Golf Club Talk UK

Eddie and Leighton catch up for a New Year chat and Eddie is then joined by Rachel Drummond - Golf Coach, Golf Presenter with the Legends Tour, former Ladies European Tour. Rachel shares her journey with some personal tragedies, her development into coaching at the contemporary facilities in Central London at The Pitch, while mixing it with her clients at St Georges Hill GC, and when diverse related opportunities are presented except and enjoy the journey. Leighton then chats with Kevin Kennedy, GM of the Streamsong Resort in Florida - a stunning venue with 4 Golf Courses within striking distance of Tampa and Orlando. The three full length courses have been designed by Tom Doak, Gil Hanse and the Coore/Crenshaw firms. They are all modern gems and a lot of fun. These have been joined by "the Chain", a shorter course with no "Par" and designed to match the larger courses in quality of design. Kevin explains how he provides such a premier service to the guests, but also what it's like to work at such a venue. Leighton played the red and black courses, while catching up with friend of the pod - Gabe Aluisy https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-drummond-739ba838/?originalSubdomain=uk https://www.streamsongresort.com/

Leighton is joined by Darren Wood of GCMA and Alistair Beggs, Head of Agronomy at R&A. This is a really interesting discussion on how agronomists can help Golf Clubs navigate through the many challenges facing Greenkeeping and Golf Clubs currently. Alistair brings a vast experience to his role at the R&A and is building a strong team to provide solutions to Golf Clubs. Managers need to keep abreats of all the issues of which we talk through in this episode. This includes Trees, chemical use, climate and water use. A must listen. R&A are now partners of GCMA and for more information click on the links below. https://www.randa.org/en/articles/enhanced-agronomy-service-for-clubs-offered-by-the-r-a https://www.gcma.org.uk/

Great episode this month with Leighton catching up with Nicole Wheatley of Medi8 and the Golf Marketing Hub. They talk Nicole's documentary, marketing, Women in Leadership Golf Program and the Women in Golf Awards, of which Nicole was the pioneer. Leighton then speaks to Owen James, Sustainability Manager at England Golf. Owen always has great information delivered in an interesting way and following some recent conferences with BIGGA expands on current sustainability issues such as climate, water usage and use of chemicals. Water use in particular is coming onto the radar very fast and Owen explains what clubs need to be thinking about to get ahead of the game. Such important and relevant topics. https://breakingwithtradition.co.uk/ https://www.golfmarketinghub.com/ https://medi8ltd.co.uk/ https://www.englandgolf.org/sustainability/

Having had some time away lately, Leighton & Eddie catch up for a chat and amongst other things - talk about Golf in South African and Tampa. Leighton then sits down with Richard Pennell. Richard has been in the industry for some time, both on and off thne course having worked at severalk clubs through the Surrey area, including Secretary at Woking Golf Club. After a sabbatical, Richard rediscovered his love for Golf but also reignitied a passion for writing through his substack blog. This has even culminated in a book. Leighton & Richard also talk about some of the challenges of management and looking after yourself. A really deep thinker, Richard is always a fascinating listen. https://pitchmarks.substack.com/ https://pitchmarks.bigcartel.com/product/grass-routes-by-richard-pennell

Following a very successful 2023 GCMA Conference, we bring to you the "Meet the Board" session, which was recorded on the Monday morning of Conference. This was a chance to meet four of the board members - Ed Richardson, Kerry Alligan-Smith, Gareth Morgan and Scott Clark. The discussion covered their areas within the board but also their motivations for being a board member and what's involved. A big thanks to all those who give up their time, but also to everyone involved in organising a great conference. www.gcma.org.uk

Tom Brooke joins Leighton for the last blast on Conference, why you should be going and if you are going, what to expect! There's a great line up of speakers and some cracking content, so book now if you haven't already. Leighton is then joned by Kevin Fish, one of the keynote speakers, who builds on the benefits of attending conference and what delegates can gain through the fantastic content and networking opportunities. Kevin is always an entertaining listen. This is no different, but as always the advice is sound. https://www.gcma.org.uk/news/gcma-2023-conference-register-now/ https://ccl.services/

Episode 84 features a great interview with Marcus Lovelock following a catch up from Eddie and Leighton. Marcus is steering the ship as GM at Huntercombe Golf Club, an architectural gem in Oxfordshire and a club with a great history, but also a unique feel. There's some great take-aways in here in how he provides a first class experience for the members at Huntercombe, while bringing his team along with him. Marcus also talks us through what makes Huntercombe unique, not least the Willie Park designed Golf Course. The interview provides a really relaxed and entertaining view on Golf Management, but also into what makes Marcus tick. https://www.huntercombegolfclub.co.uk/

We're back for a date episode with Karen and Kevin from BRS. The positive trend continues despite some numbers being fractionally down, but the bottom line is.....people are still playing a lot of Golf! There's discussion around using this data in your decision making, some questions around whether clubs need to look at member numbers if increasing rounds continues and also the Ryder Cup effect. Important stuff for anyone managing clubs or Golf operations. www.brsgolf.com www.gcma.org.uk

Two insightful interviews this episode following a catch up from Leighton & Eddie. Rob Spurrier joins Eddie and Leighton to talk about his journey with Orbis Golf Academies. Orbis operate Golf Academies, but also provide training and development to PGA Professionals. Their main aim is to grow club's revenue but also enhance the customer experience. The reveniue growth is driven by growing membership numbers. Rob is from the UK, but the company has seen great success in the US. Attention now turns to the UK & Europe. Eddie is then joined by Eddie (Reid). Eddie is the Managing Director of TGI, a retail services group that helps PGA Professionals to succeed in their own businesses. After telling us a little about his own journey, sgtarting back in Glasgow, Eddie tells us how TGI has become so successful through supporting PGA Pro's for nearly 40 years! https://orbisgolfacademies.com/ https://tgigolf.com/

Leighton is joined by Tom Brooke, Natalie McColl and Darren Wood from GCMA as they give a sort of state of the nation. Topics include membership initiatives, strategic plan, partnerships and topical matters in Management. We then give an overview of why all GCMA Managers should be attending conference. A great line up of key note and break out sessions has been organised, but also it's a great opportunity to network and share best practice with your peers. The theme of "Team Culture" promises to be a fascinating one. Should be a great few days! https://www.gcma.org.uk/news/gcma-2023-conference-register-now/