transport operators, in some areas play a major part in the cluster and less so in others. Golf Courses
5.1
There are approximately 550 golf courses spread across Scotland. Figure 1 shows the number of golf courses in each of Scotland’s golf regions and also highlights the proportion of Fife courses that are Parkland and Links courses in comparison to the rest of Scotland. Fife’s golf product represent under 9% of the total Scottish Golf Product. Figure 1: Source SQW 2009 Scottish Golf Market Analysis We have characterised Fife’s courses into seven categories, based on: •
Their playing quality and character; and •
The likely market appeal to golfers of different types and geographical origination. June 2010
Page 24
Course Category World Icon – Old Course No of Courses 1 Trophy Courses 2 Championship 6 Links Courses 7 Championship Parkland Courses 2 Parkland – Other courses 20 9 hole courses 10 Fife Golf Courses by Category World Trophy Championship Icon Courses Links Old Kingsbarns Lundin Golf Club Course Castle* Scotscraig* The Kittocks The Torrance Jubilee Course* New Course* 10 Links Courses Strathtyrum* Balgove* Eden Course* Elie The Golf House Club Crail – Craighead* Crail – Balcomie* Leven Links Championship Parkland Courses Duke`s Course*, Ladybank Golf Club Parkland Aberdour Golf Club* Balbirnie Park Golf Club Burntisland Golf Club* Canmore Golf Club Charleton Golf Club* Dora Golf Course Drumoig Hotel & Golf Course Dunfermline Golf Club Dunnikier Park Golf Club Elmwood Golf Course* Forrester Country Park* Glenrothes Golf Course Kinghorn Golf Course Kirkcaldy Golf Club Lochgelly Golf Club Pitreavie (Dunfermline) Golf Club Saline Golf Club Scoonie Golf Course St Michaels Golf Club Thornton Golf Club 9 Hole Courses Anstruther Golf Club Auchterderran Golf Course Cupar Golf Club Cluny Golf Club Lochore Meadows Golf Course Lundin Ladies Golf Club Elie Sports Club Falkland Golf Club Leslie Golf Club Kingarroch (Golf Course Hill of Tarvit Hickory Course)* *denotes on‐line tee booking facility Appendix 4 provides more detail and summarises the courses in each of the categories. Analysis From a visitor perspective there are a number of challenges that need to be addressed to improve the product but also to support the clubs in current difficult economic conditions. The courses differ not only in physical terms but also in the way that they are managed, the degree of dependency on visiting golfers and the markets which they meet. i.
10
A large proportion of the courses are private clubs and managed by committees. Kingarroch Hickory Club at Hill of Tarvit included
June 2010
Page 25
ii.
In many cases, these clubs are only concerned with their members and in the past have not needed to promote to visitors. This attitude may now be changing with the impact of the recession and falling club membership, although a few clubs in Fife have a waiting list for membership and a growing junior section. iii.
As the majority of golf courses in Fife are membership clubs, there is a balance to be found in catering for both types of golfers (members and visitors) within a club/course. The main frustration for golf club members is playing alongside a group of visiting golfers who may be less understanding of a golf course’s etiquette and also may be moving more slowly around the course. Courses increasingly realize that they must welcome more visiting golfers for their economic survival and so it is their responsibility to manage the expectations of both groups. iv.
There is limited networking and sharing of information across the golf industry. There is a need to support industry engagement and partnership working – opportunities for businesses and clubs to learn from one another and market collaboratively. v.
The need for business development within courses and clubs, as well as other golf related businesses – helping them become more customer focused, improve their service and standards and helping them grow. Many of the clubs are private members clubs with limited resources (financial and human) and do not plan in retain to their business, facilities and visitors. Failing to plan is planning to fail and guidance on effective planning and other management issues such as staffing, skills training and development, business and marketing planning is required within these clubs. vi.
Knowing the visitor: The majority of clubs do not have robust databases or procedure for noting enquiries and researching who their visitors are. They are not able to identify the number of visitors or where the visitors come from, an impediment to targeting their marketing for maximum effect. vii.
Our survey of golf clubs in the course of this commission affirms that while many more courses now want to attract visitors, there is still a minority who only want visitors on their own terms, e.g. at mid week, not at week‐ends, at full rate etc. viii.
ix.
Only a small percentage of the courses have on‐line tee booking. Many of the courses’ web sites are designed to meet the needs of members and do not present a visitor friendly feel or message. x.
Courses are very adapt a letting the visitors know what they “can’t do” instead of what they can. June 2010
Page 26
xi.
Of the 47 courses in Fife, only 7 clubs have registered with the VisitScotland Visiting Golfers Welcome scheme. xii.
The underpinning quality of golfers’ experience is dictated in part by the customer service standards of courses, clubs and ancillary tourist facilities and in part by course quality and maintenance. There is a need to motivate courses, stakeholders and partners to keep quality standards high and ensure the quality of the experience on offer in Fife exceeds their expectations. xiii.
The Scottish Golf Club Survey 2007/8, identified that only 28% of the clubs surveyed had a committee or board member responsible for marketing and only 32% had a marketing budget! These percentages are indicative of the picture in Fife and reflect the clubs’ need to work collaboratively bearing in mind the crucial role of marketing and sales in attracting new members and visitors. xiv.
Many of the clubs engage with Tour Operators but do not have commission structures in place. They have as yet not realised the potential of Tour Operators to increasing visitors. 5.2
Golf Centres and Driving Ranges
There are a number of excellent practice centres, golf academies and driving ranges in Fife: •
St Andrews Links Golf Academy and Practise Centre •
Elmwood Golf Academy •
Forrester Park Driving Range •
Drumoig Driving Range and Practice Centre •
Cluny Golf •
Wellsgreeen Golf Range. Fife is well placed in terms of excellent practise facilities and Golf Academies: the visiting golfer needs to be made more aware of these facilities and that Fife/ St Andrews is not just a destination for competent golfers but is also where you can come to and learn how to play or improve your game. 5.3
Other golf tourism businesses
There is a range of other businesses that rely on golf tourists – these include hotels, B&Bs, restaurants and other service‐sector businesses. In terms of dedicated golfing accommodation, the numbers are very difficult to quantify as all accommodation establishments cater for all types of visitor. These are the breakdown figures for Fife accommodation, yet only 22 of these participate in VisitScotland’s Visiting Golfers Welcome quality assurance scheme (18 serviced accommodation and 4 self catering).
June 2010
Page 27
Fife Tourist Accommodation Stock Category Count Hotels 46 B&Bs and Guest Houses 138 Inns and Restaurants with Rooms 16 Hostels, Lodges and Campus 1 Self Catering, Caravans and Camping 189 Grand Total 390 Fife generally has a good range of accommodation available to visiting golfers. It has been claimed that the amount of high quality accommodation for high end international visitors is limited, especially at peak times and at the time of Open and other championships. Our consultations have highlighted that customer service is a major area of concern and service quality throughout the tourism sector can be variable. Golf tourism businesses need to be more welcoming in terms of facilities for golf visitors (e.g. drying areas) and adopting a more flexible approach (e.g. opening times for hotel bar and restaurant). These aspects of service are fundamental and are the main point of difference in ensuring that a visitor has a memorable experience ‐ and are equally important in generating positive word‐of‐mouth reputation for Scotland and Fife. 5.4
Tour Operators
Tour Operators provide services to visitors to Scotland & Fife, packaging and promoting various elements of the Scottish Tourism product for marketing overseas, and provide value‐add services that require expert knowledge, marketing know‐how and excellent project management. There are a number of dedicated Golf Tour Operators based in and around Fife providing a valuable service to visitors, generating a high level of business. They are able to: •
Negotiate rates with many of the top courses and hotels. •
Have thousands of clients each year playing the courses and staying in the hotels, so they have a thorough knowledge of the industry. •
Are customer focused, spending time getting to know clients’ requirements and making well informed recommendations to ensure the golf trip is as good as it possibly can be. Recommendations Tour operators create packages and promotional opportunities for Golf Courses and Golf related businesses and linkages and positive working partnerships with tour operators should be encouraged. June 2010
Page 28
5.5
Booking Systems & Tee Times
Technology is an essential element of maximizing the opportunities from the golf visitor market. One of the product weaknesses identified in our consultations was the restricted availability of tee times, especially at weekends and the availability of on‐line booking. This is not unique to Fife as highlighted in the Scottish Golf Club Survey 2007/08: “22% of clubs do not have a booking system for tee times, 17% use a paper based system for visitors only and 38% a paper based system for members and visitors”. According to the SGU, currently only 40 courses in Scotland market themselves as having online tee times. Clearly there is a need for a more extensive roll‐out of online tee time systems. As the majority of courses in Fife are run by members’ clubs, it is sometimes difficult for visitors to book a tee‐time especially at the weekend. The lack of online booking systems and availability makes it difficult for visitors to quickly find out when he or she will be able to play. Fife is ahead of the rest of Scotland in this area with On‐Line booking available in approximately 20 of the Clubs as well as St Andrews Links Trust. Later in 2010 First in Fife Golf Pass will be moving to full on‐line booking. More and better use of technology by courses, coupled with a more commercial outlook in courses, will support marketing, sales, yield and reputation of courses, and thus, ultimately, the Fife golf experience. 5.6
Golf in Fife – is it up to Par?
Strengths St Andrews Home Of Golf Headquarters of R&A Open Championship held every 5 years High quality championship links courses Good visual scenery Good range of accommodation, heritage, cuisine and accommodation Range of to satisfy the highest spending tourists. Proximity to Edinburgh & Glasgow Airports with increased air access and growth of low cost airlines from new destinations First in Fife Golf Pass Links with History St Andrews Golf Development Group June 2010
Opportunities Growing number of golf travellers in USA, Scandinavia and Germany and in women's golf worldwide Targeting the independents golf market from UK and continental Europe Meetings & Incentive golf market Scottish, UK and European geographic market segments Value for money from second tier courses willing to promote their product and work with accommodation providers Promote open competitions in member clubs ‐ good value for money and access to peak tee times Low cost airlines provide the opportunity to develop the ‘value’ golf product and improve the regional spread of golfers across Fife A willingness to develop golf tourism Page 29
Weaknesses Low awareness of “Fife” brand Fragmentation and need for leadership and sharing of information Capture of information on visiting golfers and understanding of their needs Threats Wales, through its hosting of the Ryder Cup and the “Golf as it should be” campaign competing more strongly with Ireland and Scotland for the Links market Fáilte/ Tourism Ireland new golf strategy Weakness of US Dollar/strength currently of Pound Formality of courses High green fees of Tier 1 & 2 courses Limited on‐line booking systems Investment in golf resorts in “fair weather” destinations, e.g. Dubai Use of e‐marketing and social media Customer focused approach 5.7
Continuing recession Conclusions – Gaps in The Fife Golf Product
Unlocking the Barriers to Growth
Maximizing the golf tourism opportunities for Fife requires several barriers to be overcome. While St Andrews retains a premier position and appeal for international golfers, even St Andrews has its service problems which detract from the quality of the experience and the ability of Fife to generate the maximum added value from the “St Andrews asset”. However, to generate maximum added value too from the rest of the golf product across the region, focused action must be taken to surmount a wide range of barriers and constraints, which we catalogue below: i.
There is limited networking and sharing of information across the golf industry. There is a need to support industry engagement and partnership working – opportunities for businesses and clubs to learn from one another; market collaboratively; share information. ii.
Business development within courses and clubs, as well as other golf related businesses – helping them become more customer focused, improve their service and standards and helping them grow. Many of the clubs are private members clubs with limited resources (financial and human) and do not plan their business, marketing or facilities for visitors. Failing Guidance on effective planning and other management issues such as staffing, skills training, business and marketing planning is required. iii.
Knowing the visitor: The majority of clubs do not have robust databases with a procedure for noting all enquiries and identifying the location of each enquiry or visitor. Therefore they are not able to identify the number of visitors or where the visitors come from, an impediment to targeting their marketing for maximum effect. iv.
There is a need for more collaborative marketing. v.
More staff training is needed to deal with visitor enquiries in order to convert into sales. June 2010
Page 30
vi.
Ensuring first Impressions are right: We make no apologies for stating the fact that today’s golfers – especially visiting golfers – are a demanding lot. They expect high standards, not just in terms of greens and fairways, but in the overall environment and appearance of the club. This is not just about the greens and bunkers, but applies to all the other elements that make up the visitor experience, from Web Site, print, car parks, caddies, facilities etc. vii.
Opening up tee times in advance and promoting Open Competitions at courses. Improving on‐
line tee booking systems for both members and visitors to give better accessibility to all. viii.
There is a sense of fragmentation and the industry has voiced the need for leadership to pull the Fife Golf product together. ix.
Support for courses to address the challenges of retaining and recruiting members. x.
A need for re‐evaluation of how Old Course Tee Times are allocated i.e. to Tour Operators. xi.
More analysis of course capacity to maximise availability of tee times and improve yield for courses. xii.
The consensus on the types of activities that should be taken forward by a Fife Golf Alliance are: o
Better capture of information on visiting golfers by courses o
More joined up working between different types of service providers e.g. hotels o
Greater and better use of ICT o
Increasing innovation (relating to new products/ use of IT/ marketing/ customer service) o
xiii.
Improving customer service. At a course or club level: o
Management development at courses and clubs to help them manage their members, finances and revenues more successfully (and thus potentially help them support themselves through recession and changing membership dynamics. o
Business development to help individual courses and clubs to generate more revenue and ensure effective customer care. o
June 2010
Individual marketing support to help courses generate sales and memberships. Page 31
6
Market Analysis To determine the marketing and promotional needs of golf in Fife, we need to understand who the golf visitor is and their behaviour and then the fit with the golf product Fife‐wide. We’ve highlighted the challenges facing gathering golf visitor information in section 3 above and here we record what information is available about the golf market from a Fife and Scottish perspective using desk research, analysis of existing research and surveys and our consultation with industry and other relevant contacts. The following provides an overview of golf tourism trends in Scotland’s key markets, giving a context within which Scottish golf is being promoted and Fife’s opportunities are found. Golf is one of the highest yield participation sports in the tourism industry, with 56 million golfers worldwide. Golf tourism tends to be relatively resistant to recession and is less price sensitive than other tourism sectors. The informed view is that despite the global recession golf continues to grow, but in Europe at a slower rate than previously. 6.1
Golfing Visitors to Scotland 11 & Fife
There are a variety of intelligence, research and insight reports and this part of our report assembles relevant information to provide the foundation for the future marketing of Fife for golf. These reports provide an overview of golf tourism from Scotland’s key markets, giving a context for the role and function of the planned Fife Golf Alliance. The sources are detailed in Appendix 1. Many of these reports are several years old, but are the only relevant sources giving an overview of the Golf Tourism market in Scotland. They do not provide a breakdown for Fife, but our review of the available research of golf in Fife suggest that the origins and characteristics of golf in Fife will be similar to Scotland. The caveat being that St Andrews attracts a higher proportion of visitors from the USA than Scotland as a whole. The most relevant Fife specific research available is: •
St Andrews Golf Development Group Survey of Visiting Golfers, 2006 •
West/ Central Fife Golf Market Research 2005 •
Golf Tourism Monitor 2009 A key recommendation would be better information and the encouragement of more courses in Fife to participate in the Golf Tourism Monitor thus providing a more robust overview of the volume and value of golf in Fife and the needs of visiting golfers to Fife. 11
Source Tourism Intelligence
June 2010
Page 32
6.2
Origin of golfers that come to Scotland & Fife
The VisitScotland survey carried out by SMS in 2006 and 2007 was used by SQW to assess the number of rounds played by visitors from each country. Based on the interviews the core markets for Golf in Scotland were identified as UK and Ireland (70%) and 3 overseas markets (30%). Of the overseas markets 50% are from US and the remaining 50% are split between Scandinavia and Germany. The table below summaries the number of visitors by country(2006/7) 12: Visiting Golfers St Andrews 2004/2005 13
Drilling down to Fife specific data, the survey of visiting golfers undertaken by MW Associates in
2004/5 on behalf of the St Andrews Golf Development Group is most relevant. This has been the
most comprehensive survey carried out of golfing visitors to St Andrews. It covered a year when
The Open Championship was last held in St Andrews (July 2005). Visitor rounds for the 12 month
period from Sep 04 – Aug 05 were 128,000 14 inclusive, with almost 85% of these rounds (about
109,000) played between April and October inclusive. The monthly average rounds played
between April and October is substantially higher than the average for other links courses
participating in the Golf Tourism Monitor survey.
The seasonal breakdown of the 128,000 visitor rounds was as follows:
12
Source: SQW estimates from GTS data 2008
13
MW Associates
excluding rounds played by members of St Andrews golf clubs and residents of Fife
14
June 2010
Page 33
Golf Tourism Monitor 2009
The Golf Tourism Monitor for 2009 (the last year it was published) shows unsurprisingly that the
peak months for visitor rounds are May through to August. The data is based on 108 courses
across Scotland. Summary conclusions from GTM are detailed below:
Conclusions from the 2009 Golf Tourism Monitor report are:
“With the continuing growth in the number of new courses targeting ‘top end’
international (and to a lesser extent UK) markets, existing courses already operating at
this end of the market may need to increase their own marketing efforts to maintain
their visitor numbers in what is likely to remain a very competitive international
marketplace.”
and
“Golfpasses are a distinctively Scottish product. (The new 2010 Official Guide to Golf in
Scotland lists 16 such passes, whereas England has very few – although Scottish examples
are beginning to be copied). Golfpasses’ performance in 2009 was generally
disappointing.”
6.3
Golfers coming to Scotland & Fife: Golfer Characteristics
Visitors, who play golf in Scotland, have a range of different expectations from their trip
depending on how central golf is to their overall holiday experience. The characteristics of golf
visitors are important from a marketing perspective and will condition the overall Fife golf
proposition and tactical marketing efforts. Research commissioned by VisitScotland has broken
golfing holidaymakers into the following 8 categories, the first 4 being the main categories:
June 2010
Page 34
Golfer Characteristics Category Motivation Golf buddies Unrestrained socialising Leaving responsibilities behind A holiday feeling – ‘beer and banter’ Requirements Great atmosphere and good golf 3 star hotel/ rented house Location close to/in town Weather a key consideration Signature courses Challenging, links Top quality clubhouse 4/5 star hotel/golf resort Good weather important 9/18 hole courses Good value Scenic, enjoyable courses Lots of other attractions Luxury golfers VIP golf Unique experience Status/image Golfing tourists Relaxing break Golf as part of a rounded holiday experience Golf purists New and challenging golf experiences Improving game Experiencing top courses Quality, challenging courses Qualifying and Open courses, links courses etc Clusters of courses key factor for accommodation is proximity to courses Golfing Escapees 1 or 2 good courses Not interested in signature courses (too expensive) Bit of a challenge Cost conscious Booking independently/deals through operators Varying destinations ‐ easy access is key Look for deals: inclusive packages Accommodation ‐ 2 or 3 star hotel or B&B close to/on course / a reasonable place to sleep Activity Golfers Increasingly regular since retirement destination golf more cost conscious avoid peak times seek golf package deals degree of ritual/familiarity in choices book independently 2/3 holidays/breaks per year Unplanned / opportunistic Planning focused on holiday destination Golfing facilities not really evaluated at planning stage Location/Accommodation scenic, quaint, quiet, relaxed of independent interest accommodation flexible to meet personal needs 2/3 star hotel/B&B / self catering/caravan Easy access / testing own / skills / scenic courses traditional game (no buggies etc) 9/18 hole not crowded Accessible golf near hotel Club hire Someone to play with (same level) Good value / not championship Activities in vicinity of course / entertainment/ facilities for family members Motivation same as Golf Buddies but with a degree of intention golf not strong driver of destination choice but may be clincher town/accommodation selection impacted by proximity to golf course often take own clubs minimal a course nearby club hire good value Serendipity Golfers Golfing Opportunists In addition to the VisitScotland golfer characteristics, we table below additional segments that we consider to be of importance to Fife:
Additional Market segments and Characteristics Category Characteristics Societies •
•
•
•
•
•
•
June 2010
Mostly male, but growing female market Price driven, value shoppers, internet searchers, price matching guarantee important Three star accommodation Like to stay in one place and play several courses Low cost airline traveller and drive market from hubs Parkland for value Three nights, four days Page 35
Additional Market segments and Characteristics Category Characteristics Corporate •
•
•
•
•
Scottish Central Belt, London and Home Counties Decision made by senior management (the PA can be influencer) Mostly male Price not an issue Direct access & convenience important Meetings & Incentives •
•
•
•
•
Small to medium size groups Primarily male Book up to 18 months in advance. Shorter booking window for smaller groups Guaranteed tee times in advance, facilities and management fundamental requirements Mostly 4 to 5 star 6.4
Visitor Markets
Analysis of the market information and intelligence available through VisitScotland and VisitBritain of consumer behaviour of those taking activity led/golfing short breaks, the following table summarises the Visitor Markets matched to the Fife Golf Product. Course Categories Priority Markets 1 World Icon Trophy Courses Championship links Links Courses June 2010
2 Ireland France England / Wales Sweden ROW Scotland Germany USA / Canada Ireland France England / Wales Sweden ROW Scotland Germany USA / Canada Ireland France England / Wales Sweden ROW Scotland Germany Ireland Indicative Routes to Market •
•
•
•
Luxury Golfers Golf Purists Golf Buddies Golfing Tourists •
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
St Andrews Links Trust Tour Operators Web Site & E‐Marketing Golf Tourism Scotland VisitScotland VisitBritain SGDG Accommodation Providers Industry Events & Exhibitions •
•
•
•
•
Golf buddies Golfing tourists Golf purists Activity Golfers Societies •
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
St Andrews Links Trust Kingsbarns Tour Operators Web Site & E‐Marketing Golf Tourism Scotland VisitScotland VisitBritain SGDG Accommodation Providers Industry Events & Exhibitions •
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Tour Operators Web Site & E‐Marketing Golf Tourism Scotland VisitScotland VisitBritain SGDG Accommodation Providers Industry Events & Exhibitions •
Golf buddies Golfing tourists Golf purists Golfing Escapees Activity Golfers Societies Meetings Incentives Corporate •
Golfing Escapees •
Tour Operators 3 USA/ Canada USA / Canada Golf Segments France Page 36
Course Categories Priority Markets 1 2 England / Wales Sweden Scotland Germany Golf Segments Indicative Routes to Market •
•
Activity Golfers Golfing Opportunists Societies Meetings Incentives Corporate •
•
•
•
•
•
•
Web Site & E‐Marketing Golf Tourism Scotland VisitScotland VisitBritain SGDG Links with History Industry Events & Exhibitions Golf buddies Golfing tourists Golf purists Golfing Escapees Activity Golfers Societies Meetings Incentives Corporate •
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Tour Operators Web Site & E‐Marketing Golf Tourism Scotland VisitScotland VisitBritain SGDG Links with History Industry Events & Exhibitions Golf buddies Golfing tourists Golfing Escapees Activity Golfers Serendipity Golfers Societies Corporate •
•
•
•
•
•
•
Tour Operators Web Site & E‐Marketing Golf Tourism Scotland VisitScotland VisitBritain First in Fife Golf Pass Industry Events & Exhibitions Activity Golfers Serendipity Golfers Golfing tourists •
•
•
Web Site & E‐Marketing Golf Tourism Scotland VisitScotland 3 ROW •
•
•
Championship Parkland Courses England / Wales USA / Canada Germany Scotland France Ireland Sweden •
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Parkland England / Wales Ireland Germany Scotland Sweden France •
•
•
•
•
•
•
9 Hole Courses Scotland England / Wales Ireland German •
•
France •
Conclusion and Recommendations
6.5
Fife is privileged in the golf tourism market because: •
It is internationally renowned and has significant collateral, through the presence of iconic course, the reputation of St Andrews and the hosting of Open Championships here; •
The range of quality courses that exist across the region and upon which the market can be promoted to, demonstrating choice and quality of experience to all‐comers. The priority segments (geographical and demographic) are well defined and marketing effort in Fife should tie in with Scotland‐wide golf marketing, and vice versa. The marketing strategy for golf in Fife needs to include the range of courses and the wide variety of skills that can be accommodated. Currently visitors don’t know enough of what else is available and this is exacerbated by the half hearted commitment of many courses to accommodate visitors. The marketing approach to golf in Fife should be: June 2010
Page 37
i.
St Andrews and the Championship Links defined for product differentiating 15 ii.
Segmentation of both the market and the Fife product to demonstrate the accessibility of a range of other (second and third tier) courses to accommodate all ranges of skills, from novices to experienced players; iii.
Motivating clubs to accommodate visitors and encouraging them to adopt the processes and systems that will make visiting golfers welcome; iv.
On line tee booking systems and web based promotion; v.
Marketing activity which emphasises off‐peak periods in order to extend the season and optimise year‐round capacity; vi.
Emphasis of value for money, both in season and off peak periods to appropriate market segments; vii.
Working with specialist golf tour operators are a key source of golf business; viii.
Cross‐marketing Fife’s other tourism product strengths with golf e.g. Food and Heritage by enhancing the product through packages and “bundles”. 15
First in a hierarchy of products and brands
June 2010
Page 38
7
Competitor Analysis and Best Practice 7.1
Competitors in World Golf In our survey of the tourism and golf trade we asked respondents who they thought were the main competitors. Not surprisingly responses were conditioned by respondents’ positioning in the marketplace (i.e. those with international customers had international perspectives). There is however consistent comment on where the competitor destinations are: Within Scotland: •
Carnoustie •
Gleneagles •
Loch Lomond •
East Lothian ‐ e.g. Gullane, Muirfield •
Ayrshire ‐ e.g. Turnberry, Prestwick, Troon Kilmarnock •
Highlands – e.g. Dornoch, Macrahanish, Nairn, Castle Stuart •
Perthshire and Tayside Europe •
Portugal •
Spain •
Ireland Rest of World •
USA e.g. Bandon Dunes, Myrtle Beach, Florida, California •
South Africa •
China •
Far East •
Dubai We only had one mention of Wales as a competitor destination and none of England. Dubai and the Far East were mentioned a couple of times as was Turkey, South Africa and Cyprus. Argentina, Thailand. Canada and Australia were mentioned only once each. KPMG has catalogued the top ten golf hotspots as follows: 1. Portugal 2. Spain 3. Turkey June 2010
Page 39
4. Dubai 5. USA 6. South Africa 7. Scotland 8. Ireland 9. Northern Africa 10. Thailand, Malaysia & Indonesia Perhaps the scale of the competition, and challenge to the UK, Scotland and Fife can be demonstrated by the following: Euromonitor International said: “Golf tourism and related property development in Southeast Asia have enjoyed government support, identified as an engine for revenue growth especially in countries with underdeveloped tourism infrastructure such as Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.” KPMG said in 2008: “While the number of courses in North Africa is set to double to more than 80 and the number of registered golfers in South America is increasing by a staggering 10% per year, our report on China revealed a unique and rapidly developing golf market. There are now some 300 courses in China, more than half of which have opened since the year 2000, with an estimated 300,000 people who are either members of clubs or who play golf regularly. “If even one in every thousand Chinese played golf by 2030, that would add up to 1.3 million golfers, requiring perhaps 1,700 new courses over the next two decades. “ Both the Scottish Golf Tourism Market Analysis prepared by SQW in 2009 for Scottish Enterprise and VisitScotland and KPMG’s Golf benchmark series highlight competitor and emerging destinations and affirms the perspectives of the tourism and golf operator in Fife on who the competition is. Within the context of marketing St Andrews and Fife, and the courses within the area, the marketing and promotional messaging and offer needs to take account of golfers reasons for selecting a golf destination. So, what are the characteristics of successful (international) competitors? The weather is considered to be the most important contributor to success, being the major influence on choosing a golf destination, followed by (in order of importance) quality of courses, price, accessibility and quality of accommodation 16. Also important, but each successively having less 16
Source: KPMG Golf Travel Insight 2008
June 2010
Page 40
influence on the decision to choose a golf destination are: the number of courses, “gastronomy”, relaxing surroundings, entertainment/nightlife, golf tradition and sightseeing. The implication is that: “While Scotland has the quality of courses, its tradition as “the home of golf” will not necessarily be a strong influence in some markets. Arguably Scotland is much weaker in terms of perceptions of climate, accessibility and price 17.” These views necessarily must be taken in to account in messaging and targeting markets for Fife. Best Practice and Organisational Models
7.2
Within Scotland and the UK there are a number of golf clusters and allegiances. These have been formed to address •
Either Tourism and promotional opportunities or needs; •
Or Golf development. Wales In Wales the emphasis and support from the Welsh Assembly and the former Wales Tourist Board is on promotion and marketing, with the leadership being public/private sector regional tourism partnerships, e.g.: •
North Wales (www.golf‐northwales.co.uk); •
Heart of Wales Golf Cluster (www.heartofwalesgolfbreaks.co.uk); Scotland There are a number of collaborations considered successful, with those in Fife being models in their own right: •
First in Fife Golf Pass is a golf booking mechanism, available at 13 golf courses across Fife and also identifying potential accommodation establishments. Private sector led, the golf pass is available for 7 summer months and is designed to encourage golfers to play multiple rounds of golf across the member courses (www.firstinfifegolf.com). First in Fife are planning to go completely online over the next year meaning visitors will be able to book their tee times online as well as buying their golf passes. This is a very positive and customer focuses approach of benefit to the participating course, the customers and Fife itself. •
Links with History is a special joint booking initiative developed by 4 historic courses in Fife. Claimed to be a one stop shop, Links with History offers a discount on normal green fee charges 17
Source SQW, 2009
June 2010
Page 41
and an easy to use booking route through the web and dedicated call line (www.linkswithhistory.com). •
Winter golf ticket: The Winter golf ticket was launched as a collaborative venture between the St Andrews Links Trust, local accommodation providers and the former Fife Tourist Board. Aimed primarily at the UK market, it has been judged very successful in extending the tourist season, utilising spare capacity in the accommodation sector and generating repeat visits to the area. The ticket provides three rounds of golf (including one round on the Old Course), with a wide range of accommodation options, including hotel, B&B and self‐catering choices. At a Scottish regional level, there are many strong industry collaborations: . •
Angus (Carnoustie Country www.carnoustiecountry.com): Carnoustie Country is run by Angus Council in partnership with Dundee City Council and in collaboration with local industry. •
East Lothian (Golf East Lothian ‐ www.golfeastlothian.com): One of the longest established regional development groups in Scotland, Golf East Lothian brings together 25 East Lothian Golf Courses, Accommodation providers and ancillary services. A Project Manager manages Golf East Lothian on behalf of East Lothian Council and the members, it has a management group chaired by the private sector, although East Lothian Council do contribute financially towards the Project Manager. Golf East Lothian was recently successful in a Visit Scotland Growth Fund application, awarded £26,000 of funding to create the new pass that will offer discounts on playing at selected courses when booking through member accommodation providers. The East Lothian Visitor Golf Pass will offer visitors a choice of 2, 3, and 5 rounds, including incentives for return visits within 12 months, encouraging repeat visits to the area. •
Ayrshire (Scotland's West Coast Golf Links ‐ www.scotlandswestcoastgolflinks.com): The most recent, launched in March 2009 brings together ten of Ayrshire's links golf courses with the specific aim of bringing more visitors to Ayrshire and encouraging them to stay longer. In part originated by travel trade operators, it promotes partnership with travel trade and accommodation providers in the area. •
Golf Highland was established as the regional golf development group for the Highlands, created as a company limited by guarantee. Members included golf courses and accommodation providers, paying annual subscriptions, which allowed them to participate in joint marketing activities. The organization also had associate membership although these businesses did not pay subscription fees. There was also project funding for a number of initiatives including the development of a photo library, familiarisation trips for the media and tour operators, development of a website, participation at trade shows and the development of June 2010
Page 42
a golf guide. Golf Highland also work closely with the Highlands Loch Ness marketing group, which has focused on golf, whisky, fishing and castles as key selling points of the region. Golf Highland is no longer a trading company, although the brand has been retained in order to give member golf clubs a presence as part of the destination. England In England a network of County Golf Partnerships has been built up with the support of the English Golf Union, English Women’s Golf Association and the PGA with the objective of promoting the sport and encouraging people to play, as well as helping clubs with membership retention. Other “alliances” in the UK are predominantly about inter club competitions and promotion of golf as a sport to resident markets, youngsters etc. Overseas Both within and outwith the UK, many of the collaborations for marketing purposes are travel trade led. Small groups of like‐minded courses (like Fife’s Links with History) come together but most marketing efforts are: •
Either tourism or government agency led; •
Or travel trade led, offering packages which include accommodation, travel, other things to do etc. Outwith the UK, typical public sector led marketing operations include: •
Portugal ‐ The Estoril Golf Coast is a public and private sector initiative to promote Golf in the Estoril region. The activity is led by Estoril Tourist Board, however golf group meet on a monthly basis to review opportunities and agree marketing activities and actions. All contribute financially to the marketing and will adopt a “Team Estoril” approach i.e. all individuals will sell “The Destination” first when undertaking sales trips, attending industry events etc. •
Best of Golf New Zealand is the brand name for the New Zealand Golf Tourism Cluster, which began in 2002 with support from the NZ Government with the objective of marketing New Zealand as a desirable destination for international golf travellers. The marketing collective is made up of top resort courses, as well as associate membership of other supporting businesses, including NZ based golf specialist tourism operators, in‐market wholesalers, accommodation providers, golf industry and tourism organisations. The cluster works closely with NZ’s quality agency that reinforces a “stringent quality benchmark” (www.bestofgolfnewzealand.com). •
New Mexico Golf Destinations is a not for profit collaboration of New Mexico golf courses, the Sun Country Section PGA and the New Mexico Tourism Department. Its mission is to introduce June 2010
Page 43
the world to New Mexico as a golf destination and provide potential visitors with accurate, reliable information as well as a one stop shop for tee time booking and accommodation booking. Any New Mexico golf course, accommodation provider or tour packager is eligible to participate. (The PGA of the America encourages and support regional “sections”.) (www.newmexicogolfdestinations.com/category/golf‐courses). Industry led clusters are found across the world. It is both a recognised economic development methodology for analysing competitive industrial and economic strengths and an organisational methodology. Indeed in the USA, SRI International has worked with the World Golf Foundation to develop a golf industry cluster framework that has been rolled out across the North American continent. Cluster elements have comprised: •
Golf Facility Operations •
Golf Course Capital Investments (e.g. resorts) •
Golfer Supplies •
Tournaments & Associations •
Real Estate •
Hospitality & Tourism Depending on the culture of global regions, clusters, Industry partnerships and trade associations either operate independently of the public sector, or where economic policy identifies the sector as a major opportunity, are supported by government (especially in the UK!). In terms of best organisational practice we recommend looking closer to home and at other industry sectors, to see how business collaborates and works together to achieve shared objectives. Creative Fife and Technet Fife were looked at by BTS in the course of another commission (www.creativefife.co.uk/index.php and www.technetfife.com/index.php). They are now merging. Here, with public sector support, groups of businesses have come together to: •
Establish a one‐stop‐shop for networking, discussion and information exchange; •
Help expand business opportunities and find companies in Fife who can deliver services to meet business need •
Help promote their sector and the region; •
Learn from each other and intertrade; •
Keep up‐to‐date with the latest industry themes and trends We also commend the newly created Fife Tourism Partnership as a cross tourism industry example of good practice, in bringing together industry representatives and encouraging industry leadership. June 2010
Page 44
In North West England, cluster organisations have been formed around sector groups. Two such are Bionow (biotechnology, pharmaceutical and healthcare industry), and the North West Aerospace Alliance (NWAA). They have been formed to “help promote their local strengths internationally”. NWAA has an active membership of over 380 companies and provides links between prime contractors, all levels of the supply chain, academia, local government and other stakeholders in the industry. Both Bio now and NWAA have been funded by the North West Regional Development Agency www.bionow.co.uk and www.aerospace.co.uk). 7.3
Conclusions and Recommendations
There are many examples of industry collaboration, variously private sector led, or publicly initiated. The key in Fife appears to be to generate the leadership that will ensure that the most important parties are at the table and can agree on the priorities for a Fife wide promotion. It is apparent that public and private sectors must work together, and there is certainly an appetite for private sector leadership, although no‐one wants the private sector to go it alone and the public sector must be at the table and have responsibility and contribute budgets. June 2010
Page 45
8
The Business Case for a Fife Golf Alliance The over‐riding interest of businesses and golf clubs in any decision they make to support a Fife Golf Alliance will be the contribution that it can make to the success of their organisation. This means demonstrating that golf is an important and growing market and that an investment of their time and resources will provide a good return. Golf is not relevant for every tourism business in Fife and some accommodation providers will not be appropriate for the golf market. Equally some golf clubs may prefer not to look to attract visitors at all. There are, however, many businesses that could benefit substantially as part of a Fife golf cluster. Golf tourism, perhaps more than any other tourism niche, is characterised by interdependencies between operators. At a regional level, golf courses can also be a lynchpin in the local economy, generating tourism income for many small businesses, including their members. Indeed, when the Old Course in St Andrews is closed prior to the Open Championship, it has an effect not only on the local economy, but also on the number of visitors to other courses across Fife & Scotland who hoped to visit it during their trip. The importance of golf clubs within the local economy is easily overlooked, but should be one of the reasons for working together to attract visitors. Our brief was to explore the appetite for, feasibility, role and function of a Fife Golf Alliance. We have found strong support for the concept, and our task is now to articulate what is feasible and viable in terms of future collaboration. This forms the basis of the business case which is founded on four principles arising from the research: •
That the market for golf tourism is substantial and is likely to grow. •
That the benefits from golf are widely spread across all the businesses and organisations engaged in golf. •
That golf disperses tourism expenditure and supports local economies. •
That working together is essential for organisations seeking to benefit from this market. We conclude from our review of golf in Fife and the available reports and strategies, that: 1. The international golf market remains enormous and while the recession has impacted on rates of growth, there is still optimism that the market is buoyant with new players joining the sport across the world. 2. Golf tourism is highly competitive, with destinations marketing aggressively, new resorts and destinations coming on stream, with the lead being variously resorts, the golf travel trade and public tourism authorities (and governments) depending upon location. June 2010
Page 46
3. Golf tour agents play a central role in helping golfers select destinations, resorts and booking packages, and the “roundness” of the golf experience, with accommodation and other elements of the stay and play package, is a critical component in decision making by golf visitors. 4. Average length of stay varies depending upon origin of golfers, but is averaged out at 10 nights of US golfers and 4 or 5 nights for those visiting from the rest of the UK. 5. Golf in the UK is at a cross roads with membership clubs increasingly struggling as membership broadly remains static, with members ageing, membership revenue static, with young players not entering the sport in sufficient numbers to feel any confidence about any significant change in membership dynamics. 6. Increasingly too, the perception of the membership club is as an anachronism – members in clubs no doubt feel privileged and are committed to their clubs, but there is a preference amongst younger players in the UK not to join, partly because of the formality of clubs. The current recession is having some impact on membership numbers, and very many UK and Scottish golfers are not committing to joining clubs. 7. The Scottish golf market is fluid still, despite recession. Visitors to Scotland, St Andrews and Fife come from the rest of the UK, Scotland and overseas, particularly the US. While disaggregated statistics are not available for the number and origin of golfers to St Andrews and Fife 18, we know that the appeal of St Andrews and the opportunity to play the Old Course and other St Andrews courses is the major attraction of golfers visiting Scotland. 8. The iconic status of St Andrews in golfing terms is the jewel in Fife’s crown. All attempts to market the golf experience in Fife as a whole, or across a range of courses, would undershoot if the premier position of St Andrews is not acknowledged and built into the marketing proposition and promotion. 9. The centre of excellence of St Andrews, and Fife, for golf is further reinforced by the role and reputation of Elmwood College and the five star British Golf Museum, as well as the very large number of Championship courses. 10. The availability and ease of tee time booking is an issue. Restrictions can be categorised as twofold: •
Membership clubs whose welcome and tee time availability for visiting golfers is restricted in preference to members; 18
Excepting the 2004/5 survey by the St Andrews Golf Development Group June 2010
Page 47
•
The positioning of the golf tour agents and their perceptions that they are not being given equal access to the St Andrews Links courses, thus limiting the opportunity for them to maximise the impact of visiting overseas golfers. 11. While there is some concern about the pricing of rounds, Fife has a wide range of courses, golfing experiences and prices available, with high prices not being a deterrent to demand on those courses that charge over (say) £100/round. 12. Some very positive collaboration exists already in Fife – First in Fife golfpass, St Andrews Golf Development Group, Links with History, the St Andrews Links Trust and the planned Council Golf Trust that will manage the Council owned courses. 13. Our survey of golf courses and the tourism trade found strong support for further collaboration and a positive reaction to the concept of a Fife Golf Alliance. 14. Several of our consultees have commented that there is overcapacity of golf provision in Fife and that a number of golf courses and clubs are so financially vulnerable that they may cease to exist in the course of the next decade. 8.1
Fife Golf Alliance
While the terminology “alliance” is common parlance in golf circles, its usage is more frequently to denote golf courses holding and hosting golf competitions. The planned emphasis on the marketing, quality standards and ultimately business development of golf courses and clubs requires in our view an alternative description which says to stakeholders and participants 19 what the role and function of the grouping is: we favour the terminology: “Partnership” implies working together and equality of status where alliance signifies a coalition or grouping that may be temporary. We recommend that the alliance be called the Fife Golf Partnership. 8.2
The Role of the Fife Golf Partnership
We recommend a definite hierarch of functions, in the order below. 1. Marketing and Promotion, including a. Booking and IT b. Customer service 19
But not the golf playing public or visitors, who would be the recipients and viewers of a planned public collective identity, as described further in the report June 2010
Page 48
Marketing and promotion of Fife as a competitive destination is the first priority because that is where the greatest added value will be generated, as well as ensuring that Fife and St Andrews are able to hold their own in competitive markets. Part of the role will be supporting and influencing other marketing agencies, especially VisitScotland and VisitBritain, as well as helping coordinate and build on the existing marketing efforts of hotels, courses, clubs and golf tour operators, as well as Golf Tourism Scotland. 2. Capacity of Clubs and Courses, including •
Business & Skills development •
Revenue generation There are many agencies and organisations able to and willing to support clubs and golf facilities enhance their management and capacity. Amongst these are Scottish Enterprise and the Business Gateway, SGU, PGA, R & A and GTS. We don’t see the Fife Golf Partnership delivering in these areas, but we do see a need for it to encourage clubs to address these issues, in the same way as the Golf Framework will prioritise these areas of activity. Learning from best practise and negotiating multiple course participation in business or skills programmes would help clubs adapt and survive, for instance. 3. Quality Standards The underpinning quality of golfers’ experience is dictated in part by the customer service standards of courses, clubs and ancillary tourist facilities and in part by course quality and maintenance. The Fife Golf Partnership would not play a direct role but would support and motivate stakeholders and partners to keep quality standards high and ensure the quality of the experience on offer in Fife is “world class”. 8.3
Key Objectives
We recommend that the key objectives and functions of the Fife Golf Partnership be: 1. To take a leadership role in marketing and developing golf in Fife. 2. To develop a collective identity for golfing in Fife. 3. To position Fife and St Andrews as a competitive, compelling golf destination. 4. To develop collaborative marketing and promotional campaigns aimed at the golf visitor. 5. To develop accommodation and pay and play packages for visiting golfers. 6. To build on and help extend successful marketing and booking schemes (e.g. First in Fife). 7. To plan and develop easy‐to‐use tee booking systems. June 2010
Page 49
8. To identify ways in which courses and clubs can enhance the quality of customer service and the welcome for golfers. 9. At a course or club level provide signposting opportunities for: a. Management development at courses and clubs to help them manage their members, finances and revenues more successfully (and thus potentially help them support themselves through recession and changing membership dynamics); b. Business development to help individual courses and clubs to generate more revenue and ensure effective customer care; c. Individual marketing support to help courses generate sales. 10. To support high golf industry standards of course management and maintenance, including sustainable practices. We also recommend that the Fife Golf Partnership: •
Work with golf tour operators; •
Identify new opportunities and help develop new golf products and packages that enhance Fife’s reputation and status in golf; •
Review and promote examples of good practice and innovation to Partnership members; •
Help courses and clubs generate value for money and cost savings from their existing marketing budgets (through e.g. collaborative marketing); 8.4
•
Offer a forum and disseminate information to members; •
Work closely with and align with the Fife Tourism Partnership. Organisation and Management
The Fife Golf Partnership should be an industry led membership organisation, ideally set up as a legal entity in order to gather members’ funds and spend funds on marketing and promotion. It also has to be a legal entity in order to bid for most public funds, e.g. from Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise and VisitScotland. We recommend a company limited by guarantee with no share capital, being a well tried and tested model that many of the partners will be familiar with 20. The biggest advantage is that the liability of members is limited (to say £1.). We consider that it is unlikely that the Partnership would be eligible for charitable status. 20 We do not recommend the establishment of a Community Interest Company because too many potential members will be unfamiliar with this model , imposing an artificial barrier to the set up of the organisation June 2010
Page 50
As with any company, office bearers will need to be elected (chair, vice chair, secretary, treasurer) at a founding AGM 21. Setting up a company structure does not however imply that the overheads of an office, senior staff and supplies and services are obligatory. Indeed, we see the focus of funds collected being expended on marketing and promotion. It is important in our view, when recruiting members (who will themselves be commercially driven or have commercial experience) to demonstrate cost effectiveness and value for money. Equally, a benefit of membership of the Partnership should be, cost savings on marketing budgets through collaboration. These savings would, we assert, pay for costs of membership for clubs and operators. A leadership group needs to be recruited first to steer the establishment of the Partnership. We consider that the management and staffing costs can be kept to a minimum by contracting out management and co‐ordination to consultant(s) who may be self employed and work from their own home or office. This precedent is firmly established elsewhere. We would need to specify the skill set and level of experience and capability in the second phase of this work programme. 8.5
Funding
A full business plan needs to be prepared for the Fife Golf Partnership, including the cost of anticipated promotional activity. Recruitment to the Partnership would have to be undertaken on the basis of the business plan and the cost of membership. Our market review to date identifies an appetite and a willingness to participate and contribute, but the real success of the start up will be assured if: •
The totality of the golf marketing effort is included, comprising the integration and co‐ordination of VisitScotland golf and Fife marketing, currently the subject of Fife Council’s Service Level Agreement with VisitScotland; •
Fife Council commits marketing funds to support the Partnership and generate leverage and match funding from the private sector (clubs and trade); •
Development funds are attracted to support the start up operation – the innovative and encompassing character of the Partnership, as articulated here, should position it well for attracting or bidding for these funds; •
Some key players and industry leaders make a commitment from the start ‐ the St Andrews Links Trust, the Fife Golf Partnership, First in Fife Golfpass, Links with History etc. •
Marketing cost savings and efficiencies are generated for members of the Partnership through stronger collaborative marketing and group purchasing of e.g. print, advertising. 21
The principles of setting up a company structure can be found on the Fife Tourism Partnership web site June 2010
Page 51
8.6
Risk analysis
There are risks associated with re‐organising the way that Fife is marketed for golf. The Options Appraisal below catalogues these, but we want to focus specifically on what counteractions or remedial action can be taken to address potential risks.
Fife Golf Partnership – Risks and How to Address Them
Risks
1
2
3
4
5
6
St Andrews Links Trust or St
Andrews courses fail to
participate
St Andrews based tourism
operators fail to participate
Golf courses and clubs
elsewhere in Fife don’t join
Other tourism operators
elsewhere in Fife don’t join
Incoming golf tour operators
and operators of golfpasses
don’t participate
VisitScotland unprepared to
participate in
June 2010
Remedial Actions
•
Industry leadership group to be recruited first
•
Collective presentation to St Andrews’ interests
•
Partnership and marketing benefits to be articulated
specifically for St Andrews golf operators
•
Gain VisitScotland commitment (for marketing purposes)
•
Fife Council demonstrate commitment with financial backing
through SLA commitment to VisitScotland
•
Planned collective identity to feature St Andrews
•
Collective presentation to St Andrews’ interests
•
Partnership and marketing benefits to be articulated for St
Andrews tourism operators
•
Gain VisitScotland commitment (for marketing purposes)
•
Fife Council demonstrate commitment with financial backing
through SLA commitment to VisitScotland
•
Planned collective identity to feature St Andrews
•
Articulate benefits of membership and collaborative
marketing
•
Suggest minimum number of courses to commit would be 15
(not all courses need to join to make proposition viable)
•
Funding benefits demonstrated together with income
opportunities (e.g. savings from joint marketing)
•
Articulate benefits of membership and collaborative
marketing
•
Tourism operators (e.g. in accommodation) need to meet
certain standards appropriate to visiting golfers
•
Don’t need all accommodation providers to participate
•
Demonstrate practical advantages e.g. web links to (more)
golf courses
•
Need to demonstrate opportunities for some to join Partnership
– only need 2 or 3 to make the Partnership a success
•
Partnership offers commercial opportunities to agents
•
Preferred golf pass would be First in Fife, but other golf passes
exits or can be created
•
Council’s SLA would be key to negotiations
•
Opportunity to extend reach of Golfers Welcome Schemes
•
Industry led Partnership to articulate need and opportunity
Page 52
Fife Golf Partnership – Risks and How to Address Them
Risks
7
Remedial Actions
Fife Council unprepared to
renegotiate SLA with
VisitScotland
8
Agreement cannot be
reached on planned collective
identity
9
Insufficient funds generated to
undertake effective marketing
of Fife
8.7
•
Puts Partnership at a disadvantage and reduces match
funded marketing focus in support of Fife-wide promotional
plan
•
Partnership approach becomes more incremental
•
Agreement first on respective “St Andrews” and “Fife”
character, values and proposition in new collective identity
•
To be negotiated, with consultation on identity (normal design
process)
•
Progressive approach rather than brand new brand
•
SLA is critical to re-orientate VisitScotland approach to support
Partnership objectives
•
Application to external funding sources
•
IT, golfpass and other promotional activities undertaken on
commercial basis by e.g. consultants, tour operators etc.
Options Appraisal
The Council’s brief has been to explore the appetite for, feasibility and viability of a Fife Golf
Alliance, which would be designed to support industry engagement, business support and
marketing of Fife and courses for golf tourism.
Strategic Context
In the course of our consultations and research, we have reviewed the various options for
establishing a Fife Golf Alliance and present the following option appraisals for a Fife Golf
Alliance.
Options Appraisal Organisational and functional options Pros/ For Cons/Against Strategic decisions • An easy option • St Andrews continues to be successful • No increases in resources needed 1 Do Nothing (zero option) 2 Do Something (medium option) • Begins to pull the Fife‐wide product Minimal effort – marketing based together only e.g. develop packages, • Opportunity for partners to gain campaigns, tactical marketing experience of working together • Asses success on basis of marketing campaigns 3 Do the Extra (ambitious option) • Addresses the totality of the Fife golf Commitment to full range of product actions described above in the • Addresses the underpinning strategic reports issues of business development, June 2010
• No particular benefit to Fife‐wide golf product • No preparation for the future (e.g. declining membership, threats to St Andrews’ competitive position) • Prolongs or delays addressing business development and management issues within individual course and clubs • Exclusive option for those already in golf tourism market (difficult to substantiate marketing by businesses not in this market) • “Difficult” option • Biggest risks • Need for leadership group to take ownership • Need to find balance between Page 53
Options Appraisal Organisational and functional options Pros/ For quality of management and customer care • Opportunity to reposition and reenergise the St Andrews and Fife golf product Cons/Against attack brands and rest of the Fife golf product Organisational decisions 1 A voluntary association: our • Allows wider tourism industry and tourism industry survey stakeholder engagement respondents were evenly split • May motivate membership clubs to between considering this model participate appropriate, not liking and also • Inclination towards “voluntary” being unsure whether it was the effort and therefore reduced costs of best model e.g. office/staff 2 A separate legal entity: our • Focus will be enshrined in Mem & respondents were again unsure Arts that this was the right model (33% • Formality of procedures may thought “yes”; 28% “no” and 39% facilitate targeted activity “unsure”) programme • Liability is limited • Depending on legal structure, shareholders’ commitment is increased (i.e. through shareholding) • Allows collection and dispersal of funds 3 Fife Council leadership and • Ease of decision making management: The council allocate • Bi‐partisan negotiation with budgets and determine actions and VisitScotland on marketing priorities priorities as well as manage delivery and outputs 5 Chaired and led by the private • Commercial, market focused sector: over half our respondents leadership considered that leadership should • Golf and tourism trade with be from the private sector (53%) commercial interests more easily although 27% were still “unsure”; engaged although some comments have • Will motivate other commercial been made that leadership may operators to contribute best come from the public sector • Facilitates private expression of priorities • Provides a “voice” for golf and tourism priorities 4 Open to wider tourism trade: there • Support for and benefit from golf in was overwhelming (89%) support Fife derived in wider tourism and for whatever alliance model is business community adopted for it to be open to more • Support from wider industry for than just the golf courses. Only one actions that support golf course and June 2010
• May make it harder to collect and disperse funds • Public sector may be hesitant about allocating funds to voluntary group • Public credibility of association may be jeopardized • Harder to engage and gain commitment from stakeholders because of lack of formality • Risk of turning into “talking shop” • Difficulty of bringing in other (specialist) skills • Still needs project resource • Potentially increases administration and organizational costs • Formality of organisation may deter some potential participants (i.e. private clubs) • Risks of raising expectations • Needs project resource • Harder to leverage in funds from private sector and from public agencies for start up or innovation • Not inclusive • Limited engagement of key players (e.g. St Andrews organisations) • Budgets susceptible to public sector decision‐making • Risk of perceptions of “yet another” initiative • Unresponsive public sector will alienate or disillusion private operators • Capability of business leaders in forefront must be guaranteed • Still needs project resource • May work against golf‐only priorities and agenda • Harder to engage wider tourism trade if golf specific organisation and actions Page 54
Options Appraisal Organisational and functional options Pros/ For respondent thought it should not clubs be open to other tourism • Opportunity to capture wider businesses tourism industry resources • Leadership and responsibilities spread more evenly (wider pool of skills to call on) • Enhanced credibility with public stakeholders • Golf visitors are the same for courses and wider tourism operators • Easier to implement cross industry initiatives and programmes • Easier to develop packages for visitors 5 Marketing focused organisation 6 Wider range of Activities (engagement, business development and marketing) 7 St Andrews focused marketing and promotion • Meets the needs of the region (to market and promote) • Increasing visitor numbers is number 1 priority (other priorities fall out of this) • Positive reputation already (strong base and performance from which to build) • Strong Fife wide product ‐ opportunity to bring St Andrews and rest of Fife in on wider golf promotion, to demonstrate wide range available for all players and all budgets • Can negotiate with and match fund stakeholders’ fund (i.e. VisitScotland and Fife Council) • Easier to develop packages • Opportunity to address all issues and needs • Will provide representation and “voice”, facilitating negation with stakeholders and match funding their resources • Builds on existing assets • Already a world renown centre • Existing organisational infrastructure in place (e.g. Golf development groups) Cons/Against • Risk of losing support from wider tourism industry if tourism businesses excluded • Still needs project resource • If focus only on marketing, then risk not advancing other needs/priorities (i.e. quality standards, business growth in courses/clubs) • Still needs project resource • Harder to focus on common or shared priorities • Different clubs and courses at different levels with different needs • Business needs of golf sector and tourism operators vary • Busy environment with many delivery organizations and mechanism (SGU, Business gateway etc) • Risk of duplicating effort and competing with other deliverers of e.g. business development or quality standards • Wider benefits of golf income not distributed across the region • Questionable whether stepped change (improvement) can be generated • Underplays the golf assets elsewhere in the region June 2010
Page 55
Options Appraisal Organisational and functional options 8 Wider Fife marketing and promotion Pros/ For • Provides opportunity to offer wider range of playing experiences to visiting golfers • Offers wider range of price/round • Will facilitate dispersal and distribution of added value across the region • Can build on some existing collaborations (Historic Links, First in Fife golfpass) Cons/Against • Not all courses able or willing to participate in minimum quality standards of customer care, access to tee times etc. • Balance of St Andrews and “rest of Fife” will have to be worked at • Accommodation establishments across the region will have to improve quality standards if they are to benefit • New Council golf trust will be new player Conclusions and Recommendations
8.8
We’ve reviewed: •
Whether to do nothing (zero option) •
Do something (medium option) Minimal effort – marketing based only e.g. develop packages, campaigns, tactical marketing •
Do the Extra (ambitious option) ‐ Commitment to full range of actions described in the report Our view, as is that of the majority of those we interviewed and consulted, is that the opportunity to position Fife as the Home of Golf on the world stage is too great to let slip and that the ambition should be to aim high. We therefore commend “going the extra distance” option, through set up of the Alliance of Fife Golf Partnership. We also have reviewed whether the Fife Golf Partnership should be: •
A voluntary association •
Under Fife Council’s leadership and management •
A separate legal entity Our conclusions are: 1. There are disadvantages to being a voluntary association that limit the opportunity and role of the operation and the perception of the FGP being a market driven focussed organisation 2. There are examples of similar successful Golf Partnerships while being under the Council’s management and leadership but these organisation are restricted in opportunities to engage with the private sector and operators, especially in terms of financial leverage and the perception of not being “private sector industry led”. 3. The preferred scenario should be a separate legal entity to generate funds externally and limit the liability of members. June 2010
Page 56
We consider that the Partnership should be private sector led and open to all tourism and golf related businesses, as well as stakeholders. However in the current economic conditions and the scrutiny many “arms length” local authority companies are being placed under, we consider it a leap to far at this stage for the Fife Golf Partnership to be established as a separate legal identity. The FGP will require time to establish credibility, resources, recruit members, founding partners, sourcing funding etc to ensure a sustainable long term future. Thus we recommend a phased approach to the creation of the FGP as follows: 1. The Fife Tourism Partnership establish a working group to take forward the Fife Golf Partnership (FGP) 2. The FGP working group would work under the auspices, reporting back to the Fife Tourism Partnership 3. The FGP working group would be responsible for driving forward the roles and functions of the and would work to as a “shadow” board with eventual aim being to establish FGP as a separate legal entity 4. The FGP working group develops the constitution, roles, responsibilities, structure of Board / Management group etc. 5. A timetable for creating the Fife Golf Partnership is agreed, we consider a timeframe of 12‐18 months for this. In terms of the scope of its role and functions, we have considered the option for the Partnership as being: •
A marketing focused organisation •
Wider range of Activities (engagement, business development and marketing) •
St Andrews focused marketing and promotion •
Wider Fife marketing and promotion Our recommendation is that the FGP must be marketing led, because of the need to communicate and engage with stakeholders, members and the tourism market. We also recommend that the functions are broadly based, dealing with business development and quality standards as well as marketing and promotion of Fife as the Home of Golf. We do consider, as emphasized earlier, that the St Andrews brand must not be lost in the Fife golf promotion but used as a product differentiation. June 2010
Page 57
9
Marketing Strategy for Fife Golf Alliance There are two marketing aspects to this project, both of which we recommend (below) as being integral to the success of a Fife Golf Partnership and the marketing of Fife as a Golf Destination: In summary the actions are: 1. Fife Golf Alliance Marketing Plan ‐ Preparing the marketing plan for the Fife Golf Partnership, including pricing of membership and recruitment of members and stakeholders, to get the project up and running; The marketing strategy and plan for the Fife Golf Partnership is detailed below. 2. Golf Visitor Markets ‐ Preparing the composite Fife marketing strategy for the Leading Golf Destination in Scotland, including the identity and marketing and promotional actions to: •
Positioning Fife and St Andrews •
Target the golf visitor market •
Identify routes to market •
Prepare IT based marketing routes •
Generate sales and revenue for members. We detail elements of the marketing of Fife as a golf destination in Section 8.2 below and this would be a key early action and output of the Fife Golf Partnership. 9.1
Fife Golf Alliance Marketing Plan This Marketing Plan sets out the actions necessary to deliver to the objective of launching the Fife Golf Partnership at the 2010 Open Championship and the subsequent recruitment of members/ participants to the Partnership. Successful delivery of the Fife Golf Partnership will only be achieved in partnership and by generating a “buy in” from the clubs and courses, golfing organisations, influencers and businesses involved in golf in Fife. This will depend upon: •
establishing a compelling proposition for the Partnership; •
articulating the benefits for membership and participation in the Partnership; and •
ensuring that a leadership group motivates participation from clubs and courses. During the consultation phase we have considered the actions required to establish and successfully launch the Partnership. The following are the key aims and objectives and marketing actions to achieve this. June 2010
Page 58
Key Aims and Objectives i.
To take a leadership role in marketing and developing golf in Fife and align with the tourism priorities of Fife 22 and the Fife Tourism Partnership. ii.
To identify new opportunities and help develop new golf products and packages which enhance Fife’s reputation and status in golf. iii.
To develop a collective identity for golfing in Fife. iv.
To position Fife and St Andrews as a competitive, compelling golf destination. v.
To develop collaborative marketing and promotional campaigns aimed at golf visitors, including accommodation and pay and play packages for visiting golfers and full collaboration with golf tour operators. vi.
To build on and help extend successful marketing and booking schemes (e.g. First in Fife), including easy‐to‐use tee booking systems. To identify ways in which courses and clubs can enhance the quality of customer service and vii.
the welcome for golfers. viii.
To support courses and club with management and business development, customer care, and marketing to help courses generate sales and support revenue generation. To support high golf industry standards of course management and maintenance, including ix.
sustainable practices. x.
Offer a forum, promote examples of good practice and innovation and disseminate information to members. Marketing Actions 1. Leadership i.
Identify and recruit leadership group to steer the creation and launch of the Fife Golf Alliance; ii.
The suggested make up the leadership group is: a. Golf Courses (3) b. Accommodation Providers (2) c. Tour Operator (1) d. Fife Council (1) 22
Articulated trough the current Tourism Strategy
June 2010
Page 59
2. Membership of Fife Golf Alliance This should be open to all but we consider that there be four categories of membership: i.
Golf courses and clubs ii.
Accommodation and ancillary tourist facilities iii.
Golf tour operators iv.
Public agencies and professional golfing associations and stakeholders 3. Develop Benefits Package The benefits package for membership would include: i.
Single voice representation of golf interests in Fife; ii.
Be part of and influence tourism and golf policy and priorities in Fife; iii.
Participation in marketing campaigns and package; iv.
Collaborative marketing and sales campaign; v.
Influence direction and focus of Fife marketing campaigns to golf tourists; vi.
Access to visitor information and research; vii.
Participate in local marketing and PR campaigns; viii.
Participate in initiatives to build sales and improve revenue and yield; ix.
Agree Fife‐wide online booking to support sales and income; x.
Save money on joint marketing activities, advertising discounts; xi.
Make new business contacts, stay informed and be connected; xii.
Regular newsletters and business updates. 4. Key business actions These include: i.
Preparation of the business plan for the Fife Golf Alliance; ii.
Presentation of the Fife Golf Alliance to potential members and stakeholders to gain their engagement and involvement; iii.
Specify the staff skill set and recruit staff: iv.
Establish the Fife Golf Alliance company (with Fife Council legal support?); v.
Hold founding AGM and recruit office bearers; vi.
Launch of the Fife Golf Alliance; vii.
Develop Fife Golf Alliance forward plan, including proposals for: o
Development of Fife Golf Alliance web site (for members); o
Gathering and distribution of golf visitor information (volume & value) reviewing such with e.g. VisitScotland, Tourism Intelligence Scotland, Golf Monitor etc. June 2010
Page 60
o
IT based golf booking systems to ease access for members and visitors alike; o
Identify business develop and skills needs of course and clubs and delivery mechanisms/agencies; o
Develop programme of quality assurance to raise standards of customer care and welcome; o
Information for dissemination of information on best practice/case studies etc. We do not consider that it is a prerequisite that all courses in Fife participate in the Fife Golf Alliance. We see the following courses as being primary targets for recruitment: Business / Club
1.
St
Andrews
courses
Links
Trust
2.
Other St Andrews Courses
Courses / Clubs
Rationale
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
The Old Course
Castle Course
New Course
Jubilee Course
Eden Course
Strathtyrum
Balgove
For credibility the Links Trust are crucial
to the success
8.
9.
Kingsbarns
St Andrews Bay - The
Kittocks
Kingsbarns is a “Trophy Course” and
will bring strength to the Partnership.
The other 2 course, being part of
10. St Andrews Bay - The
Torrance
Auchterderran Golf Course
Dora Golf Course
Dunnikier Park Golf Club
Glenrothes Golf Course
Kinghorn Golf Course
Lochore Meadows Golf
Course
17. Scoonie Golf Course
New trust established by Council and
will be a positive message to other
courses
in
the
positioning
of
importance of golf in Fife
Links with History
18.
19.
20.
21.
Crail
Scotscraig
Lundin
Ladybank
A successful marketing group and will
give
5.
First in Fife Golfpass
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
Aberdour
Balbirnie
Burntisland
Canmore
Charleston
Dunfermline
Elmwood
Forrester Park
Kirkcaldy
Pitreavie
Thornton
Successful initiative from private clubs,
moving
to
on-line
bookings.
Participation by First in Fife will be a
positive message for Partnership
6.
Other courses
33. Leven Links
34. Elie
3.
Fife Golf
courses)
4.
June 2010
Trust
(Council
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
Links courses that have good visitor
numbers
and
will
enhance
Partnership proposition.
Page 61
Other golfing and professional organisations and stakeholders to be targeted for membership /
participation / support of the Alliance include:
•
Golf Tourism Scotland
•
VisitScotland
•
Links With History
•
SGDG
•
First in Fife
•
Fife Council
•
Event-Scotland
•
R&A
•
Scottish Enterprise
•
SGU
•
SLGA
•
PGA
•
CMAE
•
GCMA
•
BIGGA
•
Elmwood College
•
FGA
5. Action Plan to Launch No Tasks to be Undertaken Action By Due Date Organisation 1.
Finalise Structure and structure and status of Fife Golf Alliance FC / BTS 30 June 2.
Finalise the (internal) marketing plan for the Fife Golf Alliance to support launch and BTS / FC recruitment of members; 20 June 3.
Establish the Fife Golf Alliance Terms of reference and structure BTS / FC 9 July 4.
Specify the support staff skill set, level of experience and capability to manage the Fife BTS / FC Golf Partnership and develop and deliver of the Fife golf marketing plan; June 10 5.
Preparation of the business plan for the Fife Golf Alliance; BTS July 10 6.
Prepare presentation for potential stakeholders to support FGA BTS July 10 7.
Presentation of the Alliance to potential stakeholders to gain their engagement and BTS involvement June / July 10 Leadership Group 8.
Engage and recruit Leadership Group: Identify members of leadership group to steer BTS / FC the creation and launch of the Fife Golf Partnership; 9.
Meet with identified individuals to gain support and commitment to FGA and to participate in Leadership Group. 10. July 10 BTS June / July 10 Hold initial meeting of Leadership Group to present findings and gain commitment to BTS FGA July 10 Membership Features & Benefits 11. Agree Membership benefits for Alliance and catalogue of the membership benefits and costs; 12. Finalise membership recruitment plan of action and presentations to potential members 30 June July 10 Launch of Fife Golf Alliance at Open Championship June 2010
Page 62
No Tasks to be Undertaken Action By Due Date 13. Prepare and Finalise list of invitees for Open Championship 15 June 14. Send out invites for Launch to list if invitees 20 June 15. Media invites – prepare list of media to invite to launch 30 June 16. Prepare brief for promotional material, information packs etc for launch 20 June 17. Finalise programme and order of events for launch 1 July July – September 10 July – September 10 Membership Recruitment 18. Set dates and schedule for membership recruitment road shows (taking into account July – August peak months for potential members) Activity Plan 19. Develop Fife Golf Partnership forward plan, including proposals for: o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Identity Web Site Annual Activity plan Funding Sponsorship opportunities Promotional opportunities Linkages to Fife Tourism Strategy Fife Golf – The Way Forward
9.2
A key decision is required about the balance between marketing and promotion of Fife for golf or retaining the emphasis of promotion (as with VisitScotland’s current emphasis for instance) for golf on St Andrews. We consider that the opportunity for the wider county of Fife is the big opportunity, as identified by the Council and affirmed in consultations with stakeholders. Our options appraisal above catalogues the arguments for and against this emphasis, but essentially the proposition is that: Fife has a supreme range of courses available for every type of player, at every price. Fife and St Andrews offer everything from iconic, championship, challenging and enjoyable courses for the experienced, for golf buddies and for the novice – from within Scotland, the UK and overseas visitors. We see from our research that there is a need for: •
Continuing promotion of Fife and St Andrews for golf tourism, to keep the profile and recognition high and compete against other destinations; •
Higher levels of recognition of the needs of the golf visitor, to welcome them and accommodate them at a range of courses, especially through “pay and play”; •
Golf course, club and wider tourism industry engagement, partnership and collaboration to help raise standards, maximise the golf offer, put attractive packages in place to motivate and encourage visiting golfers and identify new development opportunities; June 2010
Page 63
•
To build on existing collaborations and partnerships throughout the golf sector in Fife. St Andrews is recognized and perceived around the world as the home of golf. This iconic status is reinforced by accommodating the headquarters of the Royal and Ancient Club, hosting of the British Open every 5 years and the Dunhill annually and, to a lesser extent because not so widely known, the presence of golf centres of excellence at the British Golf Museum and Elmwood College. The “Home of Golf” is the dominant Fife USP. With the wide rage and variety of quality courses in Fife and the presence of so much expertise and talent here, Fife has a great depth and strength of golf product. Maximising this product strength by ensuring that all those involved in golf tourism co‐ordinate their efforts, “thereby providing customers with an integrated and easy‐to‐buy product” is an essential requirement in an ever increasing competitive environment. We have looked at trends and opportunities for demand in the key markets and also categorized the Fife Golf Product from a supply side. This demand and supply side segmentation will allow us to identify and match the market opportunities against customers and markets and offer them the types of golf experiences that they would enjoy in Fife. The Opportunities for Fife – the Marketing Approach The dominant USP of Fife’s golf product is St Andrews and Championship Links Golf yet there are a number of good value second and third tier courses available. There are a number of opportunities for Fife are to build on, including: •
St Andrews as a market and product differentiation for golf in Fife and use the rest of the benefits from this to build the profile and recognition of the balance of and range of the Fife golf product and portfolio with the consumer. •
Segmenting both the market and the Fife product, to ensure that the right products and experiences are offered to the right golfers. This means looking at what Fife offers both from the perspective of demand as well as supply e.g. Promoting golf in US and Canada with the focus being St Andrews works, but in the UK and for the rest of the Scottish market, for instance as well as other price sensitive markets, this approach may reinforce a perception of an expensive product and golf destination. Here the emphasis must switch to promoting value for money courses e.g. Links with History, the best links golf and some of the best hidden gems in the world and ensure that golfpass and IT booking systems reinforce accessibility of tee times and price. •
Motivating clubs to accommodate visitors and encouraging them to adopt the processes and systems that will make visiting golfers welcome. June 2010
Page 64
•
Marketing activity which emphasises off‐peak periods in order to extend the season and optimise year‐round capacity is important, but this has also to be balanced with encouraging the change of attitude at courses to allow visitors peak access too. We recognise how difficult this may be and essentially, those courses and clubs that want to limit visitors may be excluding themselves from collaborative marketing efforts for Fife. •
Emphasis of value for money, both in season and off peak periods to appropriate market segments. •
Working with specialist golf tour operators are a key source of golf business, particularly for high‐
value ‘niches’ such as MICE and Corporate markets. •
•
A creative and innovative approach to golf segments motivating e.g.: o
Novices and first timers; o
Fathers & Sons; o
“lipstick golf” – or female golf buddies o
Accessible (e.g. not exclusive) historic golf courses “come home to a legend.” Cross‐marketing Fife’s other tourism product strengths with golf e.g. Food and Heritage by enhancing the product through packages and “bundles” with other attractive activities (e.g. history, retail, coast, etc.) and building ‘added value’ through accommodation, food, etc. June 2010
Page 65
10
Next Steps 10.1 The Brief for Phase 2
We catalogue below the next steps to progress this project. 1. BTS present the results of this draft report to Fife Council representatives; 2. We jointly review Fife Council’s approach to its Service Level Agreement with VisitScotland, using it to negotiate alignment of the VisitScotland marketing effort towards a Fife wide promotional focus; 3. A statement is prepared for the golf and tourism trade to allow feedback from the research work to date and the forward plans; 4. The principles outlined in this report of an industry‐led membership organisation, with a option in the longer term of being a company limited by guarantee with the focus and functions detailed are accepted; 5. The name of the organisation ‐ the Fife Golf Partnership – is accepted and agreed as a basis for moving forward; 6. The brief for the second phase of work is agreed and commissioned. We recommend that the brief and tasks for the next phase of work should comprise: Fife Golf Partnership 1. Fife Tourism Partnership create a working group for the Fife Golf Partnership 2. Identify a FGP “Champion” to lead the initiative (supported by a Project Manager) 3. Identify and recruit leadership group to steer the creation and launch of the Fife Golf Partnership; 4. Preparation of the business plan for the Fife Golf Partnership; 5. Catalogue of the membership benefits and costs; 6. Preparation of the (internal) marketing plan for the Fife Golf Partnership to support launch and recruitment of members; 7. Presentation of the business plan and marketing plan to potential members and to stakeholders to gain their engagement and involvement; 8. Specify the support staff skill set, level of experience and capability to manage the Fife Golf Partnership and develop and deliver of the Fife golf marketing plan; 9. Establish the Fife Golf Partnership constitution; 10. Hold founding meeting and recruit FGP Board members; June 2010
Page 66
11. Launch of the Fife Golf Partnership; 12. Develop Fife Golf Partnership forward plan, including proposals for: •
Development of Fife Golf Partnership web site (for members); •
Gathering and distribution of golf visitor information (volume & value) reviewing such with e.g. VisitScotland, Tourism Intelligence Scotland, Golf Monitor etc. •
IT based golf booking systems to ease access for members and visitors alike; •
Identify business develop and skills needs of course and clubs and delivery mechanisms/agencies; •
Develop programme of quality assurance to raise standards of customer care and welcome; •
Information for dissemination of information on best practice/case studies etc. Fife Golf Marketing 13. Review, agree and brief collective identity, or branding, for the Fife‐wide golf product; 14. Prepare marketing strategy and action plan based on market and product segmentation as outlined in this report; 15. Cost marketing actions (3 year forward programme) for inclusion in business plan and as basis for negotiation/presentation to individual golf courses and (potential) members; 16. Demonstrate value for money, savings and cost efficiencies of collaborative marketing for members; 17. Work with members and incoming golf tour operators to build on and extend range of Fife golf stay and play packages; 18. Develop cross‐marketing opportunities to extend the stay and the dispersal of expenditure by visiting golfers and their spouses and families to other Fife based activities – retail, food, heritage etc. 19. Gain funding commitments to the Fife golf marketing plan; 10.2 Handover – Knowledge Transfer to FGA Project Manager / Team
We consider it important to have a planned handover for the project detailing when and how BTS will handover to the FGA project team. The handover Plan ensure the momentum of the project is maintained and the goals achieved. The table below summarises our handover plan: June 2010
Page 67
No Tasks to be Undertaken Action By Due Date 1.
Agree with Fife Council key roles and responsibilities of the Project Manager/develop brief/characteristics of person specification BTS / FC 30/6 2.
Agree with Fife Council key objectives/and priorities for the first week/first month/first 3 months post handover, to give them an effective management tool BTS / FC 30/6 3.
Agree reporting and monitoring of the project with Fife Council / Fife Tourism Partnership BTS / FC 10/7 4.
Identify individuals who will be briefed on project handover and nominate Project change champion BTS / FC 10/7 5.
Agree a date for handover of the project BTS / FC 10/7 6.
Brief Leadership Group on project handover BTS 30/7 7.
Identify change management issues and how these will be handled BTS 30/7 8.
Assist with appointment / selection of Project Manager BTS 15/8 9.
Agree date for commencement of Project Manager BTS 30/8 10. Brief Project Manager BTS 1/9 11. Circulate note about appointment of Project Manager FGA / FC 1/9 12. Prepare a communication plan with key milestones set for handover Agree schedule of BTS / PM actions with clear identification of roles / responsibilities / actions 30/9 13. Handover in full to Project Manager 30/9 June 2010
BTS / PM Page 68
11
Appendices 11.1 Appendix 1 ‐ References and Source Material Fife i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.
vii.
Fife Tourism Strategy, 2007 – 2015 Scottish Tourism – The Next Decade – A Tourism Framework for Change, Scottish Government Fife Community Plan "A Stronger Future for Fife, Fife Council Growing Fife’s Future, An Economic Development Strategy for Fife 2005‐15, Forum, November 2005 Growing Fife’s Future, Fife Economic Strategy 2009‐2020, Fife Economy Partnership Survey of Visiting Golfers at St Andrews, 2004/05, January 2006, MW Associates for St Andrews Golf Development Group West/ Central Fife Golf Market Research, Research Report, Scottish Enterprise Fife, George Street Research Ltd Scotland viii.
ix.
x.
xi.
xii.
xiii.
xiv.
xv.
xvi.
xvii.
xviii.
xix.
Scottish Golf Club Survey 2007/8 (SGU) Visiting Golfers Welcome Scheme, VisitScotland (www.visitscotland.org/pdf/Visiting‐Golfers‐
Welcome‐Criteria‐and‐Application.pdf) 2010 National Golf Tourism Monitor, VisitScotland Evolving The “New Strategy For Scottish Golf Tourism” – Establishing The Business Case, SQW 2002 Scottish Golf Tourism Market Analysis Report, SQW, report to Scottish Enterprise, June 2009 Sports Marketing Survey, Visitors Survey, 2007 VisitScotland Golf Visitor Surveys, 2006 and 2007 Golf Tour Operators Survey, VisitScotland 2006 The Future of Scottish Golf: A Vision and Framework for Success, March 2009 Golf Tourism in Scotland: Opportunities for Growth, Tourism Intelligence Scotland, April 2010 Regional Golf Tourism Review, GTS on behalf of VisitScotland, Scottish Enterprise, and Highlands & Islands Enterprise Dr Robert Price, Management and Marketing of Scotland’s Golf Facilities: Research Report 2000 Golf xx.
xxi.
xxii.
xxiii.
xxiv.
xxv.
KPMG Golf Benchmark Surveys o Great Britain and Ireland regional report, 2007 o Golf in the economic Downturn, o Golf Travel Insight in Europe, Middle east and Africa, 2008 World Travel Market Trends Report for 2009, Euromonitor International, 2010 UK Golf 2009, Research report, Mintel Sport and Leisure General Household Survey 2002, national Statistics Fáilte Ireland Golf Strategy 2010 June 2010
Page 69
11.2 Appendix 2 - Consultations
First Name Surname Position COMPANY Hamish Steedman CEO St Andrews Golf Company (St Andrews) Ewen Glen MD St Andrews Golf Company (St Andrews) Jim Crooks Principal Elmwood College (Cupar) Carol Borthwick Director of Golf Elmwood College Mike Woodcock Communications Mgr St Andrews Golf Dev Group (St Andrews) Ken Lawson Proprietor (& ex Chair of Fife Spindrift Hotel (Anstruther) Tourism Alliance) Jamie Gardner Manager (& Secretary of Golf Adventures in Golf (Golf Tour Operator, St Tourism Scotland) Andrews) Gary Wilkinson Proprietor (& ex Chair of Golf Wilkinson Golf Ltd (Dunfermline) Tourism Scotland) Duncan Weir Director of Golf Development Royal & Ancient (St Andrews) Mark Rigg Managing Director Links Golf, Golf Tour Operator (St Andrews) Andy Salmon Scottish Golf Union / Scottish Ladies Golfing Association Eric Brown Chair St Andrews Partnership and Scores Hotel Patrick Laughlin Manager St Andrews Partnership Debbie Taylor Chair, Fife Partnership David Scott Dukes Course David Roy Club Managers Association Mark McCardie Product Manager ‐ Golf VisitScotland Riddell Graham VisitScotland Richard Pinn VisitScotland Eddie Byers VisitScotland Robbie Clyde Ryder Cup Project Director EventsScotland Alan Grant Events Marketing Manager EventsScotland Aileen Lamb Scottish Enterprise Gordon Todd Scottish Enterprise Keith Winter Strategic Exec Director Fife Council Michael MacDougall Secretary PGA ‐ Scotland Bill Main Chair Fife Chamber of Commerce Alan Russell Chief Executive Fife Chamber of Commerce Alistair MacGregor Golf Manager Fife Council Grant Ward Head of Sport & Leisure Fife Council Services June 2010
Tourism GM Old Course Hotel, Kohler Hotels Group Page 70
First Name Surname Position COMPANY Steve Blaney Tourism representative Federation of Small Businesses (Fife branch) Alan Minto Project Manager Golf East Lothian Ronnie Pook Secretary SIGTOA and Scotland Tours & 1st Events 11.3 Appendix 3 ‐ Golf Club Survey: Participating Golf Courses 1. Aberdour Golf Club 2. Balbirnie Park Golf Club 3. Burntisland Golf House Club 4. Charleton Golf Club 5. Cluny Golf Club 6. Drumoig Hotel & Golf Course 7. Duke`s Course, The 8. Dunfermline Golf Club 9. Elie Sports Club 10. Elmwood Golf Course 11. Falkland Golf Club 12. Forrester Country Park 13. Kilconquhar Castle Golf Centre 14. Kingsbarns Golf Links 15. Kirkcaldy Golf Club 16. Ladybank Golf Club 17. Leslie Golf Club 18. Leven Links Golf Course 19. Lundin Golf Club 20. Lundin Ladies Golf Club 21. Pitreavie (Dunfermline) Golf Club 22. Saline Golf Club 23. Scotscraig Golf Club 24. St Michaels Golf Club 25. The Golf House Club, Elie 26. Thornton Golf Club June 2010
Page 71
1
8
7
2
672
1
1
8
7
2
715
2
St
AndrewsThe Castle
Crail Craighead
1
8
7
1
675
9
7
2
672
8
7,000
£52
£65
LiH
SGU
5
Crail Balcomie
3
6
6
9
592
2
7,000
£52
£65
LiH
SGU
6
Elie The
Golf House
Club
Leven Links
Golf Course
7
0
627
3
4316
£70
£80
1
8
7
1
650
6
2148
£50
£55
8
Lundin
Golf Club
1
8
7
1
637
1
9000
£60
9
Scotscraig
Golf Club
1
8
7
1
655
0
£55
£75
Day
£55
10
St Andrews
- Eden
Course
St Andrews
1
8
7
0
625
0
1
7
662
2
3
4
7
11
June 2010
STARTE
R
3
25,00
0
5,00
0
5000
Do you pay them a commission?
Golf Passes
On-Line Booking
Capacity to take more visitors
Do you know how many rounds
you’d like to encourage
Would you want to encourage
more visitors to the club?
Green Fee Week-ends
Green Fees Weekday
No of Visitor Rounds Played
Visitor Nos Tracked
Visitor Welcomed
Catering & Bar
Shop
Do you have a Club Pro
Changing Facilities
Club Professional
Professional Shop
Are Caddies Available
Do you have Golf Buggies
Do You have Club Hire
Yard – age
Par
St Andrews
- Old
Course
Kingsbarns
Golf Links
Work with Tour Operators
1
CourseClub
Type of Course
No
s
Holes
11.4 Appendix 4 ‐Audit of Golf Courses in Fife YE
S
YE
S
2,000
£70 £65
4%
to
5%
YES
M
W
LiH
HL
Bk
Page 72
No
s
CourseClub
8
12
- New
Course
St Andrews
Bay - The
Kittocks
13
St Andrews
Bay - The
Torrance
14
15
16
June 2010
1
5
7
1
704
9
3
6
7
2
722
7
St Andrews
Jubilee
Course
St Andrews
Strathtyrum
St Andrews
Balgove
1
8
7
2
674
2
1
8
6
9
562
0
9
3
0
152
0
17
Duke`s
Course,
The
1
8
7
2
751
2
£110
£110
18
Ladybank
Golf Club
1
8
7
1
660
1
£51
£61
19
Aberdour
Golf Club
1
8
6
7
546
0
£32
£42
20
Anstruther
Golf Club
9
3
1
234
5
21
Auchterderr
an Golf
Course
9
6
6
262
5
NA
OP
Golf Passes
On-Line Booking
Green Fee Week-ends
Green Fees Weekday
Visitor Nos Tracked
Visitor Welcomed
Catering & Bar
Shop
Changing Facilities
Club Professional
Professional Shop
Yard – age
Par
Type of Course
Holes
M
W
OP
FiF,
SGU
Page 73
£27
£32
231
2
253
7
620
7
3,200
£10
£12
1
8
3
2
6
8
6
9
Drumoig
Hotel &
Golf Course
Dunfermlin
e Golf Club
1
8
7
2
683
5
£25
£33
1
8
7
2
612
1
£35
£40
Dunnikier
Park Golf
Club
Elie Sports
Club
1
8
7
1
653
2
9
6
4
217
7
33
Elmwood
Golf Course
1
8
7
0
595
1
34
Falkland
Golf Club
9
6
8
256
2
27
28
29
30
31
32
June 2010
9
£10 £15d
ay
BAR
YES
YE
S
FiF
YE
S
YE
S
FiF
YE
S
More
MW
YE
S
M
W
£10 £15d
ay
9
NA
Cluny Golf
Club
Cupar Golf
Club
Dora Golf
Course
644
6
Golf Passes
26
£34
YE
S
1
On-Line Booking
7
2
£28
FiF
2
7
NA
Charleton
Golf Club
25
Green Fee Week-ends
537
6
£45
24
YES
Green Fees Weekday
6
7
1
8
Visitor Nos Tracked
599
3
Visitor Welcomed
7
0
Catering & Bar
1
8
£40
23
6
Shop
633
4
7
1
Changing Facilities
1
8
Club Professional
Balbirnie
Park Golf
Club
Burntisland
Golf House
Club
Canmore
Golf Club
Professional Shop
22
CourseClub
No
s
Yard – age
Par
Type of Course
Holes
YE
S
N/
A
FiF.
SGU
OP
22,00
0
£26
£29
18,00
0
1000
£12
£15
1,000
Page 74
6
2
375
0
40
Lochgelly
Golf Club
1
8
6
8
549
1
41
Lochore
Meadows
Golf Course
Lundin
Ladies Golf
Club
Pitreavie
(Dunfermlin
e) Golf Club
9
7
2
296
3
9
6
8
437
0
1
8
7
0
603
2
Saline Golf
Club
Scoonie
Golf Course
9
1
8
6
8
6
7
265
1
544
7
St Michaels
Golf Club
1
8
7
0
580
2
42
43
44
45
46
June 2010
NA
N/
A
YES
N/A
PRO
NA
YE
S
NA
£45
FiF
£34
£44
FiF,
Bk
£10
Day
£12
DAY
£10£18
£10£18
£25
£30
£11.5
0
£14
£26 £35
£30 £38
BK
9
£35
Leslie Golf
Club
Golf Passes
39
On-Line Booking
600
4
7
1
1
8
38
514
1
Green Fee Week-ends
6
6
PRO
Green Fees Weekday
1
8
Kinghorn
Golf
Course
Kirkcaldy
Golf Club
37
Visitor Nos Tracked
640
6
Visitor Welcomed
7
1
Catering & Bar
1
8
36
8
Shop
699
8
7
2
Changing Facilities
1
8
Club Professional
Forrester
Country
Park
Glenrothes
Golf Course
Professional Shop
35
CourseClub
No
s
Yard – age
Par
Type of Course
Holes
YE
S
YE
S
FiF,B
K,
GF
M
W
BK,
Spre
e
Page 75
CourseClub
47
Thornton
Golf Club
1
8
June 2010
7
0
617
7
2,500
£25
MW
M
W
Golf Passes
On-Line Booking
£35
Green Fee Week-ends
Green Fees Weekday
Visitor Nos Tracked
Visitor Welcomed
Catering & Bar
Shop
Changing Facilities
Club Professional
Professional Shop
Yard – age
Par
Type of Course
No
s
Holes
FiF,
BK,
FW
Page 76
11.5 Appendix 5‐ Summary of Survey of Golf Courses Information on the number and type of golf course in Fife is published annually in the Fife golf guide (VisitScotland), on web sites, through the Scottish Golf Union and Fife Golfing Association for instance. We’ve assembled this data and reproduced it at appendix 4 – which deals with categories of course, number of holes, yardage and par etc. We’ve then added to this with the result of our survey of courses (see below). There are 36, 18 hole golf courses in Fife and a further 11, 9 hole courses. The courses represent a wide range of design and capability, from par 30 through to par 72. While Fife is renowned for its links courses, there are plenty of parkland courses available. In terms of reputation, Fife’s asset is not only St Andrews and The Old Course (being a honey pot attraction), but also the number of high quality championship and links courses ‐ the unique nature and challenge of playing the links courses are a major feature for visiting golfers. Fife’s assets, we would assert also comprise the overall number and range of courses, with Fife offering something to all levels and types of golfers. To gather more information on the characteristics and facilities available in the golf courses in Fife, BTS undertook a telephone survey of courses, followed by more detailed questions with a sample of 7 courses, to drill down to more detailed information. The courses responding to the survey are catalogued in appendix 3. Of the 47 courses listed in Fife we excluded direct questions of the 7 courses owned and operated directly by Fife Council, where information and views were gathered direct from senior local authority managers with responsibility for these courses. St Andrews Links Trust was also interviewed separately and additional relevant information on these 7 courses was obtained from e.g. the Annual Report, web site etc. We spoke to 26 of the 33 remaining golf courses to gather intelligence from them: a response rate of 81%. Other results from the survey are as follows: Course facilities i.
22 (85% of our sample) of the courses have golf club hire facilities (two of which described themselves as “limited choice”); ii.
19 courses (73%) have buggies for hire (1 course only has 2 buggies for people with disabilities and 6 courses having less than 6 buggies); iii.
Only 5 courses (19%) have caddies available although a number of others can arrange for them by prior appointment; June 2010
Page 77
iv.
19 (73%) courses indicated that they have a shop (two said that these are very limited); v.
23 (88%) courses have changing and/or shower facilities for golfers (1 other course has women only changing and 1 has lockers only). Employment vi.
14 courses (54% of our sample) have a Professional in place and 8 (31%) have a Starter; at four courses starting is undertaken by “bar or shop staff”; vii.
Within our 26 courses, there are a total of 43 Secretaries and or administrative staff; a small number are part time and one course said the roles were fulfilled voluntarily by committee members; viii.
From the responses, we estimated 18 professional staff and 28 assistant professional staff in our sample of courses; 148 green keepers and 136 bar and catering staff; some staff are part time, especially in the catering operations, and others are seasonal but in many instances respondents didn’t give us these figures. In our sample we calculate 373 people employed in the 26 golf courses. ix.
For the 7 courses we explored in more detail, employment ranged for 7 through to 30. 114 people are employed in total giving an average of 16 employees per course. Membership
23 of the course are membership clubs (88%), with an estimated 10,701 members between them. For those in our sample that were able to give us membership figures, the average membership number was 465. •
With 8,336 male members in the 19 courses that gave detailed figures, average male membership is 439; •
With 2,065 female members in the 21 courses that gave detailed information on membership, average female membership is 98; •
With 981 junior members in the 16 courses that gave us figures, average junior membership in courses in our sample is 61; •
One course has 300 family members; •
7 courses said that they had waiting lists of people wanting to be members; •
Our sample of 7 courses that we looked at in more detail said their membership revenues varied between ”over £100,000” through to £500,000 p.a. Rounds played and prices June 2010
Page 78
Only half of the courses said that they knew how many round are played each year. We asked courses about the cost of play: Cost of round
Less than £20 £21 ‐ £35 £35 ‐£50 £51‐£100 Over £101 Week day 6 9 4 5 2 Week‐end 6 7 5 6 2 The average price for a round of golf in our sample, midweek is £38.46; the average price of a round of golf at the week end is £44.17. Visitors Only half our sample of courses say they know how many rounds are played by visitors each year. 25 courses (96%) in our sample said that they welcome visitors, and 19 said that they would encourage more visitors to play. But there were also a small number of courses who variously said that they would want more visitors “off‐peak”, “mid‐week”, or “at full rate”. Two reflected the need to balance the need of members and visitors and one course said it didn’t really want any visitors! When asked if they knew how many rounds they wanted to encourage visitors to play, comments varied from 22,000 (already a play and play course), 2,000, 1,000, 72 mid week to “more” or “lots” and “as many as possible”. 20 courses said they had the capacity to take more visitors, while 6 said “mid week” and 1 said “outwith July and August”. Our sample of 7 courses who we asked more information of indicated that revenue from visiting golfers varied between “£22,000 to £29,000” and £500,000. 6 of these courses said that visiting golfers were “very important” and 1 said “important” to the overall finances of the club/course. Marketing and booking 13 courses (50%) said they took online booking, while 2 more courses said they were planning to; 18 courses (69%) take golf passes of one sort or another and 21 (81%) take bookings from tour operators, although only 13 (50%) were prepared or do pay commission. 14 courses (54%) say that they work collaboratively with other courses for collaborative marketing and 19 (73%) say they recommend accommodation when asked as well as food outlets (although 2 others recommend in‐house food and drink facilities first). Golf in Fife ‐ Threats and Opportunities We asked courses to identify what they saw as threats and opportunities facing golf in Fife. Frequent threats mentioned included: •
Weather June 2010
Page 79
•
Lack of or dropping membership •
Too many courses •
Competition from St Andrews •
Lack of overseas visitors •
Abuse of 2 for 1 schemes •
Fife Council courses too cheap or “cheap local golf” Opportunities cited included: •
“The Open is an opportunity” •
“Juniors ‐ the way ahead” •
The home of golf •
Opportunity with tour operators and direct marketing and PR •
Hosting World Junior Open One confident club respondent said: “No problems at Club.” We also asked about views about setting up a Fife Golf Alliance. 18 of the sample of courses (69%) were in the spectrum “interested” through to: •
“Probably beneficial” •
“Anything that will help is positive” •
“Great idea to promote area” •
“Good, working more closely with other clubs, sharing information and online bookings. Giving members more benefits. Utilise databases for online marketing and mailings. Twitter and PR opportunities. Everything however must be measurable and accountable.” •
“All for it” But there were also a minority who claimed to be sceptical or cynical: “An initiative too far at this stage” encapsulates this view. Overall Fife Golf proposition The results of our survey of the sample of 26 golf courses are only part of the overall picture of the range and quality of the Fife golf product. Substantial components not included in the phone survey, but talked to separately are: The St Andrews Links Trust courses 1.
2.
3.
4.
Old Course New Jubilee The Castle course 5.
6.
7.
Eden Course Strathtyrum Balgove June 2010
Page 80
The local authority operated courses 1.
2.
3.
4.
Auchterderran Golf Course Dora Golf Course Dunnikier Park Golf Club Glenrothes Golf Course 5.
6.
7.
Kinghorn Golf Course Lochore Meadows Golf Course Scoonie Golf Course These 14 courses offer the resident and the visitor everything from world class facilities (with 4 of the St Andrews Links courses in the Golf Digest Top 100 rankings) to courses catering for less experienced and junior golfers. Other courses amongst the 14 are described variously as a “relaxed challenge” through to “Municipal parkland course”. Importantly, from the point of view of the acknowledgement of the need for greater marketing and other forms of collaboration in golf circles, both the St Andrews Links Trust and the Fife Council operator of the municipal courses see the need for and are supportive of the concept of an alliance. 11.6 Appendix 6‐ Tourism Industry Survey Results: Summary In addition to our review of the golf courses facilities and attitudes to collaboration and the planned alliance, the wider tourism sector was invited to participate in an electronic survey. Our methodology was to: i.
Prepare press release for golf blogging sites and local Fife papers with link to BTS web site and survey; ii.
Seek support of e.g. Federation of Small Businesses and St Andrews Partnership, to e‐mail their members to advise them of survey and provide link iii.
Seek tourism trade associations (e.g. SIGTOA, Association of Scotland’s Self‐Caterers) support to e‐mail their members and tell them about link to survey,; iv.
Include news of survey and link in VisitScotland e‐newsletter and Scottish Tourism forum e news letter, v.
Direct email 194 accommodation providers As at 4th May, 83 respondents have completed the survey. •
74% or respondents are owner/manager of a business in Fife; •
67% of respondents are in accommodation establishments •
8% are Incoming tour operators •
69% or respondents have less than 5 full time staff •
8 respondents (10% of respondents) had over 21 staff •
Scotland followed by England, North America and then elsewhere in Europe were the dominant originations of golf related business for the respondents Accommodation establishments who responded were in the following quality assurance categories: June 2010
Page 81
o
5 star 1 o
4 star 24 o
3 star 15 o
2 star 2 o
1 star 0 o
Ungraded 8 Responses to “Who do you think are Fife's major competing destinations?” were comparable to responses from the golf course We asked for respondents’ perceptions of Fife's strengths and weaknesses for visiting golfers. Respondents were by and large optimistic about Fife’s strengths. In summary, they identified the strongest characteristics as: o
Public access to golf courses o
Flexibility of tee times o
Clubhouse facilities o
Teaching and practice facilities o
Other things for visitors to do in Fife o
Range of accommodation available o
Ability to compete with other (golf) destinations o
Fife's identity or recognition by golfers Respondents were more neutral about the “Welcome”, the availability of online tee time booking and the pricing of green fees. Some comments are worth recording: “Most non‐UK golfers do not know where or what Fife is ‐ but they do know the name St Andrews.” “St Andrews identity or recognition by the golfing market is our largest strength.” “Extensive range of courses by type/price bracket (strength) Close proximity of courses to each other (strength) Complacent reliance on St Andrews as a draw (weakness) Over Capacity (weakness).” Respondents also “Absolutely agree” or “Agree” on a wide range of possible improvements required for golf in Fife, belying their optimism about Fife’s strengths (above). Absolutely agree 1st priority June 2010
Agreed 2nd priority Neutral Page 82
Absolutely agree 1st priority •
•
•
•
•
•
•
Improve the standard of welcome Improve customer care Develop better "stay and play" packages More collaboration by everyone in golf and tourism Put Fife more strongly onto the tourism map Create a stronger identity for Fife Encourage more younger players Agreed 2nd priority • Generate & disseminate better market research on e.g. golfers • Improve club house facilities • Better web site(s) • Central tee time booking facilities • More signposting of golf courses • More collaboration between courses • More joint marketing • A stronger Scottish golf brand for all promotions • Spread the benefit of golf tourism more effectively • Provide business improvement/development support to courses • Give specialised marketing help to courses Neutral • More golf courses or resorts Some comments: “If you want to have more young people playing golf ‐‐ it has to remain affordable. Too many courses can only be played by the older richer players.” “Provide stay, play and visitor packages with alternative activities for non‐golfing partners.” “You’re missing the fact that Fife means nothing to the outside world but St Andrews means everything. Don't waste money trying to get a fife brand when you have one of the strongest brands at your finger tips.” “I have had to lose bookings because clients couldn’t get bookings as clubs didn’t answer phones.” “Promote St Andrews better and the rest of N E Fife will benefit from spin off.” When asked about collaboration in Fife, the highest response was on the need to “Develop more "stay and play" packages”, with support for a full range of marketing activities, below: “Package deals are good ‐ but must include interests outside golf.” “Offer alternative activities for the non golfers in the group.” “Work with the smaller accommodation operator as well as the large hotels.” “...don't just focus of St Andrews. Promote smaller (and cheaper courses).” When asked whether they thought the Golf Alliance is a good idea and should be developed •
69.5% said yes •
3.4 % (2 respondents) said no •
27% said they were unsure or would need convincing. June 2010
Page 83
There was a lot of uncertainty (and no consensus) about the legal structure of the alliance (voluntary, legal entity) and whether it should be chaired by the public or private sector. There was strong consensus however that the alliance should be open to all the trade, and not just golf courses ( 89%, with only one respondent saying no and 9% being unsure). 11.7 Appendix 7 ‐ Golf Tourism across the World Golf’s popularity around the world is confirmed by the figures, with an estimated 32,000 golf courses to choose from and approximately 56 million golfers playing on them. The sport world‐wide is valued at £10bn p.a. by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators with an estimated 3 new courses being completed every 2 weeks in Europe alone. Despite golf’s popularity, there remains enormous scope for further growth, since only 1% of the world’s population plays at present. 7% p.a. worldwide growth was estimated by the R & A in 2005. Golf Digest estimates the following distribution of golfers around the world: •
US: 58% •
Asia: 24% •
Europe: 12% The US has over 27m golfers or 10% of the population, with over 16,000 golf courses. VisitScotland undertook a survey of US golfers attitudes to Scotland in 2006 which impacts the marketing approach to this market. Europe is the second most developed golf market for Scotland with some 8m golfers. Of these golfers, 4 million are registered i.e. they are members of a golf club. The remainder are unregistered meaning that they play golf but are not tied to a club. Half of the golfers in Europe reside in the UK and Ireland. Of the 4 million golfers in the UK and Ireland 30% are registered and 70% are unregistered. Registered and core golfers are easier to target with golf tourism promotional information and they are also more likely to go on golfing holidays. In the UK golf participation is at 7% of the population, some way short of the US, so there is potential to grow the market. This figure is even lower for the rest of Europe where only 1% of the population plays golf and therefore potential exists. Golf is well developed in Germany, where it is the fastest growing mainstream sport. German golfers are required to gain the Platzreife to play golf in Germany ‐ a golf licence that requires participants to undertake a written exam and complete a round of golf accompanied by a golf professional. 84% of respondents in the 2006 VisitScotland survey had this licence. There are over 506,000 licensed golfers in Germany making it one of the largest European golfing markets outside of the UK. June 2010
Page 84
The Scandinavian market is developing and Swedes particularly are enthusiastic about their golf. There are an estimated 545,000 registered players in Sweden making this a strong market potential for Fife. Many European golfers like to play in sunny and warm climates such as Spain and Portugal, as well as at home. But for both German and Swedish golfers, the Scottish “home of golf” association resonates with their interest in the sport. The Asian market is estimated to contribute 17‐18m golfers to the world total. There are 13 million golfers in Japan alone with 10% of population penetration. While a growing market opportunity, as is China, evidenced by Elmwood College’s engagement there, the numbers are small and interest is in playing trophy courses. The International Context – Trends in Key Markets 23 USA: Most developed outbound golf market, spending €1bn annually and accounting for 4 million room nights. 10% of US golfers (one million) go abroad – Mexico & Canada mainly. 8% have visited Scotland and 6% Ireland. Only motivated by links courses to travel long haul for golf – it can be difficult to motivate them to travel for parkland courses unless they are Trophy courses most important sources for planning: word of mouth (49%), the Internet (39%) and golf magazines (29%). UK – most popular destinations are France, Spain and Portugal (after domestic market). Proportion of total numbers of golfing holidays taking place in: England ‐ 25.6%; Ireland ‐ 5.3%; Scotland ‐ 15.3%. Booking methods: 57% independent, 18% direct with tour operator, 13% golf club/association. Canada:‐ 3.6 million golfers, 7% of golfers are likely to take a trip for golf outside the country in the next 3 years. Ontario is Canada’s largest outbound golf holiday market Europe: French, Swedish and German golf travellers overwhelmingly prefer sunshine destinations. France: 27% take short haul golf holidays, of which 0.9% are to Ireland, 0.9% to Scotland and 0.4% to England. Tunisia and Morocco are the most popular destinations, with England, Germany and Morocco having the most highly rated courses. Sweden: 41% take short haul golf holidays, of which 2% are to Ireland, and 1% each to Scotland and England. Spain and Portugal are the most popular destinations, although Ireland, England and France have the most highly rated courses. Germany: 51% take at least one short haul golf holiday, with 2% to Ireland, 2.2% to Scotland and 0.5% to England. Spain and Portugal are the most popular destinations, although England, Scotland and Ireland have the most highly rated courses. The Internet for Golfers 23
Source Fáilte Ireland Golf Strategy 2010
June 2010
Page 85
The Internet has become the most important planning and booking tool for golfers worldwide, especially for Americans. •
Nearly 23 million or 86% of American golfers have access to the Internet and they are far more likely to go on‐line than the average American; •
Over 62% of the 65+year old American golfers are surfing the web, much higher than the average in that age group; •
Over 42% of all golfers and 61% of ‘best customer’ golfers in the US use the Internet for golf related information. (Best Customers are those who play 25 or more rounds and/or spend $1,000 or more on golf in a year); •
28% of all golfers and 38% of ‘best customers’ use golf specific web sites to look at places to play; •
On golf‐specific web sites, weather searches are the most prevalent use, followed by courses to play & equipment information; •
The majority of golf travellers research their golf holiday on the net before travelling and 41% of American golfers book some part of their golf vacation on the internet; •
75% of US golfers either currently purchase general merchandise online or are open to doing so in the future; •
75% currently make or are disposed to making general travel arrangements online; •
Over 70% of golfers visit a destination’s website looking for information on golf prior to travelling there; •
In the UK over 90% of the business comes from ‘independents’ who book directly with the clubs or through hotels or Golf Destination Management Companies; •
Currently, tee times are primarily booked by phone, fax and/or e‐mail on a 24 hour return reply basis; •
The trend with Americans, having been to Scotland one or more times with a tour operator is to book direct for future trips. June 2010
Page 86
Fife Golf Partnership Draft Business and Marketing Plan Driving Change and Growth for Golf in Fife 2011 ‐ 2013 Prepared by BTS May 2011 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan Contents 1 Introduction and Overview 3 1.1 About The Fife Golf Partnership 3 1.2 Unlocking the Barriers to Growth 3 2 Vision and Objectives 5 3 Market Analysis 7 4 Membership 8 4.1 Membership Fees 8 4.2 Membership Categories 8 4.3 Membership Benefits 9 4.4 Membership Targets 10 5 Marketing and Communications 12 5.1 Marketing Objectives 12 5.2 Fife Golf Partnership Activities 12 5.3 Fife Golf Tourism Marketing – The Opportunities for Fife 13 5.4 Overseas & Domestic Target Markets 14 5.5 Promoting golf in Fife 14 5.6 Making it Happen 15 6 Organisation and Management 17 6.1 Organisation 17 6.2 Staffing 18 6.3 Office Accommodation and Systems 18 7 Funding and Finances 19 7.1 Resources and Funding 19 7.2 Income and Expenditure Assumptions 19 7.3 Financial Projections 21 8 Monitoring and Evaluation – KPIs 22 9 The Way Forward/ Implementation 23 10 Appendices 24 10.1 Golf Product Analysis & Segmentation 24 10.2 Making it Happen ‐ Detailed Marketing Activities 26 10.3 Activity Plan 32 10.4 Project Manager ‐ Draft Job Description and Person Specification 38 BTS Page 2 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan 1
Introduction and Overview This document is the draft business plan for the formation and launch of the Fife Golf Partnership, whose role is to work with existing golf operators to enhance the marketing of Fife for golf tourism. The document sets the strategic direction for the Partnership over the next three years, identifying the activities, membership benefits and detailed estimates of income and expenditure for five years, while also detailing how membership will be recruited, funds generated to make things happen and added value and co‐ordination achieved. 1.1
About The Fife Golf Partnership The Fife Golf Partnership (FGP) is the new network of Fife Golf courses and clubs, accommodation providers, golf travel trade and industry trade associations working together to develop and improve the market position of Fife as a must‐visit golf destination – to bring more golf visitors here and generate more revenue for all members of the Partnership, and for Fife. The Partnership will build on the recognition and appeal of Fife, whose golf values are recognised worldwide and which has at its core, the passion, skills and facilities Fife, and St Andrews, offer in golf. The Fife Golf Partnership is conceived as a not‐for‐profit trade association, owned and governed by its membership, providing marketing and business support to Fife Golf Course operators and related stakeholders, presenting one united voice within the Fife golf industry. Membership will be open to golf clubs and courses across Fife and Fife tourism operators with an interest in golf. Decisions to join will be based both upon wider benefits and upon direct, discernable, transparent and (cost) effective benefits, of immediate advantage to each member. The FGP will work across the Fife area, with existing golf related operators, course, and clubs, to: 




1.2
Build upon existing marketing efforts Create industry‐led marketing and communication plans Promote and support delivery of excellent customer care Promote training and professional development And potentially, ultimately, offer the consumer a one stop shop for booking, sourcing best deals etc. Unlocking the Barriers to Growth While the international quality and reputation of some of Fife’s golf facilities, and St Andrews, is recognised worldwide, there is a considerable breadth of facilities, experiences and quality of golf facilities across the region. Yet the opportunity exists to promote all of Fife’s golf facilities together, to build on the playing ambitions (and skills) of different golfers, to capture a greater share of the golf visitor market, support the promotion of Fife as a destination and generate greater economic benefit through a segmentation model. The iconic status of St Andrews in golfing terms is the jewel in Fife’s crown. Marketing the golf experience in Fife as a whole, or across a range of courses, would undershoot if the premier position of St Andrews is not acknowledged and built into the marketing proposition and promotion. The dominant USP of Fife’s golf product is St Andrews and Championship Links Golf yet there are compelling, good value second and third tier courses available to suit every experience and skill amongst players. There are a number of opportunities for Fife to build on, including: 

Help St Andrews generate even more visibility and visitors against aggressive international competition; Build on St Andrews’ recognition to generate benefit for golf across the region, by keeping players in the region and offering other quality golf experiences to them; 
Build the profile of other courses in Fife to help market and product differentiation ‐ offering positive golf experiences for players who either may not know all the courses in Fife, or haven’t been motivated (as yet) to visit them; 
Segmenting both the market and the Fife product, to ensure that the right products and experiences are offered to the right golfers. The hosting of the British Open in St Andrews in 2010 has again raised St Andrews’, Fife’s and Scotland’s profile as a premier golf destination, as well as highlighting Fife to a wider non‐golfing audience. But it also presents us with the challenge of where to go next. How do all of us involved in offering golf in Fife ensure further growth after hosting one of the biggest events in the golf world or to take advantage of the upcoming Rioch Women’s Open at St Andrews in 2013, the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles and The British Open at St Andrews in 2015? The Fife Golf Partnership provides the marketing platform to address these challenges and build on and better co‐
ordinate the marketing efforts of many involved in golf in Fife. Indeed the wide range of marketing and promotional activities, conducted by everyone with an interest in golf tourism in Fife, itself leads to diffusion of the message and BTS Page 3 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan focus. This plan for the Fife Golf Partnership will offer better value for all these parties in their investment in marketing, allowing shared costs, significantly reduce duplication, collaborative effort and a common agreement about who to market to and how. This business and marketing plan sets out to address these key issues: 


How do we drive growth in golf tourism to Fife? Where are our best opportunities for growth and how do we unlock them? How do we ensure more and a balanced spread of golf tourism to all parts of Fife and more demand for all FGP golf courses? 

How do we develop new business from elsewhere in Scotland, the UK, mainland Europe and the US? How do we support Fife golf clubs, courses and businesses in positioning themselves for growth? BTS Page 4 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan 2
Vision and Objectives The Fife Golf Partnership (FGP) will build on and better co‐ordinate the marketing and promotion of Fife for golf tourism. 2.1
The Vision of Fife Golf Partnership: Fife has a supreme range of courses available for every type of player, at every price. St Andrews and Fife offer everything from iconic, championship, challenging and enjoyable courses for the experienced player, for golf buddies and for the novice – from within Scotland, the UK and overseas. The vision for FGP is based upon Fife’s current competitive position and the ambition: “To capitalise on the strength of the Fife Golf Product and the Scottish Golf experience, providing golfers visiting Fife with a readily accessible and memorable visitor experience” 2.2
The Objectives of the Partnership Aims 1. To work together to boost golf tourism for Fife. 2. To represent and collaborate with FGP members to market and promote golf in Fife. 3. To build a membership organisation that members will aspire to be involved in and an organisation that delivers tangible and accountable business benefits. Key Objectives We see the detailed objectives being prioritised over the first three years of the organisation, to ensure focus on immediate priorities and build up of the Fife Golf Partnership’s capacity to tackle longer term opportunities. Years 1 ‐ 3 1.
To work with existing clubs and courses, accommodation providers, golf travel trade and professional golf associations and organisations to coordinate marketing and promotional efforts to boost Fife’s golf status and performance in golf tourism. To take a leadership role in marketing and developing golf in Fife and align with the tourism priorities of Fife 1 . To position Fife and St Andrews as a competitive, compelling golf destination able to compete internationally. To develop collaborative marketing and promotional campaigns aimed at golf visitors, including accommodation and pay and play packages and collaboration with golf tour operators. 5. To identify new opportunities and help develop new golf products and packages that enhances Fife’s reputation and status in golf. 2.
3.
4.
Year 2 and 3 6. To build a brand that encompasses all that is great about golf in Fife – and which positions the area as a competitive, compelling golf destination within Scotland and the UK. 7. To build on and help extend successful marketing and booking schemes (e.g. First in Fife), including easy‐to‐use on‐line tee booking systems, making it convenient for players and profitable for courses. 8. To offer a forum, promote examples of good practice and innovation and disseminate information to members. Year 3 9. To identify ways in which courses and clubs can enhance the welcome for golfers and the quality of customer service. 10. To support courses and club with management and business development, customer care, and marketing to help courses generate sales and support revenue generation. 11. To support high golf industry standards of course management and maintenance, including sustainable practices. Underpinning these objectives and the vision for the FGP are:  Working with existing clubs, courses and golf interests to collaborate better, in order to boost Fife’s position in the marketplace. 
The representation of FGP members’ collective strengths and interests in communication with stakeholders, media, business and the consumer. 1
Articulated through the current Fife Tourism Strategy BTS Page 5 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan 
BTS To operate as a viable, innovative and professional organisation to benefit members and promote golf tourism in Fife. Page 6 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan 3
Market Analysis In 2010 BTS undertook on Fife Councils’ behalf a market review, to determine the marketing and promotional needs of golf in Fife and the fit of visitors to the Fife golf product (and vice versa). This was undertaken by carefully crafting a segmentation model to reflect the capabilities of courses and visitors alike. Golf is one of the highest participation sports in the UK and there are 56 million golfers worldwide. Golf tourism tends to be relatively resistant to recession and is less price sensitive than other tourism sectors. The informed view is that despite the global recession, golf continues to grow, but in Europe at a slower rate than previously. There are a variety of intelligence, research and insight reports about the golf market and these were listed in the May 2010 BTS report and are available separately. Core markets for golf in Scotland were identified as UK and Ireland (70%) and 3 overseas markets (30%). Of the overseas markets 50% are from US and the remaining 50% are broadly split between Scandinavia and Germany. Fife is privileged in the golf tourism market because:  It is internationally renowned and has significant collateral, through the presence of iconic courses, the reputation of St Andrews and the hosting of Open Championships here;  The range of quality courses that exist across the region, which can be promoted to the market, demonstrating choice and a quality of experience to all‐comers. The priority segments (geographical and demographic) are well defined and marketing effort in Fife should tie in with Scotland‐wide golf marketing, and vice versa. The marketing strategy for golf in Fife needs to include the range of courses and the wide variety of skills that can be accommodated. Currently visitors don’t know enough of what else is available and this is exacerbated by the half hearted commitment of some courses to accommodate visitors. Visitors, who play golf in Scotland, have a range of different expectations from their trip depending on how central golf is to their overall holiday experience. The characteristics of golf visitors are important from a marketing perspective and will condition the overall Fife golf proposition and tactical marketing efforts. Research commissioned by VisitScotland has broken golfing holidaymakers into the following 8 categories, the first 4 being the main categories:  Golf buddies  Luxury golfers  Golfing tourists  Golf purists  Golfing Escapees  Activity Golfers  Serendipity Golfers  Golfing Opportunists In addition to the VisitScotland golfer characteristics, additional segments that Fife can target are:  Societies  Meetings & Incentives  Corporate BTS has also segmented the market for the geographical origin of visitors, tying in with the range of Fife’s golf facilities. The table at Appendix 1 summarises the Visitor Markets matched to the Fife Golf Product. The marketing approach to golf in Fife should be based upon: 1. St Andrews and the Championship Links course as “attack brands 2 ”; 2. Segmentation of both the market and the Fife product to demonstrate the accessibility of a range of other (second and third tier) courses to accommodate all ranges of skills, from novices to experienced players; 3. Motivating clubs to accommodate visitors and encouraging them to adopt the processes and systems that will make visiting golfers welcome; 4. On line tee booking systems and web based promotion; 5. Marketing activity which emphasizes off‐peak periods in order to extend the season; 6. Emphasis on value for money, both in season and in off peak periods to appropriate market segments; 7. Working with specialist golf tour operators as a key source of golf business; 8. Cross‐marketing Fife’s other tourism product strengths with golf e.g. food and heritage by enhancing the product through packages and “bundles”. 2
First in a hierarchy of products and brands BTS Page 7 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan 4
Membership Working with existing golf‐related organisations is the key to the success of the Fife Golf Partnership (FGP). In these challenging economic times and with the number of golf and tourism industry organisations it is crucial that the FGP membership model is both competitive and delivers business benefits for members and for Fife. There are a number of organisations and businesses each with different priorities, different geographical areas of remit, different activities and different approaches to supporting tourism and specifically golf tourism in Fife. However, it is acknowledged that there is a huge amount of commonality and there is a need for a more coordinated approach for the golf industry. A fundamental element of the partnership is the coordination of the wider network of trade organisations working across Fife. The FGP’s Industry Members will have a voice, have influence and be expected through their membership to contribute to the greater success of Fife for golf. The opportunity for members is that they will be able to generate business for themselves by tying in their marketing and sales collaboratively. Membership is open to any business with an interest in the Fife Golf industry, members will be drawn from a wide range of sectors including golf courses, accommodation, attractions, restaurants, bars, leisure, retail, transport and colleges, etc. Through members’ participation, FGP will be able to  Co‐ordinate Fife golf marketing activities to generate greater value for money and a shared focus  Influence the market with innovative product packaging;  Attract additional opportunities and revenues through consistent messaging;  Extend the marketing reach by sharing costs. 4.1
Membership Fees
The recommended membership model is innovative and designed to be competitive with and offer value for money against the many and varied organisations (including online) currently being marketed. Membership of the Fife Golf Partnership is complimentary, all businesses with an interest in Golf in Fife will be eligible for membership. The membership entry fee is complimentary to ensure the engagement and participation of members. Members will have access to a range of graded levels of membership benefits paid for as demanded by members and most suited to their business needs. Business will be able to choose the one that best suits their needs. 4.2
Membership Categories Eligibility for membership of the FGP will be drawn from golf related businesses across Fife and tour operators who generate business for Fife. Membership will be open to golf clubs and courses across Fife and Fife tourism operators with an interest in golf. Decisions to join will be based both upon wider benefits and upon direct, discernable, transparent and (cost) effective benefits, of immediate advantage to each member. There are FIVE categories of membership proposed: Membership Category Location/Remit I. Golf courses and clubs All Golf Courses and Clubs in Fife II. Accommodation and ancillary tourist facilities All accommodation providers in Fife and tourism related businesses III. Golf tour operators Wherever located, but providing business for Fife IV. Public agencies, stakeholders and professional golfing associations Golf and professional organisations, public agencies and other stakeholders with an interest in golf in Fife V. Affiliate membership This category will have no voting rights or powers: the eligibility for affiliate membership category would be: Suppliers to golf courses and to, accommodation and golf tourism related businesses. The benefit for these affiliate members would be the opportunity to access the FGP membership and participate in communications, information exchange, promotion of their products etc. BTS Page 8 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan 4.3
Membership Benefits
Members will be able to enjoy a range of benefits most suited to their business needs. The benefits are graded under a “platinum”, “gold”, “silver” and “bronze” system. Membership Level Membership Fee Membership Benefits Entry Level 1 (Bronze) Complimentary 
Listing on FGP Website 
Entry in FGP Golf Brochure Membership Benefits Entry Level 2 (Silver) £99 + VAT All benefits of entry level plus 
Priority listing on FGP Web site o Direct link to business by email and web link. o Descriptive text and up to 3 images – fully editable by business 
Marketing campaign opportunities: Opportunity to participate in any joint partnership activity undertaken throughout the year including working with VisitScotland  Business‐to‐business selling opportunities via the FGP website Membership Benefits Entry Level 3 (Gold) £199 + VAT All benefits of Level 2 plus 
Enhanced priority listing on FGP web site includes: o Direct link to your own booking engine or website. Or on‐line tee booking o ‘Book Now’ Button on you web listing o Special offer promotion on web site o Automatic Trip Advisor Feed (optional).  Participation in annual VisitScotland Expo, offering members the opportunity to use the FGP stand to network with clients and/or distribute marketing materials 
Free marketing of members' offers at European Tour tournaments and other events, in conjunction with VisitScotland. 
E‐Marketing ‐ 2 e‐mailings per annum per member 
Inclusion in consumer e‐newsletter  Inclusion in relevant media newsletter  Participation in press trips Membership Benefits Level 4 (Platinum) £299 + VAT All benefits of Level 3 plus BTS 
Enhanced priority listing on FGP web site 
Special offer promotion on web site 
Free marketing of members' offers at European Tour tournaments and other events, in conjunction with VisitScotland. 
Access to Golf Media Services 
Themed marketing campaign activity 
Editorial feature and inclusion in online newsletter Page 9 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan FGP Industry Members will play a key role in shaping the future development of the FGP, to meet their needs and those of the industry as a whole, through: 



Working in close partnership with each other to develop new product and product packaging for visiting golfers; Collaboration to develop consistent high customer care and service delivery standards; Forming mutually beneficial relationships with accommodation providers; Hosting FGP events for marketing, training or student activity; In addition to the direct benefits of membership the following are the additional benefits of becoming an inaugural FGP Member: 4.4

Members will be able to access fit‐for‐purpose, creative marketing campaigns designed to expand their individual brand and contribute significantly into the collective FGP brand, winning new business, increasing profile and thus revenues; 
Collaborative marketing including press, PR, exhibition attendance, print and web – lowering individual marketing costs and increasing margin; 
Advance notification of industry events with preferential booking for staff, members and partners; 
An invitation to annual FGP Industry Conference and other networking events; 
Members' forums to get the latest thinking, share ideas and develop joint initiatives; 
A regular members’ e‐newsletter with details of FGP marketing activities, marketing successes and industry news; 
Access to a membership area on the planned website, designed to facilitate quick and effective communication between all members; Membership Targets There are over 400 tourism related businesses in Fife and while the ideal would be to convert all to membership of FGP we need to be realistic about what is achievable and the cost of selling membership to the trade. These aspects are taken into account in the targets for membership, with a low level being the targets in the first 3 years of the FGP. Annual Membership Fee Membership Targets Membership Categories Number in Fife Target Year 1 Target Year 2 Target Year 3 Target Year 4 Target Year 5 Golf Courses 47 18 24 26 26 26 Hotels 46 15 20 30 40 45 B&Bs and Guest Houses 138 35 45 50 70 70 Inns and Restaurants with Rooms 16 2 3 3 5 5 Hostels, Campus 1 0 0 0 0 0 Self Catering, Caravans and Camping 189 40 45 55 75 85 Golf Tour Operators 15 5 10 10 20 25 ‐ 5 10 10 20 25 437 120 157 184 256 281 Lodges Affiliate Members Total and BTS Page 10 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan BTS Page 11 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan 5
Marketing and Communications To inspire potential members to join FGP and to differentiate the organisation from what has gone before, FGP has to be both innovative and commercial in building on existing marketing activity and developing and delivering membership benefits and added value to Fife. In a highly competitive Golf environment, Fife must improve its visibility. Golfers have many choices of international destination and, if selecting Scotland, a choice of 550 courses throughout Scotland to play. The task then is to make sure that the range and quality of courses in Fife are seen and selected. The FGP will develop a co‐ordinated and focused marketing approach to deliver clear and consistent messages to identified target markets, working with members and golf interests across the area. Successful delivery of objectives requires a comprehensive marketing plan that works to unify all with a financial stake and interest in golf in Fife and that must be jointly: 
Consumer facing to add value to the Fife tourism economy through increased understanding and recognition of the scope and scale of the proposition, with a mutually commercial focus to capitalise upon market opportunities; and Trade facing to enhance the quality of visitor experience and a commercial focus to capitalise upon market opportunities (and attract and deliver to members). 
The purpose of the marketing plan is thus to raise the level of interest in Fife and position it as the premier golf destination in Scotland and the UK as a desirable and exciting must‐visit destination for golfers coming to Scotland and Fife. 5.1
Marketing Objectives The marketing objectives for FGP can be summarised as: 1.
Building on the existing recognition of Fife and efforts of different parties in promoting golf in Fife, to raise Fife’s profile further and for it to be Scotland’s premier golf destination. Increase golf tourism expenditure in Fife. Ensure product development is in line with market needs. Improving the experience of the visiting golfer through skills, product enhancement and quality assurance initiatives 2.
3.
4.
5.2
Fife Golf Partnership Activities The Fife Tourism strategy sets the context for the FGP: “It is recognised that golf, although a world game, has Scotland (and St Andrews) as its spiritual home and there is huge cachet in this .... There exists in Fife a tremendous golf heritage along with a wealth of talent and expertise and with 47 courses and associated facilities there is an extensive range of facilities for the visiting golfer.” “However, according to consumer research there is limited awareness of the breadth of the Scottish product offering as well as a continued prevalence of golf “myths” surrounding ... accessibility, availability and cost. In addition to the need to tackle these “myths”, there is a need to address cost barriers through communicating the overall value for money offered rather than focusing purely on the low/high green fees and their associated perceptions of poor quality/exclusivity. Moreover, there is a need to make it easier to “buy” a golf experience – to facilitate ease of build of individualised breaks by providing straightforward and “linked up” access to the various elements of the product offering (travel, accommodation, offers, golf passes, packages etc).” Priorities The FGP will undertake a number of core functions to deliver its objectives and to add value to the members and to Fife as Scotland’s Home of Golf: Priority One: Marketing and Promotion Tasks:  To work with existing golf interest to coordinate and add to their marketing activities (years 1‐3);  To prepare marketing plan for golf in Fife based on the BTS segmentation of the market and Fife’s golf product (a draft of this activity plan for 2011 is appended) (years 1 ‐ 3); BTS Page 12 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan 
Develop, deliver and monitor annual Marketing Activity to support and improve the profile and positioning of the Golf sector in Fife, working with Fife Council, VisitScotland and others to deliver the Fife golf marketing plan (years 1‐3); 
To identify new opportunities and help develop new golf products and packages that enhance Fife’s reputation and status in golf (years 1 ‐ 3); 

To maximise the benefit to Fife of the Open Championship, Dunhill Cup and other golf events (years 1 ‐ 3); To build on and help extend successful marketing and booking schemes (e.g. First in Fife), including easy‐to‐use on‐line tee booking systems (years 2 and 3); 
To review and if needs be develop the Fife golf brand that captures the range of golf facilities available for a wide range of players (years 2 and 3); Priority Two: Co‐ordination, Representation and Advocacy Tasks: To act on behalf of and represent the collective strengths and interests of members and promote, advocate their interests and provide two‐way communication to stakeholders, media, business and the public (years 1 ‐ 3). Priority Three: Business & Skills Development Tasks:  To improve the experience of the visiting golfer through skills, product enhancement and quality assurance initiatives (years 2 and 3); 
To develop industry skills and knowledge of e‐commerce to facilitate the purchase of golf products (years 2 and3). Priority Four: Supporting High Quality Standards Tasks:  To encourage innovation and collaboration in product development (years 2 and 3);  To develop golf course facilities to broaden the offering (year 3). 5.3
Fife Golf Tourism Marketing – The Opportunities for Fife
In developing an integrated regional golf marketing approach the FGP must build on existing marketing efforts and the success of the past by continuing to actively market the region through innovative and effective marketing strategies and campaigns. The dominant USP of Fife’s golf product is St Andrews and Championship Links Golf yet there is a wide range of good value courses throughout Fife. The opportunities for Fife are to build on the proposition that: Fife has a supreme range of courses available for every type of player, at every price. Fife and St Andrews offer everything from iconic, championship, challenging and enjoyable courses for the experienced, for golf buddies and for the novice – from within Scotland, the UK and overseas visitors. To build on the above proposition and to take advantage of Fife’s competitive advantage, the FGP needs to work collaboratively with everyone already active in marketing and promotion and to package and promote what they already offer in order that potential visitors are aware of the strength and depth of product offering and are enticed to visit the area. This will require better co‐ordination across Fife and a shared commitment to a single plan. Businesses will be encouraged to collaborate on marketing initiatives that reinforce the common strengths of the area. The priorities for a market led strategy are: 1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
BTS Developing a Fife wide marketing strategy positioning and profiling Fife as the Premier Golfing Destination in Scotland; Promote St Andrews as a market leader with world‐wide recognition in golfing markets complemented by Championship Links Golf and the good value ‘hidden gem’ courses available throughout Fife; Product differentiation and market segmentation of golf in Fife to complement the St Andrews golf experience, to ensure that the right products and experiences are offered to the right golfers; Motivating clubs to accommodate visitors and encouraging them to adopt the processes and systems that will make visiting golfers welcome; Seek to extend the season and optimise year‐round capacity; Emphasis of value for money, both in season and off peak periods to appropriate market segments; Page 13 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan 7.
Working with specialist golf tour operators as a key source of golf business, particularly for high‐value ‘niches’ such as MICE and Corporate markets; 8. Cross‐marketing Fife’s other tourism product strengths with golf by enhancing the product through packages and “bundles” with other attractive activities (e.g. history, retail, coast, food offer etc); 9. Explore opportunities for IT based marketing routes and opportunities from Fife wide on‐line tee booking; 10. Generate sales and revenue for members. 11. Development of a brand for the Fife‐wide golf product to cohere the range of facilities under a coordinated and focused marketing programme; Golfing in Fife at it simplest definition will succeed better as a destination by focusing on the brand, which must characterise the essence and experiences of golfing in Fife, making the experience memorable and ensuring Fife stands out from its competitors. The brand is a promise and it has the power to weave seemingly disparate threads into one powerful proposition. Critical to considering a brand strategy for golfing in Fife and promoting the destination, is that it should be for the long term, giving the opportunity to build recognition and visibility. Failure to deliver to the promise – for example in terms of a product or service ‐ undermines all the efforts at building the brand. In order to have successful and enduring impact, the brand must not only have resonance amongst customer groups (e.g. visitors, investors and business people), but it must also be credible and receive enthusiastic support from local stakeholders and residents. 5.4
Overseas & Domestic Target Markets The market segments to target in the future that offer the greatest potential and opportunity for Fife have been identified following analysis of the market information and intelligence available through VisitScotland and VisitBritain and consumer behaviour of those taking activity led/golfing short breaks, as well as the results and recommendations of the St Andrews Golf Development Group Research (2005). The results of the segmentation are summarised below and the routes to market for these geographical and sector markets and the analysis is summarised in a separate document. The table below summarises the recommended Geographic Market Sectors and segments. Priority Markets Focus Country Priority 1: Markets currently delivering the majority of Scotland / Fife’s visitors, or are recognised as having the greatest potential to deliver in the short term because of enhanced access (transport) links. Markets with the potential to deliver an increased proportion of visitors to Fife, since consumers in these markets are motivated by the product that the Fife and Scottish golf product offer. Markets with medium to long term potential that will require long term relationship building and a higher level of resources and that will not necessarily generate the required return on investment. North America England Northern Ireland Republic of Ireland Scotland (Scottish Golfers) Germany Scandinavia Priority 2: Priority 3: 5.5
Netherlands France Spain Russia Rest of World including Asia / China Promoting golf in Fife One of the key elements of developing golf in Fife is to carefully segment both the market and the Fife Golf product, to ensure that we offer the right products and experiences to the right golfers. This means looking at what Fife offers both from the perspective of demand as well as supply, using the segmentation model. On the supply side, Fife’s wide range of courses can be broadly categorised into the following groups. Course Category World Icon – Old Course Trophy Courses Championship No of Courses 3 1 2 6 3
Detailed breakdown in appendix BTS Page 14 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan Links Courses Championship Parkland Courses Parkland – Other courses 9 hole courses 4 5.6
7 2 20 10 Making it Happen The supply side segmentation allows us to be much more focussed in matching customers with relevant experiences. The table in the appendices outlines the fit with market segments, courses and routes to market. The approach comprises: 1. The dominant USPs for Fife’s golf product are St Andrews, Championship Links Golf and the good value ‘hidden 2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
gem’ courses available throughout Fife. Communications should focus on Fife’s unique selling points and on a dedicated golf website with a long term vision of online tee‐times and product assembled for planning and booking on the web. Segment the promotion of golf and use members and partners to maximise the promotional opportunities. Promoting golf in US and Canada with the focus being St Andrews works, but in the UK and for the rest of the Scottish market, for instance as well as other price sensitive markets, this approach may reinforce a perception of an expensive product and golf destination. Here the emphasis must switch to promoting value for money courses e.g. Links with History / First in Fife, the best links golf and some of the best hidden gems in the world and ensure that golf pass and IT booking systems reinforce accessibility of tee times and price. In more price sensitive markets, promote Fife as a destination for both dedicated golf holidays as well as for holidays combining golf with other elements, will be more effective in communicating a value offer to a larger segment of the market. The value offer must be highlighted as an option. The promotion of ‘Value Golf’ in Fife can be achieved by partnering with low cost carriers and ferry companies, and promoting it on and through the internet. Golf publications for societies, women and seniors in selected low cost markets will also be a cost effective tool for ‘Value Golf’. Can emphasise off‐peak periods in order to extend the season and optimise year‐round capacity. Promote bundled offerings (Golf linked to Wellness, Cuisine and Heritage) can strongly influence the selection of a golf destination when couples travel. This is due to the significant influence of the female traveller. Cross‐
marketing Fife’s other tourism product strengths with golf e.g. Food and Heritage by enhancing the product through packages and “bundles” with other attractive activities (e.g. history, retail, coast, etc.) and building ‘added value’ through accommodation, food, etc. Working with Tour Operators communicating these bundled offers (Spa, Shopping, Cuisine) may be the most effective method of influencing the choice of destination for golf travelling couples and families. Cross marketing should be explored between compatible ‘products’ in Fife. Bringing together the elements and components of the marketing strategy to enable FGP market effectively to its agreed target markets. The activities and actions are not a definitive list and will be added to on and reviewed by the FGP Board on a regular basis. The following actions are amplified in the appendices: 1.
Online & Digital marketing 2.
Golf Partnership Programme 2011 for Members 3.
Showcase Fife in front of media and potential visitors at promotions and events 4.
Reinforce the Value message 5.
Product Development 6.
PR & Media 7.
Golf Champions – Par Excellence 8.
Golf Fife Brand Ambassadors 9.
Creating Clusters / Collaborative Groups 10. Quality Standards for Golf ‐ Raising the Game 4
Kingarroch Hickory Club at Hill of Tarvit included BTS Page 15 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan BTS Page 16 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan 6
Organisation and Management 6.1
Organisation Ideally, the Fife Golf Partnership should be a company limited by guarantee with no share capital, restricting members’, and the Board’s, liabilities to £1 each. Such a structure will ultimately be better able to receive revenue, especially grants and contributions from the public sector, and make financial commitments and expenditure. It will also manage risk. However, formal legal advice should be sought and founding directors advised accordingly. There will be a 3 or 4 month period of transition from a gathering of like‐minded people overseeing the development of the project, through to company start up. Both BTS in the short term and Fife Council officers have the experience of managing this sort of transition. Tasks required are: 1.
Agree the way forward with the business and marketing plan (current Working Group and putative founding members); 2.
Generate first financial commitments on the basis of this plan (Fife Council and other potential stakeholders) 3.
Agree founding Board members (BTS) 4.
Agree a Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer and Secretary (founding Board members). Once agreed in principle, BTS will then 1.
Recruit members 2.
Hold an AGM and members’ vote to elect the Board members (allowing founding Directors to stand). We recommend the following structure and frequency of (formal) meetings: 
A Board for a the FG company needs to be elected.. This should be made up from the founding members. This would at its foundation be up to (say) 6 or 7 directors 5 with representation from the membership categories, with golf clubs and courses having at least two directors. There might be room for one or more co‐options to the Board, people asked to join to bring special skills. Meetings might be 2 monthly (although perhaps monthly for the first six months to support the set up and induction of the project manager (see below). Again formally, the directors are the ones who make decisions about the company. Substitutes for directors would not formally be able to vote. However the company might want to conduct formal business meetings and be transparent to the membership by having open meetings to review golf marketing etc. agenda items. 
The Chair of the company and Vice Chair would be elected from amongst the Directors on an annual basis with an agreed maximum term of (say) three years. 
An Executive Committee of the Board could be established, at a later date, of up to (say) 5 Directors to allow day‐to‐day management. Meetings would be either monthly, or when sufficient business existed, or in alternate months to Board meetings. Committees may be established for Finance and HR scrutiny or for Marketing and Membership. 
Annual General Meeting of the company. This would provide for formal business of the company to be transacted – e.g. formal nomination of Directors from members and subscription levels. (Extraordinary General Meetings may be called by members if required outwith the sequence of annual AGMs). 
Working groups may be established on a short term basis to allow examination of specific topics and subjects of relevance to golf in Fife. These groups should also allow for co‐options and/or participation by other members, stakeholders etc. 
Scrutiny processes. Transparent accountancy and management processes need to be put in place to allow effective management of the company and protection of directors. These will include certified accounts by an independent accountant; management accounts, prepared through the appointed staff or a (part‐time) bookkeeper; and other agreed financial procedures, levels of authority and forms of scrutiny and governance, including potentially, a Finance Committee. 5
The members of the governing body might be known as: trustees, members of the management committee, directors or board members BTS Page 17 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan 6.2
Staffing The company will require a permanent – but part‐time ‐ staff team. We consider that the potential workload and ambition of the FGP to support Fife’s golfing competitiveness will require a part time project manager from the outset. The project manager will be required to take on the management of the company and its functions and direct and manage the administrative, project management and advocacy and communication roles of the FGP on behalf of its members. As the FGP extends its roles and develops additional income there may be an opportunity to grow the staff team, but we see this as being towards the end of the plan period and we have not made any allowance for this at this stage. A draft job description and person specification for the project manager’s position is appended. Until the company is set up and is ready to recruit the project manager (once the members are recruited, directors appointed etc) Fife Council has committed to provide professional support through the BTS team. This will allow continuity and for the marketing activities to be auctioned as well as the FGP to be presented and membership recruited. The project manager will primarily be responsible for the marketing activities and plans for Fife golf. In addition some company related duties will be required: 
the management, finances and administrative systems of the company; 
the direction and priorities of the company and work within the parameters agreed by the Board of directors of the company; 
the management and direction of other part time, temporary or contracted staff; 
the relationship of FGP with stakeholders and partners; 
communications with members, media, politicians and stakeholders; 
project management of working groups and initiatives that are of benefit to the members; 
membership recruitment and development of membership benefits. It is envisaged that the project manager will have the experience and the status to be able to conduct the affairs of the company and operate at a status that generates respect and support from stakeholders and members, thus having the gravitas to be able to represent views with stakeholders and with media. A part‐time administrative assistant will be required to assist the project manager achieve his/her objectives. 6.3
Office Accommodation and Systems A small office will be necessary to accommodate the FGP team. Whilst the business plan makes allowances for the establishment of an office, it may be that a member, or a stakeholder, may be able to host the office base. Computer and other equipment and systems will also be required to assist project development, communication and delivery of the association’s functions. A “virtual” office may be achievable, whereby the project manager is required to work from their home, or if the role of the project manager is contracted out. BTS Page 18 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan 7
Funding and Finances The Business Plan anticipates funding from a combination of sources including members, affiliate members, sponsorship and project funding from public agencies. The projections assume that public sector funding support at the levels shown can be achieved, with this support being channelled to mobilise the FGP, ensuring that the business is established from a solid foundation to attract the key membership attributes and establish the product portfolio through marketing. To attract the membership, drive the marketing, it is considered essential by the BTS team that FGP is equipped with the necessary resource to achieve the stated objectives, and working across and using the collective resources and existing partnerships within Fife/Scotland to work together to lever external funds from regional and national funding bodies as well as the private sector. We have assumed that FGP will be registered for VAT to allow full reclaim of 20% VAT on costs. 7.1
Resources and Funding
There are four potential revenue sources for the FGP: 7.2
Funding Source Comments Membership Recommendations for annual membership subscriptions have been detailed in Chapter 4. However, the scale of tasks and projects that should and can be undertaken by FGP cannot be financed initially by membership revenue alone. Whilst membership numbers and income should grow over time, the likely contribution of membership revenue in the set‐up period of the first couple of years is likely to be insufficient on its own to deliver the marketing actions needed to make Fife the premier golf destination. Commercial income Will grow over time as the Partnership matures and builds credibility and commercial revenue opportunities exploited. We project such revenue during year 2 and year 3 of this business plan. The opportunities include sponsorship/ advertising/ product placement/ paid for mailings, web site etc. Sponsorship/ Commercial Partners: Just as major sporting events generate sponsorship, so sponsorship should be part of the revenue mix on offer for the FGP (for a web site, events etc.) Project funds: These are a recognised possible source of funding for the early years of the FGP. This includes EU funding, public sector funding leveraged from EU funding, VisitScotland Growth Fund. Income and Expenditure Assumptions FGP will commence trading from September 2011 and the following assumptions have been adopted in the development of the business plan for FGP. Membership Income Membership income is generated through the enhanced features and benefits opportunities. The income projections are based on a low level of business uptake of the benefits as detailed in the membership section. We summarise these here: For the purpose of the plan the following are the assumptions for membership income:  Low level of membership sign up in year 1, increasing in year 2 by 30%; Year 3 by 20% and 40% year 4;  Membership benefits fees maintained at same level for year 2; Membership Category Golf courses and clubs Accommodation and ancillary tourist facilities Golf tour operators Affiliate Membership Total Numbers 18 92 5 5 120 BTS Page 19 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan Membership Income Golf Courses Accommodation Providers Tour Operators Affiliate Total Membership Income Year 1 £2,182 £11,108 £500 £500 £14,290 Year 2 £2,776 £16,667 £990 £990 £21,423 Year 3 £4,400 £21,875 £1,250 £1,250 £28,775 Year 4 4,710 30,700 2,700 2,700 £40,810 Year 5 4,710 32,725 3,375 3,375 £44,185 Funding Requirements: Contributions from EU funding, Key Stakeholders public agencies have been assumed over 3 years of the plan as follows: Membership fees EU Funding SE Contribution VS Growth Fund Year 1 £15,000 £15,000 £15,000 Year 2 £15,000 £15,000 £15,000 Year 3 £15,000 £15,000 £15,000 Marketing Costs The primary role of FGP is marketing and promotion of Golf in Fife as a premier golf destination, therefore the most significant expenditure of the FGP is on marketing. A summary of the recommended marketing spend is summarised below matched to income detailed above. Branding Brand Development Web & Social Media Web Site Quarterly e‐Marketing Social Media Membership Industy Orgs Membership Recruitment Membership Benefits Recruitment Roadshows / Workshops Print Fife Golf Brochure In Market Golf Events Direct IGTM Turkey Nov (VS) Rhein Golf Feb (GTS.DE) VS Expo April BMW PGA Wentworth (VS) The Open Golf Live (London Golf Club) Scottish Golf Show (2012) Product Development Fife Golf Passport Fife Golf Trails Golf Ambassadors Media PR & Comms Familiarisation Vists Direct Marketing Advertising Total BTS 2011 2012 £2,500 £8,000 £1,500 £1,000 £1,000 £500 £500 £5,000 £0 £2,365 £1,000 £500 £1,150 £0 £1,605 £1,000 £0 £0 £0 £750 £750 £0 £2,000 £31,120 2013 £1,000 £500 £1,750 £1,000 £2,750 £1,300 £600 £1,500 £2,750 £1,300 £600 £1,500 £2,500 £1,850 £1,300 £1,850 £1,300 £2,500 £2,500 £1,000 £1,500 £1,500 £1,000 £2,000 £35,300 £6,000 £6,000 £1,850 £1,300 £2,500 £2,500 £1,000 £500 £2,750 £1,300 £600 £1,500 £500 £500 £500 £6,000 £2,500 £1,200 £500 £1,350 £5,500 £2,500 £1,200 £1,000 £500 £5,000 1,500 £5,500 £2,500 £1,200 £1,000 £500 £500 1,500 £5,500 £2,500 £1,200 £1,000 2015 £1,000 £4,000 £2,000 £1,000 £1,000 2014 £2,500 £2,500 £1,000 £2,500 £2,500 £2,000 £4,000 £44,500 £2,500 £2,500 £1,000 £2,500 £2,500 £2,000 £4,000 £45,000 £2,500 £2,500 £2,000 £4,000 £47,500 Page 20 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan Overhead Costs As detailed in the Management & Organisation Chapter it assumed the FGP will be managed by a part time Project Manager either recruited as an employee or on a contracted basis. This means costs are kept to a minimum, the project management fees have been prepared on the basis of: Project Manager @ £21,000 pa; Project Manager responsible for all NI costs as well as office overheads, Administrative support @ £9,000 pa; employed by Project Manager. Other overheads are detailed below: Other Overheads Insurance IT Support Professional Fees Travel & Representation Training Telephone & Communications Courier and Postage Stationery Purchase of Equipment Total Other Overheads 7.3
2011 £400 £600 £1,620 £900 £900 £600 £300 £300 £750 £6,370 Financial Projections The following are the 5 year financial projections for the FGP with an assumed exit strategy for public sector funding from year 4. Funding Membership Income ‐ Enhanced Benefits Golf Courses Accommodation Providers Tour Operators Affiliate Total Membership Income Other Income Sponsorship Commercial Income Web Site Advertising Total Other Income Key Stakeholders EU Funding Leverage Funding VS Growth Funding R & A Total Key Stakeholders Total Funding / Income Expenditure Project Management Marketing Other Overheads Total Expenditure Net Operational Costs Reserves Year 1 £2,182 £11,108 £500 £500 £14,290 £2,500 £2,500 £2,500 £7,500 £15,000 £15,000 £15,000 £5,000 £50,000 £71,790 £30,000 £31,120 £6,370 £67,490 £2,300 Year 2 Year 3 £2,776 £13,187 £990 £990 £17,943 £4,400 £21,875 £1,250 £1,250 £28,775 £5,000 £5,000 £5,000 £15,000 17,500 17,500 12,500 £47,500 £0 £0 £0 £0 £0 £80,810 £31,519 £44,500 £8,244 £84,263 £6,363 £8,662 4,710 32,725 3,375 3,375 £44,185 15,000 15,000 10,000 £40,000 £15,000 £15,000 £15,000 £0 £45,000 £103,775 £30,750 £35,300 £8,031 £74,081 Year 5 4,710 30,700 2,700 2,700 £40,810 £10,000 £12,500 £7,500 £30,000 £15,000 £15,000 £15,000 £2,500 £47,500 £80,443 Year 4 £0 £0 £0 £0 £0 £91,685 £32,307 £45,000 £8,361 £85,668 £19,512 £28,175 £33,114 £47,500 £8,481 £89,095 ‐£4,858 £23,317 £2,590 £25,907 BTS Page 21 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan 8
Monitoring and Evaluation – KPIs The objectives and activities of the FGP should be continuously monitored and appropriate criteria and performance indicators adopted. The KPIs should be quantitative and qualitative, and the recommended key performance indicators are: Quantitative 
Total Numbers of rounds played – monthly target and performance 6 
Year on year growth in number of rounds played 
Income generated 
Yield generated 
Profit generated 
Retail sales 
Business generated from target sectors/segments and through intermediaries (e.g. agents) 
Number of memberships and revenue generated to FGP 
Sponsorship achieved 
Commercial revenue achieved 
Press and PR achieved Qualitative 
Results from visitor surveys 
Quality of golfer experience (customer satisfaction surveys – including willingness to recommend) 
International Golf Industry Association/Writers Awards 
Scottish Thistle Awards 
Scottish Business Awards 6
Potentially necessitating the adoption of an effective Golf monitoring mechanism BTS Page 22 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan 9
The Way Forward/ Implementation The following are the actions necessary to deliver to the objective of launching the Fife Golf Partnership at the 2011 and the recruitment of members/ participants / stakeholders to the Partnership. 1.
Meeting of Working Group called to review this draft Business and Marketing Plan 2. Agree business and membership model 3. Agreement of the Business and Marketing Plan 4.
Establishment of the Fife Golf Partnership as a company limited by guarantee with no share capital 5.
Recruit the founding Board of FGP 6.
Prepare Memorandum and Articles of Association for the Fife Golf Partnership 7.
Presentations to potential stakeholders, especially:  R & A  SGU  Scottish Enterprise  Fife Council  VisitScotland 8.
Generate commitment from these stakeholders 9.
Launch FGP to membership 10. Prepare and distribute membership forms and benefits information 11. Sales approach to generating membership commitments 12. Make funding application to EU for funds (Council) 13. Make funding application to VisitScotland Challenge Funding 14. BTS to deliver marketing plan and recruit membership (June – August 2011) 15. Recruit project manager for the FGP to be in place September 2011 16. Prepare brief for preparation of FGP identity/logo and invite submissions 17. Adopt new identity/logo It is anticipated that the above actions will be undertaken June ‐ September 2011. BTS Page 23 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan 10
Appendices 10.1 Golf Product Analysis & Segmentation Golf Product Analysis Fife Golf Courses by Category World Trophy Icon Courses Old Kingsbarns Course Castle* Championship Links Lundin Golf Club Scotscraig* The Kittocks The Torrance Jubilee Course* New Course* Links Courses Strathtyrum* Balgove* Eden Course* Elie The Golf House Club Crail – Craighead* Crail – Balcomie* Leven Links Championship Parkland Courses Duke`s Course*, Ladybank Golf Club Parkland 9 Hole Courses Aberdour Golf Club* Balbirnie Park Golf Club Burntisland Golf Club* Canmore Golf Club Charleton Golf Club* Dora Golf Course Drumoig Hotel & Golf Course Dunfermline Golf Club Dunnikier Park Golf Club Elmwood Golf Course* Forrester Country Park* Glenrothes Golf Course Kinghorn Golf Course Kirkcaldy Golf Club Lochgelly Golf Club Pitreavie (Dunfermline) Golf Club Saline Golf Club Scoonie Golf Course St Michaels Golf Club Thornton Golf Club Anstruther Golf Club Auchterderran Golf Course Cupar Golf Club Cluny Golf Club Lochore Meadows Golf Course Lundin Ladies Golf Club Elie Sports Club Falkland Golf Club Leslie Golf Club Kingarroch (Golf Course Hill of Tarvit Hickory Course)* Golf Market Segmentation Course Categories World Icon 1 USA/ Canada England / Wales Scotland Priority Markets 2 Ireland Sweden Germany 3 France ROW Golf Segments Indicative Routes to Market 



Luxury Golfers Golf Purists Golf Buddies Golfing Tourists 


































Trophy Courses USA / Canada England / Wales Scotland Ireland Sweden Germany France ROW 




Golf buddies Golfing tourists Golf purists Activity Golfers Societies Championship Links USA / Canada England / Wales Scotland Ireland Sweden Germany France ROW Links Courses USA / Canada England / Wales Scotland Ireland Sweden Germany France ROW 













Golf buddies Golfing tourists Golf purists Golfing Escapees Activity Golfers Societies Meetings Incentives Corporate Golfing Escapees Activity Golfers Golfing Opportunists Societies Meetings Incentives Corporate BTS St Andrews Links Trust Tour Operators Web Site & E‐Marketing Golf Tourism Scotland VisitScotland VisitBritain SGDG Accommodation Providers Industry Events & Exhibitions St Andrews Links Trust Kingsbarns Tour Operators Web Site & E‐Marketing Golf Tourism Scotland VisitScotland VisitBritain SGDG Accommodation Providers Industry Events & Exhibitions Tour Operators Web Site & E‐Marketing Golf Tourism Scotland VisitScotland VisitBritain SGDG Accommodation Providers Industry Events & Exhibitions Tour Operators Web Site & E‐Marketing Golf Tourism Scotland VisitScotland VisitBritain SGDG Links with History Industry Events & Exhibitions Page 24 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan Course Categories Championship Parkland Courses 1 England / Wales Scotland Ireland Sweden Priority Markets 2 USA / Canada 3 Germany France Parkland England / Wales Scotland Ireland Sweden Germany France 9 Hole Courses Scotland England / Wales Ireland Germany France Golf Segments Indicative Routes to Market 



































Golf buddies Golfing tourists Golf purists Golfing Escapees Activity Golfers Societies Meetings Incentives Corporate Golf buddies Golfing tourists Golfing Escapees Activity Golfers Serendipity Golfers Societies Corporate Activity Golfers Serendipity Golfers Golfing tourists Tour Operators Web Site & E‐Marketing Golf Tourism Scotland VisitScotland VisitBritain SGDG Links with History Industry Events & Exhibitions Tour Operators Web Site & E‐Marketing Golf Tourism Scotland VisitScotland VisitBritain First in Fife Golf Pass Industry Events & Exhibitions Web Site & E‐Marketing Golf Tourism Scotland VisitScotland BTS Page 25 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan 10.2 Making it Happen ‐ Detailed Marketing Activities Bringing together the elements and components of the marketing strategy to enable FGP to market effectively to its agreed target markets. The activities and actions are not a definitive list and will be added to on and reviewed by the FGP Board on a regular basis. The actions identified are detailed below: 1.
2.
Online & Digital marketing  Dedicated web site for consumers, travel trade with members’ extranet o Play/ Stay/ Eat/ Explore  CRM Programme / Database collection –ezine programme o Building consumer database to correspond with visitors on any new developments, golf passes etc o Incentivising previous customers to refer their friends to FGP o Incentivise FGP members to include links to FGP web site and data capture o Building profile on TripAdvisor/ Facebook/ Twitter o Build visitors testimonials on website  Golf Fife E‐Zines o A customised e‐zine will be sent quarterly to over golf contacts on Golf Fife´s developing golf database for contacts located throughout the Target Markets ‐ hyperlinks provided directly to the product providers website.  Event details o Profiling and promoting Golf Course Open Competitions  Competitions o On‐line Competitions  Product Bundling offers  Social Media – Facebook / Twitter Golf Partnership Programme 2011 for Members Develop a Golf Partnership Programme of following components:  Golf Media Campaign: Develop an integrated advertising/sponsorship program with selected Golf Magazines/ Web Sites.  Complement the print activity the digital program through Golf Magazine Web Site to include high impact media placements with Golf Fife brand. Marketing activity includes e‐blasts to subscriber base, newsletter sponsorship.  Golf Fife Web Site: Year‐round product presence on www.golffife.co.uk. Product placement of one golf offer on the Vacation Golf Offers section. Offer can be updated every 2 weeks. The URL is featured as the primary call to action in all of Golf Fife marketing communications. Partner offers will be displayed within new Golf Fife Golf Offers section.  E‐marketing: Product offers will be utilized for golf related marketing efforts and promotions for 2011 and for targeted promotions for e.g. Dunhill, Women’s British Open at Carnoustie.  Partner golf message will be included in e‐zines to Golf Fife database of golf subscribers (to be developed). A link to the golf partner offers will be included in an e‐zine communication to upscale retail consortia agents and to the developing FGP database.  Publicity: Press releases submitted by each partner will be considered for inclusion in Golf Fife’s online media room. Additionally, partners can provide stock features, which editors can use copyright free. Partner newsworthy material will be considered for monthly media e‐zine.  Reporting: Customized quarterly activity and data report 3.
Showcase Fife in front of media and potential visitors at promotions and events Events – establish right events to participate‐ link with VisitScotland/ Events Scotland/ Partnerships/ Representation by Members:  IGTM Turkey Nov 2011 (VS)  Rhein Golf Feb 2012 (GS.DE)  VS Expo April 2011 (W2F)  BMW PGA Wentworth (VS)  The Open*  Scandinavian Masters*  German Open*  Dunhill ‐ Exploit the potential **  PGA Orlando 2012***  Golf Live (London Golf Club)  Scottish Golf Show (2012) * Depending on Partner opportunities and if VS taking space ** Plan to be developed to maximise media opportunities, fam visits etc *** Working with members already participating BTS Page 26 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan 4.
Reinforce the Value message  Communication o –Tactical advertising / joint promotions – e.g. Today’s Golfer o –Direct Marketing – Golfbreaks.com etc  Co‐operative marketing activity o –Market based operators o –Golfers’ Associations 5.
Product Development  Fife Golf Trails  Fife Golf Passport  Events 6.
PR & Media Capitalise on the Fife and St Andrews brand by committing to a rigorous and pro‐active communication programme to promote key markets to the media. The programme will require clear and distinctive tactics to help deliver to the strategic marketing objectives. Actions: 



Communicate regularly with Travel Trade, clients and customers. Based on promotional plan, develop key messages and translate these for use online/offline Competition Prizes , source competition prizes for media promotions from member Build database of journalists interested in promoting Fife. This should be undertaken in partnership with Hotels, Travel Operators and other courses to maximize the response. Only journalists with a track record of delivering effective write‐ups in the right media should be invited to participate. 
Prepare annual media familiarization schedule 7.
Golf Champions – Par Excellence Our Golf Champions will be individuals in the private sector who have achieved excellence in their operations and to recognise and celebrate their success. They will be used to show to other operators what is possible and will support and mentor others to achieve excellence. Excellence in this sense does not (necessarily) mean 5 star. It means excellence in all types of offer, at all price ranges. 8.
Golf Fife Brand Ambassadors Using the experience of Conference Ambassadors build a network of high profile “Golf Ambassadors” that can be used to support the promotion of Fife nationally & Internationally e.g. Lord Leith (plus others in House of Lords), Dougray Scott, Fife connected Global Scots etc. Actions: 


Identify potential Ambassadors Develop briefing notes and information pack to be available for these individuals Media launch 9.
Creating Clusters / Collaborative Groups Networks of individuals and organisations will be encouraged to work together to create quality golf tourism product offerings. Many businesses and organisations are involved in supporting golf tourism ‐ from the golf courses themselves to tour operators, events, hotels, retailers and many others. The relationship between these businesses is generally not one of purchaser and supplier as would be found in a traditional supply chain. Instead, each type of business contributes to the overall delivery of the tourism golf product and each element to some extent relies on the others. There are already good examples of this the region e.g. Links with History, First in Fife. By developing a cluster approach integrating more or the product offering such as accommodation, restaurants etc into the proposition will helped to sustain all attractors. Working with the Fife Tourism Partnership and the local tourism associations the FGP will help and facilitate identify the opportunities and helping the people on the ground access the information to deliver. 10. Quality Standards for Golf ‐ Raising the Game Develop pilot quality assurance scheme BTS Page 27 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan 11. Membership Benefits Indicative membership and enhanced membership benefits are detailed below: Membership Benefits – Entry Level, Complimentary Fife Golf Partnership is a member based organisation working to direct Golf enquiries straight to your business. We run www.golffife.co.uk ‐ the leading golf web portal in for Fife. The site is based around the customer experience and interest in the area. It builds awareness of the Golfing in Fife, the wide product offering and connects the customer with you as quickly as possible. We work with golf related businesses right across Fife to bring together a cohesive and strong business voice for the area. Why Join? Our website www.golffife.co.uk is projected to attract an average of 14,000 unique users every month, 95,000 page views and 11,000 click‐throughs to our members’ sites. Remember that we don’t take commission so you only pay your annual membership fee. As soon as you join we’ll get your business on the website with a listing that looks like this: Golf Course Aberdour Golf Club Seaside Place, Aberdour, Fife KY3 0TX A parkland course on the shore of the River Forth with some very interesting holes. Tel: 01383 860080 Balbirnie Country House Hotel Balbirnie House Balbirnie Park Markinch Village by Glenrothes Fife KY7 6NE Hotel A parkland course on the shore of the River Forth with some very interesting holes. B&B & Guest House Greenlaw House A parkland course on the shore of the River Forth with some very interesting holes. Braeside Collessie Cupar Fife, KY15 7UX Scotland Tel: +44 (1337) 810236 Tour Operator Adventures in Golf 129a South Street St Andrews Specialized luxury golf tour operator, established in the late Fife 1970s. KY16 9UH Scotland, UK Attractions / Restaurants / Business Services etc Bruce Embankment St. Andrews A parkland course on the shore of the River Forth with some Fife very interesting holes. Ky16 9ab Tel: 01334 460046 British Golf Museum The information in your listing includes:  Summary text which can be edited by you.  Course Rating / Quality grading display or other relevant grading and classification BTS Page 28 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan  Contact details and address on display.  Randomly rotating listings in the second section. Golf Fife Guide  We produce an annual Golf Guide. All our members get a line entry and there are opportunities fo renahnced enties in the publication. Enhance Your Benefits, Services and Web Listings If you want even more membership benefits and exposure on‐line you can upgrade your listing to an Enhanced Business Listing. There are 4 levels of enhanced benefits and on‐line listings. Level 2 This means it will always be in the first group to show on the page. It’s a great value way to make sure customers see your entry at just £99 for 12 months. Your listing then clicks through to your business page which features: All benefits of entry level plus 
Priority listing on FGP Web site 
Direct link to business by email and web link. 
Descriptive text and up to 3 images – fully editable by business 
We cross sell your business throughout the website. 
Key services icons and at a glance facilities. 
Official Grading and VS schemes listed. 
Unique ‘golf course / accommodation/ tour operator finder’ sending enquiries directly to you! 
Participation in press trips 
Inclusion in relevant media newsletter Level 3 ‐ £199 Features and benefits of Level 2 plus: 
Direct link to your own booking engine or website. Or on‐line tee booking 
Link directly to your own website or booking engine with our ‘Book Now’ button. 
Business‐to‐business selling opportunities via the FGP website 
Special offer promotion on website 
Automatic Trip Advisor Feed (optional). 
Google Map location and direction finder. 
Participation at the annual VisitScotland Expo, offering members the opportunity to use the FGP stand to network with clients and/or distribute marketing materials. 
Free marketing of members' offers at European Tour tournaments and other events, in conjunction with VisitScotland. Level 4 ‐ £299 Features and benefits of Level 1, 2 & 3 plus: 
Participation at exhibitions 
Use of marketing team to develop marketing material 
E‐Marketing ‐ 2 emailings per annum per member 
Inclusion in consumer e‐newsletter 
Access to Golf Media Services 
Themed marketing campaign activity 
Research services 
Access to Golf Media Services for distribution of media releases to over 1,000 golf journalists 
Business Development and Product Development Services Additional Advertising Opportunities: Web Adverts To guarantee up to 95,000 views every month take an advert on our website. Adverts link directly to your website and there’s only ever 6 at a time. They appear on every page except individual business listings. Web adverts opportunities are: Box Adverts: £80 per month, maximum 4 month booking with only one slot in any single month (size 125x125px). Ask about our series month discounts. Banner Adverts: £120 per month, maximum 1 per page Golf Fife iPhone App and Social Media We will be launching an iPhone app for the Golf Fife, additionally we regularly update popular web2.0 communication channels. We are always keen to hear of events and newsworthy items to post via these sales channels. Let us know your news and we’ll get it on‐line and out there.... Join Now! BTS Page 29 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan There are 5 Membership Categories with benefits for each category: Golf Courses; Accommodation; Trip Planning; Eat, Drink and Shop; Things to Do; Local Services and Businesses BTS Page 30 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan BTS Page 31 10.3 Activity Plan Fife Golf Partnership Activity Plan Activity 2011 / 2012 Budget Action By End Date June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Governance Amend Business Plan from the initial meeting of Working Group and prepare final Business and Marketing Plan BTS 31/5 Agree & Finalise Structure and structure and status of Fife Golf Alliance BTS 31/5 Identify Board Members and recruit BTS 10/6 Prepare Memorandum and Articles of Association for the Fife Golf Partnership BTS 10/6 Set dates for Board Meetings BTS 30/6 Agree Project Manager brief and job description BTS 30/6 Assist with appointment/ selection of Project Manager BTS 31/7 Agree date for commencement of Project Manager BTS 30/8 Handover to Project Manager BTS 30/9 Ongoing BTS Support BTS 30/4 FGP AGM & Annual Conference BTS 30/6/12 Develop presentations and funding requests to potential stakeholders BTS 10/6 BTS 10/6 Nominate Chair for FGP Funding SE / R&A / FTP / GTS / VS – Marketing Develop funding application for VS Growth Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan Fife Golf Partnership Activity Plan 2011 / 2012 Activity Fund Budget Meet VS Growth Fund Manager and submit application Approval of VS Growth Fund End Date June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May BTS 15/6 BTS 30/9 Membership Recruitment Finalise Membership benefits for Fife Golf £1,000 Partnership and catalogue membership benefits and costs, BTS 31/7 Finalise membership recruitment plan of action, BTS 30/6 Undertake a telephone sales campaign/programme to recruit members BTS 31/7 Prepare PDF Membership Benefits BTS 30/6 Schedule meetings / presentations to key influencers in Fife e.g. Links Trust, Kingsbarns, Old Course Hotel Course, Elmwood College etc.) BTS 31/7 Develop “Founding / Membership packages for FGP Inaugural” BTS 30/6 Action By Launch of FGP Launch of FGP ‐ September BTS 30/9 Prepare list of invites to launch BTS 31/7 Identify venue for launch BTS 31/7 Prepare brief for event launch BTS 31/7 Send out invites for launch BTS 31/8 Prepare media release for launch BTS 31/8 Marketing BTS Page 33 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan Fife Golf Partnership Activity Plan 2011 / 2012 FGP Brand Activity Prepare brief for preparation of FG identity/logo and invite submissions Budget July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May £2500 BTS 30/6 Adopt new identity/logo BTS Online & Dedicated web site for consumers, travel £8,000 Digital trade with members’ extranet. Develop marketing brief the Fife Golf Partnership web site and Web Site invite tenders, to include social media activity and banner and button advertising BTS 30/6 Appoint web developers to build site BTS 30/6 Review designs for Web Site BTS 15/7 Gather appropriate data to populate the web site e.g. golf visitor information (volume & value), courses and clubs, best practice/case studies etc., BTS 31/7 Set Launch Date for Web Site BTS 30/6 Agree schedule of rates for web advertising BTS 31/8 BTS 30/9 BTS 31/8 CRM Building consumer database to correspond £1,000 Programme / with visitors on any new developments, golf Database passes etc collection Incentivising previous customers to refer their friends to FGP Action By End Date June Incentivise FGP members to include links to FGP web site and data capture Building profile on TripAdvisor/ Facebook/ Twitter Build visitors testimonials on website E‐Marketing BTS Develop templates for E‐Zines to:  Members  Consumers £1,500 Page 34 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan Fife Golf Partnership Activity Plan 2011 / 2012 Activity  Trade Budget Distribute e‐zine to identified segments Promotional Material Action By End Date June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May BTS Quarterl
y Prepare brief for Pocket Guide to Golfing in £5,000 Fife BTS Appoint Designer for guide BTS/PM 30/9 Finalise design as publication date BTS/PM 30/11 Launch Guide BTS/PM 31/1/12 In Market Planning of attendance at Golf Events in Golf Events partnership with VS / GTS / SGDG Direct BTS/PM Ongoing IGTM Turkey Nov (VS) 2011 £2,365 BTS/PM 30/11 Rhein Golf Feb (GTS.DE) 2012 £1,000 BTS/PM 31/3/12 VS Expo April 2012 £500 BTS/PM 30/4/12 BMW PGA Wentworth (VS) 2012 £1,150 BTS/PM 30/5/12 Golf Live (London Golf Club) 2012 £1,605 BTS/PM 30/5/12 Scottish Golf Show (2012) £1,000 BTS/PM 30/4/12 PGA – Florida (SGDG Attending) BTS/PM 31/1/12 VisitScotland Meet with VS to identify marketing opportunities for 2011 / 2012 BTS 31/7 Golf Tourism Meet with GTS to explore collaborative £1,000 Scotland opportunities BTS 31/7 Attendance at GTS AGM PM 30/11 Scottish Tourism Forum Meet with STF to explore opportunities / membership BTS 31/7 BTS Page 35 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan Fife Golf Partnership Activity Plan 2011 / 2012 Activity Budget Sponsorship Develop sponsorship opportunities for FGP Build database of potential sponsors End Date June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May BTS 31/8 BTS 31/8 Agree sponsorship pack for distribution to sponsors BTS 30/9 Schedule of appointments with potential sponsors BTS 31/12 Commercial Opportunities Develop programme opportunities for FGP BTS 30/9 Media Develop Golf Journalist and Travel Writers £750 Database BTS/PM 31/12 Schedule Press FAM Visits PM 31/12 Meet with VS opportunities media BTS 31/8 Product Development Develop programme of promotional opportunities for members to promote on site PM Ongoing BTS/PM 31/3/11 PM 31/3/11 to of commercial £750 explore Fife Golf Develop concept of Fife Golf Ambassadors Ambassadors Using the experience of Conference Ambassadors build a network of high profile “Golf Ambassadors” that can be used to support the promotion of Fife nationally & Internationally e.g. Lord Leith (plus others in House of Lords), Dougray Scott, Fife connected Global Scots etc. Action By Fife Golf Trails Develop Concepts for Fife Golf Trails BTS/PM 31/3/11 Fife Golf Develop concepts for Fife Golf Passport Passport BTS/PM 31/3/11 BTS Page 36 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan Fife Golf Partnership Activity Plan Activity 2011 / 2012 Budget Action By End Date June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May On‐Line Tee Explore opportunities for On‐Line, Real Booking Time Tee Booking BTS/PM 31/1/11 Creating Clusters / Collaborative Groups PM Ongoing BTS 31/12 PM 30/6/12 Prepare schedule of networking events and opportunities for members PM Ongoing Golf Individuals in the private sector who have Champions – achieved excellence in their operations and Par Excellence to recognise and celebrate their success. They will be used to show to other operators what is possible and will support and mentor others to achieve excellence PM 30/6/12 Networks of individuals and organisations will be encouraged to work together to create quality golf tourism product offerings. Co‐ordination, Representation and Advocacy Co‐ordination Schedule meetings with key stakeholders and organisations to outline ambitions of FGP i.e. FTP; GTS; VS; LWH; SLT; FiF; SIGTOA; ES; SE; SGU; R&A; PGA;GCMA;BIGGA;FGA;EC Business & Skills Development Quality Develop pilot quality assurance scheme Standards for Golf ‐ Raising the Game Networking BTS Page 37 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan 10.4 Project Manager ‐ Draft Job Description and Person Specification Job Title: Project Manager Status This post is a part time post of 2.5 days per week, or equivalent Reports To: Chair of the company Subordinates: All staff contracted to and employed by the FGP. Location: to be determined General Overview: The Project Manager of the Fife Golf Partnership will be appointed to develop the organisation and its membership and revenues while also being responsible for developing and supporting stakeholders and members deliver marketing and sales activity to boost golf tourism – generating visitors motivated to visit Fife to play the wide range of golf facilities available here., The aim of the FGP is to add significantly to the benefit of its members and Fife from golf tourism. Job Dimensions: Responsible for the strategy, planning, executive decisions and actions related to the management, development, effectiveness, governance and delivery of the FGP and its objectives and activities. Working closely with members and stakeholders in Fife and in government agencies to develop and sustain activities and projects that contribute to the success of the members and of Fife as a destination for golf tourism. The likely annual operational and project budget will be confirmed. A part time administrator may be required to support the project manager, together with other project staff/contractors as projects are developed and agreed. The project manager has the executive responsibility to ensure that the FGP company adds value to its members and that it operates commercially and effectively to promote its objects. Background: The FGP has been formed to support Fife golf courses, cubs and tourist operators with an interest in Fife as a golfing destination to beat the competition. In a highly competitive market, Fife’s assets in golf are being used to underpin marketing of the destination, across the full range of golf facilities. Key Challenges: 


Development and management of the FGP as a sustainable, cost‐effective and value‐added organisation for supporting its members achieve collective benefit and value. Establishing a strategic, commercial and practical approach to the development and delivery of the FGP’s objectives. Developing the activities, programmes and projects of the FGP to contribute to the objectives of the individual and collective members. 
Development and management of strong partnerships across the public and private sectors, motivating and managing stakeholders and partners to contribute to the ambitions of the company and its members. 
Establishing the company as a key player in the debate and delivery of policies and programmes to support Fife’s competitiveness for golf. 
Becoming the guardian and the advocate for golf in Fife, working to engage at the highest levels of private and public sector all stakeholders in the golf and tourism. 
Capturing the imagination of suppliers and other potential affiliate members of the FGP and developing viable projects to support revenue generation. Key Accountabilities: 

Communication with company members and reporting to the Chair and key stakeholders. Refinement and development of the company’s proposition and planned activities in order to meet members’ needs and generate revenue for the company. 
Negotiation and agreement with members, funders, partners and stakeholders of the scale and scope of operation of the company, together with the identification and delivery of projects that meet the company’s and its members’ objectives. 
Responsibility for establishing and managing communication processes with identified audiences – media, members, stakeholders etc. BTS Page 38 Fife Golf Partnership Business and Marketing Plan 
The establishment and management of a credible organisation that establishes a reputation and status to help it achieve its objectives and those of its members. Principal Duties: The postholder will: 




Develop the FGP into an effective organisation to achieve its objectives, ambitions and targets. Manage the activities of the company in line with policy and parameters agreed with the Chair and Board. Manage and maintain forms of accountability and governance to members of the company. Determine the priorities and focus of the company’s activities to add most value to the Fife golf destination. Manage income and expenditure and develop systems to monitor and manage budgets and to ensure all funding conditions are met. 

Manage all of the company’s office and resources ‐ ICT, staff, databases etc. Develop and grow a network of links with members, stakeholders, partners, funders and media to raise awareness and support for the FGP, including negotiation of relevant funding. 
Develop communication messages which will reinforce and support the Fife golf destination and encourage engagement by stakeholders, businesses and members. 
Develop marketing and communication mechanisms to support the company, including marketing and public relations, press relationships, events, seminars etc. 
Recruitment and appointment, management and motivation of all staff and contractors within parameters agreed with the Chair. Key Competencies Required 

A strong understanding of destination marketing and the golf industry. Interpersonal skills that will support development and delivery of the company’s objectives, encouraging engagement, motivation and commitment from members and stakeholders. 

The ability to think creatively and laterally to support the company’s success. Strategic, commercial and political awareness and astuteness and the ability to develop and present strategies, policies and projects. 
Project management and organisational skills; effective management, including financial management; understanding and experience of public/private sector funding and associated project management. 


A track record of delivering marketing‐led results and leading and delivering projects. Strong relationship management, partnership development and management, communication and presentation skills. The ability to work with a diverse range of people, businesses and organisations in golf and tourism, including the interpersonal skills to engage and motivate businesses. 


Personal effectiveness and self motivation. An aptitude for working in a small business and being open to scrutiny by media, members, stakeholders and the public. Ability to work under pressure and tight deadlines and willingness to work beyond normal working hours to deliver the company’s objectives. The company will demand an aptitude for and commitment to diplomacy, negotiation and mediation and such other skills as will facilitate the achievement of the company’s objectives. The postholder will also have access to commercially confidential as well as sensitive information and must be able to exercise discretion and trust in relationships. BTS Page 39

Integrated Golf Product for Fife Final Report - Home Page

Transcription

Similar documents

aceitunas golf scramble

heatherwood $284900

Join the Club! - The Golf Club at Hawks Prairie

Glow-Ball Golf Glow-Ball Golf

Info - Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort

GOLF SPECIAL $25 $20

pacote careways Maio 2012final

PDF Template - Bryant Real Estate

paa-ko golf course lot for sale $189000.00 91 rain

Golf - Colorado Lining International, Inc.