Gareth Morgan brings vast experience in golf club management to his new role within the GCMA.
A familiar face to many as a former GCMA Board member, Gareth Morgan has now taken up the role of Professional Development Manager.
With the launch of the Advanced Management Programme, Gareth’s appointment comes at a time when there is much excitement around the Association.
Here, Gareth discusses his extensive experience as a Golf Club Manager and his aspirations in his new role.
Can you tell us about your career in the industry to date?
I came into golf in 2006 having previously been a General Manager in the gaming industry. I started as a GM at Radyr Golf Club when I was 26, and at that time it was quite rare to be in that position at that age. Thankfully, that’s no longer the case.
After four years there I moved to Creigiau Golf Club for a few years before having two years at Cardiff Golf Club. It was then that I came across the bridge to England and joined Kingsdown Golf Club, before spells at Long Ashton and Minchinhampton, and I came to Bowood at the start of 2024.
What has your previous involvement with the GCMA been?
My initial involvement was as a member and in 2010 I became part of the Wales regional committee. In 2013 I became vice-captain of the Wales region and then captain a year later, and I was also the GCMA representative on Wales Golf for five years before serving as a Wales Golf Councillor for another five.
My next formal involvement with the GCMA came in 2020, when I became a Director. In 2022 I was Vice-Chairman and then Chairman in 2023.
Why did the role of Professional Development Manager appeal and what experience can you call upon in this area?
I’ve become more and more involved in training, education and public speaking in the last four years. Predominantly, my area of expertise has been delivering training, workshops and keynote speeches on the topic of wellbeing for managers and their staff.
That’s something I started to take an interest in and talk about a lot after some of my own experiences, particularly in relation to the work-life balance and that side of things.
I’ve been presenting on Principles of Golf Club Management for the past few years, as well as facilitating some of the residential courses and presenting at the last two GCMA Conferences.
This job came onto my radar when the Advanced Management Programme was being put together and I’ve been involved with that quite heavily since its inception as a member of the Board.
That was an area I was eager to get into, moving out of club operations and into education and training in the club management sphere. I felt the time was right for me and the role was perfect for my experience and skills.
How excited are you about the launch of the Advanced Management Programme?
I’ve been a delegate on education initiatives from all sorts of organisations in the industry, and what those offerings provide is great, but the gap the GCMA is filling is providing a deep dive into key topics where it’s two or three days of really intensive training and education.
The industry already provides lots of really good education at an overview level, but the Advanced Management Programme takes that a lot further with the level of detail, and that applies to all 11 of the certificates it offers. For each one, people will come away from it having acquired a high level of understanding and they’ll have learned things they can put into place at their golf club from a strategic point of view.
What are your key priorities in the role?
First and foremost, the focus is on a successful launch of all the modules of the Advanced Management Programme. We want to promote the progamme and ensure people understand the value of it, not just to the individuals who benefit from the education but to golf clubs as a whole.
We have other areas to work on as well, for example in increasing the number of Accredited Managers. As Professional Development Manager, I will be able to spend time helping people with their applications and encouraging more people to go through that process.
We’re looking to expand on some our online educational offerings through things like webinars and other tools that are more accessible to a greater number of members without them even having to leave the office.
As we look to provide more in the way of educational opportunities, with the Advanced Management Programme a key part of that, we’ll be listening to feedback and making sure we’re taking on board ways we can improve things.
Do you have a message for GCMA members?
I want to take the opportunity to encourage everyone to make sure they’re really engaging with everything we’re putting out there regarding the Advanced Management Programme. It’s important people understand it and recognise the value that’s in it for them.
It would be easy to look at the title of any of the modules and say, for example, ‘Marketing – we’re good on that, we don’t need any training’, but these certificates have been put together with such a high level of planning and thought, and we’ve got experts on each topic who have been carefully selected so we can deliver the very best training an education to Golf Club Managers, to Directors, Captains – all sorts of people across the industry.
The programme offers a chance not just to develop your own skills and career prospects, but also to enhance the offering of your golf club.
