Golf Club Talk UK

Leighton is joined by Torbjorn (Toby) Johansson to get a "State of the nation" from Club Managers Association of Europe (CMAE) and what's happening with education.  He also eludes to the CMAE conference coming up in London in September as well as an update on what's happening in Swedish Golf.  Eddie then finds out how Paul Jansen Golf Design and Himalayas Golf are diversifying on the shift with golf entertainment, in association with Dave Peltz.  Paul also shares his career journey, growing up in South Africa working in the United States and now settled in Canada - his two secret golf destinations in the UK are ? Enjoy the listen https://www.cmaeurope.org/ https://jansengolf.com/about https://www.himalayasgolf.com/   Thanks to our partner - Leeds Golf Design https://www.leedsgolfdesign.com/    

After a catch up from Leighton & Eddie, Eddie has the pleasure of speaking to Iain Carter, Golf Correspondent at the BBC.  Iain a speaker, writer and author has a fascinating take on Golf through his history around the game and up close with some of the best in the sport.    Iain has also released a new book - "Golf Wars".  This is a story about LIV Golf's battle for power in the Golfing landscape, spotlighting some of the key players along the way.  It also looks at how the PGA Tour fights back against LIV and how the saga is unfolding.  A highly recommended read.  https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/golf-wars-9781399410168/ A book recommendation from Eddie: https://www.unreasonablehospitality.com/

On this episode of GCMA Insights, Leighton talks to Darren Wood of GCMA and Alastair Sinclair of Play More Golf.  The discussion is a "State of the nation" chat on where club membership sits currently, including the positive position a lot of clubs and venues still see themselves in as well as some possible impending challenges around cost of living, moving further away from the COVID boom and time challenges for people.  Do clubs need to be quicker on their feet, adapt and be more flexible??  Listen here. www.gcma.org.uk https://playmoregolf.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/alastairsinclair/  

Eddie and Leighton catch up and amongst other things atlk about their trip to Broadstone GC and Leighton's visit to Golfit! in Scotland. Leighton then talks to David Addison, GM of Kilmarnock (Barassie) or Barassie Links.  This is an excellent club which happens to be nestled in some fine Golfing country, but is standing out in its own right.  David talks about his journey, what he's doing to separate Barassie and how they'll join in the spirit of having the Open Chapmpionship 3 miles down the road in July.   https://www.broadstonegolfclub.com/ https://www.golf-it.com/ https://www.kbgc.co.uk/  

We follow on the back of the recent England Golf/GCMA Governance Workshop series that moved around the country.  Leighton is joined by some real thought leaders in the industry, Tom Brooke - GCMA, Matt Draper - England Golf and Amelia Lewis - Players 1st.   The discussion centres on a summary of five points that clubs should be thinking about to improve their governance or get their governance on the right track.  It's a great chat with some really good areas covered such as the importance of good governance to your members, people being clear on roles, starting with reviewing your governance and "culture" at your club. The Governance Blueprint is a further resource, so please check it out: https://www.englandgolf.org/governance-blueprint www.gcma.org.uk www.englandgolf.org https://www.players1st.golf/      

After Leighton & Eddie have a monthly catch up, we roll into the first interview with Hugh Marr.   Hugh, a PGA Master Professional www.coacheducation-hughmarr.com shares his career journey with Eddie, coupled with how he views the future of coaching.  Having had success with numerous players on the DP World Tour, to how he is creating a global coaching community hub.   Leighton is then joined by Michael Herd for a good old recruitment chat!  Michael is not long in his role with Kopplin, Kuebler and Wallace (KKW), heading up their London office. The interview covers how people in the Golf industry can enhance their chances of getting a great role, finding a "good fit" and general trends in recruitment.  https://kkandw.com/international/      

This episode of GCMA Insights focuses on people's personal finances and general wellbeing including GCMA member benefits. Along with Natalie McColl from GCMA, Mark Burton joins us from MCB Financial Services to talk all things mortgages and income protection.  This is a different area of exploration and moves us away from Golf conversation.....but a very important topic to everyone in the industry. Tom Brooke then joins Leighton & Natalie to talk through the GCMA's new Legal Insurance benefit.  A general discussion on wellbeing follows and in particular what Managers can and should be doing to look after their wellbeing. www.gcma.org.uk https://mcbfinancialservices.co.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/