Business Development personnel from Foremost and TGI, organisers of the annual Golf Show in partnership with the PGA, plus PGA professionals and a representative from the Golf Union of Wales were given an insight into the campaign during a detailed day-long workshop presented by David Colclough, head of member education for the PGA.
The workshop illustrated current thinking, the challenges facing PGA professionals and ways in which they can tackle these and promote themselves within their golf facilities to members, owners and committees.
Colclough said: “The workshop was designed as a way of sharing up-to-date knowledge and opinion from a variety of experts on how to promote your value as a PGA Professional. The mix of individuals in the room, and the sharing of ideas between pros was very valuable.
“In addition, having the business development workforce from Foremost and TGI together in the same room, means that hopefully the members they visit will also benefit from the delivery of this initial workshop.”
Foremost and TGI, who collectively have 1,700 PGA professionals in their buying groups, will draw on the workshop and use the information alongside their own proactive initiatives.
Scottish-based PGA professional Kevin Stables, who has joined Foremost as a regional development manager, was very impressed with the content of the workshop.
“I saw this as being another part of my education so that I can roll out the things that we talked about with the pros in the field,” he said.
“It was interesting, certainly from the Foremost perspective, that the PGA are moving in the same direction and making pros and clubs to be more aware of what’s going on. The problem we’re all fighting is getting everybody to engage.
“This has to be rolled out and we have to go down this route of making pros and clubs more aware. The clubs have to be more aware as they have got responsibility to drive the game forward as well not just the pros, the PGA, Foremost, TGI and unions.”
Stable’s views were echoed by Ian Martin, senior retail consultant with TGI.
“A big part of the PGA’s job at the minute is working on the relationship with the clubs and that’s something we need to get help with,” he said. “Something like this is invaluable as it gives us an insight into what we can help them with. We’ll work quite closely with David, going forward and improving what we can offer to our guys.
“It’s good to see there is so much going on. We started to look at doing something like this ourselves but then you come here and see how far down the line the PGA already are. I think working together we’ll get there.”
Lee Fickling who has been a PGA professional for 35 years and is the current East Region chairman, praised the workshop and the detailed research by Colclough.
He said: “I thought it was very forward thinking and shows that we’re actually going somewhere. There were bits of information that I didn’t know and David has done some excellent research. I’d certainly relay this information out to the regional committee. It was also good to have all those different groups in the room and working together.”
Colclough welcomed the encouraging reaction and indicated there would be future workshops.
“The feedback has been very positive and there are plans to roll this out again in the next few months,” he said. “Anyone who missed the opportunity to take part in the first workshop, but who would like to know when (and where) the next workshop will take place, should register their interest via cpd@pga.org.uk ”
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Image attached of David Colclough, PGA head of member education…/
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