3 Hammers
An interview with Ian Bonser, owner of 3 Hammers originally published in Golf Business Quarterly.
About: The Wolverhampton complex offers a 15-hole par-3 course, Toptracer driving range, academy, American Golf store and Jurassic Creek adventure golf
Tell us how 3 Hammers started.
I've been here since 1986 when we bought the complex. It was in a pretty dilapidated state and we have spent quite a lot of money developing it. It was an 18-hole course that was designed by Henry Cotton – it was basically designed as a full-size course with the first 300 yards missing of each hole. So you have all of those little distances that you are left with, which was Cotton's concept originally. This was at a time in the 1960s when golf was played by the so-called upper- middle classes. The typical player was a white, male Anglo-Saxon dressed in a pair of trousers and a Pringle jumper. Now it is a pretty broad church with a whole mix of society playing and hitting balls and having fun. We have always tried to make it a less serious and a more fun environment for people with an open-door policy, warm welcome and very few rules.
“People’s versions of what golf is can be very different to that of the governing bodies.”
What were some of your early initiatives?
We had two restaurants on site, and we were one of the first to put a facilities block at a driving range. We built a golf shop, then we moved the shop and built a facilities block at the back of the range with a food-and-beverage offering and a 2,000-square foot golf shop. We also added a reception area, which helped people who’d never visited us before find their way around.
Since then, we have doubled the size of the shop and we've doubled the size of the bistro.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.
How would you describe your ethos?
We have always been bold in our approach and ready to try anything that will break down the barriers and perceptions of golf – from dress codes to a welcoming atmosphere. Who says that golf has to be 18 holes? People's versions of what golf is can be very different to that of the governing bodies. We have regular range players who don't play golf courses. So people play and engage in golf in very different ways these days. And, for the sport to grow and prosper, we need to find ways to encourage and motivate people to give golf a go in any of these forms.
How do you think you are perceived by the wider golf industry?
We are a feeder into golf. At the grassroots level of the game this is where people start. It has taken a long while for clubs to come around to this way of thinking.
For years, we were treated as the enemy, when really we are the best friend a golf club can have.
Our experience tells us that most people don't learn how to play golf on a championship course or at a private members' club. The majority learn at the local driving range or par-3 course or accessible golf facility and then progress to play on a course. We have a great relationship with the courses nearby nowadays and, if any of our customers are interested in joining a club, we are more than happy to point them in their direction as we know they will always be 3 Hammers customers as well.
If you were in charge of golf for a day, what would you change?
We have a number of governing bodies who are all doing a good job in their own way but no-one is actually pulling the sport together and driving it forward. You have a whole framework of people playing golf that does not fit within the traditional structure of golf.
Over the last 40 years golf has changed and evolved massively but, unfortunately, the structure of golf is still in the past. For instance, how can a facility like ours that generates thousands of people into the game over a period of time not be included within the local county system?
What is the best way to attract women and girls into the game? It’s never been just about the golf. Back in the 80s we were trying to develop a ladies' day here so we sent out invites to as many local ladies as possible. We used the restaurant and we used to get the chef to show them how to do various dishes.
This continued for the next 25 years when one of our pros, John Cheetham, actually asked them what they wanted, which seems very simple. They wanted a social environment where they could enjoy themselves. What they didn’t want was competition.
John has built up Ladies Love Golf, which has hundreds of members and has been developed across the country. It’s a weekly drop-in that always starts with a bit of a quiz over a coffee and a chat. They probably don’t touch a club for the best part of an hour and they enjoy themselves.
What have been your best business decisions?
The best was getting into golf because I have really enjoyed it. We've always kept things moving forward. We were one of the first to put Power Tees in. We were one of only five facilities around the world, at the time, to pilot and help develop Toptracer.
We have always tried to stay ahead of the curve, like with adventure golf and create interesting things that customers and people will want to come and use and see. We have never stood still. When I look back over the 35 years at 3 Hammers it has evolved and changed phenomenally during that period of time.
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