North Carolina, United States: John Deere and Quail Hollow Club have introduced the Quail Institute, a first-of-its-kind, world-class, fellowship programme focusing on the skills and competencies required to fully develop golf industry leaders.
This one-year programme begins in 2018 and includes three fellows in the areas of Agronomy, Golf Operations and Club Management.
“The Quail Institute strives to create and perpetuate a vibrant and diverse learning environment that helps develop the next generation of leaders in golf, while fostering innovative best practices in golf management,” said Ren Wilkes, Tactical Marketing Manager, John Deere Golf, an Executive Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.
He added: “We’re committed to developing a sophisticated pipeline for this industry, and the Institute is the perfect avenue.”
An initial pilot programme was conducted this year, with two fellows – Russell Ambrose, whose focus is golf course management, and Rachel Nesbitt, whose focus is on club management.
Through this experience, John Deere and Quail Hollow Club validated the need for a fellowship programme to inspire young industry professionals and provide them with real-world experiences to grow their careers.
The 2018 programme, will go beyond current club curriculums, challenge each fellow to think critically, analyse and assess practices and create, lead and implement change.
Over the course of the year, the three fellows will participate in six different modules enabling them to understand both the macro and micro challenges of their sector and the wider club industry.
As part of the curriculum, the fellows will have access to the following:

• Major tournaments and championships
• Operations in a world-class private club
• Cross training in all disciplines within the club business
• Unique exposure to the John Deere and Quail Hollow Club brands
• Academic project and thesis development
• Career development, public speaking and crisis management training

The programme doesn’t stop after one year. As fellows graduate from the programme become alumni, there were be additional opportunities for the fellows to participate as mentors for future events.
The Quail Institute will also track the successes of the alumni to be documented and communicated to help inspire current fellows.
The Quail Institute will be set up as a 501C3 non-profit organisation to help encourage participation.
As the founding members of the programme, John Deere and Quail Hollow Club hope to grow the number of sponsors involved, and expect other companies and foundations in the industry see the value in participating and supporting this programme.