Buzzing about golf

There’s plenty to be excited about. With one of the strongest University Golf Programmes in the UK and the new Vic Ambler Golf Centre which opened on Streatham Campus in May, Steve has high hopes for the coming season.

“I’m very excited.” He explained. “We’ll be fielding five teams this year which is a first for the University. To be able to have so many players competing is testament to how big the club is and the success of the programme. It’s one thing to have good individuals, but to have depth throughout the club is very important and pushes players to move forward.”

Having first picked up a club at the age of 11, Steve quickly rose to play at county level achieving a handicap of +1 before turning pro in 2011. At Exeter he’ll work closely with High Performance Golf Manager Craig Townsend to deliver coaching plans across the Student Golf Club.

Maintaining the University’s high standards will be no mean feat; the club were crowned 2013 BUCS Champions and Premier League Winners, finished fourth at the European University Golf Championships the same year and sent two players, Katie Bradbury and Laurie Potter to the World University Championships at Cranz Montana this season.

His recruitment also follows the completion of the Vic Ambler Golf Centre at the University’s Sports Park. Built in conjunction with the R&A and the University of Exeter’s Annual Fund and Alumni Golf Network, the unique all-weather practice facility features two greens, a bunker and driving nets designed to help the student club and community players.

“It’s bedding in really well.” Steve added. “We’ve been running some junior programmes on it over the summer and it’ll be great for the golf club to have a dedicated performance space on campus.

“I’ve worked with Craig before and we have a great relationship, his golf knowledge is fantastic. We want to work together to build what is already a very strong programme.

“Access can be a big issue with golf, and this facility is perfect for breaking down those barriers. It’s also given us a chance to integrate our performance training and strength and conditioning more closely.

 “We’ve got some excellent players coming through this year so it will be interesting to see how it goes. The aim is to become renowned as the best golfing institution in the country; we’re certainly on track for that.”