17
February
2022
They are the first intake of an innovative and industry leading project that aims to transform the golf industry. Here, four of the new GCMA Mentors, give you an insight into their new roles… It’s a project that GCMA chief executive Tom Brooke believes will change the face of the golf industry – and, back at Conference, the sextet chosen to be the first GCMA Mentors were revealed. Appointed to support and guide the next generation of leaders in the golf club management industry, they came through a rigorous selection process and are now in training for the exciting, and challenging, opportunity that awaits as they look forward to meeting their selected Mentees later in the year. But how were they picked, what do they hope to achieve and what will they impart to their charges? We caught up with four of the Mentors, Chigwell’s Ben Driver, Denham’s Richard Penley-Martin, Boyce Hill’s Scott Clark and Golf at Goodwood’s Gary Beves, to find out… Congratulations on becoming GCMA Mentors. What motivated you to want to get involved? Ben Driver: My instinctive reaction was to help and to give something back to the association and to our future mentees. Just like learning to drive, we've all been there in our roles, and I remember being in that position of just starting out. It feels good to be able to contribute and offer any insights and experience that I’ve gained. Richard Penley-Martin: Having been in the industry for 27 years, I've never had a mentor. I probably made lots of mistakes that I wouldn't have made had I had one, so I wanted to get involved to try and help somebody not make those mistakes and give them a leg up the ladder. Gary Beves: I wanted to help the future of our industry and association by giving something back. I feel I've been incredibly fortunate throughout my career to have had some very influential figures supporting me. To be able to pass on support to the future mentees is what really drove the decision. Scott Clark: I think we're all sitting in the positions we are because we are genuinely interested in helping people to learn and develop. I've always been very keen to progress people and help them in their careers as much as possible. For me, a big part of my management career has always been developing and investing in the people that I have around me both in terms of time and experiences. From a GCMA perspective, the more we can give back means we not only strengthen the association but we strengthen the industry as well. Golf Club management seems to be changing all the time so trying to share the experiences you’ve had will be invaluable to your mentees? SC: We've all got quite a wide spectrum of experience in different countries, in different areas, and in different facilities. Your manager of today is very much a commercial manager, rather than 25 or 30 years ago, when... Please LOGIN to read the full article.
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