The TTG Interview
Playing by their own rules
YourGolfTravel.com has come a long way since it was launched in 2005 – it now has around 115 staff and has appeared in the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 list. Lucy Siebert speaks to co-founder Ross Marshall about the secret of its success
W
illiam Wordsworth once said that “golf is a day spent in a round of strenuous idleness,”
to which Ross Marshall, the founder of
YourGolfTravel.com may well agree. “Golf is everyone’s favourite second sport,” he says, with a laugh. “But that said, it’s now Europe’s largest participation sport and there are five million golfers in the UK and Ireland.”
And with millions of keen golfers
who have remained dedicated to their weekends on the greens, the last six years have been anything but idle for Marshall and university friend and business partner Andrew Harding. Having met at Durham University, the two went on to financial stints in the City, Marshall as a derivatives trader and Harding in accounting at Deloitte. But, having whetted their appetites for online business while at uni, the two were keen to pursue a more entrepreneurial route. “While we were at university we had
a couple of little projects on the side. We had a betting tips site on horses, sports, spread betting, and share price fluctuations. It was quite successful for us and turned over about £40,000 a year,” says Marshall. For two students that was not insignificant, but it is a far cry from selling £26.4 million worth of golf holidays in 2010, and appearing on the Sunday TimesFast Track 100 list last year.
Since 2005
YourGolfTravel.com has
enjoyed rapid growth, with the two founders having expanded into spa and racing breaks, though it has not been easy, says Marshall. “From humble beginning and
using savings and borrowing on credit cards we got the business going, and over the past six and a half years we have been able to build the company up. We now employ around 115 staff,” he says.
And the whole enterprise was originally based on Marshall and Harding’s passion for golf and their belief that the existing travel players
ROAD TO RECOVERY?
“It won’t surprise you to hear that our worst day last year was the day Thomas Cook announced it needed an extra £100 million to keep the doors open. Consumer confidence is jittery at
10 01.03.2012
the moment, but hopefully there are some green shoots of recovery in the States, and in terms of consumer spend and employment they tend to recover quicker than we do.”
in the market were not up to par on the technology side.
Tech-savvy edge “There were about 42 golf holiday companies or travel agents, but we felt there was an opportunity. Not many of them were very tech savvy and so we saw that opportunity. We also liked what was going on with golf, with investments from major companies and global golf tourism generally.” Today the company’s approach is based on what Marshall describes as a “hybrid model”, which straddles online and call centre bookings. “You can still phone up and book with us, but you can also book online. People still want advice and there are a lot of groups that want to book; it is very difficult to facilitate that business by booking 40 people online,” he says. With 88% of the company’s customers based in the UK, and having started a new company just before the downturn, it is impressive that
MyGolfTravel.com has managed to grow so successfully. But while there is no denying that times are tough in the wider economy, Marshall says golfers have continued to take on average 1.8 golfing breaks a year throughout the downturn, with most choosing to travel within the UK and Ireland. This group may be mad for golf, but
they are also keen on offering extra value. Increasingly, competitive pricing
Ross Marshall only hires staff who are enthusiastic about golf
has been key to its success. “If anything, prices have come down
from two or three years ago. That’s not great for business, but it is great for the golfing consumer. We’ve focused on customer service and on trying to grow our business strategically,” says Marshall. He adds that he is able to match competitors’ pricing, with free golf included, thanks to a combination of volume and the fact that golfers tend to spend more on average than non-golfers.
Big spenders “The golfing consumer spends two and a half more when he arrives on resort than just a standard customer. That incremental spend is very valuable to the golf
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56