PGA Assistant Grehan is a man on a mission to get to the top table

27/03/2023

Liam Grehan has become one of the shining lights in the PGA Ireland Region since taking up an Assistant Professional role at the K Club.

Liam Grehan certainly knows how to make a name for himself. The 27-year-old was a four-time winner on the 2022 Irish PGA region last season, which included shooting a course record 67 at the Irish Club Pro Championship in Millicent as he marched to second overall on the Order of Merit.

Grehan is entering his fourth year at the K Club having arrived in 2019 to take up a Golf Operations role before being offered a position as Assistant Professional in October 2020 in tandem with his PGA studies where he has since thrived.

"I am enjoying it big time. I always have grown up in golf and enjoyed learning from PGA pros so once I saw what the coaching side of it was, I loved that,” said Grehan.

“To be able to do it at the K Club and PGA headquarters is pretty brilliant. We were lucky enough to have the PGA AGM here at the K Club and we had a talk with Michael Bannon and we had questions galore for him.

"It's a great opportunity to learn from experienced pros who have their PGA qualifications who really recommend it and give us some pointers and it's great for us to get a few things from the pros. It's a good community here in Ireland they offer advice so it's brilliant to do the PGA qualification.

"It's not an easy course to get through because you're balancing work and your studies but at the same time you're learning a lot of what you're studying when you're working. You get a real hands-on experience. Golfers tend to be like that, they want to be involved. You have academics and a job in this industry which is a great way to do it.

"You can specialise in a sector, if you want to go into coaching or management so it's diverse and gives you plenty of opportunities. The GB&I qualification is the best around so you are sought after, with opportunities to travel.”

Grehan began his PGA training in 2020, a year like no other, and while his experience in the programme hasn’t been what you could call ‘typical’, he’s delighted with how it has worked out and the content has prepared him for life as a PGA professional at one of Ireland’s top resorts.

“I started my PGA Training in 2020, which meant it was quite a different experience than in previous years I'm sure. Luckily, the fact that it is remote learning, during lockdown we were still able to access all the materials and access online lectures with the University of Birmingham. In normal circumstances I would have travelled over to Birmingham for the residentials early in the year, but unfortunately that wasn't feasible due to travel restrictions. Luckily once the lockdowns were lifted, we started into a busy playing schedule on the PGA Irish region, which I was thrilled to have some success on early.

“The diverse range of subjects and of course training under a PGA professional as part of the PGA course has prepared me well for my role in the K club. We are at a large resort with two pro shops, 36 holes, 2 driving ranges and an indoor golf facility so there was plenty to learn about. Through the course I got a great amount about retail and merchandising, which was very important for what we face at the K Club.

“For me though I most enjoyed learning about golf coaching through the PGA. I am fascinated how golfers learn and get better through the guidance of a PGA Professional. The course covers the mechanics of the swing, as you would expect, but it also covers the delivery & structure of a lesson and how to link lessons together to get the best results with golfers to help to achieve their goals.”

Grehan enjoys the work and play balance the K Club affords him and while he is keen to develop his coaching this year, that winning feeling still burns inside him.

“The K Club is brilliant, it’s all changed since I was here at the start between the fairways being renovated and the clubhouse. I suppose I've changed as well,” said Grehan who is targeting a place in the Irish Open field at the K Club via the PGA Playoffs in Cyprus.

“We do a lot of different stuff, we do all the timesheets for the members and they arrive in and we have the cards and their bags are ready on a trolley. We provide a different level of service but we have the staff to do it.

“It works out nicely here before or after work I can go and play two championship courses.

“I learned a lot about coaching in America and wanted to get into that side of it but I hit the ground running and kept winning events to I thought this was great I may keep it going so that’s why I turned my focus towards playing. I still have an interest in teaching but this year I want to focus on playing more.”