PGASOFEUROPE THE MANAGER Gavin Chappell – Golf Manager, Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club, Abu Dhabi What does your current role
involve? I am lucky that I have a great team
working with me in the golf department here in Al Ain which makes it easier for me to oversee that the club is moving in the right direction. Managing that team to ensure that we are giving our members and guests the best experience possible when they visit the club and at the same time continually looking to promote the resort to both new members and guests. The standards of clubs in the region are so high, so unless we are constantly looking to improve on how our club is run we would be left behind.
What was your reason for going into your area of the
industry? I had the opportunity to move in to
my current role at the start of this year and I felt it was something that I wanted to do to further my career and also the additional role and responsibilities it presented. I have been in the golf industry for the last 18 years with various roles which I have all enjoyed but I feel that most people want to continue to grow in whatever field they are in and I am certainly no different.
What were your reasons for going to work in that
particular location? I have been lucky since leaving the UK in the opportunities that I have been given and the different places I have worked. My first role in Cairo led to a new challenge in Ras Al Khaimah which is the most northern Emirate in the UAE, which in turn presented a move to Al Ain, part of the Abu Dhabi Emirate. I have been in the UAE for almost 9 years now and in that relatively short period of time I have seen great growth in the game of golf which has been fantastic as both local and international rounds continue to rise. This and the quality of our golf
facility go together as main reasons why I am here in the UAE.
www.pgae.com What are the main obstacles
you face in your position? Again I am lucky in the team I have in Al Ain which makes a lot of the potential obstacles you could face not being a problem. One challenge we face in Al Ain is with our location, being over an hour from both Abu Dhabi and Dubai. We not only have to compete with the more well known clubs in the region, we have to do it from where we are situated. This has its obvious problems in encouraging visitors from either inside or outside of the UAE to visit us, but again I feel what we have to offer at the resort goes a long way to counter act this.
What are the main pieces of advice you would give to a PGA Pro looking to move into
your area of the industry? Even though your roles and
responsibilities would change from your previous position, a lot of what you had been involved in previously will hold you in good stead. I feel that is the case for myself as I try to use my experiences from past roles while at the same time trying to look for ways in moving forward. Each club or resort will vary in terms of what they are looking to achieve and what is the vision of their owners or management. But by understanding those and continuing to do the basics well and being pro active in moving forward to grow the club and the services you offer, would in my opinion be important traits.
Is there one key thing that you have learnt in your area of expertise that could be applied to all areas and if so what is it? I feel having good interpersonal
relationships is certainly a major point and one that is necessary in the role - from having a team that you oversee, as well as being responsible in reporting to and meeting with superiors, and at the same time dealing with golfers be it members or visitors to the club. All 3 points do take different forms but all of them are crucial in having a successful club.
SGBGOLF 5
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