Claus A. Feldt, CEO of World of Leading Golf, speaks about excellency and the value of connecting golfers and golf clubs.
Your philosophy is “feel like a member wherever you play”, what is the most important thing to become part of WLG?
On one side we have the golfer, who is greeted with open doors in every club of our network. He or she enjoys the treatment of a club member and every amenity there is wherever they stay. They pay what everybody is paying – but get an upgrade. Members experience the benefits of connecting events, marketing and consultancy services and a large selection of golf and travel offers via a comprehensive and unrivalled concierge service.
And then there is the club that is able to promise its members exactly what I was talking about before. The idea starts with a benchmark in excellency and leads to the possibility of being able to offer exactly that and in the same time feel the connection of a big family.
How significant is excellence to become part of WLG?
Very significant. We have audits, every year. You cannot buy yourself in – the club has to qualify. It is the Champions League of Golf. Admission to the World of Leading Golf is limited and based on successfully passing the World of Leading Golf Mystery Test: a quality audit conducted by our St Andrews based research partner, International Golf Research.
In golf and business, do you give more relevance to quantity or quality?
With a focus on the world’s top 3% of golf clubs, for us, the focus is clearly on quality. Our Mystery Testing evaluates all relevant aspects of a guest’s journey at a club, analysing more than 170 points; identifying and evaluating the golf course, clubhouse, facilities and service. We call ourselves a community of quality and service.
Especially in the business sector, quality and being member of a network is crucial. Less is more. The service a customer expects – that is the currency, by what we measure ourselves.
We see our network as a symbol to demonstrate inclusion among the world’s finest, in more than 60 venues across 24 countries.
WLG means, like WCGC, being part of a community. How can golf help achieve networking goals?
Our philosophy of golf goes far beyond the time between the first tee and last putt. We cherish golf in its most original form: it is about coming together, about time spent in a community. And on a golf round, we have up to five hours to get to know each other. Because of our events and clubs in our network, world of leading golf connects countries and continents all over the world.
In the world Final of WCGC 30 countries are part, is there room for growth thanks to WLG?
Yes, there is. Through our member clubs we have the possibility to develop WCGC very close to the target group. We work together with the best two, three or four clubs of each country. So, there’s the possibility to get in contact with some of the most important business leaders in the world – and that is a big value that we can offer in 24 countries.
What do you expect from your new collaboration with WCGC?
Together, World of Leading Golf and World Corporate Golf Challenge provide the perfect vehicle for clubs, members and guests to revel in a once in a life time golf and tournament experience and importantly generate a sustainable tournament model for Member Clubs that will grow year on year. We want to accomplish the goal of achieving the quality of the final event also in qualification tournaments. We hope that we can create a new concept and philosophy, so that we are able to make the tournament one of the biggest and most valuable ones – even on the highest level.
