From picking up range balls to a Class “A” Professional

Where it started

Tickenham Golf Club was a small nine-hole course in the South West of England, and it’s where all of this began. I came to an arrangement with the owner at the time: I could hit as many balls on the range as I liked, provided I picked them all up and cleaned them afterwards. For a nine-year-old with no money and endless enthusiasm, it remains the best deal I’ve ever struck.

My parents helped the professionals at the club set up its junior section — the Tickenham Tigers — and that’s where my love of the game really took hold. Practice after school during the week, a competition at the weekend. In the summer holidays my parents would drop me off in the morning and collect me in the evening, thirty-six holes later. They could barely get me away from the place; I loved it that much.

Competing

From there I played local and national competitions, and competed for Somerset County — captaining the under-14 side at the time, and progressing to the under-18 team after that.

When I finished school I studied at the University of Stirling and played for their second team. Stirling’s first team was, at the time, one of the finest university sides not just in Europe but well beyond it — being around that standard of golf every day teaches you a great deal about what the top of the game actually asks of you.

Turning professional

After university I moved to Canada, where I worked at Arbutus Ridge Golf Club — the club I was attached to when I turned professional — and spent just over two years learning the business from the inside and building my teaching.

I passed my Playing Ability Test at Cowichan Golf Club with rounds of 71 and 71 — two nice steady days, and a great feeling to earn the Class “A” qualification along with all the PGA of Canada training and modules that go with it. While I was there I also took an Advanced Diploma in Golf Operations at Camosun College, learning in detail how to run a golf facility efficiently and sustainably, and picking up a grounding in agronomy along the way.

Coming home, and into coaching

I returned to the UK to work at the Marriott Forest of Arden as a corporate golf event organiser, then moved to Marriott St Pierre as an assistant golf professional, where I carried on teaching.

I got into coaching because I wanted to share what I’d picked up across the industry, and give something back to a game I’ve loved my whole life. It is such a joy to see the look on a student’s face when they finally hit the shots — and post the scores — they’ve been wishing for.

My coaching philosophy

My philosophy is one of mentorship. Golf is the “game of life” — it teaches you a great deal you don’t expect. After a lesson with me you should walk away with two things: a swing you can rely on and trust, and an insight into the joy of this game that lasts a lifetime.

The part I’m most glad to share is the whole journey — from being a naive junior to understanding fully what it takes to reach the pinnacle of the game. There is an enormous amount going on behind the scenes that most amateurs never get to see, and I can open all of that up for you.

Where I teach

I’ve taught at clubs across Canada, the UK and Cyprus, and run junior camps in Canada and the UK — lessons across a wide variety of skill levels, from someone’s very first swing to competitive players sharpening the edges. These days you’ll find me on the courses around Paphos.