Golf needs a revolution to retain its significance and grow the game says Emilio Dellanzo PGA, Director of Dellanzo Global Golf Advisory Services part of the Dellanzo Group of Companies. Our view is an international one as we operate worldwide and we see common significant patterns throughout. We have collated intelligence and completed detailed surveys over the last two years on a wide range of subjects concerning the golf industry, especially with regard to statistics and what is preventing people from taking up the game. In our view new players, women and children and it being a multi-generational family game could have a big impact on many markets and the most positive impact on revenues.  The important key is how you market to them. Sports minded men and women of a certain age have responded that they would love to actively get into golf. Golf rounds are generally down but this is not wholly to do with popularity or interest but price and economic factors, even Dubai and the UAE is down despite their excellent product but high prices. Dubai for example is almost a victim of its own success. Most rounds are actually played by expatriates living there not tourist rounds, the exception being Al Hamra Golf Club in Ras Al Khaimah  as it is a true relaxed beach destination forty minutes from Dubai with its own airport,  first class infrastructure and wide range of hotels and ancillary tourist facilities. Dubai Golf is down partly because the drop in oil prices means many expatriates have had to leave their jobs but it is also viewed as a chaotic and expensive city, like trying to find a course in the chaos of downtown Manhattan traffic. We expect there is a chance some discounting may happen there this winter.  A litany of excuses instead of solid measurable solutions and commercial management to aggressively improve revenues.

Golf for thousands surveyed is too slow, too expensive, too many rules and too dress code oriented, takes too long in some countries to learn, the speed of society has passed the game by and golfers are generally seen by non- golfers as snobbish, overly traditional and a too male oriented game, especially in the UK compared to continental Europe. Clubhouse design itself does not attract, ladies, children, millennials and the private club concept of not being overtly commercial in their marketing just does not work. Now it is all about data marketing, dynamic pricing, speed, volume, social media, and golf has just not kept up. If clubhouses at “traditional clubs” do not change their atmosphere to attract all the family, they may as well be converted to old age people’s homes. Maintaining tradition and thinking outside the box can co-exist.

At the same time, it would be great if the media stopped jumping on the “golf is finished” bandwagon feeding that message into the public and realised that golf is not finished and some of the golfers at the clubs are very decent people and salt of the earth who are actually a good example for some other segments of society. After over forty years in golf I still see it as the best game in the world and golfers’ tournaments contribute to numerous charities and other good works said Paul Dellanzo, Chairman of Dellanzo Group, but the game needs help now so we plan to work on that and golf’s image as part of our Mission Statement.  Fact is golf, other than for those who have time and money, tends to be aligned to the economy to a great extent. Golf is truly a game for a lifetime and it is important that it stays a game that people actually play and not another sport that is just watched on television, laptop, phone or via a video game. Fortunately, if we look into the future one of the anchors of golf facilities in ten years will be positive factors such as the health and wellness element. Golf needs to be considered a “cool” option for millennials to get into the game.

The health element of golf is often very under rated but one which can be great for all ages and especially setting a good example for the youngsters getting into the game and older people to maintain fitness and friendships, so can reduce depression of loneliness and positively affects mental health too.

I believe each company in golf needs to take responsibility and create a budget for promoting the game and trying to be a change agent where possible, not just promoting their product says Paul Dellanzo. We plan a campaign to change the image of golf, who golfers are across a broad range of media including the images of famous photographers  and really try to bring new players into the game but we cannot pretend to do it all on our own. We plan to change things via our leading edge management concepts, strategy, systems and staff, our marketing /PR company targeting new players, our innovative design concepts including short courses and entertainment centres  with relaxed dress codes, by allowing courses to be played by all handicap levels and some in half the time normally required .It is a big financial commitment but we hope that some major golf companies will also see the benefit of supporting a stronger image of the game that matches society as we know it today. We will put pressure on clubs and resorts by applying quality standards and service levels across a specific range of criteria that they must meet to be Dellanzo Approved.

Ladies golf has huge potential and in golf there is no glass ceiling they cannot break and no ambition they cannot realise.  The players of the Ladies European Tour do a fantastic job of promoting the game at every event they participate at. Their members deserve a medal each for their commitment to promoting the game considering how few events there are just now in Europe. Given that ladies golf can help change the game and they are a primary market segment to promote too, we would love to see LET events be considered by resorts and developers as surveys showed they could well drive more people to them for rounds, vacations and real estate sales than other events. Women are often the decision maker for spending in all those areas. The Ryder Cup this coming week will be golf’s greatest advert, exciting match play, presented professionally and hopefully spirited international competition between some of the best players in the game. I look forward to seeing the European and other professional tours develop new, different and shorter formats to attract interest in golf in 2017.

We already have some of the results of our “golfer to people” studies and questionnaires said Emilio Dellanzo and the results are quite striking across a range of countries. Some answers show how positively golf clubs and resorts could better promote themselves to non – golfing target markets. We found a lot of non golfers could be very receptive to getting into the game if marketed to properly. The game’s image though has to change, the profile and attitude of players will change and the clubs need to become a lot more social, entertaining and interesting to be at, not just golf focused but across a much broader lifestyle solution. Clubhouses need atmosphere and attitude.

I think our Dellanzo Global Golf Business Advisory Services have been successful because unlike other companies using young interns, we have a team of people who are highly qualified educationally but who  also have real industry experience and who learned their skills at the coal face so to speak said Paul Dellanzo, Whether it be construction, irrigation, agronomy, management consulting, food and beverage, hotel, our travel and membership division or golf course design team lead by Dr Beatrice Franceschi PhD, who have designed  over 60 golf courses  including some of the best in the world. We respect staff at clubs and want to motivate them to educate and entertain golfers but at the same time have a practical and focused attitude where required to effect change and improve the bottom line for owners. We have been the consultants of choice for some of the most iconic courses and resorts in Britain, Europe and the Middle East for a reason, the ROI with us is a minimum multiple of ten for every pound, dollar or dirham spent, usually much more.  When people work with our team they are confident they are working with the best. Now we are determined to do our best to change the image of the game, to be younger but also multi- generational, more inclusive, reflect society trends better and generally make it more interesting for people to consider golf as a sport that the whole family can play together or one where partners or the LGBT community and a wide multi-racial presence can be found and be comfortable. To be inclusive the atmosphere inside a clubhouse has to be more reflective of the community outside. Perhaps the old boys at clubs will be choking on their gin and tonics at that statement but it is 2016, it is time some golf clubs woke up before they go into a self induced coma. Brings new thought hopefully for membership committees as they consider new member applications and  what “clubable chaps means!” Change is needed badly as everything points to more closures of clubs in the future.

Hot spots for golf? The hot spot design wise is Vietnam where huge amounts are being ploughed into the game. In the Middle East where we have just re-designed a course at Ghala Golf Club, The Sultanate of Oman has everything to be the next emerging luxury golf destination. Rated as the safest country in the world. The local people are considered the most hospitable, friendly and polite. France has a great opportunity to capitalise on their upcoming Ryder Cup and I have to confess we are very prejudiced to Italy via our Dellanzo-Valli partnership office in Milan, our pan European PR, Events and Sales and Marketing Company. We are currently doing a state of the art golf academy at Udine Golf Club/ Villaverde Resort and  represent Le Robinie Golf Resort, a Nicklaus Signature course in Milan. We are very proud of our long association with Italian golf and where we have opened or managed other great courses there over the years. Having the Ryder Cup in Italy in 2022 should be a massive boost and the Italian Open last week experienced record crowds and a great atmosphere. Overall we like the younger demographics of Indonesia where there seems to be a very healthy ratio of quality, demand and price compared to Japan that is suffering  for now from an older population and one of  the highest national  debts in the world. The USA? Still in a tailspin and the dollar expensive for Europeans. Only fifteen courses being built currently and still more courses closing than opening. However, there are some experienced operators there so we expect to see a leaner model that drives the business eventually. but the industry needs to remember that for the majority of players golf is a sport not a business. In Canada, British Columbia, Quebec and Toronto (where there are hundreds of courses) are still high volume areas for rounds of golf. Russia where like Canada one has to consider seasonality the country has some great golf courses in the Moscow area and more opening in and around St Petersburg. In Britain the price of playing famous courses is so high that it is often cheaper for the British to fly to southern Europe to play for a short holiday. The great thing though is the variety of choice and price and still the presence of public access golf to get into the game.

Where there is a challenge, there is an opportunity and our overall golf health barometer is that provided there is change, innovation and great marketing, golf will emerge healthier, cooler and more interesting for everyone as change agents and the excitement created by the professional tours, make sure it just doesn’t disappear. Whether you like Tiger or not let’s hope he has a reasonably successful comeback as he was a marketing gift to golf across many cultures and golf needs him still.

Yet another important tournament for Italy, home of the Ryder Cup 2022. After a six year absence the European PGA Seniors Tour has selected Udine Golf Club in Friuli-Venezia-Giulia for its prestigious Italian Open Seniors Championship.

The event will start on the 20^th October with a Pro-Am and the inauguration of the Villaverde Golf Academy and Villaverde Institute of Performance (VIP) with extensive new practice facilities and short game areas as well as the latest high tech ultimate generation academy by Dellanzo Design.

On Friday 21^st October the Open of Legends will begin with some of the most important stars of The European Tour. These events are often held in beautiful golf destinations and last year saw the participation of such established stars as Colin Montgomerie, Sam Torrance, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Costantino Rocca. The Italian tour event is the last opportunity for players to qualify for the final Seniors Tour Championship at the Constance Belle Mare Plage Resort in Mauritius.

“I am truly proud that the Italian Senior Open will be played at Udine Golf Club, a perfect location for such a prestigious event” said Franco Chimenti, President of the Italian Golf Federation. I would like to thank Gabriele Lualdi. President of Udine Golf Club for his precious collaboration in hosting a tournament at the highest level”. “For us a great honour to be chosen to host this event in Italy, said Golf Club President and Proprietor of the adjacent Villaverde Hotel and Resort. Our course in the last few years has had some significant modifications and hosted various international events, now playing Par 72, more than 7,000 yards if required. We are really excited and looking forward to welcoming numerous champions and the public to enjoy what will be a very special tournament in a part of Italy simply known for its super natural beauty between the mountains and the sea and known locally simply as ‘the most beautiful place on earth’.

“Villaverde Resort is an incredible new Eco sustainable resort.” said Emilio Dellanzo PGA, Director of Dellanzo Group and Dellanzo-Valli in Italy. “The concept is total wellness, movement and good living with a large spa, indoor/outdoor pools, techno gym, wide range of sports and recreation, horse riding, cycling and walking trails for all the family and even a full medical centre offering aesthetic surgery and numerous medical treatments.

“There are direct flights from the UK and European cities to Milan, Bologna, Venice and Verona and for those driving through the mountains from Germany, Austria, Slovenia and Italy it is truly ‘a scenic drive for a scenic drive off the first tee, into the uncontaminated tree lined course with spectacular mountain backdrop’.”

San Daniele internationally famous for its prosciutto and gastronomic offerings as well as numerous cultural and historic offers is just 5kms from the resort. Udine has a Serie A football team of the same name for those who want to catch a game between Udine and such teams as Juventus, Milan, Inter and Roma etc.

See www.villaverderesort.com or contact Dellanzo Destinations, (Unique Destinations and Hidden Gems) at info@dellanzo.com for further information.

Le Robinie Golf Club Milan, A Jack Nicklaus Signature Design 20 minutes to the centre of Milan and 10 from Milan-Malpensa International airport is outperforming the rest in the land of Dolce Vita and the 2022 Ryder Cup when it comes to rounds of golf, tourism and memberships. Le Robinie, is in fact the easiest way to enjoy the world’s most renowned city for its high fashion, exciting night life and entertainment. With the F1 track of Monza 15 minutes away and AC Milan and FC Internazionale playing every weekend at the famed San Siro, not to mention the country’s culinary offerings and culture, golf is just a part of the extraordinary experience. For those seeking something more tranquil in a breath taking setting, Lake Maggiore, Lake Como and Lake Orta are 10 minutes away.

The club is successful for a number of reasons and continually shows strong growth said Emilio Dellanzo, a Director of Dellanzo Group and Dellanzo-Valli. Firstly, the owner, successful industrialist, Federico Brambilla, has believed in golf being inclusive and growing the game long before it was considered the right thing to do. He has developed a pitch and putt on site as British public courses used to do, used by kids and all levels of players, developed a membership plan that allows people to pay a lower than annual subscription and then usage fees as they play the course, a superb range and golf academy with some of Italy’s best multi lingual professionals and constantly created exciting events and continued to invest in the clubhouse which includes, dining, meeting rooms, health club and spa. In addition, accommodation and a first class restaurant is available and he has built two four star hotels immediately adjacent to the golf club to cater for golf tourism, meetings, incentive groups and business clientele, as well as 30 rooms inside the 1800s Lombard style Clubhouse.

Dellanzo-Valli are proud to represent Le Robinie in Milan and have started to promote the offer to the British market and its international network said Emilio Dellanzo. Milan is such an exciting getaway with easy access, short low cost flights and the resort only ten-minutes drive from the airport. We got a booking of over 50 people only half an hour after launching this initiative in the UK.

Opportunities for all ages and interests, whether it be sport, celebrations, night life and partying in Milan, shopping, culture or tranquil getaways around the Lakes. All this based close to the city centre at a Jack Nicklaus Signature Course, a must play for golfers visiting Milan. See: http://www.sfogliami.it/flip.asp?sc=mmvy2o4a8uphveykh5aur6nkgph375jy&ID=134036

Dellanzo Group is a global sports company based in Switzerland and the UK specialising in Development-Management-Marketing and Golf Course Design. Dellanzo-Valli is a joint venture specialising in a multi lingual pan European PR, Sales and Marketing and International Events. Le Robinie Golf Club and Resort is a Jack Nicklaus Signature designed course close to Milan-Malpensa International airport and the city centre of Milan, including two hotels on site.

info@dellanzo.com – +44 (0) 151 3633 743

Emilio Dellanzo – edellanzo@dellanzo.com – +39 338 1825884

“Everyone is talking about how the game needs to change. From our view one has to understand the market segments to develop new players. This initiative is exclusively the work of our Lead Architect, Dr Beatrice Franceschi, PhD,  potentially the most exciting young design talent to emerge for some time  and working with us on design projects in Croatia, Italy and Oman said Chairman, Paul Dellanzo.  A completely new course design composite to allow players to play a course in numerous ways in no more than 2.5 hours. It is being patented so impossible to expand on the minute detail right now.  Our thoughts are to allow other architects to access the concept too so we can democratise the idea and hopefully it can be adopted  in multiple countries.”

“The new design concept can be on a full piece of land or a smaller footprint allowing many variations of the game and very importantly allowing the player/s in a way to be like the designer, deciding which preferred routing they wish to play or course management to choose for them  a different routing each time.  There can be a regular length course or a variable course playing all Par 3’s, 4’s or 5’s or any combination of. It is designed in such a way so as to be played in a much shorter period of time   allowing a wider market segment to enjoy the game who don’t necessarily even play golf right now, said Dr Franceschi , players will be able to play all kinds of combinations because of the new layout and accommodation of direction and time required, playability and an ever changing challenge for them. One can play a full course or three, six or nine holes or any variation of with friends and family. We are not trying to replace traditional courses and clubs by any means just try to address some of the issues that haven’t been thought of to date, it might just lead to a new form of the game being played though by more people”.

“We examined all the initiatives , issues and industry trends that we are aware of and our team of analysts at Dellanzo Group  did a thorough study and realised quickly some factors preventng people from taking up the game. I always say we are not in the golf business, we are in the entertainment business said Paul Dellanzo.  If we do not entertain, people will go elsewhere to be entertained. There is an untapped market that would like to play a form of golf without the long process  currently  to take on every aspect of the game and club golf as we know it. One consistent piece of feedback was that potential new players did not want to belong or play at a club they believed  would be snobbish or restrictive or possibly just make them feel they were being looked down on in some way.

It makes no sense to us for the industry to keep doing the same thing and expecting better results. Neither is the discount mentality  seen in recent years and ever changing flexible membership market and pricing going to save golf clubs from a slow and painful death in some cases.  That established modus operandi from a business perspective will not deliver a fast enough turn around of the industry but instead just deliver a competition to take each others’ members and players in a geographic cluster forcing ever more discounting and even worse financial results in some cases.

“In our view golf has to change and change fast creating new concepts and solving the problem of time taken to play said Company Director , Emilio Dellanzo, we envisage an opportunity for Golf Entertainment Centres in the future and this to be very attractive to developers who would like to widen their offer. In Croatia we are doing an 18 hole course and a nine hole with the new concept. Anthony Ritossa of Ritossa Olive Oil  &  Family Office in Croatia said “ Dellanzo Group were able to work with us on the vision, master plan , financials, management and business model, a very detailed 360 degree service. Their business advisory and design teams are first  class.  We looked at many brand designers before choosing Dellanzo Group . One needs to be on the leading edge of industry trends to reduce risk going forward and maximise revenue opportunities.”    “We need new blood and new players, said Emilio Dellanzo.  People who do not play  right now  will not play the game in the future because of its image of being mainly  too slow,  too expensive and possibly too elitist and the fact that it has not kept up with societal changes. For my generation golf on television seems too slow also, the millenials flick through channels or web sites and it just doesn’t  keep their interest for more than a few seconds. There is a market  for people who do not play golf to take up the game if it is a different concept. One where they can play various numbers of holes in a social and entertaining environment. Much as one goes to play darts with a few friends or bowling or other sports where there is music, fun, you can rock up knowing you are going to enjoy your time with family or friends for a couple of hours maximum. Where the result is not the objective, where it is much more relaxed with regards to what clothing you wear, and  not perceived as snobbish, where you can be cheering on your friends or corporate clients  or colleagues loudly, and where you do not have to take forever to learn etiquette and the rules.

Basically the new   model will have to be a  game with  well priced offerings and preferably not take more than a couple of hours, that allows people to stay connected with their smart phones etc. It will focus more on entertainment   or other ancillary  facilities with the opportunity to play a little golf also. Events can be arranged that are fast and fun with numerous ways of engaging and entertaining players in ways that do not involve playing a full course, just getting out there with friends or colleagues  for a short period. People entertain themselves in many ways, they go regularly for walks, cycle, go to a health club, do other  sports  or go out to dinner or the cinema or some other activity with friends. Most of those activities cost less and none take much more than a couple of hours. It is all going to be about keeping up with entertainment trends, fashion, food and the speed society moves at in the age of internet and needing to stay connected”.

“In our small way we are trying to contribute to help grow the game and be ahead of the curve and social trends that affect it said Paul Dellanzo.  We need to embrace change and those of us who can, must make every effort to be the change agents. Whether it is foot golf, disc golf, adventure golf courses etc, by embracing new players and new formats golf and its development can continue to be dynamic. Probably a bit like snow boarders may not have been appreciated years ago by traditional skiers but it was and is considered  cool and as they got older many became regular skiers and  in part helped save that industry from stagnation.  Also some of the best players in the world right now are very young and that has the possibility of creating interest in a new generation of players. When Dr Franceschi sent me her design plans it took me some time to study them as they are so different and then it was like a Eureka moment, something completely new. It would be nice to see the game be more inclusive rather than exclusive, the crowd at The Masters looked like it represented corporate America rather than the cultural melting pot that the USA actually is. It would be great to see a much wider cross section of society attending tournaments and wanting to get into golf.  The game  offers so much and whilst the players on tour are great athletes now, the game is still multi generational and can be actively played by all ages rather than other sports where one becomes a couch potato just watching on television.

Dellanzo Group is an asset management company specialising in development, management , marketing, and  golf business advisory services with numerous awards and experience in opening some of the world’s finest courses on three continents.  See www.dellanzo.com ; info@dellanzo.com  for further information. Dellanzo Ltd  is the trading name of Dellanzo Design  based on England’s Golf Coast specialising in course design,  course renovation services and project management.

Dellanzo Group and Silvia Valli Studio of Varese, Italy have partnered using their respective experience and strengths to help make Italian golf more attractive and competitive. Dellanzo Group will utilise their experience in international Management, Marketing, Course Design, Construction/Project Management and Agronomy and Silvia Valli Studio their extraordinary experience of representing luxury brands and planning and organisation of important golf events worldwide.

The partnership means that the company will be the largest multi lingual Management, Marketing  and Golf PR company in Europe with English, Italian, French, Spanish and German. Dellanzo Group was formed in 2009 after Paul Dellanzo, PGA, opened the Troon Golf office in 2002 and served as its first Vice President of European Operations for six and a half years before opening his own company. Dellanzo Group has vast experience in management, finance, planning development and acquisitions and has opened some of the finest clubs and resorts in the world including Whistler, Canada, Loch Lomond, Dubai Creek, Castiglion del Bosco and Pevero in Costa Smeralda, Italy.

Silvia Valli Studio is a Public Relations agency specialised in the planning and organisation of golf events  and management of press conferences for important international companies in the luxury brand sector, such as Ferrari, Maserati, Moncler, Fedeli Cashmere, Fendi, Fratelli Rossetti and many others.

“We happily predicted that Italy would win the Ryder Cup and so the timing of this partnership was perfect” said Silvia Valli, one of Italy’s most famous amateur champions of all time. Italy offers culture, history, art, gastronomy and cities like Rome, Florence, Venice and Milan. Sicily, Puglia and Sardinia are some of the most beautiful regions to discover anywhere. Besides Italian designers like Giorgio Armani, Biagiotti, Ferragamo, Dolce and Gabbana etc, Italian golf also has designers called Nicklaus, Dye, Player, Trent Jones Snr and Jnr, Jim Fazio, Kyle Phillips, Dana Fry and Jason Straka and most recently the prodigious young talent of Dr Beatrice Franceschi, PhD who works for Dellanzo Design on projects in Oman, Croatia and Italy.

“Until now, everyone has recognised good golf design exists in Italy” said Emilio Dellanzo, Director of Business Development, “some wonderful courses and very warm and welcoming hospitality. The golf experience though in some clubs has been one of a great lunch and perhaps mediocre playing conditions compared to great clubs and resorts internationally. If Italian golf can improve their course maintenance and service proposition it is easily the best place to play golf in the world. Certainly investment always means some fear initially but a better golf experience with first class tees, fast running fairways and true rolling greens will bring more golfers from all over the world plus the Ryder Cup in 2022 will help establish Italy as the premier golfing destination of choice. For me there is not better experience in the world than playing golf in Italy”.