In the latest in a series exploring golf’s technological transformation, we speak to Obbi Club Founder Gareth Macklin about simplifying compliance and strengthening operational control across modern golf clubs.
From the way clubs make strategic decisions to how courses are maintained and members are engaged, technology is reshaping every corner of the game.
In this series, we will explore the innovations redefining modern golf operations and what they mean for clubs, professionals and players alike.
We will look at:
- Data-driven decision making, examining how clubs are using real-time insights to guide everything from pricing and participation to retail performance and coaching outcomes. Smart data is no longer a luxury, it is becoming essential to staying competitive.
- Smarter operations and automation, where integrated software, booking systems and AI-powered tools are streamlining administration, freeing up staff time and improving profitability.
- Groundbreaking agronomy and maintenance technology that transforms sustainability, efficiency and playability, from GPS-guided machinery to advanced irrigation and turf analytics.
- Member experience and engagement technology, where apps, personalisation tools and digital communication platforms are helping clubs build stronger, longer-lasting relationships.
In this latest installment, we’re in conversation with Gareth Macklin, Founder of Obbi Club, about how connected systems are helping clubs move from reactive firefighting to proactive, accountable operations
Can you start by explaining what Obbi Club does and how your platform supports golf club operations?
Golf clubs run complex operations — greenkeeping, kitchens, F&B, facilities, clubhouse — each with its own compliance obligations and safety requirements. Most clubs manage all of that through spreadsheets, paper files, and disconnected apps. Things fall through the gaps, and nobody has a clear picture of what’s actually been done.
Obbi Club brings all of that into one connected system — compliance, operations, safety, and training unified on a single platform, with a compliance framework already built for golf clubs. Your team works the way they already work, and the evidence builds itself. When an insurer asks, a regulator visits, or a board question arises, you have the proof. That’s operational assurance.
How does Obbi help golf clubs move from reactive to proactive operations?
Most clubs find out about problems after they’ve already happened — a complaint, an incident, a failed inspection. Obbi changes that by giving managers live visibility across every department: what’s overdue, where risk is building, what’s been completed. Before anything goes wrong.
There’s also an accountability shift. When everything is on paper, it’s genuinely hard to know who did what, when, and to what standard. Obbi creates a clear record as your team works — not as an extra step, but as a by-product of how checks and tasks get done. That changes behaviour, and it protects the club if anything is ever challenged.
For multi-site operators, it also makes consistency possible at scale. One standard across every location — visible in real time, not dependent on who’s on shift.
What are the biggest compliance and safety challenges golf clubs face, and why do most struggle to solve them?
Three things come up consistently: proving compliance, inconsistency across departments, and the training gap. Most clubs do the right things — they just can’t prove it. Checks were done on paper, training happened but wasn’t linked to the specific risk. When an insurer or solicitor gets involved, the scramble to find evidence is stressful and often unsuccessful.
Obbi builds the audit trail automatically, as your team works. Standards in the kitchen don’t always match standards on the course or in facilities. Different managers, different processes. And when an incident happens, can you prove the right person completed the right training for that specific risk? Most clubs can’t. Connecting training to roles, risk assessments, and incidents — that’s where the real protection sits.
How can Obbi help a golf club have better conversations with its insurer or board?
Clubs with a timestamped, connected evidence trail have stronger conversations with insurers — better premiums, fewer disputes, faster claims resolution. That’s real money. And when the board asks whether the club is compliant across every department, the GM who can answer immediately and confidently is in a completely different position to one who has to go searching. Beyond that, it protects the club’s reputation. Consistent standards and proactive risk management build member confidence — and members who trust the club is well-run renew.
Clubs worry that new systems mean more admin. How does Obbi actually reduce workload rather than add to it?
The clubs that struggle with new systems start by buying software and trying to fit it into their operation. The ones that succeed start with a specific problem — “we can’t prove our checks were done” or “our kitchen and greenkeeping teams are working to completely different standards” — and ask whether a platform can solve it.
Obbi is built to work in your environment. The compliance framework is already there — you’re not building from scratch. Your team completes their normal tasks and the evidence builds itself. The admin doesn’t go up. The scramble goes down.
What does ‘operational assurance’ actually look like on the ground for a club using Obbi day-to-day?
For a GM, it means starting the day with a live picture of what’s been done, what’s overdue, and where risk is building — surfaced automatically, not compiled by someone. For department heads, checks are already set up and scheduled; when something is late, it escalates; when a hazard is identified, a tracked action is created and connected to the people and training that prove it was controlled. When an auditor visits or an insurer asks, the answer is already there. No scramble, no reconstruction. The proof exists because the work was done, and Obbi recorded it.
What does good adoption look like, and how do clubs get the most value from Obbi quickly?
Obbi’s value comes from connected, consistent processes. Clubs that record accurately, link training to the right roles, and complete checks consistently are the ones that build genuine operational assurance. The basics done well create the evidence trail that matters.
Start with one area — usually the kitchen or facilities, where compliance obligations are clearest. Prove it works. Build confidence. Then expand. Rolling everything out at once rarely lands well. Start where the evidence matters most, and grow from there.
Key Takeaways
- Many clubs are doing the right things operationally but lack the ability to prove it, leaving them exposed when issues arise
- Connected systems that unify compliance, training and operations enable proactive management and real-time visibility across departments
- Building a consistent, auditable evidence trail strengthens conversations with insurers and boards while protecting both reputation and revenue
