The annual Joe Perdue Bursaries have been announced for the 2018/19 term. The European Club Education Foundation (ECEF) which administers the bursaries, announced the following recipients for 2018:
- World Conference bursary – Les Durno, General Manager, Cruden Bay Golf Club
- Management Development Programme bursaries –
- MDP 2 – Luis Manuel Fernández-Arenas Hervás, Assistant Manager, Santa Ponsa Golf Course
- MDP 3 Strategy & Leadership – Joyce Burnett, Club Manager, Muckhart Golf Club
An additional bursary was granted to Niall Watson, Club Manager at Peebles Golf Club for 50% of the costs to attend MDP 3 Strategy & Leadership.
The Joe Perdue Bursary was established in 2015 following Joe Perdue’s untimely death. Joe was the pioneer of club management education in Europe and was instrumental in assisting CMAE (Club Managers Association of Europe) to establish the extremely popular Management Development Programmes. This year there were 14 applications from 6 different European countries; the quality of the applications was extremely high giving the ECEF panel a challenging job in identifying the worthy recipients. The key criteria the panel set were:
Their previous support of CMAE and its education programmes.
- Their goals in attending an MDP Course within the next 12 months.
- The funding already available for their CPD at their club.
- The impact, which the successful candidate will make upon their colleagues and their area of influence.
Commenting on the selections ECEF’s CEO Nigel Cartwright said; “It has been a real pleasure to read the impressive applications with their enthusiasm for education, their life experiences and their wide range of ambitions. Through Joe Perdue’s memory, here at ECEF, we have developed a respected bursary programme for all Club Managers and senior staff.”
The three recipients have expressed a great deal of gratitude and satisfaction upon receiving the awards.
Upon receiving the Bursary to attend the CMAA World Conference in 2019 Les Durno said “I’m delighted and indeed very proud to receive this prestigious award to fund my visit to my first World Conference at Nashville in 2019 and allow me to sit my CCM exam later in the same year.
“In the 6 years I’ve been General Manager at Cruden Bay Golf Club, I’ve very fortunate indeed to have been supported by my Club Council to follow the MDP path and continue to further my education by attending numerous CMAE seminars throughout Scotland.
Attending the 2019 World Conference, after hearing all about the 2018 Conference inspirational speakers from other Scottish managers who attended, is just fantastic, and will offer me the opportunity to network with so many like-minded managers from all over the world.
Over the years the education has given me the confidence to, with the support of the staff, enhance the overall experience at the golf club, and the success has been proven by a steady membership in tough economic times for the area, and the increase in visitor rounds from 4,000 in 2012 to almost 6,000 in 2018.
Our inclusion in the top 4 for Best Customer Service at the Golf Tourism Awards twice in the last two years, when most of the other nominees are high end 5 star Resort courses, just indicates that we are punching well above our weight, and we keep striving to improve.”
Joyce Burnett said; “The MDP has been the first academic programme I have engaged in since qualifying as a nurse in the 80s and it was very daunting initially as I felt I would be judged on my ability (or lack of) to learn and absorb new information which I knew would be easier for younger Tribe members.
“I couldn’t have been further from the truth as the Tribe engaged with each other from day one, supporting each other through each step of the pathway. There was no one judging, everyone was feeding on each other’s successes whether it has been clapping the first time someone stood up and presented with sweat pouring off their brows and knees and hands trembling or the first test where someone was really struggling, we all feel each other’s fears but most of all we want to share each other’s success. We are all in this game together.
“I am buzzing at gaining this award as it has taken the financial pressure off my club who see the benefit of my continuing professional development but like many clubs, really struggle in finding funds for staff training although know it is important to invest in such. By receiving this award personally, we can now look to investing our small training budget in other staff and share in the success.
“The course I will be attending is on Strategy and Leadership and this has come at a great time for our Club as it is mid transition heading back towards success and although I am a natural leader, I am a control freak who requires tools to assist me to lead efficiently and for the long term rather than burning out!
“I look forward to attending strategy & leadership in Sweden, a country I have never been to and look forward to the challenges ahead.”
Luis Manuel commented; “When I saw the email from Nigel and before I finished reading it I could not wait until the alarm clock sounded and I woke up my wife and told her the good news.
“Winning this bursary is very important for me, it gives me the opportunity to continue my educational pathway hand in hand with CMAE. Also, I feel a big responsibility because CMAE trusted in me and now I have to achieve a good mark in return. Taking MDP2 will be a new experience, getting new knowledge from the best professionals ever (teachers and delegates) under the best learning structure ever designed.
“I am so grateful to CMAE to afford me this opportunity and I am so happy to be looking forward to starting the next MDP2 at Manchester.”
Niall Watson also commented; “With this help, I am a step closer to becoming a CCM. I am honoured to be part of the CMAE Tribe and have thoroughly enjoyed each and every course I have attended. The generosity of the Joe Perdue Bursary is allowing me to continue my MDP journey to be able to attend the Strategy & Leadership course in Stockholm next year. I am so grateful for the knowledge that has been passed on to me. I am relatively new in my role of Club Manager at Peebles Golf Club and my time on the MDP courses has been invaluable. Thank you. Again, thank you for your generosity.”
CMAE and Management Development Programmes www.cmaeurope.org