Niall Flanagan is a senior golf industry executive with a career built across some of the most recognised names in the game, including roles as President and Chief Executive at Loch Lomond, Director of Operations at St Andrews Links Trust, General Manager at Dubai Golf & Racing Club, Board Director at Castiglion del Bosco in Tuscany and Executive Director of Premium Memberships at Tottenham Hotspur.
He has played a direct part in delivering The Open Championship, multiple Scottish Opens, Dunhill Links Championships and PGA Championships, working alongside brands including Rolex, Barclays, Audi, BMW and UPS. His time at Castiglion del Bosco, one of Italy’s leading golf and wine estates, shaped a particular interest in the part fine wine plays within premium hospitality.
Niall is the founder of Grapes & Greens, a media and lifestyle business that began as a podcast and now reaches listeners across 65 countries, which led directly to the launch of The Cellar Club, a new international private members’ club built around golf, fine wine and luxury travel.
Before building your own business, you have led clubs at the top of the game, from Loch Lomond, St Andrews Links Trust, Dubai Golf & Racing Club, Castiglion del Bosco and Tottenham Hotspur all sit on your CV. What has that range of environments taught you about what golf can be at its best?
“What those experiences taught me is that golf is never just about golf. The very best clubs understand they are in the business of creating memories, relationships and communities. Whether it’s welcoming someone to St Andrews for the first time, hosting The Open Championship, or creating an unforgettable stay in Tuscany, people remember howthey felt long after they’ve forgotten their score.
“Every venue has its own culture, but the common thread is attention to detail. The best clubs obsess over the member or guest experience, they invest in people, and they never stop evolving. Golf is unique because it has the ability to bring together business, family, travel, hospitality and sport in one day. When you get that combination right, it’s incredibly powerful.”
Delivering The Open Championship, Scottish Opens, Dunhill Links Championships and PGA Championships alongside Rolex, Barclays, Audi, BMW and UPS gives a clear view of how major brands invest. What do the strongest sponsors look for, and how should a business present itself to attract that level of partner?
“The biggest mistake people make is thinking sponsorship is about logos. It isn’t. It’s about solving a commercial problem for the partner.
“Brands like Rolex or BMW don’t need awareness, they’re looking for access to the right audience, experiences that reflect their values, and relationships that can generate business over many years. If you’re approaching a premium brand, you have to understand their objectives before talking about your own. How can you introduce them to customers they wouldn’t otherwise meet? How do you create meaningful engagement rather than just visibility? The businesses that succeed build partnerships rather than sponsorships.
“I’ve always believed the best deals leave both parties feeling they’ve received more value than they paid for.”
Fine wine has become a serious driver of value in luxury hospitality, something you saw first-hand at one of Italy’s leading golf and wine estates. How does a well-built wine programme change customer behaviour, and what makes the difference between one that works and one that sits on a shelf?
“Wine creates conversation, it slows people down, encourages people to stay longer and gives them another reason to return. At Castiglion del Bosco, wine wasn’t simply another product on the menu. It was part of the story of the estate. Guests wanted to understand where it came from, meet the people behind it and experience the vineyard alongside the golf.
“The difference between a successful wine programme and an average one is engagement. If all you have is an expensive wine list, you’ve missed the opportunity. The best programmes educate without intimidating, offer memorable tastings, introduce guests to producers and create experiences they simply can’t buy elsewhere. That’s one of the reasons wine has become such an important part of what we’re building with The Cellar Club.”
Grapes & Greens has reached well over 4,000 downloads across 66 countries through conversations with figures including the chief executives and founders of McLaren Golf, Marine & Lawn Hotels, WineFi, Stewart Golf, Dryvebox UK and the R&A. Across those conversations, where do the biggest commercial opportunities in golf now sit, and who is best placed to take them?
“The biggest opportunity is collaboration. Golf has traditionally operated in silos. Clubs focus on golf, hotels focus on accommodation, manufacturers focus on equipment. The businesses growing fastest are connecting those worlds together.
“Technology is opening new markets. Flexible memberships are changing expectations. Golf tourism continues to grow, and premium experiences are becoming more valuable than products alone.
“The podcast has reinforced something I’ve believed for years: the people succeeding are those prepared to think beyond the golf course. They’re building ecosystems rather than individual businesses.”
Moving from institutional leadership into founding your own venture changes how decisions get made. What transfers directly from running a large operation, and what has to be learned fresh when the business is your own?
“Leadership transfers. Building teams, creating culture, managing expectations and making difficult decisions are exactly the same whether you’re running one of the world’s most recognised clubs or a start-up.
“The biggest adjustment is speed. Large organisations naturally have layers of governance. As an entrepreneur, you make decisions much faster, but you also carry all the responsibility. Every investment, every partnership and every hire matters because it’s your business. It’s incredibly rewarding because success and failure are both very personal.”
The Cellar Club is built on access that cannot be bought off the shelf, with membership deliberately limited. What genuinely creates value for a member at this level, and when is restricting supply the right commercial call?
“Scarcity only creates value when it’s backed by substance. We’re not limiting membership simply to create exclusivity. We’re protecting the experience.
“If members are promised access to private golf clubs, intimate dinners with world-class speakers, rare wines and exceptional hospitality, then you can’t have thousands of people competing for those experiences. Our members aren’t buying a badge, they’re buying time, relationships and access that would otherwise take years to build.
“Sometimes saying no is actually the best way to protect what you’ve created.”
Lay & Wheeler, WineFi, The Macallan, McLaren Golf, Lyvera Group and ION54 all signed on as founding partners. What convinces an established brand to back a new venture, and how do you structure a partnership so both sides gain from it?
“Established brands don’t back ideas; they back people they trust to deliver. Every one of those relationships was built over many years. Reputation matters.
“When I approached partners, I wasn’t asking them simply to sponsor another business. I showed them how they could reach a highly targeted audience, become part of an exclusive community and create commercial opportunities beyond traditional marketing.
“The most successful partnerships are integrated. Partners become part of the member experience, they contribute expertise and they benefit from introductions and relationships. When both sides are helping each other grow, that’s when a partnership becomes genuinely valuable.”
Golf and wine share an audience, a pace and a set of values, which makes the pairing work. Where else do you see that kind of natural adjacency creating opportunity, and what qualities does it take to build something credible in the luxury space?
“Luxury is increasingly becoming about experiences rather than possessions. Golf naturally connects with premium travel, automotive, property, investment, wellness, gastronomy and craftsmanship because all of those industries value quality, heritage and personal service.
“The key is authenticity. People can immediately tell when two brands have been forced together simply because the demographics match. If the partnership feels genuine, enhances the customer experience and creates something neither brand could achieve on its own, people embrace it.
“That’s really the thinking behind everything we’ve built through Grapes & Greens and now The Cellar Club. It’s not about selling products. It’s about bringing together exceptional people, brands and experiences in a way that creates lasting relationships.”