UK Launches Golf Course Owners Association


The United Kingdom Golf Course Owners Association has been formed to introduce comprehensive market data and share best practice to benefit all UK golf courses, professionalizing the business.

The organization was launched in late 2010 and has corporate backing from some of the sport's leading businesses.

Jerry Kilby, Executive Director of UKGCOA, said: "We would like to welcome our corporate partners to the UKGCOA and thank them for their support. Their assistance and knowledge is invaluable to the continued success of the organization and will allow us deliver on all our objectives, to the benefit of our members' businesses."

The launch of the UKGCOA is the result of two years' consultation and discussion, with founding members including leading owners and operators Burhill Golf & Leisure, Crown Golf and de Vere.

One of the UKGCOA's first steps was to team up with IFM Sports Marketing Surveys (SMS) to offer its members in-depth analyses of the health of the golf course industry. Members will be able to access business performance indicators, such as the number of rounds being played, green-fee yields, membership numbers, annual subscription rates and operating costs of many different types of golf courses and clubs across the country.

Kilby added: "One of the core benefits to course owners joining the UKGCOA is access to this data-pooling and the opportunity to benchmark their club against others nationwide. The objective is to develop professional management within the industry, giving owners the opportunity to compare business performance."

The UKGCOA is part of the European Golf Course Owners Association (www.egcoa.eu) and plays an active role alongside other European golf course owners in pan-European initiatives and program. It is open to all UK golf course owners, backed by the English Golf Union (EGU), and represents the interests of golf course owners in a unified way. The UKGCOA will also organize national and regional conferences to develop the sport.

Membership is open to facilities that are owned by individuals, families, corporations, landowners, municipal authorities, syndicates and club members.

For more information about the UKGCOA, visit www.ukgcoa.com.