Christopher Longbottom with his 2022 NSW/ACT State Management Professional of the Year award.
The PGA (Professional Golfers Association) Australia celebrated their best and brightest at their New South Wales/ACT PGA Vocational awards last Thursday at the Sydney Links Golf Club.
Harden Country Club General Manager, Christopher Longbottom was thrilled to be named Management Professional of the Year.
Longbottom ultimately prevailed over the other finalist, the General Manager from the Links Golf Club, Matt Olson.
Longbottom is honoured to receive this award and help the club to thrive in our community.
“The three and a half years that I’ve been here, we’ve seen a massive change in the club,” said Longbottom.
A testament to Longbottom’s success is the club’s membership growing from 253 in 2019, to 1121 in 2022.
In addition to the increase in membership, Longbottom has overseen a significant total turnover increase.
The very humble Longbottom knows this award is not just an award for him, but for his entire staff, saying, “It’s thanks to not just myself, but due to the hard work of the staff and the board, as we got the club back on square footing and became a viable sustainable club for Harden and the surrounding areas.
It’s just a lot of hard work from a lot of people.” Longbottom is always trying to improve his skills and his wonderful establishment, which is why he is currently completing an Advanced Diploma of Leadership and Management with the PGA Institute.
As Longbottom was the winner of NSW, he then got to attend to National PGA awards, where he was unfortunately unable to bring home an award for Harden, saying, “it would’ve been pretty cool to take home that award but at the same time, it’s just amazing to be nominated and to win at the state level and be able to have the chance of that national nomination.”
Humble once again, Longbottom said, “whilst it’s nice to receive a personal award, the reality is it’s never the sum one, it’s the sum of many.
The staff did a wonderful job and the board has done a wonderful job of supporting myself and staff in this journey.”
After winning the PGA award, Christopher Longbottom isn’t going to be resting on his laurels, with he and his staff continuing their hard work at the Harden Country Club.
Ed Dodds
