GCMA South West Leadership Event to Tackle the Big Conversations in Club Management

31 July 2025

Join the GCMA South West Region for a powerful day of insight, innovation, and inspiration at The Bristol Golf Club on Wednesday 24th September 2025.

Focused on Professional Leadership in Club Management, this regional event open to members and non-members of the GCMA, is designed for forward-thinking golf club managers and industry professionals who want to lead with purpose and stay ahead of the curve.

Led by renowned facilitator Kevin Fish, the day will feature a series of impactful sessions from some of the golf industry’s most influential voices, including:

What to Expect: A Day of Big Ideas and Practical Tools

🕘 9:00am – Registration, Coffee & Networking
Start the day by connecting with your peers over coffee.

Morning Sessions

🗣 10:00am – Kevin Fish: Creating and Delivering a Business Case to Your Board
Learn how to shape a compelling business proposal and present it with confidence in the boardroom.

🗣 11:30am – Tom Brooke (GCMA Chief Executive): The Value of Being a General Manager in the GCMA
Explore the evolving role of the General Manager, and how GCMA membership supports your leadership journey, professional standards, and peer networks.

🗣 12:00pm – Leighton Walker: Round Table Discussion – Key Social Issues in the Golf Industry
An inclusive and thought-provoking discussion covering:

Gender equality and reassignment
Women in golf leadership
Outdated club cultures
The Worker Protection Act 2023 and harassment safeguards

🍽 1:00pm – Buffet Lunch & Networking

Afternoon Sessions

🗣 2:00pm – Kevin Fish: Leading Your Board – Influencing with Impact
Understand how to position your ideas with authority, manage expectations, and drive change with your leadership team.

🗣 2:30pm – Jim Croxton (BIGGA) & Chris Ball (Hillside Golf Club): Robotic Mowing & Turf Innovation
Dive deep into the future of course maintenance with real-world insight into robotic mowing technology and its operational integration.

🗣 4:00pm – Sam Poole (Aquilla Golf): How to Supercharge your Productivity with Artificial Intelligence
Discover how Artificial Intelligence can transform the way you work – streamline tasks, boost efficiency, and unlock smarter decision-making at your golf club.

Why You Should Attend

Hear from industry-leading speakers
Participate in open, inclusive conversations on the challenges of modern golf club leadership
Gain practical tools and strategies to lead your club more effectively
Build your network with like-minded professionals

We’re looking forward to welcoming you to a dynamic day designed to challenge your thinking, elevate your leadership, and connect you with the wider GCMA community.

Date: 24th September 2025
Venue: The Bristol Golf Club
Tickets: £45 (GCMA South West Members) | £55 (Non-members)

Spaces are limited – secure your place now!

BOOK NOW

For media inquiries, please contact:

Mark Shanley
[email protected]
01275 391153

By Natalie McColl

More from Your Association

GCMA Benevolent Fund Update

4 Dec 2025By Mark Shanley

At the GCMA AGM in April, changes were agreed to…

Save the Dates: AGM and National Members Championships 2026

27 Nov 2025By Mark Shanley

We’ll once more be heading to some of the UK’s…

Two Weeks Later: How to Turn Your Conference Experience into Real Progress

27 Nov 2025By Natalie McColl

It’s been a couple of weeks since we were together…

John Steele

John Steele is a former professional athlete, sports coach, Olympic Leader and is the Executive Director of Sport at Loughborough University. He has been Chief Executive across a range of sectors. Drawing on leadership experience of nine different Olympic and Paralympic Games (including the amazing events at the Rio Games), John reflects on the lessons from this unique period in British sport and relays his fascinating views on creating high performing teams.

Indeed, inspired from PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games, by the most successful performance ever for Team GB, he has a whole host of new business and leadership insights into how this was brilliant performance was achieved and how it can translate back into your organisation.

John moved into the corporate world, before he enjoyed an outstanding career as a professional rugby player achieving international honours. After his playing career, he turned his hand to coaching and achieved the highest accolade for a British club coach by winning the European Cup with Northampton Saints. He then became Executive Director on the Saints Board during a period of unprecedented growth, and served on the England Rugby Board during the successful world cup campaign of 2003. It was no surprise that John’s talents were called upon to drive through a change and modernisation programme as CEO of the Rugby Football Union – a challenge that became controversial and ended in his departure from the post after only a year, but with his dignity and professional pride intact.

Headhunted by UK Sport, John took up post as CEO the day before London won the 2012 Olympic bid – and this promising start was sustained as he embarked on developing the UK’s high performance sport system, which he led for a six-year period of unprecedented success through the Beijing and London Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Post-London 2012, with the Olympic legacy in place and an obligation to continue inspiring a generation, John took up his post as Group Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust. He has also succeeded Steve Cram as Chairman of the English Institute of Sport, an organisation described as ‘the team behind the team’, which delivers a range of performance impacting solutions to over 40 Olympic and Paralympic sports and some non-Olympic sports.

This will close in 0 seconds

Dr Jo Salter MBE

Dr Jo Salter MBE is famed for becoming the first female fast jet pilot, having flown the Panavia Tornado ground attack aircraft during her services in the Royal Air Force. Joining the RAF aged 18, Jo has since taken Air Cadets into the skies as part of Air Experience Flights, become the Director of Global Transformative Leadership for PWC, and most recently become a Global Advisory of GenAI for PwC.

Jo has piloted flights in the Air Cadets Air Experience Flights and inspired countless budding armed service members to pioneer a male-dominated sector, having been the leader of an all-male squadron. Since leaving the military behind, Jo has established a strong business career working in roles such as Head of Technical Services for NetConnect, European Operations Manager for Automated Power Exchange and Managing Director of Saltin Ltd.

Having developed first-class expertise in leadership, analytical thinking and performing under pressure, Jo is now a highly sought-after public speaker to share stories from her time in the skies.

Jo is a passionate Trustee of The Royal Air Force Club and an Ambassador of the Global Angels charity, an organisation that gives communities around the world access to clean water, education, healthcare and encourages female and youth empowerment. Jo has also authored two books, titled Energy: 52 Ways to Fire Up Your Life and Become an Energy Angel and Energize: Spring Clean Your Mind and Body to Get Your Bounce Back Today and Every Day.

In recognition of her achievements throughout her career, Jo has also been named as one of the 50 Most Inspiring Women in the World by Harpers & Queen. She is now working as the Director of Global Transformation Leadership at PWC, after working in other roles such as Director of Risk Technology Strategy, Director Chief of Staff to Head of Technology & Investments and the Director of People & Organisations.

In 2022, Jo was invited personally by Tom Cruise to attend the premiere of Top Gun: Maverick. Most recently, Jo received an honorary doctorate of Arts from Bournemouth University.