PGA Pro Mckechin continues her education with enlightening experience at Costa Rica Blind Golf Open

29/04/2024

You’re always learning in this game. As a highly respected and valued PGA Professional, Alyson Mckechin spends her days passing on her bountiful pearls of wisdom to all walks of life. Her own golfing education, meanwhile, never stops.

Mckechin’s latest experience has certainly been enriching and enlightening as the 30-year-old savoured a week of competition, coaching and clinics at the inaugural Costa Rica Blind Golf Open.

Swapping the Golf It! facility just off the Cumbernauld Road in Glasgow for the exotic jungle retreat of La Iguana took a bit of getting used to, mind you. “It was high 30s every day and 80 per cent humidity,” gasped Mckechin, who is the head of golf at The R&A’s pioneering community-based hub.

Mckechin was acting as the guide for her Golf It! colleague Barry McCluskey, who is one of the world’s leading blind amateur golfers and the son of the former Celtic footballer, George.

Despite the stifling Costa Rican conditions, the duo combined to fine effect and Mckechin steered McCluskey to a second-place finish in his category. Golf may be a very individual game but, in the disabled arena, the team ethic is to the fore.

“This was my first time acting as an official guide,” said Mckechin of this challenging yet hugely rewarding golfing experience. “The nerves were certainly flowing on the first tee. I hadn’t had that for a while.

“Barry has about eight per cent vision left. Our drill is that he puts a club in front of him, I move his shoulders into position where the target is, and then he’ll set himself up on that line. I stand behind him and make sure his feet, shoulders and clubface are all pointing in the right direction and then he pulls the trigger.

“Once he’s hit it, I do a bit of a commentary about the strike, the line, where it’s coming down and what position it’s landed in so he gets the full picture of what’s happened and what the next shot will look like. Barry may be partially sighted but the feel of a good strike is the same for every golfer.”

Away from the cut-and-thrust of the tournament, Mckechin had the opportunity to work alongside PGA of America coach, Jose Quesada, who runs an all-embracing initiative for disabled golfers called Challenge Golf.

“We had golfers there who were completely blind, others with one arm or one leg, and some on wheelchairs,” added McKechin. “It was amazing to work with them.

“Most of them didn’t speak English but the reaction on their faces when they hit a good shot or got the ball in the hole was the common language between us. This is why PGA Pros do what we do; to see that kind of joy. It was very powerful and hugely rewarding for me personally.”

Those informative sessions have certainly given Mckechin plenty of inspiration and motivation as she continues to drive the come-all-ye inclusivity that is one of the cornerstones of the Golf It! ethos.

“Going to Costa Rica was a real eye-opener for me,” she said. “I’m certainly drawing inspiration from that visit for what we can do in Glasgow. We are planning on doing some training with EDGA (European Disabled Golf Association) with some of the pros here so that they are best prepared to deal with golfers with disabilities and make sure they get the most out of a lesson.

“When I first started coaching golfers with a disability it was easy to get ahead of yourself. But you have to take a step back and remember that the person you are coaching doesn’t have the ability to do certain things so need you need to adapt for them. We want to push this inclusivity because at Golf It! we want everyone to have a chance and put on classes for everyone.”

That welcoming, encouraging approach continues to reap rewards for the wider golfing community in the Glasgow area. “Uddingston Grammar School has a visually impaired unit so the students will come to Golf It! for an eight-week programme to kick things off,” said Mckechin of this new scheme.

“Barry and I went into the school and he talked to the students about his experience of losing his sight and the journey he’s been on. There was a group of girls who came up to us afterwards and said: “we really want to try golf now after hearing that”. Golf was something they didn’t think they’d be able to do but after hearing Barry’s story, they were really inspired to give it a go. That was quite humbling for us.”

A former Scottish Women’s Amateur champion, Mckechin turned pro and had a stint on the Ladies European Tour, but the rigours of life at the coalface eventually took a toll. The PGA provided a soothing sanctuary, however, and helped to energise her golfing career.

“When I came off the tour, I didn’t want to be one of those people who fell out of the game,” she reflected. “The training programme has been great and I couldn’t be more grateful for what The PGA has done for me.

“You can carry this badge around the world and it will open up tremendous opportunities. When I started my PGA training, I never thought that I would be working with The R&A and being part of a trailblazing facility like Golf It! It’s been an amazing journey.”