A Customer Success Story: Gullane Golf Club

This season we had the pleasure of working with Gullane Golf Club in changing the way they operate their caddie programme, using a caddie scheduling system. We were introduced to Jamie Wales who has 4 years service to Gullane Golf Club to date and is responsible for implementing exceptional member and guest service.

Discovery

Before our intervention, we learnt that staff members were heavily involved in the scheduling process and managed everything manually. They even stated that their caddiemaster was, using multiple platforms for scheduling and relaying information to individual caddies via email, a highly time-consuming process and expensive. This left staff feeling frustrated with no clear solution insight

After our initial discovery talk with their staff, it was clear that our mission was to figure out how we can significantly reduce this admin time so Gullane can either save in labour costs or benefit from increased time invested into member experience. Since it was getting late in the season, we wanted to make it easier for them to get on board and start using our system. So, we offered them a trial period of a couple of months to prove that our system could instantly solve their issues.

The Setup

In the first few days, we went all out to ensure a seamless experience. We provided personalised onboarding for all caddies, conducted bespoke demonstrations with the caddiemaster, and backed it up with a rock-solid guarantee of success.

One Month Later

Fast forward just one month, our scheduling platform has had a significant impact on their caddie operations. Since adopting the platform, administrative hours at Gullane have reduced dramatically, from 20 hours a week to just 10! This is seriously impressive. And to throw another spanner into the works their caddiemaster at the time was transitioning to another job during this time period. Despite the pressure, our confidence in the product remained unwavering and we were excited for the challenge.

Final Result

Over this short trial period we saw great usage of the platform with around 2000 caddie rounds being scheduled on the platform. From speaking with Jamie he expressed how delighted the team at Gullane were with overall performance and experience of Handicaddie. The strength of our product lies in its simplicity, making it accessible for anyone to manage. 

During our discussions with their team, one key aspect highlighted was how it brings a sense of professionalism to a role often underestimated. The value of having a system that makes it clear of what is going on with the caddie programme means that even a new member of staff can understand how it all works within a few days, reducing the amount of training required. We worked out that Handicaddie has saved the club around £7000 in administration costs! What an amazing achievement.

What’s Next?

Looking forward to 2024, Gullane has stated that they will no longer need to hire another caddiemaster and it will all be run through Handicaddie. This will be managed by the golf operations team and will be a part of their daily routine with no extra cost. 

By using Handicaddie, Jamie has plans on improving their on the day experience. Staff will now be able to focus on what’s important like providing a world class experience to guests instead of being stuck behind a desk. Gullane can ensure that all their caddies are performing at their best and adhere to the golf club’s standards.

A message from Gullane talking about their experience 

We are very happy that our system has provided great value and we always strive to improve. Gullane has been a wonderful supporter of Handicaddie in a short amount of time. All the positive feedback we have received about our service makes it all worthwhile.

The success story at Gullane Golf Club shows that our caddie scheduling system is not just talk – it actually saves time, money, and sanity. We want to thank Gullane for trusting us and we look forward to working with James and the rest of the staff at Gullane for many years to come.