Education and Professional Development
The GCAE believes education is a the root and foundation of a successful golf facility. The GCAE works with a number of industry associations and educational institutions in developing educational programmes for golf course owners and managers. Through our annual European Golf Business Conference the GCAE delivers industry leading speakers from around the world to share with European owners the latest trends in golf.
Useful educational resources for golf course owners
Club Managers Association of Europe (CMAE)
CMAE’s ultimate goal is to develop knowledgeable, well-educated, talented and qualified managers for the club industry of Europe, who possess all of the required skill-sets to manage clubs of all types.
The days when an employer (whether a private members club or corporately-owned club) has to recruit from other industries and professions to find people to manage their clubs should be a distant memory, and the club management industry should follow the example set by many of our colleagues in other sectors of the sports and hospitality industry (i.e. hospitality industry professionals, sports coaches and administrators, grounds, facility and property managers etc.) whereby their own qualifications and certification benchmarks become the acceptable common standards of knowledge required to do the job.
Education for Club Managers across Europe
The CMAE are working with our affiliate partners in each country to provide club managers with a range of educational opportunities at local, regional and national levels (and there is a wide variety of workshops, seminars and conferences already in place in many countries), in addition to which the CMAE organize the CMAE European Conference on Club Management , held in the Autumn each year. The conference is open to all club managers from all over Europe, the Middle East and North Africa and contains educational presentations, round-table discussions and networking events.
They recognize that an increasing number of academic institutions (colleges and universities) are providing students with degree and diploma courses in hospitality and sports management for people who wish to enter the profession. Many of these are working with the CMAE and/or ouraffiliate partners to provide these courses to working club managers, in part-time, distance learning and online formats.
visit CMAEFederation of European Golf Green Keepers Association (FEGGA)
Education has to be the key to all associations and indeed greenkeepers in achieving the highest level of professionalism within our industry and therefore greater recognition within the game of golf.
FEGGA’s role with formal education has been to set the standards and have recently launched an initiative to create Pan European Standards, leading to the launch of Greenkeeper Training Europe. Greenkeeper Training Europe has now produced standards on 3 levels and will through its work be able to assist Countries with guidance on all aspects of formal greenkeeping education.
Continuous learning is a very important part of day to day learning and FEGGA provides support in this area through advice and also its Roadshow events that have now been operated in some 14 Countries over the past eight years.
FEGGA also has a speaker bank that offers its Members Associations contact with a range of speaker’s world-wide covering industry learning presentations.
Visit fegga.com
PGA'S of Europe
The PGAs of Europe is an Association of National PGAs (33 European and 6 nternational) with a collective membership in excess of 21,000 golf professionals whose objective is to represent, promote and advise PGAs on a business-to-business basis. At all times striving to raise standards and opportunities in the education and employment of golf professionals while also representing member countries in dealing with influential bodies and governments regarding the promotion of the game and the interests of PGA professionals.
The PGAs of Europe guides the administration of the professional game throughout the continent and sometimes beyond in order to ensure excellence in the delivery of those services necessary to guarantee highly qualified, highly skilled PGA Professionals equipped to lead the advancement of the game around the world.
It is also a partner in the Ryder Cup with specific responsibility for the management of the Ryder Cup European Development Trust and is widely acknowledged as a lead body in the delivery of golf development expertise on a global basis through its collaboration with The R&A in implementing its Golf Development Programme.
visit pgae.comGolf Stand
The European Occupational Standards for Golf project (GOLF STAND) has been developed with the main objective to produce a range of indispensable European occupational standards aiming at defining the competences, skills and knowledge needed for those working in the sector as golf professionals.
These developments will:
- Improve the recognition of competences and qualifications in the golf sector
- Further enhance the recognition and re-evaluation of the standards set by the PGAs of Europe embracing an EU-wide competence-based, learning output framework;
- Promote a transparent and flexible education and training system with clear learning and career pathways
- Ensure the development of a competent workforce with the right skills and competences in line with the expectation of the labour market and facilitate the movement between education and employment
- Develop mobility, transparency and mutual trust of qualifications.
- Provide a clear Occupational Map and descriptions for the golf industry.
Golf Industry Guru
Golf Industry Guru (GIG) is a membership-based online platform updated daily that provides online learning to help golf course owners, operators and their team members achieve greater success. GIG is perfect for any type of golf facility anywhere in the world and is loaded with information and educational content that will benefit Owners, General Managers, Superintendents, Directors of Golf, F&B Managers, Chefs, Sales & Marketing Managers, Financial Controllers, Front-Line Golf and F&B service staff, and you!
GIG is a virtual community that’s powered on 24/7. It’s where the best will get better and where tomorrow’s leaders will learn from today’s success stories.
GCAE members get a discounted price! There are two options:
1. $79 per month instead of $99 per month. Sign in per month!
2. Annual (even greater discount %) $799 instead of $999. Sign in for a year!
Here you can read some articles from the Guru’s from GIG:
– Getting known by Greg Patterson
– Club marketing to millenials by Mike Orloff
– The best follow-up practices for membership inquiries by Melissa Hansen
