East Kilbride-based Eureka Solutions will be working with St Andrews Links to implement software aimed at boosting golf club operations.

The move is part of a digital transformation push across the St Andrews Links Trust, which has also included a recently relaunched website, in a bid to modernise its digital operations and provide customers, suppliers, and staff with improved services.

The Trust, which manages the Old Course and the other Links courses at St Andrews, said the introduction of vital business software has already proved transformative and will continue to improve its operations.

St Andrews Links Trust faced common problems for many such organisations, where varied commercial enterprises developed over many years, involve multiple legacy systems covering finance, accounting, and other business applications.

Typically, the various platforms do not integrate or communicate, causing complexity that creates huge amounts of unnecessary and unprofitable work for staff across the business.

Paul Cree, Head of Finance at St Andrews Links Trust, was involved in the institution’s move to embrace Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software.

He praised the team at Scotland-based Eureka Solutions, rolled out the Oracle NetSuite system that is transforming the way the Trust operates its seven courses, three clubhouses and restaurants, four shops and its website.

Cree said: “I think the possibilities look endless at this stage and that’s quite an exciting thing to see and appreciate, having come from having a finance system that was previously pretty static and inflexible.”

Cree highlighted issues with the Trust’s operations encompassing four wholly owned subsidiaries delivering across a range of services and facilities. That meant ongoing growth placed strain on the finance team, managing multiple cost centres and revenue streams via manual processes and outdated software.

He said: “We needed to step up to a more modern platform. We knew we wanted a cloud-based option and that transforming our purchase-to-pay cycle was a priority. Now, we are able to dissect our data in ways that is meaningful to us, building the reports we need centrally, but also allowing departments and sites to access their information and only their information. The time and effort this will save at our month end is a big win.”

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Eureka Solutions spent five months tailoring and deploying the solution, which now allows the Trust’s finance team to utilise data more easily, providing access to relevant reports and financial information.

Additionally, the system also offers advanced planning and budgeting, generates real time forecasts, reduces planning time, and supports quick and effective business decision-making.

The Trust said it is already planning the next phase of the rollout, likely to involve further integrations across retail, the Golf Academy and the Trust’s hospitality ventures.

David Lindores, CEO at Eureka Solutions, commented: “It’s been a privilege to work with such a globally renowned sporting institution – and to see the software we have rolled out making such an instant and positive impact.

“We have an excellent track record in delivering for sporting and hospitality organisations. I’m delighted that we have continued that by coming in under budget on this project for the St Andrews Links Trust.”

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