Conservation & Ecology
understand our customers. We have to understand what drives them, and what motivates them to continue to support our company”
“Like any business, we have to
The Old Course is situated on Minchinhampton Common. Matt Worster has worked closely with local groups to produce an Environmental Management Plan
Composting - you can “sell” this idea to club members - and you can also sell them your compost!
this idea to golf club members - and you can also sell them your compost! In addition to the machinery lease, the club invests an additional £4,000 a year on environmental projects and our Environmental Manager (and my eldest son), Matt Worster, manages this area of the business. Since coming on board, he has worked closely with local groups and committees, calling and chairing meetings, setting agendas and producing minutes. This is different and challenging work, but helps the club understand how best to maintain its local reputation as being a well-managed, safe and cost- effective place to enjoy leisure time which, in turn, helps the club to attract members. Recent achievements have been to
produce, negotiate and sign off on an Environmental Management Plan for Minchinhampton Common where our Old Course is situated. This is the first time in the club’s 125 year history that such a plan has been agreed by all local parties. In addition, the club is partnering the STRI, R&A and England Golf in a trial to produce weed-free fairways without pesticides.
Minchinhampton has three wildlife ponds tucked away in quiet areas of the courses. These have been created purely for the benefit of local wildlife and will be allowed to mature over time with minimal management interference
So, why should we do this? Why do our members agree to this expenditure? Why are the vast majority of our members so interested, and why is it important to the club?
There are a number of answers to these questions:
- The club is a local community asset and has to brand itself as such. It sources its members from that local community and, therefore, has to be seen as completely responsible
The club is fortunate to have an experienced and qualified drystone wall builder on the greenkeeping team and he leads the rebuilding work each winter. A significant number of the internal walls have been rebuilt to a high standard, improving the aesthetics of the course for players and public alike
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- Good news is taken as read, but bad news spreads quickly, and the club not only needs to mitigate against bad news by understanding and recognising legislation, but it also needs to take the lead in important areas such as environmental issues
- The members have a vested interest - they have a pride in their club and they take a great interest in the course and its maintenance. Ecology gives them a completely different set of issues to become involved in and to be a part of.
And this is a key point - because, to retain members in the current economic climate, we have to impart a sense of ownership and involvement. We have to get our members eagerly awaiting not only the development of the course, but the outcomes of a new project or new planting
A good recent example of this at Minchinhampton is Operation Pollinator. We signed up last year, and designated a rather plain area in between two golf holes as the trial area. There is a public footpath running through this area, and two strategically placed information signs have generated significant interest from passers-by as well as members and golfing visitors. A lot of preparation work went on during the autumn and winter and the members could hardly wait to see the flowers come through in the spring. So, what happened? Well, almost nothing really! The cold spring held back the flowers until the grass growth started in earnest and most of the flowers were swallowed up. A disaster? A solid reason not to bother again? Nope - simply some fine-tuning required and hold the faith. So, how do we know what our members want and why is this important? Like any business, we have to understand our customers. We have to understand what drives them, and what motivates them to continue to support our company. And, like any other business, we have allies and we have competitors. All businesses need their own Unique Selling Points to set them apart from their competitors and, in the case of golf, a strong environmental effort goes hand in glove with the objectives of the golfer. We survey the members, asking direct questions and are not afraid to disclose the answers, even if we don’t like them. Benjamin Harvey, founder of Harvey- Nicks department stores once said “Those who complain directly to me actually do me a service, because they give me the opportunity to put things right. But, those who complain and say nothing to me do me great harm, because they deny me the opportunity to put things right”. Wise words indeed.
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