Securing a New General Manager for North Foreland Golf Club
CASE STUDY
February 2026
North Foreland Golf Club, one of Kent’s most established and respected golf clubs, sought to appoint a new General Manager to lead the next phase of its development.
The club required a commercially astute, highly visible leader capable of balancing operational excellence with strong member engagement. With increasing expectations around governance, financial management and long-term strategic planning, the appointment was critical to the club’s future direction.
The board engaged Promote People to manage the recruitment process, seeking a structured and sector-specialist approach.
The Approach
Promote People worked closely with the club’s leadership to define a clear candidate profile, ensuring alignment on:
- Leadership style and cultural fit
- Golf industry knowledge and operational experience
- Strategic capability and commercial awareness
- Member-focused communication skills
A targeted search campaign was launched across the golf and hospitality sectors, combining direct outreach with discreet advertising and network engagement.
The response was strong, attracting high-calibre interest from across the UK.
Through structured screening, competency assessment and in-depth interviews, Promote People presented a shortlist of six outstanding candidates, each meeting the club’s leadership and cultural criteria.
The quality of the shortlist reflected both the strength of the brief and the reach of Promote People’s industry network.
The Outcome
Following a thorough interview process, North Foreland Golf Club appointed John Maguire as its new General Manager.
John brings a wealth of experience in golf club operations, strategic leadership and team development. His appointment marks an important step for the club as it continues to evolve, enhance member experience and strengthen its long-term positioning.
Client Impact
By partnering with Promote People, North Foreland Golf Club benefited from:
- Access to a high-quality, sector-specific talent pool
- A professionally managed and confidential recruitment process
- A diverse and credible shortlist
- Reduced risk in a critical senior appointment
The successful placement of John Maguire demonstrates Promote People’s ability to combine golf industry expertise with rigorous recruitment methodology.
"A thorough and professional process from start to finish. The quality of candidates presented exceeded expectations. I was particularly impressed with the detailed information supplied with each CV, demonstrating that they had conducted a prior interview with each candidate in line with our initial brief. Their structured approach gave us complete confidence in our final decision.”
Richard Keel, Chairman.
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