"It's a dream job," beamed the new man in the hot seat.
Don't panic, this is not another David Moyes story. The tranquillity of the Scottish PGA's headquarters at Gleneagles may be far removed from the racket of the Old Trafford dug-out but like the incoming Manchester United manager, Brian Mair is relishing the challenge in his very own Theatre of Dreams.
Gazing onto the first tee of the King's Course from his office, it's easy to see the pull of his post but the new Scottish PGA secretary will not be sitting around admiring the view. After the popular Michael MacDougall left the job to take up a role in Paul Lawrie's growing empire, the PGA hierarchy adopted a different approach to previous processes as they embarked on an "exhaustive" search for a successor.
"They've broken the mould a bit with me," said Mair, who comes from a marketing background but had strong golfing ties with the PGA and its member club professionals through previous posts with Wilson, Lyle & Scott, Sunderland of Scotland and Glenmuir.
"Previous secretaries tended to come from within, were rules officials first and foremost and were heavily involved in tournament running. I've seen it from the other side, though."
Mair's appointment, and the marketing nous he brings to the position, comes at a time when the PGA are in the midst of a sizeable re-branding programme and, with the Ryder Cup heading to Gleneagles in 16 months' time, the Ayrshireman is keen to grab the opportunity and bolster the Scottish region's profile on all fronts.
While the role performed by Scotland's 650 professionals and assistants remains a key cornerstone of the game here, the development of the Tartan Tour provides plenty of challenges. Dwindling sponsorship in a saturated market has caused no end of head-scratching but Mair believes there is potential for growth.
Instead of bouncing around the country running events, Mair, who has a solid team of established tournament controllers behind him, intends to be out and about spreading the gospel of the Scottish PGA to as many potential partners and investors from a host of backgrounds as he can find.
"Last year, our players were playing for about £600,000," he added. "If you go back 20 years, they were playing for about the same amount. We haven't really moved forward but there are loads of reasons for that. We need to address that and make sure there is a significant prize fund for our members to play for. There are opportunities to grow."
A key part of this plan is the rejuvenation of the Northern Open, one of the oldest professional events in Scotland. For the past three years it has been backed by Aberdeen Asset Management but, with that global firm's focus mainly on the Scottish Open, it was felt that a fresh approach was needed and that deal has ended. The three-day event will still go ahead at Meldrum House in August but, as with much of the domestic circuit, there are plans for a future facelift
"To a certain extent we need to re-launch it [the Tartan Tour], give it a bit of enthusiasm and bring some new people to the party," said Liam Greasley, the PGA's director of regions and membership.
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