05 April 2014

Ted Pease Interview :: International Golf & Club Management

from Hotelier Indonesia Magazine
17th Issue, April 2014

We are honored to have an opportunity to sit down for a chat with Ted Pease, one of the region’s preeminent golf club managers.  He is an experienced club General Manager and Canadian PGA member, dedicated to the development and operation of successful club facilities.  In particular, Ted has specialized in reorganization or pre-opening projects; with an emphasis on finance, marketing, and operations.  He offers an extensive background in simultaneous and parallel program development, including golf course development in multiple countries.

[HI]  You seem to stay quite busy with several projects in both North America and Asia, yet we were able to catch up in both Toronto & Bangkok in recent months.  What are projects are you currently involved with?

[TP]  I am the active General Manager for Barrie Country Club, a private membership golf club in Ontario, roughly an hour’s drive north of Toronto, Canada.   That keeps me in Canada for most of the year.

I’m also a Director with Premier Golf, a full service e-commerce golf management company with a presence in the Americas and Asia.  With Premier, we offer our clients top-notch management technology while remaining price competitive. We strive to maintain our role as specialists in golf course management, offering innovation and service development. My efforts with Premier Golf bring me to Asia quite often.

Our partner in golf software technology is Quasar Group International.

[HI]  What is the focus of your involvement with golf management systems and Quasar?

[TP]   The technology that we are working on with Quasar and Premier Golf is to offer a complete solution for golf clubs to manage their facilities and distribute tee times - while at the same time to provide golfers the ability to book and confirm golf times that meet their needs.

Golfers are becoming more independent and using the internet to organize their entire travel plans.  They now book and confirm their golf at the same time as they plan their other travel needs.  This presents a tremendous opportunity for golf clubs to secure advance pre-paid golf for the mobile golfer.

We have seen that some of the leading destination resorts around the world have used cooperative advertising and marketing to promote their areas and been very successful -  the natural progression is to help clubs maximize this with internet promotions and booking opportunities.

[HI]  You’re no stranger to Golf in Asia.  You’ve spent quite a bit of time here.  Could you highlight some of your work here?

[TP]  I’ve been based in Asia for much of this millenium.  My first position was as General Manager – Project Management & Operations at Zhuhai Golden Gulf Golf Club in China from 2001 to 2004.  I followed that  with management positions at several clubs in Thailand including:  Blue Canyon Country Club, The Montgomerie Krabi, Sri Racha Hills Golf Club and then with Absolute Golf Services.

My work with IMG also brought me across to Nirwana Golf Resort in Bali.

[HI]  Your start in golf however, was over in Canada.  What is your history there?

[TP]  I grew up playing golf in Ontario and was fortunate that I could make it my career.   In my younger years I was an Associate professional at both the Royal Woodbine Golf Club and Barrie Country Club.  From there I progressed to Head Professional at the Grandview Inn - Resort and then the Carrying Place Golf Club.

I then moved into the position of General Manager at a few clubs including: The Sands at Taboo GC - Resort, the City of Mississauga, and my current position at Barrie Country Club.

[HI]  With these positions, you must have had quite a few management responsibilities?

[TP]  Yes, with my work in Canada and Asia, I had many managerial responsibilities including, but not limited to:  a) development and implementation of all pre-opening Capex and operational budgets, b) development of international markets for golf and academy business, c) development of F&B kitchen designs, staffing and menus, d) development and implementation of standard operating procedures, e) development and production of staff handbooks, f) financial controls and budgeting including daily reconciliations, and g) coordination of membership and marketing programs.  I’m keeping the list somewhat short, as there are quite a few more responsibilities that come along with managing a golf club.

[HI]  You’ve also had a share of success as a golfer.  What are some of those highlights?

[TP]  As an amateur, I was Canadian Juvenile Champion, Canadian Junior Runner-Up and placed well in the Canadian Amateur a few times.  I also have 6 victories in various annual invitational tournaments.

As a professional, I was the Ontarios PGA Associates Champion several times, London Ontario PGA Zone Order of Merit Winner, Absolut Vodka Professional Champion at Pebble Beach Golf Club and placed well at quite a few additional professional competitions including Senior PGA events in Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan.

[HI]  All of this success must have brought a few course records?

[TP]  I have been fortunate to get course records in three countries, including: 
• Sunningdale CC Old Course London, Canada 64
• Greenhills CC Old Course London, Canada 62 – competitive round
• Greenhills CC New Course London, Canada 65 – competitive round
• Crickentree CC Columbia, South Carolina 65
• Tatum Ranch CC Scottsdale, Arizona 64 – professional competitive round
Cypress Lakes GC Hunter Valley, Australia 68

[HI]  As an accomplished golfer & club manager, what is your perception of the SE Asian golf & leisure market?

[TP]  Its certainly the world’s biggest growth market for golf and leisure.  The golf travel market in Indonesia & Thailand s significant, particularly with the region’s growth in disposable income.  Businessmen and families from China and elsewhere are looking to travel internationally.  Bali, Phuket and most of SE Asia are their top markets for travel.  Many of them are traveling to enjoy the beaches, scuba diving, surfing and golf. 

[HI]  And your experience in golf and leisure management can certainly assist in building the market?

[TP]  Yes.  Golf clubs and resorts must be able to properly address these in-bound tourists, to be able to understand and accommodate their needs through multiple channels.  We’ve been actively involved in multiple social networking sites to insure we stay plugged into the regional & global markets.


[HI] We would like to thank Ted for his time, and wish him a good deal of success in their SE Asian & global golf e-commerce efforts.   Anybody wishing to reach Ted can email him at:  ted.pease55@gmail.com



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