Henderson zooms in on Serbian opportunity

We’ve all had to adapt to various ways of getting the day job done in these pandemic ravaged times. The Zoom call, for instance, has become as necessary a human requirement as water, oxygen and a half decent putting stroke.

For PGA Professional Spencer Henderson, remote working has become, well, par for the course. Over the last decade or so, the intrepid Henderson has been something of a trailblazer with posts as the first ever national coach in both Turkey and Azerbaijan. 

Now, the 46-year-old Scot, who is the senior instructor at the Paul Lawrie Golf Centre in Aberdeen, is spreading his pearls of golfing wisdom to the Golf Association of Serbia. 

“It’s all done on Zoom at the moment,” he said of his online tutoring. “I’ve not been able to travel at all and it’s a bit of a challenge. When you’re trying to build relationships with players, it’s hard to do when it’s not face-to-face. But we’ll get there.”

Henderson has always relished a challenge and creating a golfing culture in nations where there isn’t one is a sizeable feat of construction that used to be the reserve of the hardy heavers who built the pyramids.

In a country where football, tennis, basketball, volleyball, water polo and handball reign supreme, Serbian golf remains in its infancy, with just a couple of nine-hole courses and barely 700 registered players. 

In the grand traditions of PGA men and women preaching the golfing gospel far and wide, however, Henderson continues to embrace new opportunities.

“The Federations in Turkey and Azerbaijan really wanted instant success,” he reflected of stints that were testing, eye-opening and rewarding in equal measure “It was like being a football manager. If you don’t perform you’re quickly out and, in Turkey, they pretty much took the same view with golf. Seeing out my contract was quite an achievement.

“They weren’t really looking for long term programmes or sustainability. I went there with an idealistic view about creating a pathway that would take someone from a beginner right through to some form of professional tour but it wasn’t really a shared vision.

“That’s probably one of the drawbacks of a country where golf is not at the forefront. It’s short term. I don’t think I would have been equipped for Azerbaijan had I not been to Turkey first. I met the president of the Federation when I went there in 2014 and he said he wanted a golfer in the Olympics. I said ‘that’s really aspirational and something we can work to over 10 years or so’ and he said, ‘no, we want someone in the next Olympics’. I was like, ‘wow, we have nobody playing golf in Azerbaijan yet but you want an Olympian?’ I think there’s more realism with the Serbian approach.

“They don’t have the historical way of doing things so they are open to new ideas and very hungry to learn. You look at someone like Novak Djokovic and his single-mindedness and drive. I speak to these golfers and the one thing they tell me is that they all have a great determination to succeed.”

Henderson served his PGA apprenticeship under Bob Strachan at Duff House Royal before moving on to Drumoig where he worked alongside Ian Rae and the late Adam Hunter.

He may not have achieved his childhood dream of “being the next Sandy Lyle” but the PGA route has given him a rich, fulfilling career.

“The PGA qualification opens plenty of doors and you can go in so many different directions,” added Henderson, who nurtured numerous young talents during his stint as the Scotland national junior coach. “I chose coaching and I’ve travelled the world and watched loads of young players come through the ranks. There is much more of a joined up approach between The PGA and Scottish Golf than when I first started. It’s changed for the better.”

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