Page 6 - GBC Spring 2019 ENG

The First Tee
Message From The CEO, NGCOA Canada • Jeff Calderwood
Make 2019 Your Best Season Yet
Happy 2019 from your Golf Business Canada team and all of us at the NGCOA Canada who wish you the best for a successful golf season ahead!
To accomplish that goal, perhaps the business side of your New Year’s Resolutions deserves some extra attention. So, take advantage of this issue’s strong line up of articles. Many of these are written by some of the exceptional speakers from our recent Golf Business Canada Conference & Trade Show in Calgary that was, once again, rated very highly by the delegates.
The cover story alone could be the 2019 game changer you’re looking for. Opening keynote speaker Dennis Moseley-Williams, who has worked with all sizes of businesses from solo entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 companies, advocates for us to achieve competitive advantage by creating exceptional golfer experiences, rather than allowing ourselves to be dragged into the commoditization of golf.
He offers great insights from other industries to illustrate the difference between customer service and customer experience, a critical point of differentiation for all golf operators these days. A great golf course and strong service are no longer enough.
The world has shifted to the Experience Economy. Your ability to capitalize on golf’s very dynamic conditions for creating those total experiences, beyond the game itself, is a substantial growth opportunity for many operators. As Moseley-Williams notes, failure to do so leads to commoditization that forces you to compete primarily on price, an unhealthy position for any golf operation.
Enabling that golfer experience to be so much more personally satisfying, memorable and unique is ultimately a managed process. Hopefully, this cover story will provoke some of your own customized solutions that go well beyond the golf course, your service level, the game itself, and price.
Similarly, golf industry consultant Don Holmstrom’s article presents six key nancial and operational levers that you can push and pull to help drive pro tability and value for your business in the upcoming season.
Other articles in this issue include the latest on customer loyalty strategies by Matt Welliver, and golfer expectations for 2019 from your mobile technology by Brandon Clark. More power to propel your New Year’s Resolutions!
To close out this Spring edition, the Parting Shot is shared by outgoing NGCOA Canada president Steve Spratt and newly elected president Lesley McMahon. On behalf of our Golf Business Canada readership, advertisers and management team, thank you to Steve for two very successful years leading the Association. Congratulations to Lesley on what promises to be two more great years serving Canadian golf course operators under her presidency.
Cheers to a successful golf season ahead!
Jeff Calderwood, CEO NGCOA Canada jcalderwood@ngcoa.ca
6 Golf Business Canada