New Partner Announcement: Aquila Golf

23 September 2024

‌GCMA members can take advantage of a fantastic offer from our new partners, Aquila Golf.

The GCMA is delighted to announce a new partnership with Aquila Golf, who are offering a one-hour free marketing strategy session to members.

Aquila Golf is a vibrant and fast-growing golf management company with a focus on marketing and creative design that gives clients the ability to work with a professional team of experts, across a broad range of competencies, without the need to employ full-time staff of their own.

It is owned by former Golf Club Manager and current GCMA member Sam Poole, who has spent the last seven years dedicated to developing modern, effective marketing strategies for all types of golf clubs.

Aquila Golf deliver bespoke marketing strategies based on the goals and objectives of your club, building a close partnership and fully taking away the marketing headache for your club.

The company’s mission is to be a golf marketing agency with a difference, putting personal service, fully trackable results and peace of mind for clients at the forefront of everything they do.

“Having been a member of the GCMA for 11 years, it is a pleasure to collaborate with the team to develop a new marketing strategy for the association,” said Sam.

“My team and I support managers and clubs across the UK, providing marketing services with a unique understanding of their needs, an understanding that can only come from my own experience in golf club management for several years.

“We are thrilled to partner with the GCMA and look forward to having a positive impact in supporting the association and its members.”

GCMA Partnerships Manager Darren Wood added: “We are delighted to welcome Sam and Aquila Golf into our network of trusted business partners. I have known Sam for many years and his integrity, enthusiasm for the golf industry and dedication to supporting clubs with their marketing strategy is something our members will find of real value.”

For GCMA Members

Aquila Golf invite all GCMA members to take up a one-hour free marketing strategy session in which they will assess the club’s current situation, goals and objectives, and build a marketing plan that can help you achieve those goals.

Click here to claim your free marketing strategy session today

By GCMA Content Team

More from Your Community

GCMA Teams Up with 59Club as an Official Education Partner

5 Dec 2025By Mark Shanley

Press Release The Golf Club Managers Association (GCMA) is delighted…

Announcing the Winners of the 2025 Women in Golf Awards

4 Dec 2025By Mark Shanley

The Women in Golf Awards announced its 2025 winners at…

‘Governance is key’ — David Holmes

3 Dec 2025By GCMA Content Team

Drawing on over two decades of experience, David Holmes shares…

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.