Ross Marshall learned about links early in life. His grandfather taught him to play golf when he was barely taller than a full-size five-iron: and he built his first money-spinning website while still an undergraduate at Durham University. The point of the site was to offer tips on the horses and the stock market, which were sent to subscribers by text message. 'It was the height of the dotcom boom, and we had some fun with it,' says Ross. 'We also made some money to help pay our way through college.'
From there Ross went to the City to work as a derivatives trader, but 'it didn'ttake me long to realise that it was not the job for me - creating nothing of value, just being a cog and a drone'. So he got back with Andrew Harding, his partner from university days, and together they realised that there was a golf-shaped gap in the internet travel market. 'Historically, golf was a tour-operator, get-the-brochure type of industry. At the same time, the old fuddy-duddy idea of golf as a game for retired bank managers was breaking down, because the best player the world had ever seen was a young, good-looking black guy. I saw a niche that we could exploit on the back of the Tiger Woods effect.'
Three years on, YourGolfTravel.com has an annual turnover of more than £7 million, and is a on-stop shop for everything from team-building awaydays on the fairways to tickets to the US Open. But the core activity is selling the oppurtunity to take part in the game. 'We have made investment in accessing younger players, and in stressing the social aspect of the sport,' say Marshall, 'Because, in the end, golf is a chance to spend four hours catching up with your mates.'
