Summer Travel

As my wife and I awaited our first child my travel schedule has been significantly curtailed but I did manage to play Butler National Golf Club in Chicago. Recently lengthened to 7500 yards with a slope of 158 and course rating of 78.2...she is a monster. While the course sits in the midst of suburban Chicago with office buildings and roads alongside the course, I thoroughly enjoyed the venue. Unquestionably difficult, but very fair. The club is an all-male bastion which has a terrific ambience. The service & food are excellent...it all just feels right. It would be quite easy to envision the course hosting any golf event (membership policy excluded) and provide the sternest challenge to the finest golfers in the world.

In terms of new golf development, Scotland has taken a back seat to some other nations over the last 10 or so years. Doubtless, there have been some terrific courses added to the landscape, principally Loch Lomond & Kingsbarns come to mind. In addition, there have been a number of other courses that provide an excellent experience. Looking forward I am very hopeful that Scotland will add some very good new courses...and possibly some great ones. Developments currently under construction and in varying stages;

Machrahanish Bay - alongside Machrahanish Golf Club on the tip of the Mull of Kintyre, a new course which has been the passion of renowned Scottish golf course photographer Brian Morgan. This area of Scotland is rather remote but an additional course provides greater incentive for travelers to make the effort. Realistically 2007 opening.

Carrick on Loch Lomond - Located just to the south of Loch Lomond Golf Club, on the shores of Loch Lomond, it has the potential to be one of Scotland's very best inland courses...opening in 2006.

New Course in St. Andrews - The much discussed 7th course for St. Andrews. Construction is now underway with a projected 2007 opening. Over the last 5 years we have seen St. Andrews emerge as more than just "play the Old Course" and move along, but more people now spend 4 or 5 days around this delightful town, playing a range of courses, including the Old Course. Doubtless #7 will only add to this trend.

British Airways...the recent, much publicized challenging strike at British Airways, was in my view handled as well as could have been expected by the airline. They were thrown a difficult set of challenges when their principal catering supplier went on strike and then some of the ground staff walked off the job in sympathy. An airline is an incredibly complex logistical operation with planes, crews, maintenance, landing slots, etc, etc. British Airways stepped up to the plate in this instance and did virtually everything within their power to address the issues. The media (principally British) had a field day with the stoppage but I am exceptionally confident had a similar scenario played out at a US airline and the response would have been much different. Certainly passengers were adversely affected, but British Airways deserve respect for their handling of the situation...the people that deserve scorn are the relatively few BA ground staff who walked off the job and their responsibilities.

St. Andrews Looked Inviting

The extensive coverage provided to the Open Championship recently was terrific. The weather that participants experienced at St. Andrews is probably fairly close to what I would imagine to be the ideal links golf experience....some days warm enough for no sweater....a good solid breeze (changing directions), some rain to settle the dust, firm fairways & greens...it all combines for a golf experience unlike any other. The Old Course looked to be in excellent condition, but when you speak with someone who has never played links golf, they opinion ranges from one;"...that looks like so much fun" to "...you call that golf?” Regardless links golf is the very soul of the game of golf and your desire to experience is one of personal interest & expanding your horizons.

The service business is a finicky affair, and for my own sanity developed the, "Three Golden Rules" which are written in the context of our business. Expectations…have you met reality? The first order of business forever must be to create a sense of expectation with the client that is reasonable and shall be met. Whether it is when you will reply to him with information or what he should anticipate receiving, the list is endless. Specifically relating to his future trip, it is as simple as ensuring that when he walks through the door of a hotel, he will be satisfied. If he is expecting the Palace of Versailles and sees “early attic” furniture, we have a problem. The same person could walk through the same door and like what he sees…if he has different expectations in his minds eye. You can trace many, many of (the few) problems we encounter to this simple concept. It is difficult to share too much information with a client, for it all adds to the picture he is painting in his mind of what to expect. For example; we set up expectations as clearly as possible with respect to the delivery of caddies, we do not guarantee them, for if we did, and then failed to deliver, we have violated this principle, we do not provide odds of being successful in the Old Course ballot, but rather try to provide a better understanding of how it works or indeed, we do not indicate the summer weather in Ireland is dry, calm and warm without fail, for that would be creating an unreasonable expectation…with the wrong clothes in the suitcase! I think I have made my point, but this simple concept is the foundation for a memorable travel experience.

No surprises. Our clients typically do not like surprises when they travel (we are not speaking of gifts), for most surprises have some negative connotation. People like to set expectations and then for everything to run smoothly thereafter, no surprises. Simple. A surprise is to turn up to your favorite restaurant with your seven golfing friends and discover your reservation was lost and they are fully booked, or a surprise is to be handed a hotel bill at checkout for accommodations when you paid as part of your package. Our clients particularly dislike surprises in front of their peers. When we know of potential problems, one of our jobs is to navigate them away from the situation, as we did with the protests in Edinburgh around the G8 Summit Meeting. We proactively avoided surprises caused by traffic tie ups. There are many examples of this, it adds to the experience of traveling and reflects positively on the memories of the trip. From a practical standpoint, if we are not proactive, very often the situation will return to us, requiring additional effort in the future, with less client satisfaction.

When mistakes happen, how do we respond? Invariably, at times, as hard as we try something may not operate as planned. Human error or bad communication, or whatever it may be. The client is upset & annoyed, with reason. This is your opportunity to quickly address the issue, make it right, and more importantly leave the client feeling better than he did prior to the problem. The worst we can do is let a problem fester, make a client repeat their concerns three times to three different people…now we have a combustible situation. When you resolve, make it clear to all parties what is being done, what will be done and what any other actions will consist of, preferably in writing, or at the very least in very concise terms, so the resolution does not collapse due to miscommunication and misunderstanding. I have learnt that one of the measures of a successful business is how you tackle these situations and very often, you create a more loyal client because educated consumers know that the world is not perfect, and want to buy from a company that can fairly and correctly redress issues when they arise.

I think that the above can be equally applied to most service businesses.

Did I forget to tell you?...we just aereated

Viewing the world from my hospitality industry background, it amazes me how poorly many facilities avoid tackling issues head on, and rather than acknowledge shortcomings that their guests shall eventually discover, management just ignores the problem and suffers the consequence of incredibly bad PR.

It has happened to us all...as you walk up to the first green it appears bumpy...in fact, it is. Three days ago it was aerated and the holes are still visible and healing. Absolutely required course maintenance. No question. Does it alter the golf experience? Absolutely. A good friend recently visited one of the premier golf resorts on East Coast and their first round had this problem. He had flown down in his plane for 2 days of golf. Did anyone warn him, or offer consideration..."as a gesture, we are including lunch today in the green fee". Nothing. First notice is with your eyes. To me, that is simply appalling lack of management. They have collected their (understandably) premium green fee for a superb golfing experience...but are simply unable to deliver it. Your credit card is charged for the experience...but they do not make a good faith effort to honor their part of the deal. It is like ordering a filet in a fine restaurant and being served a hamburger...but getting a bill for a steak. The golf world is small and people talk. My friend MAY return to this facility but not before he has told many people. Ironically, it is a facility which receives more negatives from various friends & associates. Personally, I think their premium golf course is the best course on the east coast...but the experience is being affected by a sequence of poor hospitality decisions...and a reputation is a very tough thing to turn around. When this happens to you...let your feelings be known, for most likely, the resort management team that allowed this to happen, are not going to consider any compensation, so don't waste your breath...but tell your friends.

Before my first visit to Castle Pines, venue for the International, the locker room attendant, "Tommy" was repeatedly named by various friends as being the best in the business and helping define the experience. I was perplexed...but after 5 terrific visits, I would agree, Tommy has no peers. He remembers name, drink preferences, hometowns, families...he makes introductions to fellow golfers while creating a service level with his staff which is outstanding. Someone is always prowling the locker room for shoes to be shined...a drink is only a glance away...food service is never a problem. I love great service, and if you ever have the chance, Castle Pines is the epitome of understated, casual, great service. Tommy is the band leader.

The World is Flat

I have just finished a most interesting read by Tom Friedman, titled, "The World if Flat". At first glance one would think it had no relation to the golf travel industry...as it traces the significant changes in the global landscape over the last 15 years. However the impact on our business of the changes that the author describes is very easy to comprehend. Friedman provides some marvelous examples of the "flattening" of the world, by that he means the quiet disappearance of national boundaries. He describes the scene in Bangalore, India and the call centers which handle so many functions for multinational companies; the remarkable chain of events which is occurs when you order a Dell computer as dozens of suppliers in a similar number of locations around the world collaborate to create a customized laptop for your needs...all within 4 days! Tom Friedman has a remarkable ability to explain the most complex analysis in terms which are inherently understandable. So, what's the connection with our business? Well, 21 years ago when my brother and I started, I was in Atlanta and Colin was in Scotland. Communication was via telephone or telex. Client proposals and documents were created on a type writer and stored in manila files. The cost of telecommunications was significant for a small, start up business.

Fast forward to 2005. PerryGolf has invested in a web platform which we have used for internal applications since August 2001. It manages every aspect of the client experience with our company, from the first interaction and request for information, to the accounting instructions to suppliers, drivers’ notes and client questionnaire, following the completion of travel. Fortunately in 2001 we did not have a legacy computer system which permitted us to create a very functional web based application. Moving forward from this success, we have for several years offered prospects the opportunity to secure online price quotes...for people who wish a sense of the cost of a trip, without giving up their anonymity, this is a great (and unique) tool. By the end of June we shall have launched our new website which shall have a client portal in our system, permitting them to view the most current information relating to their trip on line. They shall also be able to make payments and in due course, retrieve more detailed information about their trip.

This fall PerryGolf shall be adding a number of new destinations. We shall be working closely with local partners in each location but importantly all information shall be shared with clients and suppliers thru the platform I described. From the client perspective, it should be an identical service experience to a trip to the British Isles. Since October 2004 we have processed inbound telephone calls and routed them to our most knowledgeable staff at the destination. From the clients perspective the location of their golf travel specialist is irrelevant provided they receive the very best possible information in a timely fashion. Our new destinations shall be using the same business model and we are very excited about the possibilities this holds.

One of the many points in Friedman's book was that with the wiring of the world and the free flow of information, your value to a company is not contingent upon your physical location, but rather your ability to add value to the end product in the most efficient manner.

Hopefully, come September when we launch our new destinations, you can enjoy our service for yourself.

World Rankings?

One of the great aspects of golf, aside from the tremendous camaraderie, is the sheer diversity of golf courses. Of course, all courses have certain things in common:18 tees, 18 fairways & 18 greens. However, the variety within these parameters is enormous. The locations and surroundings are equally divergent. The conditioning and experience can vary tremendously.It was therefore with great interest that I read the recent article in Golf Digest regarding the Top 100 Courses in the world. This was a poll which had been brought to my attention by various friends and contacts, every one of whom had an opinion on the matter. Yes, each one was a golfer! The ranking of golf courses is as difficult and subjective as selecting your favorite movie or meal. Different golfers place varying emphasis on each of the many components:; shot making, conditioning, routing, surroundings, etc. The list is virtually endless. Rankings are always certain to engage passionate discussions on the best course. Or if you want a sure-fire dialogue, compare one course in your hometown to another. I have discovered that many people like to think their course is the superior because they are members...and as a result downplay anywhere else. I fall uncharacteristically silent when speaking with these characters.So as I read the Golf Digest Top 100 I recognized it as a genuine effort to include as many countries as possible. I do not think it reflects the best courses in the world unless you weight your answers heavily for geographical reasons. I cannot find fault with that. I would, however, question the nature of selection, by that I mean, as primarily a US magazine, Golf Digest should focus on the views and expectations of its core audience. My understanding is that this poll was conducted with input from various golf organizations & administrators located around the world. Fine, but their view of a great course is different from Americans’. Case in point, look at the Top 50 in the British Isles as selected by a UK audience for a UK publication. It varies significantly from the US vision of the same courses. No one is giving the wrong answer, it is just that we all have different perspectives given our background and expectations.I could slice and dice the list that Golf Digest presented’ I certainly disagree with a great number of its honorees when you consider other fine courses elsewhere in the world. But that is the beauty of these polls...we all have our opinions.Bottom line, all polls are great, even ones we may not necessarily agree with or fully understand, because they can raise awareness of...and discussion about a sport for which we all have a passion. So, let’s keep it all in perspective. Our lives are all very good and we are blessed. Golf is a great game and we should always remember that.

Spring Arrives

With the first day of spring now officially here, the Players Championship a part of history (almost finished) and the Masters on the horizon...the golf season has opened!

Fredrica Golf Club, Sea Island - This new Tom Fazio design is a gem. If you take away the surrounding vista, and focused solely on the golfing arena, I believe it looks a lot like Augusta National. The course is playable, fun, and for a facility opened last fall in outstanding condition. They built a 400 acres lake and created the highest point (the clubhouse) for 50 miles around during the consruction of the course. The bunkers could arguably stand to be a slightly deeper but it is a great golf course and worth whatever effort to play it. For my money, I would play Fredrica ahead of Ocean Forest (at the end of Sea Island). Fredrica is at the north end of St. Simons Island and part of the Sea Island Company.


As I was checking into one of my absolute favourite hotels, it reminded me of the many variables which create an experience;

Assume exceptional facilities & location.

It is the people...and there training which define greatness. The room service attendent who inquires as they are leaving the room, "may I return in 1 hour to collect the plates?"...the staff efforts to use your last name, no less than four times did staff inquire how to pronounce my name...it is the taking ownership of a sitution and managing it, I had some business matters to handle and the front desk were exceptional....they made a process that could have been so cumbersome, a breeze. These things do not just happen, the service providers have to want to deliver great service and managements job is to provide every tool to achieve these lofty levels. They must also set the tone, that nothing less than the pursuit of excellent is tolerated. From personal knowledge the leadership at Sea Island sets that tone in the clearest signal. (The Lodge at Sea Island).

Compare my experience last week with a hotel I visited in February (The Wilmingtonian, Wilmington, N.C.). The billing procedure was hopeless. I asked for someone to sort out as I departed and to call me with their resolution. Forty eight hours later, no call. I called the General Manager and left him a clear, concise voicemail. I raised some other service issues in my voicemail to him, yet he did not return my call and instead asked the person from two days earlier to return HIS call from a disgruntled guest. Well, I interpret this to mean that the leader of the pack accepts and expects sloppiness. There is no effort to achieve anything above mediocrity. Suffice to say, while the stay at the hotel was OK, after the follow up experience, wild horses will not drag me back.

I have found www.tripadvisor.com as a pretty good source of candid comments. Be sure to look thru all comments on a proprty as I have seen cranks in action where they the site to exact retribution from the hotel, but you will see patterns emerge (both good & bad) which hold consistent themes, making you a more knowledgeble consumer.

Winter Stretch

For some lucky golfers, the winter season brings endless golf in Florida, California of Arizona. I did notice in New Zealand that a number of Americans were "wintering" in New Zealand...or rather summering during our winter. Even with the weakened dollar, New Zealand is still attractive when one considers some of the ever escalating property costs in the better, more established golf communities in the southern states.

I am not someone that can play golf on a 12 month cycle....a time to heal the mind (and increasingly) body is required, alto my golf season started last week in Vero Beach at a marvelous Member-Guest. While it is six months since two consecutive hurricanes ran over Vero Beach, the damage is still very noticeable.

The PGA Show continues to evolve over time, with an increasing number of smaller exhibitors. Based on forward pricing, it appears that Reed, who operate the show see significant pricing pressures...how times change in a few short years. It was very recently, you could not swing a golf club in the hall without hitting a dot.com exhibit...times are changing when they now have an ever increasing-in-length driving range, presumably to fill the hall. Dinner last night with a reporter from the Golf channel and their view was that the show was more vibrant this year than 2004, but highly doubtful that any of the big guys (Titleist et al) feel any pressure to return. They have re-designed their marketing and communications to bypass the PGA Show and doubtful they would want to re-write these plans.

The poor weather than the PGA Tour has been expressing on their West Coast Swing is disappointing for golf fans, but it is what the traveling golfer faces on many occasions. It is always so disappointing to plan a trip for months with friends or family, get to your hotel and for the next four days the rain comes. It happens to us all. What can you do to prevent...nothing. You can however plan to hopefully minimize the risk. When planning a trip, understand the general weather tendencies in that area, e.g. the West Coast is notoriously wet in February, 2005 is a particularly bad example...if going to San Diego, go in April or May. Obviously Hurricane season in the summer months and fall for Florida and Gulf Coast (but prices may be attractive). If you do travel in low season, chances are you can make reservations at the last minute once you have a sense of a 10 day forecast. Clearly not all of the above is applicable in every situation with multiple schedules, etc...but also do not assume the sun shines, with a light breeze on every course, every day! Only in Scotland!

New Year

PGA Show - Later this month, the annual gathering in Orlando of the golf industry. Despite recent setbacks and high profile non attendee's, the show remains a sizeable affair as many people connected with the golf world, from various parts of the globe use it is a chance to see old friends, conduct some business and catch up on the latest buzz in the industry. It always strikes me that with the high cost of participating as an exhibitor, the future of such events becomes more doubtful. It is quite easy to rationalize why not to attend and how you can better allocate your resources more efficiently elsewhere...but human nature likes eyeball contact, shake a hand, meet a new associate...as much as the communications revolution is changing how we work and how we play, there is a place for everything. Please still buy newspapers because they like the medium....while also getting other information from the internet...email has not replaced the post office.

Barnbougle Dunes - On the north coast of Tasmania, near the town of Bridport, one of Tom Doak's latest creations and it is a gem. Situated in the middle of nowhere, the golf course has the feel of Sand Hills in Nebraska, it was sculpted from the terrain with minimal earth movement. The facility has accommodations on site and reminds me of a cross between Bandon Dunes and Sand Hills.if you get to Australia, find 1 or 2 days to fly over, you will not be disappointed. This is a curious site as the land is quite flat except for this chain of sand dunes, 500 yards inland it is pasture. There are some delightful wineries in the area, including Pipers Rock (20 minutes).

Cape Kidnappers - Situated on top of the cliffs to the east of Napier, on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand, it is a spectacular venue. The course is difficult, but in my view fair. There are a number of exceptional holes, not least of which is the view from the 16th tee looking over Hawkes Bay. I could best describe the experience at Cape Kidnappers as Old Head (Ireland) with a great course. The views are spectacular, the routing creates many memorable holes, sadly the finishing hole falls into the average category, which is just not the case with the previous ones.

Kauri Cliffs - The course leapfrogged into the Top 50 in the world when it opened. It is a good course with many excellent holes and a superb location. With the recent fine additions to the golf scene in Australasia I think it may be under pressure to hold it's spot in the rankings, but the experience at Kuari Cliffs is outstanding. The rooms are as well designed and comfortable as I have seen. The staff is attentive and the food is excellent. It is a must stop on any golf trip to New Zealand. You may come to think of the golf course as more resorty than others you will play but it is very definitely at the highest end of resort golf.

Wairakaki - Built in the 1970's near Lake Taupo in the middle of the North Island. The course was originally under indirect government ownership but was sold into private enterprise. Three New Zealand businessmen now own the facility and the course is very good. An inland course it has hosted numerous professional and amateur events through the years. It has been updated and is a great test of golf.

The National Golf Club (Moonah Links), Melbourne, Australia – A Greg Norman design on the Mornington peninsula, to the south of Melbourne. If you can ignore the flies which can become rather bothersome, the course is excellent. Any number of fine holes and worthy of making the effort to play.

Handicaps versus tee's - I played in a match play event recently which provided no handicaps to the participants, but rather there was a defined set of tees to play from based upon your handicap. An interesting concept which created a number of competitive matches (and upsets). I believe the purpose was to demonstrate the need and benefit for every golfer playing the tees which were designed for their capabilities...give it a try at your club.

Air travel - Remains as challenging as ever although I have found three web sites which are pretty handy if you have the time to research your travel plans; For Business Class passengers this site reviews every premium seat in the sky - www.flatseats.com ; for the more mainstream coach class passenger the following site provides some great insights, often I have THOUGHT I had reserved the perfect emergency row seat only to discover I was one row off in a seat which neither reclined nor had extra leg room - www.seatguru.com and finally a site which provides thoughtful insight into the ongoing changes in the airline industry - www.airlinequality.com .

Communications - In an earlier blog I had touched upon the rapidly changing face of communications with Skype and Vonage. A simple story speaks volumes about the new times we live.....sitting in my hotel room in Queenstown, New Zealand on a Sunday morning, I logged into our phone system using a local Atlanta (GA) phone number which rings on my laptop....a prospective client of PerryGolf (in Calgary, Canada) calls our 800 number and as I am the only person logged into the system (Saturday in Atlanta), the call is routed to my laptop and I spend 15 minutes on the phone with this gentleman from Canada. He has no idea, who or where he is speaking to, but probably assumes it is an office in the United States. Cost to PerryGolf...same as if I was sitting in my office! The world is....correction, has changed!