The new chair of Scottish Golf has said she will use her high-level business experience to try and get more women to play golf.
She will do this by encouraging golf clubs to market to families and offer shorter formats of the game. She also wants golf clubs to think creatively about what they can offer customers, by for example, becoming a base for local cyclists and not just golfers.
Scottish Golf is the new governing body for amateur golf in Scotland, formed by the merger of the all-male Scottish Golf Union and the Scottish Ladies’ Golfing Association at the end of last year. It features a nine-strong board of directors, all with extensive business experience, and comes at a time when many Scottish golf clubs are suffering financial hardships, with participation and memberships in decline in recent years.
Its new chair is the head-hunted Eleanor Cannon, former global head of customer service at Tesco PLC and corporate affairs director at Scottish & Newcastle PLC, who has latterly been running a successful executive coaching business.
Cannon, a member at Ranfurly Castle Golf Club, indicated that research that shows that golf clubs can address their financial plights if they tap into the potential interest from women shows what the best way forward for the industry is.
She said: “The remit is to grow golf among those people who don’t understand it. It just so happens the biggest, most obvious opportunity is to do that with women.
“Only 14 percent of golf club members in Scotland are women – but it’s not just about converting women to play golf. It’s about making them understand that it is a great sport for youngsters to learn and get them into clubs.
“One of the things that has changed in the last 20 years is that men and women both work. That has changed family life.
“It’s now about developing formats so that families enjoy playing together. Some clubs are already doing it but we have to work with the others so that there are means by which people can play golf quicker.
“In my view, golf needs a similar strategy to cricket. They asked themselves who the non-spectators were – and the answer was families.
“Instead of five-day test cricket, they needed to come up with something that was dynamic, much faster and great television. That’s how Twenty20 cricket was born.
“Like cricket, we need to be looking at much quicker six-hole and nine-hole formats, not just 18.
“Similarly, the whole environment has to be far more conducive to family life in a digital age.
“How many businesses do you know who have a chief executive who looks after the men and another who looks after the women – and then they change both every year?
“That’s how the golf model works.
“You only need one board with one leader and you don’t need separate ladies’ and men’s sections.
“Separate changing rooms, yes – but there’s no reason why men and women shouldn’t be playing in competitions together.
“We need the mums of the future to see the sport in a different way and for young people to be welcomed into the clubs.”
She said that at Tesco she had to understand her customers’ needs – something that golf clubs need to do now.
“What we did was give staff much more discretion. That allowed us to take out several layers of management who were just policing,” she said.
“Along with initiatives, we managed to get many more customers.
“The message was, ‘no matter who you are, you’re there to understand customers, deliver their needs and provide a brilliant service.’
“This is all relevant to the challenge we face in golf.”
She also has a clear vision for clubs in Scotland.
“We want to see stronger clubs, in terms of clubs thriving and being very much part of the community. Some clubs certainly are already, but there may still be ways that we can add value – in terms of opening up innovative ideas, different formats of the game, participation and accessibility. We are here to help and support all clubs, including those that are finding it tough and need to engage with their local community in a different way,” she stated.
“We also want to boost membership and promote a unified game, as we have to start talking about golfers, rather than men and women.
“I want to see the facilities at the golf club becoming more of a hub for the local community. All sports are seeking to attract new members. So it’s not just about getting more people to play golf, it’s about getting them into the clubhouse to use the facilities. Cycling has seen a massive boost in the last few years, but they I’m sure would like a base from which to cycle. The golf club could offer that by sharing facilities. Collaboration like that between all local clubs is one way ahead.
“To achieve that, we have to use what we have to offer centrally to its best effect locally. It’s about research. We need to consult with members of clubs to see what they think about how the game can grow. Then we can use those insights to advise them about what to do. The real secret is communication and making it as effective as possible between the executive organisation and the clubs.
“Many people who don’t play see it as an old-fashioned game. But if we can communicate the values that golf engenders in terms of transparency and honesty and self-governing, then we have a chance. It is a wonderful sport that has a great spirit and is one that can be played in a very safe environment. For me, golf is exactly in keeping with the family values that the vast majority of Scottish people hold dear. It’s about honesty. It’s about being outside. It’s about playing with your whole family. It’s the original generation game.”
Leave a Reply