The Accountancy Matters 2026 Conference & Workshop, held on February 26 at Camberley Heath Golf Club in Surrey, has been hailed as a resounding success, bringing together golf club leaders, finance professionals and industry innovators for a day of insight, collaboration and forward-thinking strategy.
The full programme delivered a powerful blend of financial expertise, governance best practice, technology innovation and strategic discussion, reinforcing Accountancy Matters’ commitment to supporting sustainable success in the golf industry.
The day opened with a welcome from Paul Mould before delegates heard from Weatherbys Banking Group on private banking solutions tailored specifically for golf clubs. Their introduction of the Aggregated Deposit Product demonstrated how clubs can collectively leverage stronger returns while maintaining dedicated relationship-managed banking support.
A key highlight of the morning was the session on Benchmarking, Governance and Capital Planning, delivered in partnership with Club Benchmarking and Jerry Kilby of Kanda Golf. The presentation emphasised the critical shift from operational to strategic governance, the importance of forward-looking 10-year capital plans, and the need for dynamic asset management processes. Delegates engaged deeply with the practical modelling tools and capital evaluation frameworks shared during the session.
Heather and Sandy from Accountancy Matters delivered a presentation on the company’s latest innovations in budgeting, forecasting and enhanced reporting. Demonstrating the capabilities of Spotlight Reporting for Xero, they showed how golf clubs can move beyond spreadsheets to dynamic, integrated forecasting across profit and loss, balance sheet and cashflow.
The session also highlighted forthcoming AI integrations within their software suite, specialist VAT software for managing complex partial exemption calculations, and new integration with Foremost’s POS system to improve the flow of operational and financial data.
Artificial Intelligence took centre stage in the late morning session, with Andy Doyle of Zero Fluff and Jamie Abbott, creator of Intelligent Golf, demonstrating practical AI applications within golf club operations. From intelligent automation to AI voice assistants, the session focused on cutting through hype and delivering measurable, results-driven improvements for clubs.
The afternoon featured a highly anticipated three-way hosted discussion group and star-studded panel, bringing together Simon Jones (Faldo Enterprises), Mike Harris (The Loop) and Ben Sharpe (Callaway). The conversation explored member experience, participation growth, commercial evolution and the future of golf in a changing consumer landscape. Delegates praised the candid insights and cross-sector perspectives shared.
The event concluded with networking over lunch and optional golf, reinforcing the collaborative spirit that defines Accountancy Matters.
Accountancy Matters extends sincere thanks to all speakers, partners and attendees for making the 2026 Conference & Workshop an outstanding success and looks forward to building on this momentum in the years ahead.
News on the date and venue for the 2027 conference will be released soon.