Most successful people in life can reference someone who has made a significant impact on their career, and often, their personal life too.

For many, it can be a parent, or a grandparent, but for 45-year-old Russell Hannah – who began his career at Turnberry on the west coast of Scotland – it appears to be Paul Burley who has helped shape the affable Scotsman’s life to date.

Hannah’s golf career took off at Turnberry, where he was part of the PGA Management programme from 2000 to 2004, working full-time alongside 12 other PGA pros, all at various stages of their training.

This environment was not only competitive but also provided a solid foundation for Hannah’s career in golf as he recalls: “It was good fun, but it was also competitive. We were always trying to outdo each other in the PGA exams and playing as well.

“But it was a good environment, and I had a good mentor in Paul Burley who was the director of golf at the time.”

Despite his love for golf, Hannah realised early on that his strengths lay more in the business and management side of the sport rather than playing or teaching. This realisation led him to focus on golf operations and management at Turnberry, a decision that was influenced by Burley who would later become Hannah’s boss at IMG.

“Paul has been a great mentor and I’ve learned a lot from him,” said Hannah. “He’s still our senior vice president at IMG based in Singapore, and still my direct boss.”

After completing his PGA qualifications, Hannah continued to work at Turnberry and spent the last four years as golf operations manager, leaving just after Stewart Cink broke most golf fans hearts by defeating Tom Watson in a play-off at the 138th Open Championship.

In 2010, Hannah made a significant career move to Mauritius, where he took on the role of general manager at Le Touessrok – an IMG venue – with the move facilitated by Burley, who had earlier returned to IMG to head up their golf course management division.

His tenure at Le Touessrok – which has subsequently been renamed Ile Aux Cerfs – lasted almost three years and is a part of his life which he looks back on with fond memories having settled into island life.

“We loved it. My wife settled there really well – she was a teacher – so she was working at the local school and had her own group of friends and was keeping herself busy. Our [first] daughter was born there as well, so we kind of got into life and loved it. Loved every minute of it.

“One of the challenges with Le Touessrok was that although it was a brilliant course, for a resort course it was tough. There were lots of rocky outcrops, with lots of trees and vegetation and the greens were quite small so we set about softening it a lot, to try and make it more playable.”

Hannah’s next career move took him back to the UK, where he joined IMG’s corporate office in London in 2013. As the head of IMG’s golf course management division for Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, Hannah answered a call – again from Paul Burley – to oversee various projects.

Reflecting on the relocation from an idyllic island in the middle of the Indian Ocean to London, Hannah says: “I’d always wanted to work for IMG, as it’s a great company, with a great reputation and a great brand, and I just felt that the timing was right.

“I also felt that there was an opportunity to really grow the business, as at the time, we only had two courses in Nigeria and that was a great starting point. We were the leaders in the Asia Pacific region, but hadn’t really started in Europe or Africa, plus it was an opportunity to work with Paul again,” he admits.

With IMG head office in Chiswick, Hannah and his young family based themselves in Richmond, eventually moving back to the west coast of Scotland six years later due to the cost of living in the capital.

“We loved Richmond,” he recalls, “but it is just too expensive. We just so happened to choose the most expensive spot to live in, and then we couldn’t see anything past Richmond – it was either Richmond or nothing,” he laughs.

“So, when we realised we couldn’t buy a house in Richmond, we thought why not move back up to Scotland?”

Now the proud parent of two girls aged 10 and 12, Hannah enjoys the diversity and challenges that come with managing golf courses in different markets across the EMEA and APAC regions. He finds the pre-opening phase of projects particularly exciting and appreciates the opportunity to grow the business and work with a variety of clients.

“I enjoy what I do, and I think I’m quite suited to it as well,” he says. “I enjoy developing the business, and the ability to grow the business and get the positives from that.

“And I enjoy all the different experiences of working in different markets, whether it’s in the Philippines, Saudi Arabia or Europe. We’ve even got courses in Iraq, and I’ve spent time in Nigeria. So, I think the diversity of it, the ability to grow the business… that’s exciting, as too is the pre-opening work of a project, which is something you don’t really get in club management.”

His career has been marked by a strong focus on quality and building lasting relationships with clients. IMG’s boutique approach to golf course management allows Hannah and his team to provide personalised and high-quality services to their destinations.

This approach has led to long-term management contracts and a reputation for excellence in the industry.

“Across IMG, we’ve always focused on being the best, rather than the biggest,” he claims. “We are a boutique operator and currently have 20 to 25 projects.

“Of course we’d love to grow the business, but we’re never going to be 200, 300 plus venues, and because of that, I think we’re able to service our projects really well,” he admits.

Looking ahead, Hannah sees significant growth opportunities in the Middle East and Asia Pacific regions. With ongoing projects in Saudi Arabia and other parts of the Middle East, as well as a strong presence in Asia, he is optimistic about the future of golf in these markets.

He also believes that there is still potential for growth in Europe and the UK, despite the challenges posed by the established golf management model in these regions.

“Typically, in Europe, a lot of clubs will do it themselves, and they’ll find their own GMs and their own golf directors,” he states. “There’s a lot of good talent in the UK and Europe, including Spain and Portugal, so I guess it’s up to us to make sure that we let owners and clients know the benefits that IMG can bring to their business.

“If we look at some of the things that do work in Europe, we know that agronomy is strong with lots of project’s serviced by agronomy companies. We can also see that there is work there for sales and marketing agencies and partners, but less for when it comes to management.”

On a personal note, Hannah continues to enjoy playing golf, albeit less frequently than he would prefer. He finds that playing golf now, without the pressure of being a PGA pro, allows him to enjoy the game more and even play better. “I actually find that being more relaxed, you actually play better,” he smiles.

And perhaps, it is this relaxed attitude to life which may one day see Hannah succeed his mentor, Paul Burley in Singapore although at present, relocation to the Far East appears not to be on his radar.

“Moving for us at the moment would be difficult, what with our parents getting older, and two kids at school. But in the future, I wouldn’t rule it out, and Asia is going to be a growth area for us.”