The value of a strong professional team

Has the club always placed an importance on having assistants/trainees?
When I arrived at West Lancs eight years ago it was in my contract to employ a PGA assistant which I think is important and something that I absolutely agree with. I was always going to have at least two. I think the club's thinking was that, if I wasn't there, they wanted a PGA Professional there. So that started the ball rolling which I think is important, everyone's business is different, but I think there is no reason why every club shouldn’t have a PGA Trainee or qualified PGA Assistant.

Personally, if I walk into a golf shop then I expect to see a golf professional. Why would I get advice from someone who is not an expert in that area? For equipment and lessons, it speaks for itself but with clothing it is so important. We know the features and benefits, from a golf perspective, on the brands that we stock. So, if there is a feature on a set of waterproofs, like where the shoulders have stretch panels on them, then we can explain why they have they got this. The customer needs to know that, while a product might be perceived to be expensive, actually there is great value in that product.  

How does the shop work with the four of you?
One of the best things that I've done is to have a business health review with a guy called Mark Hopkins. He came and spent the day with us and he mentioned that one thing that a lot of pros were not very good at, and I don’t think I was very good at this either, was delegating responsibility. That almost switched the light on for me and now I have three staff who complement each other very well.

One of my assistants, James Dean, is excellent at merchandising while another, Ed Tranter, is excellent at custom fitting. And my trainee, James Rooney, is excellent again when it comes to hardware and club repairs. Mark said to use those skillsets to my advantage by giving them responsibilities within the shop. That was fantastic to be able to do that because they feel that they have got a sense of responsibility within the shop as well and they have more clearly defined roles in the business.  

So, you have three elements of the business here that all complement each other, and the two qualified boys are fantastic at coaching as well. I would say this, but I believe that I have got a fantastic team and the personalities of one another just work perfectly.

What made you make the leap from two to three assistants?
A few years ago the business had almost plateaued. There will be a plateau in every business at some time but I felt that to generate more, I needed to invest more. By investing in another assistant, I could increase service levels to members and visitors and it would allow the other staff members a long weekend off each month and to play more. And it would allow me more flexibility to stand back and look from outside of the business what was going on, rather than be in it myself and not see things. The tipping point I guess was I was trying to do too much and, while I could have carried on, it was a great investment because it has allowed me to be better. You either make more profit with one less member of staff or you invest and speculate to accumulate. I have accepted that I would rather have less and potentially get better service and have more free time.  

One key chat was with my mum, who was a senior manager at the NEC, and she had well over 100 staff under her. She is a sounding board for me when it comes to business and is a massive help, she suggested that, by taking a step back, the business would probably flourish. And your mum is always right. It's one of the best decisions that I have made.  

What are the most effective methods of recruitment?
In terms of recruitment, the way we used to do it was to put an advert in the magazine and The PGA would also post it on to their website. This is still useful but now with social media it is so powerful as people share it within the industry. The most powerful form of advertising that has worked for me with two of my assistants is word of mouth. Both of my qualified assistants have come this way, and my trainee was a junior member here from the age of eight.

Testament to that word of mouth is that those two have been with me for six years. There is generally a high staff turnover which, because once you have done your three years, you then move on to another job. One of the things that resonated with me, and again it was advice from my mum, was that succession planning is key. I have now got a trainee who will be qualified next year so, if one other qualified assistant left, I have got a trainee going into that role who knows my business and who can step into that role. 

I like to think that we all have a great relationship and, if the right job came up elsewhere, then I will actively help them, which I have done in the past, and I will even put in a call to whoever they are looking to go to. Similarly, if I was looking for someone then I would use my own relationships within the industry from people who I trusted. They might have interviewed pros in the past who were very impressive, but might not have been able to fit in, or they might know someone who is good and might be looking for a move.

Do you do appraisals with your staff?
I've always done appraisals with my staff, and we do them, without fail, once a year. It is a chance for me to find out if they are happy, both inside and outside of work, are they getting what they want out of the job and, if they are not, is there anything that I can do?  Here they can talk to me in a private environment, and we can find ways to give them more job satisfaction. I don’t think that every pro does appraisals, I would guess that I'm in the minority, I might be wrong, but I've found them to be very useful. The club’s demands are placed on me, which are then placed on the assistants. I think this way there is no confusion or mixed messages, and it is then for the Head Professional to set out his or her expectations on their staff.