Twenty years ago, Gareth Davies burst on to the Challenge Tour scene when he won on just his second start in Egypt. He would win again the following year and in 2007 he would secure his card for what is now the DP World Tour. Among those also graduating to the main tour that year would be the likes of Alex Noren, Martin Kaymer, Rafa Cabrera Bello and Alvaro Quiros.
There would be over 40 starts on the then European Tour and in 2016 Davies completed his PGA qualifications. He still competes at regional and national level – in 2019 he won the Leeds Cup at just the second attempt – and these days he is the Head Teaching Professional at Abbeydale Golf Club in Yorkshire as well as being one of the Yorkshire county coaches.
What made you get your PGA qualification?
The big thing was my respect for the profession really. I had a strong playing career which does help you become a decent coach but that’s only one aspect.
Coaching is very different to playing and I wanted to make sure that the knowledge was there. I've always been keen to learn stuff but the respect for the job was the big thing and to be qualified to do that was crucial.
I grew up playing at Abbeydale and I was attached there when I was playing and then I did my PGA training working in the shop and I coach there now. The residential weeks were the highlights and I really enjoyed those, meeting some really interesting people and learning from them.
What is your style of coaching?
I will always be very player-centred so, whether you are a beginner or playing for a living, I will try and get to know the person and then apply my knowledge to it. Often people don’t really know what they need to get better at and it’s often something else that they need to work on. I'm not a method coach but there are certain things where I'm looking to create certain positions to produce a great impact. Everyone is a different case; we've all got different bodies and things that we can and can’t do physically and there's also the time element that is important to understand and how long they've got to work on their game. So there isn't a single style of coaching but hopefully I'm pretty good at adapting to the person in front of me.
How much technology do you rely on?
You have to measure in this day and age and we have GC Quad, Boditrak and Capto putting in the studio and everyone who has a lesson will get a summary at the end. You must measure stuff and you have to give feedback, some players like numbers off a launch monitor and some don’t but they need some feedback. I have bought lots of swing aids and I generally don’t use them a lot after the first few weeks. Some things work for certain players and golf is a lot more about than just having one certain movement, you have to be able to adapt. But I will try and keep up to date with modern trends and technology but there is also a little bit of old school in creating feelings for a player.
Your website offers more information than most Pros?
Most people go for a lesson through word of mouth or find someone they’re going to connect with so I wanted my website to give a bit of my back story and anyone coming in will have an idea of what they’re going to get. I want people to buy into what you’re doing and, if you're going to improve, then you have to believe in what you’re doing. When I was working with Pete and Graham I knew their backgrounds as decent players so that gave me a lot of clarity and belief in what I was doing and what they were saying.
How did the Yorkshire coaching come about?
I was contacted around four years ago by Yorkshire and they asked me to spend a day with Steve Robinson and Graham when they were coaching the men’s squad. I shadowed them and contributed a little bit, then I got asked to work with the Under 16s alongside Craig Fricker and Gary Brown, another two great coaches and guys, and now I'm working with every squad from the U13s to the men’s team. We've had some success and I've really enjoyed it, we have a great team of coaches and we complement each other pretty well and we're working with some exceptional players who are very invested in what they do.
You're in a part of the world where there are some exceptional coaches?
Yorkshire really is great for coaches, they take care in their craft and they're decent people and that network and sharing of ideas is a great place to be involved in. Everyone was very welcoming when I first got involved, it's a bit like anything where it's nerve-wracking at first but you learn as you go and then get more confident.
The hardest thing about county coaching and when you're working with new players is that you don’t know the people in front of you. They are good players who already have coaches so you can’t dive straight in and you have to build a relationship. But over time a lot of players will spend a bit more time with you and the lads who have gravitated towards us have had a lot of individual success which has really helped.
