SPEAKER PROFILES

Jay has been the CEO of National Golf Course Owners Association since 2015, where he leads the golf industry’s trade association and initiatives to support the success of the golf course business, the largest segment of an $84B industry in the United States. Prior to his appointment at NGCOA, Jay was CEO of Select Registry, a portfolio of over 300 premier boutique hotels, inns and B&Bs. For seven years before that, Jay was President and CEO of the trade association representing owners of small, independent lodging businesses.  Jay was also with the NGCOA for ten years early in his career, having served the association in several roles.  

Jay holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Winthrop University, a Master of Arts degree in American History from the College of Charleston and is a Certified Association Executive (CAE) by the American Society of Association Executives. Jay serves as Chairman of the industry-wide advocacy coalition, We Are Golf, and as a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame advisory board and the Golf USA Tee Time Coalition, a joint initiative with the PGA of America.  He has also served on the boards of directors of the United States Travel Association and the College of Charleston’s Hospitality and Tourism Management degree program. The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, CBS Radio, NBC News, NPR, the Golf Channel, Golf Digest and many others call upon Jay for his insights on the golf industry. He speaks on industry issues throughout the United States and across the globe.  

Within the association community, Jay has become well known as a thought leader and progressive practitioner.  He has been asked by ASAE to author articles and make presentations on effective leadership and membership growth at many ASAE Annual Meetings.  Recently, he contributed to the books Membership Essentials and the ASAE Handbook of Professional Practices in Association Management.  Jay serves on ASAE’s Executive Management section council, Public Policy Committee and board of directors for ASAE Business Solutions Inc (for-profit subsidiary of ASAE).  In addition, Jay serves on the Advisory Board to McKinley Advisors, one of the association industry’s most respected consulting companies, and has been an advisor to the board of the Charleston Wine + Food Festival. 

On a personal note, Jay has been married for 19 years to an amazing woman, who is an independent college counselor, and they have two children: a 13-year old daughter and 10-year old son. His primary interests include spending as much time with his family as possible, playing golf, amateur photography, social media, contemplating the meaning of life, swinging a kettlebell or running trails on Daniel Island as often as he can, and eating foods that are really bad for him.

24 million golf participants. 16,752 golf courses. The US golf market is BIG! One of the highlights from Golf Business Forum 2016, we’re excited Jay is returning to Melbourne to share the latest insights from the world’s biggest golf market.

Jaquie Scammell is Australia’s leading customer service expert, helping create a service mindset, to those seeking growth in their organisations and themselves.

An entertaining, popular speaker who is obsessed about serving people in a very human way & with infectious energy from the stage. Her work helps organisations create the ultimate people plan to take care of their employees, so their employees take care of the customers.

Launching her own business as a Thought Leader of; Creating a Service Mindset, following a diverse career with 20+ years of leadership experience in public, private and not for profit sectors. Starting with the McDonalds franchise system, expanding to major sports and entertainment venues such as; Wembley National Stadium (UK), Emirates Stadium (UK) and the Australian Open Grand Slam. From experience, she knows what levers to pull for both employee and customer for inspiring connections.

Working with various business industries, the commonality is; wanting to improve the connection between employee and customer and create a service mindset that sticks for long term loyalty.

Her unique teachings reveal a deep appreciation for the human side of business and through practical experiences, has built a philosophy which concentrates on the leaders of the organisations first, equipping them to spread the DNA of a service mindset throughout their teams.

A published author; Creating a Customer Service Mindset & a regular blogger, Jaquie offers practical tools, resources & a set of Mindsets to help leaders transform their own behaviours & service habits to help them teach others.

Customers are the lifeblood of any golf business.  Without them, a business doesn’t exist.  No matter what your role in a golf business, you exist for the customer.  It’s time to create a service mindset.

“People will sit up and take notice of you if you will sit up and take notice of what makes them sit up and take notice.” (Harry Gordon Selfridge)

Don Rea is owner/operator of Augusta Ranch Golf Club, which his company Community Course Rescue Services, leases from the community homeowner’s association.

Don worked as a Minor League Professional Umpire for nine years before joining the golf business in 1999 starting at Augusta Ranch Golf Club. He became a Class – A member of the PGA of America in 2002 when he transferred to the Golf Club at Eagle Mountain.

Don was formerly the Senior Vice President of Operations and Business Development for Platinum Golf Properties in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Golf Club at Eagle Mountain was ranked #1 Public Golf Course in Arizona in 2006 and 2007 under his direction while achieving record-breaking years of profitability. Also, Augusta Ranch Golf Club has been rated the “Best Executive Golf Course in Arizona” by the Arizona Republic and was selected “Host Club of the Year” by the Arizona Women’s Golf Association.

He is a Certified PGA Professional in General Management and is a Past Board of Director of the PGA of America. He also is on the Board of Directors for the NGCOA and President of the Arizona NGCOA. Don is Certified in Advanced Hospitality Revenue Management: Pricing and Demand Strategies through Cornell University.

Don has been married 21 years to Karen and has a 28 yr old son Don III and a 17 yr old daughter Katie.

Marketing and revenue.  One is one of the most important things a golf business can do.  The other is one of the most important things a golf business needs (arising from customers).  Don will explain why marketing is essential to a golf business, and how to best achieve marketing success either within your team or working with your marketing partner.  Then, it’s all about maximising revenue from your golf rounds utilising insights into demand patterns and performance data.

An accomplished practitioner with 30 years’ experience in the Australian tourism industry, Karen Fitzgerald’s career has spanned a range of senior managerial and influential roles with tourism industry councils, tourism businesses, state/regional/local tourism organisations, visitor information centres and all levels of government.  From the Northern Territory to South East Queensland and now Tasmania, Karen believes she has the best job in Australia!

Currently Global Manager, Experiences, Karen leads Tourism Australia’s Signature Experiences of Australia program, which is designed to inspire travellers from around the world to visit Australia by highlighting special interest sectors that align to their passion points. 

This Program includes 8 marketing collectives (including Great Golf Courses of Australia) and represents 180 businesses offering a qualified inventory of over 700 tourism experiences that have been carefully designed to capture the imagination of consumers around the world. 

Consumers’ quest for authentic experiences is turbo-charging the tourism and travel industries.  What’s the opportunity for golf, and how should we take advantage of the market opportunities?

A PGA of America member since 2001, Ryan holds a business marketing degree with a specialisation in Professional Golf Management from Coastal Carolina University.

His background includes a variety of roles at resort and private golf clubs, as well as significant time spent with one of the world’s largest private equity firms, The Blackstone Group. 

in 2009, he was recruited to serve as director of golf for Kauri Cliffs and Cape Kidnappers, both located on New Zealand’s North Island and ranked among the top 50 courses in the world. Upon his departure, he formed a consulting company that services a variety of clients around the world including delivering the New Zealand government’s golf tourism strategy.

Ryan currently serves as the golf specialist for Tourism New Zealand, the executive director of Golf Tourism New Zealand, and the golf advisor to the city of Auckland. He is an inaugural board member of the New Zealand Golf Industry Council, a board member of New Zealand's Institute of Golf, a regular contributor to Golf Digest, and the author of two books aimed at educating young PGA Professionals.

Tourism New Zealand’s international golf marketing strategy has been a success, particularly at attracting Australian golfers.  We’ll learn why the strategy is unique, the results its achieved, and how New Zealand golf facilities have embraced golf tourism. 

Gavin Kirkman was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the PGA of Australia (PGA) in March 2017 and has over 30 years experience in the golf industry.

The PGA owns and operates the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia and is part of the Federation of Tours and PGA World Alliance that represents over 2,800 members. Gavin is committed to innovation and to see the industry collaborate to grow the business of golf through value and experiences.

The PGA’s key priority is to grow and develop the game across all areas including women, juniors and inclusion as well as creating player pathways and progression for Australasian Tour Professionals. In 2018, Gavin led the team in partnering with new sponsor Volkswagen to see a new era begin for the Volkswagen Scramble.  

Gavin’s career has seen him hold senior management roles in areas such as facility, club and resort management, event and commercial management, member services and development, government relations, governance and sports administration.

Prior to joining the PGA, Gavin’s past experience includes senior executive roles with globally recognised companies Panasonic, Club Corp, Morgan Stanley and RACV.

The PGA of Australia is getting involved with golf tourism.  It already stages a major golf professional tournament, now to be played in Brisbane, that attracts many fans, visitors to the region and is broadcast globally to showcase local tourism attractions.  Now it’s supporting and educating PGA Members to get involved with the visitor economy through golf tourism.