There are some GCMA events where the result matters. And then there are those where, when everyone heads home, you realise the score was actually only a small part of what was achieved.
This week’s GCMA England v Wales match at Mullion Golf Club in Cornwall, England’s most southerly golf club, was very much one of the latter.
Played over two days in exceptionally dry conditions, the match provided a stern test for both teams. Strong winds made conditions particularly challenging on day one, with the second day offering slightly more benign conditions for the players.
When the final scores were added together, neither side could be separated.
England 5 – Wales 5
The result means that Wales retain the trophy having won the competition outright in 2025. But while Wales will rightly celebrate retaining the trophy, the real success of this year’s match went far beyond the final score.
What makes the GCMA England v Wales fixture so special is the opportunity it creates for Club Managers from across the two nations to spend genuine quality time together.
They don’t simply arrive, play golf and head home. They stay together, dine together, play together and socialise together. That creates something increasingly difficult to find in professional life: time.
Time to talk, share experiences, ask questions, discuss what works – and what doesn’t. Time to learn from someone who may manage a completely different type of club but face exactly the same challenges. Those conversations happen over breakfast, walking between holes, around the dinner table and long after the day’s golf has finished.
Best practice is shared without presentations, slides or formal agendas. Problems are discussed honestly. Ideas are exchanged freely, experiences compared and relationships that may have started with a handshake on the first tee become friendships that can last a lifetime.
That is the real value of this fixture.
For those fortunate enough to have taken part, the benefits don’t end when the final putt drops. The connections made and strengthened during these few days become part of the wider GCMA network, providing a resource that members can continue to draw upon long after they have returned to their own clubs.
The fixture would not happen without the commitment of those who put the time and effort into making it possible.
A huge thank you goes to Richard Brookman, Wales Captain, and Mick Thorpe, England Captain, for leading their respective teams and creating the spirit in which the match was played. A special thank you must also go to John Hall, whose organisation and hard work behind the scenes ensured that the event ran so smoothly.
And on the Welsh side, our thanks go to National Captain Ray Chilten, who played a major role in organising the Welsh team and helping make the trip such a success.
Finally, of course, a huge thank you to Mullion Golf Club for hosting the match and providing such a fantastic setting for what proved to be another memorable GCMA occasion.
The trophy may say Wales 2025–2026. The 2026 match may finish in a 5–5 draw. But the lasting legacy of GCMA England v Wales is measured in something far more valuable than silverware. It’s measured in the relationships created, the knowledge shared, the friendships strengthened and the conversations that will continue long after everyone has left Cornwall.
And that’s what the GCMA is ultimately all about – bringing Club Managers together, creating connections and making all of us better at what we do.
By Mark Shanley
