After 19 successful years as Chief Executive of the famous Wentworth Club in the UK, Julian Small made the move to Dubai last September to take up a new challenge as Managing Director, Club Operations at Jumeirah Golf Estates, home to the European Tour’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship. As he approaches his one-year anniversary in the UAE the affable Englishman gives Worldwide Golf his reflections on the job so far and outlines his vision for the future of the prestigious development.
Worldwide Golf: One year into the job, give us your thoughts on how it’s gone so far and how the challenge compares to your previous position at Wentworth?
Julian Small: I find Dubai a vibrant and exciting city and am really enjoying being part of the team at Jumeirah Golf Estates. Wentworth Club was over 90 years old and the real estate surrounding it was fully developed. Jumeirah Golf Estates is far younger and is still developing and growing, with families moving on to the estate. There is a real sense of community developing which offers our residents an unmatched lifestyle.
WWG: What does your job involve and what is the most rewarding aspect of it?
JS: There is significant potential here and in my role, I am constantly looking at new opportunities to grow the business by strengthening and broadening the range of services and facilities we offer. I’m fortunate to have joined a strong team who are fully committed to advancing and improving the club with a focus on quality both of the product and the customer service. I’ve always believed that long term success is based on consistent delivery which can only be achieved through a clear vision, good leadership, training and great teamwork. It is really rewarding to see how things continue to improve and over the coming months we will be introducing more facilities so as to offer greater choice to our customers.
WWG: As the countdown to November’s DP World Tour Championship begins in earnest, how does your role alter and what does it involve, leading up to and during the event?
JS: The DP World Tour Championship has an impact on us all year round. Having been involved in organising over 45 professional golf tournaments in my career, I know it is essential that the necessary planning takes place in advance so that when you start the physical build up and during the tournament week all the involved parties are aware of their responsibility. Effective communication and attention to detail is the key to delivering quality and having hosted the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates for seven years, there’s a great deal of expertise here which provides a strong foundation.
Every year, it’s important to improve and try new ideas to keep things fresh and vibrant especially for the growing number of spectators, many of them families, who are experiencing visiting a golf tournament for the first time. Therefore it is important that we are offering a broad range of entertainment and things like our “Kids Zone “ make sure young people have a great time.
The actual tournament week is very exciting, and different to any other week in the year, it is like a village with a circus in town. I spend very little time in my office and am constantly moving around making sure I am supporting the team to ensure the event is a great success.
WWG: What is the value to Jumeirah Golf Estates of hosting a prestigious golf event such as DP World Tour Championship?
JS: Prestigious golf events such as the DP World Tour Championship are always held at venues that offer the highest quality standards and Jumeirah Golf Estates has developed its profile on a global basis as a result of its of official partnership with the European Tour and as a host venue of the DP World Tour Championship.
The tournament has a global TV reach of 423 million households and over 65,000 UAE residents and international spectators attended the 2015 championship. This creates a strong platform for us to promote and highlight the unique benefits of living at Jumeirah Golf Estates and positions us as the premier Golf, Leisure and Real Estate community in Dubai.
WWG: The tournament is growing in stature year on year and the players seem to love coming here – what is it that sets the DP World Tour Championship apart?
JS: As the final tournament in the Race to Dubai, this season-ending event has a unique atmosphere. To qualify for the tournament all the players have had a successful year. They really enjoy visiting Dubai (many of them with their families) because of the fantastic facilities and service offered. The players enjoy playing the Earth course which is in excellent condition and the practice facilities here are exceptional. The feedback I received from the players last year was very positive and our challenge is to continue to improve so that each year the tournament gets stronger.
WWG: On a similar theme, Jumeirah Golf Estates is European Tour Destination – what sets it apart as a ‘destination’?
JS: Here at Jumeirah Golf Estates, we have two world-class golf courses in the Earth and the Fire alongside a fantastic Clubhouse but one of our stand-out features is our teaching academy, the European Tour Performance Institute, which is one of only two in the world offering an unrivalled, comprehensive service. You could be a person being introduced to golf for the first time through to a European Tour Professional.
Our talented team are achieving great success with developing young talent in the region as well as introducing the game of golf to men and women who have never played. Who knows, but one of the young people learning to play golf at our academy may one day be playing here in the DP World Tour Championship.
To be a European Tour Destination, you must have a broad array of facilities offering a high quality of customer/member service standards. European Tour Properties have a growing portfolio of great venues around the world and our members at Jumeirah Golf Estates are able to access all these facilities on a preferential basis.
WWG: As someone who lives on the Jumeirah Golf Estates development – what are your own personal highlights of living there including your favourite facilities?
JS: This is the first time I’ve lived in Dubai, I find our location is excellent as it is very quick to visit anywhere in the city – from the Marina, to Jumeirah, to Downtown. When you live on Jumeirah Golf Estates, it has a very natural, green, quiet and tranquil atmosphere which is a real contrast to other areas of the City. The quality of my villa is excellent and there’s a real sense of community in my neighbourhood where I have made a number of friends. In my free time, I play golf and tennis and use the gymnasium in our Country Club as well as dining in the restaurant. It is fantastic to have all these facilities on your doorstep.
WWG: It’s a great accolade that this year’s tournament will feature the gold and silver medalist from the summer Olympics in Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson – give us your thoughts on that and how significant the Olympics are in helping raise the profile of golf worldwide?
JS: I’m sure that by including both men’s and ladies golf in the Olympics, there will be a significant growth in awareness of the game, and having Justin and Henrik here in November is fantastic for the tournament.
Golf is a global game appealing to men and women of any age and a great game for the family to play together. It’s a very social game and it is important that we encourage more and more people to participate.
Inevitably, lessons will have been learnt in Rio de Janeiro and I’m sure that golf will be even stronger in the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
WWG: What is your vision for the future at Jumeirah Golf Estates and what is in the immediate pipeline?
JS: It’s our vision to be the number one residential leisure destination. We want to offer a complete range of world class amenities and services in a sustainable and environmentally-friendly way. It will always evolve because our communities’ requirements continue to change and as it grows new facilities and services will be introduced.
Later this year, we will be opening a Sports Bar and a new Banqueting facility alongside further improvements to our golf courses including oodlighting all of our practice facilities. We will also be enhancing other aspects of the Clubhouse and other amenities within the development. This is another phase of improving and broadening the quality and range of facility and services we offer and there is more in the pipeline.
It is very exciting to be part of such a passionate and committed team here. I believe there is a really positive momentum at Jumeirah Golf Estates, with the community growing and it is a fantastic place to live and work.
