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CONFIRMATION of European Tour plans to bring home the Volvo Golf Champions tournament to Bahrain next January would be sweet music to the ears of the Royal Golf Club’s dynamic new general manager, DJ Flanders.
Reliable sources have told GulfWeekly that the golfing razzmatazz will return in 2014 as part of the ‘swing’ through the desert after two years of being banished to different courses in South Africa.
“Yes, that would be great if it’s officially announced,” said Mr Flanders, an experienced executive with Troon, the leading global golf course management company called in to manage the Riffa Views facility by the Royal Golf Club’s board of directors.
“It could be a part of the Middle East swing very easily, couldn’t it? So, if we were to fit into that somewhere then obviously it would be great exposure not only for Bahrain but for the Royal Golf Club as well.
“Agronomically the course is going to be in better shape with Troon’s guidance. We run multiple tournaments around the world. So, operationally, I am very positive about hosting and if we’re told that we’re going to get that tournament, we will tap all the resources available into making sure the course conditioning is as good as it can be.”
Mr Flanders has vast experience in running PGA Tour events, corporate tournaments and boasts extensive club operational knowledge. He initially came to the region in 2007 when Troon first moved into Abu Dhabi Golf Club and then was heavily involved with the development and opening of the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club in Abu Dhabi.
He left the UAE in late 2009 for a similar role at the Muttontown Club on Long Island in New York, turning it around into a profitable enterprise able to invest back into its golfing facilities without having to continuingly dig deeper into the pockets of its owners. He has now settled back in the Gulf region with his wife Debbi and sons, Jaxon, 10, and Jadon, five, on the Bahrain coast in Zallaq.
Organisers Volvo Event Management and IMG Golf cancelled plans to kick off the European Tour’s 2012 season in Bahrain because of the unrest. The inaugural event had been played on the kingdom’s Colin Montgomerie-designed course the year before and was won by England’s Paul Casey after a pot of around BD900,000 attracted some of the sport’s top players and a massive global TV audience.
The Royal Golf Club’s course is noted for being ‘challenging’ to play because of the severity of some of its slopes and one leading contender, Ian Poulter, launched a savage critique during the competition. “Some of the worse greens I have ever seen,” blasted the Englishman. “They are embarrassing,” he moaned after a level par 72 left him eight off the pace in the first round.
It was Volvo’s 10th title-sponsored event in 22 years with the European Tour, and took place in early 2011 between the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, the traditional curtain-raiser to the ‘Middle East Swing’ and the Qatar Masters.
Only four months into the job, Mr Flanders has certainly made his presence felt with a ‘town hall session’ for disgruntled members and a sudden change of senior personnel.
Labelled the ‘Troon transition guy’ for improving the fortunes of clubs and launching new ventures before moving on to the next big project, he’s planning to play a longer ball game in Bahrain and stay to savour the flavour of his endeavours.
The New Orleans-born son of a colonel in the US military, he’s used to an expat way of life and so is his family. This is one DJ literally in a spin, Jaxon’s first language, for example, for the first three years of his life, was Japanese, and Jadon was born in the UAE. At 40, perhaps it’s time he and his Texas sweetheart made some roots.
“Hopefully, we’ll be in Bahrain for quite some time. We like it here,” he said: “I already appreciate the membership of the club. They are very supportive of my efforts and what I’m trying to achieve here.
“I think a lot of them have seen what we did in Abu Dhabi and they’re excited about seeing our facility operating at that same high level. They’re rallying behind me to get it there.
“Obviously they want it to happen as fast as possible, but it takes time and effort and I’m excited at the thought of delivering for them.
“The club is beautiful. The golf course is good. The membership – 546 as of today – is very strong. The top line of the club is very healthy.”
However, a ‘lack of attention to detail’ has had to be immediately addressed, he said. On the agronomical front, the application of the various soil and plant sciences to soil management was something he felt ‘could be better’.
“I also did not feel that the managers were as engaged as we would like them to be at a Troon property. So, one of the things I did when I first got here was to roll-out the Troon Golf Members Satisfaction Survey so I could hear how we were doing as far as the membership was concerned.
“I held a ‘town hall session’ where I sat for an hour-and-a-half and took questions because there was an obvious disconnection between the management and the membership.
“I felt that it was very important to listen to the members and start to communicate with them. We are not running a private club, but we have to make sure that the membership is happy as it is a big part of our business.”
One step was to improve access to the course and members now enjoy a 21-day booking window compared to the general public’s 14 days. “Members now have a pick of tee times and whatever they choose not to use the general public can get access to.
“I send out weekly updates to them trying to make sure that I’m addressing some of their concerns, such as pace of play and repairing ball marks – taking care of the property is one thing they’re big on, so I’m trying to find ways to improve it.”
All golfers are now instructed before teeing off about their obligations of caring for the course and making repairs to any damage caused during play.
One plan already progressing is to make the club shop more attractive by using Troon’s powerful purchasing power to ensure golfing accessories and sportswear are more competitively-priced by buying directly from manufacturers in Europe and the US rather than only using regional distributors who up the price to cover additional freight costs to Bahrain.
Bernie Morgan has been appointed Head of Operations and Retail, a former colleague of Mr Flanders from his time in Abu Dhabi. In recent days the club’s head professional Chris Kelby suddenly departed.
Whilst minds are focussed on the likely return of the Volvo Golf Champions it is unlikely that the Royal Golf Club will host another celebrity tournament in the meantime, despite the success of last year’s event which featured some of the greatest names in sport, including American Football legend Joe Montana, British tennis ace Tim Henman and Dutch footballer Ruud Gullit.
The return of the European Tour event would be a massive coup for the Bahrain Economic Development Board and assist its endeavours to promote the country globally and attract further investment.
Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa, who was chief executive at the time, said he ‘respected’ the decision to move the tournament to South Africa but the board looked forward ‘to welcoming the European Tour back to Bahrain in the near future’.
And it will also vindicate the Royal Golf Club’s decision to select golf course management and development specialists Troon. Shaikh Rashid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, chairman of Bahrain International Golf Course Company (BIGCC), the owning company of the Royal Golf Club, said the company’s expertise would become ‘invaluable’ moving forward.
Officially no one will go on record to state the Volvo Golf Champions event will go ahead in Bahrain in January, but sources have told GulfWeekly that an official announcement will be made after the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix as all energy is concentrated on ensuring the ninth edition of the Formula One extravaganza is another roaring success.
GulfWeekly exclusively revealed the European Tour’s original plans and was first to report the event’s move to South Africa. “At this stage negotiations for next year’s venue of the Volvo Golf Champions are on-going. We will of course send out a press release once a venue has been confirmed,” said Sarah Gwynn, press officer, European Tour.
