There’s A Winning Team Behind The Scenes

I’ve been considering this topic for a couple of weeks now, since moving over to Dubai Golf’s consultancy company – IGLS (International Golf & Leisure Services), following the closure of Nad Al Sheba.

The golf industry is a wonderful industry and has many different avenues in which to wander. Since turning professional some 14 years ago now, I have been very fortunate to have worked in some fantastic establishments in a number of key service roles in both golf and club operations.

I have had many enjoyable years looking after the needs of golfers, whether beginners, established golfers or professionals. I have also worked with some extremely dedicated and knowledgeable individuals all of whom have one thing in common – they do what they do for the love of the game.

Since moving over to IGLS, I have met a number of great people who although they do not work in the golf industry directly, have a desire to grow the game of golf and take a lot of enjoyment from the knowledge that they are contributing to the good of the game.

Initially I was curious as to how I would feel about stepping out of the service side of golf and how much I would miss the daily interaction with staff and customers and the general buzz of the golf club.

I am delighted to say that it has been a gratifying transition and it has become highly apparent that I’m now in a position to affect the experience of the end-user even more than ever before.

Being involved with developers that demand the highest levels of customer experience, that demand that their facilities are user-friendly and inspirational to the variety of golfer and clients that frequent them, is fantastic.

As a golfer first and foremost, to be able to use my years of experience from operating and frequenting golf clubs to assist a team of designers to create the perfect functional facilities for staff and customers – is a tremendous position to be in.

I had, until now, always taken clubhouses, academies and golf courses for granted – we all do. We turn up and play, enjoy or not our game as the case may be, and our individual experiences are logged in our memory banks.
Having now crossed over the road, my perspective has changed.

In the Middle East and the UAE in particular, we are extremely fortunate that the standards of the resorts and clubs are among the highest in the world. I now know that each facility has a team of visionary, dedicated and committed individuals responsible for it and that no stone has gone unturned to create them.

Jules' gem tip of the week 

Next time you step into a luxury golf resort or golf club, take in your surroundings and think of the team that made it happen. I am now biased of course, however it’s nice to put a new perspective on the experience that you can now behold.

Julian Danby is senior consultant for IGLS (International Golf & Leisure Services), a Dubai company, and a PGA golf professional.