From law to golf club leadership, Claire Bainbridge is now a proud nominee for the GCMA Support Manager of the Year award — and loving life at Fulford.
Claire Bainbridge’s career path has taken her from law, to running a pub, and into the world of golf club management via a spell running front of house.
Now, as Assistant General Manager at Fulford, she is a finalist for the GCMA Support Manager of the Year award, having made an impressive impact in the role.
Claire has reshaped membership categories, built catering into open-day packages to guarantee income that can reach £4,000 in a single day, and interrogated contracts and bank statements to save more than £25,000 in her first year.
She has also overseen the successful move to bring catering in-house after Covid, helped build Fulford’s social media presence, coordinated volunteers for R&A and England Golf tournaments, and invested in her own professional development through the Principles of Golf Club Management course.
Her journey into the role was far from conventional, and it was a move into hospitality at Fulford that led to an unexpected opportunity.
“My background was in law — I worked as a secretary and paralegal,” she explained. “I then managed a pub for 10 years before moving into hospitality at the club. When the Office Manager left, I stepped up to help, enjoyed it, and was offered the position of Assistant General Manager.”
Her current responsibilities cover every corner of club life, requiring strong task management skills and adaptability.
“Organisation is vital in this role,” she said. “You need to keep everything spinning and make sure the team has the information they need. Things change daily, and members all want different things, so it’s about communication, coordination, and keeping people as happy as possible.”
Claire has also been keen to understand the work of her colleagues across the club, from shadowing greenkeepers to spending time in the pro shop.
“When I first moved upstairs, I went out with the greenkeeping team one day a month for a year,” she said. “It wasn’t about learning how to cut the grass, but understanding their work. I also spent time in the pro shop, even though it’s outsourced, because you need to know how everything fits together.”
Peer support has played a valuable role in her development. She explained: “I’ve got a group chat with peers from my course, and Alistair Cook, our GM, is in the wider managers’ group chat. Often people are dealing with the same issues, so being able to call or message for advice is invaluable.”
Looking to the future, Claire is keen to focus more on strategic planning, with her ambitions firmly aligned with Fulford, where major development projects are already in motion.
“Fulford is a very exciting place to be right now,” she said. “We’ve got big course development and long-term plans underway, and I see myself staying here, learning more and helping drive that forward alongside Alistair.”
As for the award itself, she admits winning it would be a career highlight.
“It would be amazing,” she said. “I’d be absolutely overjoyed. I know I’m up against excellent competition, so I’m trying not to think about it too much, but it would be brilliant.”
GCMA Awards 2025
The winners will be crowned at the Gala Dinner during the Golf Club Management Conference & Exhibition on 17th November 2025 at Cotswold Water Park, Wiltshire. It promises to be a memorable evening of celebration, reflecting the vital role golf club managers and their teams play in the growth and success of the game.
