Golf course valuations, property transactions and the increasingly complex considerations surrounding the sale of golf businesses will come under the spotlight at Golf Business Expo 2026, with leading leisure property specialist Ian Thompson hosting a dedicated seminar at the event.
Thompson will take to the stage for a standalone session entitled ‘Golf Property Valuations and Sales’, providing golf club owners, operators, investors and industry professionals with an expert overview of the golf property market.
The seminar will examine the principles behind golf property valuations and explore some of the key issues that owners and potential purchasers need to consider when golf assets are brought to market.
With golf businesses encompassing everything from members’ clubs and standalone courses to hotels, resorts and large-scale leisure developments, establishing an accurate valuation can involve a wide range of operational, property and commercial factors.
Thompson will draw on almost three decades of experience in the leisure property sector to provide delegates with an insight into the valuation process and the considerations that can influence golf property transactions.
As Head of European Leisure Value and Risk Advisory at JLL, Thompson leads a specialist EMEA team providing valuation and strategic advice across a broad portfolio of leisure assets. He has worked extensively within the golf and hospitality sectors since 1998, carrying out assignments throughout the UK and Ireland as well as the Netherlands, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Scandinavia, Greece and Central and Eastern Europe.
His experience includes valuations involving some of Europe’s best-known golf clubs, courses and resorts. Among the properties he has worked with are Sunningdale Golf Club, Beaverbrook Hotel & Golf Course, Castle Stuart and Fairmont St Andrews in the UK, alongside European golf destinations including Penha Longa, Quinta da Ria, Colinas Golf, La Sella, Vale do Lobo and Salgados.
Thompson’s seminar will form part of the wider education and business programme at Golf Business Expo 2026, which is being held at Sywell Aerodrome in Northamptonshire on October 7th. For more details of the day’s programme, visit www.golfbusinessexpo.com.
