Michaela Chivers Email & Phone Number

Throughout the summer of my 2nd year at University of Birmingham I undertook a work placement at Golf at Goodwood, working as a golf operations assistant. The role was very diverse due to the two golf facilities on the Goodwood Estate, and included both reception work and outside hosting amongst a large team of employees.The reception role involved tee time reservations, along with both golf and estate retail and general member and guest services. There was never a quiet time at Goodwood, therefore I was always kept busy. This role allowed me to become familiar with a different tee reservation system, and also a different way of checking members and visitors onto the golf course due to their unique credit system. I also became a lot more confident in my ability to answer the phone and resolve problems on the spot. It was vital to communicate with all members of the team to create a smooth running environment and increase satisfaction of members.Looking at the role of outside hosting, this consisted of organising the large fleet of buggies at both courses, marshalling the courses, providing on course refreshments and setting up and helping with large corporate golf days held at the course. This job required constant organisation and adaptability to provide all services required for the members and the guests on the golf course. Again communication with other hosts and the reception team was imperative to ensure all needs were met. Overall, my time at Goodwood has improved my confidence at working within a busy organisation, and has allowed me to witness how a large organisation functions and maintains high standards everyday, providing high quality corporate days that run smoothly and maintain member satisfaction throughout.

Involves many interactions with customers and also has provided experience in organising events

My first summer placement for my university degree, AGMS, was completed at Cumberwell Park. During my time there I worked within a team of 6 where I worked within the shop, serving both members and visitors of the club helping them with any issues or queries that arose. The team taught me a lot about the importance of organisation within the shop and how knowledge of the products can help customer service dramatically. I also learned how the computer system worked in order to monitor and control stock levels. Every day the club dealt with many club repairs, therefore I was able to help with re-gripping sets, and was able to promptly re-grip clubs for customers while they waited.I was also lucky enough to help with the Junior Academy that took place every week, along with additional junior group coaching that happened during summer holidays. This taught me a huge amount about different coaching methods required for different pupils and the importance of keeping activities fun and engaging in order for the juniors to maintain interest in golf. The coaches I worked alongside also helped me to understand fundamental swing/set-up techniques that are important to be able to identify when coaching juniors, along with easy ways to communicate the information to them.Another aspect of the placement involved me shadowing some custom fitting that took place in the new fitting studio that had been created at Cumberwell Park, using Trackman and Video Analysis. This taught me how to use the technology available and how the information provided helps decision making during the fitting process. However, a fundamental piece of information I learned was how important feedback and customer preference is within custom fitting, not just the numbers displayed on the computer screen.Finally, during my placement, Cumberwell Park hosted a EuroPro event, therefore I was lucky enough to work during the week and gained an insight into some organisation aspects of the event.

Bachelor'S Degree, Applied Golf Management Studies, First

A-Levels, Mathematics, Pe, Human Biology, As Chemistry, A, A, C, C (As Level)

High School, Maths, Pe, Add. Science, Core Science, Art, Graphic Design, English Lit + Lang, French, Re, Ict, A*, A*, A*, A, A, A, B, B, B, B, Double Distinction

GCSE's