Twenty years ago, Gareth Davies won his second Challenge Tour title in as many seasons, earning a spot on the European Tour the following year. He has worked with top coaches like Pete Cowen and Graham Walker and completed his PGA qualification in 2016. Now, as Head Teaching Professional at Abbeydale Golf Club near Sheffield, he balances coaching with competitive play, including his 2024 PGA Cup debut. Here, Davies shares insights into his PGA career and how he juggles the many roles in his professional career.
Playing competitively
The first event that you note down on the schedule is the PGA Professional Championship. I finished seventh last year at Conway to secure my place on the PGA Cup side, so that was such a thrill. This year, I will play in the two Open Series events in the North; the Manchester Opena and the Leeds Cup, and then the Yorkshire events around that.
In terms of practicing, I hit balls on a Monday to keep myself ticking over and, during the season, if I’ve got an hour between lessons, I will do a bit of chipping and putting. If I’ve got an event coming up, I’ll go in early before work but the big thing for me is course time. That’s the bit I miss out on because I don’t really get to play much social golf. So, I always try to organise it so that I’ve played enough golf in the weeks preceding a bigger event. That way, at least I feel somewhat sharp.
Ideally I will have three or four days to prep for the week after and I will try to prioritise parts of my game. I generally drive it pretty straight, so I’ll hit some drivers in the studio to keep on top of that and I’ll then do some putting work – even if it’s just at home. I’ll make sure I do some short game and wedge practice because I know that’s what I need to focus on to keep sharp – and my golf swing is what it is. You have to be good with the time that you have.
Being a PGA Fellow Professional
It was important for me to get qualified in the first place. In my first year, I was the leading ‘rookie assistant’, awarded to the student with the best marks nationally. That pride means you always want to do a great job in everything that you do. My background was playing, so it was important for me that people didn’t just see me as somebody who played and thought they could teach. I wanted more than that.
I gained Advanced status and, from there, you want to continue to show people that you’ve stayed up to date with things. You want to work hard and stand out a little if you can. So, if the time does come when you’re applying for a new job, you have another string to your bow.
I then achieved Fellow status through a combination of elements. We’ve hugely grown the junior section at Abbeydale and for the last few years, I’ve been very much involved with Yorkshire. I also mark exams with The PGA and have been captain of the Yorkshire PGA too. It’s the recognition of the standard of those and also the other day-to-day activities.
I’d love to become a Master Professional at some point towards the end of my career but more so that I know I’ve been recognised for the job that I’ve done throughout my time in the industry as opposed to having the status itself.
Maintaining a balance
Balancing these aspects of my career is so different to what It may have been like 20 years ago, but it’s great to have such a mix. I still enjoy playing more than ever because I do it less. I love being part of the Yorkshire set-up and I still love the work I do at Abbeydale as well. So, I almost feel like I’ve got three different jobs and every week is a little bit different. Even every day is different, so, even when you’re in the middle of a season and it’s full on and you’re tired, there’s plenty of variety to stimulate you.
I’m lucky that I’m working on things that I’ve got a huge passion for and that will be the same for a lot of coaches. It’s not the same as getting up and going to work, doing something you don’t want to do. When I do get a week where it’s just tournament golf, I often wonder what I used to do with all my time.
