Stretton Wright

Golfing Herald met up with Stretton Wright, Head PGA Professional and Director of Golf at Hornsea Golf Club for our Meet the Professional series.

Encouraged by his Dad and an older brother who were both really keen golfers, Stretton attended the Saturday morning junior lessons at Hornsea Golf Club and quickly enjoyed “hitting the ball”.

By his early teens, Stretton decided he wanted to be a Professional Golfer so all of his spare time was spent on the golf course or on the practice ground.

As an amateur golfer, Stretton represented Yorkshire at both Boys and Colts level and he also played for the East Riding Union Senior team.

Aged 20, Stretton joined the professional ranks and commenced studying for his PGA qualification. After an encouraging start as a playing professional, winning prize money on a regular basis, disaster struck. Stretton suffered a very serious injury to his left knee whilst giving a golf lesson, effectively ending his dreams of playing golf for a living.

Despite this setback, Stretton moved to Beverley & East Riding Golf Club in 1991 as a teaching professional (and he also taught at Driffield and Hainsworth Park Golf Clubs). Stretton quickly established a reputation as one of the best coaches in the region and became the coach to the East Riding Union Junior team.

In 1999, Stretton was appointed as Head PGA Professional at Hornsea Golf Club and about 3 years ago he also became Director of Golf at Hornsea. Stretton has always classed Hornsea as his “Home Club” and is honoured to play his part at one of the best Golf Clubs in Yorkshire.

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.

The Early Years

Golfing Herald (GH): I started our conversation by asking Stretton what sports did he enjoy when he was growing up.

Stretton Wright (SW): I was lucky in that I could turn my hand to most sports from an early age. I represented Hornsea Primary School at both football and cricket.

(GH): So at Primary School, what position did you play for the football team?

(SW): I was always a very selfish sportsman. I was the striker, the one who was scoring goals. No interest at all in running up and down as a midfielder or helping the defence or standing in goal. If I got the ball, I just wanted to score, which is selfish but the approach I think you also need to be a golfer.

(GH): And Cricket?

(SW): I was a good member of the team. We had a good team spirit. I did not want to work at bowling. I was always the one who stood on the boundary then went in batting at #3 or #4. Hit a cricket ball very much like a golf ball (at that time). Hit sixes or I would be out. It’s funny, but my old primary school sports teacher, Peter Bridges, is still a member of Hornsea Golf Club.

(GH): Have you ever spoken to him on whether all those years ago he thought you would have such a successful career in sport/golf?

(SW): He always knew I was a mad keen sportsman. In all my time at school, he was one of, if not the, best teacher by a long way. A lovely chap…and still is.

Why Golf

(GH): So how did you actually get into golf?

(SW): I have always been in and around golf. In fact, when I was about 6 weeks old my parents bought a house right next to the Hornsea Golf Club car park!! My Dad and brother were really keen golfers. My brother is about 5 years older than me and he encouraged me to attend the Saturday morning junior golf lessons at Hornsea Golf Club, run by Brian Thompson who was the professional at that time. He was a great coach.

(GH): In what way was Brian a great coach?

(SW): He just kept things really simple, which during my career I have tried to follow. He never got too technical with anything. As soon as your basics were correct then just minor tweaks with the swing, rhythm and timing. Brian had been a very good golfer himself so he had a lot of experience and it was always a pleasure to watch him play golf.

Defining Moment

(GH): Was there a defining moment when you thought yes, I want to be a Professional Golfer?

(SW): My brother Kenton is 5 years older than me. I was about 14 when he was working as an Assistant Professional at Hull Golf Club. He then moved to Germany working as a Teaching Professional and was making good money from teaching. It made me think that yeah, I would love to do that, though I did not see myself teaching all the time. I wanted to play the game. It was my dream to actually play and reach a standard from which I could earn money playing golf.

Next Steps…Work

(GH): So what were the first steps on the journey to realise your dream of being a playing Professional?

(SW): Until I left school at 16 nearly all of my spare time was spent either on the Golf Course or on the practice ground. After leaving school I got a job working for Brian Thompson here in the Professional Shop.

(GH): What did that job entail?

(SW): Shopkeeping, learning to do golf repairs, re-gripping, the whipping of golf clubs which had the old wooden heads. Quite a skilled job.

(GH): Yes, a very long time ago I had a summer job at a Golf Centre in Newcastle where I learnt to re-grip using tape, a tee in the bottom of the new grip to contain petrol, which acted as a lubricant, then empty the petrol before putting the new grip on the club. Health and Safety regulations would not permit such activity in today’s world!!

(SW): Absolutely. I can always remember a time when Brian did a winter offer on re-gripping and one day I turned up for work and he had 9 sets of clubs for me to re-grip…I was as “high as a kite” by the time I finished!!

Next Steps…Golf

(GH): So alongside working for Brian how did your golf progress as an amateur in the junior ranks allied to realising your dream?

(SW): I tried to hit 1,000 balls every day, 7 days a week. That resulted in plenty of blisters but I just loved hitting balls and to see the improvement in my game. I played for Yorkshire Boys and when I was 18 I played for Yorkshire Colts for about a year. I also represented the East Riding Union at Senior level. Back then there was no East Riding Union Boys team but today there is and it provides a valuable stepping stone. All great experience playing against quality golfers.

(GH): Did you play in any national events such as the British Boys?

(SW): Not really. In addition to playing representative golf, I also played in a lot of Yorkshire events. But today it is expected that you play in national events.

Scratch or Better

(GH): How old were you when you got down to scratch?

(SW): I was about 18 or 19.

(GH): When I met up with Richard Pace for the first article in this series, he held strong views that you should be a scratch golfer or better before turning Professional. Do you agree?

(SW): Very much so. To be a Professional Golfer as far as I am concerned you have to be scratch or better. It was just something I had to absolutely do. Even to play in a Pro-Am or just play a round of golf with a member, they expect a Professional to play to a standard and I wanted to play golf in level par or better.

Influencers

(GH): You have already talked about the encouragement and support you received from your dad, brother and from Brian Thompson. Any other influencers at this time?

(SW): Yes. Roger Bielby. He used to be the Head Greenkeeper at Hornsea. An interesting character who said it exactly how it was. He helped me massively with my golf in that if my dad was busy he would take me all over the place golfing. I spent a lot of time listening to him and talking about golf. In those early days, I used to hit the ball miles but the ball could go in absolutely any direction. But playing with Roger, listening to Roger, I quickly learnt that if I hit the golf ball at sort of 60-70%, my shots would go much straighter, much more in control, so even today I am a very steady golfer in that I hit fairways and I hit greens.

Turning Professional

(GH): How old were you when you joined the paid ranks?

(SW): I turned Professional when I was 20, attached to Hornsea Golf Club.

(GH): So you have now realised your dream of becoming a playing Professional…so what can you remember from those early playing days and tournaments?

(SW): It was great. I was quite fortunate that one of the members at that time was the Manager of a local car showroom so he always made sure there was a car for me to travel to tournaments. The standard of golf I was playing meant I had sponsored golf clubs and I was gaining some really good experience. None more so than when I played in the European Assistants Championship at Hillside. I thought I was a good golfer and was paired with Gary Evans who later became a European Tour Player.

(GH): Yes, I remember Gary Evans from an Open Championship many years ago where he was in contention, lost a ball on a Par 5 but still managed a remarkable eagle with his second ball!!

(SW): Yeah, that’s him. I remember he was announced on the 1st tee and then he hit his first shot. I had never heard a noise like it. The pureness of the strike was just at a different level. When we finished the 18 holes, there was not a lot in it and he beat me by 2 or 3 shots but I realised I was very much on the bottom rung of the ladder whilst he was about to step off the top. A big learning curve, which made me work even harder. But then my dream of becoming a great golfer ended.

Disaster Strikes

(GH): What happened?

(SW): I had started to teach at Hainsworth Park Golf Club to supplement my earnings from playing. I was demonstrating a swing when my left knee came out of joint causing me to tear most of the cartilage and suffer cruciate and medial ligament damage. I was in a full pot for just short of a year and after a couple of operations, I knew my playing career was over.

A New Beginning

(GH): Gosh. Not sure how to continue after that. I know everything in life happens for a reason but at that time it must have been incredibly hard?

(SW): It was hard to walk never mind swing a golf club. I gained my PGA Qualification but after nearly 2 years of not playing and an awful lot of hard work and physio, I realised that teaching golf was going to be my only way of really staying in the game I loved. So I went to work as a Teaching Professional for Ian Mackie at Beverley & East Riding Golf Club. I also taught at Driffield and Hainsworth Park Golf Clubs.

Transition to Coaching

(GH): So how did you transition from being a playing professional to teaching professional?

(SW): In the early days of teaching I found it really hard. From a relatively young age, I had found the game easy and I had no problem hitting a golf ball and at times it felt as if I had the ball on the end of a piece of string. So initially I really struggled to understand why the pupil I was teaching could not hit the golf ball as I had done before my injury. So I spent about 6 months actually learning not only to play the game again, as I had to change my swing dramatically to protect my knee, but I also wanted to really understand why people topped the ball, hit slices, hit hooks, etc. So I spent an awful lot of time hitting golf balls “badly” to try and learn and understand.

(GH): That must have been very challenging, to discipline yourself to do something so alien and unnatural?

(SW): It was but over the years it stood me in good stead to understand where the bad shots came from and why the ball was doing “this and that”. In some ways damaging my knee and moving into coaching was a good thing.

Teaching Philosophy

(GH): Earlier you touched upon how you observed and learnt from Brian Thompson. So how would you summarise your Teaching Philosophy?

(SW): My philosophy is to keep things simple and having the basics correct to give golfers more chance of having a swing that can be repeated even under pressure…focusing on “Aim, Grip, Ball Position, Stance and Posture” all being correct.

Protégés

(GH): In addition to Richard Pace, who else have you coached and mentored who in time has turned Professional?

(SW): Over the years coaching the East Riding Union Juniors I gave lessons to many who have gone on to become Professional themselves…as well as Richard…Steve Uzzell, Stewart Frazer, Neil Wilson and Paul Gibson.

Teaching Anecdote

(GH): Do you have a favourite from all of the lessons you have done over the years?

(SW): I remember giving a lesson to a chap who came to me and who said he had heard I was a good coach. He had received a few lessons elsewhere but his game was getting progressively worse. To me, he was just moving his head a little bit sideways. His words back to me were “I have never been told that before, that’s a load of nonsense”. So I was a bit taken aback!! I am just trying to help you, so if you stay steady as you make your golf swing you will strike the golf ball more consistently and start improving. He responded again by saying something like “Never been told that before”.

(GH): So what happened next?

(SW): I started to pack my gear up!! “What are you doing?”. Well, you are not listening to me and I am not wasting my time and you obviously think I am wasting your time so I am going and of course I won’t charge you. This time the response was “No No No”. Tell you what, please come again tomorrow and I will bring my (black and white) video camera with a playback viewfinder. It was about 1997 and nothing like today’s modern technology.

(GH): And did he turn up the following day?

(SW): He did come back the following day. I recorded a single golf swing and asked him to look at how his head was moving. His response was something like “My head is not moving a bit, it is moving loads sideways, no wonder I can’t hit it, I can understand you now!!”. We became really good pals. It also made me realise that technology can help and a few years later I invested in a decent video recorder!!

Return to Hornsea Golf Club

(GH): So how did the move back to Hornsea Golf Club as Head PGA Professional come about?

(SW): In October 1999 I was appointed as Head PGA Professional after Brian Thompson left the club. It was fantastic to return back to what I always classed as my home club and it is still an honour to be part of one of the best clubs in Yorkshire. Over the years my role has changed from running the shop and teaching to the current day where I am now the Director of Golf. I have had some great staff who have worked for me over the years who also went on to do well in golf. Not all have stayed in golf but I hope my way of working has rubbed off on them. I am still in touch with most and they are all doing well.

Director of Golf

(GH): Today you are also the Director of Golf at Hornsea. How did that come about?

(SW): More and more I was taking on a wider remit at Hornsea so about 3 years ago I became Director of Golf and effectively stopped teaching.

(GH): So what does this new role involve?

(SW): The role is very much about representing Hornsea for the benefit of all. Effectively the first port of call for the members. I sit on various committees, run the competitions and spend lots of time attending various meetings, workshops and seminars. They range from understanding the new rules of golf to attracting new members and exploring/initiating new revenue streams.

(GH): Do you miss teaching?

(SW): Miss it massively. I miss that look on somebody’s face when they started playing well or the comments that come in after a player has finished a round of golf and they have played their best round or they have hit it better than they have done before. I miss teaching the juniors and seeing how they progress and become golfers.

(GH): So Paul Gibson joined your team as the Teaching Professional?

(SW): Yes. Paul had been a junior at Hainsworth Park and I had helped him with his game. In time he became an assistant professional at that club. I always got on really well with him. It was pure chance that I bumped into him shortly after Hornsea had asked me if I was willing to become Director of Golf and become much more involved with the overall running of the club. I thought Paul would be the absolute perfect person to become the full time teaching professional. He is very likeable, a great people person.

Weekly Newsletter

(GH): Whilst I was preparing for today I came across your Weekly Newsletters. I have to admit I could not stop reading them!! How did they start?

(SW): When my role changed I wanted a way to reach out to all of the members…what was happening on the golf course, the clubhouse, what I am up to…

(GH): That is certainly how they came across to me. Very much aligned to your role as Director of Golf.

(SW): Absolutely, but preparing a Newsletter every week is hard work. Having said that it is worthwhile based on the comments and feedback received from members and non-members alike. In fact, non-members usually say something like “I wish our Club Pro would do this…”.

The best facet of your game

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

(SW): I wouldn’t say I have ever had an aspect of my game that is particularly strong. I am just very steady. I do however have a weak part, which is my putting. But everybody at the club knows the weakest part of my game!! Thinking back to when I used to hit hundreds of golf balls, I did not work on my short game anywhere near enough. I suppose as a junior golfer I had no fear putting and as I have got older I regret not working on my short game. I have a steady game and when standing on the tee I have a clear plan of how I am going to play the hole.

Still Competitive

(GH): When time permits, do you still play competitively?

(SW): Yes, I still play in the occasional Pro-Am. I probably played competitively only about 2 or 3 times in 2018, but I still “peg it up” wanting to win. I love that feeling of being almost slightly out of control but I use that (adrenalin) feeling for my benefit!!

Outside of golf

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

(SW): Trying to keep fit by going to the gym, as about 5 years ago I had serious heart trouble and I am quite lucky to be here. Changed me a lot and now I try not to worry or stress about things. I like good food, nice wine and hand pulled beer!! Spending the odd day away with my wife Yvonne away from the club.

Favourite Sporting Event

(GH): So what is your favourite Sporting Event?

(SW): Has to be the Ryder Cup. Such a great event now. I do love the World darts and can’t wait to one day attend.

(GH): In the first Meet the Professional, Richard Pace also called out the Ryder Cup as his favourite sporting event. So what makes the Ryder Cup so special for you?

(SW): When I was growing up, Seve made the event. From then on the Ryder Cup has just grown. I watch sport on TV and the TV can be on but I won’t be watching if you know what I mean!! But when the Ryder Cup is on I want to see every shot on the 1st tee, the closing holes of all pairs matches and for the singles every shot in every match. It is the only sporting event that I really get addicted to. It’s inspirational for golfers and lots of non-golfers watch it as well. Watching the guys in match play, they are not trying to keep the ball in play but actually going for everything. It’s just great and I absolutely love it.

(GH): For me, Le Golf National, which played host to the 2018 renewal was the perfect Ryder Cup course for some fantastic duels in match play format.

(SW): Very much so. The atmosphere around the 1st tee, in particular, must have been absolutely unbelievable for all of the players.

(GH): I am intrigued by your interest/fascination with the darts. Please tell me more?

(SW): When I was a kid, I remember watching darts on TV and the crowd all had to be deadly silent and yet today, at the “Ally Pally” all of the crowd appear to be “dressed up” and having fun and the players have just got used to it. Just love the atmosphere. Desperate to go!!

(GH): In some ways, there are parallels between the Ryder Cup and the Darts by the noise generated by the respective crowds.

(SW): Yes. In a recent Ryder Cup, Bubba Watson was actively encouraging the crowd to be as noisy and as vocal as possible before his 1st tee shot. Is it right for golf? Is it wrong for golf? I think people love it.

Fantasy Fourball

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

(SW): My Dad, Seve and Tiger. Miss my Dad and I don’t think I ever beat him. He always chipped in at a vital moment and I bet my brother Kenton would say the same. Seve, my golfing hero and such an inspiration to many golfers. I grew up when he was at his best. Tiger, just to see how good he is.

If not a Professional Golfer

(GH): OK Stretton. If not a Professional Golfer, then what?

(SW): I would have probably gone into my Dad’s business selling flowers, fruit and veg but I have only ever really wanted to be involved in and around golf.

Favourite Golf Course

(GH): As luck would have it, I read with interest a recent tweet you posted on the subject of favourite golf courses. So for the benefit of the Golfing Herald readers, other than Hornsea, which is your favourite course in the United Kingdom?

(SW): I played at Birkdale, Formby and Hillside on a golf trip many years ago, before my knee injury with my brother and a couple of pals. All great golf courses. But Formby just stood out. The layout is so good. You play a run of holes from the 5th to the 9th which are just fantastic. All so different but a real challenge. There is not a bad hole on the golf course but those 5 holes really stand out. I have to go and play Formby every year ever since that first trip. If there was one golf course that if somebody said was the only course you could play for the rest of your life, where would it be, I would have said, Formby.

(GH): But no longer based on the Tweet?

(SW): Gareth Williams, the Head Greenkeeper at Hornsea, has worked at many top golf courses, including Turnberry. We went up there about 6 years ago after he had moved to Hornsea. He kept saying you have got to play Turnberry, it’s brilliant. It was alright. It wasn’t anything special but you could see it had potential but I was not particularly impressed at all.

(GH): So what happened to change your mind after that initial experience?

(SW): Gareth was watching how the course was being transformed and all the alterations that were being done when Turnberry was purchased by Donald Trump. He was forever bringing me videos to illustrate the major changes and improvements and “suggesting” that we needed to go back up to Turnberry again. He was still in contact with some of the greenkeepers at Turnberry who were also saying it was stunning and that this place is unbelievable!! So, shortly after Turnberry re-opened, we went back up again. We had stayed in the hotel (at the course) previously and it felt very tired. Now, it is just stunning.

(GH): And the Turnberry Ailsa course?

(SW): A lot of people don’t like Donald Trump but his investment has transformed something that was failing into something amazing. Just standing on the 1st tee, the quality was just different. The 1st hole has only been changed slightly but the change was incredible resulting in such a better hole. The course just gets better and better and you have a run from the 3rd to the 11th which are probably the best holes I have ever played. If you asked me which hole is the best I could not tell you as they are all so good.

(GH): Courses change every day but for a course to change so significantly and to be almost unrecognisable is probably unique.

(SW): Yes and over a relatively short period of time as well.

(GH): Like me, most golfers probably think of Turnberry for the “Duel in the Sun” Open Championship of 1977 and the iconic Lighthouse.

(SW): The Lighthouse is now a half-way house!! It is the most incredible building.

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

(SW): Just love the Algarve. Spent a lot of time down there as a kid and all the courses are great. The tee shot off the 1st at Vilamoura Old Course though sets you up for a great test of golf.

Marooned

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

(SW): My wife Yvonne, nice wine and an iPad (hope there is wi-fi!!)

What would the members say

(GH): If I polled the membership what words would they use to describe you?

(SW): That is an interesting one!! It’s funny how over the years I have seen massive changes at Hornsea… membership, course and club. There is nobody more pro-Hornsea than myself but I know that since becoming Director of Golf there is no way you can keep everybody happy and have everybody as your friend. Of course, I always want to keep everybody happy, it was the way I was brought up, but I have to accept that some people don’t like change, but I will continue to do what is best for Hornsea Golf Club. Very rarely will you hear anybody have a bad word about Hornsea? Always in good condition, one of the best courses in Yorkshire, fair but a really good test of golf. In all the years I have been involved at Hornsea I don’t think I have ever heard anybody saying they are not coming back. Feedback forms are always very positive.

The Nineteenth

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

(SW): At long last, the R&A have realised that Ladies membership is what they really need to focus on. At Hornsea, we do ever so well with Juniors and bring them through. I would say that about 20% of Juniors we coach will continue playing golf, though not necessarily at this club. The turnover of Gents membership is very much gain a few, lose a few each year. But with the Ladies section, we have seen a decline over the past 20 years or so from 124 members to 40. So Ladies membership is what we really need to concentrate on. For clubs to really develop, evolve and succeed they need more lady golfers.

(GH): Stretton. 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.

I was deeply saddened and shocked to learn that Stretton passed away on Saturday 9th May 2020

He was a true gentleman of golf

RIP Stretton