I work within a pharmaceutical company however it is my role within in Golf that I would like to share. I like many others in golf are consumers of products from a highly competitive market of equipment manufactures who all promise you the world in game improvement opportunities (even stabilising shoes have promised an extra 10 yards on my drive, you guessed it I bought them). The supply chains for clubs, balls, bags, trolleys, caps, shoes, clothing, gloves and umbrellas (probably selling it short)must be immense. On top of this I receive the benefits of a manicured golf course which uses equipment, fertiliser, water, sand, flags and markers which again will have intricate supply chains.
My role in this is what i have chosen to give back to a game that I had no interest in originally (Cricket is still my first sporting love). I have worked on and now chair the golf committee at my local golf club. We provide a service to our members which enables them to play in competitions and maintain their handicaps. The product is an enjoyable round that a player can play with a handicap and on a course which are both commensurate to their playing ability. To achieve this we have various inputs of information flow from different organisations. Intelligent Golf (IG) provide us with a digital platform which members can book and pay for the competitions, see their details and also download an easy to use app which has been developed to allow scoring without a card during covid times. Congu (governing body for handicaps) provide us with the rules for maintaining handicaps, congu also work closely with digital providers such as IG to provide a technical solution for maintaining handicaps. Congu is aligned to England Golf who manage all the local unions in the country (such as our local union Cheshire) and finally the rule makers the R&A and USGA. Our role as a committee amongst these large organisations of databases and information flow is to understand and translate the data, guidelines and rules into our golfer’s experiences. If interpreted incorrectly we could invalidate our players from external competitions and bring about a loss of reputation for the club (no doubt losing memberships). Our role is also to feedback and collaborate into these organisations to bring about the right solutions. Whenever there are changes to be made by the governing bodies they have recently collaborated closely with local unions, clubs and players to bring about the right decisions to ensure the game is played enjoyably and that the game is set for growth and sustainability. I like to think that my small role as a conduit at a golf club is in some way helping the golf industry to grow at the grassroots level.