Stuart Gillett, General Manager for Golf and Leisure at Goodwood, has been nominated for the Manager of the Year Award at the Golf Club Managers’ Association (GCMA) National Conference on 13 November.
Gillett’s nomination is due in no small part to his involvement in a hugely successful year for Golf At Goodwood, being pivotal in maintaining a full membership as well as driving participation in the Junior Golf Camps and Level Up programmes, which have had a combined attendance of over 200 children so far in 2017. Goodwood’s Junior team won the West Sussex Junior League and reached the semi-final of the national competition, while Academy Manager Chris McDonnell was part of the Great Britain and Ireland team that lifted the PGA Cup.
Gillett also managed an extensive renovation of all of the bunkers on the Downs course and his innovative and engaging approach to digital saw the Club win the Golf Club of the Year award at the 2016 Hospitality Social Media Awards last November.
Speaking about his nomination, Gillett said; “I am thrilled to have been shortlisted for the GCMA Manager of the year Award. To be recognised by the golf industry for the success at Golf At Goodwood is fantastic. It is a reflection of the hard work, dedication and sense of fun that my team puts in day after day to ensure that our members and guests have a great time here at Goodwood. Without question, the success of Golf At Goodwood is down to the great team I have working for me.
“It has been our vision to create an innovative and invigorating club that delivers what our members want. My team deliver this with great style and most importantly with a smile on their faces. The feedback from our members constantly highlights the ‘can do’ attitude the team have and I hope in some way my open and relaxed management style has helped us achieve this.
Having been named on the shortlist, Gillett will now have to host the judges at Goodwood, before going into a final, ‘Dragons Den-style’ interview. He added; “The GCMA must be commended for recognising what we have achieved here at Goodwood and, as a Club that certainly isn’t traditional, to be recognised for this award shows how forward thinking the organisation is.”
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