The CMAE is delighted to announce that Jim Quinn, General Manager at Foxrock Golf Club has gained the internationally renowned Certified Club Manager (CCM) certification.
This esteemed certification is granted by the Club Management Association of Europe (CMAE) and recognises excellence and professionalism in club management.
The CCM designation has been the hallmark of professionalism in club management since 1965 and is the cornerstone of CMAE’s education programme. It is recognised globally as a valuable and widely respected mark of a manager’s commitment to professional development and the club industry.
Jim is currently the General Manager at Foxrock Golf Club and is the the former General Manager at Sutton Golf Club and prior to that Black Bush Golf Club
Well done on achieving the CCM, Jim. You haven’t been in the club industry for that long (yet) but still over 6 years – what made you decide that you wanted to become a Certified Club Manager?
When I started in Club Management, becoming a Certified Club Manager wasn’t on my agenda at all if I’m being honest. The intention originally was to get as much education in club matters as I could as I know this would enable me to get my job done would enable me to assist members in the best way possible. I signed up for MDP 1 back in January 2018 in Warwick and haven’t really looked back since then. The CCM qualification really only came on the horizon once I had completed my CMDip. Achieving that was a great boost and gave me the encouragement to challenge myself to see if I could take on the CCM challenge.
You recently moved to a new Club, where you are the GM – Foxrock Golf Club. What is your current biggest challenge for 2024?
All those who have started in a new club know that the biggest challenge at the start is getting to know the names of the members 😊. I’ve made a good start but the honeymoon period is nearly over. On a more serious note, the biggest challenge we have is actually getting golfers back on the course. The weather here has been a lot worse than previous years which has resulted in the course being closed a lot more than normal for this time of year. Hopefully though, the weather will pick up and the golfers will get back on the course.
If someone wants to go on and become a CCM – what is your best advice to them? And what do you remember the most from your own journey to CCM?
“Go for it” is the best advice I can give. “Enjoy the journey” is other solid advice that I received very early in my career. Sometimes we can get too obsessed with results and outcomes and miss out on the best bits along the way. Work is a continuous learning experience, add in the educational possibilities that you can get through CMAE and you have a recipe for real growth. As for myself, the best part of the journey was sharing it with my peers from across Europe, on the MDP pathway. Meeting so many fantastic people along the way, sharing experiences and learning from each other was brilliant. Fortunately, I am still in touch with lots of them to get hints and tips as we negotiate the club world together.
Finally, what will happen next? What is your plans from now?
The thing with education, is it never stops. I hope to head to London later in the year for the CMAE European Conference. There is a great line up of speakers for this and it has always been a well organised event. Then hopefully, I will head stateside in the new year to World Conference. I attended one in San Diego a few years ago so will be great to meet up with peers and continue the learning there. Before all of that though I’ll take a bit of time to celebrate my CCM
