Over the past year, we’ve been continuing to build momentum in the UK & Ireland - working closely with TGI Golf Partnership, supporting more retailers and clubs, and expanding how Fore Group shows up in the market.
A key part of that journey has been appointing Mark Hopkins to lead sales across the region. With more than two decades of experience in the golf industry, Mark brings a grounded understanding of what golf retailers and clubs actually need to run their businesses well.
We recently caught up with him to reflect on his background, what excites him about the role, and where he sees things heading.
Tell us about your background.
I’ve spent over 20 years in the golf industry, working with everything from single pro shops at private clubs to multi-million-pound retailers on the High Street.
That range has taught me one thing: no two operations are the same. The most effective systems are the ones built around how the business actually runs. I’ve been able to identify those needs and help clubs with an ecosystem, or set of processes, so they can operate with more accuracy, and free up time to focus on what makes them as successful as they can be.
What attracted you to this role?
Golf is a diverse, complex industry, and a ‘one product fits all’ model really struggles to deliver.
What stood out about Fore Group is the flexibility. We’re not limited by a single platform. We can step back, understand the business, and design a solution that fits - whether that’s simple and streamlined or highly integrated and multi-layered.
What does that look like in practice?
For a single pro shop in a small private members golf club, it might be a quick and easy cost-effective retail setup.
For a larger retailer, it could involve eCommerce integrations, customisable reporting, loyalty programmes, and multi-site management. And if the retail operation needs to integrate fully with the club, we can do that too.
The key is that we can have a bigger discussion about what works for you. We design around the business – not the other way around.
How do you explain Fore Group’s offering to someone new?
Many people will already know Lightspeed – the EPOS platform used by over 150,000 retailers globally.
Fore Group builds on that core by integrating additional systems, including in-house products and trusted third-party applications - they have a huge range making builds even more customisable. That might include accounting, coaching and lessons, tee times, loyalty, competition software, additional revenue generating touchpoints, hospitality - you name it - all working together as one ecosystem.
What’s the experience like for customers?
One of Fore Group’s biggest differentiators is centralised support.
Instead of dealing with multiple vendors, customers have a single point of contact. We make sure systems share data correctly, issues are resolved quickly, and businesses aren’t left managing complexity on their own. That level of coordination is genuinely rare in the industry.
What’s coming next?
Innovation is constant. Expect more integrations, more partnerships, and continued focus on simplifying operations across all types of golf businesses.
Industry unification will be a major theme in the next 12 months, and it’s exciting to be working closely with TGI Golf Partnership again as part of that journey.
