Gravitate Client Stories

Golf Pro turns to management and leadership

I’ve been involved with Hillsborough Golf Club for about 16 or 17 years. I started here as the Assistant Pro. I left for three years, came back as the Head Pro, and did all the teaching, ran the pro shop, that sort of thing. After a while, I was asked if I could help out in the office and I eventually became the Club Manager.

I basically oversee everything. In a sense, I’m the eyes and ears of the board. I’m here most days, so I’m the one who knows what’s going on, what members are feeling. I oversee competitions, the greens, course management, what we need to invest in machinery or drainage, whether to close the course in wet spells.

We have a great team who help, but ultimately a lot of those decisions come through me and then into the board.

What makes Hillsborough Golf Club special?

I genuinely think it’s one of the best clubs in Yorkshire from a facilities perspective. We’ve got a 300-yard driving range where you can fit around 20 people. Not many clubs have that.

We’ve got a dedicated chipping area, a good-sized putting green with different slopes, and a golf simulator room where you can play thousands of courses from around the world.

When the course has been closed recently due to weather, the simulator has been packed, which keeps members coming up and still spending money at the club. And beyond the practice facilities, the course itself has one of the most interesting layouts in the region; it has a good mix of tougher holes and easier ones.

Put everything together and it’s some of the best facilities in Yorkshire.

Bringing the club back from the brink

Around eight or nine years ago, the club was in serious financial difficulty. It was close to closing.

I wasn’t on the board then, but I was the pro at the time and had to work on half wages for a period. It was tough, but lots of clubs were in the same boat.

A new president came in called Dave Walker, who was very business-minded. He was exactly what we needed.  One of the things he did was bring in Sam and Gravitate.

Up to that point we’d always had members doing the accounts, which was great in one sense, but it’s hard not to get emotionally involved. Sam brought professionalism and objectivity when it was needed.

Once I moved into the office, it was a huge help knowing I had Sam at the end of the phone or sat in board meetings. He can cut through the emotion and say, “We need to think about this because…”  That’s been a big part of stabilising the club.

New approaches to membership initiatives and pricing

At one stage we were down to about 150 members, which was completely unsustainable, even if it felt like a millionaire’s club for a few members!

I introduced a range of new membership initiatives, like 12-week trial memberships instead of just the standard one-year option. The idea was simply to get people through the door. Once they were here, I knew the facilities and the course would sell themselves.

Those initiatives led to a big increase in membership over time. We’ve got around 530 members now. We also brought in a company called The Revenue Club to help with our green-fee pricing. I’d heard about them at seminars, and there’s often this idea in golf clubs that you have to do everything yourself.  

But just as Gravitate supports us professionally on the finance side, The Revenue Club supports us on yield management. That’s gone from strength to strength too. So, the two big things I feel I’ve spearheaded are growing membership and increasing green-fee revenue through outside expertise.

How external help makes a big difference

It is a little unusual to bring external experts into golf clubs.  

My wife works in the corporate world, and there it’s normal - social media, specialist tasks, strategy - they bring experts in so teams can focus on their day-to-day roles. And that’s how I see it here.

A huge part of my job is member interaction. My office door is constantly opening with people wanting to share their views or problems. I love that side of the job, but it does mean it’s hard to get everything done.

So, if we can offload things to the Revenue Club, or Gravitate, or other specialists, it allows me to focus on what only I can do.  

Yes, it costs money, but if the club grows because of it, the investment is worth it.

A passion for member interaction and relationship-building

Member interaction is my favourite part of the job. And it’s probably my biggest weakness too!  When someone comes in with a problem, even a small one, I’ve always wanted to make them feel heard. I’ve been told I spend too much time with people instead of just saying, “Leave it with me and I’ll update you.”

But I think giving people time, talking through issues, explaining the club’s point of view… that builds trust.

I’ve known managers here in the past who would let you talk for a few minutes and then just turn back to their screen. That’s not me.

When I moved roles, my assistant of eight or nine years, Tom, took over the pro shop and he’s exactly the same with members and visitors. Great communicator, makes people feel valued. Same with our bar staff. So, you get that experience across the whole club.

A five-year plan for growth and continued success

We’ve just published our five-year plan, based on member questionnaires, conversations, and staff input. A lot of it revolves around the course, which is the heart of the club.

We’re planning to engage two or three top golf architects to produce plans for incremental changes over the next five to ten years. Things like new bunkering, water features, and sustainability improvements. We want to be better equipped for heavy rainfall and for dry summers through water harvesting and better irrigation.

In the clubhouse, we want to improve the showers, update some areas, and create smaller “snug” spaces instead of everything being one big room. We also want to upgrade the greenkeepers’ facilities—they need proper showers and better working conditions.

Investing in people

We’re investing heavily in our staff. Historically, our green staff were mostly friends or contacts of the Head Greenkeeper… good workers but not formally trained.

Now we’re putting them through professional qualifications and increasing pay as they progress.  I actually want other top courses to try and poach them, because that shows we’re producing high-quality people. One of them already has been approached, which is a great sign.

Working with Sam and Gravitate

Gravitate have been a godsend for us at the golf club. If we’re thinking of buying a new piece of greenkeeping machinery, for example, I can go ask Sam if we can actually afford it, rather than just thinking for the here and now. How will this affect our cash flow forecast going forward?

From a Management Accounts perspective, Sam plays a huge role for me and the rest of the board members, including cash flow forecasts, budgeting for each department at the club. Anita in our office also works with Kallum from Sam’s team once a month, keeping on top of all our integrations with Xero and golf software systems.

Overall, I would say we couldn’t do without Gravitate.

We love working with Mark and the team at Hillsborough Golf Club. Co-Founder and Director, Sam Newton and the Gravitate team work in close partnership with clients to help them know their numbers and boost financial resilience.

Contact Sam