It is fair to say that we do not hear frequently about female management, leadership promotion in golf clubs. In July 2017 I have already mentioned the very low share of women in golf club management positions. The Golf Club Managers Association said that only 20% of golf club managers were women in the UK in 2015 (I will update this as soon as I get the latest data).
Outside the golf industry, women’s promotion to managerial positions and the number of women in a leadership position (senior vice president, C-suite) is not so rosy.
The Women in the Workplace 2017 study conducted by LeanIn.Org and McKinsey found:
- The share of white women in SVP and C-suite positions: 18-18% (Women of color: 3%)
- Women are not leaving their companies at higher rates than men. Very few of them plan to leave the workforce to focus on family.
- Women and men see differently the state of women in their workplace.
At the same time Grant Thorton found in their Women Business study in March 2017:
- 25% – with women in senior management teams. This is a 1% improvement vs 2016.
- 34% – organizations without women in senior management teams. This is a 1% decline vs 2016.
- Men and women perceive risks & opportunities in different ways. A mixed gendered team can have a more effective risk strategy.
- Better to invest in sponsorship programs, not just mentoring.
- Proportion senior management team female in the UK: 19%. In Estonia 40%, in Russia 47%, in Germany 18%, in Japan 7%.
- In the EU: 26% of senior roles are held by women; 36% of businesses have no women in senior roles. France and Spain
lead in terms of the proportion of women in senior roles at 31% and 27% respectively. - Here you can see the results of the previous Women Business Study from 2016.
I believe that diversity (not just gender) can be beneficial for golf clubs and resorts. However, those golf clubs and resorts who believe in diversity they cannot avoid investing more in employee training. They should be also more flexible to enable employees to fit work into their lives.
I am saying all this because I am happy to hear about Sarah Blunden‘s (in the picture above) promotion to general manager at Wycombe Heights Golf Centre (a BGL Golf owned and operated golf center that features two beautifully maintained courses). The previous general manager, Howard Craft (one of my guest writers) became the club manager at Berkhamsted Golf Club.
Blunden began her career at Wycombe Heights Golf Centre in 2006 and has garnered experience in almost every facet of the club since. She balanced part-time work with university studies, culminating in a masters degree in Psychiatric Research at King’s College London.
Her task will be to oversee the progress of several key projects, including the redevelopment of the driving range and the highly successful junior academy, which was launched last year, attracting over 100 children to take part.
Other interesting projects are moving along:
- a £250,000 floodlit driving range under construction,
- short-game area,
- golf shop,
- as well as a Café Bar and Grill, and flexible function suite space.