STOKE Park Golf Club has been awarded the title of Ultimate Members Club at the 59Club Service Excellence Awards.

Director of golf, Stuart Collier, received the award on behalf of the Stoke Poges-based course at the fifth annual Excellence Awards.

The ceremony was held at the Forest of Arden Marriott Hotel & Country Club in Birmingham, and compered by BBC sports presenter Dan Walker.

The event is designed to reward the top golf venues across all business elements - sales, service, operations, retail and management.

And 59Club’s industry benchmark, the Gold and Silver Flag Awards recognise the finest membership clubs and commercial venues.

In total, 14 awards were given out to celebrate the achievements of the very best individuals, teams and venues within the golf industry.

Another 17 golf venues saw their commitment to continued quality recognised with the award of a prestigious flag.

Stoke Park was among just four clubs to achieve the required standard for a gold flag.

Collier said: “It’s the fourth year for Stoke Park. It started in year one with an award for the best breakfast in golf.

“We’ve done a lot of training and our staff have embraced the process completely.

“We’ve had a gold flag for the last two years and narrowly missed out on the big one, but thought ‘we know we can do even better’.

“In every element of the testing there are little marks that get lost and we’ve just tried to improve year on year.

“We have made it to the top of the three this year, so you could say that our perseverance has been rewarded.

“I’m delighted for the whole team as it’s a complete team effort.

“Every member of the team is engaged in the testing process, so you know you’ve all contributed in some way to deliver those results.” He continued: “I’ve refereed to the 59Club system to a lot of people because it gives you a real chance to understand what your customer is experiencing.

“We’re blessed with great physical elements at Stoke Park. We have an amazing golf course and a beautiful club house.

“We know we’ve got the wow factor and expectation comes with that, but those things are not as welcome as the personal touches.

“The welcome from the starter, the pro asking how your day is going to pan out, making sure you’re comfortable in the surroundings and know where you are going.

“All those little touches are the things that make a difference for a golfer and make you want to come back.

“With 59Club you’ve got something measurable. You can look at it year on year, identify strengths and weaknesses, and go back to the drawing board with training if necessary.

“We’ve done that every year and, ultimately, after four years, the reward is there. Now we’ve got to stay there.” 59Club chief executive, Simon Wordsworth, said: “We had a tremendous evening to not only recognise the efforts of people within our industry, but also meet them on a social level.

“As always there’s a lot of congratulating going on, but it’s clear that those present were impressed and often inspired by the success of their peers.

“Our congratulations go out to Stuart and the team at Stoke Park.

“It’s a great honour for 59Club to be able to host this event, which is now a fixture in the calendar and very popular with those working in golf.” 59Club is fast becoming the industry standard for measuring and comparing customer service levels and analysing all key revenue streams for golf venues.

59Club is committed to the on-going development of club managers and PGA professionals.

The unique bench-marking and training service has already benefited hundreds of PGA members of golf course operators.

The services include a series of mystery shopper recorded enquiry calls and live visits, followed up with regular analysis and training.

This is to ensure venues can identify trends and compare, improve, or maintain service standards.

**PICK up a copy of The Observer, out now, for all the latest sports news and action** **FOLLOW The Observer on Twitter at @Observer_sports**