Photograph by Kristina Nabieva

Dubai-based Troon International President Mark Chapleski discusses the impact of coronavirus on club golf in the region and how the disruption has presented unforeseen opportunities for the game

With Kent Gray

We suspect you won’t have experienced anything in business quite as challenging as the COVID-19 pandemic?
Coronavirus has impacted all of our properties across the world in a variety of manners. At one stage we only had two courses open in our International Division (in Australia) as we adhered to local Governmental and Golf Federation regulations. All of our courses are now open with the exception of The Allegria in Egypt and we were pleased to see Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in Saudi Arabia open on June 21. The data tells us that COVID-19 may have a more dramatic overall impact on the world than 9/11 and the Financial Crisis of 2008.  However, we believe that the golf industry is in a unique position to come out of this in a stronger position than before the crisis started. It has certainly been one of the positive green shoots, due to the inherent nature of how golf is played and operated, in almost every region of the world, as places are emerging from lockdowns. As a game, golf is naturally a social distanced sport and offers families a sport that they can enjoy together outside in the fresh air.

How challenging, from a staff welfare and financial standpoint, was the immediate shutdown period for the clubs under Troon International’s umbrella?
As a company, our priorities always centre on protecting our associates (staff), financial performance and the assets of our owners. We were able to ensure our agronomy teams maintained the golf courses with precautions such as split teams (to ensure work continues even if one team member gets infected) and re-housing associates on-site (including at The Track Meydan Golf in Dubai). Our Regional Corporate Agronomy leaders have been assisting our superintendents with best practices on maintaining our golf courses during these difficult times, when there are various limitations, not only on staffing but also the delivery of materials for example. We were also quick to minimise our costs to reduce the impact on our P&Ls whilst doing everything in our power to protect our associates, who do a phenomenal job day in, day out.

Our property leaders also did a phenomenal job in keeping our associates engaged throughout the lockdown periods, regularly providing updates and training and ensuring regular communication with them was maintained to keep them motivated.  It was a really tough time during the lockdown for us all and we are thankful for technology which has allowed us to keep connected throughout.

Al Zorah Golf Club (UAE)

Yas Links Golf Club (UAE)

What measures were put in place to assist clubs as lockdowns were announced, and then when partial re-openings were rolled out?
We currently operate in 33 countries and to take a positive from this crisis, we have been able to follow the migration of COVID-19 and continuously work with our property leaders and teams to share the lessons learned, best practices and relaunch strategies.

Ironically, the shutdowns that COVID-19 created worldwide, created an opportunity for our corporate office and our executives at the facilities to communicate in a manner that we had not fully utilised prior. We began over-communicating to our property leaders with guidance, global trends, motivation and proven best practices whilst engaging with them on a personal level to help guide them through the crisis. Video calls twice a week, with up to 20 properties at a time, became the norm. It was fantastic to see the engagement from the field, but also for our senior associates to be engaged with one another on a regular basis in that much more personal video-call setting.

This situation is new to the world and there is no magic wand. However, by doing the right thing and being kind, we are highly confident our properties will come out of this in a positive manner.

What role did Troon International play in lobbying governments to begin re-opening courses?
Our International office is based here in Dubai and we have been in the region since our engagement with The Address Montgomerie in 2001. As we manage 10 of the golf clubs here, this allows us to provide a voice from a large portion of the golf industry. I have to thank our industry counterpart, Chris May, for all of his efforts to work with government entities as well. From our long tenure we have a strong relationship with the Emirates Golf Federation who did a great job in communicating to all the UAE golf clubs since mid-March, and continue to do so. We must thank Sheikh Fahim, Adel Zarouni and Robert Fiala for their continuous support to the industry. In regards to other regions, Troon had several comprehensive documents gathered from resources around the globe that were also used by our teams in Australia, Cyprus, Spain, Bahrain, Malaysia and India to lobby the local governments in an effort to get golf facilities open as soon as possible.  We shared these documents with other non-Troon facilities too, as we saw it as an industry initiative as well as being the right thing to do given the circumstances.

What is Troon’s role in the future direction of the game given the ‘new norm’ in which golf now operates?
We are blessed to be partners with 475+ golf courses in 33 countries through our family of brands and companies under Troon. This provides us the opportunity to continue to grow the game of golf on a global scale, encouraging participation through our Troon Programs such as TroonFit, Troon Family Golf, and Troon Values Your Time.

Royal Greens Golf & Country Club (Saudi Arabia)

The Royal Golf Club (Bahrain)

What strategies are you most proud of to help get clubs back up and running?
Even during the pandemic, the wheels were in motion to make sure we are prepared for the now but also for tomorrow. Part of the now was the creation and global launch of our Moments Matter initiative. This content-led resource for our clubs, associates, members, and guests was a key tool and one that helped to educate, inspire, and entertain along the way. We have had Q&A’s, Live Golf Clinics and Messages of Hope from Team Troon members including Justin Thomas and Cheyenne Woods. We have also shared many other resources internally to our property leaders including ‘Relaunch Strategies’ and ‘Crisis Revenue Management’. Our technology partner has been advancing our Troon International App to reduce the physical touchpoints a golfer has when he visits a Troon facility in the region. We are continuously working hard on corporate led initiatives to assist our properties through the COVID-19 epidemic while working with each club on their relaunch strategy. The Troon Executive Card is a perfect example in this region; Our frequent player program provides cardholders with the best green fee rates at our facilities and many more benefits. In response to COVID-19, we launched the TEC Summer Pass with added value from our partners at Callaway. Again, best practices coming from our leaders around the globe are a key tool for each of our clubs to implement at their local level.

Has there been any unforeseen upsides to the temporary closures brought about by the pandemic?
Golf is in a great place due to it being seen as a safe sport compared to many other activities or sports. In golf, you have natural social distancing. Since the easing up of lockdowns, we have definitely seen an increase in participation. We did foresee this happening here in the UAE following trends in other re-opened markets and therefore our clubs here limited the first stage of re-opening to members only. Our clubs also stayed away from the popular ‘summer pass or full summer memberships’ to protect our members who, due to the restrictions in travel, will be spending more time in the UAE than past summers. The Track, Meydan Golf and Royal Golf Club Bahrain have seen a huge spike in participation from people coming back to and taking up the game. This is great news and we must welcome people who unfortunately are unable to play their usual sports in a bid to keep them in our great game for the long-term.

How big has the financial impact been for clubs in the middle east?
There has been revenue impact, but due to the necessary precautions being taken in expense management, this impact has been mitigated at the bottom line. We have seen average dollar per round strengthen after re-opening as we were cautious to do any “reactionary” discounting. Our thought was that there would be a lot of golfers in the region wanting to play golf as it was safer. Also, we felt it was irresponsible to fill the golf course up with discount golf when our members, who would typically leave during the summer months, remained here.

How many lost rounds have you estimated during the lockdown and due to the restricted tee times since the partial re-openings?
The National Golf Foundation estimate 20 million rounds were lost to the virus in the US alone. Our facilities experienced anything from 10-day closures to 95-day closure periods!  So to answer the question more specifically, if one facility was closed for 30 days during April in the UAE, we would have lost 4,000+ rounds.

Asia Pacific Golf Summit 2019

What are the immediate, short and long-term challenges facing golf in the “post” COVID-19 era?
Until there is a vaccine, it is anticipated that some of the COVID-19 restrictions will stay in place, along with social distancing guidelines. I do think that through this time, we will see leveraging of technology and this will remain after COVID-19.  For example, we are asking for rounds to be booked through the Troon International App, to keep our associates safe from being exposed to potential cross-contamination of answering the phones. Now that people are using the app more frequently, I don’t see them looking to make phone reservations in the future. It is just too easy to use. We are also not far from having auto check-in once a pre-paid golfer comes thru a geo-fence area, then he will simply need to scan a barcode when he comes into the golf shop.

There is evidence of an uptick in junior interest globally. are you seeing this in the middle east?
Yes. With other sports having a tougher time adjusting to the potential cross-contamination challenges that COVID-19 presents, golf is definitely seeing an increase in uptake as parents see the inherent safety of the game. Hopefully, golf also gets a boost within the physical education/gym programs at schools.  It has never been a focus of school PE programs in the past, but it should be, for multiple reasons.

What can clubs do to future proof their businesses in light of the lessons learned from the outbreak?
Embrace technology, ensure cleanliness is paramount to what they do, and continue to train and develop their associates.

In what way do you think the pandemic will reshape the game, from the casual player, to club golf and up to the professional level?
Although many parents are excited for the return of school following this long period of home-schooling, I know I am, I truly believe golfing families will become a core part of the golf club communities moving forwards. We have cherished this extra time spent together and this will be held in high regard. Golf is one of the only sports where you can play as a family, or even as three generations together. The golf industry must continue to embrace and welcome new players to the game. With this comes new customer desires and we will be as flexible with our strategies as ever. The new generation of golfers enjoy relaxed dress codes, on-course entertainment systems and quick rounds of golf. The Track, Meydan Golf has incorporated all of these – you can play in two hours listening to your favourite tunes from your golf cart in relaxed attire. This is great for the game and needed for us to continue to develop with the times.

Allegria Golf Club (Egypt)

Vattanac Golf Resort (Cambodia)

What impact will COVID have on new course builds /major course renovations?
New builds have certainly slowed down and have been slower worldwide over the past five years.  However, some areas are actually ramping up for several new projects, such as The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Some of the major hotel companies have gone on record as stating that they don’t see the tourism numbers returning to pre-COVID-19 numbers until mid-2022. I am not that pessimistic and believe that the tourism realm will be in a very good place by next year with pent up demand, in perfect time for the Dubai World Expo opening.

What benefits do you think clubs and members of Troon clubs have been lucky to experience during the pandemic?
I hope that they are appreciative of the professionalism that our associates bring to the club. In times like these, having strategies and the ability to implement them quickly and correctly are extremely important. The Moments Matter content certainly gave us the opportunity to continue to communicate with our members and guests during the pandemic. There have been daily Live Golf Clinics throughout April and May so hopefully our members picked up some tips. We have also been fortunate to have direct communications for our members through recorded video or live video from Team Troon Members Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Thomas, Gary Woodland, Matt Kuchar, and Cheyenne Woods. Ultimately, we are somewhat blessed to play and be involved in the game of golf as it is a passion with Troon.  As Simon Sinek says “know your Why”. Why? Because we love the game and all that it stands for.