Page 8 - GBC Winter 2024 English

Message From The CEO, NGCOA Canada • Jeff Calderwood
The First Tee
Your Best Defense: Offence!
As they say in sports, the best defense is a strong offence. That’s a proven strategy for winning.
In business, the same holds true. Being proactive, taking control, and forward thinking are valuable offensive strategies to defend your success against various risks.
Our cover story, entitled “Prevent & Protect – Effective Theft Solutions for your Clubhouse” is a timely example of this. The recent string of break-ins has been a major concern for golf course operators in several cities this season. From stolen golf cars to cash in the safe, it is a serious situation.
Shawn Hunter, author of the cover story, and managing editor of Golf Business Canada, delves into these crimes, providing the status of these investigations, and offering recommendations to prevent or minimize the impact of such occurrences at your golf operation.
As you will read, there is often a pattern to these break-ins. Within a region, several golf courses will get hit in a very short time, often by the same perpetrators. Once they have targeted a
region, the criminals move on to another region to hit their next group of targeted courses.
Fortunately, rapid communications from the NGCOA Canada to the membership in any given area has helped minimize the losses. By taking some basic offensive steps, such as removing all cash from the premises, some golf courses were able to avoid more serious damages. Others improved their security systems and prevented the intended break-in altogether.
In many cases, the perpetrators had cased the clubhouse or maintenance facilities ahead of time. So, proactive staff training and video surveillance to detect suspicious behaviour have become critical management tactics for a proactive offence.
Although Hunter’s cover story does include various such solutions, it should be noted that some of the golf courses he interviewed preferred not to disclose all of their latest security measures, concerned that any publicity might inadvertently help the criminals adjust their strategies for future crimes.
I would suggest that your offence include additional direct outreach to other NGCOA Canada operators. That
exchange of best practices can be accomplished in several ways, including in our private Facebook group, at regional events and in consultation with our NGCOA Canada staff.
The Golf Business Canada Conference & Trade Show, taking place November 19-21, in Calgary, is also the largest exchange of best-practices for our industry. This annual event includes expert speakers and the opportunity to get security advice from the supplier community. Visit https://conference. ngcoa.ca/ for more information.
Other valuable articles in this issue of Golf Business Canada cover important topics such as Staff Retention, AI for Foodservice, Cyber Security, Top 10 Golf Drinks, Industry Research and more.
Enjoy the read, all the best for the remainder of the golf season, and I will see you soon in Calgary for what promises to be our most valuable Conference yet!
Jeff Calderwood, CEO NGCOA Canada jcalderwood@ngcoa.ca
8 Golf Business Canada