What PGA Managers need to know about dealing with club committees

04/06/2025

Industry expert, and PGA Member, Eddie Bullock is on hand with useful advice for PGA Members who are in management roles at their clubs

Whether it’s a new manager in their first role, or a seasoned leader of people in the club, the relationship between a Club Manager and their board, and various sub-committees, is pivotal for success.

It might be dealing with an owner in a proprietary club, or with a team of volunteers in a Private Members’ establishment, but with more and more PGA Members either starting out in management, or transitioning into such a role, knowing how to build effective relationships and dealing with the ins-and-outs of club life is crucial.

Few know more about the intricacies of club committees than Eddie Bullock. Eddie Bullock Golf Consultancy has become a first port of a call for golf clubs seeking management consulting and staff training services.

Combining up-to-date techniques, while valuing traditions, the PGA Member has helped countless clubs and employees tread a path to success that can sometimes be difficult.

Here, he reveals four nuggets of advice that can help Club Managers navigate the boardroom…

Understand the governance of the club

For a lot of young managers going into the role, what they need to know is that what they’ve learned is basically the Highway Code.

It allows you on the road, it doesn’t mean you’ve got the experience. Sometimes managers go into a role and they’ve got all the ideas and knowledge but probably haven’t got the emotional intelligence or capacity.

Work in incremental stages – you’re going to try to do too much too soon – and really understand what the business is. Is it a members’ or proprietary club? If it’s the former, their terminology and language will be slightly different.

Do a little homework. Look into the Articles of Association of that business, the Companies Act. You are trying to understand a little more about how organisations work. There is no excuse for ignorance. If you’re going to be a General Manager, you’re having to show some form of leadership and your knowledge is vital.

Be very clear on the governance of the club. Who is controlling the club? Who is responsible? Who is accountable for the different sections within the club? What are they expecting from you?

There has been a change over the last half a dozen years, where there is a new generation of chairperson that is far more equipped and educated in business strategy.

It’s about knowing how that chairperson wants to be communicated to? What are their expectations? You need to meet up with them on a regular basis and that wants to be placed in the diary.

It may change but if it’s there, there is a commitment to sit down for 45 minutes or an hour – just to go through your situation and outline whether you feel there are certain challenges and what the expectations are from them.

The important thing for any manager is building the relationships and understanding them.

How to deal with lots of committees

Golf cannot be successful without volunteers, but it is important that clarity is there. What are their responsibilities? It’s important to know what each of those boards do.

Is it important to attend meetings? It’s important to be knowledgeable within 48 hours of what has been discussed. The manager cannot attend each and every meeting.

Here, you need to educate the board. They have an expertise, a knowledge and a professionalism. Do not underestimate them.

You need to educate the board on what is best practice and what is happening within other businesses of a similar nature. It's absolutely vital to know where they're looking to expand, to move forward, and what their communication process is.

Those who are experienced will be looking at the committee and governance structure. You need to feel you can talk to the board and ask on a bi-annual basis to review the structure of each board and what they’re contributing into it.

Then, as a General Manager, I’d be asking, ‘are we are recruiting the right people for the board?’ Have a 360-degree understanding of each board members’ contribution to their board or their committee.

Handling changes of personnel in committees

It’s a key area – building those relationships very clearly and spending time with people – even if it is just to get to know where their ideas of golf are from and their ideas of golf management.

It is for them to be heard as well. You have to be fairly bold in saying, ‘sometimes we’re going to agree and disagree but I want to be very clear that I can see the club moving here’.

For a different reason, they may get stifled in their own areas and don’t quite see the wood for the trees. Your job is really to make them aware of what the trends are and where they’re moving forward.

It’s a very difficult job and that comes down to emotional intelligence and understanding the challenges you have with different people. That does takes time.

How to deal with conflict

I would advise reading Love Thy Customer, by Dr Rick Brinkman and Dr Rick Kirschner, which will give you a good understanding about it.

The word ‘conflict’ – you can get a bit too tense with it. Conflict is fine. Healthy conflict is great. Embrace it.

You’re not going to be right all the time but when you do have any conflict situations: sit down with people, make notes, listen to people.

The best advice you can give anybody is listen, listen and listen again. Really embrace where they are coming from.

Again, it’s about building relationships. It’s about getting more and more understanding. Really talk to people.

If you’re looking for training [on conflict], look for people who have been in that boardroom and you’ll find people who have that knowledge and do like to share it. There are some very well-known chief executives at clubs. How have they handed it? What do they do?

But my view is to write things down very clearly. Make those notes and then you’ve got something to build around.

You’re not going to agree overnight over some situations. Some people are very objectionable where they feel they want a particular issue to go forward. But it’s about finding ways to find a halfway cause, negotiate, and building relationships.