After three years of steady growth and an expanded team, Ground2Control are solving one of the industry’s major threats, that is the retention of experienced management.
With award winning and highly experienced former golf club managers on the team, the systems and approach built into the golf club management software they provide means they speak the language of to doers in the industry. This transforms their software from simply a technology solution to become an easy to use, easy to share system of operational processes – at the click of a button.
They also remove the need for golf club managers and course managers to create processes or frameworks and help managers get the detail right, instead of having to create what they might think they need, reducing the mental load.
Ian Howieson, based in Scotland, PGA Master Golf Professional and Ground2Control’s Risk Assessment expert, has seen first hand the increased turnover in Club Managers. He said “Ground2Control provides continuity. It prevents these clubs from reinventing the wheel when clubs lose experienced staff, often every 18 months to two years, leaving clubs in a downward spiral.”
Peter Hickling, based in the south, was formerly 14 years as the General Manager at High Post Golf Club and Cookridge Hall Golf & Country Club in Yorkshire. He is skilled at facilitating early-stage transformation with clubs in the Ground2Control community. He supports Heads of Departments when clubs begin their journey or have just realised that achieving efficiency and compliance with health and safety is overdue.
“Many clubs have spent too long thinking they have ticked the box with health and safety or financial management because a member at the club knows about the topic. The reality is, committee members are actually wide open to personal liability if something untoward were to occur – because claims are indefensible without documented, day-to-day proof that safe systems of work are the norm.” he said.
The practical reality is that efficiency and compliance is achieved by paying attention to the details. Two members of the team are particularly skilled at this.
Heather Mulley, former General Manager at Enville Golf Club in the Midlands for 20 years, and Julie Knight, former Membership Manager at the Golf Club Managers Association after 20 years at The Kendleshire Golf Club in Bristol, both coach or partner with managers so they facilitate speed, focus and stay on track.
“We understand the practicalities of delivering excellence for golf club members and the importance of getting the details right.” said Julie Knight.
“We help often already overwhelmed golf club managers or course managers to integrate Ground2Control into daily working practices. Because we speak ‘golf’ we make it less isolating and a more enjoyable process to follow through on. We’re on the same side, to help clubs become compliant in as short a timeframe as possible.” said Heather Mulley
Ground2Control has drawn back the curtain on the reality of what’s involved when a club transforms the management of their operation and achieves compliance.
In partnership with their client Karen Drake, GM at Clevedon Golf Club, Ground2Control commissioned an in-depth case study to share the reality behind the scenes as they transformed, modernised and improved efficiency at this popular gem of a club in the south west.
“The reality for most Golf Club Managers that we speak to at the moment is that they are either coasting or overstretched. For those who are coasting, it’s often a result of feeling worn out from continuously reinventing the wheel when it comes to systems or processes,” said Ian Ratcliffe, Co-Founder of Ground2Control.
It’s definitely harder work mentally when you have to remember and create your tasks lists from scratch each day when nothing is written down or easy to find. This is one significant root cause of the retention problem in this industry,” Ian Ratcliffe continued.
From Clevedon GC, Karen Drake shared, “Ground2Control really is the only system that is actually golf specific. All the other systems are generic and corporate. It’s also reasonably priced, it is practical and gets the job done. It equips me with the management information that helps me manage the golf club effectively.”
Many golf club managers report that they feel like they get blown from one priority to the next. They do their best, and yet there’s always more demanded of them. The latest “Done For You” service offered by Ground2Control solves the problem of overstretched resources within golf clubs.
Now this solution is also within reach of even the leanest run clubs as the case study of Clevedon Golf Club explains.
