It’s one of the trickiest areas of a golf club to manage but a collaboration between England Golf and the GCMA will make it easier
A new governance guide for golf clubs, produced by England Golf in collaboration with the GCMA, has been hailed by association chief executive Tom Brooke.
This article is part of GCMA Insights – topical content for golf industry professionals, discussing the things that matter to those who work in golf clubs.
Speaking on the latest episodes of GCMA Insights, on the Golf Club Talk UK podcast, Brooke stressed the vital importance of good governance in the successful running of a golf club and the impact it had on management and employees.
The new handbook, A Blueprint for Good Governance, is designed to help clubs make structured improvements, break key components down into stages, and focus on different elements through a modular format.
It considers leadership frameworks within clubs, diversity, change management and culture – among many others – and is also supported by a range of self-review checklists, templates, research and in-depth guides.
Brooke was joined on the podcast, hosted by Leighton Walker, by England Golf’s club support manager, Gavin Anderson; Matt Draper, the governing body’s club, county, and membership director; and governance expert Jerry Kilby.
He said: “Governance very much underpins the culture of the golf club. Good governance can underpin a great culture and a thriving golf club. Poor governance can do the absolute opposite and it has such a fundamental impact on the professional and personal wellbeing of a golf club manager and the team of employees as a whole at the golf club.
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“I think the new guide has been exceptionally well put together. I think it’s a great piece of work and I’m really positive it’s going to have a really big impact, in the right way, for many golf clubs and golf club members, committees, boards and, of course, golf club managers and employees as a whole throughout the country.”
Anderson, who said the guide was now in its third iteration, added the aim was to try and make some important information a bit more accessible to clubs.
“While in the past there’s not been anything wrong with the governance support and guidance that we provided, we’ve always had this challenge of trying to get buy in from golf clubs, trying to get them to see it slightly differently,” he explained. “And maybe you’re almost making them feel like it’s not quite so serious a topic and challenging a topic to work on.
“So what we’ve really tried to do was, while maintaining the kind of level of content we provided and the detail, try to break it up into a more modular format. In doing so, [we’ve] also put it together in a with a suggested pathway – so that clubs can understand there were some things that had to be done, and done right.”
To listen to the full podcast, click on the player or visit the Golf Club Talk UK podcast website.
This article is part of GCMA Insights – topical content for golf industry professionals, discussing the things that matter to those who work in golf clubs.
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