Improve the Management of Dunvegan Golf Course - Essay Example

The Feasibility Way To Improve The Management Of Dunvegan Golf Tack a):The Development of Golf Facilities In Scotland In The 20th Century Golf has a long history in Scotland. In spite of this fact, it still lacked a proper set of rules that governed the game in a homogeneous manner. However for the love of the game, or recreation, each club that was offering golf as a sporting activity developed and amended their own individual set of codes as suitably as they felt compelled. It was until the mid 18th century that the first formal rules of the game were established in a place called Leith, a sea side resort very close to Edinburgh 1744(Green, 1987).It is noteworthy that, in spite of this published rules: golfing matches and their popularity were still played using all manner of improvised equipments, on public lands with bets becoming a salient feature. It was not uncommon for the matches to be followed by festive group drinking and unrestrained celebratory outcomes on the course. Thus the character of golf remained without significant impact that the rules were meant to bring. In 1783 a significant transformation nonetheless appeared to change the face of golf. A reference to etiquette for the very first time in history, “While a stroke is playing none of the party shall walk about, by speaking or otherwise” (The rules of golf,1783),was inserted by the Society of golfers even though other existing clubs such as St Andrews, Leith, Bruntsfield and Crail not doing so. By 1810 the Glascow Golf Club took it a notch higher by expanding the etiquette code through stating that, “Every member who is a player, that is who has played twice during the season, shall make a match on the day when the club is played for, and play for it under the penalty of a bottle of rum (The rules of Golf, 1810).Slowly golf was transforming in perceptions of manners and was as a result getting socially perceived as a sport for social improvement. Following, rules were made that in the same lines of etiquette that demanded attendants to keep quiet, to walk after the players and refrain from removing objects from the course. These rules were to be adopted by other clubs as time went by, even though some other clubs not mentioning about behavior in their respective rules until the late 19th century when the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews instituted a unifying code (Wallenfeldt,:83). (b)The earliest playing instrument was known as Scottish Cleek, a long wooden club. The ball was known as the feather ball. In 1842 appeared the forerunner known as the gutta-perch ball which was impervious to rain and damp thus it extended the playing seasons from dry cold months to year round play. Consequently, it raised the game higher attracting trades men and workers leading to increase of players. (c)Dunvegan fits the pattern. When tracing the development of golf through the subsequent years, there are salient features associated with the development of golf which dunvegan club shares. Golf was a recreational sport reserved and played solely by club members mostly of a given stock for example professional affiliations. They considered themselves as gentlemen who were together bound by a common code of behavior and refined civility. In the club houses, usually there was a club-house where they met and socialized and made bets and developed the playing itinerary before heading to the course for tournaments. The golf course was a specially designed with certain unique features such as paddies that offered different levels of play requiring different playing techniques. Task2(a)The two important tools that George could use to analyze the current situation at the golf club are the SWOT and PEST analysis tools. SWOT Analysis of Dunvegan (b)A SWOT analysis should be a useful tool for planning and strategizing. SWOT is an acronym that stands for Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. It helps in identifying internal and external factors that can affect the business in which case a golf course. Therefore: Strengths analysis will identify the prevalent advantages that Dunvegan golf course has over the competition as a gold course. The analysis of the Weaknesses will reveal the possible disadvantages internally prevalent in relation to the other competitors in the same line of business. Conversely, Opportunities analysis will reveal the current external trends that Dunvegan needs to take advantage of in order to stay ahead of the competition. Dunvegan in analyzing opportunities may have to look critically at the possibilities of offering conferencing services since it has that capabilities. These are some of the opportunities that George will have to look into critically. Lastly, an exploration of Threats will reveal the external movements which may pose a threat and therefore have a negative impact on the business. For example the A9 road which is in a bad state and virtually impassable could possess a threat to future business possibilities if left inn that state without repair. By having the information from SWOT analysis, George will be successfully laying a workable plan, and effectively avoid failure (Applegate 28). PEST Analysis of Dunvegan PEST analysis is an acronym which is an analysis tool for investigating external factors which are beneficial when conducting research before start of a project. These factors are: Political: These may include the political laws, issues of legislation which have an effect on the business, in which case golf club. Since Dunvegan golf course is a multi purpose facility with the capability of offering golf, resort, restaurant and tourism aspects; George while considering how to maximize this point of advantage, he should also research into the existing laws that regulate and bear a direct impact on the activities of a facility of similar magnitude. This will make future business prospects bright in terms of legislative jurisdiction. Economic: Includes Taxes, Interest rates, inflation, consumer confidence, stock markets etc. He should delve into the nature of taxes that the business will have to contend with. He should investigate the level of confidence that current members of the club have in Dunvegan golf course. By seeking answers to questions such as: Do they like the golf course? Do they like the services available? What are the things they need the management to improve? Social: This includes the changes in lifestyles and preference trends, media, major events, ethics, advertising and publicity factors. He should consider proper advertisement about the facility, the prevalent lifestyle and trends so that they can make improvements and necessary adjustments in line with business objectives. Technological: Innovations, license and patents, access to technology (Applegate 28). In this aspect George could research into the latest golfing equipments and techniques of play so that they properly adjust the golfing course in line with current styles or system of play. The application of SWOT and PEST analysis in Dunvegan situation Dunvegan’s internal factors that needs looking into and taken advantage of: Strengths: The factor that Dunvegan could consider as their areas of competitive advantage includes; Composition of Staff: The composition of staff at Dunvegan consists of individuals with unique capabilities and perspectives which George as the Gm could harness positively in line with his philosophy: To maximize the benefits of team working and to ensure that key roles are undertaken. Among the employees that he could work seriously with include the director of golf(DG) who possesses a valuable background in sale and marketing in addition to having an affable and gregarious attitude. These are very good qualities for networking with the list and contacts of individuals in golf and related industries with whom he has made contact with by pressing upon them the inherent benefits of Dunvegan golf course as opposed to the other clubs so that many more patrons may keep streaming in. George in light of these, should relocate him from the pro-shop and perhaps station him in a different work environment within the golf club where he can fully put his skills positively into use. The strategic location: Dunvegan golf course is strategically located and well placed. The club house is very comfortable and has all amenities, including a club house. It has a fully equipped kitchen with a professional chef. The design which is a link course: Provides a traditional links –type golfing experience. Though the course is not long but provides tricky conditions which is challenging in a game of golf thus creating enjoyment without stressing golfers, the course is arranged in two loops of nine holes, has a par of 70 and a standard scratch score of 71 and being able to offer play up to 3-4 hours. Weaknesses: Crucial factors within Dunvegan that George needs to seriously consider and possible take adequate measures in stemming so that club cab operate profitably. Under-utilized staff working not according to skill and talents, or put in the wrong job category: These include the Director of golf (DG) who obviously working in an environment that stifles his talents and puts his skills and knowledge not in proper use. No formal system for internal for external training: These has led to problems both for seasoned and new staff since the understanding of what is expected of them becomes hard, thus they don’t pay attention to quality standards and lack customer care procedures. The membership fee: George should consider adjusting the membership fee which currently appears to be quite expensive for pay per play strategy. Pay per play should be made more affordable. Few staffing of the green keeping team which cannot adequately pay attention to details when working on the course, thus destroys the quality of the course. The bad condition of road A9 which may deter tourists’ accessibility and the fact that it always has bad traffic which slow down movement so much. The accent of local people which may hinder effective communication. Opportunities: These include those points of advantage to the club but from an external perspective. They include: The club has been open for 12 years and has the chance of being categorized 4-star facility: this presents a great opportunity for Dunvegan to stamp its authority in terms of class thereby attracting members of the privileged stock among its rank. This will boost business and give it an exemplary reputation. Tapping into the local golf tourism industry since it has the facilities that can accommodate the interests of golf. In addition, through its well equipped kitchen with a professional chef, it could comfortably offer quality restaurant services catering to a range of clientele besides offering golfing services. Task 3(a) 1) Traditional members: This membership entitles a member to the full use of golf course from Monday to Sunday. They have full playing rights. 2) Husband and wife members: Entitles both husband and wife to use the golf course from Monday to Sunday with full playing rights. 3) Family members: May include husband, wife and a couple of children. They also qualify for full playing rights in the golf course. The needs of different groups: Traditional members are members who the golf club can depend on as they will attend the golf course whenever they have the opportunity and can be trusted that they cannot deviate to go to other golf clubs when everything remains constant. In a way they can be described as the “die hard” members of dunvegan golf club and therefore they can be depended upon that reason. It will be contingent upon the club to recognize them and accord them the rights to use the golf course whenever they attend. The family members may not register daily attendance, but when they come they should be served with utmost generosity in the sense of using the facilities because the club can bank on their good recommendation to other families to come and join the club. Husband and wife members also play an important role in the business aspect of dunvegan golf club. This is because through their good word, other members can join the club. Therefore they should be accorded full rights to use the facilities available all according to the program that dunvegan will have in place. Task 4(a)Dunvegan should first consider in-house training of the staff so that they may be adequately skilled in carrying out their duties with quality and the desired standards. Of particular interest they need to put a lot of emphasis on customer relations and care by the manner in which they handle and serve them. Bad customer care not only hurts the business but can destroy the good reputation of Dunvegan especially since it’s a golfing club that relies heavily on reputation and class to be in business. Marketing is also an important aspect that the staff need to be trained about. Good knowledge of marketing will help the club in attracting and winning over new clientele. In this view the director of golf could come in handy. The information managers skills and her assistants talent could be deployed to disseminate appropriate marketing information to the staff in the form of brochures, leaf-lets, which the staff could use to effectively market the club to the visiting patrons internally. (b)The team working on the green course could be trained on proper course management so that the quality of golf course is not compromised. More employees with marketing training could be employed to supplement to work together with the director of golf preferably as their head of marketing. When more qualified members are added on the team coming with new expertise and experiences for example in the marketing field, and new golfing members add up, the entire team will feel motivated to continue with the good work since the level of activity and business will increase thus there will be a high level of heightened expectation which will boost the general level of morale among the team. Works Cited Richardson, Forrest L. Routing the Golf Course: The Art & Science That Forms the Golf Journey. New York: J. Wiley & Sons, 2002. Print Porter, Darwin, and Danforth Prince. Frommers Scotland. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Pub, 2010. Internet resource Wallenfeldt, Jeffrey H. The United Kingdom: Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. New York, NY: Britannica Educational Publishing in association with Rosen Educational Services, LLC, 2013. Internet resource Wise, James E. On Shermans Trail: The Civil Wars North Carolina Climax. Charleston, SC: History Press, 2008. Print Applegate, Edd, and Art Johnsen. Cases in Advertising and Marketing Management: Real Situations for Tomorrows Managers. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2007. Print Read More