| Golf Club Managers' Association | |
| Established: | 1933 |
| Type: | Professional association |
| Services: | Professional Development, Education |
| Headquarters: | Bristol and Clifton Golf Club, Bristol, England |
| Region Served: | United Kingdom |
| Membership: | 2,000 |
The Golf Club Managers' Association, or GCMA (formerly the Association of Golf Club Secretaries) is a UK professional association for secretaries, managers, or owners of golf courses. The organisation was headquartered in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, from 1999 until 2014, when it moved to Bristol and Clifton Golf Club.[1]
The association was formed in 1933. Its core activities include networking and professional development.[2] The association participates in joint educational ventures with other organizations, including an online training course in association with Buckinghamshire New University[3] and a joint Safety Management System in association with the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association, or BIGGA.[4] The Safety Management System is designed to standardize health and safety programmes throughout the member golf courses of both organizations.[5]
The association produces a magazine and website published by Union Press for the benefit of its membership. Originally called Course and Club House, the magazine - after Golf Monthly and PGA Magazine, the world's third oldest golf magazine still in circulation - began quarterly publication in 1935. The first issue contained an article by then-AGCS President Bernard Darwin, grandson of naturalist Charles Darwin.[6] In 1967, the magazine's name was changed to Golf Management, which later became Golf Club Management in 1975. The magazine moved from a quarterly format to the current monthly publication schedule in January 1988. Golf Club Management supplements coverage of the industry with regular articles from experts in the field.