New Partner Announcement: The Bernhard Academy

17 October 2024

New GCMA partners the Bernhard Academy are running an autumn programme of educational workshops.

The GCMA are delighted to announce the Bernhard Academy as the latest addition to the association’s ever-growing Partnership Network.

The Bernhard Academy exists to help support and grow the turf industry through quality education that includes a portfolio of options across the board.

“The Bernhard Academy is delighted to become a Business Partner of the GCMA,” said Education Director Sami Strutt. “This partnership showcases the commitment of the Bernhard Academy to support the GCMA in providing professional development opportunities for those who manage golf clubs.

“It’s particularly important to us at the Academy to highlight and support the vital strategic relationship between Course Managers, responsible for the most important asset of the business, the golf course, and the Club Manager, responsible for the management of the business.

“As the training provider for the GCMA’s new Advanced Management Programme certificate, Golf Course Management for Golf Club Managers, the Bernhard Academy is well placed to deliver its expertise and experience in these valuable three-day programmes.

“Our ongoing partnership will firmly embed the Bernhard Academy into the golf club business, providing important training resources for the entire golf club team.”

GCMA Partnerships Manager Darren Wood added: “We are delighted to welcome Sami and the team at the Bernhard Academy into our network of business partners.

“The Bernhard Academy and the GCMA share a common objective in supporting golf industry professionals with their own personal and professional development. They will also be supporting our recently launched Advanced Management Programme with the Golf Course Management for Golf Club Managers certificate.”

As part of a vast offering, the Bernhard Academy recently announced a programme of educational workshops running throughout the autumn.

These workshops, created based on feedback from an industry-wide survey conducted earlier this year, will cover key topics of interest to professionals in the sports turf management sector.

The Autumn programme includes the following workshops:
–              Cutting Unit Setup and Sharpening Techniques
–              Principles of Benchmarking Sports Turf Surfaces
–              Compliance for Turf Managers
–              Financial Management: Bulletproof Budgeting

The workshops will be held at the Bernhard Academy in Haverhill, in addition to other Academy hubs and selected venues around the UK. Attendees of the Haverhill workshops will also be treated to a tour of the Bernhard and Company production facility, offering an exclusive opportunity to see the renowned Bernhard Express Dual and Anglemaster grinding machines being manufactured.

Sami Strutt, Education Director for the Bernhard Academy, expressed her enthusiasm for the upcoming workshops: “We’re delighted to unveil this latest programme, which reflects the needs of the industry as highlighted in our recent survey.

“The workshops are designed to equip turf professionals with the knowledge and tools necessary to excel in their roles, whether on the course, with their teams, or in the office.”

The Bernhard Academy has evolved from primarily offering cutting unit setup workshops to now providing a broader range of courses that address the diverse needs of turf professionals.

With the inclusion of topics such as compliance for turf managers and financial management, the Academy is now able to offer more well-rounded workshops that benefit attendees in all aspects of their day-to-day responsibilities.

This expanded curriculum ensures that turf professionals and equipment managers not only hone their technical skills but also gain valuable learnings into better managing budgets and ensuring regulatory compliance, further enhancing their professional development.

October 2024
Tuesday 29 October	Cutting unit set-up and sharpening techniques	Moortown GC
Wednesday 30 October	Principles of benchmarking sports turf surfaces	Moortown GC
Thursday 31 October	Compliance for Turf Managers	Moortown GC

November 2024
Wednesday 6 November	Financial management – Bullet proof budgeting	Copt Heath GC
Tuesday 12 November	Cutting unit set-up and sharpening techniques	Haverhill
Wednesday 13 November	Principles of benchmarking sports turf surfaces	Haverhill
Thursday 14 November	Compliance for Turf Managers	Haverhill
Tuesday 26 November	Cutting unit set-up and sharpening techniques	Royal Norwich GC
Wednesday 27 November	Principles of benchmarking sports turf surfaces	Royal Norwich GC
Thursday 28 November	Compliance for Turf Managers	Royal Norwich GC

The cost for each workshop is £165 + VAT, and places are limited.

Click here for further details and to book your place

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.