David Gemmell, the PGA Professional for Aberdour Golf Club in Fife, is the latest club industry professional to achieve the globally recognised Certified Club Manager (CCM)
David who has been the Head Professional at Aberdour since 2002, joined CMAE’s education pathway in 2012 and, over the last four years, has attended all five of the Management Development Programmes (MDP) that are available in Europe and attended the Club Managers Association of America (CMAA) World Conference in order to be eligible to sit the CCM exam.
Commenting on his success, David said “I am extremely proud and honoured to achieve CCM status, especially at the first attempt. The pathway started for me back in 2012 on MDP 1 and from then on I have become an education junkie!, I have done all five MDP courses, attended World Conference and attended numerous regional and national seminars.
What CMAE has done for club management education over the past four years has been phenomenal. Scotland is definitely trailblazing CMAE education in management and with the huge support and vision of Scottish Golf, is bringing a different dimension to golf club management in Scotland.
Europe is definitely catching up now and we will hopefully see many additions to the CCM tribe in the next few years and all five courses being delivered all over Europe.
It’s not just the about the education, it is as much about the network of friends and colleagues that you become part of, when you join the MDP tribe, which is invaluable. I will continue to learn and hopefully will be able to pass on any ‘nuggets’ that I have picked up along the way.
I have a few people I would like to thank who have helped and inspired me to complete the CCM pathway-
Kevin Fish- Kevin has and always will be an inspiration to me. His knowledge and passion for learning is infectious; CMAE- The European Board and the Regional Committees do a fantastic job of delivering education; Scottish Golf- Their vision and support for golf management development in Scotland has more than helped put the MDP programme on the map; Gregg Paterson- Gregg is a one off phenomenon and knowing him can only give inspiration and drive; CMAA’s Jason Koenigsfeld- Jason’s dedication to bringing the CCM pathway to Europe has been fantastic and without the CMAA approval we wouldn’t be where we are today. PGA- Working as a Business Relationship Officer allowed me to put into practice most of what I have learned through MDP”.
David now joins an elite band of 36 Club Industry professionals in Europe who have achieved CCM status.
In addition to David’s role as Head Professional at Aberdour Golf Club, he is very active with the CMAE regional committee in Scotland, sits on the PGA Scottish Region committee and has just completed a two year term as a PGA Business Relationship Officer (BRO).
CMAE’s Education Policy Board Chairman, James Burns CCM, commented “I am delighted for David. He has put education at the forefront of his career path and to add CCM to his PGA qualifications is a great achievement. I am sure this will inspire many more from the PGA Professional sector to come to our MDP courses to further enhance their existing knowledge. It has been great to see David put his knowledge to good use at his club and also using it to help others through his role as a PGA BRO.”
The CMAE has been in existence for more than 13 years, and is now successfully mirroring its American counterpart, CMAA, in the creation of an effective education pathway for club managers. In 2011 CMAE launched its MDP throughout Europe, encouraging club industry leaders to boost their education with the ten core competencies of the modern club manager. To date over 400 club managers have joined the MDP education pathway, which has been delivered through 41 different courses, spread over 6 European countries.
CMAE www.cmaeurope.org