The Bermuda Government has entered into a management partnership with Troon Golf for the running of its two golf courses.

Port Royal Golf Club and Ocean View Golf Club will now be part of a global brand that manages more than 250 facilities worldwide, including the Kapalua course in Maui that hosts the PGA Tour’s, Hyundai Tournament of Champions, and the Abu Dhabi Golf Course which is hosting this week’s HSBC Golf Championship.

The partnership will not affect any jobs at either course, and staff will remain Government employees.

Port Royal members will also benefit, with preferred rates and access to Troon courses around the world.

Greg Maybury, the Port Royal general manager, described the move as “exciting” and said all the staff were on board with the decision.

According to Maybury, that decision was prompted by a desire to improve the club’s exposure outside of the region.

“One of things missing at Port Royal is tourism dollars,” Maybury said. “We’ve been looking to move the club forward and Troon can help with that.”

From Troon’s perspective the opportunity to be associated with “such an iconic course” was definitely an upside.

Nor does the company believe they need to come in and fix the club.

“Really, we’re an extension of the Port Royal team,” Tom Enders, the Troon’s business development vice-president, said. “As someone who has been to Port Royal a couple of times, the facility is not broken, it’s very good, look at the rankings it gets. We just want to help them make it better.

“The staff, the Board of Trustees and the Government, wants to elevate Port Royal to that next level and they realise that partnering with Troon is the way to do that.”

Troon will not just bring an extensive membership list to the partnership, the resources the company has in terms of knowledge, training, and career opportunities will also be put at Port Royal’s disposal.

“It’s important to know that we have resources for every department,” Matt Hurley, vice-president of operations, said. “For the golf professional, for agronomy, for sales and marketing, there will be a wealth of knowledge available for Port Royal to use.”

Ultimately the partnership is about growth, of revenue, exposure, and also for the staff involved in terms of their personal and professionally development.

“If you work at a stand-alone golf course you have a job,” Enders said. “If you work at a Troon managed course you have a career.”