Golf has been a huge part of my life for as long as I remember. My grandad was a massive golf fan therefore, keen to pass on his passion on to his grandchildren as early as possible.
I was five when he took my brother and I for lessons at Hollins Hall Golf Club, which is where I first learnt to swing. Once I was familiar with hitting the ball, he took me to Wike Golf Club (now Leeds Golf Centre) so that I could get a taste of what it’s like to play golf on their short 12-hole, par-3 course.
After a few years of playing the short course, he took me to Wetherby Golf Club, where I played my first 9 holes on a full-sized golf course. This is where I also had a golf lesson from my current coach, Mark Daubney. He runs a Junior Golf Academy, which my brother and I attended in 2010, when I was ten. After completion of the Academy, each junior received a free year of membership. This meant that in the summer, I was able to go to the golf club most days and practice while my brother and grandad were on the course. This was when I discovered my passion for golf.
I got my first playing handicap of 28 at eleven years old and played in my first junior competitions during summer.
The next season after practicing all winter, I reduced my handicap from 28 to 24 by playing in junior competitions. After a successful summer, I didn’t want to stop competing for the winter, so my grandad invited me to be his four-ball partner in the Sunday Morning Winter League where we finished second due to my high handicap, (which didn’t change through the winter) and high progression rate.
I then reduced my handicap from 24 to 14 in the first two weeks of the next season, receiving my first prize in a men’s competition, placing 2nd in the St. George’s Day Sword and qualifying for almost every knockout competition the club hosts. I also took my first win in the Junior Club Championships beating my brother on the final few holes which lowered my handicap to 13 by the end of the season, where I started to struggle with the sudden loss in strokes.
I was chosen to play my first match for the Wetherby Golf Club Nett Team during this season, where we played away against South Leeds Golf Club. In the LDUGC Nett League, the maximum handicap limit is 12. This meant that I had to sacrifice a shot and play 12 instead of 13. Despite this drop and my previous struggles, I won the match, to the captain’s delight, who caddied me for the match.
After the season, I played my second winter as my grandads partner in the Sunday Morning Winter League, where we didn’t have much success due to my drastic reduction in handicap, as I ended up having to give shots to most opponents, instead of receiving them like the previous year. After practicing more and playing a match every Sunday morning, I further reduced my handicap to 9 the next season where I developed a very close rivalry with my friend, Henry. We are both the same age with the same passion for golf and were both coming down in handicap at a very similar rate. This motivated us to practice more to beat the other in handicap. At the end of the 2014 season, we were both playing handicaps of 9 and made the decision to become partners in the Winter League and became joint champions in our first year.
The friendly rivalry carried on very closely into the next season, as we competed for positions on the Junior and Nett teams at Wetherby Golf Club as well as the Leeds and District Junior Team and of course, bragging rights regarding handicap. We both reduced our handicaps throughout this season from 9 to 7 and I was chosen full-time for the Nett Team.
I also played my first Leeds and District Juniors match against Sheffield at Wike Golf Club, in the last match of the season. This was my first return to Wike since joining Wetherby, but this time on the full 18-hole course. I was extremely nervous playing in this match as I didn’t know any of the players on my team. I was told by the organiser that I would be paired with Rhys in the morning foursomes, who helped me to find my way around the course and explained the structure of the matches and the day. We beat our Sheffield opponents 2&1 and I went for lunch a lot more comfortable than I was in the morning. I tee’d off last in the afternoon for my singles match, where I played against the highest handicapped golfer on the Sheffield squad. I also won this match 4&3, boosting my confidence and securing myself a regular position on the team for the next season.
Over the winter, me and Henry decided to pair up again for the Winter League where we came second. I also diligently practiced and worked on my swing at the driving range at Rudding Park Golf Club with my brother for winter, who was playing off a handicap of 2 by this point, and came into the next season with a target of becoming a category-1 golfer (handicap of 5 or below).
The next season was my last year of high school. This meant that I had a very long summer, where I got my handicap down from 7 to 5 and played in most matches for Leeds and District Juniors and also played in my first Yorkshire Order of Merit competition – the Wharfe Trophy – hosted by Wetherby golf club. I had a good day shooting a 75 (+2) and 74 (+1) finishing 7th overall and 2nd best junior on the day.
I also played in the Under 16’s North of England Strokeplay consisting of 72 holes over 3 days at Pannal Golf Club. I didn’t have a great first day shooting 84 meaning I would have to be 2 over par for the second day to make the cut, which I didn’t achieve.
A disappointing performance at Pannal Golf Club, but a successful season, finishing with a handicap of 5 and much ambition for the season to come. However, with A-levels, a part-time job and a new interest in the gym, I didn’t manage to get a lot of practice in through the winter and had a disappointing 2017 season, reducing my handicap by just one shot to 4.4 and no desirable wins under my belt.
The disappointment continued to my last season as a junior where I had even less time to practice or play due to my exams, barely hanging onto my handicap having only played in 3 qualifying competitions.