Aran Wainwright

Judged by today’s golfing standards, Aran Wainwright was very much a latecomer to golf. At age 14, Aran was first introduced to golf by his brother who was a member of Pontefract Golf Club at the time. Despite this relatively late start, Aran was immediately ‘hooked’ and within about 12 months was playing off a handicap of 3!!

Aran won a golf scholarship at the Wallace State Community College in Alabama where he played in a successful team that included Mikael Lundberg and Freddie Jacobsen, who both became Professional Golfers. Homesick, Aran returned home after a year in America and joined Garforth Golf Club.

When Aran entered the 1997 English Amateur Championship he had just been accepted for a role in the police force as he had become a bit disillusioned with his golf…a week later he was crowned English Amateur Champion, defeating Philip Rowe 2&1 in the final at Hoylake….the role with the police was ‘put on hold’!!

Representative honours quickly followed, including playing in the Home Internationals in an England team that also included Justin Rose and Luke Donald. Aran reached the quarter-finals of the British Amateur Championship at Muirfield in 1998, losing to the eventual winner Sergio Garcia. The following year he reached the final of the British Amateur at Royal County Down, losing to Graeme Storm in the 36 hole final. Aran made the squad for the 1999 Walker Cup but was not selected for the 10 man team.

Aran turned professional in 2000 and played full time for a couple of years, primarily on the EuroPro Tour. Realising that a Plan B was also required, Aran joined Wakefield Golf Club in 2002 as a Trainee Professional and successfully undertook the 3 year PGA qualification course. During this period, Aran won the 2003 Yorkshire PGA Championship and in 2006 won the Northern Rock Tournament at Maften Hall (beating amongst others Graeme Storm).

Since 2009, Aran has been attached to Darrington Golf Club, initially combining his role of Golf Manager with playing in regional and national events. In 2011, Aran won the Spirotech Manchester Open, shooting a course record 61 (10 under par) in the first round.

In 2016, Aran became the secretary of the Yorkshire PGA, a role which he thoroughly enjoys. This, combined with his teaching and work commitments at Darrington Golf Club means Aran’s competitive golf appearances are now few and far between, but his passion for golf and determination to one day play better than ever still burn brightly.

Darrington Golf Club

Established in 1993, Darrington Golf Club is located in the heart of the county of Yorkshire, England, about 2 miles south from Junction 33 on the M62.

This par 70 parkland course, designed by the renowned golf course architect Steve Marnoch, measures just over 6300 yards from the white tees and provides an excellent but fair test for golfers of all abilities…just be aware of the strategically positioned ‘water features’.

In addition to the championship golf course, other golfing facilities at the Darrington complex include:

• A floodlit, 23 bay heated driving range, incorporating the Mike Walker Golf Academy.
• Pro Shop with a full range of golf equipment and merchandise.
• PGA Professional coaching and tuition, including video analysis.
• Custom Fitting Technology.

The impressive modern clubhouse has an array of facilities and suites to accommodate events such as weddings, conferences, seminars and exhibitions…though I missed out sampling the Sunday Roast by conducting the interview on a Wednesday!!

The First Tee

Golfing Herald (GH): Rather than follow the straightforward route to Darrington Golf Club, primarily driving via a Motorway and Dual Carriageways, I decided to be ‘clever’ and reduce the overall distance by driving a few miles on unmarked roads…big mistake!! At times, this supposed short cut felt like a scene out of ‘Hell Drivers’, the classic 1957 British Film Noir…a fantastic movie with a brilliant cast including a very young Sean Connery. Anyhow, quickly realising my mistake, I returned to the suggested route. Upon my arrival at Darrington Golf Club I received a very warm welcome from Aran and once settled in the Pro Shop I started our conversation by asking Aran when and where his golfing journey ‘teed off’.

Aran Wainwright (AW): I was 14 when I first started playing. My brother actually started me off in golf. He was a member of Pontefract Golf Club which was just up the road from where we lived. He played for a year, got me into golf but then he stopped playing after one year!! But then I got my Dad involved.

(GH): When you first started playing golf were you into any other sports?

(AW): Played football. I played for Castleford Park Lions and Wakefield Boys, but I effectively gave everything up when I found golf!!

(GH): Immediately hooked?

(AW): Yeah. My first memories (of golf) were of my Dad buying me a pitching wedge…a Dunlop Max 357 Pitching Wedge. We lived next to a Rugby Field and I used to just go up there 5 times a day. Hitting balls back and forth, back and forth, loved it and that was my passion.

First Club

(GH): Which golf club did you join after hitting thousands of shots on the Rugby field with your pitching wedge?

(AW): I got a set of clubs and then joined Whitwood Municipal course in Castleford.

(GH): Can you remember what your first official handicap was at Whitwood?

(AW): My first handicap was 24 and I quickly came down to about a 3 handicap. I can’t remember exactly but think I was 15 when I got down to a handicap of 3 and 16 when I got down to a handicap of 1.

(GH): That is quite extraordinary to reach such a low handicap in such a short space of time…did that bring you to the attention of the county selectors?

(AW): I didn’t play for Yorkshire Boys but I did play for the Yorkshire Juniors Association. I then went to America on my 18th birthday as I had won a golf scholarship. I was playing off scratch when I went out to America.

Golf Scholarship

(GH): At which college in the United States did you win the golf scholarship?

(AW): It was the Wallace State Community College in Alabama. We did college in the morning and then golf in the afternoon. I played for the team and I did alright with the team. We had a couple of good players on our team…Mikael Lundberg, who has twice won the Russian Open and recently won the EuroPro Tour Championship, and Freddie Jacobsen. I lived with these Swedish guys for 9 months and it was a great experience. But I missed home and so I came home after one season.

Garforth Golf Club

(GH): So, returning earlier than planned from college in the States, what next on your golfing journey?

(AW): I joined Garforth Golf Club straight away.

(GH): What was your thinking behind joining Garforth?

(AW): It was a bigger course than Whitwood…18 hole as opposed to a 9 hole.

(GH): Did Garforth approach you when you returned from college?

(AW): No. I actually applied first at Pontefract Golf Club which was my local course but they did not have ‘room for me’ but Garforth made ‘room for me’. I was 19 and started having lessons off Peter Tupling.

Police Force Beckons

(GH): Now there is a familiar name. For the very first article in this series I interviewed Rich Pace, Head PGA Professional at Beverley & East Riding Golf Club, and whilst at University he was also coached by (former European Tour player) Peter Tupling.

(AW): Yes, he did…I had lessons with Peter and got down to a handicap of +2 pretty quickly. I then started to play in local events in Yorkshire and then in a few national events such as the Brabazon Trophy, which is English Men’s Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship. I also remember playing in the English Amateur at Hunstanton in 1995 and then at Hollinwell in 1996. Then in 1997, I was really getting a bit disillusioned. I was 21 and my golf was not really going to where I wanted to be.

(GH): In what way were you disillusioned?

(AW): I was playing for the Yorkshire Men’s Team but my golf had sort of plateaued. In fact, when I entered the 1997 English Amateur I had actually joined the Police Force!! I had submitted my application and I had been accepted for the Police Force. So my last event before joining the Police was going to be the English Amateur at Hoylake and I ended up winning it…changed everything!!

Career-Defining

(GH): An understatement to say that was career-defining…looking back do you think that because it was your last event, or so you thought, you were able to just play free of any pressures or expectations?

(AW): Maybe…I had just started to see Pete Cowen at the time and Pete had kind of tightened up my swing and given me some things to think about and it all kind of clicked together. It actually helped that I played in a practise round with Shaun Webster, who had won the English Amateur the year before. I liked the way he swung and I tried to deliberate what he was doing in his swing a little bit. That helped and gave me a better rhythm for my swing that week. I actually ended up playing Shaun in the quarter-finals and beating him…so that was nice!!

(GH): In preparation for today, unlike the British Amateur Championship which we will cover later, I really struggled to find much information about the 1997 English Amateur apart from an article about Philip Rowe who you actually beat in the final.

(AW): Yeah…I beat Phil, who is from West Cornwall Golf Club, 2&1 in the final.

(GH): You are now the English Amateur Champion…how on earth did you explain that to the Police Force?

(AW): I just told them I had put the job on hold!! All of a sudden I had all of these (golfing) opportunities. I was flying out to Switzerland for the European Amateur, representing England.

(GH): Was that the first time you had been selected to play for England?

(AW): Yeah…I went straight into the England set up. Went from not playing for England to first out in the matches. I played in the 1997 Home Internationals at Burnham & Berrow. It was a really good week. Justin Rose and Luke Donald were also in the team. Good memories. Then in 1998, I reached the quarter-finals of the British Amateur.

1998 British Amateur Championship

(GH): Had you played previously in the British Amateur?

(AW): I played in 1997 and after coming through the Strokeplay qualifying I lost in the first round of the match-play at the 21st hole to Matt Wilcox.

(GH): I assume that winning the English Amateur a few months later and then representing your country gave you the confidence to build upon your experiences at the 1997 British Amateur?

(AW): Yes definitely. Next was the Australian Strokeplay in the January of 1998 and then I played for England against France at Les Bordes, which I think was in April before the British Amateur in June. All really good experience.

(GH): The R&A website is absolutely fantastic when it comes to the results of previous British Amateur championships. So after coming through Strokeplay qualifying, I noted down that you won by 1 hole in rounds 2, 3 & 4!!

(AW): Gosh, I had forgotten that…yeah, I beat Kenneth Ferrie in Round 4. Before that, I played with Geoff Ogilvy, who won the US Open a few years ago, in the 2 rounds of qualifying and that was a really good experience. He was impressive.

(GH): Which brings us to the quarter-final when you came up against (the eventual champion) Sergio Garcia. What can you remember about that match?

(AW): I remember I didn’t play well and he holed everything…that’s all I remember!! I hit the ball terribly. In fact, I didn’t play well all week, to be honest.

(GH): But as highlighted by the results in the earlier match play rounds you found a way to win?

(AW): Yeah, though I shouldn’t have beaten Kenneth Ferrie. It was awful, really scrappy.

1999 British Amateur Championship

(GH): Rolling the clock forward 12 months and the 1999 British Amateur Championship which was played at Royal County Down.

(AW): I played in the Brabazon the week before at Moortown Golf Club which is near Leeds. Perfect, as Leeds was not that far to travel from home. I played poorly so went over to Northern Ireland with low expectations. I had a reasonable year but was playing poorly at the time. Then yeah, just found some form.

(GH): Had you played at Royal County Down before?

(AW): No. I went over there with no expectations and just found some form. I am one of those players that could be playing the worst golf in the world the day before but then find the right swing thought and the confidence returns…and that is what I found that week and hit it great all week.

(GH): If we use this print out from the R&A website, in the first round you beat Gareth Davies, who earlier this year won the historic Leeds Cup and then in the second round you beat Trevor Immelman, who as a Professional went on to win the US Masters in 2008.

(AW): That was good. I remember meeting him on the 1st Tee and he came up to me, we shook hands and then he said: “You will lose today”!! I beat him 3&2 which was nice.

(GH): That brings us nicely to the last 16 when you defeated a guy called Kevin Quinn 2&1.

(AW): Yeah. Kevin Quinn from America, though I don’t remember much about the game.

(GH): Then in the quarter-finals, you played Marcel Siem, who now plays on the European Tour.

(AW): Marcel Siem from Germany. I putted great against him. I met him a few years later at a Tournament in South Africa and he said: “I remember you, you holed everything”!! Then in the semi-final, I played Richard McEvoy and won by 1 hole. A lovely lad from Essex. It was a really good semi-final and I remember it clearly, much more than the final. We got to the 17th hole and I am 1up. I hit a 7-iron to about 8 feet above the hole and it was game over really as he was about 30 feet away. I rolled it 4 feet by and missed it coming back so it is all square going down the last. It’s a Par 5 and you can’t really reach it in 2 shots. I remember driving into a bunker and you can’t get very far out of this bunker and he is down the middle and I am thinking ‘Oh No’. Wedged it out of the bunker and I then had a 3-iron for my 3rd shot. Hit the middle of the green but was about 40 to feet away from the flag which was at the back of the green. He had a wedge in for his 3rd shot but pulled it big over the back, making it really difficult for him to get up and down.

(GH): Opened the window a little for you?

(AW): Yeah, and I rolled the long putt in for a birdie to win on the 18th.

(GH): Brilliant…which meant you played Graeme Storm in the 36 hole final.

(AW): I think we halved the first 10 or 12 holes, ridiculous really. Then I was 3 down after 18. I don’t think I putted very well the whole day which is not like me. I got it back to 2 down after the 20th but then he pulled away and before I knew it I had lost 7&6. I think Graeme hit one poor shot all day. He played well and deserved to win. He was without a doubt the better player on the day.

Walker Cup Squad

(GH): By reaching the final of the British Amateur and winning the English Amateur, albeit a couple of years earlier, did you get considered by the selectors for the 1999 Walker Cup?

(AW): I was in the 21 man squad with 10 players eventually selected for the team but I just missed out on selection.

Amateur to Professional

(GH): At what point did you decide to turn Professional?

(AW): At the end of the year I was thinking about turning professional in 2000. I then went to the Asian Tour School with Simon Dyson, Lee Slattery and Ben Mason. Simon got through the qualifying and secured his card. Not making excuses but I think Ben and myself were in the harder draw.

(GH): At that stage were you focused on being a playing/touring Professional?

(AW): Yeah. What I did was to sell shares in myself at Garforth Golf Club. I sold shares and raised £10K for initial sponsorship and then tried to pay them back over the next 2 years. I didn’t successfully pay them back but I tried my best. Didn’t get my card for the Asian Tour so came back to the UK and in my second EuroPro Tour event won £5K. Played on that tour for about 2 &1/2 years and attended European Tour Q School a handful of times. Plenty of Top 10 finishes but in August 2002 realised I needed a backup plan so I joined Wakefield Golf Club as a Trainee Professional (under the guidance of Head Professional Ian Wright) and enrolled for the PGA Qualification course. Whilst training I continued to play in events and Ian was very kind so that I could play in the occasional EuroPro event. I left Wakefield in 2006 fully qualified and then played full time for another couple of years or so and then in 2009 joined Darrington Golf Club and have been here now for 10 years…playing less and less!!

Priceless Tip

(GH): Before covering your role here at Darrington, I just wanted to go back in time and cover one of your victories as a Professional, namely the 2011 Spirotech Manchester Open played at the Marriott Worsley Park Golf Club.

(AW): Yeah. I had a good year in 2011 with a few wins including the Spirotech Manchester Open and the Brough Classic…my last really decent year was 2011!! I got the Golf Manager role here and I balanced the year well between work and playing golf but then the following year I was doing a lot of work in the Pro Shop and my golf deteriorated.

(GH): I uncovered an article from the Manchester Evening News in which it said you picked up a priceless tip from top golf coach Mike Walker just before playing in the 2011 Spirotech Manchester Open.

(AW): Yes. I grew up with Mike Walker and he now has a golf academy at the driving range here at Darrington. He used to caddy for me, like when I won the English Amateur and other events. I used to caddy for him when he was getting through his PGA playing ability. We went for a game of golf at Wakefield the day before I played at Worsley Park and he gave me a quick tip to get my body working in harmony. Felt good and then the next day I went out and shot 10 under in the 1st round!!

(GH): With your 61 being a course record.

(AW): Yes…it was good.

(GH): Aran, you must be the master of the understatement?

(AW): Not so sure about that!! I actually had an 8-foot putt on the last for an eagle 3 which I missed. I remember standing in the middle of the 18th fairway thinking this is for a 59 which was a bit unreal with a 7-iron in my hand!! Then a 66 the next day to win by 3 or 4 shots I think.

To view Aran’s 15 under par winning score, including his course record 61, then please visit Spirotech Manchester Open Results.

Determined

(GH): A few moments ago you said that your game started to deteriorate after 2011 due to your work commitments as Golf Manager here at Darrington but in 2012 you won the PGA Glenmuir PGA Professional Championship North East qualifier.

(AW): Yeah. I won the PGA qualifier at Fulford Golf Club…think I shot a 67 to win. There were still positive signs but I just found there was less time to practice. I had started to hit the ball left and I am still struggling by hitting the ball left 8 years later!! Anybody who knows me knows that ‘low left’ is my destructive shot. I am still working away, seeing every coach in the world. I am still determined that it is down to technique. Everybody will tell me it is mental but I think it is about technique. To this day I know when I get that correct swing thought I will go out and win again.

Yorkshire PGA Secretary

(GH): Rolling forward to today, what is your current role at Darrington Golf Club?

(AW): Now, I guess I am still the Head Professional here but I only do about 20 hours a week, though sometimes up to 40 hours, as in January 2016 I took over as Yorkshire PGA Secretary. I reduced my hours here, met with the owner (of Darrington) and he was happy for me to divide my time between coaching, working in the Pro shop and running events for the Yorkshire PGA.

(GH): Were you approached to be the secretary of the Yorkshire PGA or was it a position for which you had to apply?

(AW): I was actually on the interview committee!! We set up a committee…myself, Martin Heggie who is the chairman (of the Yorkshire PGA) and Pro at Moortown Golf Club and Aaron Pheasant who is the General Manager at Hull Golf Club. We advertised the position and I thought ‘sounds like fun that, I would like to do that’. Realised I would be playing less so applied for the position. I think they shortlisted the candidates down to 2 and I was offered and then accepted the position.

(GH): At a high level, what does the role of secretary encompass?

(AW): Putting the Pro-Am events together. Sorting the venues. Running the Pro-Am events. Working with the clubs to get the (Pro-Am) teams in. Running individual Professional events, such as Assistant Professional competitions. Players Tour events for Professionals in the Yorkshire region. Finances, meetings, sponsorship…

(GH): Enough to keep you quiet!!

Best Days Ahead

(GH): Against the backdrop of juggling your Darrington work commitments with the role of Yorkshire PGA Secretary, do you still manage to play ‘competitively’?

(AW): Not as much as I would like. I stand in now and again for when a Pro does not turn up which is not ideal preparation. I have still have got that passion to play but I don’t play as good as I used to do but still think I can. I was a decent golfer and won quite a few things but I wasn’t good enough to get to the next grade and I still don’t know why. Though some strange voice in my head is saying my best golf is ahead of me though I don’t know why.

(GH): I have that same voice which has been saying my game will improve for the past ** years!! Seriously though, whatever level you play golf….at my level or at your elite level then you have to keep smiling, trying and believing.

(AW): You are right. Not going to get better if you don’t give yourself a chance.

Sunningdale Foursomes

(GH): Going off at a slight tangent, a couple of weeks ago I was completing my research for an article I have just published on the Sunningdale Foursomes and your name appeared in a search I had submitted against the Times Newspaper Archives…when I drilled down into the results there were a few columns of golf coverage about you and Adrian Ambler reaching the semi-finals in 2001.

(AW): Yes, we did. I think it was the year before when we reached the quarter-finals. In 2001 we lost in the semi-finals at the 20th to the eventual winners that year (Clare Lipscombe and Stewart Little). We played a few times together in this event.

Biggest Change

(GH): During all the years you have been playing golf, what would you say is the biggest change you have observed in the game of golf?

(AW): How far the ball goes.

(GH): Do you think that is down to Technology, the fitness of today’s pro golfers, or a combination of both?

(AW): I think it is down to the ball. The ball is way different from what it used to be. It carries way further. That would be the biggest change I have seen, how far the ball is going. More recently though, Tour Players have transitioned over the past 20 years or so to work out full time in the gym and now the next generation of players such as Brooks Koepka are into bodybuilding. Players are athletes now.

The best facet of your game

(GH): What would you say is the best facet of your game?

(AW): My short game has always been good. Good at getting up and down. I have always struggled with my driving. I have never been the best driver of a ball. Iron play was good. Chipping has always been there for me, never had to work at it.

Outside of golf

(GH): What are your interests outside of golf?

(AW): I play football every Thursday night with the boys in the village where I live…6 or 7-a-side. I play pool for the local pub as well!! Just try not to be selfish and attempt to balance time between my family, work and interests.

Favourite Sporting Event

(GH): What is your favourite sporting event?

(AW): I would have to say watching golf, in particular, I like watching the US Masters. It is the first event of the year with such a big build-up, so I would have to say my favourite sporting event is the Masters.

(GH): Have you ever been out to Augusta to watch the Masters?

(AW): In 1994 when I was at college in the States I went and watched the Monday and Tuesday practise rounds. Augusta is just like nothing else. The Masters is the biggest event in the world for me, followed by the Ryder Cup.

Fantasy Fourball

(GH): In addition to yourself, who would you pick for your dream fantasy Fourball?

(AW): My dad obviously. Then, Tiger Woods because he is a legend and an idol. Then I would probably say, Ian Woosnam.

(GH): Why have you chosen Woosie for your final pick?

(AW): I just loved the way he played. I tried to imitate his swing when I was growing up and probably learnt a lot from him watching him play. The way he used to hit a 2-iron, I tried to imitate that.

(GH): Would it be you and your Dad up against Tiger and Woosie?

(AW): Yeah…me and my Dad would take them on!!

If not a Professional Golfer

(GH): Aran, you mentioned earlier that you were on the verge of joining the police force just before winning the 1997 English Amateur Championship…do you still think you would have joined the police if you had not become a Professional?

(AW): Yeah, I think so. At the time it seemed like a really strong and worthwhile career. A job for life is what I was thinking and I could have still played golf but for the Police Team, so I wouldn’t have had to totally give up competitive golf.

Favourite Golf Course

(GH): Which is your favourite golf course in the UK?

(AW): It is either Birkdale or Muirfield. Not sure, a toss-up really. They are both brilliant courses where every hole is different. If I had to choose it would be Muirfield. I have only played it that one week during the 1998 British Amateur and I thought it was just amazing. There are no poor holes with an amazing finish to the golf course.

(GH): And your favourite golf course outside of the UK?

(AW): Outside of the UK it would have to be Les Bordes in France.

(GH): That was where you played for England against France.

(AW): Yeah…then I went back again when they hosted the EuroPro Finals in 2009 and I finished 3rd. The course is just immaculate. The course was conceived by Marcel Bich, as in Bic razor…about 20 members there, wooden clubhouse, all of the holes are individual. Middle of nowhere near the Loire river about an hour and a half south from Paris. Just amazing.

(For information, the American golf course architect Gil Hanse is currently building a 2nd 18 hole championship golf course at Les Bordes so by Autumn 2020 they will have Old and New courses plus a 10 hole Par 3 course at this private members venue.)

Marooned

(GH): You are marooned on a remote desert island. What would you not be without?

(AW): Got to be my family…I always had support from my Mum and Dad when I was growing up and from my wife. I met Vicki in 2000 and she has always been supportive of my golf, the travelling required, etc.

(GH): For this question, I make the rules up as I go along, so anything else in addition to your family.

(AW): OK…a football and then a golf club with some golf balls…that would be good.

The Nineteenth

(GH): And finally. You are now in charge of the R&A. What ideas would you like to implement for this great game of golf over the next few years?

(AW): The worst rule in golf needs changing which is dropping in a bunker out of a wet lie. You have to move your ball from water and then drop and the ball gets plugged. You get penalised in that you could have had a good lie in the bunker if the water was not there. I think placing the ball in the bunker would be much fairer. That above all else would be the one change I would like to see implemented.

(GH): Aran, a huge thanks for your time today and for sharing a fascinating, candid and passionate insight into your amateur and professional golfing journey so far. Also, many thanks to the kind hospitality of Darrington Golf Club and for granting me permission to use photos from their website photo gallery.

Acknowledgements

Yet again, the global golfing community have been so supportive in allowing me to use various photos to augment the article. In addition to Darrington Golf Club, I just want to say thanks to:

• Kelly Lewis ~ Marketing & Communications Coordinator at the PGA
• James Lambert ~ Golf Retail Manager at the Worsley Park Marriott Hotel & Country Club
• Jack Laws ~ Head Professional at Les Bordes
• Vicki Allison ~ Assistant Secretary at Garforth Golf Club
• Royal County Down Golf Club