A general manager role is no mean feat, with the job title including a whole host of hidden roles under the official bracket. Paul Densham is no stranger to this – with a long-standing history in the golfing world, helping golf clubs flourish in Hertfordshire and the surrounding areas.

When he started at Brocket Hall Golf Club in May 1992, he wasn’t sure as to where his career would take him. He was one of a handful there to open the club in June 1992, doing everything from putting carpets down, hanging paintings – any job to help get the place ready for the grand opening.

“At the time of opening, we only had something like 170 members, and I was involved with every aspect of the business, stopping just short of being a permanent resident of the clubhouse,” he recalls.

“Serving behind the bar and organising memberships was a regular day-to-day operation as we only had five members of staff on hand at the time.”

For 14 years, Densham saw the club grow into one of the most recognised clubs in Hertfordshire – experiencing a huge spike in membership, new ownership, and the development of the estate into what we see today.

After a lengthy, whirlwind of time at the club, Densham left to move in a slightly different direction and landed on the doorstep of GMS – a PR and marketing agency with strong roots to the Hertfordshire area.

“I met GMS during my time at Brocket, so it was an easy transition. I ran the consulting side of things for the Buckinghamshire Golf Club, working with the entire management team and restructuring the business (including the membership package, retail and food & beverage offering).

“The initial six-month contract quickly extended to almost two years, and the Buckinghamshire definitely became a fantastic golf offering for all.”

A brief time working in consulting for a family-owned building, construction and renovating company, Densham took some time away from the golf management scene – before finding his feet, and perhaps forever home, at Essendon Country Club.

Kieran and Liam Griffin, along with their partners, took ownership of the country club back in 2011 and have since worked tirelessly at creating a golf club that anyone would be proud to be a member of. The brothers live on the estate and were keen to invest in the property to keep the memory of the club alive.

From an initial consultation and discussion of ideas, Densham made a proposal for how he envisioned the club progressing, and well, the rest speaks for itself. He’s been there ever since.

“Development at the club has been steady since I have been here, with a lot of work over the years at recruiting the right people, refurbishing the clubhouse, restructuring the events and wedding department and restructuring the entire membership.”

The events and wedding department is an impressive part of the business, with the offering at Essendon Country Club being one that many have chosen to explore. With weddings, society days and bespoke events, the transformation of the club has certainly been noticeable since the direction of Densham and the Griffin brothers have been in place.

When asked what the best development at the club has been, there was no hesitation in Densham’s response: “The academy program is one of the best structured developments that I have seen since being here. It’s hugely successful and could feed the membership entirely with the way the pathways have been created.

“From beginner golfers, to the more advanced, the academy program has practically been full since it launched seven years ago by Ian Taylor. My role is to encourage the transition into introductory membership once golfers have completed their journey and I’m there every step of the way, through to becoming a full-time member.”

Joining a golf club is a tough decision, and not one that golfers take lightly. There are a multitude of factors to consider, with perhaps one burning question we have all asked ourselves – who will I play with when I’m there?

This is what is so fantastic about the academy offering at Essendon and something Densham has noticed since his time at the club. “We still see it now, members that have been here for years who are still playing in the same groups that they began the academy journey with.”

This club development hasn’t just happened over night and has been a process of continually trying to improve.

“It’s all about recruiting the right people. You know, I was once asked, whilst interviewing a candidate, “what do you do”, what a great question, I had to sit back and think for a minute.

“Essentially, in a nutshell, I employ people that are better than me in their roles, and ensure those people have everything they need to do their job brilliantly. Even when the purse strings are tight, we try to find a way of giving them everything they need. That’s what it’s all about.”

Over the past few years, Essendon has undergone some impressive redevelopments as Densham explains. “There is now a big focus on the courses, with a more definitive plan in place for future developments. We have more machinery, more resources, and more manpower. It’s been a huge move for us and it’s exciting to see things progress.

This year has seen one of the biggest projects take place, with 11 miles of drainage put in over 12 holes (across both courses).

“One of our greatest priorities has been making the Old Course more playable in the winter because like so many, we have seen the course take a hit when we get into the colder, wetter months. With this investment, we’ve been able to facilitate more people getting onto both courses.”

This project was a big one. In collaboration with the contracting team, Shelton’s, we managed to complete it all in three weeks. As you can imagine, this required a vast number of resources and a lot of hours from the guys working on the course, but we’re already seeing a reward for the efforts.”

When it comes to the success of a golf club, there is no one glove fits all approach. However, one thing that is prominent, is the sign of hard work and investment.

“The key to success is showing a continual stream of investment, where members can see that we’re always working towards a better experience. Ultimately, the membership has played a big part in all this, and we work hard to ensure that we’re regularly communicating with them.”

During the COVID lockdown, golf clubs were thriving because golf was an incredible outlet for many. However, it was by no means an easy time – with health and safety measures now at the forefront for absolutely every decision made. Clubs were having to develop new means of communication to connect with the membership and visitors, without violating any rules.

“We started video logs (vlogs) during lockdown, and they haven’t slowed down since. I would say about 80 per cent of the membership watch those vlogs and they love it. They love being kept in the loop and are genuinely interested in what’s going on. It’s a personal touch that goes a long way.

“I pride myself on knowing members names and I make it a priority to chat to members in the bar – making them feel like they are part of the community here. That has contributed to the retention of members, and it’s not just me – it’s the team here at Essendon who all make that extra effort.”

Since working at Essendon, Densham has managed projects, reconstructed teams, and played an incredibly important role in making this a progressive and successful golf club.