The Club Management Association of Europe (CMAE) is delighted to announce that Alan Oliver, Club Secretary at Silloth on Solway Golf Club, has officially achieved the globally recognised Certified Club Manager (CCM) designation.
Alan, who has served as Secretary at Silloth on Solway for nearly 15 years, is the latest club management professional to join the elite ranks of Certified Club Managers — a group known for their expertise, leadership, and commitment to excellence in the club industry.
Torbjorn Johansson, CEO of CMAE, commented:
“Alan is a fantastic example of what the CCM journey is all about — consistent learning, dedication, and passion for the profession. His commitment to both personal development and the betterment of his club is inspiring, and we are proud to welcome him into the CCM community.”
Alan shares his thoughts on this momentous achievement in an exclusive Q&A:
Well done on achieving the CCM, Alan Oliver. How happy are you right now?
I am absolutely over the moon to have passed my exam and to be able to call myself a Certified Club Manager. It’s been a few weeks since the exam and I’ve tried to evaluate how I’d done ever since hoping I’d done enough, so to get the call to confirm I had passed was amazing.
You have been the Secretary at Silloth on Solway Golf Club for almost 15 years now – knowing the club better than many, what are the biggest challenges for you?
I think the biggest challenge is the constant evolution of the business and the golf club as a whole and evolving yourself to keep up to date.
The business we run now is almost unrecognisable to the one 15 years ago in terms of rules, laws and regulations that are now in place. It’s much harder to run a business now than it was 15 years ago
There is also so much pressure on golf clubs now to perform at a very high level all of the time as any drop in standards can be seen by your customers instantly in the world we now live in.
Ensuring that you keep your knowledge up to date is vital. In this role we have to try to keep progressing and learning all of the time as we are on the front line guiding our clubs through difficult times so we need to be the best we can be.
The main thing the helps with these challenges is the support I have from the committee and other staff as working as a team is imperative.
You sat the CCM Exam Review Course in April. How was that experience compared to “normal” training?
The CCM Exam Review Course was superb. Right away you were back into the MDP mode of learning, surrounded by like minded people and being assisted by some amazing tutors which has made the MDP programme so enjoyable. The review course was slightly different as it wasn’t about sharing experiences of your own club or learning new things it was specifically around the knowledge necessary to pass the exam. To cover the 10 core competences in the 2 ½ days meant there was a lot of information covered but the revision I’d done ahead of the course meant I could just use the review course to refresh my knowledge across all areas.
What about your CCM journey? What will you remember the most?
The biggest thing is the people. Toby and all of the tutors involved in the MDP programme have been amazing and I’ve learnt so much from them. To meet and spend time with so many other managers has been a real highlight too. To be able to make such strong connections with people having only spent a short amount of time with them is a rare thing but everyone connected to the CMAE has made the journey so memorable.
I know golf is a huge interest of yours, but what do you love doing with your time – outside of the office?
I try to play as much golf as I can but other than that I love spending time with my family and I live close to the Lake District so enjoy walking round the Lakes and fells.
Anything else you want to share with people thinking about becoming CCM?
Being a part of the CMAE and gaining the CCM status is easily the best thing I have done in my professional life. The things I have learnt, the people I have met and experiences I’ve had have been fantastic and even though I’ve completed the MDP programme the connection to the CMAE and everyone involved in it will carry on. I would have no hesitation at all in recommending the CMAE and the MDP programme to anyone in club management.
