Gary Day

Golfing Herald met up with Gary Day for our Meet the Professional series. Throughout our chat I was reminded of quotations attributed to Periander, one of the seven sages of Ancient Greece, namely:

“Practice is everything”

“Learn to bear bravely the changes of fortune”

I really hope you enjoy this article that at times took Gary and myself to places, thoughts and emotions that neither of us was expecting.

Gary started his never-ending love of all things golf whilst still at junior school by ‘beating balls’ (his words not mine) on the local playing fields. Even when his Dad was promoted at work, meaning his family moving from the West Midlands to Leeds, Gary continued to relentlessly practise by ‘beating balls’.

As a direct consequence of his school not having a football team, Gary joined Roundhay Golf Club, focusing single-mindedly on golf. At that time, juniors had to be accompanied by an adult to play on the course and thus frustrated by his lack of playing opportunities at Roundhay, Gary moved to Sand Moor, a golf club with an incredibly rich history of nurturing junior and elite amateur golfers.

Thus, aged about 15, Gary submitted the requisite three scorecards and attained his first official golf handicap…9!! Now playing on a more regular basis in an environment where there was such an excellent team spirit, Gary won the 1994 Sand Moor Club Championship and some local district Amateur competitions.

In 1996, and now playing off a handicap of 1, Gary enrolled with the PGA to undertake the 3-year course to qualify as a PGA Professional whilst attached to the Leeds Golf Centre as an Assistant Professional. The following year, playing in the Mizuno Assistants Championship at Knaresborough Golf Club, Gary shot 67 to set the professional course record.

Like many PGA Club Professionals, Gary attempted to balance his increasing love and workload of coaching whilst still playing in local events such as Pro-Ams. Gary’s game was starting to struggle at times due to a recurring wrist injury and thus in 2005 when an opportunity arose to be the General Manager of Cookridge Hall Golf Club Gary ‘changed direction’, to oversee the club operations and corporate affairs.

Gary’s childhood dream of playing in the Open Championship was finally realised when in 2006 he broke the course record at Wallasey Golf Club (yet another 67!!) during final qualifying to play at Hoylake (the 3rd and currently the last time that Tiger Woods won the Open Championship).

Then, in 2015, following a freak cycling accident, Gary’s life changed forever. After falling from his bike, and with no obvious injuries other than some pain in his shoulder, Gary continued working as normal at Cookridge Hall. Then, out with friends a few days later, he collapsed and was rushed to Hospital. Scans confirmed he had suffered a serious stroke which impacted the left-hand side of his body and the right-hand side of his brain, the latter requiring a decompressive craniectomy and then eventually a cranioplasty.

Four years later and Gary’s slow journey to recovery continues…however, as you will read in our chat that follows, Gary does not wallow in self-pity and actually draws parallels between the lessons he has learnt through his life in golf and his approach to recovery.

Long before his accident, Gary had been ‘involved with’ and ‘passionate about’ supporting and organising charitable events and during his recovery his involvement/passion has grown…but above all else, he is desperate to return to work in whatever capacity in this great game of golf.

The First Tee

Golfing Herald (GH): I had agreed to meet up with Gary close to his home in Guiseley which meant a lovely drive through famous Yorkshire towns such as Tadcaster, Boston Spa and Otley. After parking up, Gary and I had a pleasant walk to a café in the centre of Guiseley and once the Cappuccino and Latte drinks had been ordered I started by asking Gary when and where his golfing journey ‘teed off’.

Gary Day (GD): I actually started playing golf as a youngster whilst I lived in Dudley in the West Midlands as I am originally from there. I started playing down there when I was 8 or 9 years old, just messing around.

(GH): Was that just on the local playing fields?

(GD): Yeah, just on local fields. Just used to ‘beat’ balls!!

(GH): Did any of your family or relations play golf?

(GD): My Dad actually played football. He was really into his football. But he started playing golf which kind of drip-fed me into having a go and hitting balls. I started initially down in the West Midlands but then my Dad gained promotion in his job which brought us up to Leeds when I was about 13.

(GH): At that time, when you moved to Leeds as a teenager had you started to play golf more seriously?

(GD): No…I was still finding my feet and just hitting golf balls on fields. That was all I was really doing at that stage.

Footballs Loss = Golfs Gain

(GH): Were you into any other sports?

(GD): Football. Following what my Dad was doing. He played semi-professional football.

(GH): Who did he play for?

(GD): He played for very much all of the West Midlands sides in the end!! When we moved to Leeds he was playing for Dudley Town. I was playing a lot of junior football down in the West Midlands. When we moved up to Leeds I tried to carry that on and play for my local junior Sunday side. But the school did not have a football team which was disappointing. But truth be known that was what threw me more into golf. I felt at the time during my schooling days that my life was being dictated to by what I could and couldn’t do so I thought I would go out and play more golf. I enjoyed it and as I couldn’t play football as regular as I wanted I joined Roundhay Golf Club.

First Club

(GH): That is really interesting as that is where Ben Mason (who I interviewed for the previous article in this series) joined as his first club.

(GD): Roundhay was ideal as it is a 9 hole municipal course owned by the council and it did have a practice ground adjacent to it which you had to pay a small fee to use. That is where I tended to spend a lot of my time after school and during school holidays. And certainly, during the summer holidays, it was nothing but constant golf, golf, golf and beating balls!!

(GH): At what point did you think you might be quite good at this, or did somebody recognise that you had some natural talent and potential?

(GD): What happened was I was doing my own thing, started to get more consistent on how far I was hitting the ball, the accuracy improved, etc. With Roundhay being a municipal club it was quite difficult for juniors to integrate and actually get a game as they operated a roll-on, roll-off operation. Turn up, pay a green fee and play. You needed to go around with an adult if you were a junior. So that prompted my move to try and join a private members club whereby I would have a bit more flexibility and thus I joined Sand Moor Golf Club.

First Handicap

(GH): How old you were when you moved from Roundhay to Sand Moor?

(GD): I was about 15.

(GH): And when you joined Sand Moor did you have an official handicap?

(GD): I didn’t have an official handicap when I joined Sand Moor.

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

(GD): Yep…my first handicap was 9. I was given 9 as my first handicap after submitting three cards.

(GH): Wow…I can’t believe there are many golfers who start playing with a handicap of 9. All that practice over many years certainly paid off?

(GD): It certainly helped to enable me to get around the golf course!!

Playing More

(GH): How did you progress from being allocated your first handicap?

(GD): I was playing more and more golf at that point. I was playing regularly on a weekend. I took a part-time job at the Eagle Golf Centre in Leeds. That came about as I was coming to the end of my time at school (age 16) and my mother said to me “right you need to get out and get a job, even a part-time job!!”. I called the Golf Centre shop asking initially about a Saturday job and they said yeah, come down, which I did.

(GH): What did that job at the Eagle Golf Centre entail?

(GD): I just worked in the shop selling equipment and other golfing merchandise. Paul Snowden the gentleman who owned the shop was also a member of Sand Moor. He was a very good player himself. He was a scratch player was Paul. After I had completed my work on a Saturday morning, we used to go on a Saturday afternoon to Sand Moor to play in competitions such as the Monthly Medal. Paul was great and very influential really. He always made time for me. At that age, I wasn’t driving so he would drive me to the course and play in the afternoon. Then slowly, over probably a period of up to 12 months, my handicap gradually came down by point 1’s, 2’s and 3’s.

Team Spirit

(GH): As your handicap came down whilst working at the Golf Centre did you have any clear targets or objectives such as forging a career in golf?

(GD): I think the idea of trying to build a career out of the game came from being at Sand Moor and the people that I was surrounded by. At that time there were some exceptionally good amateur golfers…National champions, County champions, England Internationals, Walker Cup players, British Amateur champions, English Amateur champions…the list goes on!! That in itself was a driver to improve and get better. We were all really good pals…just reaching a legal age to go out to pubs and bars…we had an absolutely cracking niche of lads. If one of us went out and shot 65, then the rest would want to go out and shoot 64. We worked well as a team and over the years what the team of Sand Moor amateur golfers didn’t achieve was probably not worth winning anyway!! Whilst we used to ‘drive on’ each other as individuals and always want to beat one another, as a team collectively we wanted to clean up and win everything. I think that is what spurred you on to be a better player.

Amateur Highlights

(GH): As you reached a much higher standard at Sand Moor, did you start to play in any county and/or national events?

(GD): In comparison to my peers I was far from one of the better amateur golfers. I could go out and shoot steady numbers. I would always be around the 71, 72, 73 but I would not be out there shooting in the low sixties. I won the (36-hole) Sand Moor Club Championship in 1994 with (I think) a 70 and a 71. As an amateur, I won a few tournaments. I won the Leeds & District Amateur Championship. Though as an amateur, I didn’t really make a mark to be fair. Though I did play in the English Amateur Championship at Hunstanton in 1995 and at that time it was straight knockout match play without a stroke play qualifier.

Amateur to Professional

(GH): Did you stay at Sand Moor throughout the remainder of your amateur career or did you move to other clubs?

(GD): No, I remained at Sand Moor playing all of my amateur golf there. Within that group of lads that I played with I was being introduced to lots of other influential people within the game at the time. One guy who all the lads would remember is Dennis Sheehy. Dennis had a massive impact on a lot of our games. Dennis worked for David Leadbetter in his Academy. It was through Dennis that you started to get introduced to the likes of Faldo and Howard Clark (who is a Leeds lad) and it was at that point when I started meeting and getting up close to these people that I thought this is the track I want to try and go down as far as turning Professional.

(GH): When you had those thoughts, were you thinking of being a Playing Professional, or a Teaching Professional or maybe a hybrid of Playing and Teaching?

(GD): In an ideal world I would have liked to have focused on the playing side of the game. I would have liked to have been more successful than what I was. You have to be realistic about what you are trying to achieve. I came into the game turning professional on the back of hardly a glittering amateur career.

(GH): What was your handicap when you eventually joined the professional ranks?

(GD): I was off a 1 handicap when I turned professional and embarked on the 3-year PGA qualification course.

(GH): Whilst qualifying, to which club were you attached?

(GD): I was attached to Leeds Golf Centre as an Assistant Professional…working in the shop and took the opportunity to join the PGA in 1996 and do my 3-year training.

Course Record

(GH): In preparation for today I read that in 1997 you broke the professional course record at Knaresborough Golf Club.

(GD): Yes, that was in the Mizuno Assistants Championship when I shot 67. They have changed a few holes since then but the record still stands. Then I think I shot a level-par second round to win the event.

Playing vs. Teaching

(GH): When you achieved your PGA qualifications in 1999, did you have a clear plan for the next few years?

(GD): In simple terms, it was to compete which was why I played in the PGA regional tournaments. I was very much focusing on trying to compete and play but got into teaching as well. I needed to do that to finance my playing. I thoroughly enjoyed the teaching. The more I was teaching the busier I became and I was doing that alongside the playing and all of a sudden the competing side of things was picking up. It just became too much. I would travel to a tournament, play in the morning then travel back to fulfil a full diary of teaching. Which is great as I was earning a good living but it became too much.

(GH): Were you teaching at the Leeds Golf Centre?

(GD): Initially but then I moved to a club in Bradford called the Manor Golf Club, Drighlington. Not too dissimilar to Leeds Golf Centre…18 hole golf course, driving range. I had the footfall of clients coming through, new and existing golfers and that was where the teaching really took off. I was still being realistic in that I knew the standards of what was required to play successfully and compete. Not wanting to think of it being a negative approach but more being a realistic approach in that I needed to earn money which came primarily through teaching. Though I did win the Leeds & District Open Championship when it was played at Wakefield (Woodthorpe) Golf Club an event that includes amateurs up to a certain handicap and Professionals and Assistant Professionals.

Sunshine Tour

(GH): Did you play in any events or on any tours outside of the UK?

(GD): In 2003 (I think) was the first real ‘adventure’ as I went with a very good friend of mine Simon Hurd who had a European Tour Card for many years. We went to South Africa on the Sunshine Tour. Simon had been before and he said to me did I fancy coming down (to South Africa). Because I wanted to try and progress my game a bit I thought I would give it a try. A fantastic experience. First and foremost you are leaving the winter of England for the summer in the southern hemisphere. Played a few tournaments and brought back home what I wanted to which was the experience and coming back to England as a slightly different player as far as attitude goes. When you are playing alongside some of these guys that are obviously very good players you hopefully change and improve.

(GH): Did you return the following year?

(GD): I did two stints in South Africa. It was funny that the Sunshine Tour in the year I went you were able to pre-qualify on the Monday for the forthcoming tournament. They changed then to players having to go to a Tour School to gain playing rights. But the playing rights only made them exempt to go to the same pre-qualifying!!

Change of Direction

(GH): I read an article which said that about this time you were starting to struggle with a recurring wrist injury.

(GD): Yeah, it was tendonitis in my wrist for which I had to keep having cortisone injections.

(GH): The same article mentioned you moving (in 2005) to Cookridge Hall Golf Club as the General Manager.

(GD): A very good friend of mine who had been at Sand Moor, a guy called Adam Frontal who was an exceptional player and went on to be Yorkshire champion had previously worked with me at Leeds Golf Centre. An opportunity arose whereby Cookridge Hall was acquired and Adam was asked if he would ‘Captain the Ship’ so to speak. To which he took that offer up and asked me to go along and help him out with a few ‘bits and bobs’. I was then appointed there as General Manager which entailed overseeing the operation of the club and dealing with all corporate affairs.

(GH): To an onlooker quite a seismic change in direction and remit from Playing and Teaching?

(GD): I had a very keen interest in those aspects of a golf operation. I studied Business and Finance after I had left school for about 18 months and I think that fuelled my interest in that side of golf. Playing as I did in the PGA North region I was getting invited to go and play in a lot of Pro-Am events and I was observing how they were run and that was really my first project when I moved to Cookridge Hall…to organise a Pro-Am and that ran for about 11 years. I was massively driven by operating the golf club…loved it, absolutely loved that side of the game. Even though I say it myself, Adam and I took the club from down on the floor to something really good. I absolutely loved it, so much so that the playing side of things went off the boil!! I played a little bit but certainly not enough to maintain any kind of standard that I knew I was capable of playing.

The Open Championship

(GH): And yet, in 2006 you played in the Open Championship at Hoylake which was won by none other than Tiger Woods, and you broke the course record at Wallasey Golf Club to qualify!!

(GD): Prior to 2006, I had played in the regional qualifying for the Open on numerous occasions without success. But I had a bit of an ongoing affair with the Open as a golfer having an interest in watching the major championships. Also, I worked alongside Stephen Pullan, one of the lads who was a member at Sand Moor, who first qualified for the Open as an amateur at Muirfield in 1992 when Nick Faldo won.

(GH): When you say “worked alongside” do you mean caddying?

(GD): Steve asked me if I would caddy for him at the final qualifying stage. As we were pals I said “of course” and off we went to Dunbar Golf Club. He played great and qualified and off we went to Muirfield. I had the pleasure of caddying for Steve in the Open at Muirfield.

(GH): Whilst you were caddying and absorbing the experience and the atmosphere did you sort of think “I want to play in the Open one day?”.

(GD): Absolutely. Phenomenal atmosphere. On Wednesday, the final practice day, Steve was scheduled to play a practice round with Nick Faldo!! Partly through Dennis Sheehy’s influence as Dennis worked with Faldo on behalf of David Leadbetter. We turn up 09:00 and I am dead beat having carried this bag for god knows how many rounds on the practice days and the last thing I wanted was such an early roll call to get to the tee!! Steve played 9 holes on the back nine with Nick Faldo starting at 09:00 which was great and that experience was priceless.

(GH): Rolling the clock forward to 2006, what do you think made the difference after many attempts to qualify for the Open?

(GD): Whether in the back of my mind that this time I had a failsafe with my role at Cookridge Hall I don’t know. Whatever the reason at the end of the day I played bloody good golf at Wallasey to qualify!! I broke the course record with a 67 in the first round and shot a level par 72 in the second round, finishing T1 with Danny Dennison, who was an amateur at the time at Howley Hall Golf Club.

(GH): Can you remember who you played with during the first 2 rounds of the 2006 Open Championship?

(GD): I think I played with Bruce Vaughan from the USA and Marco Ruiz from Paraguay.

(GH): After that fantastic experience, did you try to qualify for the Open again or did you think “this might be as good as it gets?”.

(GD): No. I did try to qualify the following year. Although I missed the cut in 2006, I was automatically exempt for final qualifying in 2007. I had to go as I was exempt but I had not played much golf that year (due to my work at Cookridge) and it showed!!

(GH): After the 2007 Open did you just focus on playing in local Pro-Am events and regional tournaments?

(GD): Yeah, very much so.

Freak Cycling Accident

(GH): Rolling the clock forward once again, did you take up cycling as a hobby or a fitness regime?

(GD): I had always enjoyed cycling as a kid and living so close to the Yorkshire Dales I decided to start cycling. Really got into it, cycling with some of the lads. I suppose it was a bit of a replacement to a degree for my golf as I was hardly playing.

(GH): This is by far and away the toughest ‘Meet the Professional’ question I have had to ask since launching Golfing Herald, but are you able to talk about your cycling accident in 2015?

(GD): Basically what happened was I had been to work and then did my usual routine and got home and went straight out on the bike. On the way out I was cycling along my usual route towards Ilkley and noticed that it was quite windy. Carried on and then literally half a mile from where I live, so I was pretty much home, a huge gust of wind hit me from the side and knocked me off and the result was that I had (unknowingly) damaged an artery in my neck, which five days later led to a stroke.

(GH): A delay of five days?

(GD): During which time everything was as normal, going to work and so on.

(GH): Totally unaware you had done such serious damage to your artery.

(GD): I had gone out that evening, thank the lord, to meet some pals to watch the football on the TV and I just collapsed and went unconscious. I got rushed into hospital in the first instance on Wednesday and I had surgery on Saturday as I had gone downhill. I came through the surgery and then spent more time in the Leeds General Infirmary. Then it was decided that the best form of treatment would be to send me to Chapel Allerton, a hospital specialising in rehabilitation more than the General Infirmary. I spent some time there, after which I was referred to Daniel Yorath House in Garforth, which is a specific rehabilitation unit for brain injuries. They are very intensive on rehab and physiotherapy and cognitive issues that can result from the type of injuries I sustained.

Learning to Walk Again

(GH): In preparation for meeting up with you today Gary, I found a fantastic news snippet on how you combined learning to walk again following your accident with another passion of yours, namely your many years thinking of others via your charity work. How did that all start?

(GD): We did a lot of work at Cookridge Hall for charitable causes and I think all of the events we used to put on always carried some benefits for charity. Probably emanated from that I suppose.

(GH): How did the sponsored walk whilst recovering at Daniel Yorath House come about?

(GD): That particular walk came on the back of the trust, known as BIRT, which is the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust. It was there annual Brain Injury Awareness Week. So my physiotherapist had got me up and able to walk a few steps.

(GH): How long was this after your accident when you were able to actually walk a few steps?

(GD): It was about 12 months after my accident. My physio got me walking a few steps with the aid of a long walking stick. The logic behind this (long walking stick) was that for my particular issues by having a high stick on the right-hand side encouraged my left-hand side to get more involved as I had lost the use of my left-hand side (arm and leg). The awareness week had various little things going on and I said to my physio at the time “I fancy doing this…I could do a sponsored walk”. To be fair to my physio she was over the moon as it had never previously been suggested to her by a patient/client of hers. With support from family and friends I started to accrue an amount of sponsorship and in the end, I walked about a mile and raised about £3000.

Golfing Family

(GH): As I said earlier in the article, we enjoyed a really nice walk to this café, which you did with the aid of a walking stick…what next on this long road to recovery?

(GD): I have been told that the function in my left arm may return. If it does it will be the last thing that does. It is a bit of a waiting game with ongoing physiotherapy which comes at a cost. But on that note, I have received massive help from my fellow golf professionals and the PGA Benevolent Fund. And also through a very good friend of mine Andrew Turner, Head Professional at Knaresborough Golf Club, who organised a Pro-Am in 2018 and the funds raised they put towards my continued physiotherapy costs.

Looking Ahead

(GH): Looking ahead, what are your targets?

(GD): First and foremost I am going to continue trying to improve my fitness. I want to get back into work. I am desperate to get back into work.

(GH): There must be a role out there somewhere for someone with your abilities, experience, knowledge, passion…

(GD): I would like to think so. That is what is very frustrating at the moment. Although that said I do keep myself very busy. I continue to organise charity functions such as the event coming up in September for BIRT and helping at the local shop for St Gemma’s Hospice, Leeds. Which is good and I thoroughly enjoy doing it and raising funds. I will continue doing those where I can employ my organisational skills, imagination, etc. It is hard work but it is worth it in the end. I shall continue with that whilst actively trying to look out for something suitable to return to work. I have also embarked on writing a book!!

Pen to Paper

(GH): Tell me more? Can you tell me more at this stage!!

(GD): Yes. The book will entail some of the topics and subjects we have covered this morning about my journey in fulfilling a childhood dream of playing in the best championship in the world. Then the slip back down following the cycling accident.

(GH): Whereabouts are you with capturing and writing your story?

(GD): At the moment I am up to Chapter 6.

(GH): When completed are you looking for your book to be traditionally published or self-published such as an eBook on Amazon Kindle?

(GD): A friend of mine is involved in the industry so is offering me advice on the best way to go. As I said to him, from the outset it is not intended to be a money-making scheme. It came about because some of the experiences I have had within the golf game and just general ‘chit chat’ with friends and people I have met at different events asking “what about this?” and “what did you think about that?” that I thought I am going to put pen paper.

(GH): Do you have a working title for your book?

(GD): Yes I do…it is ‘One Stroke Too Many”.

(We both went silent and very thoughtful at this point…after a few moments of reflection I returned to some of the questions aligned to the ‘Meet the Professional’ format)

Biggest Change

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

(GD): I think it would be the reasoning behind my move to Sand Moor Golf Club in the first instance…those circumstances have changed greatly. Which is the accessibility to now get into the game? I moved to Sand Moor because at that time I could not get a game as part of a fourball to get onto a golf course. I suppose accessibility to the game nowadays as financially it has become more viable for people. At Cookridge we were very focused on Junior golf so I have seen hundreds of kids coming through, some as young as 3. Back in the day that would have been unheard of. You might get a parent to take a young child onto a practice ground or whatever but there were certainly no structures in place to promote the game of golf. All of that has changed for the better.

(GH): You are spot on. Today we have such fantastic concepts as Golf Sixes and Junior Golf Academies and Junior Summer Camps.

(GD): Absolutely…back in the day you had to do it all off your own bat.

The best facet of your game

(GH): When you were playing, what would you say was the best facet of your game?

(GD): I think the accuracy of the tee. I was usually pretty consistent on the percentage of fairways hit.

#Attitude

(GH): Linked to ‘facets of golf’, I was very interested in a tweet you posted last month which read “Great post-round interview by Robert Rock. Young golfers could learn so much from listening to his approach when putting a good round together” with the hashtag ‘#attitude’.

(GD): If I remember rightly I think it was the week of the Irish Open when he had a putt for a 59. The interview encompassed how he was feeling coming down the last few holes knowing that potentially he could shoot 59. It was his attitude and what he was saying and how he dealt shot by shot rather than thinking too far ahead. An absolutely fantastic interview. I think the keyword is ‘attitude’ which is something that I have, on the back of golf, employed during my slow recovery. I am not the type of guy who is going to sit back and think “Oh God, this has happened now and not do anything and just wallow in self-pity”. I am confident that golf is one of the reasons why I consider that I am doing extremely well given what has gone on. The attitude to what you have to employ in order to be reasonably successful in golf, or achieve your goals, and in life in general. That is why I drew so much from that interview with Robert Rock.

Outside of golf

(GH): On your twitter profile it says something like you have got my attention if you talk West Brom and Rugby League. Let’s start with West Brom…I assume we are talking football and West Bromwich Albion?

(GD): Obviously with coming from Dudley in the West Midlands, West Brom was one of the local football league sides. Albeit I followed my dad up and down the country when he was playing semi-pro but the Albion were my team in the Football League.

(GH): I am going to show my age here, and apologies in advance if I get this wrong, but when you first followed West Brom would that be the halcyon days of Cyrille Regis, Laurie Cunningham and Brendon Batson?

(GD): Absolutely…known locally as the ‘Three Degrees’. All legends. I was at junior school at the time but that era of Regis, Cunningham, Batson was something else…Remi Moses was another one though at that time he was a squad member. He was not in the realms of the other 3.

(GH): Do you still follow the Albion?

(GD): 100%…well not quite 100% as I go to Guiseley in keeping with the non-league interest. I do go watch Guiseley Town in their home games as I am a season ticket holder.

(GH): Your other ‘you have got my attention subject’ is Rugby League. How did you get involved with Rugby League?

(GD): Golf introduced me to a lot of different people from many different disciplines and areas. Rugby League is one of them. I got to know a couple of the lads from Leeds Rhinos. I had a keen interest in the game anyway. So, if you are talking West Brom or Rugby League you have got my attention!! I am finding interesting, but not in a bad way, the way that concussion and head injuries are now being addressed. Having gone through a brain injury, so close and personal myself, it is difficult to watch (Rugby League) sometimes when a player gets hurt.

(GH): It’s a really good point you raise as, in a number of sports, players are now stood down for a period of time if they have been diagnosed with or are suffering from a head injury, concussion, etc.

Favourite Sporting Event

(GH): What is your favourite sporting event?

(GD): The Open Championship all day long. just everything about it.

Fantasy Fourball

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

(GD): I think through what I used to research and look at as a kid then probably Ben Hogan. Certainly, it would be Hogan from that era.

(GH): Any players from the modern era?

(GD): Rory McIlroy…although I have not been close enough from just watching on TV he would be my second pick. I think one of the Americans…I think Patrick Reed would be a good laugh. I like the way he plays the game. I like how he steps up, a couple of waggles and then goes for it!! He might be good fun.

(GH): So, we are going for Ben Hogan, Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed.

(GD): Yeah, that would be the line up of golfers. But then I might throw a curveball in and pick Boris Johnson!! I would love to know what makes him tick and what makes him get up in the morning!!

(GH): OK, but who do you drop to make way for Boris? Or is he just on standby as 1st reserve?

(GD): Yeah…Ha Ha…I think he might have a bit on his plate at the moment!!

Favourite Golf Course

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

(GD): Probably Royal Birkdale. It’s very much naturally crafted within the dunes. Very fair test golf, rewarding good shots…an Open Championship venue. I used to look forward to going and playing there.

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

(GD): Totally the other end of the scale as we are going over to the States now but I liked Lake Nona in Florida. I have spent time there.

(GH): What makes Lake Nona special for you?

(GD): Do you know what, I am going to change my mind. Thinking about it we will come back to Europe I think and go Valderrama. The golf course itself offers a very stern test but I think the attention to detail at Valderrama is absolutely second to none. You walk into the place and it is manicured to an unbelievable standard. It doesn’t make the golf course any easier or any tougher but there is no stone left unturned. It was fantastic when I had the chance to play there. The way it is set up and manicured would get my vote.

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?

(GD): Re-introduce the old equipment!!

(GH): Yeah…so when you say old equipment are you talking about clubs and/or balls?

(GD): Both.

(GH): To what point in the golfing timeline are you thinking…Hickory, Persimmon…?

(GD): I would not go as far back as Hickory…would be back to clubs such as Persimmon Woods.

(GH): What is your thinking behind this retro approach?

(GD): Watching and growing up alongside golfers such as Howard Clark hitting shots with (older) bladed irons and such and the talent that these guys must have had during those times to do what they did…I would like to see that as I think maybe whilst there were many good golfers at that time out of 156 ‘runners’ in a golf tournament you could probably pick a handful that would really contend and win. Today it is now so wide open. With respect, you only have to look at say the American Majors, a lot of first-time winners in recent years. Don’t get me wrong, the likes of Gary Woodland who has just won the US Open, and not taking anything away from his victory, but he is probably of an age where ‘dinner plate drivers’ turn up and of course he is going to take advantage of the equipment. That is one aspect.

(GH): What is the other aspect?

(GD): The other aspect is that selected holes on golf courses have almost been killed by today’s prodigious length. As an example, take the 6th hole at Sand Moor Golf Club…Stroke Index 1, playing just over 470 yards off the back peg. Going back in the day it was a Par 5. You can see when you go there and walk around the bend at the bottom and you can see the bunker placement around the green. How there are bunkers in the run-up just short of the apron which would catch out anybody trying to get on in 2 as a Par 5. You play that as a Par 4 today it is a different ball game. These drivers cut out fairway bunkers and such and kind of eliminate the strategic aspect of the original design.

(GH): A great (retro) way to finish…Gary, a massive thanks for your time today and for talking so openly, honestly and passionately about your golfing story so far, the impact and consequences of your freak cycling accident, your involvement with various charitable causes and your positive outlook for the road ahead.

To all Golfing Herald readers…if you wish to find out more about the various organisations that have been referenced in this article then please visit:

• The Disabilities Trust ~ https://www.thedtgroup.org/
• Daniel Yorath House ~ https://www.thedtgroup.org/daniel-yorath-house
• Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust (BIRT) ~ https://www.thedtgroup.org/brain-injury
• Chapel Allerton Hospital ~ https://www.leedsth.nhs.uk/patients-visitors/our-hospitals/chapel-allerton-hospital/
• Stroke Association UK ~ https://www.stroke.org.uk/
• St Gemma’s Hospice ~ https://www.st-gemma.co.uk/

Thank you.