Why role of PGA professionals in Scotland should never be under-estimated

It’s difficult not to find yourself thinking sometimes that golf has got lost up its own backside in recent years due mainly to so much money now being thrown at the top players and, of course, LIV Golf has played a big part in that.

It was refreshing therefore, to be reminded in the week when the Saudi-backed breakaway circuit created a headline story by announcing a shock move to 72-hole events from the start of the 2026 season that people still care about the core values of the great game.

I’d been invited to attend last Thursday’s PGA in Scotland Members’ Lunch, which was held in The Royal Scots Club in Edinburgh and involved a gathering of just over 70 people and, boy, was it an impressive group.

Alan Tait, left, and Gordon Sherry pictured at last week’s PGA in Scotland Members’ Lunch in Edinburgh | Contributed

It included well-kent PGA professionals in David Scott, Cliffe Jones and Keith Baxter, as well as colleagues like Alan Reid, Michael Brooks, Gary McFarlane, Jonnie Cliff, Tom Eckford, David Fleming and David Patrick. Jason Boyd, the PGA in Scotland chair, was there as well and also his right-hand man, Stuart Morrison, and the current captain, Kieron Stevenson.

Hosted by PGA in Scotland manager David Longmuir, the event was also attended by Ian Rae, one of the country’s leading coaches, Royal Dornoch general manager Neil Hampton, man of many talents Alan Tait and the one and only Gordon Sherry.

Apologies to those not mentioned by name, but I just wanted to provide a flavour of the golfing pedigree in the room because it certainly struck me as being something worth reflecting on l as I tucked into my food in what was a wonderful atmosphere in The Hepburn Suite.

Playing performances and sponsorships both recognised

It was an opportunity for some of the playing successes during the year to be recognised, with Chris Maclean, for example, being in attendance on the back of an impressive seven-shot success in the Scottish Young Professional Championship at Crieff. It was also an opportunity for Longmuir, formerly the head of the Scottish Football League, to recognise valuable sponsorship from the likes of Arnold Clark, Loch Lomond Whiskies, Ramsdens Currency and ProScot Golf Tours.

All in all, it really was a terrific get-together and even included Longmuir bringing it to a conclusion by singing a self-written ditty while playing spoons along with Nick Rodger, the PGA in Scotland’s press officer and, yes, that was as entertaining as it sounds.

It was Morrison, the proud professional at Tain, who delivered a speech towards the end of the afternoon that really hammered home a message to me and it’s been on my mind ever since, hence why I feel it is worthy of this column. At an event which was largely to celebrate playing performances and the support from sponsors, he highlighted the importance of the general role of a PGA professional and he absolutely nailed it because it is vitally important and maybe even more so now.

Though this wasn’t mentioned by Morrison, there were so many people in that room who set out in golf with aspirations to be where Bob MacIntyre, for example, is at the moment in his career, having broken into the world’s top ten, tasted victory on both the DP World Tour and PGA Tour and played on two winning Ryder Cup teams.

Sherry, of course, won The Amateur Championship and made a hole-in-one in a practice round for the 1995 Open at St Andrews with Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson. Tait won the Scottish Boys’ Championship, as did Reid while Brooks was a Scottish Amateur champion. Oh, and Patrick played in the same Walker Cup team as both Luke Donald and Paul Casey and also won on what is now the HotelPlanner Tour.

For one reason or another, success at the top level didn’t materialise for any of those players, yet they are all still as passionate about the game as they were as youngsters, as, having discovered from sitting on the same table as him, is Jones, one of the longest-serving club professionals in the UK and still a loyal Dumbarton FC supporter.

Though not by Jones, the LIV Golf development a couple of days earlier was mentioned around the table but only briefly and that probably summed up the general attitude in Scotland about the circuit. No-one cares and probably less so now when, admittedly with Greg Norman no longer pulling the strings, it has given up on a format that was supposed to be a game-changer.

Tartan Tour is beginning to regain a feelgood factor

Some, of course, are predicting that the end could be nigh for PIF chief Yasir Al-Rumayyan’s baby but, based on not just his deep pockets but also the number of sponsorships and commercial deals that are continuing to be announced - one team, for example, unveiled a new global commercial agency last week - I’m not sure that is the case and, let’s face it, lots of top players would be left red-faced if that was the case, albeit stinking rich.

It’s actually scary to think how much money Jon Rahm in particular made from his switch to the rebel circuit, which it still is in the eyes of the PGA Tour, and that is certainly put into perspective by the fact Paul O’Hara topped the PGA in Scotland money-list once again this year with earnings of just over £24,000.

In fairness to Longmuir, the Tartan Tour has started to pick up again after a tough time and, with a player like Jack McDonald, who has just started his PGA training under David Orr at Whitecraigs, set to be in some of the fields as well next year, the circuit is definitely rebuilding a feelgood factor.

It’s those PGA pros who work in shops, though, who are the Scottish game’s lifeblood as much as the likes of MacIntyre and, before him, the likes of Colin Montgomerie and Catriona Matthew, and please let’s never forget that.