Recently, 59club UK & Ireland formally acknowledged the exemplary performance of golf clubs across Great Britain and Ireland in various domains, including management, sales, service, operations, retail, spa services, golf course management, and food and beverage.
This recognition highlights the clubs’ commitment to service excellence and operational effectiveness within the industry.
Essendon Country Club distinguished itself by attaining notable results in two specific categories.
- Silver Flag designation for its outstanding service and exceptional facilities;
- Essendon Country Club’s Gyzelle Headington was nominated for the Food & Beverage Manager of the Year in the Green Fee £159 – £75 category. When the award was presented, it highlighted Gyzelle’s exceptional leadership and her dedication to providing an outstanding food and beverage experience for both members and guests.
Key Leadership Skills for 2025
Enhancing management skills is vital for golf club industry leaders in 2025 and beyond.
While there is an abundance of valuable lists outlining leadership competencies, it is beneficial to focus on the specific skills crucial for thriving in golf club management.
Here are the TOP 5 essential leadership skills that can be developed and prioritized for success:
- Interpersonal fairness: Treat people justly, showing professionalism, dignity, respect, and ethics. In addition, keep promises, make decisions correctly, and communicate about those decisions transparently.
- Curiosity: Curiosity can serve as the entry fee for success, considering that over half of your coworkers are eager to learn beyond their jobs. Lacking curiosity might hinder your career.
- Courage involves recognizing that not everyone will agree with all your decisions and having the strength to make tough choices for the organization’s greater good, even in the face of potential pushback. Courageous managers embrace change; they are proactive, take calculated risks, and guide their teams through uncertainty.
- Resilience: Resilient managers possess the remarkable ability to adapt to adversity, transforming challenges into opportunities for growth. They inspire their teams to embrace this mindset as well.
- Emotional intelligence: Research has shown that emotional intelligence surpasses IQ as a powerful predictor of citizenship behavior in leaders—those inspiring employees eager to exceed expectations for their colleagues and organization. Managers who recognize and understand their own emotions hold the key to effectively navigating conflicts and adapting their leadership styles to support the diverse needs of their teams.
How would you describe your leadership style within the golf club? What strengths do you bring to the role, and in what areas do you see growth opportunities?
Please share them in the comments!