Bogor, Indonesia: After a near four-year hiatus, world-class education for club management professionals has returned to the region.

Organised by the Asian Golf Industry Federation (AGIF), the BMI (Business Management Institute) General Manager/Chief Operating Officer course commenced on Monday.

The five-day gathering at Bogor’s Lido Lake Resort is one of three compulsory BMI courses that delegates need to attend on their journey towards becoming a Certified Club Manager (CCM).

The AGIF is an International Associate partner of the Club Management Association of America (CMAA) and authorised to run BMI programmes as well as Chapter and Association Education, which are part of the pathway to the CCM designation.

A total of 12 club executives are attending this week’s course. There are seven from Indonesia, three from India and one each from Singapore and Thailand.

Steven Thielke, who chairs the AGIF’s club management education committee and is General Manager at Trump International Golf Club, Lido in Indonesia, said: “This course introduces and expounds upon the GM/COO concept where one learns how to operate his or her club as a business and be perceived as its leader.

“It helps to understand the responsibilities and characteristics of a true general manager or chief operating officer.

“It was encouraging that there was so much sharing and interaction among these senior managers on the topics presented. The sessions were very interactive.”

The programme teed-off with a welcome speech from Jason Koenigsfeld, Chief Learning Officer at the CMAA. He also delivered the opening presentation Giving Effective Feedback.

There were also first-day presentations from Thielke (Membership Marketing/Participation), Wee Peng Siong, General Manager at Riverside Golf Club in Bogor (Golf Operations), and Andrew Johnston, General Manager and Director of Agronomy at Singapore’s Sentosa Golf Club (Turfgrass Management).

Day two was highlighted by presentations by Thielke on Communication Strategies for Member Engagement, and Koenigsfeld on Marketing Principles; Power Politics; Assessing, Planning and Developing Capital Projects; and Tech Trends.

The Law and Club Operations will be the topic addressed by Singapore Island Country Club stalwart Rajita Suntharalingam on Wednesday when there will also be a golf club tour of Trump International Golf Club where the front nine has been grassed.

Chris Gray, President of the AGIF, said: “Congratulations to all involved in bringing the acclaimed BMI programme back to the calendar.

“Special thanks to Lido Lake Resort and Centaur Asia Pacific, who have kindly sponsored the lunches and coffee breaks for this week’s programme. Their support is much appreciated.”

The BMI is a professional development programme developed and launched by the CMAA in the early 1980s. Noting managers at all phases of their careers need instruction, education or inspiration, the concept of the ‘lifetime professional development programme’ was born.

The vision was realised as a multi campus-based programme that provides tangible career benchmarks by which managers can track their progress and strive for various levels of competency, including a respected certification. The curriculum is based on 10 competency areas covering every aspect of a club manager’s job.

Founded in 1927, the CMAA is the largest professional association for club management professionals with 6,800 members.

*For further details about future BMI courses, please email pkong@agif.asia