Goodwood & Antognolla - A Conversation with Golf Club Pros

We invited the executives from two of Europe’s best golf courses for a special feature in Antognolla Magazine. The Director of Golf at Antognolla, César Burguière, spoke with Gary Beves, the General Manager of Golf At Goodwood, one of the oldest estates in Sussex, UK, in a conversation facilitated by Matt Lavington, Deputy General Manager at Golf At Goodwood.

Since 2023, Antognolla has been proudly sponsoring the Race to Antognolla at Goodwood, which comprises nine tournaments held throughout the year. The winner of the circuit is awarded an exclusive golf holiday at Antognolla Golf. Read on to learn about what makes the Goodwood and Antognolla courses unique and what they each have to offer.

Matt: Thank you both for taking the time to be here! Let’s start with the basics. How did you both get into golf and into the positions that you find yourselves in today?

Gary: Like many club managers, I started playing golf at a very young age and had aspirations of trying to play the game professionally, and very quickly realised I probably wasn’t good enough to do that. I am actually a PGA qualified professional, albeit I’m not a member of the PGA anymore. I sought another direction and worked my way up from golf operations, golf membership, Assistant Manager, and then to General Manager of Golf At Goodwood, a position I’ve held for the past five years.

César: I have a similar story. I got into golf at a very young age, and then I started working at the driving range. This is really how I got into it – I was picking up balls initially. I later got my PGA card, but you have to be on a very high level to make a living out of golf. I decided to study and well, both of us, Gary, ended up managing golf courses! I’ve been Director of Golf at Antognolla since 2017.

Matt: So, you’re both PGA pros. I certainly won’t be taking either of you on the golf course, that’s for sure! Tell us a little bit about your respective golf course.

César: Antognolla Golf belongs to Antognolla Resort and Residences, a luxury resort which is set to open within the next few years and which will be operated by Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas. Antognolla is located in Umbria, a geographically central and lush region in Italy known as the country’s ‘green heart’. The estate surrounds a 12th century castle which the international team of owners is currently renovating. The course was designed more than 25 years ago by Robert Trent Jones Jr. and saw a multimillion euro investment in 2018: we redid all the bunkers with capillary concrete, redesigned the drainage system, and implemented a sustainable irrigation system.

That led us to two World Golf Awards titles as ‘Italy’s Best Golf Course’, in 2020 and 2022, and we’re very happy now because this year we reached the first position on Leading Courses as Best Golf Course and Best Maintenance in Italy. We’ve put in a lot of work with the staff and the investment of the owners, and it’s benefitting both the course and the golfers.

Matt: That sounds fantastic! Gary, over to you.

Gary: The first Duke of Richmond arrived at Goodwood in West Sussex for the first time in 1697, and ever since then the family has been present on the 11,000 acre estate. It’s a very diverse estate. We have a motor circuit, horse racing, an aerodrome, a hotel, a shoot, a health club, a farm, a 36-hole golf club, and much more. Golf was first played on the estate in 1892, and then, in 1914, the five time British Open winner James Braid was employed by the family to design the Downs Course. We have got two 18-hole golf courses here: the Downs Course, which was established in 1914, and the Park Course, which was built in 1989 by the architect Donald Steel, complemented by our brand new six-hole short course, The Copse, which opened in May 2024, designed by James Edwards.

In 2006, Goodwood Golf was brought in-house and underwent a multimillion pound investment, much like what Antognolla did. We have the 18-hole Championship Downs Course, 18-hole Championship Park Course, and just five weeks ago we opened a brand new six-hole short course here as well, which is very exciting and certainly in the direction of travel for golf in the UK moving forwards.

Matt: Both venues are clearly special in their own right. Gary, can you tell us a little bit more about what unique challenges golfers can look forward to at Goodwood?

Gary: We’re very lucky at Golf At Goodwood because both championship courses present really different challenges. The Downs Course is the more established one and is a downland style golf course, with lots of elevation, some fantastic views out over the coast and the sea. Our other course, the Park Course, is a parkland style course. It’s a much easier walking, but equally challenging, round of golf. Being able to give our members one fantastic experience across two very different styles of golf course is quite a unique thing to be able to offer.

Matt: The terrain is no doubt very diverse at Antognolla as well. César, how does that influence the golfer’s journey and the golf played there?

César: We have 18 holes at Antognolla, and the golf course has very few flat areas, which makes it a great challenge for players at all levels. You will certainly need all the clubs in the bag to complete a round with a good score. The 12th century Castle will be in the background on all 18 holes, which makes it very beautiful scenery for the players.

Matt: Is there a particular hole that stands out?

César: I’d have to say our 18th. It is a stunning 359 metre par four finishing hole that plays towards the Castle in full view. It is easy to be distracted but also important to focus, as water protecting both the fairway and the three-tier green means that accuracy from the tee and the approach is vital. It’s a strong par four, with a unique setting, that requires two of your best to make a well-deserved par.

Gary: I think for me the most memorable hole is actually our 2nd because it’s a very traditional downland style hole. You’re hitting onto a very undulating fairway, trying to get in the best position you can. And then your second shot is about 30 metres down, so there’s a real change in elevation. That brings into play all of the real challenges that you get from a downland golf course: a semi-blind tee shot and an undulating second shot.

Matt: Both courses must have some pretty challenging holes because both are awarded golf courses. Why do you think they have achieved that success, and how can both venues continue leading the industry in 2024?

Gary: Having a fantastic product on the golf course is obviously really important, but then away from the golf course, it’s about being able to provide service levels to make sure that every single person who comes through the door here at Goodwood is having really memorable moments. We put a lot of emphasis on the member and customer experience, making sure that from the moment you close your door in the car park to the moment you get back in your car, you feel that you’ve really been taken care of and that you’ve had a fantastic experience on the golf course.

César: For us it’s absolutely the same. Once you have a good product and a good golf course design, the most important thing is the journey of the guests. The service levels are the key factor along with the proper maintenance of the course and investment in new golf experiences for guests. Our focus is on the customer journey, maintenance levels and making sure that we exceed expectations in terms of good infrastructure and golf course design.

Matt: You both speak about all the touchpoints throughout the customer journey. I would imagine that’s quite significant when you want secure, high profile partnerships within golf. Do you have any recent examples of partnerships that you are proud of?

César: We have established partnerships with selected golf courses in Europe, Asia, and the US, which serve as vital channels to enhance our visibility in these key markets. Also, our collaboration with luxury brands and corporations further reinforces our position in the high-end segment. One of the most exciting initiatives relates to our ambassadors, and recently we got the Italian golf legend Costantino Rocca on board. Costantino is the winner of the 1997 Ryder Cup. The 2023 Ryder Cup actually took place in Italy, a first for the country, which brought heightened golf tourism. We complemented this by collaborating with Noto Sondaggi to create a survey and gauge golf interest in the country.

Gary: Similarly, we work with other leading courses and clubs around the world and really promote ambassadors. I think Antognolla is a really fantastic example of a partnership that started last year and hopefully will continue to go from strength to strength in terms of the offering. Junior golf for us is also a really important partnership. We have a lot of very talented juniors that have come through from here that go on to represent the country and, hopefully, one or two will make it onto that pro stage that you and I, César, never quite got to. We actually work with a not-for-profit organisation, called Golfing4Life, dedicated to supporting talented and committed juniors that might not otherwise have the financial platform to develop.

Matt: Let’s do some lifestyle comparison. Why would a golfer from Italy be interested in going to the UK to experience the golfing landscape there, and why would a UK golfer be interested in trying out golf in Italy?

Gary: The Duke of Richmond first arrived at Goodwood in the 17th century. It’s been one family that has operated the Goodwood estate since that date. There’s a lot of history and heritage here, and there’s a lot of things that you’ll only ever find at Goodwood. I think Golf At Goodwood would definitely be a great destination for people to come play a world-class golf course and experience golf in a way that they can’t in other parts of the world.

César: When it comes to Italy, gastronomy, wine, and culture are very important. I believe this could be a draw for the UK market. This offering combined with quality golf infrastructure makes for a full sensory experience. Here at Antognolla, the Castle dates to the 12th century, and was built on a Benedictine monastery from the 6th century. We have frescoes that are almost a thousand years old in the crypt in the Castle, below the church, which is not a very common thing to find on golf courses. And we also have the sun, of course.

Matt: I’m sure a lot of UK golfers would like a bit of that sun and those wines, and certainly golfers from Umbria and further afield would like to experience some of the quintessentially English parts of the Goodwood estate. Hopefully, we can see a Sussex–Umbria collaboration in the future.