Tourism & Travel: Eco Tourism
The terms ‘Eco Tourism’, ‘Responsible Tourism’ and ‘Sustainable Tourism’ have been in circulation for some years, but their prevelance, in terms of day-to-day discourse, has increased significantly in the past 5 years…
Media Article
John Collier Annual Survey: In Case You Missed It
The dust has finally settled, the printing presses have gone silent. and the sixteenth 3ohin Collier Annual Survey on Environmental Compliance and Good Governance for South Africa has been published.
Blair Atholl Golf & Equestrian Estate in a Class of its Own
World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated on 5 June each year and its intention is to stimulate awareness of the environment and enhance political attention and public action. This is the United Nation’s most important day for encouraging worldwide awareness, and since its inception in 1974, it has grown to become a global platform for public outreach that is widely celebrated in over 100 countries. Above all, WED is the “people’s day”
SA Golf Trader: Sport Environmental Sustainability Research
By Alistair Collier | From SA Golf Trader From the John Collier Survey The term environmental sustainability (ES) was defined by the authoritative United Nations Brundtland Report in 1987, as the safeguarding of the natural environment for current and future generations, and has become a significant part of academic research into what is called Sport-ES. Among the many areas of Sport-ES research literature, there is the clear indication that the phenomenon of climate change is causing organisational uncertainty for some sports, for example golf. This uncertainty arises from addressing higher costs, as a result of the increasing complexity for managing water, energy resources and waste outputs. Geophysical impacts, associated with climate change, include extreme heat or rain events. In addition, managers of grass-based sports, such as golf, are seeing more pests, weeds, drought, extreme weather, and wind incidents. For almost two decades, through the John Collier analysis and measurement tools, along with the certification process, the John Collier Annual Survey has been researching the issue of Sport-ES in respect of golf. It is interesting to note that we are seeing signs of a trend, where clubs are gradually adapting to changes in climate, by introducing appropriate grasses, reducing closely mown areas, ensuring proper drainage, efficient water usage, and in accepting that grass should not be as lush as in the past, due to limiting the use of pesticides and fertilisers. The results of the 2022 survey will be published in March 2023, however this is a call to action for all clubs in South Africa to embrace a culture of transparent measurement, and third-party reporting, and by their participation in the 2023 John Collier Survey, becoming an essential part of the continuing and vital research into Sport-ES. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email ajcollier@telkomsa.net or visit the John Collier Golf website at www.johncolliergolf.com
SA Golf Trader: Gary Player CC Consistently Awarded Gold
By Alistair Collier | From SA Golf Trader From the John Collier Survey From the 10th to 13th of November, the Gary Player Country Club at Sun City will once again be hosting the Nedbank Golf Challenge, which celebrates its 40th anniversary as “Africa’s Major”. For many years, this event has featured the biggest names in world golf, and now as a DP World Tour event, hosts an elite field of 64 players, playing over 4 days, for a purse of $6 million. To add further excitement, the tournament is the penultimate event in which players are able to accrue qualifying points in the Race to Dubai. Over the years, what Sun International has achieved as host, in partnership with Nedbank as tournament sponsor, is to put on a world class sporting event deserving of its name as “Africa’s major”. The course is, as ever, an immaculately groomed layout, which has received rave reviews from the world’s top golfers, who agree that it is both demanding and fair.In addition, over the past number of years, the Gary Player Country Club has participated in independent third-party reviews of its environmental compliance and good governance processes, through the John Collier Annual Survey. In this regard, the course has been consistently awarded GOLD compliance accreditation for its reporting on issues such as sustainability, local procurement of resources and inclusivity within its local community. These awards do not happen without considerable planning and attention to detail, and special congratulations must go to Ken Payet and his club management team and green keeping staff for their efforts. The golden thread that holds together compliance of sustainability principles and good governance is transparency. The John Collier Survey provides clubs with the ideal tool to achieve this with minimal cost and enjoy the real benefits that come from their participation. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email ajcollier@telkomsa.net or visit the John Collier Golf website at www.johncolliergolf.com
SA Golf Trader: Nine Hole Golf Clubs are the Backbone of South African Golf
By Alistair Collier | From SA Golf Trader media, these publications usually carry articles about top eighteen-hole golf courses hosting regular professional tour events. The exposure is there, continually, week in and week out, showcasing carefully manicured greens and fairways and beautiful views of blue lakes and green vegetation. In South Africa, taking into consideration our climatic conditions and the actual number of golfers playing the game, in reality the Augusta syndrome is beyond the reach of many golf clubs. From a media perspective it is important to maintain the narrative but in reality, more than 60% of golf courses in South Africa are nine-hole courses. Notwithstanding the hype, it is suggested that this is where the enthusiasm for the game starts and the place to grow the game. There are many advantages in playing a 9-hole course. For example, it saves time in that the average pace of play for nine holes is just under two and a half hours. It saves money in that many nine-hole rates are typically 50 percent ormore discounted from the full round rate. It is easier on your body as playing nine holes allows you to get great exercise without overdoing it. It is a great way to start because it is not necessarily as taxing mentally and physically for those who are still trying to master the basics. Most importantly your scores still count so you can still submit your -nine-hole scores if you are keeping a handicap. Furthermore, in terms of research carried out through the John Collier Survey many of the so-called big clubs could learn a great deal from these nine-hole courses in respect of environmental compliance and good governance. Good examples of these clubs include Hankey Golf Club in the Eastern Cape, Jagersfontein Golf Club in the Free State, Utrecht Country Club in Kwa Zulu Natal, Mooi Nooi Golf Club in the North West, Springbok in the Northern Cape and Chrome Golf Club in Mpumalanga. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email ajcollier@telkomsa.net or visit the John Collier Golf website at www.johncolliergolf.com
SA Golf Trader: John Collier Top Club Award (Leopard Creek)
By Alistair Collier | From SA Golf Trader World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated on 5 June each year and stimulates awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and public action. This day is the UN’s most important day for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the protection of our environment. Since its inception in 1974, it has grown to become. Above all, WED is the “people’s day” for doing something to take care of the Earth. That Al something”can have a local, national or global focus. Each WED is organized around a theme that focuses attention on .a particular environmental concern, the theme for 2021 is `ecosystem restoration. Each year those golf club’s data which was included in the 14th John Collier Annual Survey is assessed for environmental compliance and good governance excellence. The winner for 2020-21 is LEOPARD CREEK situated near to Malelane in Mpumulanga Province of South Africa and Special Mention Awards to Montagu Golf Club in the Western Cape and Zwartkop Golf Club in Gauteng. The reviewers were really impressed with the level of detail and standards set in terms of good gdvernance and environmental compliance by the LEOPARD CREEK team and it is fitting that on WED the club was appropriately recognised. 2020 was a year with multiple crises, including a global pandemic, but what LEOPARD CREEK has done well is to link the practical application of ecosystem restoration and focus on its relationship with nature, and then take specific steps to move from crisis to healing: and in so doing, recognize that the restoration of nature is imperative for the survival of our planet and the human race. LEOPARD CREEK’s initiatives have contributed to fight the climate crisis and will help to prevent the potential loss of many species. Their activities will also. help to enhance food security, water supply and • livelihoods while !jutting the club in a position to move towards a carbon neutral environment. LEOPARD CREEK’s winning this award cannot be achieved without the passion and commitment of many people who embrace the management benefits of sustainability, underpinned by good governance, environmental compliance and acknowledging the threats of climate change and the need to be on the road to zero carbon. Therefore, in making this award to LEOPARD CREEK we also offer special congratulations to the club’s CEO Johan Piek and Course Manager Derek Muggeridge and their respective teams. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email ajcollier@telkomsa.net or visit the John Collier Golf website at www.johncolliergolf.com
SA Golf Trader: 14th Annual John Collier Survey | Golf Club Compliance levels in the Garden Route
By Alistair Collier | From SA Golf Trader JOHN COLLIER SURVEY According to Wikipedia, the Garden Route is a 300-kilometre stretch of the south-eastern coast of South Africa which extends from Witsand in the Western Cape to the border of Tsitsikamma Storms River in the Eastern Cape. The name comes from the verdant and ecologically diverse vegetation encountered here with an oceanic climate, mild to warm summers, and mild to cool winters. With these favourable climatic conditions, it is not surprising that there are so many golfing facilities along this route. Recent research into good governance and environmental compliance into golf courses along the garden route indicate that the compliance levels for golf clubs in this area is above the national benchmark of 31%, and leading the way is the Kingswood Golf Estate achieving GOLD LEVEL status and a previous winner of the prestigious TOP CLUB AWARD in South Africa. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email ajcollier@telkomsa.net or visit the John Collier Golf website at www.johncolliergolf.com
John Collier FAQ: Board’s Responsibilities in a Management Sense
By Alistair Collier | From BG Magazine Question I am a club GM and we had a debate recently at board level about what my role is and how it intersects with the board’s responsibilities in a management sense. I thought the matter would be dealt with quickly, and that we would move on, but it turned into a complex debate. So, for clarity could you offer some sort of a summary of the board’s roles and responsibilities, not just as they are in the ‘book’, but rather in a more practical day-to-day sense? Answer I get the sense that the unasked question about micro-management is ‘lurking’ somewhere in the semi-rough with this question! The truth is that in a practical sense, and at its most basic level, a board should set strategy and overall goals, and the required budgets, by working in conjunction with its GM, CEO and or management team. Once the plans have been agreed, the board would then monitor – from afar – the progress, be on hand to support (not lead), offer advice when asked (not make unwanted inputs – the unwanted spectre of micro-management), and review progress (or otherwise) with its management team, to make any adjustments to any of the goals or strategies that might have been set in the original planning process. It sounds simple enough, but the complication is that any board’s effectiveness is directly predicated on the: Skillsets, integrity, commitment… Which each member brings to the table. Many of the issues being faced by SA’s malfunctioning SOEs can be attributed to their boards misfiring on the first of these two cylinders. As to the direct interaction between any board and its management – trust is a key factor. The board must have the trust that its management team has the skillsets to deliver the planned course of action. Conversely, management must be able to trust that the board allows get it to get on with its job and not interfere with management’s day-to-day responsibilities. If management fails there is a system of recourse to address this. The problem with the board at golf clubs is that they are rarely professional and are subject to continual change, which means that issues with personality or a new board not ‘knowing’ its management team can cause serious issues. Managing the relationships in this type of environment is an unfortunate by-product of the current system and looks unlikely to change any time soon. The sad outcome with this type of working environment will often mean that a manager will spend more time engaged in managing the politics at the facility, than in actually managing the facility! That said, some practical advice, would be for the board, and any sub-committees set up by them to assist it with its deliberations, to agree on and implement governance charters.These charters would clearly delineate those obligations and responsibilities, which fall within the ambit of the Board and sub-committees and those that fall for attention by management. Having a governance handbook, with applicable charters, would greatly assist with providing direction as to the role and separation of duties of the board on the one hand and management on the other.
FROM THE FAIRWAYS – VOLUME 1: PART 2
By John Cockayne | From BG Magazine DISCUSSION WITH ALISTAIR COLLIER FROM THE JOHN COLLIER SURVEY JC: You are on record as saying that the sport of golf needs to be aware that environmental and governance-related legislation continues to be promulgated, at an ever-increasing pace, with the regulatory authorities building capacity to enforce compliance. In this same context, you have also said that it would be better to be ahead of the requirements in terms of compliance, as opposed to sitting on our hands now, and then trying to play catch-up, when we hear the inevitable knock on the door. In terms of environmental awareness and governance, as a sports community, in a summarised form, where are the key areas that you feel we need to ‘up our game’? AC: In the 2021 John Collier Survey for South African Golf Courses, the research indicated that in terms of good governance and environmental compliance, the level sat at just under 31%. The results for 2022 are due to be published shortly, and it will be very interesting to see where this number will be. Notwithstanding, that many of South Africa’s golf clubs have started the ‘journey’, and in fact are already well in step with the requirements, I feel that the summary would be best pitched at its most basic level, within which, I think that the following elements are key. First, club management needs to put in place a rigorous process that monitors, records and reports relevant data in and around the course. The mantra is; that which is not monitored cannot be managed. The second is participating in an independent third-party review of the aforementioned data. JC: We hear much said about the need for transparency, especially in terms of corporate and government activities. Where does this need fit into the golf sector and how important is it? AC: Simply put, and irrespective of the business sector – transparency is a cornerstone of good governance. It is therefore vital for golf, as this transparency builds confidence in the management team, and builds trust in the brand (i.e., the golf club) with its members, potential members, the general public and regulatory authorities. JC: We have covered this point, albeit in a fragmented form, through various FAQs segments within the John Collier Survey’s section, in previous issues of BGM, but I think that it would be well worth revisiting here, and possibly in more detail than we were able to before. In phrasing the question, it is from the perspective, as per your previous comment, of those golf clubs that might not have started the process at all, or who are behind where they should be. The question is in two parts: AC: The response to your two-part question above is; when last did your club management, and or board, sit down and carry out a formal risk assessment of the club? Risk management is an enabling process that supports management, and the board or governing body, in meeting its strategic and business objectives. Notwithstanding the size of a club, in terms of membership numbers, and or budgets, clubs need to make strategic choices, and the implementation thereof requires certain risk-taking. The risk management process is therefore an integral part of strategy setting requirements, and management process, as the information produced through it, along with other sources of information, informs management decisions. To underpin the risk management process, principles 11, 12, 13 and 15 of the King IV Report on Corporate Governance for South Africa 2016 (“King IV™”), issued by the Institute of Directors in Southern Africa, encourage all entities (including golf clubs) to adopt a risk management policy and framework that is based on best practices. It is this strong governance process that can help lead golf club management teams, to discover their own solutions to the aforementioned questions.