In the early stages of my career I enjoyed teaching, but I developed a passion for the club management side of the industry while working at the London Club and this led to my subsequent move out to Abu Dhabi in 2018, when I took up the position of Golf Operations Manager at Yas Links. I’d always wanted to work abroad for the experience, and I’m a big believer in putting yourself outside of your comfort zone and trying different things to expand your knowledge.
In my final year in the Middle East, I managed the operation of Yas Links and its sister properties, Saadiyat Beach Golf Club & Yas Acres, before moving into the role I have now at 59club, where I am based in Spain.
Q. What attracted you to working at 59club and what qualities do you think got you the job?
We used 59club’s services quite extensively at Yas Links and across its sister properties, which became embedded in our operational culture.
Having seen first-hand the benefits of using their staff training, mystery shopping products and survey tools, and the impact they can make at a venue in the fiercely competitive service environment of the Middle East, I was attracted at the opportunity to help other venues achieve their customer experience goals.
When it comes to qualities, a set of core values resonates across the entire 59club team. We are unwaveringly fixated on the concept of providing exceptional experiences, and we hold a genuine conviction in the transformative potential that teams, clubs, properties, and their customers can reap through their association with us.
Q.For those not familiar with 59club, can you explain what services it provides?
59club offer a range of services to help teams, managers and venues enhance their customer experience, performance manage their teams and facility, and increase sales. We design customised programs that align with the unique needs of each venue. This could involve targeted training for specific departments or teams, presenting distinctive experience insights through mystery shop visits, offering advanced survey platforms for both internal and external purposes, and even crafting personalised interactive training tools, among other offerings. We also work across a range of hospitality and leisure sectors, including hotels, food and beverage, and leisure clubs.
Q.How did your previous jobs prepare you for your current role?
Working within previous roles and a diverse mix of venues has provided me with the experience to understand what managers and teams go through, and what they strive to achieve. The industry encounters moments of triumph as well as many challenges, such as recruitment or investment hurdles. However, these challenges don't diminish the constant need to deliver exceptional experiences, every hour of every day, throughout the entire year. These experiences serve as valuable touchstones when engaging in discussions about club life, navigating challenges, and striving towards our objectives.
Q. What does a typical working day involve?
My diary is always active throughout the year which keeps things interesting. There is an important amount of travelling to see partners and to deliver training sessions to teams which is a key focus throughout the year.
Additionally, service meetings when not travelling is vital to us to help managers and teams review their recent test data and focus on Customer Experience and revenue generation opportunities. This might also include ideation discussions on our survey platform or other performance management tools. Lastly, continuous networking and business development is focused on daily , we are seeing a positive growth of venues starting their journey with us this year, and we are looking forward to welcoming more soon
Q.What do you find surprises your golf club/resort clients the most when you report back to them following an audit of their facilities and service?
I’d say the level of detail – when we guide property leaders through their results for the first time they are blown away at the depth of the holistic data.
This then becomes more meaningful when you are able to review a full year of test data to see trends across areas of the journey. The opportunities it provides to set goals/KPIs, track achievements and help performance manage their facility is incredible. And, of course, it allows teams to look at data which is not opinion led, and opens up genuine internal conversations.
Q. What are the most rewarding and the most challenging parts of your role?
One of the most rewarding elements is helping our partner venues turn the dial on their experiences. It gives us great satisfaction to hear how it is helping teams across the region as our ultimate aim is to guide venues in achieving their experience-related objectives, so witnessing these success stories is incredibly fulfilling. In terms of challenges, there are always a few with any role in any sector, but we focus and promote a solution mindset to navigate these.
Q. How do you see your role developing in the years ahead?
The team we have in place across Europe will be more of a focus for me over the coming years. In the future, we will be recruiting area managers for each country, which will only improve the service we can provide to our partners.
When a club decides to work with us, we take great pride in using another one of our pillars; ‘support’ – assisting the venue to utilize the data/platforms to improve their experiences and achieve their goals, so developing a wider team is really exciting.
Q. How important has your PGA training and qualification been in helping you to develop your career?
The PGA gave me the springboard to develop within the industry. It provided the knowledge to find my feet by exposing me to the different career options that are out there while allowing me to choose my desired route.
Q. Have you had any mentors during your career or people who you have been able to lean on for advice? If so, who and what have you learned from them?
I’d advise anyone to get a mentor as it’s an important part to growing as a person and as a professional. Stephen Follett, the general manager at London Golf Club, and Franciso de Lancastre David, who was my general manager when working for Troon in the Middle East, both provided great sounding boards and offered excellent advice in my career development. Additionally, Troon opened a lot of doors to meet other great professionals in the corporate office and managers at other venues around the globe.
Q. What do you know now that you wish you’d had known when you first started out?
To be honest, there isn’t one thing that stands out, there is so much to learn along the way and so much still to learn, you have to keep moving forward.
Continual self-development has always been important to me, the earlier you get into the habit, the better. For example, complete your PGA qualification, have the next milestone lined up, read books, listen to audio books, continually stretch yourself to keep growing, as this will best position you for the adventures and challenges that lie ahead.
Q. What advice would you pass on to other PGA Members who may be interested in working in your specific field?
Just reach out and talk to us and learn more about what we do and why we do it. We have some amazing opportunities in the future, and if you’re passionate about customer experiences in golf, hospitality and leisure, we always have exciting opportunities coming up at 59club.
Get in touch with Lee via LinkedIn or at: lee@59club.com
To find out more about 59club visit: https://www.59clubeurope.com/contact-us/
