Saturday, May 23, 2009

Duff House Royal looks to the future with new appointment

Duff House Royal Golf Club has appointed a new club manager. The Banff club has one eye on the future with the appointment, which brings James Cameron (30) and his family back to the North East of Scotland. James brings considerable commercial experience to the role, having worked in marketing in the US, for STV and AVC Sports in Aberdeen, as well as writing a thesis on Scottish Golf Tourism. Attractive credentials amidst challenging market conditions for golf clubs.

“I am delighted to join Duff House Royal and, as I’m from the area am fully aware of the stature of the club and what it means to the local community" says James. "It has a rich history, a wonderful 1910 James Braid course which was re-designed in 1923 by Dr Alister Mackenzie, (the last Scottish course he worked on before going on to design Augusta National), a strong membership, a great reputation and of course Royal status. It is my job to capitalise on the strengths that are already there, and use my experience to market these to a wider audience…but at the same time remain mindful of the needs of our members; after all, we are a members club. We celebrate our centenary next year, which gives us all the opportunity to ensure the traditions and heritage of the club are championed, whilst at the same time we are ready to take on the modern day challenges that all golf clubs are faced with.

We are also looking at our marketing activities, are looking to revamp our website with video items, and we’re also considering our membership pricing structure for 2010; all steps in the right direction. And with some tremendous feedback received about how the course is playing - having installed a new drainage system last year - we’re all; members, committee and staff alike, really looking forward with a sense of enthusiasm.”