Adam Walsh named as new manager of Sunningdale Golf Club

The 32-year-old general manager of Farleigh Golf Club has been named as the new general manager of Sunningdale Golf club – one of the most prestigious job roles in golf club management.

Adam Walsh, who was featured on the cover of The Golf Business in March 2019, will move to the Surrey golf club in September, after four years at Farleigh.

Meet the manager: Adam Walsh

Walsh was promoted to general manager from his previous role of golf sales manager in January 2017 and has overseen the completion of a major investment programme at Farleigh on and off the course.

He became the youngest ‘Certified Club Manager’ with the Club Managers’ Association of Europe (CMAE) when he qualified last November, and his new appointment is evidence of the 27-hole venue’s burgeoning status in the golf industry for progressing people’s careers.

Adam Walsh (right)

‘Farleigh Golf Club has further enhanced its reputation in the golf industry as a breeding ground for talent,’said a spokesman for the club.

Former Farleigh golf course manager Michael Mann left to take up a similar role at Walton Heath, venue for the 2018 British Masters, while Walsh’s predecessor, Russell Stebbings moved on to Frilford Heath, another one of the leading clubs in the south of England.

Marc Hayton, owner of Farleigh and Foxhills, said: “Adam has done a tremendous job as general manager of Farleigh and we recognise that this is an amazing opportunity for him to further his career.

“We’re very proud of Farleigh’s reputation for attracting and developing young talent. With a great team, continued investment and the backing of Foxhills, Farleigh has doubled its revenue since 2012 and has proved an incubator of golf leadership and a fantastic opportunity for any aspiring manager.”

“Adam made full use of the opportunity available and we look forward to welcoming applications from similar-minded people who are focused on forging a successful career in golf.”

Commenting on his new role, Adam said: “I am absolutely thrilled that I will be joining the team at Sunningdale, one of the world’s finest clubs.

“I have worked very hard on myself from a professional standpoint for a number of years now, and a large proportion of that work has been completed through the CMAE pathway.”

Tristan Hall, the current secretary of Sunningdale Golf Club, added: “We identified some excellent candidates and when we got this down to a final six we discovered that they were all involved in CMAE and its education pathway.

“When I attended the CMAE world conference it was clear that to even be considered for the top jobs in the USA you must be a ‘Certified Club Manager’ (CCM). I think this is now starting to happen in the UK, maybe in five years’ time, there will be very few world top 100 clubs that do not choose a CCM as part of their management team.

“I know that Adam will do an amazing job in running the daily operations and facilities of Sunningdale Golf Club.”

Many in the industry are offering their congratulations to Adam on our LinkedIn page here.