Paul Gibson

Golfing Herald met up with Paul Gibson, PGA Teaching Professional at Hornsea Golf Club for our Meet the Professional series.

Paul Gibson is a very well respected and innovative PGA Teaching Professional, but his golfing journey to date has certainly not followed the trajectory of a traditional career path.

Paul was introduced to the game of golf at an early age by his Dad, albeit looking for golf balls in the trees whilst his Dad played golf!! He then joined the junior section at Hainsworth Park Golf Club and was allocated an initial handicap of 27. By the time Paul went to York St John University his handicap was down to 5.

After graduating with a degree in PE and Management, Paul initially worked at ‘The Deep’ in Hull before working for over 4 years on various cruise ships. Whilst on the cruise ships, Paul grasped the opportunity to actually teach golf to some of the passengers and looking back he believes this was the defining moment to embark on a career as a Teaching Golf Professional.

Upon returning to England, Paul became the Assistant Professional at Hainsworth Park Golf Club and after 3 years of study gained his PGA Professional qualifications. A chance meeting with Stretton Wright, Director of Golf at Hornsea Golf Club, resulted in Paul moving to Hornsea as a full-time Teaching Professional.

Paul enjoys coaching players of all abilities and at Hornsea, he facilitates group coaching sessions for Juniors, Gents and Ladies. He has also recently accepted the role of Manager for the East Riding Union U18 Golf team.

Hornsea Golf Club

Hornsea Golf Club was established as a members club in 1898 and moved to its present site in 1908. The course was designed by Alexander ‘Sandy’ Herd, a Scottish professional golfer who won The Open Championship in 1902 at Hoylake.

In 1912, Dr Alister Mackenzie, the renowned architect whose course design portfolio includes Augusta National and Cypress Point, made a number of recommendations, in particular, that greens should be visible to the approaching golfer and have undulating surfaces towards the back. In 1925 James Braid, who won The Open Championship on 5 occasions, proposed various alterations relating to bunkering on the course.

Due to this historical association, Hornsea Golf Club is a proud member of both the Alister Mackenzie Society and the Association of James Braid Courses.

Situated on the Yorkshire coastline about 15 miles north of Hull, Hornsea is a mix of traditional links design with gently undulating parkland terrain. The first seven holes run outward towards the iconic water tower, followed by a double loop of five holes. The famous inward stretch of six holes from the 13th to 18th is arguably the best finish in the county of Yorkshire.

Returning to the 1st Tee

Golfing Herald (GH): I ‘teed off’ by asking Paul when and where his golfing journey all started, early golfing memories, recollections, etc.

Paul Gibson (PG): My first golfing memory was walking around Sutton Park Golf Course with my Dad. He was mainly a cricketer but then he retired from playing cricket when he was about 40.

(GH): Did you play Cricket?

(PG): I used to play cricket as well and I always had plans to play in the same team as my Dad. I thought that would be quite cool. But before I got any good at cricket my Dad had stopped playing. He then started playing golf at Sutton Park and I used to sort of walk around with him and try to get golf balls for him from the trees!! My sister would also be there and my Dad would set us competitions to see who could find the most golf balls for him. He wasn’t daft!!

(GH): How old were you when you were ‘looking for lost golf balls’?

(PG): I would have been about 9 or 10.

(GH): Most importantly, did you win the golf ball finding competition against your sister?

(PG): No, I think she beat me!! I think the most I ever found was 5. I am very competitive so you remember these sorts of things which you probably shouldn’t!! I am sure she beat me one day 7-5.

Next Steps

(GH): How did you progress from those early days of looking for golf balls for your Dad to actually playing golf?

(PG): From there I got a half set of clubs and I used to play now and again with my Dad at Sutton Park.

(GH): With Sutton Park being a municipal course, were those early forays on a ‘pay as you play’ basis?

(PG): Absolutely. Though one of my earliest memories of hitting golf shots was on the Primary School field (our house backed onto the School). I think I got the 3-wood out, hit it and it went pretty high and nearly went into the garden of one of the neighbouring houses. With that, I put the 3-wood away and just got the 5-iron out. Put the ball on a tee, whacked it and the ball went straight into one of the gardens!! I thought I had better go and find a bigger field!!

Progression

(GH): How did your golf then progress from retrieving (over hit) golf balls from gardens?

(PG): Took a while. I played at Sutton Park for about 2 years with my Dad. None of my friends played golf so when I was younger I used to play golf with my Dad and his 2 mates. We then joined Hainsworth Park Golf Club. That was when I started to play more and got involved with the Junior section. I had lessons from Stretton Wright, who I now work with here at Hornsea Golf Club!! He gave me my first lesson at Hainsworth Park as they did not have a Club Professional at that time. It developed from there really.

(GH): Did your handicap quickly come down as a consequence of playing more and receiving golf lessons?

(PG): It did. Thinking back, I was about 12 or 13 (years of age) and my first official handicap was 27. I remember my Dad saying that handicap was about right. At that time, I didn’t really understand handicaps. It was a case of going out, hit a ball, find it and then hit it again!! Which was just brilliant.

(GH): You were good at finding golf balls though but not as good as your sister!!

(PG): Yeah, very funny!! I never really remember being stuck on a particular handicap. It just continued to tumble. I was very fortunate that during the summer holidays my Mum would drive from home, drop me off at Hainsworth Park, go and do a day’s work and then come and pick me up. I was at the golf course all day, usually playing 2 rounds of golf. When you are younger you sort have no fear so I would just walk up to other members and ask whether I could join them for a game of golf.

(GH): At what point did your golf become more serious, or was it always just fun as a Junior?

(PG): It was always fun. When I was about 17 or 18 it was still fun and I wasn’t discounting playing golf for a living. It was more still a really good hobby which I was enjoying. I just didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. I was good at golf and I enjoyed it.

Setting Sail

(GH): After leaving college, what happened next? For example, did you go into tertiary education?

(PG): Yes I did. I went to York St John University on a 3-year course and I graduated with a degree in PE and Management. I wanted to be involved with sport but did not know in what capacity. At that point, I knew I did not want to take a Master’s Degree so it was very much a case of what now? I worked at ‘The Deep’ in Hull for a year. The Gift Shop Manager at ‘The Deep’ used to work on cruise ships so when I was 23 I went to work in the shop on cruise ships.

(GH): Wow. Certainly not the traditional career path for a PGA Golf Professional!! Was that working for say P&O or Cunard?

(PG): It started off with me working for Carnival Cruise Line, based in Florida.

(GH): That must have been a fantastic experience at such a young age, effectively travelling the world?

(PG): It was. I wanted to travel and to a large extent the specific cruise ship I was allocated to dictated where I went. My first ship was Carnival Glory, based out of Orlando and it went to the East Caribbean and then the West Caribbean. Took about a week for each cruise. It was an 8-month contract so you work for eight months solid. You don’t really have a day off. But with the Gift shop being ‘Tax and Duty-Free’ we were not allowed to open when the ship was in port so that was very much my free downtime.

(GH): How was your golf at this time? Were you still playing?

(PG): That was when my golf plateaued. At University I was playing off a handicap of 5 and I joined Strensall Golf Club in York but I hardly played.

Double Take

(GH): How long did you work on the cruise ships?

(PG): About 4 and ½ years. I worked for the first 3 and ½ years in the Gift Shop and then for the final year I gave golf lessons!!

(GH): OK (at this point of our conversation I was doing a serious double take!!). So, to recap, at that time, you have a handicap of 5, you are not a qualified golf professional and you are working in a Gift Shop on a cruise ship. How did you start giving golf lessons whilst on the cruise ships?

(PG): There was always a Golf Professional aboard ship. They had a golfing simulator on the ship and when we were in port the Professional would take some of the guests and play on some really wonderful golf courses. I got chatting with one of the Golf Professionals and I was sort of discussing with him that future wise I was thinking I would like to get into golf professionally. He suggested why don’t you get started on the ship? I thought it would be a stumbling block that I was not PGA qualified. He said, don’t worry about that we will teach you what you need to teach. I gave that some consideration and agreed to it.

Professional Golf Career Begins

(GH): What was your first assignment upon embarking on this next chapter of your working life on cruise ships?

(PG): I went home after my final (gift shop) contract and then I started work with P&O. I travelled down to Southampton to commence a 2-week cruise. P&O sent another Professional on this cruise and I effectively learnt from him. Looking at things such as grip, posture…very much basic stuff.

(GH): Literally hands-on training, learning on the job?

(PG): Absolutely. There was no bedding in period. It was almost, come on then, let’s go meet the passengers and drum up some business!!

(GH): For someone who has never been on a cruise ship were the golfing facility outdoors?

(PG): On that particular ship there were 2 outdoor nets at the stern. That was all we had. I then worked on the P&O cruise liner Aurora which also had an indoor golf studio, very much hitting into a screen and it worked out where the ball went. I was giving basic golf lessons to passengers.

(GH): Looking back, would you say that was the defining moment when you thought yeah, I could forge a successful career as a Teaching Golf Professional?

(PG): Definitely. I have always been a people person. When I was younger, friends of the family always said that I would be a Teacher but I never wanted to teach in say a High School or anything like that. That was a definite ‘No-No’. But moving into a teaching golf professional job was sort of them being proved right.

Return to Terra Firma

(GH): How did you go from giving golf lessons on cruises to becoming a fully qualified PGA Professional?

(PG): You can join the PGA as a Professional with a 4 handicap. That is what Ian Poulter did. At the time I was still playing off a handicap of 5. I re-joined at Hainsworth Park and got my handicap down to 4. Whilst I was endeavouring to reduce my handicap and secure my first professional role, I had a job at a local bar and I was sending letters to all the golf clubs in and around York. My girlfriend at the time (who is now my wife) was in Newcastle Upon Tyne so I also sent letters to the various golf clubs in that area.

(GH): Which letter resulted in the ‘breakthrough’?

(PG): You know what, in the end, it wasn’t one of the many letters!! Pete Myers was the Professional at Hainsworth Park when I returned from working on the cruise ships and I started to get to know him after I had re-joined the Club. His Assistant Professional had just finished, he talked to a few members about me, and he then offered me the job of Assistant Professional.

Teaching or Playing

(GH): With your first Assistant Professional role now secured, were you always destined to be a PGA Teaching Professional or did you have aspirations to be a Playing Professional?

(PG): When you first start out you have aspirations of playing but having played at a high level you sort of realise that there are a lot of very good players out there. I was quite mature for my age so it did not take me long to decide that I am not going to make a living out of playing so I have to focus my efforts on other areas, such as full-time teaching.

(GH): You must have felt that you got a fantastic ‘head start’ through your time on the cruise ships? An invaluable experience really.

(PG): Invaluable is the exact word I would use. At the time, American customers on the cruise ships were so much more demanding as they only received a couple of weeks of leave a year so they expected a lot. I learnt all aspects of serving the customer. Bringing that ‘interaction’ experience back to England was very beneficial for me.

PGA Qualifications

(GH): So, you have now joined Hainsworth Park as an Assistant Professional. Is that when you started to formally undertake the 3-year PGA Professional course and exams?

(PG): Absolutely. You do various tests, go down to ‘The Belfry’ to do your courses and you get a box full of textbooks to start learning all facets of the role…teaching, marketing, sports science, etc.

(GH): Was there any overlap with your PE and Management degree course?

(PG): It helped. I remember when I first went down to ‘The Belfry’ I said I have this degree in PE and Management, can I use any of these modules for my course work. They said tell us more about the modules and we will let you know. I sent off a list and they came back and said there were none I could use!! But as I was going through my PGA course work there was a lot of similarities which meant I was very much refreshing my knowledge.

(GH): Whilst you were studying for your PGA qualifications were you also starting to build up a ‘Teaching’ clientele at Hainsworth Park?

(PG): Yes. As a lot of Professionals do, you start teaching the Juniors so I started off there? I was lucky in that Pete Myers was really busy and a very good teacher so I got the opportunity to observe a lot of his lessons, how he approached teaching and so I gained a lot from observing. Once I became qualified it was like ‘right, let’s get out there and teach!!’. At the time Pete was the main teacher (at Hainsworth Park) so I was not getting quite as many clients as I would have liked. But then one day, out of the blue, Stretton Wright contacted me to see whether I would like to join him at Hornsea Golf Club.

Move to Hornsea Golf Club

(GH): When you were contacted by Stretton, did he have a specific role/position in mind for you?

(PG): Yes, he did. I had known Stretton for such a long time. He had been asked to do more work as Director of Golf at Hornsea and thus he could not devote the time required for coaching and teaching and so the role was to be the full-time Teaching Professional here at Hornsea Golf Club.

(GH): How did you approach the transition of what was effectively to inherit Stretton’s ‘golfing clients’?

(PG): Stretton and his wife Yvonne were both really good in that they encouraged people to be coached by me. At no point did I ever feel that I was treading on Stretton’s toes. From what I understand, he had started to wind down a little bit some of his teaching commitments so it was not as if all of a sudden, he had this full diary and then nothing and I was taking over. A few of his clients carried on with me and some still do but in the main, it was very much about me generating interest by playing golf with the members, introducing myself, etc. and slowly building up my own list of clients.

(GH): At the end of the day, you have to be your own person.

(PG): Absolutely. I remember when I worked on the cruise ships and I got the position of Assistant Manager in the Gift Shop and they said I had to transfer to another ship. I didn’t really want to as the Manager on this other ship was not particularly good. But you go and learn what not to do!! But then you develop your own way. You always learn from everybody. Doesn’t matter who it is you can always learn from somebody. For example, in my golf coaching, watching how Juniors talk to the other Juniors, I learn from them as sometimes you forget how to talk to kids.

Teaching Philosophy

(GH): In preparation for today, I went onto your website and read with interest where you call out:

“I am very passionate about the short game as I believe this is the fastest way to improve your golf and I love the intricacies of the putting stroke”

To me this comes across as a unique approach so could you please expand upon your thinking?

(PG): People are generally pretty good off the tee and get the ball somewhere down the fairway. With the second shot, they get the ball somewhere near the hole or near the green. If it takes you 2 shots to cover say 400 yards then another 3 shots to cover 30 yards then there is obviously a gap there or a weakness for you to improve upon. One of my favourite lessons is often getting people to understand how within 100 yards, call it the scoring zone, they can get better through pitching, bunker play, the edge of the green chipping and putting and that is where you see the biggest improvements in scoring.

(GH): You have obviously not seen my game at the moment which is shocking from tee to green but quite good on and around the green!!

(PG): If you don’t keep track of your score you can walk off and you sort of say to yourself “I hit the ball rubbish” but then you look at the actual score and it comes out say level with your handicap and the chances are your short game has been good. You can do that the other way around where you think you have hit the ball really well but you can’t buy a putt and the score reflects that.

(GH): Therefore, do you spend a lot of time in a lesson focusing on what you have called the scoring zone if that is what a particular client wants?

(PG): I try to. At the end of the day, it is the client’s lesson, not mine. What do you want to work on, what do you want to try and develop with your game? Used to be a case that you would visit a Golf Pro and the lesson was all about what the Golf Pro wanted to work on where today it is very much what do you want to work on? I try to build up a rapport with somebody. Then I might say, you know what, in my honest opinion is that we are doing these few long game lessons but let’s go through your card to analyse things like you duffed a chip there, or you could have been closer to the pin with this shot or missed the green from 50 yards. If you can then back it up with a bit of evidence, we can then start looking at the short game.

(GH): Very much a chameleon style approach with the mentoring of your respective clients and not a one size fits all?

(PG): Absolutely. The term chameleon is very apt. One time I was giving a guy a lesson and he was hitting the ball from left to right and I got him hitting the ball much better. My very next lesson, the client was doing exactly the same thing, hitting the ball from left to right and trying to do the same fix did not work!! Have to adapt…as easy as the first fix was the second was really, really hard!! That is what I like, coaching is different every day.

(GH): Quickly going back to the earlier quote that I extracted from your website, what is it that fascinates you about the putting stroke and where you can add value to one of your clients?

(PG): A lot of the time it is perception. People thinking, they are a bad putter when they aren’t or people thinking they have got to get the ball into the hole from 30 feet away. They put too much pressure on themselves. They think it is, or should be, the easiest part of the game as not a lot that moves. People don’t practise putting either.

Left-Handed

(GH): I also noted from your website that you play golf left-handed. Have you always played golf and other sports left-handed?

(PG): Any sport with 2 hands (golf, cricket, etc.) I have always played left-handed. Any sport with 1 hand, say tennis, badminton or bowling in cricket, then I am right-handed.

(GH): As a Teaching Professional, what advantages or benefits do you have in being a left-handed golfer?

(PG): Being left-handed, I can effectively mirror the swing of a right-handed player. If you are a right-handed Golf Pro teaching a right-handed client you often have to get them to swap positions. But when you can look at them face-2-face I can say watch my arms and so we are doing the swing exactly the same way.

(GH): Do you find it easier to teach a right-handed player?

(PG): All day long!! Because I don’t have many left-handed players that I teach and we are very much in the minority!! Though I do love teaching left-handers as luckily, I can swing right-handed so I can still mirror their swings.

Coaching Innovation

(GH): Another subject I wished to cover today was your innovative coaching style, which became very apparent from the various initiatives highlighted on your website. For example, on a Monday you do Gents and Ladies group coaching, both of which include a session entitled ‘Awkward Lies’. How did these sessions begin?

(PG): For the group coaching sessions I copied some of Stretton’s template and tweaked it over time so that they very much have my stamp as my coaching has developed. They are very popular sessions run over the winter season. ‘Awkward Lies’…how often do you play from a perfectly flat lie?

(GH): Never…even at times when putting!!

(PG): Exactly. The reality is that when you get out on the golf course you rarely get a perfect lie and that is what we try to address through ‘Awkward Lies’.

(GH): Anybody who follows you on Twitter will see that your Junior Lessons look great fun!!

(PG): They are brill. I remember one of the things that Pete Myers said to me at Hainsworth Park. When he did the Junior sessions, he set them up with the idea of “what would I enjoy doing if I was a child?”. And you see a lot of that in my Junior (golf) sessions. There is a reason why they are called Junior fun golf because you have got to make the sessions fun. We drip feed bits of technique to them, very simple, nothing too technical, that comes much later. You have got to get them to fall in love with the game.

(GH): Even at that early age, and as you say the emphasis is on fun, do you ever see someone who you think “he or she could be a very good golfer”?

(PG): I have only been coaching for about 8 years so I am still relatively inexperienced. But even in that (short) time, you can never predict where a child is going to go in this game. Experience tells me that you can look and see the basis for potential but there are so many other factors that contribute to them staying with golf. At that age, it is all about getting them to fall in love with golf.

(GH): Where did you get the idea for ‘Star Performer’ of the week?

(PG): The Star Performer actually came from watching the Great British Bake Off!! Just one night watching the programme with my wife and they have a Star Baker and I thought we could do that in golf and that was how that came about. Every week, there is no set criteria. Some weeks it might be for a fantastic display of sportsmanship.

(GH): You also run the ‘Girl Golf Rocks’ sessions as well? Are they popular?

(PG): They are getting there. Whether I am being overzealous I don’t know but I want them to be bigger, quicker!! Definitely gathering pace though. We promote these sessions on Facebook, Twitter, getting in touch with the schools and sending out flyers to do golf sessions for girls.

East Riding Union U18 Team Manager

(GH): Rolling the clock forward to ‘older Juniors’, you are also the Manager for the East Riding Union U18 Golf Team. How did that role come about and what does it entail?

(PG): At the moment I am still getting my head around to what it actually entails?

(GH): Have you just been appointed?

(PG): Yeah. Very much so. A couple of years ago Steve Raybould from Bridlington did this role but then stepped away and last year the team did not have a Manager. When I first arrived at Hornsea the junior team reached the local league finals, the next year we did a bit better and the Junior section continues to grow year on year. One of the members at Hornsea is a past President of the East Riding Union and he approached me and he asked whether I would be interested. Not expecting me to say yes, I asked him for a Job Description. I had a look at it and after discussing with my wife on what was involved in terms of the time it would take, I thought let’s give it a go!!

(GH): Another opportunity and another string to your bow?

(PG): It’s a voluntary position and very much an organisational type role. I do enjoy organising. I suppose that comes part and parcel of being self-employed. You have got to be a coach first and foremost, you have got be social media savvy, an accountant, be into marketing and all other facets of being a Golf Professional. At the moment I am setting up the coaching sessions and assisting with the coaching. We have 7 matches throughout the year, 4 at home and 3 away and then next year the fixtures will be reversed. I am organising them, meeting the team, picking the team. I know it’s going to be a challenge and I know it’s going to be hard work but I am really looking forward to it.

Vlogging

(GH): Picking up the thread on your comment just now on being social media savvy, how did you get into Vlogging?

(PG): It started as a Blog when I first arrived at Hornsea. I blogged twice a week and they took some time in terms of preparation, typing, proofreading, revision and editing, adding pictures then publishing on the Hornsea Golf Club website!! Very time-consuming. You probably experience the same. Do you do your website yourself?

(GH): I know exactly what you are saying. I did all the technical stuff to build and launch the website and hitherto all the articles have been self-penned. As you say the process for an article from cradle to grave is very time-consuming. So, when did you make the transition from Blogger to Vlogger?

(PG): It actually started at the beginning of last year (2018). I went and did a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) course in Birmingham and I got chatting to a fellow Pro called Jak Hamblett and at the end of the day, he asked me whether I would be interested in doing some instructional Golf videos and stuff like that. I said no, no…I have got a face for radio!! But he persisted and we swapped contact details. He kept badgering me a little bit and in the end, it was a case of ‘alright, come on, let’s give it a go’. He is based in Walsall so we ended meeting up a couple of times in Derbyshire and made the golf videos.

(GH): What sort of golfing topics or themes did you shoot?

(PG): Initially some fun ones. Chip and run which was a case of chipping the ball and then going for a run!! We then focused more seriously on several golf coaching videos. We then kind of went our own ways. Not acrimonious or anything like that and we still keep in touch with each other. But it was from that point I did a Vlog and I thought that has not taken very long and the Vlogs sort of just developed from there. What I do is try and think of what has happened in the golfing world over the past couple of weeks to give my opinion on. I then try to give a little bit of instruction without giving too much away!! I then think about what is coming up. Very much ‘Past, Present and Future’.

Favourite Major

(GH): Just picking up on your phrase ‘Past, Present and Future’, I did watch your latest Vlog as part of my preparation for this chat and you said something like “There are only so many days to my favourite major of the year the Masters”. What is it about the Masters that makes it your favourite major of the golfing year?

(PG): It’s probably the one that really got me into golf and when I fell in love with golf. It was the 1996 Masters where Nick Faldo won having been 6 shots behind Greg Norman. I remember staying up and watching it all and that is my ‘go to memory’. I know there are a lot of people who say the Open is their ‘go to’ because from a young age they were able to attend it and that’s what did it for them. Watching the Masters on TV, the course looks immaculate, the flowers, the history behind it, it’s a bit of a golfing mecca almost. Just looks tremendous. That is why it is my favourite. The other reason why it is my favourite it feels so long since the last one!! In my opinion, there is too long a gap between the US PGA and the Masters.

(GH): The scheduling has changed this year so that the US PGA will now fall between the Masters and the US Open. Ironically, there will now be an extra month to wait for the Masters as the Open will be the final major in July!!

(PG): All very truncated. I would love to see a major tournament to be held in December in the UK somewhere just to see how they cope!!

(GH): If that ever happened, and preferred lies were not allowed, then maybe your ‘Awkward Lies’ lesson would come into play!!?

(PG): That would be perfect!!

Changes in Golf (Part 1)

(GH): In your time as a Professional Golfer, what would you say has been the biggest change in the role of a Teaching Professional?

(PG): Probably Technology, in two parts. First part is the launch monitors. All the data that you can extract. They are great but you have got to know what to do with all of the data. That is where your role as a Teaching Professional has developed as you can see all of this information in front of you of someone swinging the club and hitting the ball but you have to pick the right bits of information that you need to use. Then you need to communicate that information back. The golf swing and the impact factors haven’t changed we just know much more about them now and know what things influence them. Launch monitors help us do that.

(GH): And the second part?

(PG): Comes back to videos and YouTube which is a brilliant resource. So many tuitions videos on there but the danger for the amateur golfer is how do they know what they are looking at is the correct fix. Goes back to the back-2-back lessons I mentioned earlier.

(GH): Totally agree. If you flick through any golf magazine then at times it looks like every other page will have a different fix for the same problem!!

(PG): Absolutely. And that is why I was reluctant to do videos because I would almost be preaching that there is only one way to play golf. That is why I keep the instruction element of my Vlog very generic.

Changes in Golf (Part 2)

(GH): Following on from the previous question, what is the biggest change you have observed in the game of golf?

(PG): Equipment has changed but probably not so much in the time I have been a professional. For me, more comes down to the playing side. There are not so many members playing, but more visitors. Golf clubs need to react to that more.

(GH): Do you think that is linked to Golf Clubs now having to operate much more like a Business and exploring various revenue streams?

(PG): When I first started playing, golf was really booming in the nineties. Golf Clubs were opening up all over the place and people were coming to them paying their membership subscriptions. Today it is the other way around. Golf clubs can’t just sit back. Professionals like myself have to be proactive…going out to schools, social media, etc. If you don’t then you might start to go backwards as other clubs will overtake you.

The best facet of your game

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

(PG): Practice what I preach, it’s my short game. If I do ever have time to do a bit of practice then I will practice in and around the green and my putting. I know that if my short game is on-song I can be there or thereabouts. If I can get my driving and my irons working then yeah I can shoot a decent score.

(GH): Has your short game and putting always been your strongest facet?

(PG): No, my putting always used to be the weakest part of my game. I used to be horrendous at putting.

(GH): How did you improve your putting, from a weakness to a strength?

(PG): Practise. I think it was my Dad who told me that if you are going to be any good you have to improve your putting so I spent time practising my putting.

Don’t believe everything you read

(GH): I read with interest a tweet you posted the other day along the lines of “I should play more often” and I think that was linked to an article I read in the Hull Daily Mail which said that the leading Professional prize at a recent competition was won by Paul Gibson with a score of 61!! I have to ask, why are you not playing more often?

(PG): Can I please have a look at that article? No, unfortunately, it was a better ball competition with an amateur partner!! But I like that ‘mistake’ and I think I should keep the newspaper cutting!!

(GH): On a serious note, is your playing schedule today very much the occasional Pro-Am, Alliance competitions, etc.?

(PG): Yes. It’s all about enjoyment. When you first turn Pro you suddenly change from it being a ‘bit of fun’ as an amateur to being ‘it’s serious now’. But that can sometimes be a problem in that you take it too seriously and you try too hard. Hang on a second, wasn’t I trying hard as an amateur when I was having fun then why change that mindset just because I am now a Professional and I try to develop that mindset in golf lessons with people as well. When I do play, I enjoy it. My eyes are open as to the reality that yes, I can play to scratch and sometimes shoot under par, but my role is that of a Teaching Professional.

Outside of golf

(GH): So outside of golf what are your interests?

(PG): At the minute my family is number one. My son is 19 months old so other interests are on the backburner at the moment. Before he was born, I got into cycling quite a bit. I cycled ‘coast to coast’ which was a big achievement for me because I have never been into gyms.

(GH): Was that cycle ride for charity or just personal?

(PG): Purely personal. My wife and I walked the Yorkshire 3 Peaks the year before the ‘coast to coast’ cycling. I enjoy my cycling and now the weather is getting better I am starting to get the (cycling) itch!! I am a big Liverpool FC fan.

(GH): Oh no. Can we stop the conversation now!!

(PG): Sorry…have I just wasted an hour of your time!!?

(GH): Only joking. Why Liverpool when you are from Hull? How did you end up supporting Liverpool?

(PG): I was probably the original glory supporter. When I was about 7 or 8 years old at the end of the 1980s, Liverpool FC was top of the league so I thought right, I will start supporting them. Nothing’s wavered, nothing’s changed, I still support them even to this day.

(GH): Do you ever get the chance to watch them at Anfield?

(PG): My best friend is a Liverpool fan as well we got into the habit of going a couple of times a year but then other things ‘get in the way’ so now it is restricted to TV at the moment.

Favourite Sporting Event

(GH): What is your favourite sporting event?

(PG): The US Masters is up there. I am a big fan of the Ryder Cup which I know is a very typical golfing answer. In golf, there are very few team activities. I know there is now the Presidents Cup and the EurAsia Cup but the Ryder Cup brings everyone together. My first experience of the Ryder Cup was the ‘War on the Shore’, Kiawah Island in 1991. That is my earliest memory. I was lucky enough to go up to Gleneagles for the 2014 Ryder Cup. I went there on Day 2 (Saturday) and it was just brilliant. The quality of the golf was just amazing. It’s only when you go there and a) see them hitting a ball and b) dealing with what is around them. It’s amazing to see how good the players are under pressure.

Fantasy Fourball

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

(PG): Nick Faldo, from my generation when I was starting out in golf. Kenny Dalglish, remembering him football wise. I like comedy and my favourite stand up comedian is Lee Evans so I would get him to complete the fourball, even though I don’t think he plays golf!!

If not a Professional Golfer

(GH): Paul, if you were not a Professional Golfer, then what?

(PG): I really wouldn’t have a clue!! It would possibly be in sport, maybe sports development. But then what if I had stayed working on the cruise ships and worked my way up. Probably sport, but I just don’t know.

Favourite Golf Course

(GH): Other than Hornsea Golf Club, which is your favourite golf course in the UK?

(PG): My favourite course in the UK which I have played is Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire. I took a group of Juniors from Hornsea Golf Club a couple of years ago and it was wow, this is fantastic.

(GH): What was it about Woodhall Spa that generated a ‘wow’?

(PG): There is a bit of everything. Every hole is different which is great from a course design perspective. And from a coaching viewpoint, the practise facilities are just superb.

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

(PG): I have probably played more courses outside of the UK from my days on the cruise ships. My favourite would be Mahogany Run Golf Course, St. Thomas (one of the US Virgin Islands). It is very undulating. When you start the guide says we are on a flat section now but don’t get used to it as it is the only flat section on the course!! There is a stretch of holes called the Devil’s Triangle where the first hole (in this triangle) is about 300 yards, not particularly long. But the fairway gets narrower and narrower and to the left, there is just a drop to the rocks, beach and the sea. You are walking along and you look down and there are just thousands of golf balls.

(GH): Assuming you survive the first hole of the Devil’s Triangle, what comes next?

(PG): The next hole is a 150-yard Par 3. There is a tee, a green, and a massive drop in between!! Then the final hole of this stretch is a Par 5, over a hill. Sadly, the course shut after a hurricane a few years ago and they have never quite repaired the course.

What would the members say

(GH): You have been at Hornsea for just over 4 years. If I polled the membership to describe you, what responses would I receive?

(PG): I am not very good at self-promotion!! I would hope friendly, enthusiastic, approachable.

Marooned

(GH): A bit of fun. You are marooned on a remote Island. What would you not be without?

(PG): My family. I like my iPad, so assuming there is a socket where I can plug it in, I would take my iPad. Not sure if there will be roads on this Island so not my bike, so probably my 52-degree wedge which is the club I use when I am coaching on the ‘scoring zone’. If you look at my 52-degree wedge and my 58-degree wedge the latter looks brand new as I use it sparingly whereas my 52-degree is my go-to club.

The Nineteenth

(GH): And finally. You are now in charge of the R&A so outline your mission statement/vision for Golf?

(PG): It has got to be down to participation and how to make people want to participate more. Making golf a bit more accessible. The stigma with golf is that it takes too long so yes you would look at having 9-hole competitions. I am a big fan of shortened courses, not only through my involvement with Junior Golf. The frustrations of an adult or a junior will still be the same. Imagine that you put somebody on a tee of a 400-yard Par 4. Somebody who is new to golf or a junior who hits it well but not very far and they hit 3 or 4 shots and they are still 100 yards or so away from the green. I think America has a very good system called ‘Tee it forward’. Based on the length you hit your 7-iron you play from a particular distance away from the green.

(GH): Have you tried ‘Tee it forward’ or a variation?

(PG): One of the things I did last week with the Juniors was playing holes from the 150-yard markers. Even a junior who hit a bad shot and it only went about 50-yards or so still had a second shot to the green. Possibly the worst word in golf is Par. How many shots I am supposed to take on this hole? On a Par 4 and they take 4 shots and they can be so de-motivated. Try to make golf more accessible with shortened courses. Maybe bigger holes!! One of the things people say is that golf is too hard to do. There is a gap that needs to be bridged before playing off the yellow and white tees.

(GH): Anything else?

(PG): Family golf. That is one of the initiatives I am going to be running this year. It’s going to be all about family members, whether it is mum and a son, father and a daughter, both parents and children, grandparents, etc. In years gone by most golfers were introduced to the game through their family. For me, it was my Dad. A lot of the Juniors that I coach today, their Dad’s don’t play. There is a big generation gap and it’s up to me to encourage the parents (that come along to watch the junior coaching) to maybe pick up a club and hit a couple of balls.

(GH): Paul. A huge thanks for your time today in sharing a fascinating and passionate insight into your golfing journey and career to date and for some very thoughtful ideas on the game of golf. Also, thanks to the hospitality of Hornsea Golf Club and for allowing Golfing Herald to use images of the course within this article.