Why the PGA Degree looks good on your CV

From pots and pans to The PGA qualification, Daniel Naudo’s varied career has been characterised by hard work, ambition and an unquenchable thirst for personal and professional development.

Fresh from University, where he studied Golf and Leisure Management, Daniel took up a sales position at Stoke Park before moving to The London Club.

It was during his time there that he was encouraged to bolster his CV by starting The PGA degree. That was some 13 years ago and, since graduating, Daniel’s career has taken him to Fairmont St Andrews, where he was Director of Operations, and onto a new position as General Manager at Sindalah Island, a luxury resort complete in the Red Sea which is part of Saudi Arabia’s vast NEOM project and is set to open in 2024.

PGA Professional, Daniel Naudo

How did your working life begin?

I started in hospitality at 15. I worked in kitchens, washing pots, doing the cold prep and then in pubs both front and back of house. I always thought I’d be a chef growing up. I loved golf too and was a three-handicapper at 16. But I knew early on that I didn’t want to be a player. I preferred being around people, rather than pounding balls on the driving range.

I was always going to do further education and my first role out of university was at Stoke Park, as membership sales executive. To come out of university and go straight into a place of high-end luxury like that was a great start. I did well in terms of sales number and got called by The London Club to rejuvenate their sales and membership process. I joined them as I saw an opportunity for an expansion in my career.

What was the catalyst that set you off on The PGA qualification route?

After four years at The London Club, the CEO at the time, Austen Gravestock, said ‘why don’t you do your PGA training? My career up until then had been very much on the commercial side but he suggested that doing The PGA qualification would give me the wider understanding of the golf business.

Austen was, and still is, a mentor to me and he was very keen for me to have such a qualification on the CV. He was a great advocate of continued learning. He even pushed me to do wine courses, stating that there are a lot of golf members who will love wine so you need to be able to talk to them about that. I did level 1 and level 2 wine courses. I am not sure how many PGA pros have done that.

I’d never given a lesson, never worked in a professional shop and during my first year on The PGA training, I was still in sales, marketing and events. A year in, I got promoted to head of operations which was focussed on food and beverage and facility management, tackling all operational elements that were not green. Others doing The PGA training alongside me were on the traditional route, working in a shop, coaching, club repairs and custom fitting. I was on a different journey but it was still all part of The PGA. I think that’s a big draw to get people into it. You don’t have to come down the traditional route, and there is no set way to get to the end goal.

I was at The London Club for nine-and-a-half years before the opportunity came up at Fairmont St Andrews and it was a Director of Golf role. I wanted to continue to develop in all areas of hospitality and this was my first Director of Golf post, but it was also an opportunity to be part of the executive team in a large luxury resort operations team. I was only the Director of Golf for three months before it transitioned into spa and leisure then a year later, the wider hotel operations. In that time I passed my CCM for club management, a goal I had set myself since I first joined the CMAE back in 2013. It was such a rewarding education process to go through.

There are so many crossovers in this industry. For me, it doesn’t matter if it’s golf, food and beverage or hotel rooms. It’s about dealing with people, whether you are meeting and greeting, booking them in for a tee time, booking them in to a restaurant, it’s all the same process within hospitality and the skills can be transferable.

How has The PGA qualification bolstered your knowledge and skills?

The all-roundness of the qualification is great. It allows you in a management position to communicate better with your staff. I’m never going to be an expert in every area but I need to resonate with my staff. What The PGA qualification allows me to do is have a conversation with, for example, the Director of Golf and understand what he or she is talking about.

The PGA gave me that grounding to be able to step into a golf operation and articulate myself better than I had done before in multiple areas, whether that was in business planning, coaching or speaking to members about competitions and rules. It gave me a tremendous all-round knowledge. I’d urge people to do it. The course has come on since I was on it and there is even greater learning with The PGA now.

How much are you relishing the next chapter of your career at Sindalah?

Personally and professionally, it’s a great challenge. The plans are grand for the island but also for golf in KSA. I’m starting with a blank canvas and being able to put my own stamp on that from the start is an exciting prospect.

I have already reached out to The PGA about getting some professionals out here. There is a low number of registered golfers just now in Saudi Arabia but exciting plans to grow the game in the country and I am keen to get as many PGA professionals as possible to help achieve this goal.

This was an opportunity that I couldn’t turn down. The journey continues and who knows where it will take me.