Fresh from being named Golf Manager of the Year at the 59club Awards, alongside Rockliffe Hall securing Golf Operations Team of the Year for the second consecutive season, Tom West is helping shape an ambitious new era for one of the UK’s leading golf resorts.

The recognition reflects years of development and operational refinement at a resort he first joined as an Assistant Golf Professional more than a decade ago.

“It means a great deal to all of us,” he says. “We have worked closely with the team at 59club for over a decade now, and to break through in the past few years to win both Manager of the Year and Golf Operations Team of the Year, both for two years in a row against so many fantastic resorts up and down the country, is a testament to all the hard work the team put in each day.”

The awards underline the consistency that has become synonymous with the golf operation at Rockliffe Hall. West believes the stability and experience within the team has been central to maintaining standards.

“We have a very strong Operations Management team that have been at Rockliffe Hall for a few years now, along with many returning faces to our seasonal team,” he explains.

“This not only allows us to maintain good consistency, but elevates the service to our members and regular guests as the team are already aware of their preferences.”

West officially stepped into the Head of Golf role in 2023, although his relationship with Rockliffe stretches back much further. Having first joined the resort in 2013 during his PGA training, he has progressed through several roles including Membership Manager and Golf Operations Manager before ultimately taking charge of the entire golf department.

That progression has given him a broad understanding of the wider resort business.

“Working throughout various roles at Rockliffe, it’s allowed me to see the golf landscape from all angles, along with working alongside multiple other departments across the resort,” he says.

“From Spa with memberships, to events and F&B with Golf Sales, this journey has played a large part in getting me to where I am today.”

The early stages of his tenure as Head of Golf focused heavily on restructuring operations and retail.

“The first 18 months were heavily involved in the Operations Team as that is the side that I came into the role from,” he explains. “It started with changing the full structure within our Retail team and bringing on board a new Operations Management team too.

“Once the Operation and Retail teams were up, running and performing, the focus quickly moved to the greenkeeping team, as we started work on our proposal for our multi-million pound investment projects on the golf course.”

Alongside course development work, Rockliffe Hall has also reintroduced coaching internally and reinstated its Golf Academy.

“The last 18 months have been very exciting as we are now putting all our plans for the future into place,” says West. At the centre of those plans remains a strong emphasis on team culture.
“My main priority was to build a strong and stable team across the full golf department,” he says.

“We already had a great golf course and service structure in place, but I’m a firm believer in creating a strong team culture and that our team members are what make our service experience extra special.”

That service culture has become part of Rockliffe Hall’s identity over the last decade, with the resort recently securing Gold Flag Resort status for the tenth consecutive year.

“It’s crazy to believe that we have held our Gold Flag status for ten years in a row,” he says.

“Balancing with commerciality has seen our service structure evolve over the years, but as we continue to be recognised with industry awards, we will continue to push the experience for our members and guests.”

Before returning to Rockliffe Hall in 2021, West spent over two years at Close House Golf Club, much of it during COVID.

“I really enjoyed my time at Close House, with multiple challenges along the way,” he says. “Hosting the first DP World Tour event back after lockdown with the British Masters hosted by Lee Westwood was certainly an experience with no crowds.”

Earlier in his career, West also spent time at Gleneagles, an experience he still regards as hugely influential.

“I had some of my best times at Gleneagles, the entire resort is exceptional,” he says.

Managing the golfer experience across 63 holes brought a very different operational challenge.

“You have 12 golfers starting and 12 golfers finishing their round every 10 minutes, so prioritising and working multiple workloads simultaneously is a must,” he explains.

“Good clear communication with your team is vital so that everyone is aligned with the tasks of the day, and most importantly so that the customer gets the best experience regardless of where they are on the property.”

The attention to detail associated with Gleneagles has stayed with him.

“Learning from Gary Silcock and David Blackadder, the importance of focussing on the small details so that the big details take care of themselves,” he says. “That attention to detail from service delivery to pre-empting and exceeding customer expectations is something that has stayed with me since.”

West has worked in golf since the age of 13 and initially believed coaching would be his long-term direction when he began his PGA training.

“At 20 I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do for a career, and so decided I’d like to do my PGA training,” he says.

“I wanted to do my PGA training to see what part of golf I would like the best, and it was the resort setting of Rockliffe Hall that I found my passion, not within coaching as I thought it might have been.

“I don’t know where I would be today if I hadn’t started my training in a resort environment.”

In fact, the ambition to one day lead the golf operation at Rockliffe Hall emerged early.

“It was early in my PGA training at Rockliffe Hall in 2013 that I thought to myself, ‘I want to be leading the team here at Rockliffe one day’,” he says.

“My journey has taken me to some great golf clubs along the way, and in a nice round circle, I found myself as Head of Golf back at Rockliffe Hall a decade later in 2023.”

Looking ahead, West sees the coming years as an important period for Rockliffe Hall as wider investment across the resort continues.

“We are in a very exciting stage of development on the golf course and across the wider resort,” he says. “Ultimately we want to bring Rockliffe back onto the stage of nationally recognised top golf resorts, where we know it should be.”

Developing people internally will remain a major part of that strategy.

“Continuing to build our strong team will always be ongoing, with our new Head Greenkeeper appointed from within, and our Operations Manager starting his PGA training,” says West. “Developing and investing in our team will be a big focus.”

Personally, his own development journey also continues.

“I want to continue my personal learning and my journey through the CMAE development programme,” he says. “And playing a bit more golf along the way certainly won’t hurt.”