Gary Silcock is a man with very little to prove to anyone, except perhaps himself.

With a CV that includes roles as director of golf at The Belfry and La Manga Club and more recently, director of general management at The Gleneagles Hotel, Silcock is one of only a handful of golf managers worldwide to have worked at two Ryder Cup venues.

Having recently turned 53, Silcock has embarked on a new chapter in his career, when in September 2020 he took over responsibility for the day-to-day operation of Murrayshall Country Estate, a 365-acre estate overlooking Scone Palace and the Perth countryside in Scotland.

Responsible for all aspects of the estate – including 27-holes of golf – Murrayshall marks Silcock’s first foray into hotel management, a role he appears to be relishing since his departure from Gleneagles.

After helping to host a hugely successful Solheim Cup in September 2019, Silcock found himself surplus to requirements just a few months later when in January 2020, he was advised that his services were no longer required.

When asked the reasons for his sudden departure, Silcock merely states: “I came into work one day and I wasn’t meant to be there anymore. There was a change of management, and I don’t know anything more than that.”

Justifiably proud of his achievements at Gleneagles during his near five-year tenure, Silcock adds: “At Gleneagles, they were sitting with a profit conversion of 40 per cent when I arrived, and one year later they’ve were sitting at 52 per cent, giving them a £4 million profit.

“A lot of the changes that you see on the King’s Course that were signed with the Senior Open going in there, I did with David MacLaren. So, all the improvements on the golf course.

“When I came into Gleneagles, members were leaving hand over fist because of the condition of the golf course.

“For the Solheim Cup, I was the only point of contact with Visit Scotland and IMG, so I was [the] only person that ran that event. You then had IMG come in with Visit Scotland and Gleneagles were supporting.

“I was in charge of everything outside of the hotel, so the entire estate. I was involved in sales and marketing; I was involved with bringing the Solheim Cup; I was involved in selling bedrooms to the hotel.”

When Silcock departed at the beginning of 2020, just a few months before the pandemic struck, he states that he was offered a few roles before opting for what he deems the right role, at the right time, in the right location.

“What surprised me most about management roles in the UK is how poorly paid they are, because I’ve not been poorly paid. So, I have an aspiration for a higher salary because I do a higher return.”

Keen to diversify away from golf management into resort management, Silcock was informed of a role just a few miles away from Gleneagles at Murrayshall, as he explains: “I was made aware of it and then I had to apply with the other 350 people that applied for the role, and that’s when you then get into the snob factor of hoteliers that don’t think a PGA professional can do their role. But there isn’t any difference in managing it.

“When I worked at Gleneagles, the general manager wouldn’t be that involved in the commercial revenue management of the hotel rooms.

“The general manager at Gleneagles and the general manager at The Belfry were more operations directors, whereas I would sell bedrooms and sell golf and sell food and beverage.”

Owned by Stellar Asset Management who purchased Murrayshall Estate in 2016, Silcock has been tasked with upscaling all elements of the resort, including a new golf academy and standalone spa and wellness facility that is currently at the planning stage.

But with a career background in golf, Silcock is quick to dismiss any bias towards his grass roots.

“I’m not golf biased, I just bring a golf knowledge and I’ve been dealing with F&B all my career,” he reiterates. “I’ve always had a label of golf and when you come into the hotelier’s world, you are labelled as a golfer, but I’m not a golfer.

“I think that’s where – like the Club Managers Association – they’ve been able to say they are running a club, and their skill sets are right across the industry.

“The advantage I have here is I’ve spent five years at Gleneagles so I understand Perthshire. Having worked at the Old Course Hotel, Gleneagles and internationally, I understand the international market very well and have been at that level for a long time.”

Silcock clearly has won favour with his employers and is soon to embark on the construction of a new 15-bay driving range which will be located close to the entrance of the estate.

The existing pro shop will be repositioned inside the new range resulting in a re-routing of the 18-hole golf course, with the current 9th hole becoming the first.

When asked about a possible new clubhouse, Silcock is quite insistent that one is not necessary. “A successful resort doesn’t have a clubhouse,” he said. “It has a casual dining eating area where casual dining, golfers, leisure guests all work, that’s how it works.

“Sam’s Bar [at The Belfry] isn’t a golf bar, it’s a funky place. The Dormy House at Gleneagles is not a clubhouse, it’s The Dormy.”

Owners Stellar Asset Management have already invested £1 million on refurbishing 14 hotel suites, as well as a new fine dining restaurant, Eolas, that opened in April. But plans for a further investment of £30 million to include an extension to the hotel, erection of glamping pods and lodges and a new spa and leisure facilities could add 250 jobs quadrupling the size of the current workforce.

And all of this under Silcock’s guidance.

“Stellar Asset Management, when they saw the business, saw that everything was in place, and saw the potential, they wanted to invest,” added Silcock. “The way that they run the business, is that they bring people in that can deliver.

“The brand has changed, it’s more appealing now. The website that we had before, there was nothing wrong with it, it just wasn’t inspiring. We’ve now created that and we’re on that journey.

“The entry level will be glamping, then it’ll be lodges, and then it would be hotel rooms,” he explained. “And then the leisure club and spa, which will be a massive asset for Scone and Perth. Gleneagles has 1,500 leisure members, and our plan is to get 1,000 leisure members in here, but at a slightly lower price point.

“So, most of the things that we’re doing here will be of five-star physical standard. But our aspiration is not to be five-star in price or certain aspects of it. But it is to give you a five-star product.

“When I was at Gleneagles, I saw people from London buying a second home at Gleneagles, because getting on an airplane and coming up, it’s a nice long weekend.

“So, what are we trying do here? We are trying to be an affordable Gleneagles, and just a little bit smaller.

“Before I came in, Stellar had Murrayshall for four years. What they knew in those four years is they never wanted a hotelier. Because a hotelier works in a box, whereas I work in a resort.”