Events on the greens

Companies are getting into the swing of things. Golf, with its elitist image, lends itself to the organisation of sports seminars or inter-professional tournaments, providing an opportunity to meet new people and bring teams closer together. Top class.

By The Editor -

Published on 24/07/2012

In 2018, the greens of the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines national golf course will see Tiger Woods and his cohorts battle it out for the Ryder Cup. The third biggest sporting event in the world behind the Olympic Games and the Football World Cup, this famous competition, which pits the United States against Europe every two years, is expected to attract up to 70,000 spectators a day for a week. The fact that France has been entrusted with organising the most prestigious of international meetings confirms its position as a golfing destination in its own right. With over 400,000 members of the game, more than either rugby or volleyball, France ranks fourth in Europe, admittedly a long way behind England, the champion of the swing with 800,000 golfers. But since the 80s and 90s, French golf clubs have been pulling out all the stops to attract new players, in particular by increasing the number of 'compacts' - in other words, nine-hole courses - to attract beginners. And they've certainly succeeded, with the number of clubs rising from 150 to 700 in the space of a decade. Of course, the sport still has an elitist image, but it has reached out to the middle classes over the years. Even the French education system has got in on the act, with many lycées offering the EPS golf option at baccalauréat level!

Companies are also affected by this phenomenon. Firstly, because they identify with the values conveyed by this sport, such as concentration and self-control, respect for others, a calm and natural environment, a break from the pressures of everyday life, conviviality and health benefits. It's an image with which companies are happy to associate themselves by supporting various events. The best example of this is the trophy sponsored by Lancôme, which has been held for 34 years at the Saint-Nom-la Bretèche golf course and has contributed to the popularity of the little white ball in France.

Route relationships

Other golfing communication tools traditionally used by companies are Pro-Am tournaments, during which guests have the privilege of playing with a professional golfer. This June, the Aromatech group is sponsoring the fifth International Food Pro-Am at the Royal Mougins Golf Club on the Côte d'Azur. Over the years, this event - the biggest golf tournament in the sector in France - has become the must-attend event for the entire food industry. In 2011, it brought together 26 teams representing 104 golfers from all over the world, as well as a host of companies including Andros, Coca Cola, Danone, Mars, Nestlé Waters, Lactalis, Sodiaal Candia...

However, as Valéry Beauvillain, Director of the Golf Connexion agency, points out, the Pro-Am is becoming obsolete. "Golf is now a real communication tool for companies, whatever their size or origin. They want to spend more time with their prospects and customers. These moments should really enable them to build loyalty or forge new relationships".he explains. To create or strengthen these links, the agency, which has specialised in golfing events for 20 years, launched the Corporate Golf Club in 2002. More recently, it set up a special trophy for small businesses, the PME Golf Trophy, an event that takes place over two days and two rounds. The idea is to enable SME managers and decision-makers to forge links with other participants. The event also includes 'speed dating' meetings to put registered companies in touch with each other, with the aim of increasing the number of exchanges and guaranteeing a return on investment for participating members.

These creations follow the evolution of the market. The last few years have seen exponential demand from companies of all sizes wishing to use golf for public relations purposes. SMEs know that golf's upmarket image will in one way or another reflect on their company's image and that they will be able to reach a target with high added value. After spending four hours on the greens, the barriers become blurred, and the familiar replaces the familiar... These tournaments offer the opportunity to enrich address books, as the guests are rigorously selected. "Our customers often come back to us after the event to ask for the telephone details of a particular participant".says Valéry Beauvillain.

At the same time, the French Golf Federation set up a corporate golf commission in the 1980s to promote and develop this sport among employees. "This affiliation has enabled them to enter the closed world of golf".explains Philippe Pradet, chairman of the committee. Today, 888 public or private company sports associations are members, compared with 857 in 2010. A total of 31,288 players play golf in their company, compared with fewer than 4,000 in 1988. Affiliated companies include: Vittel, Cap Gemini, Costa, Hennessy, Aerospatiale, Groupama...

"Basically, golf and business go hand in hand because both promote the same values: fair play, respect for etiquette, conviviality and concentration".says Philippe Pradet. So much so that the committee has also launched the "Golfez entreprise" operation, a sort of sponsorship scheme between licensed players and beginners. For one day, golf courses invite employees of one or more companies to play a real game on a specially adapted course, with a prize-giving ceremony and closing cocktail reception. With teams made up of participants from all levels of society, these initiatives help to strengthen internal cohesion within companies.

An embarrassment of riches

When it comes to golf courses, companies are spoilt for choice, from the sea to the mountains to the countryside! The possibilities are endless, with renowned technical golf courses such as Chantilly and Fontainebleau, both designed in the first part of the 20th century by the illustrious designer Tom Simpson, or Les Bordes, designed by another golf design celebrity, Robert Von Hagge. Other renowned venues include the Barrière La Baule international golf course, with its 45 holes over three courses, and the Saint-Gatien golf course in Deauville, whose 9- and 18-hole courses run alongside the remains of a Templar chapel. What's more, most of the courses are equipped with meeting rooms and offer a range of activities in addition to golf.

It's true that this sport goes particularly well with a certain idea of the French art of living! That's why it's common to include a gastronomic meal, wine tasting, cooking classes, cultural visits, wellness breaks... in the programme of a golfing event.

This is the case at the Four Seasons Resort Provence at Terre Blanche, a luxury resort located just thirty minutes from Cannes, in the heart of 300 hectares of unspoilt nature. On site, groups have access to two 18-hole courses designed by the architect Dave Thomas, as well as an indoor driving range, a golf academy and the Albatros Golf Performance Center, an international training centre open to golfers of all levels. Another important asset for golfers wishing to improve their game is the 'biomeca swing', a computerised analysis of each player's movements based on posture, mobility, balance and swing intensity. After sport, participants can also relax in a 2,800 m² spa with 14 treatment rooms and two swimming pools, one indoor and one outdoor. As for food and drink, there are five restaurants, including the Faventia, which boasts two Michelin stars. It should be noted that from October 2012, the resort will no longer be part of the Four Seasons group. However, the resort will retain all its assets.

Sea and mountains

In addition to its luxurious setting and the invigorating Atlantic air, the Hermitage Barrière hotel in La Baule caters for the needs of companies looking for a studious, golfing break: a vast choice of lounges, a 900-seat conference centre and, above all, international golf with its three renowned courses.

The south of France has no shortage of places to play golf under sunny skies, such as Club Med in Opio, with its golf school and 18-hole course in addition to 31 meeting rooms and a 600-seat convention centre, or Dolce Frégate Provence, near Toulon. This four-star resort boasts 9- and 18-hole courses as well as a conference centre with 13 meeting rooms for up to 200 people, and offers packages that combine work and competition. The same wellness and golf programme can be found at Mas d'Huston Golf & Spa in Saint Cyprien, in the Roussillon region, where several programmes are available for corporate groups. "The MICE market represents 20 % of our customer base".says Olivia Namiech, Groups and Events Manager. As well as the pleasure of playing on a 27-hole course, the establishment offers companies a wide range of services, including access to the nearby Les Flamants Roses thalassotherapy centre and the chance to discover the region's gastronomy and wine.

"Biz & golf", "apéro swing" or street golf: the Dolce Fregate Provence offers seminar packages with advice from a professional golfer or fun challenges for staff, punctuated by cocktails on the green.

Golfers who prefer a mountain setting also have a wide choice. They can go to the Evian Resort, just 45 minutes from Geneva airport. There, between two meetings, beginners and experienced golfers can enjoy treading the greens of the legendary 18-hole Évian Masters Golf Club or perfecting their skills at the Évian Masters Training Center, a unique 15-hectare training area! At the same time, team-building events are organised in the grounds and spas of the complex's two luxury hotels, the Royal Palace and the Royal Ermitage. There are also plenty of opportunities for wine lovers, particularly in the Bordeaux region, where a group of 12 clubs is offering around twenty 'Grands Crus' courses. The same goes for Alsace, where seven golf courses have set up breaks linked to the wine route.

"However, golf courses are often chosen for their setting and the image they represent, rather than for their activity".says Laurent Boissonnas, director of the Open Golf Club chain. When it comes to places steeped in prestige and history that inspire 'golf and culture' incentive breaks, companies have plenty to choose from. Not least because, historically reserved for the nobility and bourgeoisie when they arrived in France, the first courses were built around châteaux and estates. At the Cheverny golf course near Blois, for example, the course is laid out in the grounds of the Renaissance château. In the Ardennes, at Fagnon, an 18-hole course has been laid out around a 12th-century abbey whose central wing, the only one to have survived the ravages of time, now houses a hotel. As for the Relais & Châteaux at the Domaine de Châteauneuf in the Var, which boasts an 18-hole international golf course, its 18th-century building was once home to the Bonaparte family!

Companies can also choose a route on the basis of its exceptional location, rather than the traces of its past. "Our most popular golf courses for MICE groups are Marseille La Salette, set in a Provençal garden in the heart of the city of Marseille, and the Yvelines golf course, half an hour from Paris, in a listed park on the edge of the Rambouillet forest".says Laurent Boissonnas. When it comes to seminars, proximity to major cities is a decisive factor. In this respect, the Radisson Blu Disneyland Paris resort, with its 21 meeting rooms, has a lot to offer: a location at the heart of Europe's leading tourist destination, next to a TGV station and 35 minutes from the capital by RER, all nestled in the heart of a 27-hole golf course.

Around the world in 80 golf courses

But the exception is also to be found beyond our borders, in Great Britain and above all in Scotland, the very source of golf, which boasts some of the most famous golf resorts such as Gleneagles in Auchterarder or the legendary Old Course Hotel in St Andrews, 'the home of golf', the very place where the first balls were hit in the early fifteenth century. As the adopted home of the sport, the United States is also home to a number of legendary golf resorts such as Greenbrier, Pinehurst and Peeble Beach Resort. But since its beginnings, the little white ball has gone round and round on its own, to the point of reaching the four corners of the world. You need look no further than the birthplace of this noble sport to find other renowned establishments dedicated to both golf and business meetings. All set against a backdrop of sublime scenery, from the greens overlooking the snow-capped slopes of the Coast Mountains at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler to the fairways opening onto the end-of-the-world setting of Cape Kidnappers at Hawkes Bay in New Zealand, from the course amid the cacti at One & Only Palmilla in Mexico to the 18-hole course under the coconut trees of Touessrok Deer Island in Mauritius. And there are countless other examples in sun destinations such as Morocco, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates. But that's another story.