EUROPEAN LABOUR MARKET INFORMATION ...eose.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/0.-Golf-Stand-LMI...EUROPEAN LABOUR MARKET INFORMATION RESEARCH FOR GOLF 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 6 WORKFORCE 12

KEY FINDINGSEUROPEAN LABOUR MARKET

INFORMATION RESEARCH FOR GOLF

www.golf-stand.eu

4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

6 WORKFORCE

12 SKILLS & TRAINING

20 PGA PROFESSIONALS

26 LMI FINDINGS CONTEXT

32 CLOSING REMARK

CoNtENtS

LABOUR MARKET INFORMATION KEY FINDINGS2

©2012. Golf Stand. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, without express written permission. Any unauthorised reprint, commercial copying, selling, transmitting or use of this material is forbidden and will constitute an infringement of copyright. For further information contact PGAs of Europe: [email protected]

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

LABOUR MARKET INFORMATION KEY FINDINGS 3

LABOUR MARKET INFORMATION KEY FINDINGS - EXECUTIVE SUMMARY4

Golf is unique amongst sports in the size

and diversity of its labour market. There are

approximately nine million people playing golf

in Europe each year with 4.3 million registered

with their Federation, and it is estimated that

the European golf market is serviced by a

workforce of almost 400,0001 employees.

The European Occupational Standards for Golf

project (Golf Stand) had the main objective of

producing a range of indispensable European

occupational standards aimed at defining

the competences, skills and knowledge

needed for those working in the sector as

golf professionals. Defining effective labour

market strategies at the national or sectoral

level requires first and foremost the collection,

dissemination and assessment of labour market

information from the employers. Therefore, the

Golf Stand project included an initial research

section to gather indicative Labour Market

Information (LMI) from the golf sector in

selected EU countries. The inquiry was based

on a holistic approach, meaning the collection

of information through both qualitative and

quantitative methodologies. The following

summarises the main information received

through an online questionnaire:

- 134 replies were received from employers

in 18 countries; app. three quarters of the

total reply rate is from six countries, Italy, the

United Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands,

Portugal and Germany. Replies in the Golf Stand

survey were mostly received from the General

Managers of the golf facilities (48.5%), and from

golf facilities that are membership owned and

operated non-for-profit (40.3%).

- All golf facilities that replied stated that they

employ full-time staff, whereas only 83.6%

provided information that they employ part-

time staff. 56.8% engage occasional volunteers,

and 37.9% engage regular volunteers in their

golf facility.

- 37.9% of the golf facility employers that

replied indicate skills shortages (Lack of skills

available in the labour market from which an

organisation recruits), whilst 32% see skills

gaps (Shortcomings in the proficiency of an

organisations current workforce); both skills

gaps and skill shortages were mostly attributed

to Food and Beverage Managers.

- Continuing Professional Development is

important for all golf facility employers

regardless of occupational titles. In 63.1% of the

cases, CPD is part of the golf facility’s operating

budget. Costs (14.7%) and a general ‘lack of

human resources to replace staff doing CPD’

(14.6%) seem to be still the biggest barriers to

staff training, whilst ‘concerns of over trained

staff leaving to go to other businesses’ seem to

be the smallest barrier to most employers.

- 92% of the employers that replied engage

qualified PGA Professionals in their golf

facilities; most commonly PGA Professionals

hold the job title of a ‘Teaching Professional’.

If golf employers engage or would engage PGA

Professionals in their golf facility, they would

expect them to have mainly the ability to teach

and coach.

ExECutIvE SummarY

1 KPMG – The Economic Value of Golf to Europe

GoLF StaND ProJECt The European Occupational Standards

for Golf project (GOLF STAND) was

developed with the main objective

to produce a range of indispensable

European occupational standards

aiming at defining the competences,

skills and knowledge needed for

those working in the sector as

golf professionals. The Golf Stand

project was funded by the European

Commission and ran two years, from

1st of October 2010 until 30th of

September 2012. Further information

can be found at www.golf-stand.eu.

LABOUR MARKET INFORMATION KEY FINDINGS - EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5

LABOUR MARKET INFORMATION KEY FINDINGS - WORKFORCE6

WorKForCE

For this study workforce, refers to all paid and unpaid staff at a facility. All golf facility employers that

replied to the questionnaire stated that they employ full-time staff (100%), whilst only 83.6% provided

the information that they employ part-time staff; 56.8% engage occasional volunteers2, and 37.9%

engage regular volunteers in their golf facility.3

2 In this study ‘occasional’ volunteers mostly refer to people who dedicate their time to an organisation on an ad-hoc basis and/or people who volunteer mainly for the organisation and running of e.g. sport events; whilst ‘regular’ volunteers mostly dedicate their time to an organisation regularly and on a long term basis. It is usually related to positions involving a certain share of responsibilities in the management of the organisation; including committee members.3 Note: Occasional volunteers n=125, regular volunteers n=95, full and part-time staff n=134

Data indicates that board members might have been considered by the respondent as both regular (due the definition provided) but also occasional volunteers. Depending on specific club culture some

might even have included board members into paid staff or not considered them at all.

Figure 1: Golf facility staff engaged (in %)

Full-time staff

Part-time staff

Occasional Volunteers

Regular Volunteers

10%0% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

100,00%

16,40%

43,20%

62,10%

83,60%

56,80%

37,90%

Yes No

The range of full-time employees in numbers reported from the questionnaire shows significant

variation from one employee to 504 employees, with an arithmetic mean of 28 full-time employees

and the median4 at 16. Altogether, the 134 golf facilities indicated a total full-time staff of 3,781. One

has to take note that ¼ of the total number of full-time employees indicated work in the area of food

& beverage (957 employees), closely followed by staff working in the area of golf course management

(896 employees); whilst only ten golf facilities indicated that they work with full-time staff in research

and development (20 employees).

The range of part-time employees in numbers again widely varies from one employee to 501 employees,

with the arithmetic mean of 18 part-time employees and the median at 9. Nearly half of the total

number of part-time employees indicated (1,963 employees) work in the area of food & beverage

(46.6%), whilst only one golf facility at all indicated that it works with four part-time staff in the area of

research and development.

Full-time staff in the area of the ‘general management’ of the golf facility is employed by most of the

responding employers (94%), whilst it is the area of ‘food and beverage’ that is covered most through

part-time staff (77%).

4 The median is a mathematical result that indicates that one half of the group is higher and one half lower and has been used as an indicator of an average as the distribution of participation rates has large extreme values which could otherwise skew the data.

LABOUR MARKET INFORMATION KEY FINDINGS - WORKFORCE 7

20

20

0

0

40

40

60

60

80

80

100

100

120

120

140

140

160

160

Figure 3: Number of golf facilities that employ part-time staff split by working area (n=134)

Figure 2: Number of golf facilities that employ full-time staff split by working area (n=134)

Total PART TIME Staff

Food & Beverages Staff

Golf Course Management Staff

Cleaning & Maintenance Staff

Teaching & Coaching Staff

Hospitality Staff

Retail Staff

Sales & Marketing Staff

Any Other Staff

General Management Staff

Research & Development Staff

Total FULL TIME Staff

General Management Staff

Golf Course Management Staff*

Teaching & Coaching Staff

Food & Beverages Staff

Cleaning & Maintenance Staff

Sales & Marketing Staff

Retail Staff

Hospitality Staff

Research & Development Staff

Any Other Staff

112

134

86

126

67

119

58

113

49

108

42

88

37

82

34

73

31

59

29

43

16

37


* Some facilities in some countries sub-contract the greenkeeping operation

50 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

In general, more golf facilities seem to engage occasional volunteers compared to regular volunteers.

The following figure indicates the roles fulfilled by occasional (green) and regular (blue) volunteers

(with multiple choices possible per volunteering role):


Figure 4: Roles fulfilled by occasional volunteers (green) and regular volunteers (blue) in golf facilities (n=134)

Unsurprisingly, the area of ‘event management’ seems mostly driven by occasional volunteers,

whereas in the area of ‘general management’ one could have expected a more dominant role of regular

volunteers (board members). In this regards, one may need to consider that definitions may vary

between countries although working definitions were provided to the replier (see footnotes overleaf).

Further roles (category “other” of figure 4) fulfilled by the volunteers include marshalling, forecaddying,

committee or board membership, and maintenance.

Event Management

Course Management

Hospitality

Teaching & Coaching

Food & Beverage

Sales & Marketing

General Management

Retail

Other

38

29

22

13

9

7

4

2

21

17

11

11

10

2

6

11

1

7


Being aware about different structures existing in countries and single golf facilities in regards of

labour organisation, further analysis of the inquiry revealed the level of responsibility of different staff

members per job title and work area5. The following figure indicates which job titles were identified as

holding the main responsibility in the relevant working area:

5 In this perspective, Player Support Services include to establish, develop and maintain effective working relationships with golfers; Analyse the lifestyle management and personal development needs of golfers; Provide lifestyle management and personal development support to meet individual golfer needs; Enable golfers to access referral networks appropriate to their lifestyle management and personal development needs; Provide sports science services to golf; Assist golfers to prevent and manage injury. New Facility Development includes assisting consultants, designers, architects, financial advisers and contractors that provide services to clubs, landowners and developers to design and build new golf courses and refurbish/renovate existing golf courses, clubhouses and other facilities.

Figure 5: Job titles identified as holding the main responsibility in the relevant working area (in %)

Generating New Players

Player Support Services

Hospitality

Event Promotion

Event Management

Research & Development

New Facility Development

Food & Beverages

Teaching & Coaching

Retail

Course Management

Sales & Marketing

General Management

Director of Golf; 70,40%


Food & Beverage Manager; 53,40%

Sales & Marketing Manager; 68,20%


General Manager; 75,40%


Food & Beverage Manager; 97,80%

Head Professional; 93,90%


Golf Course Manager; 91,70%

Sales & Marketing Manager; 74,50%


10%0% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

The Golf Stand project mainly refers to the development of PGA Professionals. As such distinction

between roles and responsibilities between different job titles (of golf professionals) seems to be

difficult for many sector stakeholders to identify. The following figure sets a focus on the level of

responsibility identified by the employers for a Director of Golf, a Head Professional, a Teaching

Professional and a Golf Professional:

Figure 6: Responsibility in the relevant working area shown for the four core job titles for PGA Professionals (in %)

Golf Professional Teaching Professional Head Professional Director of Golf


Generating New Players

Player Support Services

Hospitality

Event Promotion

Event Management

Research & Development

New Facility Development

Food & Beverages

Coaching

Retail

Course Management

Sales & Marketing

General Management

10%0% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

30,20%

22,20%

25,00%

16,70%

7,70%

22,20%

20,00%

0%

58,70%

25,00%

5,30%

9,10%

15,80%

27,90%

27,50%

17,20%

7,40%

0%

21,40%

6,30%

0%

66,20%

14,70%

8,70%

10,00%

17,40%

40,80%

48,50%

15,60%

10,30%

4,80%

12,00%

15,20%

8,30%

93,90%

45,30%

10,00%

8,20%

17,90%

70,40%

59,30%

50,80%

59,40%

70,10%

60,40%

69,00%

13,20%

37,10%

57,70%

43,50%

57,70%

75,60%

The importance of skill development and continued training is accepted widely across Europe, and it

is in golf. The European Observatoire of Sport and Employment (EOSE)* Lifelong Learning Strategy for

the Sport and Active Leisure sector – to which the Golf Stand project refers to – was created to ensure

the development of a competent workforce with the right skills and competences in line with the

expectation of the employers. In this regard, golf facility employers were asked whether they would –

thinking about the golf workforce in general – see any gaps or shortages between the skills of current

employees and those their golf facility needs in order to meet its business objectives.

Within the scope of the Golf Stand project, the following definitions applied:

The figures opposite show the percentage of employers that indicated the existence of skills shortages

and skills gaps related to the entire workforce in the golf sector. Figure 7 refers to all golf facility

employers that replied (n=134); figure 8 to those employers not qualified as PGA Professional and

figure 9 to those employers who stated that they are qualified PGA Professionals (n=26) themselves.

From the replies one may draw the conclusion that those employers qualified as PGA Professionals see

skills problems rather/more ‘inside’ the golf facility, whilst other employers seem to see a (higher) lack

of skills available in the labour market from which the golf facility recruits its staff.

SKILLS & traINING

LABOUR MARKET INFORMATION KEY FINDINGS - SKILLS & TRAINING12

* www.eose.org

Skills shortages Skills gaps

Refer to a lack of skills available in the labour market from which an organisation recruits its staff (external).

Shortcomings in the proficiency of an organisation’s current workforce (internal).

Figure 8: Percentage of golf facility employers not qualified as PGA Professionals that identified skills shortages and skills gaps related to the workforce in the golf sector in general

Figure 7: Percentage of golf facility employers that identified skills shortages and skills gaps related to the workforce in the golf sector in general

Figure 9: Percentage of golf facility employers qualified as PGA Professionals that identified skills shortages and skills gaps related to the workforce in the golf sector in general

LABOUR MARKET INFORMATION KEY FINDINGS - SKILLS & TRAINING 13

Skills Shortage

Skills Gap

Skills Shortage

Skills Gap

Skills Shortage

Skills Gap

10%

10%

10%

0%

0%

0%

20%

20%

20%

30%

30%

30%

40%

40%

40%

50%

50%

50%

60%

60%

60%

70%

70%

70%

80%

80%

80%

90%

90%

90%

100%

100%

100%

40,60%

37,90%

25,00%

29,30%

32,00%

42,30%

45,80%

45,70%

45,00%

61,60%

58,40%

46,20%

13,60%

16,40%

30,00%

9,10%

9,60%

11,50%

Yes No Do not know

In order to identify better where exactly skills gaps or shortages exist, golf facility employers were

asked to name the occupations where such skills gaps or/and skills shortages exist (figures 10 and

11). With multiple choices possible, skills gaps (figure 10) were mostly related to Food & Beverage

Managers (9.7% of the entire sample), and skills shortages (figure 11) were attributed to Food &

Beverage Managers (15.67%) followed by Sales & Marketing Manager (14.18%).

Besides the interest for which occupations the employers indicated most skills gaps or shortages, it

seems even more interesting to analyse if those who see any skills gaps and shortages at all (32% and

37.9%; cf. figure 7), see more skills gaps in relation to shortages related to single job titles, or contrary.

In this regards, data indicates that in general and for all professions more skills shortages seem to exist

than skills gaps.

Figure 10: Percentage of golf facility employers that declared a skill gap for a job title (n==134)

16%

14%

12%

10%

8%

6%

4%

2%

0%

16%

14%

12%

10%

8%

6%

4%

2%

0%

Directo

r of G

olf

Directo

r of G

olf

Head P

rofess

ional

Head P

rofess

ional

Teachi

ng Pr

ofessi

onal

Teachi

ng Pr

ofessi

onal

Golf Pr

ofessi

onal

Golf Pr

ofessi

onal

Genera

l Man

ager

Genera

l Man

ager

Sales &

Mark

eting

Man

ager

Sales &

Mark

eting

Man

ager

Food &

Beverag

e Man

ager

Food &

Beverag

e Man

ager

Golf Cou

rse M

anag

er

Golf Cou

rse M

anag

er

Figure 11: Percentage of golf facility employers that declared a skill shortage for a job title (n=134)


Skills Shortage

Skills Gap

Analysing any possible difference in attitude between these golf facility employers that are qualified as

PGA Professional (figure 13) and these who are not (figure 12), data indicates that employers qualified

as PGA Professionals see rather more problems related to a lack of skills available in the labour market;

for Golf Course Managers for instance, only such ‘skills shortages’ were indicated (100%). Only for

General Managers skills gaps and shortages were indicated as equal; whilst it was also noted that

skills gaps existed but skills shortages were greater for Directors of Golf, Head, Teaching and Golf

Professionals. By contrast, employers not qualified as PGA Professionals (figure 12) indicated that

Directors of Golf, Head, Teaching and Golf Professionals have more shortcomings in the proficiency of

their golf facilities’ current workforce (skills gaps):5

Figure 12: Comparison of the relations of skills gaps and shortages stated by employers not qualified as PGA Professionals per job title

Figure 13: Comparison of the relation of skills gaps and shortages stated by employers qualified as PGA Professionals per job title

5 One needs to keep duly in mind differences in size of samples.

100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

Directo

r of G

olf

Head P

rofess

ional

Teachi

ng Pr

ofessi

onal

Golf Pr

ofessi

onal

Genera

l Man

ager

Sales &

Mark

eting

Man

ager

Food &

Beverag

e Man

ager

Golf Cou

rse M

anag

er

100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

Directo

r of G

olf

Head P

rofess

ional

Teachi

ng Pr

ofessi

onal

Golf Pr

ofessi

onal

Genera

l Man

ager

Sales &

Mark

eting

Man

ager

Food &

Beverag

e Man

ager

Golf Cou

rse M

anag

er


Figure 14: Importance of CPD indicated per job title by all golf facility employers

Golf Course Manager

Food & Beverage Manager

Sales & Marketing Manager

General Manager

Golf Professional

Teaching Professional

Head Professional

Director of Golf

4,10% 1,60%

1,70%

2,80%

5,10% 1,70%

4,10%

1,80%

5,50% 2,70%

1,00% 3,70%

71,50% 22,80%

11,10%

8,70%

9,20%

10,70%

6,70%

48,70% 38,50%

52,90% 35,60%

66,90% 26,30%

46,90% 39,80%

49,10% 38,40%

60,00% 31,80%

72,40% 16,20%

10%0% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Very Important Important Average Slightly Important Not Important

When talking about skills, the training of the workforce and especially Continuing Professional

Development6 (CPD) needs to be considered. Given this perspective, golf facility employers were asked

about the importance of CPD per job title. From the replies received, CPD seems to be important for

most golf facility employers regardless of the occupational titles. The research shows CPD appears

particularly important to Golf Course Managers and Directors of Golf:

6 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) refers to learning opportunities that are provided to individuals who are already engaged with the labour market and whose purpose in undertaking the learning is to update their skills and competencies.


CPD is often identified with incurring great cost. Therefore, the Golf Stand questionnaire asked if CPD

for the management and staff is part of the golf facility’s operating budget; 63.1% said it did. The

reason why CPD is sometimes not included in the budget line is often not specific whilst in other cases

the employers stated that CPD is very cost intensive, especially for smaller teams. Figures 16 provides

the rating of any barriers to training from all golf facility employers:

Figure 15: Percentage of all golf facility employers stating that CPD is part of the golf facility’s operating budget

Yes No

36,90%

63,10%



Costs (14.7%) and a general ‘lack of human resources’ (14.6%) seem to be the biggest barrier to

training, whilst ‘concerns of over trained staff leaving to go to other businesses’ seem to be the

smallest barrier to most employers. The data received indicates furthermore slight differences between

these golf facilities operated non-for-profit and commercially – although one needs to keep in mind the

significantly lower reply rate between types of facilities: In not-for-profit (NFP) operated golf facilities,

i.e., data seems to indicate that the lack of human resources to replace the person during CPD seems

to be a greater barrier than in those ran for-profit.

Figure 16: Barriers to training indicated by all golf facility employers (in %)

Distance to the nearest CDP provider

Lack of human resources to replace the person during CDP

Concerns over trained staff leaving to go to other businesses

Lack of training ofering / availability

Lack of proven benefits of such training

Lack of quality of training

Costs of training

3,10%

4,20%

2,50%

34,90%

24,20%

27,00%

26,90%

21,00%

26,00%

27,60%

14,70%

11,70%

14,70%

10,60%

26,40%

20,80%

21,30%

30,30%

8,10%

25,20%

18,70%

12,40%

23,30%

23,00%

19,30%

36,30%

15,40%

22,80%

11,60%

20,00%

26,20%

19,30%

31,50%

18,70%

20,30%

10%0% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

1 = No Barrier 2 3 4 5 = Huge Barrier


92% of the employers that replied to the questionnaire engage qualified PGA Professionals in their golf

facilities; 70% engage them full-time, 8% full-time and part-time, and 14% on a part-time basis. Often

employers indicated that they collaborate with qualified PGA Professionals as self-employees or sub-

contractors. Only one of the 26 employers that are qualified PGA Professionals themselves does not

employ at least one qualified PGA Professional; whereas 84% of these engage PGA Professionals full-

time, 8% employ both full-time and part-time PGA Professionals, and 4% only part-time. The following

figures provide a comparison of qualified PGA Professionals engaged by golf facility employers that are

not qualified as PGA Professionals (top), and qualified PGA Professionals engaged when the employer

is qualified as PGA Professional (bottom):

PGa ProFESSIoNaLS

LABOUR MARKET INFORMATION KEY FINDINGS - PGA PROFESSIONALS20

LABOUR MARKET INFORMATION KEY FINDINGS - PGA PROFESSIONALS 21

Figure 17: Percentage of golf facility employers not qualified as Golf Professionals that engage qualified PGA Professionals

Figure 18: Percentage of golf facility employers qualified as Golf Professionals that engage qualified PGA Professionals

Only Full-time Only Part-time Both Full and Part Time Not at all

9%

8%

17%

66%

4%

8%

4%

84%


Further analysis reveals that if PGA Professionals are engaged in golf facilities, the following job titles

apply to these collaborators (see figure 19). In 11.4% of the cases, PGA Professionals are engaged in all

three job titles: Teaching, Head and Golf Professional; whereas only app. 18% mention that their PGA

Professional holds a management related job title (see blue bars). Only one club for instance engages

a PGA Professional as Food and Beverage Manager. ‘Other’ includes a ‘Learning Professional’ and an

‘Independent Professional’.

10%0% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Figure 19: Job titles applying to the qualified PGA Professionals engaged by the golf facility employers (in % with multiple choices possible)

Teaching Professional

Head Professional

Golf Professional

Director of Golf

General Manager

Sales & Marketing Manager

Golf Course Manager

Food & Beverage Manager

Other

62,60%

52,00%

38,20%

9,80%

7,30%

6,50%

3,30%

0,80%

1,60%


Furthermore, analysis reveals that if golf employers engage or would engage PGA Professionals in their

golf facility, they would expect them to have mainly the ability of teaching and coaching; none of the

respondents denied this fact. Furthermore, ‘communication abilities’ and ‘knowledge regarding golf

equipment technologies’ play important roles for golf employers. Further abilities mentioned through

comments include ‘attracting and retaining members’, and ‘providing innovation to the club’.

Figure 20: Abilities golf facility employers would expect from PGA Professionals

Teaching / Coaching

Communication

Golf Equipment Technology

Rules & Tournaments

Sales & Marketing

Playing

Business Management

0,80%

2,40%

2,40%

8,70%

5,20%

9,70%

11,30%

6,30%

14,30%

23,00%

31,90%

40,30%

37,90%

90,10% 9,20%

56,30% 34,90%

44,40% 38,90%

34,10% 34,10%

22,40% 40,50%

20,20% 29,80%

17,70% 33,10%

10%0% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Very Important Important Nice to have Not relevant


A comparison of expectations of abilities from golf facility employers that are qualified as PGA

Professionals themselves (figure 22), and employers who are not (figure 21) indicates that in general

all abilities are classified with higher importance and that especially the area of ‘business management’

seems to be of higher importance for employers that are qualified as PGA Professionals themselves:

Figure 21: Abilities golf facility employers not qualified as PGA Professional would expect from PGA Professionals

Teaching / Coaching

Communication


Rules & Tournaments

Sales & Marketing

Playing

Business Management

0,90%

2,00%

2,00%

8,90%

5,20%

9,80%

10,90%

7,80%

15,70%

25,70%

33,00%

41,20%

39,60%

89,60% 9,40%

52,90% 37,30%

42,20% 40,20%

29,70% 35,60%

19,60% 42,30%

18,60% 30,40%

12,90% 36,60%

10%0% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%



Figure 22: Abilities golf facility employers qualified as PGA Professional would expect from PGA Professionals

Teaching / Coaching

Communication


Rules & Tournaments

Sales & Marketing

Playing

Business Management

4,20%

4,20%

8,00%

5,30%

9,10%

13,00%

8,30%

12,00%

26,30%

36,40%

30,40%

92,00% 8,00%

70,80% 25,00%

54,20% 33,30%

52,00% 28,00%

36,80% 31,60%

27,30% 27,30%

39,10% 17,40%

10%0% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%


LmI FINDINGS CoNtExt

In general, golf is unique amongst sports in the

size and diversity of its labour market with many

golf qualifications, some recognised in national

qualification systems and others purely sector-

based. There are approximately nine million

people playing golf in Europe each year with

4.3 million registered with their Federation. The

European market is serviced by a workforce of

almost 400,0001 employees that are required

to deliver services which not only keep golfers

in the game, but attract new participants and

develop elite athletes.

PartICPatIoN DIStrIButIoNAccording to the KPMG Golf Participation Report

(2010) the distribution of golf players in Europe

is concentrated within 10 countries, with 92%

of all players participating in this limited group

of countries: UK & Ireland (30.9%), Germany

(13.5%), Sweden (11.6%), France (9.3%),

Netherlands (7.8%), Spain (7.6%), Denmark

(3.4%), Finland (3.1%), Norway (2.8%), Austria

(2.4%), and only 7.7% in all other countries. The

market is dominated throughout Europe, but

to differing degrees, by men with participation

rates consistently lower amongst women and

juniors: “On average, 65% of all golfers are men,

25% are women and 10% are junior golfers. In

the UK & Ireland, Europe’s largest golf market,

three-quarters of the players are male”.

LaBour marKEt INFormatIoN Labour markets in general function

through the interaction of workers

and employers. Labour Market

Information (LMI) is diverse but is

researched to better understand the

related markets. Defining effective

labour market strategies at the

national or sectoral level requires

first and foremost the collection,

dissemination and assessment of

labour market information. Changes

on the labour markets can no

longer be analysed meaningfully

without taking international

dimensions into account, in order

to attempt to explain disparities

and to understand how different

countries develop in one sector.

LABOUR MARKET INFORMATION KEY FINDINGS - LMI FINDINGS CONTEXT26

1 KPMG – The Economic Value of Golf to Europe

CoNtrIButIoN to ECoNomYAssessed through ‘A Study of the Golf Economy’

(KPMG 2006), the Golf sector was estimated

to contribute €21 billion to the EMA (Europe,

Middle East and Africa) economic region. This

was primarily generated and thus measured

through three market segments which included

golf facility operations, real estate and tourism.

When considering the contribution in expanded

terms, to include the golf supply chain and

sector employee spending, the figure grows to

an economic value – in revenue terms – of €53

billion.

oWNErSHIP aND SIZE oF GoLF FaCILItIESAccording to the KPMG Golf Managers Study

in 2010, equity clubs account for over 50%

of clubs, however there is a disparity when

compared region by region. Equity clubs account

for 88% of Scandinavian facilities, however the

vast majority of clubs in France, Spain and

Italy were not owned by members. The trend

recognised by the study was that there was a

correlation between the size of the club and

the type of ownership: “The larger the club (in

terms of membership), the more likely it was

to be an equity club. The trend was reversed

with regards to size in terms of number of holes

– facilities with more than 18 holes were more

likely to be non-equity.” Within the same study

an attempt was made to collate the size of clubs

in the regions, using two key measures, namely

the number of members and the number of

employees in each facility. With regards to

membership, it was considered that there was

a clear difference across regions: “In France/

Spain/Italy, three in five clubs had a membership

of 500 or less, whereas in Scandinavia less than

one in ten had memberships of this size. This

region was most likely to consist of facilities

with memberships in excess of 1,000, with

almost two thirds of the clubs falling into this

category.” The supplementary measure was to

consider the number of employees employed at

a given facilities. This gives a good indication to

the overall size of golf facilities in the region and

gives a first insight into the correlation between

membership numbers and recruitment/human

resource requirements. In this regard, KPMG

indicates that half of the golf facilities employ

6-20 full-time staff and a similar proportion

employs a maximum of three part-time or

seasonal employees.

LABOUR MARKET INFORMATION KEY FINDINGS - LMI FINDINGS CONTEXT 27

traINING IN GoLFThrough the KPMG Golf Managers Study 2010,

data was collected regarding the commitment of

clubs/facilities to train the workforce. More than

50% of respondents considered their club to be

committed to training of staff, moreover this

figure also includes those who had the sufficient

budget to realise their commitment: “Nearly all

clubs in the UK/Ireland and Scandinavia had at

least some budget for training. In comparison,

at least one in ten clubs in France, Spain,

Italy and Germany did not invest in training.”

The willingness and intention of employers to

implement training structures resided above

50% overall, however there was a disparity

between the regions and nations. This disparity

continued when considering the implementation

of training: “Training programmes were widely

implemented across the board, with all levels of

staff benefiting to some degree. This was less

common in Scandinavia and Germany, however,

where there was more of a focus on senior

management training, with junior management

least likely to receive training.”

GEoGraPHICaL moBILItYIt is important, from a European point of view,

to consider the level of mobility within the

workforce. The KPMG study of Golf Managers

(2010) touches on this theme by highlighting

whether or not individuals were working within

their country of origin: “The vast majority of

those working in the main regions covered in

the survey were employed in the country of

their natural residence. Many were willing to

move abroad to further their career, however. In

contrast, 56% of those working in other markets

were not living in their country of natural

residence. These respondents were mainly based

in Portugal and the UAE.” Furthermore the study

sought to find a correlation between mobility

and job/life satisfaction. This provides a good

insight into the motivating factors perceived by

individuals working in the sector, and also gives

a subjective account of the working culture

experienced by the respondents: “Improved

job satisfaction was cited as a motivating factor

in considering a move abroad by over 90% of

respondents. Work/life balance and work place

culture were also valued, particularly by the

Scandinavians. Over three quarters of those in

the UK/Ireland and France/Spain/Italy would

be driven by remuneration. This was much

less important to those in Scandinavia and

Germany”.


GoLF StaND LmI mEtHoDoLoGYThe Golf Stand labour market inquiry was based

on a holistic approach, meaning a collection

of information through both qualitative and

quantitative strands: A desk research, the

consultation of a project internal golf sector

‘focus group’ (representing golf professionals,

golf federations, employers and training

providers), and a data collection via an online

questionnaire with golf facility employers as

target group. The questionnaire distribution

was led by the European Golf Course Owners

Association (EGCOA) and the Club Managers

Association of Europe (CMAE), and – in order to

support the chances to deliver a robust survey

and to obtain a higher rate of responses – it

was also promoted by the national Golf Stand

partners. Core target countries were: Czech

Republic, Finland, Germany, Italy, Malta, The

Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden, and

United Kingdom. The online questionnaire was

open from December 2011 until April 2012.

LImItatIoNS Depending on the set-up of the sector

investigated and the general labour

market conditions, LMI in general

may draw on a range of qualitative

and quantitative methods of data

collection. The Golf Stand LMI research

methodology was based on a holistic

approach, with both qualitative and

quantitative inquiries. A specificity

of the LMI within the Golf Stand

project was that it needed to refer

to information that could be used

in competence based curriculum

innovation and strategic planning

regarding the aim to undergo the

“seven steps” of the EOSE Lifelong

Learning Strategy (www.eose.org).

The budget and time available for the

inquiry was limited; this hindered the

conduct of the survey and limited the

research techniques essentially to the

use and further elaboration of mainly

existing information and an exploratory

research only. Furthermore when

drawing conclusions from the data

one needs to consider a relatively low

reply rate, especially when it comes to

comparisons between target groups. All

findings shall be treated as indicative.


ComPoSItIoN oF GoLF StaND LmI SamPLEOverall, 134 golf facilities from 18 countries

completed the Golf Stand LMI questionnaire.

However, app. ¾ of the total responses was

received from only six countries: Italy, United

Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands, Portugal

and Germany, which also reflects the greater

number of golf facilities available in these

countries. Out of the 134 overall replies, 116

were received from the ten targeted countries

(86.6%). Replies from other countries include

Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Hungary,

Ireland, Norway, and Switzerland.

However, a high number of replies does not

indicate better representation from the sector

due to estimated work places (golf facilities)

ranging from one (Malta) to app. 2,993 in the

United Kingdom. In this regards, in Malta, one

golf facility reply reflects 100%, and three golf

facility replies from Slovenia represent a reply

rate of 25%. Further reply rates are: Czech

Republic (8.5%), Finland (5.6%), Germany (1.4%),

Italy (9.3%), the Netherlands (7.3%), Portugal

(11.9%), Sweden (4.2%), and the United Kingdom

(0.7%).

Besides geographical distribution, the Golf

Stand questionnaire gathered information

regarding how the golf facilities are operated

and how ownership is organised as it was

assumed that these aspects might influence

aspects of employment and training. Most

replies were received from golf facilities that

are membership owned and operated non-

for-profit (40.3%). Thereafter, most replies

came from privately owned and commercially

operated golf facilities (28.6%), whilst – as

expected – commercial ownership paired with

non-for-profit operation (1.5%) was represented

rather low. Assuming that different employers

– relating to their professional background –

could possibly provide different information

or attitudes regarding aspects of employment

and training, the questionnaire also asked for

the job title that best identifies the job position

of the replier. Almost half of the replies were

received from General Managers (48.5%),

which is little surprising as they are mostly

responsible for the overall running of a golf

facility that would include human resources

and employment in most smaller organisations.

From the responses received, almost all golf

facilities (99.25%) offer at least 9 holes of golf;

an 18-hole golf course is provided by 62.7% and

short courses by 44%. 87.3% operate a driving

range in addition to golf courses; only one golf

facility offers a driving range without any golf

course.

Other services mentioned include, i.e. practice

areas, putting greens, chipping greens, and

video analysis. 133 of the 134 respondents

(99.3%) state that they offer a bar or restaurant

as additional service to their clients / members;

97% include a golf shop, 27.6% a hotel and

24.6% a fitness centre or spa into their services.

Other non-golf services mentioned include i.e.

swimming pools, tennis courts, and meeting

room services.



Figure 23: Number of replies from the ten target countries (n=116)

Figure 24: Golf services offered by the golf facilities (in % with multiple choices possible)

18 Holes

Short Course / Academy

27 Holes

9 Holes

36 Holes

6 Holes

More than 36 Holes

Driving Range

Other

Czech Republic

Finland

Germany

Italy

Malta

Portugal

Slovenia

Sweden

The Netherlands

United Kingdom

7

7

10

10

3

19

20

14

1

25

10%0%

0

20%

5

30% 40%

10

50% 60%

15

70% 80%

20

90% 100%

25

Yes No

CLoSING rEmarK

First of all, the authors would like to express their gratitude to all persons who replied to the survey and

who actively contributed to the development of this report. Such a positive outcome would not been

reached without the support of the various collaborators inside and outside the Golf Stand partnership

It was obvious from the very beginning that, for a complex topic such as labour market research, the

Golf Stand project could not provide the entire European picture nor reflect all details of the sector’s

workforce. But it could mark a starting point and provide first indicative information on selected

labour market related criteria that were developed commonly during the project. In this regards, the

information gathered shall allow a first insight on the dynamics and trends in the golf sector’s labour

market.

The ultimate aim of research such as that outlined in this report must be to lead to concrete

improvements in the employment and education situation in the golf sector. Collecting data from

a wide range of countries on skills gaps, skills shortages, continuing professional development and

abilities expected of professionals will positively impact on the future education systems for golf in

Europe. One of the main aims of the Golf Stand project was to ensure a match between golf education

and the labour market, and the LMI research is a key activity to achieve this aim, repeating the research

in future years can help to monitor if progress is being made.

The Golf Stand partnership is pleased with the positive response to the survey from golf sector

employers, especially as this is the first time employers have been asked to provide labour market

information such as this. Golf in Europe already enjoys a high level of collaborative working between

the sector’s stakeholder bodies (as evidenced by the Golf Stand consortium), meaningful dialogue with

employers and managers through this type of research activity further bodes well for the future of the

sector.

If the sector is to achieve its key purpose to “provide services that enhance the golf experience and

enrich quality of life”, understanding the perceptions and views of employers and managers and acting

on this information is vital. This research report marks a positive milestone in the bridging of the gap

between employment and education in golf and will contribute to the ongoing development of the

sector.

Finally it must be stated that for the value of the golf sector to be seen and understood by the range

of sport and political stakeholders at the European level there is a clear need for further, more detailed

and comparable labour market information to be collected in the future that may build on the first-time

collected results presented in this report.

LABOUR MARKET INFORMATION KEY FINDINGS - CLOSING REMARK32

Due to the nature of the EU funded project – that is to provide guidance to practitioners from the sector – this report is not meant to be a scientific paper covering all details and concepts related to the topic, and, in order to make the report more readable and accessible for non-academics, one shall consider that the use of academic system of citation is not consistently used. For reasons of legibility, it was also refrained from referring in every case to both sexes. References to persons are generally not gender specific.

LABOUR MARKET INFORMATION KEY FINDINGS - CLOSING REMARK 33

SkillsActive - UK (Promotor)

Professional Golfers’ Associations of Europe (PGAs of Europe) - Europe

European Observatoire of Sport and Employment (EOSE) - Europe

Malta Qualification Council (MQC) - Malta

University of Birmingham - UK

Bosöns idrottsfolkhögskola / Bosön Sport College - Sweden

Slovenian Greenkeepers’ Association - Slovenia

European Golf Course Owners Association (EGCOA) - Europe

Professional Golfers’ Association Limited (The PGA) - UK

Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) - UK

Nederlandse Golf Federatie (NGF) / Dutch Golf Federation - Netherlands

Sport Institute of Finland (SIF) - Finland

Professional Golfers’ Association of Germany (PGA Germany) - Germany

Professional Golfers’ Association of Sweden (PGA Sweden) - Sweden

Professional Golfers’ Association of Italy (PGA Italy) - Italy

Associacao de Gestores de Golfe de Portugal (AGGP) / Golf Club Managers Association of Portugal - Portugal

www.skillsactive.com

[email protected]

www.pgae.com

[email protected]

www.eose.org

[email protected]

Partnership of the Golf Stand project

©2012. Golf Stand. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, without express written permission. Any unauthorised reprint, commercial copying, selling, transmitting or use of this material is

forbidden and will constitute an infringement of copyright. For further information contact PGAs of Europe: [email protected]

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot

be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

www.golf-stand.eu

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