The largest Dutch golf club BurgGolf has signed a cooperation agreement with Europe's largest golf company UGolf. This allows BurgGolf to improve and professionalize its training and operations, implement innovations, offer international golf trips and eventually expand the number of courses.
BurgGolf operates six golf courses throughout the Netherlands. After recent acquisitions, UGolf manages 125 golf courses. Most in France, but also in Spain, other European countries, Africa and the South Pacific. It is the largest golf company in Europe and sixth largest in the world.
The collaboration allows BurgGolf to use all the knowledge, expertise and facilities of UGolf. For example, from the joint purchasing power for innovations in the field of golf balls, clubs, buggies and other equipment. BurgGolf would like to improve its training and further professionalize it, including to attract and retain youth players for the sport. UGolf has a lot of experience with golf academies, clinics and classes for youth players, which BurgGolf also wants to set up in the Netherlands. UGolf's knowledge and skills are also implemented in the training of our own golf professionals. In addition, BurgGolf members can play on UGolf courses abroad and participate in international golf trips offered by the French company. In the long term, the Dutch company expects to be able to expand with French help and operate more golf courses.
According to the latest figures from golf federation NGF, the Netherlands has 415.000 practitioners of the sport. This makes it the fourth sport after football, tennis and fishing. However, there is a lot of turnover and therefore continuous refreshment is necessary. One of the joint goals of UGolf and BurgGolf is to make the sport more attractive, both for young people and the elderly.
“In the Netherlands, the operation of golf courses is still fairly traditional. Most operators have two to four lanes. Then it is difficult to professionalize,” says director Wolter Pelt of BurgGolf. "Six courts like us is very nice, but we want to become a bigger player to take the next step. We want to use the knowledge and experience of UGolf for this purpose.” The collaboration is still in the early stages. BurgGolf and UGolf will further work out all the details in the coming months.
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