Staff from the SGU and the SLGA are out on the road this month with a series of ten regional club education seminars which have attracted a record number of delegates from affiliated clubs.
Beginning at Murcar Links near Aberdeen on Monday before visiting Loch Ness yesterday, the team of Andy Salmon (Development Manager), Kevin Weir (Club Services Manager) and Kevin Fish (Club Development Officer) are presenting a series of SGU and SLGA initiatives to club managers, secretaries, PGA professionals and committee members as part of both organisations’ commitment to supporting clubs.
The topics range from the Centralised Database of Handicaps (CDH), under development at present, golf tourism, membership marketing, legislation, employment and the impact of the Equality Act among others, while the issue of club governance and effective management structure has proved the most popular area of debate. A new interactive workshops has been introduced, themed ‘What can the SGU and SLGA do to help my club?’ which has provided both governing bodies with valuable insight.
The team has also been joined by a clubgolf Regional Manager to present at each seminar, updating clubs on the progress of the national junior programme, which is now in place at 300 clubs and facilities across Scotland since its launch in 2003.
More than 200 golf clubs are being represented at the seminars, with an aggregate record attendance of 547 delegates, much to the delight of Scottish Golf Development Manager Andy Salmon:
“It’s fantastic to see so many clubs attending the seminars with numbers growing year on year since we first starting do our roadshow five years ago. We are covering a broad range of areas this year, all vital to the support services we provide to clubs and the workshops give us a great opportunity to hear the views from our clubs.”
“There is much work undertaken by the SGU and SLGA which is unseen by most golf club members, but the feedback we are getting from clubs shows the great appreciation for the support we are giving them. Golf clubs’ businesses have changed so much over the last few years and its vital we keep pace with developments and assist clubs with issues such as membership marketing, equality legislation and employment.” continued Salmon.
“The role of the club manager has also evolved considerably and we are seeing many new faces within the industry bringing a fresh approach to the running of the club. By working hand in hand with golf clubs, we can help them overcome the challenges presented by the current economic climate and the interactive approach to the seminars demonstrates a positive way forward.” he added.
The roadshow continues next week with seminars at Ladybank in Fife, Downfield near Dundee and Turnhouse in Edinburgh, before visiting Hilton Park and Haggs Castle in Glasgow as well as Dullatur near Cumbernauld the following week. The seminars end in the final week of November in the south west of the country at Kilmarnock Barassie and Castle Douglas.
A limited number of places are still available for clubs wishing to attend. For details, please call Audrey Rees at the Scottish Golf Union on 01334 466477.
The dates and availability of the remaining seminars are detailed below:
- Ladybank, 9th Nov – FULL
- Downfield, 10th Nov
- Turnhouse, 11th Nov
- Hilton Park, 16th Nov- FULL
- Haggs Castle, 17th Nov
- Dullatur, 18th Nov
- Kilmarnock Barassie, 23rd Nov
- Castle Douglas, 24th Nov