FIELDREPORT
enthusiasm for the game. He had no pivotal weekend to look forward to any more. He carried on playing, of course, well into his eighties, but he never took golf seriously again. It simply became an occasional alternative to a long walk over the Clent Hills. Half a century later, it’s clear the trips to Woodhall Spa were very much a template of things to come. It’s easy to forget that the pro is as much a part of the club as its members, equally committed to its success and viability. He/she is not some distant sub-contractor who supplies services and products for an eye- watering mark-up. The relationship with his/her core market – the members – is absolutely crucial. And there’s surely no better way for the pro to develop that relationship than on the golf course, having fun. Fun is what people are seeking when they take up golf, when they join a club and, as they progress, when they decide upon a golf holiday.
up a blank sheet of paper on the noticeboard around the second week in June and the first 15 names inked in made the trip. The assistant was the 16th participant – the members underwriting his involvement – and in return he would make sure he played with everyone at some point over the three days, dispensing swing tips and putting reads along the way. He was also well advised to have a repertoire of jokes at his disposal, but in fairness that was an optional extra.
Golfreaks.com
offers a 5% commission on every booking made by a pro. Dalgleish estimates a pro can make as much as £2,500 from a tuition trip for a group of six to eight amateurs
There was always a waiting list for this jaunt, of course, though in truth no one ever returned to the Black Country a better golfer. It should be stressed this was not the fault of the assistant, who was always on his best behaviour and, invariably, the first to bed. More, it was due to the late nights the chaps enjoyed on their annual break from marital bliss.
There were hangovers aplenty and the morning rounds, in particular, presented quite a challenge for the assistant as he nursed his flock back to sobriety, and the straight and narrow that passed for Woodhall Spa’s notoriously elusive fairways.
Looking back, it always seemed to be a rite of passage for the assistant – almost the last acid test he would undergo before departing for his first head pro’s position. If he emerged from the pilgrimage to Woodhall Spa with his reputation as a teacher and all-round good bloke intact, then he was deemed ready for higher office – and off he went.
Alas, these excursions ceased as the 1970s loomed and as a result my father lost
These days, the destinations for trips shepherded by pros are far more exotic than South Lincolnshire. First came Portugal (in the form of the Algarve), then various coastal regions of Spain (primarily the Costa del Sol and Costa Brava) and more recently Belek in southern Turkey with its 50-plus 5-star hotels offering 24-hour full-board. For the relatively affluent, even the United States and South Africa are in bounds.
But nowadays such forays are not just a marketing/goodwill exercise. Thanks to a recent turn of events, they’re also nice little earners, especially during those otherwise fallow winter months.
Foremost Golf, the umbrella body for more than 500 PGA professionals, has just appointed Internet travel company
Golfreaks.com, which sends customers to more than 2,000 venues across the globe, as its official travel partner. As a result, pros will earn additional income through
Keith Mitchell (left), marketing director of
golfbreaks.com with Foremost’s company director, Andy Martin
SGBGOLF 21
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