Standing at the peak of Grouse Mountain with John Glendinning and his wife Helen, I am reminded of something he said to me 24 hours earlier whilst we enjoyed a round at Marine Drive in Vancouver, the exclusive club where Glendinning is now COO.

“If I saw my career out here now, I’d say The Wisley was the pinnacle of my career from an experience point of being at a high end club. I think that no matter which club I went to after that – and this was part of my difficulty of deciding on my next move in my career path – it was going to be hard to find somewhere that surpassed The Wisley.”

It is a revealing statement, not because it diminishes Marine Drive, but because it captures the crossroads Glendinning found himself at just a few years ago.

After seven years at one of the most exclusive private clubs in Europe, he was not searching for a bigger title or a more prestigious badge. He was searching for something far more elusive: a life that made sense for him, for Helen, and for their two children.

His journey into golf management had never been part of a carefully plotted career plan. He studied geography at the University of St Andrews simply because he loved the subject. “It was my favourite topic at school,” he recalls, “and I loved the outdoors.” Even then, the seeds of a future in golf were quietly germinating.

As a teenager, he completed a GCSE project that involved re-purposing a disused quarry.

“The exercise was to turn it into something, and I turned it into a golf course,” he says. “I probably still have the drawing somewhere.”

Summer jobs at Slaley Hall introduced him to the operational side of the golf industry. He worked on the beverage cart, behind the bar, and eventually in the golf shop, and by the time he graduated, he had developed a genuine interest in the mechanics of running a club.

That interest led him to Close House in Northumberland, where he joined as the second employee in 2004. “I was in a portacabin for three years,” he laughs, describing the early days of a project that would eventually become one of the UK’s most respected golf destinations.

Close House grew rapidly, and Glendinning grew with it. He eventually became Managing Director, overseeing the development and helping to shape the club’s identity. But his next move would take him into an entirely different league.

When he was encouraged to interview for the General Manager role at The Wisley, he went in with no expectations. “I went down, did the interview, and on my drive back got the call saying they wanted me in the last two straight away,” he says. “I was super relaxed because I didn’t think I’d get it.”

The Wisley is a club that needs no introduction within the industry. Ultra private, meticulously maintained, and home to a membership that expects nothing short of excellence, it is one of the most coveted management roles in European golf.

Glendinning thrived there. He oversaw a major clubhouse renovation, improvements to the golf course, and a complete shift in the club’s financial and membership strategy.

When he arrived, ten per cent of the membership was trying to sell their shares. “We went from that to having a waiting list,” he says. “I’d say that was my legacy was taking it from a deteriorating facility to a really healthy position.”

Yet despite the success, Glendinning and his wife began to consider a potential move abroad. His children were approaching key stages of school, and the couple wanted to make a decision that would benefit the whole family.

“It wasn’t a financial move,” he explains. “It was about lifestyle for the kids – giving them the best opportunity of seeing through school.”

North America – not the Middle East – felt like the right fit. “I only wanted to do it if it felt like the right move to somewhere we wanted to live as a family,” he says, and when the Marine Drive role became available, the timing aligned perfectly.

The club’s existing GM had handed in his notice, and the board was actively searching for a replacement. The immigration process was long and complex, but the club was willing to wait.

What Glendinning didn’t know until he arrived was just how challenging the situation at Marine Drive would be. “The AGM was literally in my first week here, and it wasn’t pretty,” he recalls. “The club lost like CAD $400,000 overall.”

He even joked to the members: “I have got a return flight back in two weeks and I’m considering taking it.” But beneath the tension, he saw potential. “I knew what direction they wanted to go in and where they wanted the club to go,” he says. “It was just going to take a bit of time to get support and bring the club forward.”

Marine Drive, like many century old clubs, was suffering from ageing infrastructure, deferred capital investment, and years of keeping dues artificially low. “We were ticking every single box for all the mistakes clubs had made over the last ten to 20 years,” he recalls.

But with a clear plan and a willingness to make difficult decisions, the turnaround began quickly. Within his first year, the club moved from a CAD $400,000 loss to a CAD $500,000 profit. “It was a CAD $900 grand shift,” he says. “A lot of it was efficiencies… food and beverage was a big one.”

Membership numbers were deliberately reduced from 1,350 to 1,150 to improve tee access and overall experience. Entrance fees increased to CAD $75,000, and retention improved dramatically. “We budgeted to have 70 members leave… we’ve had about ten,” he says. “Our retention’s gone up and our inquiries have gone up.”

Despite the operational challenges, Glendinning found something in Vancouver that he had never experienced before: a genuine work–life balance. The Wisley had been professionally rewarding but all consuming. Marine Drive, by contrast, offered a different rhythm. The club is ambitious but not overwhelming, and the city itself has become a source of joy for the whole family.

“All my friends get sick of me saying how good Vancouver is,” he laughs. “But the lifestyle here is so good that people don’t want to leave. We have the mountains, the ocean, the wildlife, and the sense of space here still surprises me.”

He and Helen have bought a house, sold their UK property, and are applying for citizenship. “This is our future now,” he says.

Professionally, he feels more settled than ever. “I’m the most contented I’ve been in my career,” he says. “There’s a part of me that thinks I’m selling myself short by not striving for a bigger club. But that’s ego, not happiness.”

He has long term plans including bunker renovations, irrigation upgrades, course refinements, and a major F&B transformation. “There are going to be some really exciting projects over the next few years that I’m going to want to see through,” he says.

Aged 48, for the first time, he can imagine staying somewhere for the long haul. “I’ve never actually been at a club where it’s just operate,” he admits. “It might be contentment rather than complacency.” When asked whether Marine Drive could be his final role, he answers without hesitation: “It could. If I remain happy and the club remains happy with me, why do we need to leave?”

Glendinning’s move from the UK to Canada wasn’t about prestige. Marine Drive is not The Wisley, and he is the first to acknowledge that. But what he and his family have found is something far more valuable.

In choosing Vancouver, they chose happiness – and it shows in every word he speaks about the place he now calls home.