Tim Cowley has joined St Enodoc Golf Club as Head PGA Professional, officially taking up his role at the start of October, and he will now oversee the Golf Operations, Retail and Coaching at the Club.
Tim first arrived at the prestigious north Cornwall club back in June in order to ensure a smooth transition period from long-term resident professional, Nick Williams, who retired at the end of September after 45 years in charge of the Pro Shop at the club.
Tim comes from the Royal Ashdown Forest Golf Club where he has spent the last13 years as Head Professional, having taken on the role at just 24 years of age. During his time at the revered Sussex club, he successfully ran his own shop, developed a strong teaching reputation and built excellent relationships with members and visitors alike.
George Tunbridge, general manager at St Enodoc Golf Club, said: “It was immediately clear when we first met Tim that he had a calm, member-first approach, excellent communication skills as well as a real appreciation for clubs with strong tradition and character would work well here. He also impressed with his energy and proven track record of successfully running a retail operation of a similar size to St Enodoc.
“We were committed to ensuring that Nick William’s successor could further strengthen what the members already value about St Enodoc. Tim’s arrival will add an expert opinion to decision making at the Club, which will help enhance our traditions and culture of the organisation. And in order to make certain that there was a smooth transition from Nick’s long tenure, Tim has had ample time to prepare for when the shop changes hands.
“We are excited about this next chapter for St Enodoc and confident that Tim will be a strong addition to the club’s professional team. At the same time, we hope Nick enjoys a rewarding and well-deserved retirement.’
Tim has a challenging job on his hands as the club is taking the pro shop in-house for the first time since its establishment in 1890. He will be introducing an overhaul of the shop, including its accounting processes, in order to maximise the retail opportunities and profitability of the premises. To assist him, long-term employee, Adrian Halling, will continue to work in the retail side of the shop.
He will also be restructuring the professional coaching team at one of England’s oldest clubs. Whilst PGA Professional Mark Arrowsmith remains as the club teaching professional, Tim will focus on helping to further develop the coaching arm of the club alongside alongside Mark and new PGA trainee,Louis Archer, in order to broaden the opportunities for more coaching.
In addition to this, Tim will be overseeing the golf operations and reservations teams alongside member services manager Chris Smyth in order to increase tee time bookings and visitor footfall. He plans to do this by driving service levels across the club and by enhancing revenue opportunities in golf (including the second course, the Holywell) whilst also adding new experiences for members and visitors to enjoy.
St Enodoc Golf Club is home to two links, the championship Church Course, which is ranked the 4th best course in England by Top100GolfCourses.com, and the 82nd best course in the world outside of the US by Golf Digest magazine, as well as the shorter Holywell Course, which appeals to new golfers as well as juniors and seniors.