Judy Barker, General Manager at Sandy Lodge, explains how the Governance certificate helped reinforce existing practice while highlighting practical areas for future development.
Governance can be one of the heavier areas of golf club management, especially when managers are balancing day-to-day operations with longer-term planning, board structures and member expectations.
For Judy Barker, General Manager at Sandy Lodge, the Advanced Management Programme‘s Governance certificate offered the chance to revisit a vital subject in a format that suited the way she wanted to learn.
“The introduction of the new AMP fitted in with the style of learning I wanted and the Governance course run by Kevin Fish looked to be a good refresher and hopefully included other learning to benefit myself and the club,” she said.
The course gave Judy reassurance that Sandy Lodge already had many of the right foundations in place, while also identifying areas where the club could continue to strengthen its approach. That balance between confirmation and future improvement proved especially valuable.
“The most valuable was that I came away with the confidence that we were already covering a lot of what should be in place but there were also parts that would help in the future which could be implemented.”
Alongside the technical content, Judy found the opportunity to share experiences with other managers just as important. For club leaders, the value of professional development often comes from hearing how others are handling similar pressures and recognising that many challenges are shared across the sector.
“Networking is always so valuable on any course I attend as not only do you find out other examples of ways to improve, you also get that comfort that you are not alone in many aspects of your day-to-day management of your club so if things are not quite going to plan, you tend to find that the same things are happening to other managers.”
That peer learning sat alongside course material Judy can continue to refer back to as governance develops at the club. With governance embedded into wider management practice, the programme reinforced the importance of keeping structures, processes and responsibilities under review.
“There was good reference material to refer back to and best practice in all areas of managing a golf club is paramount.”
Two areas have already stood out as particularly relevant for Sandy Lodge. While they have not yet been fully introduced, Judy said the club will be looking closely at how they could support the board and future decision-making.
“There were two areas from the course which were interesting for us to work on – having a Nominations Committee to provide a good way of sourcing the best candidates for election to the Board and also having an Induction Day for new directors. We are not there yet, but will definitely be looking at these two areas.”
The timing of the programme also aligned well with work already taking place at Sandy Lodge. The club has been developing a long-term strategy, with governance forming a dedicated part of that plan.
“We are fortunate at the club as for the last 18 months, we have been working on a five-year strategy for the club so there is a dedicated section on governance within the strategy document. The strategy document was presented to the members last week and will be sent out to all members.”
That strategic approach builds on long-established meeting structures at the club, where governance has already played an important role in supporting decisions and overall management.
“We have run our Board and Management Committee Meetings with a structured agenda for many years so governance has been part of the overall management for a long time; this helps with overall decision-making.”
For other managers considering the Governance AMP, Judy believes the course offers a practical and accessible way into an area that can otherwise feel complex.
“I would definitely encourage any GCMA Manager to attend this course as it was very insightful but not too overpowering; Governance can come across as being a heavy subject but this course was pitched just right.”
Find out more about the Advanced Management Programme
Key takeaways
- The Advanced Management Programme’s Governance certificate offers an accessible way of gaining knowledge in an area that can feel complex
- It provides an opportunity to share experiences – allowing GCMA Managers to hear how peers tackle similar challenges
- The programme underlines the need to keep governance structures, processes, and responsibilities under regular review
