Stewart Judd has found the process useful as a means to reflect on his progress and consider what comes next.
GCMA Accreditation has given Stewart Judd a useful way to pause, take stock and give structure to his professional development.
The Director and General Manager at Bush Hill Park Golf Club recently achieved Level 3 Accreditation again, three years after first engaging with the process.
In a role where the next issue, decision or project is never far away, Stewart says the value lies in creating the time and discipline to look back properly at what has been learned, what has been achieved and where further progress can be made.
“As golf club managers, we are always on to the next thing,” he said. “We are always looking ahead, so the Accreditation process gave me a chance to reflect and review, not just recent work but my wider career progress.
“I didn’t see it purely as a CV piece, but the GCMA is the industry association, so why wouldn’t I engage with it?”
The process asks managers to evidence their experience, development and learning. It also requires them to revisit that progress when they reapply, rather than treating Accreditation as something achieved once and then left alone.
That annual requirement has been one of the most useful elements for Stewart, because it creates a prompt to record activity that might otherwise be absorbed into the day-to-day work of managing the club.
“As part of the process, you have to reapply and update your learning from the year,” he said. “That gives me a chance to put the brakes on, look back and see where I have come on.
“It also helps me identify areas I want to focus on personally and professionally going forward.”
At Bush Hill Park, that reflection has highlighted a period of significant progress. In recent years, the club has received external recognition across several areas, including sustainability, biodiversity and community engagement. The London Borough of Enfield supported the club’s Green Mark accreditation, while they have also pursued GEO Certification.
Stewart says those projects have been central to his own professional development, because they have stretched the team, created new partnerships and required the club to evidence its progress in a structured way.
“Sustainability is a big elephant to eat,” he said. “Green Mark helped us put it into bite-sized chunks, and once we had done that we also went down the GEO route, which is a globally recognised, golf-specific sustainability accreditation.
“When you look back at the work we have done on sustainability, the community and biodiversity, you realise how much progress has been made. Those things have also helped generate recognition for the club.”
That connection between individual development and club progress is important. Accreditation is personal to the manager, but Stewart sees it as something that also reflects the environment around them, including the projects, support and opportunities that help shape their experience.
“The things that have added to my professional experience have come largely through the work we have done at the club,” he said. “So it links the association with the manager, but also with the club and the chairman.”
That forward-looking approach has also been reflected in the club’s wider activity. Bush Hill Park recently hosted Blitz Golf, becoming the London venue for a new format that combines professionals, celebrities, influencers, music and a condensed spectator experience. For Stewart, it was another example of a club respecting its heritage while being prepared to try something different.
Stewart recognises that some managers may look at Accreditation and question whether they have the time. His experience is that the process is valuable precisely because the role is so busy. It creates a reason to record progress, recognise development and keep setting new goals.
“One of our mantras here is continuous improvement,” Stewart said. “Accreditation gives you a chance to look back and see that you have come a long way, but it also enables you to ask: how do we go again, and what is the next thing we are going to focus on?”
Click here to find out more about GCMA Accreditation
Key Takeaways
- GCMA Accreditation creates a structured reason to pause, reflect and properly record professional development, rather than letting learning disappear into the day-to-day demands of the role.
- The process helps connect a manager’s personal development with wider club progress, showing how projects, partnerships and improvements contribute to professional growth.
- Reapplying and updating learning keeps CPD active, encouraging managers to recognise progress, identify future development areas and maintain a continuous improvement mindset.
