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Golf Club Talk UK is delighted to welcome Chris Fitt: Director of Golf & Leisure - Chris has been influential in the recent developments at Foxhills while being an active contributor to the future golf leaders group within the industry. Chris shares his experiences and insights of his progressive career path and being associated with some of the leading golf destinations in the country.  Leighton is then joined by two experts from each of BRS and Golf Genius to talk about how this new and powerful partnership which will help clubs and members with competition administration.  They also delve into how you can make competitions much more dynamic with live scoring and contactless score entry.   Thank you to our sponsors: BRS Golf - https://www.brsgolf.com/web/ Xact - https://www.xactgroup.co.uk/index.php?id=home   Other links: https://www.foxhills.co.uk/golf https://www.golfgenius.com/

From Horseboxes to management buyouts this episode.  After Leighton & Eddie catch up for a chat, Eddie is joined by Steve Salter from Salt Club Consulting.  Steve's expertise and specialism is helping clubs with their technology , having been associated with a number of golf clubs and golf destinations he has been sought after in assisting golf club businesses with their technology strategy . Steve shares some key points in the best methods to assess whether golf clubs are investing into the correct software solution.  Steve also shares his recent entrepreneurial initiative with the converted "hospitality horse- boxes" that are starting to provide additional services and revenues for club businesses.  Leighton then catches up with Ben Laing, Managing Director of Branston Golf & Country Club.  Ben is just over year into a recent management buyout of the Club following several years as CEO.  Branston is a multi-faceted club with two Golf Courses and Practice Facilities, strong Health & Fitness offer as well as Conference and Function facilities.  After the excitement of the takeover, Ben found himself quickly thrown into the chaos of the COVID lockdown.  A very shar operator, Ben provides some great wisdom to listeners. https://www.horseboxhospitality.com/ https://www.branstonclub.co.uk/ Big thanks to our sponsor - Xact Group for your H & S and HR needs https://www.xactgroup.co.uk/index.php?id=home

Two interviews this month and we catch up with Stephen Nicholson, GM at Haydock Park Golf Club.  Stephen, a finalist in the GCMA Manager of the year is building a good reputation as a Golf Club Manager.  Leighton and Stephen talk a lot about remaining positive for your staff and members, particularly through a crisis.  Stephen also mentions his new venture - Mango Golf Management which is just being launched.  https://mangogolf.co.uk/ Eddie also checks in with Graeme Taylor from Xact, a proud sponsor of GCTUK.  Xact provide some great solutions both on the HR & H&S fronts and Graeme explains how they have helped clubs through COVID.  https://www.xactgroup.co.uk/   

After Leighton and Eddie catch up to review what's been happening over the last few weeks, Leighton talks to Mike Clayton and Ed Cartwright from CDP (Clayton, Devries & Pont), a unique and global design collaboration based in the UK, Europe and USA.   The discussion centres largely around some of the fundamentals of course architecture and challenges, but Ed also explains what CDP is hoping to do in the UK and Europe, including a couple of existing projects such as The Addington in Surrey.   It's a really good chat and having spent over twenty years on the European and Australasian tours, Mike Clayton brings his vast experience, knowledge and story telling to the table.   http://www.cdpgolf.com/index.html https://www.golfcoursearchitecture.net/content/custodians-of-the-course

Leighton and Eddie catch up for an end of year chat and look forward to what Golf clubs might be thinking about in 2021.  With the opportunities presented, clubs will need to continue to think outside the box and provide an innovative offer.  Eddie also pays respect to long time friend and guest of the show - Peter Allis Plenty of great interviews to come in 2021 and thanks to all of our loyal listeners.  Happy New Year! Twitter - @golfclubtalkuk golfclubtalkuk@gmail.com

Leighton & Eddie catch up for their usual look at what's been happening in the past month.  Following this they're joined by Adam Keable and Colin Bell from Gather!  Gather is a new initiative designed to build a community which will disrupt and ask some difficult questions of the Golf industry.  With a Podcast, video and online networking initiatives, the guys will open up debate and share knowledge among its members.  It's an interesting chat that informs members of what Gather is about but also explores some of the very topics that are key to Gather's manifesto. Check it out at https://www.gather.golf/  

Over seven months on from our first International Round Table episode, Leighton and Eddie revisit with Kevyn Cunningham from Half Moon Bay in Jamaica and John Caven from Oakdale Golf & Country Club in Toronto, Canada.  This time they're also joined by Luis Rio, Secretary at Morgado Golf Club in Portugal and David Shepherd of The Scandinavian outside Copenhagen, Denmark.  The guys explore how they have got on since May when things were in the early days of COVID-19.  What have been the successes and challenges as well as direction for 2021 but they also talk about leadership through a crisis such as this.  There's some fascinating stuff in here and we're really lucky to benefit from the panel's experience and knowledge.   www.morgadogolfhotel.com www.halfmoon.com www.thescandinavian.dk www.oakdalegolf.com   Sponsored by BRS Golf - www.brsgolf.com

Eddie speaks with Matt Adamski ( General Manager ) of Sweetens Cove Golf Club . Sweetens Cove has developed a cult following, a unique nine hole golf course in Tennessee, it's recently been included within the top 100 modern golf courses , also the New York Times mentioned it as “ The Little Course That Could “  Matt shares the amazing story about Sweetens Cove, as one of the coolest golf experiences, while focusing on quality golf surfaces. https://sweetenscovegolfclub.com/ @SweetensCove   Second up, Leighton chats with Bob and Lesley from BRS Golf about their new Membership software.  This is now creating a seamless system which integrates perfectly with tee bookings and all other aspects of BRS Golf.  Also, welcomed to the show is Fame Tait, Owner and Director of Stanedge Golf Club in Derbyshire.  Fame gives a first hand account of how she uses the BRS Golf system to her advantage and how it has completely modernised her administration of memberships www.brsgolf.com www.stanedgegolfclub.co.uk   Contact Leighton & Eddie: golfclubtalkuk@gmail.com @golfclubtalkuk   Thanks to our show partners - BRS Golf

We welcome back Stuart Finlay, GM of Radyr Golf Club in Cardiff. Stuart first appeared on the show two years ago, not long after starting in his new role as GM, having come from Wales Golf. We look back at what Stuart has done at Radyr as well as the successes, tough times and what's ahead. Stuart is open and honest and it's a fascinating interview form one of the industry's sharp operators. Feel free to get in touch with Stuart at http://www.radyrgolf.co.uk

After Leighton and Eddie catch up to look at what's happening in the industry currently, Eddie sits down with John Cockayne: Specialist Golf Consultant based in Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands. John has extensive experiences within the golf industry and shares his ideas and insights with the developments of the golf business. Leighton then chats with Doug Philip of DPSM Consultants. DPSM are a specialist Golf Recruitment firm and he lends some great advice to anyone in the industry. Doug, a member of Elie Golf Club, also owns Oswald House Hotel in Kirkcaldy, Fife. Within 45 minutes of some of Scotland's best courses, Oswald House provides a warm welcome and is an ideal base for a Golf trip in this area. http://dpsmconsultants.com http://oswald.house  

Episode 28 features our new sponsor "BRS Golf". Leighton talks to Bob and Peter from BRS about how COVID has affected rounds played as well as membership but they also talk through some of the great innovation that BRS are producing to help clubs. From membership management to member finance they are building the complete package for golf clubs. Leighton then talks to Torbjorn "Toby" Johanssen, Director of Education with CMAE. CMAE are moving towards more online education platforms and Toby explains. He also touches on such things as Golf in Sweden and Scandinavia. BRS Golf - BRS Golf – Online Golf Tee Time Booking Reservation System Software – BRS Golf – Ireland, UK, England, Scotland, Wales   CMAE Europe - https://www.cmaeurope.org/home

A brief in between episode this time with Leighton chatting through his experiences over the last 5 months and the effect that it's had on his club, Cirencester as well as him personally.  This is followed by Michelle Baker from the Melanoma Fund who explains the "Slip, Slap, Swing" campaign designed to raise awareness around melanoma and skin cancer. The campaign has many UK Golf Clubs on board.  Michelle can be found on Twitter - @melanoma_fund, or on Linkedin - Michelle Baker.  The website is Melanoma Fund | Tackling Rising Rates of Melanoma

Golf Club Talk UK welcome Harriet Shephard and Kim Wild who head up, Women and Golf magazine, UKs leading golf magazine for women. The magazine has recently made the transition to purely a digital platform, Harriet and Kim share their vision moving forward and why clubs need to embrace the female community. Visit https://womenandgolf.com/ to check out the magazine.  Leighton speaks to Chris Duffy, formerly GM of Huddersfield Golf Club but currently exploring opportunities. Chris and Leighton talk about redundancy, Chris' previous business venture, lessons learned from over 120 Golf resorts around the world, the industry in general and what's ahead for Chris Duffy. Chris can be contacted on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisduffygolf/

Leighton and Eddie have a catch up discussing among other things, the reopening of Clubhouses, Bryson De Chambeau and the European Tour recommencing. On the back of this, Leighton interviews Gavin Robinson, Personal Development Manager of the GCMA. Gavin has been playing a pivotal role in keeping members informed throughout the COVID-19 crisis. He explains how he has done this and talks about some of the challenges that Golf Club employees have faced. Gavin also talks about some of the education offerings through the GCMA. Gavin can be reached via email: gavin@gcma.org.uk

Leighton and Eddie have a general chat on Episode 24. They explore many of the issues that have come out of the COVID-19 crisis. They delve into areas such as what they've both been up to, new members and the spike that clubs have seen here, 9 hole competitions, club culture, tee time bookings at members clubs, innovation and technology and much more. Many opportunities have arisen out of COVID-19 and now is the chance for the industry to seize some of these opportunities for their future benefit. Clubs will no doubt be looking at their business models and is it time to reset?? Please share your ideas, experiences and thoughts with Eddie and Leighton on Twitter @golfclubtalkuk or email golfclubtalkuk@gmail.com

As the pandemic hit, many golf businesses were scaling their preparations for the return. We wanted to talk with golf leaders and gain first hand knowledge what is happening in other countries around the world of golf , and how they view the unexpected problems presented and the effect within their respected golf businesses. Our ambitious plan was to bring everyone to the Golf Club Talk UK table at the same time, it’s our pleasure to share with our listeners the thoughts and ideas of our international guests. Welcome to: Richard Sorell : Chief Executive - Golf de Vidauban , France Chris Bentley: Chief Executive - Royal Johannesburg & Kensington Club , South Africa Miguel Franco de Sousa: President - Portuguese Golf Federation Kevyn Cunningham: Director of Golf- Half Moon Golf , Jamaica Marco Aquilino: General Manager -Royal Park Golf Club , Milan, Italy John Caven: Chief Operation Officer - Oakdale Golf & Country Club , Ontario, Canada

Another round table episode this week focusing on the role of the Chairman through a crisis like this. Eddie and Leighton are joined by 5 Chairs from various clubs in the North and South of the country. Our geusts were: Emma Brereton - Chair : Cirencester GC Janet Thacker - Chair - Highwoods GC, Bexhill -on - Sea Rick Weights - Chair - Fulford GC, York Jim Titley - Chair -Broadway GC David Ham - Chair - The Nevill GC, Tunbridge Wells These people bring huge experience and knowledge to their roles and they discuss what they have been doing to help mitigate the COVID-19 crisis. There's some really valuable information with an emphasis on staffing, membership subscriptions and where to from here. Apologies for any sound issues that occur during this interview.

A special episode this week where we discuss COVID-19 and its effect on the industry with 7 industry experts. It's an open discussion looking at the impact it will have on people, finances and the future of Golf Clubs and the game itself. The panel is made up of Managers, Association representatives, Driving Ranges and even a view from Denmark! Tune into this episode to listen to what others are doing already but also what planning might need to take place. For more information on COVID-19 and the Golf industry, see these links: Government update on status of greenkeeping Latest: Coronavirus - GCMA

Enjoy this fascinating conversation with two UK golf club leaders, Amy Yeates and Rebecca Prout.  Amy Yeates, CEO of Moor Park golf and tennis club. Previous winner of the GCMA manager of the year award and PGA Professional. Amy’s previous clubs include Fairmont St Andrews, Goodwood, The Belfry and Mannings Heath. Rebecca Prout is the General Manager of Highwoods Golf Club   

First up this month, the show takes on an International flavour with Leighton interviewing Rod Morri, Journalist and host of several well-known podcasts in Australia on the Talkin Golf Network (https://talkingolf.com/about/).    Rod is a journalist by trade, now writing for Golf Australia magazine, but more lately has expanded his Podcast network which includes shows such as The Good Good Golf podcast, State of the Game and Feed The Ball.    As well as this Rod talks to us about some trends in clubs in Australia along with some things that are working well and things that are not.  There's also a chat on the importance of Community in Golf Clubs.    Leighton also speaks to Deana Rushworth (Golf Lessons, Witney, Oxfordshire - Deana Rushworth PGA Golf Pro & Mind Factor Coach).  Deana recently gained the "Advanced PGA" status and this is a testament to her time in the industry and contribution to teaching.    The discussion moves from Teaching to how perhaps clubs can introduce more ladies to the game and even the "Mind Factor" seminars that Deana delivers to Golfers on Golf psychology.    Originally from Yorkshire and now teaching out of Witney Lakes Golf Club, Deana is an engaging character who has a lot of energy and a lot of great ideas.