Golf in Sussex is rewarding – as long as you put the effort in!

Whether you’re a keen golfer with an increasing desire to avail yourself of a course soon or looking to pick up a seven iron for the first time, next month sees the first Major tournament of 2022, The Masters in Augusta, so I decided to check out what’s been happening more locally at Mid Sussex Golf Club (MSGC) with General Manager and golf pro, Lee Andrews.

I began by asking Lee how MSGC differs from other clubs? “I believe that most clubs now have moved with the times and even the pandemic has helped them understand how important outside business is. If we have a ‘different’ or USP I would say having five PGA coaches along with myself means we listen and can react to members and other golfers needs quickly. This has created eleven different membership categories to suit the time and affordability of each person.” 

Mid Sussex Golf Club first opened its doors to the public in 1995 and, with a host of strategically placed bunkers and water hazards, the course has a reputation for being fun to play on for all standards of golfers – from complete beginners to members representing the County. With the driving range located a short pitch from the first tee, beginners or seasoned regulars can utilise grass tees as well as the all-weather mats plus it’s now partly covered allowing all year-round use.  

Every year though, increasingly harsher conditions during winter means that all clubs face a challenging task to maintain the course at the level that players expect. “Investment and a good team of green staff are hugely important. I am lucky to have a course consultant who liaises with myself and the green keeping team to work out the best programmes for the course. We have course development programmes that run on one-, three- and five-year cycles.”

But whilst many businesses have had to adapt to changes forced by the pandemic, many golf clubs report a surge in ladies participating in golf – earlier this year, Golf Business Magazine reported that female participation at UK golf courses more than tripled between 2019 and 2020, with nearly 1.5 million women playing at least one full round of golf in 2020. Essentially the number of women golfers grew from just over 400,000 to 1.46 million – and from 14 percent of all golfers to 28 percent in that time. Lee comments: “It’s the fastest growing section in golf clubs. We’ve needed to get away from the stereotype membership of male and retired…for me it is a personal goal. When I arrived, we had around 75 ladies playing, we now have close to 120 ladies actively playing. This is largely down to ladies’ classes and a route into the club through stages of learning.”

Whilst saying they are committed to a refreshingly modern and progressive approach to golf, I was keen to find out more about the challenges of running the club.

“The biggest challenge is undoubtedly time, and then trying to keep all the members and the staff happy. This is achieved by having a great team around me and an understanding family! When I was asked to take the role, one of the criteria was that I was allowed to continue to coach. I don’t see this as work, it’s a vocation. I love coaching and my aim is to get more people playing this game which can only help golf and golf clubs.  My coaching is separate to the running of the club and my decision is to do more hours so I can coach as well. There are many PGA professionals who have moved into General Manager roles at golf clubs, but I believe I am one of the few General Managers that still coaches.”

I remember my dad imparting some advice in my early years that I should learn to play golf as I will certainly do business on the golf course, so how important is it for golf and business to go together and how does this work at MSGC? “Anything that brings golf to more people is good. We have used this to great effect as we have local businesses such as Wellesley Wealth Management, Mayo Wynne Baxter and TLC electrical wholesale who are hole sponsors and host their events here both on and off the course.” Additionally, most of the corporate events we host tend to overlap into Charity events with proceeds raised for their chosen charities. We have many Charity days booked for 2022 Macmillan Cancer Research, Rockinghorse Children’s Charity, Martletts and Chestnut Tree House are all booked in, and we love helping them to run their golf day to raise as much money for them as we can.”

Some golf clubs have taken to introducing other activities into their set ups too. MSGC has been an advocate in the rise of footgolf, and with a footgolf league planned this year, I wondered what was the thinking behind this and how it benefits the club? “It’s something else to get more people to visit the golf club. Sam Thomas (SBT Managing Director!) needs to take some credit for this one. I think this might have been over a beer or two with him one evening! Many people don’t own golf clubs or know how to swing a club, but they can all kick a ball. When they play footgolf it helps them understand the scoring of golf and how this works, so it is a great introduction into the game of golf.”

But what if you think you’re a decent standard, or after a few rounds of pitch ‘n putt you think you’ve got what it takes to be the next Justin Rose or Georgia Hall, how can Lee know if he is looking at real talent? “Golf has a technical aspect (the swing) and therefore in my opinion, other than hand/eye co-ordination, talent does not exist. To be great at something you give all your time and energy to that activity. You can achieve whatever you want if you put the effort in, the rewards are there. If you are driven and obsessed by something, then I see the talent further down the line.”

What does the future hold then for Mid Sussex Golf Club? “Golf Clubs are not profit-making machines; they are a facility to offer to the public and the job is to provide an experience to those visiting. If members and visitors have a great experience when they visit us, then the future will be fun!”

For more information, visit www.midsussexgolfclub.co.uk