Maxwell boosting the junior ranks at Eastwood

Eastwood Golf Club assistant Steven Maxwell is already lining up a career in junior development golf when his PGA training is completed.

Maxwell will be playing in the Galvin Green PGA Assistants' Championship Irish qualifier which is being held at West Linton Golf Club near Edinburgh on May 18.

The second year professional made it to the final 12 months ago and will be looking to return when this year’s £32,000 showpiece event is held at Coxmoor Golf Club in Nottinghamshire between August 2-4.

But Maxwell admits his focus is on introducing youngsters to the game and making the most of the catchment area close to Glasgow.

“It’s the junior development side of golf that I like the best,” said the 28-year-old.

“Unless my mind changes in the meantime, I’d still like to do be very much involved in that even when I’m qualified.

“At Eastwood, I work with the head professional David Orr who’s been here two years - and we’ve gone from virtually nothing to really quite busy. That’s just in a couple of years. It’s very good. I’ve enjoyed it and it’s very much what this club is about now.

“At first we had a couple of junior who were maybe 17 but nothing below that.

“Now our team’s quite as it’s filled with 12-13 year olds who are very good players.”

Maxwell says Eastwood wanted to make sure the club’s adult membership was supported by youngsters on the way to sure their future.

“There’s not enough coming through, so we have to be a bit pro-active when it comes to that,” he said.

“We’re well placed close to Glasgow.”

Maxwell was at college in the USA before returning to Scotland.

“I was based in New Mexico, a smaller town called Silver City, quite far south, and iI was coaching there too,” he explained. “I went a bit further afield than most, it’s good to have on my CV and gave me a lot of experience too.”

Other assistants from Scotland due to take play at West Linton include: Euan Campbell (Paisley Golf Club); Stephen Wilson (Carrick on Loch Lomond); Linzi Allen (West Kilbride Golf Club); Nicholas Gardiner (Cawder Golf Club); David Grindell (Inverness Golf Club) and Jackson Bell (Lanark Golf Club).