A force in world golf for over 100 years, the powerful PGA of Great Britain and Ireland has almost 8,000 members in 65 countries around the globe. These professional golfers are associated with more than 2,500 golf clubs, where approximately four million amateurs play the game. In this interview with Andalucía Golf, Liam Greasley, director of regions and membership for the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland, gives an insight into the association and offers his perspicacious views on the Costa del Sol as a golf destination.

-Does the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland re- present the main group of golf professionals in the world?

–It’s not the biggest - the US PGA has 28,000 members – but we are the oldest, dating from 1901, and we have approximately 8,000 members. The majority are in the UK, with about 2,000 working in 65 countries across the world – covering most of the developing countries in the world.

-Would we be right in saying that the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland has been instrumental in developing teaching programmes and starting up associations throughout Europe for many years?

–I think historically our members have travelled the world to teach the game and develop careers. In the early days it was Scottish pros going to America, then it was British pros going to Europe and now British pros are travelling all around the world but predominantly to the Far East, which is the biggest emerging market. So the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland has been instrumental in developing the game of golf across the world.

-Are you now, as an organisation, opening up PGA centres in the Far East?

–We have a number of licensed properties that we work with in the Far East. We also have a presence in China on a permanent basis because that area in particular is significant for the development of the game, and the business and career opportunities for PGA members today are significant, so that’s a big step forward

-Back in the UK, do you work with the other bodies – the English Golf Union, the Scottish Golf Union – on the development of golf?

-We work very closely with all the home unions on the development of the game in their particular area, whether in England it’s the County Golf Partnership, or Golf Wales or Club Golf Scotland or Junior Golf Ireland or the GUI (Golfing Union of Ireland), and the PGA members are instrumental in the development of the game. There’s no question about that.

-How many golfers, in potential contact with your professionals, do you have access to?

-In Great Britain and Ireland we have about 6,000 PGA professionals, serving about 2,500 golf clubs; and in total, members and otherwise, there are about four million golfers, and through the network of professionals it’s a big number to be able to reach.

- Do you believe that new initiatives are required to get younger people and women into golf?

- A lot of the work we do – for argument’s sake, for the Golf Foundation – is geared towards just that, linking with schools and inner city groups, and PGA professionals have been involved in that, so the more people we can get playing the game the better it is for the health and wealth of the game going forward.

- For the PGA, is the Costa del Sol still considered a favoured destination?

- There’s no question that the reputation of the Costa del Sol with our members is significant. I think in recent years perhaps travel to this area has not been as great as it has been in the past, probably because of the emergence of different areas, the likes of Turkey and Dubai, so it’s a more competitive market in that respect, but the Costa del Sol still has a great reputation for golf. It’s got a great infrastructure and it’s a fantastic place to visit.

- You mentioned infrastructure… would you agree the Coast’s strengths are history and infrastructure?

- Definitely. The area has had some great links with not just the PGA but the European Tour and beyond, and it’s synonymous with golf.

- For the PGA, what needs to change to improve the Costa del Sol’s golf amenities? What can it do better, to reinforce the message of how good this place is to visit?

- Well, the Costa del Sol has all the ingredients, but the reputation for service and value perhaps is not as good as it should be and people need to be reminded of that. Also, perhaps there need to be some initiatives within the Costa del Sol to start getting the message out to the PGA in Britain or in fact to the rest of the world.

- Would the general opinion be that golf needs refreshing? And not just in Spain…

- Yes, and there is a responsibility, given the reputation of the Costa del Sol and how much it relies on golf-related tourism, to not wait any longer and to create some initiatives to re-engage with the golfing population. There’s very obviously a will to do that within the Costa del Sol and we look forward to seeing how that progresses.

- Of those four million in clubs in Britain, how many could be encouraged to move to the Costa del Sol?

It’s difficult, because there are so many different activities. Do you want to move here, do you come on holiday, do you come to a golf tournament, do you come to a coaching event, do you come to do something completely different…? Our access to four million golfers allows us to send a very strong message, whatever the initiative.

 

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