The Spanish Golf Courses Association in collaboration with two of the best Spanish professionals in the training and management of golf courses launches the Advanced Course in Golf Course Management. The course consists of 300 theoretical hours spread over 30 weekends and 720 practical hours spread over four months and the possibility of taking an advanced module of 200 hours under the guidance of a prestigious director.
From the union of Salvador Álvarez and Antonio Conde, two professionals whose activity has been linked for the last 15 years to management and training in the golf industry and their collaboration with the Spanish Association of Golf Managers (AEGGG), comes this ambitious training project. After directing two of the best golf course management courses in Spain, they have decided to combine their knowledge and experience to create a unique program. A golf course management course that brings together all the experience and knowledge in golf course management from many years working in the sector, with the most modern and innovative techniques in golf course marketing. Salvador Álvarez has one of the most brilliant professional careers linked to the management and direction of golf courses. In addition to presiding over the AEGGG, he has always been linked to teaching and strategic golf course consultancy, creating a whole school (more than 250 students have passed through his golf course management courses) of managers and directors who today work in the world of golf. For 23 years he has been the general manager of Guadalhorce Club de Golf.
Antonio Conde burst a few years ago in the golf industry revolutionizing the marketing methods of golf courses, especially the online channel where he is an expert in optimizing the channels that the internet makes available to this industry. In addition to constantly launching innovative projects linked to golf such as GOLFBOO.com, for several years he has directed one of the courses with the greatest commercial projection within the golf industry.
One of the fundamental pillars of the course is the participation of the most prestigious professionals in the golf industry. To this end, the directors of the program as well as the Spanish Association of Golf Managers work continuously to ensure that the students of the course have the best.
There are many directors, managers, companies or industry professionals who collaborate in the Advanced Course of direction and management of golf courses, among which we can highlight Javier Reviriego general director of Valderrama; David Gomez, director Green Section Real Federación Española de Golf; Miguel Girbés, general director PGA de Catalunya Resort; Luis de Vierna, international golf consultant; Pedro Morán, director of the Real Club de la Puerta de Hierro; José María Zamora, director of Tournaments of the European Tour, and Ignacio del Cuvillo, managing director of Guadalmina Golf, among many others.
The work methodology used in this course will combine the experience of golf course directors with more than 20 years of professional experience with the techniques and technologies used by younger golf course directors trained in new technologies, especially from the point of view of marketing and commercialization.
The program offers the student a comprehensive training and at the same time close to the business reality. They will be trained in both techniques and skills through an eminently practical approach and active intervention by the students.
The course is face-to-face and its theoretical part is structured over 30 weekends with a total of 300 hours, since classes are given on Friday afternoons from 16-21 and Saturday mornings from 9-14 so that people who are working have the possibility of taking the course. Afterwards, there is a practical part with 720 hours that can be taken in most golf courses throughout Spain. Finally, there is an advanced program, fundamentally practical, with 200 hours under the guidance of a prestigious golf course director.
All information about the course is available at www.cursogestioncamposgolf.com.
ANTONIO CONDE: “We have brought together the best of golf in Spain”.
He has extensive teaching experience in the golf sector and is a restless entrepreneur who has given birth to companies of the caliber of Golfboo.com, the golf vacation website. Antonio Conde explains here some of the details of the Advanced Course in Golf Course Management.
What are the keys to the course?
In reality there are many details, but above all there are two strategic points. First, it is a seamless course. Thanks to the experience that both Varo and I have had in coordinating our respective courses in the past, we have tried to cover all the gaps or weaknesses that we have detected over the years.
Secondly, we must highlight the teaching staff. We have managed to bring together the best of the golf sector in Spain. If we add to the fact of having the two directors of the courses with the greatest international projection such as Valderrama or PGA of Catalonia, the experience of managers co- mo Pedro Moran in Puerta de Hierro, the result is an unprecedented program in training related to the management of golf courses.
How is this course different from others that may be available today?
As I said before, we have made an effort to ensure that no loose ends are left untied. A good example of this is the practical part. Thanks to our close collaboration with the Spanish Association of Golf Managers, the agreements we are reaching with the best managers in Spain will allow students to do an unprecedented internship. We are making sure that the people who take the program will have real golf course management experience. They will not be left, as in other courses, at the mercy of the goodwill of the host golf course staff, but will be guided by a specific program.
Who is this course for?
This course is designed for all those people who either because they are already working in the sector, or because they are passionate about the world of golf and have clear that their future is to work in the management of a golf course. One of the main problems that many programs of this type encounter is the heterogeneity of the students in terms of their knowledge of golf, which makes it very difficult for teachers to follow the program. To avoid these situations we are working on two lines, on the one hand to fine tune the selection process, and on the other hand we have developed an ‘introductory program to the world of golf’ specially designed for those people who, although they meet the conditions to take the course, do not have a sufficient level of golf knowledge to start the main program. This “introductory module” will be totally free for the student in case he/she is selected.
Can it be done remotely?
Not right now. We firmly believe that one of the strengths of the course is the contact with the speakers, who not only teach the subjects but also share their experiences with the students, further enriching the quality of the course. There will be an e-learning platform to access the contents at all times and that will be the link between the students and the teaching staff.
Where and when will the course be held?
The advanced golf course management course will hold its first edition in Marbella, although we are already working on a new edition that will probably be held in Madrid or Barcelona. Classes will be held on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings, to make attendance possible for people who are currently working, and will be held on the premises of a golf course, as we want students to be closely involved in the operation of the golf course throughout the course.
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