Renowned coach lands PGA accolade

A golf coach who has helped players such as Lee Westwood and Greg Owen reach the top has earned PGA Advanced Fellow Professional status.

Coxmoor Golf Club's David Ridley was awarded the honour at the latest APAL (Accreditation for Professional Achievement and Learning) Awards, after serving at the Nottinghamshire-based golf club for the last 27 years.

The award is only one level below Master Professional, the highest honour distributed by APAL.

Ridley said: “It is always an honour to gain a reward such as this for all of your hard work and effort – it is really nice to be recognised in this way.”

It is yet another accolade for the 61-year-old golf pro, who was appointed Coxmoor’s third professional in their 86 year history in 1986.

He can now add the award to his list of past successes - he is an honorary member of the club, a position he describes as “a real honour” and he lists his appointment there as one of the favourite moments of his career, ranking it alongside other great achievements such as his appointment as lead coach of the EGU mens team in 2004.

He said: “Working at Coxmoor comes with a good status, and I was only the third professional they employed in their history, which was a really nice achievement.”

Ridley left his position as head professional at the club in 2007 but still gives private tuition at the golf club and admitted it is his passion for mentoring young players and coaches that gives him the drive to continue to develop his career.

“I’ve worked with some really good assistants, coaches and players and it is great to be able to help them develop and to pass on my experience to them,” he added.

Having spent a long and successful career in golf, he is keen to continue to develop himself further, but he also wants to make the most of his family life as well.

“I’m looking forward to spending a bit more time with my grandchildren” he said.

Also honoured in the latest APAL awards was John Dwyer, the ex-Glenmuir PGA Professional Champion and three time PGA Cup player who is the longstanding head pro at Ashbourne Golf Club in County Meath and becomes a PGA Fellow Professional.

Adrian Cafaro – the newly appointed academy director at the PGA branded golf academy at Bayhood No.9 in Beijing – is also awarded PGA Fellow status as is Chingford Golf Club’s Andrew Traynor.

Meanwhile, Kristian Baker (Wentworth), Matthew Gillingham (Wilmslow), Graeme Leggat (Pitlochry), Andrew Morrison (University of Ulster) and Martyn Vaughan (Hacienda del Alamo) were all awarded the status of Advanced Professional, while Ricky Carvell (Stanedge), Paul Hodgson (Walton Hall), Robert Laing (Little Lakes) and Nicholas Sharratt (Grayshott Spa) completed their Advanced Diploma.