INTERVIEW: Peter Maddison – Reflecting on 25 Years at MiClub

Pictured together are the founding directors of MiClub – (L/R) Peter Maddison, Paula White, Ross Elliott, and original Technical Director and developer Terry Mueller.

By Mike Orloff

As the “front man” and driving force behind MiClub, Peter Maddison didn’t just help build a software company; he orchestrated a digital revolution that dragged a paper-and-pencil golf club industry into the internet age.

The story of MiClub did not begin in a boardroom with a venture capital pitch; it started with a casual comment to Mt Lawley Pro Shop Manager, Andrew Naylor.

“I said to Andrew, I wish the timesheets were on the internet to save me phoning or driving in to book. It was the year 2000, and everyone had dial-up modems!!”

Now, as he prepares to step down from the management team to transition into a part-time strategy role, Maddison is candid about the industry in a recent interview I conducted with him.

Mike Orloff (MO): Peter, it’s been 25 years since the journey began. Looking back to 2000, did you have any inkling that a casual conversation would lead to this?

Honestly, no. There was no grand business plan or previous thought of starting a tech company. As a golf club member, I just made acomment and was fortunate that Andrew challenged me to take up, and when the MLGC GM, Lindsay Stade, eventually found out and agreed to be the first Australian club to have online tee bookings.

MO: You were not a “tech guy” yourself. How did you assemble the team that made it happen?

PM: I knew I wasn’t technical, so I enlisted Ross Elliot, a former coworker from Honeywell, Paula White, a graphic designer I’d recently met and Terry Mueller, a talented technical architect. They bought into the idea immediately. Ross and Paula stuck with the company during the early, struggling years when we had no money and were trying to convince clubs to take a chance on technology they didn’t understand. We went for five years without pay at the start. I was the “front man,” but their contributions were vital to getting the company started. We combined well, each having different skills and personalities.

MO: What was the industry’s reaction back then? This was the era of dial-up modems.

PM: It was a completely fresh concept. In 2000, we couldn’t find anyone globally doing online bookings for members’ clubs. The industry was very traditional. Hundreds of phone bookings and members lining up at 6am were the norm. There was some skepticism, mainly about the reliability of the Internet.

MO: You mention early support, but it wasn’t an overnight success, was it?

PM: Not at all. We were in “survival mode” for about 10 years, learning a lot on the run. The single biggest risk was at the beginning; there were six competitors and no guarantee we would survive. We had never run a business before and had no connections in the golf club industry when we started. We worked very hard and were fortunate to have great support from industry leaders like Lindsay Stade, Gary Thomas, Paul Rak, John Stamp, Brett Kerr, David Gent, Tony Garcia, Dean Stanton, Peter Parks and I could name many more. GMA were also very supportive, we sponsored them in 2001, and it continues right through to today.

MO: You’ve always maintained that MiClub wasn’t a “money exercise.” How did that affect your growth?

PM: We were never about being the biggest; we just wanted to be the best at what we do and still do. Every dollar we made went back into hiring more people and product development. Our joy came from the product development more than making a quick buck. Success was eventually signaled when we started to win interstate clubs, “Tier 1” clubs like The Australian, Royal Adelaide and Royal Sydney, which had the rest of the industry taking notice.

MO: Your tenure saw the development of products that redefined the Australian golfing experience. Let’s talk about the major ones.

PM: We’ve always tried to stick to our core strengths. There are four that stand out:

• Online Tee bookings: Our first and possibly biggest impacting innovation. We saw a substantial increase in golf bookings and revenue. Greatly improved members’ services and removed hundreds of phone calls.
• MiScore App: This was prompted by Simon Magdulski at Golf Australia (GA), who wanted to advance golf’s digital presence. The challenge was that the rules didn’t allow for digital self-scoring or swapping phones to sign cards. I worked with Simon, the R&A, and the USGA for two years until MiClub was granted official rule permission for it.
• OneGolf: Born from a discussion with Graeme Phillipson from Golf NSW. We needed a viable solution for the hundreds of smaller regional clubs that the industry was underserving. It wasn’t a major commercial project for us, but it was our way of helping the industry and putting back into the community.
• MiMembership: This was an unexpected success. It went against the grain of what we usually did, but the market demand was so great that we took a punt on it, and it proved to be a good move.

Internal Culture: The Sporting Team Model

MO: One thing your clients always mention is the support MiClub provides to clients. How do you maintain that standard internally?

PM: The greatest challenge we have had is to maintain our standards while experiencing strong growth. I think a lot of companies ignore support or send it overseas to their detriment. I remember reading a quote from Richard Branson, “Look after your team and they will look after your clients”. Our support team is awesome in ensuring our standards don’t drop. We always share and highlight client feedback with the whole team. All team members contribute to our client support. We treat our team and our clients the same by putting ourselves in their shoes. Inside the office, I eschewed corporate formality. Influenced by my background in high-level sports, I refer to our employees as “teammates” rather than staff. We also use some survey tools to keep our standards accountable and transparent.

MO: I’ve heard you have a bit of a unique atmosphere in the office.

PM: There is a lot of banter!! There were no offices, we all meet online once a week and we have a golf club in the office called Sookies – officially it’s the Sooky Sooky La La GC because they don’t like playing in the rain.

The Challenge: Golf Australia and “Golf Connect”

MO: Your recent frustrations regarding the “Golf Connect” project are well known. Why has it caused such a rift?

PM: Let’s just say virtually all aspects of the Golf Connect project went against all our professional principles and the overall cost was substantial.  We are extremely disappointed in the approach taken by Golf Australia to MiClub, our clients and their members. I don’t believe their best interests are being served.

The overwhelming feeling in our team is that we have gone backwards.

The Exit and the Future

MO: This friction seems to have accelerated your decision to step down as CEO.

PM No, not really, it coincided with our owners, Northstar, visiting us to put a 3–5-year plan in place. I couldn’t commit to that period, so it was agreed to bring forward our succession planning and for Chris Little to take over

Chris has lived the MiClub values and culture over the past 19 years. To have someone as capable as Chris to step in is a very positive move for MiClub, our clients, and our fantastic team. I personally am very pleased for Chris and his well-deserved promotion. MiClub is very well positioned to continue to bring further innovation and industry-leading support for many years to come. I will be staying on for several months to assist Chris in the transition and to establish the next round of MiClub products, which I am very excited about.

MO: You’re staying on in a part-time strategy role. Does that mean you’re going quietly?

PM: I will be working in the background to see some significant products we are working on delivered, one is MiScore 2, and the other includes a significant offering to the market.

MO: If you could go back to that pro shop in 2000, would you do it all again?

PM: Yes, definitely, I’m not sure I’d change anything either. We went through many tough years, but it’s grown beyond our dreams. We didn’t do things the orthodox way, but it’s been extremely satisfying because of the many great people I’ve met and the friendships I’ve made. It’s a great industry, and it’s been a privilege to be a part of it.