Dubai Golf had another outstanding evening at the seventh annual 59Club Awards held last week in the UK by receiving six prestigious awards and further cementing its reputation as a world-class leading golf operator.
Regarded by many as the 'Oscars' of the golf service industry, the awards are designed to reward the top golf venues across all business elements - sales, service, operations, retail, food and beverage, and management - while 59club's industry benchmark, the Gold, Silver and Bronze Flags, recognise the finest membership clubs and commercial venues around the world, including The Belfry, Celtic Manor, Monte Rei and Gleneagles, as well as golf groups such as Marriott Golf and Arabella Golf.
Dubai Golf picked up the much coveted title 'Golf Group of the Year' title for a third consecutive year while both Emirates Golf Club and Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club received a Gold Flag award. Emirates Golf Club also took the award for the 'Ultimate Members Club', an honour given to the venue, which leads the average scores of all those receiving a Gold Flag.
Both Emirates Golf Club and Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club also took home an esteemed Gold Flag award while Dubai Golf's highly respected Director of Golf Course Maintenance, Craig Haldane, left with the award for 'Greenkeeper of the Year'. Barney Coleman, Club Manager at Emirates Golf Club picked up the highly contested accolade of 'Golf Manager of the Year'.
The awards were presented at a glittering ceremony at The Belfry Resort, England, celebrating the achievements of the very best individuals, teams and venues within the golf industry, while 22 golf venues saw their commitment to continued quality recognised with the award of a prestigious 'flag'.
Mustafa Al Hashimi, Chief Hospitality & Leisure Officer of wasl Asset Management, owner of Dubai Golf, commented, "This is a fantastic achievement for Dubai Golf, further cementing its reputation as world-class amongst a host of leading international golf resorts and clubs. Dubai Golf is committed to continually raising the levels of service on offer, ensuring our Clubs remain a top choice destination for UAE residents and tourists alike."
Christopher May, Chief Executive Officer at Dubai Golf added, "We are delighted to be recognised for our commitment to service excellence at this prestigious Award Ceremony once again. The teams at both Clubs have focused on improving the service in every area, and it is rewarding to see this compare favourably to some of the best golf operations in the region and overseas."
Simon Wordsworth, chief executive at 59club and a fellow of the PGA, said: "Our congratulations go out to the Dubai Golf group on their outstanding achievements during 2016. The group claimed two of our most highly-prized titles, 'Best Golf Group of the year' and for the Emirates, 'The Ultimate Members Club'. Both the Emirates & Dubai Creek received two converted 'Gold Flag' awards in recognition of their ability to offer excellence in terms of the facilities & service afforded to golfers. A special mention to Barney Coleman, who was named 'Golf Manager of the Year' and Craig Haldane, who received the 'Greenkeeper of the Year' award. The awards are based on the ability to offer an excellent customer experience across all business elements, seeing Dubai Golf scoop six awards further demonstrates the group's commitment to consistently deliver the very best customer experience - we are very proud to work with them and look forward to assisting the group to push the boundaries".
59Club is fast becoming the industry standard for measuring and comparing customer-service levels and analysing all key revenue streams for golf venues, and is committed to the on-going development of club managers and PGA professionals.
The unique benchmarking and training service has already benefited hundreds of PGA members and golf course operators. The services include a series of mystery shopper recorded-enquiry calls and live visits, followed up with regular analysis and training to ensure venues can identify trends and compare, improve, or maintain, service standards.