Menu

The 2027 GCMA Education Diary is Here

09 July 2026

We’re pleased to launch our 2027 Education Diary, offering another year of high-quality professional development designed specifically for golf club managers and aspiring industry leaders.

With a mix of Advanced Management Programme Certificates, Principles of Golf Club Management courses and specialist skills training, the 2027 calendar provides opportunities to build knowledge, develop leadership capability and gain practical skills that can be applied immediately within the club environment.

Advanced Management Programme

The Advanced Management Programme remains the flagship development pathway for experienced managers looking to strengthen their expertise across all areas of club management.

The 2027 programme includes:

Hosted at leading golf clubs and venues across the UK, each certificate combines expert tuition with practical insight, helping delegates develop the knowledge and confidence to lead successful, sustainable golf clubs.

Principles of Golf Club Management

Designed for aspiring, new and developing managers, the Principles of Golf Club Management programme provides a solid foundation in the essential disciplines of golf club management.

Delegates can choose between:

The flexible delivery options allow delegates to choose the learning format that best suits their professional commitments while gaining a recognised understanding of the core principles of golf club management.

Presenting Skills Training Day

Strong communication is a vital skill for today’s golf club managers, whether presenting to boards, engaging with members or leading teams.

The Presenting Skills Training Day, taking place on 2 March at Tyrrells Wood Golf Club, is designed to help delegates improve their confidence, refine their delivery and communicate with greater impact.

Book Early

GCMA members continue to benefit from preferential course pricing across the education programme, making professional development more accessible than ever. With places on many courses expected to fill quickly, members are encouraged to review the 2027 Education Diary and secure their places early.

Whether you’re beginning your management journey, progressing through the Advanced Management Programme or looking to sharpen a specific skill, the 2027 GCMA Education Diary offers a wealth of opportunities to invest in your future and the future success of your club.

By Mark Shanley

Categories

More from Your Development

Golf’s Tech Revolution: Connecting every part of the club

23 Jul 2026By GCMA Content Team

ClubNet’s John Aherne explains how integrated systems can streamline operations…

You can’t avoid difficult conversations – but you can get better at them

23 Jul 2026By GCMA Content Team

Ahead of the relaunch of the AMP Advanced Leadership course,…

What can we include in a Code of Conduct?

23 Jul 2026By GCMA Content Team

In the latest piece outlining how clubs can set standards…

Close

Allister Frost

A former Microsoft Digital Strategy leader who now inspires audiences to discover the life-enhancing benefits of having a Future Ready Mindset. As a tech pioneer, Allister gained unique insights into how to transform uncertainty into opportunity, and now loves giving others the positive mindset and simple habits needed to:

  • Stay resilient in the face of uncertainty and change
  • Spot quick win opportunities for improvement
  • And *create* a brilliant future!

 

With AI and robots coming for our jobs (hint from Allister: they won’t, if we know how…), many people are anxious about the future. But Allister asserts that we’ve nothing to fear when we leverage our human superpowers and ingenuity to thrive alongside emerging technologies. That’s why having a Future Ready Mindset is now a must-have skill to remain competitive and relevant to the people we serve, our golf club members and the local community. And the best bit: everyone can do it!

This will close in 0 seconds

John Steele

John Steele is a former professional athlete, sports coach, Olympic Leader and is the Executive Director of Sport at Loughborough University. He has been Chief Executive across a range of sectors. Drawing on leadership experience of nine different Olympic and Paralympic Games (including the amazing events at the Rio Games), John reflects on the lessons from this unique period in British sport and relays his fascinating views on creating high performing teams.

Indeed, inspired from PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games, by the most successful performance ever for Team GB, he has a whole host of new business and leadership insights into how this was brilliant performance was achieved and how it can translate back into your organisation.

John moved into the corporate world, before he enjoyed an outstanding career as a professional rugby player achieving international honours. After his playing career, he turned his hand to coaching and achieved the highest accolade for a British club coach by winning the European Cup with Northampton Saints. He then became Executive Director on the Saints Board during a period of unprecedented growth, and served on the England Rugby Board during the successful world cup campaign of 2003. It was no surprise that John’s talents were called upon to drive through a change and modernisation programme as CEO of the Rugby Football Union – a challenge that became controversial and ended in his departure from the post after only a year, but with his dignity and professional pride intact.

Headhunted by UK Sport, John took up post as CEO the day before London won the 2012 Olympic bid – and this promising start was sustained as he embarked on developing the UK’s high performance sport system, which he led for a six-year period of unprecedented success through the Beijing and London Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Post-London 2012, with the Olympic legacy in place and an obligation to continue inspiring a generation, John took up his post as Group Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust. He has also succeeded Steve Cram as Chairman of the English Institute of Sport, an organisation described as ‘the team behind the team’, which delivers a range of performance impacting solutions to over 40 Olympic and Paralympic sports and some non-Olympic sports.

This will close in 0 seconds

Dr Jo Salter MBE

Dr Jo Salter MBE is famed for becoming the first female fast jet pilot, having flown the Panavia Tornado ground attack aircraft during her services in the Royal Air Force. Joining the RAF aged 18, Jo has since taken Air Cadets into the skies as part of Air Experience Flights, become the Director of Global Transformative Leadership for PWC, and most recently become a Global Advisory of GenAI for PwC.

Jo has piloted flights in the Air Cadets Air Experience Flights and inspired countless budding armed service members to pioneer a male-dominated sector, having been the leader of an all-male squadron. Since leaving the military behind, Jo has established a strong business career working in roles such as Head of Technical Services for NetConnect, European Operations Manager for Automated Power Exchange and Managing Director of Saltin Ltd.

Having developed first-class expertise in leadership, analytical thinking and performing under pressure, Jo is now a highly sought-after public speaker to share stories from her time in the skies.

Jo is a passionate Trustee of The Royal Air Force Club and an Ambassador of the Global Angels charity, an organisation that gives communities around the world access to clean water, education, healthcare and encourages female and youth empowerment. Jo has also authored two books, titled Energy: 52 Ways to Fire Up Your Life and Become an Energy Angel and Energize: Spring Clean Your Mind and Body to Get Your Bounce Back Today and Every Day.

In recognition of her achievements throughout her career, Jo has also been named as one of the 50 Most Inspiring Women in the World by Harpers & Queen. She is now working as the Director of Global Transformation Leadership at PWC, after working in other roles such as Director of Risk Technology Strategy, Director Chief of Staff to Head of Technology & Investments and the Director of People & Organisations.

In 2022, Jo was invited personally by Tom Cruise to attend the premiere of Top Gun: Maverick. Most recently, Jo received an honorary doctorate of Arts from Bournemouth University.

This will close in 0 seconds

Colin MacLachlan

Colin Maclachlan, star of Channel Four's captivating reality TV drama SAS: Who Dares Wins and Channel 5’s ‘Secrets of the SAS’, is an operator with over 25 years of security and risk related experience who is a popular and frequent fixture on the speaking circuit.

Colin Maclachlan, celebrated for his roles on Channel Four's SAS: Who Dares Wins and Channel 5’s Secrets of the SAS, brings over three decades of expertise in security and risk management. Colin's military career began in 1989, and after serving nine years with the Royal Scots, he joined the elite 22 SAS at just 23. His time in the SAS saw him participating in numerous high-stakes operations, including the notable rescue of hostages from the West Side Boys in Sierra Leone—a mission so perilous it was dubbed Operation Certain Death.

Colin was also pivotal during the longest hostage siege on UK soil, when a hijacked Afghan plane landed in London in 2000. The standoff lasted four days with Colin as the first sniper on the scene.

After leaving the SAS, Colin exchanged insights with international forces such as Delta Force and Seal Team 6 and provided security consultancy to the Saudi Royal Family and various celebrities. His academic pursuits led him to earn a First Class MA (Hons.) in History from Edinburgh University and an M.Litt in Terrorism from St. Andrews University.

Today, Colin extends his expertise through television, books, radio, and video games. He supports numerous charities and has founded Who Dares Cares, which assists veterans and those experiencing stress. As a speaker, Colin excels in discussing Resilience, Teamwork and Leadership.

This will close in 0 seconds