NEWS FROM GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND

By Peter Hudson

Keith Renton, a member of the World Golf Teachers Federation (WGTF) of Great Britain & Ireland for more than 20 years, has taken on responsibility for all coach education, training and recruitment. Keith’s philosophy is that every golfer already possesses the resources required to succeed, and the role of the coach is to unlock those resources.

Building on his philosophy, Keith will play a pivotal role in the education and development of coaches within WGTF GB&I, using education programmes that train and develop outstanding coaches who deliver real results. Formerly the head professional at Thornton Golf Club, Fife (30 minutes from St. Andrews), Keith holds a PGA golf coaching licence in addition to being a WGTF Master Golf Teaching Professional, is an authorised instructor in The Golfing Machine (GSEB), a Master Mind Factor coach, an Instinctive Golf Practitioner and NLP Practitioner.

In the last week of April, alongside myself, Keith delivered a successful Level 3 residential training in Alicante, Spain, where a group of new coaches embarked on the next stage of their journeys to becoming outstanding golf coaches. Only a few days after completing the training, one of the trainees, Farhaan Naz, was confirmed in a new coaching position at Brent Valley Golf Club, London.

Women’s and girl’s golf is one of the strongest development opportunities in the game. In Great Britain & Ireland, the R&A, Scottish, English and Welsh golf are all investing in initiatives to increase participation, inclusion, female coach development and creating more welcoming club environments, designed to address the significant participation imbalance in the sport, where less than 15 percent of golf club members are female. Lynne Mathieson, one of our newer WGTF GB&I coaches is already enjoying great success in this area. Having launched her golf coaching business, Evolv3 Golf less than two years ago, Lynne has already built a reputation for creating exciting and inclusive learning environments for all levels of golfers. A finalist in the Rising Star category of the Women in Golf Awards 2025, Lynne has recently been appointed to the role of Women & Girls Coordinator at Muckhart Golf Club, one of only 12 golf clubs in Scotland that secured grant funding from Scottish Golf designed to grow the game by attracting women and girls into golf.