Golf Shop Assistant

Join a hotel that is a member of the Accor network, whose group brings together more than 45 brands, 5,500 hotels, 10,000 restaurants and lifestyle destinations. Here, we believe in you and what you bring to the table. There are many opportunities for development and advancement. Every gesture, every smile, every action, contributes to creating a positive and memorable impact for our customers, our colleagues and also for our planet. Together, we embody the vision of responsible hospitality.

The Mercure Newcastle, George Washington Hotel Golf & Spa is an independently owned and operated property that has been part of the Accor network for over 15-years. Besides Golf, we have 125-guest-rooms, a destination restaurant and bar: Carter & Fitch Smokehouse Pizzeria, Montana Spa and Fitness has a fully equipped Life Fitness Gym, Swimming Pool, Spa Pool, Sauna, and Steam Room and our banqueting facilities are sufficient to seat over 400 diners at once.

The Golf Club consists of an 18-hole Championship Golf Course, Clubhouse and Golf Shop (former location of the Sunderland Masters), a 17-bay Driving Range powered by TopTracer with a food and beverage outlet: the Halfway House on the tenth tee, 

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Please only apply if you have unrestricted right to work in the United Kingdom. We do not have any opportunities for sponsorship.

We are looking for a confident, reliable and customer-focused Golf Shop Assistant to join our team at the George Washington Golf Club on a casual, seasonal basis throughout the golf season.

This is a varied role at the heart of our Golf operation. Working predominantly independently and often as the only member of the Golf team on duty, you will be responsible for welcoming our golfers, operating the Golf Shop, taking bookings and payments, serving food and drink from the Clubhouse Bar, and making sure every guest receives a warm, professional and memorable experience.

You will need to be comfortable working independently and making sensible decisions. While you will have support from the wider hotel team, the Golf Club Manager and Duty Manager when required, this is a role where we will trust you to take ownership of your shift, manage competing priorities and keep the operation running smoothly.

A strong commercial focus is essential. You will be expected to actively generate revenue through the Golf Shop and Clubhouse Bar, from promoting food and drink and additional golf products to identifying opportunities to increase spend during every golfer's visit. You will also play an important role in protecting our revenue by ensuring that golfers have paid for their round, challenging unauthorised use of the course and escalating any concerns appropriately.

Cash handling and financial accuracy are an important part of the role. You will operate our EPOS system, process cash and card payments, complete end-of-shift reconciliation and ensure that all takings balance accurately.

You will also be responsible for maintaining the standards and security of the Golf operation, including opening and closing procedures, monitoring the Golf Course and Clubhouse areas, maintaining cleanliness and dealing appropriately with situations involving trespassing, unsafe behaviour or guests who are unfit to play.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Welcoming golfers and providing friendly, knowledgeable and professional customer service.

• Operating the Golf Shop independently, including sales, bookings, memberships and general golfer enquiries.

• Serving food and beverages from the Clubhouse Bar, including alcoholic drinks in accordance with licensing requirements and Challenge 25 procedures.

• Actively generating revenue through upselling Golf Shop products, food, beverages, golf experiences and other appropriate opportunities.

• Protecting hotel and Golf revenue by checking that golfers have paid the appropriate green fee before playing.

• Challenging and appropriately reporting unauthorised access, trespassing or attempts to play without payment.

• Operating the EPOS system (GolfNow/BRS) accurately and confidently.

• Handling cash responsibly and completing accurate end-of-shift cash and card reconciliation.

• Following opening and closing procedures, including security protocols.

• Maintaining high standards of cleanliness and presentation throughout the Golf Shop, Clubhouse Bar and surrounding areas.

• Monitoring the Golf Course and facilities and reporting maintenance, safety or security issues promptly.

• Supporting golfers with the use of our tee sheet BRS,  Driving Range bay booking SweetSpot, and Toptracer technology.

• Providing basic assistance with Golf Genius, Toptracer and Driving Range equipment where required.

• Ensuring food is prepared, stored and served safely in accordance with the hotel's food safety management system.

• Maintaining appropriate temperature records and food safety procedures.

• Working alongside the wider hotel team and engaging the Duty Manager when additional support is required.

• Dealing confidently and professionally with guest queries, complaints and challenging situations.

• Ensuring the Golf operation remains welcoming, safe, clean and commercially successful throughout your shift.

• Undertaking any reasonable duties required to support the wider hotel operation.

This is a role for someone who enjoys variety, takes pride in their work and can be trusted to look after the operation as if it were their own.

We are looking for someone who is dependable, commercially aware and comfortable taking responsibility.

You will already have:

• A genuine interest in, and ideally a good understanding of, the game of Golf.

• Previous experience in customer service, retail, hospitality, Food & Beverage or a Golf environment is essential.

• Experience of operating a till or EPOS system and handling cash is desirable.

• Strong numerical skills and excellent attention to detail, particularly when reconciling cash and card payments.

• The confidence to work independently for significant periods of time.

• A trustworthy and responsible approach to handling money, stock, bookings and the Golf operation.

• A natural ability to engage with customers and build rapport with golfers.

• A strong commercial instinct and confidence in upselling food, drink, products and services.

• The confidence to politely but firmly challenge customers when necessary, including in relation to unpaid rounds, trespassing or breaches of Golf Course rules.

• The ability to remain calm and professional when dealing with difficult or challenging situations.

• A willingness to learn and become confident using systems including SweetSpot, Toptracer, BRS and Golf Genius.

• The ability to multitask and prioritise effectively when managing customers, the Bar, Golf Shop, telephone, emails, bookings and other operational responsibilities simultaneously.

• A flexible approach to working hours, including evenings, weekends and peak seasonal periods.

• The ability to serve alcohol responsibly and comply with Challenge 25 and licensing requirements.

Most importantly, you will be someone who is reliable, switched-on, comfortable working alone and genuinely committed to putting the golfer first.

You do not need to know everything on day one. We can teach you our systems and processes. What we cannot teach is the integrity, initiative and attitude required to take ownership of a shift.

This is a casual, seasonal Golf position, primarily operating between March and November, with the possibility of additional work outside the main Golf season for the right person.

The role is predominantly lone working, so you will need to be comfortable taking responsibility for your own shift. You will have support from the wider hotel team and Duty Manager when required, but we are looking for someone who is confident making day-to-day decisions and taking ownership of the Golf operation.

The role is varied. One moment you could be helping a golfer with their membership, the next serving a pint in the Clubhouse Bar, processing a Golf Shop sale, reconciling the till, checking a booking or making sure someone has paid before they head onto the course.

What we can offer:

• Casual contract with seasonal opportunities.

• Complimentary meals whilst on duty when working a shift of more than 6 hours.

• Complimentary employee car parking.

• Access to our onsite gym and leisure facilities.

• Employee discounts on hotel stays, Food & Beverage and other facilities.

• Company pension scheme.

• Complimentary uniform.

• Professional development and training opportunities.

• The opportunity to gain experience across Golf, Food & Beverage and wider hotel operations.

You will ideally be available to work across seven days, including weekends and evenings, with shifts generally falling between approximately 6:30am and 9:00pm, on a rostered basis.

We are an inclusive company and our ambition is to attract, recruit and promote diverse talent. We believe that great hospitality comes from great people, and we want everyone in our team to feel valued, supported and able to be themselves at work.

If you enjoy Golf, love working with people and are looking for a role where you can genuinely take ownership, this could be the opportunity for you.