Become a golf pro and see the world
SEVEN YEARS TO GET FROM BANCHORY
TO CANARY ISLANDS
VIA GERMANY,
ALGARVE AND EGYPT
By MURDO McCORQUODALE
I was Head Pro at Inchmarlo Golf Centre, Banchory between 1995 and 2000 after doing my apprenticeship with Doug Smart at Banchory Golf Club and then Dean Vannet at Peterculter.
In 1999 I met a Spanish lass called Ana who was studying in Aberdeen. I often visited her and her family in Spain and this gave me a real desire to move to warmer climes (That's Murdo, Ana and baby Alba pictured above).
I wrote a letter to Derek Brown from Valderrama who had worked with my father as a pro at Gleneagles and he advised me to learn German if I planned to work abroad. It just so happened that an old buddy from Elgin called Derek McKenzie was a pro in Cologne and so I called him up to see if he knew of any vacancies.
Luckily, his club required a teaching pro for spring 2000 and so, with absolutely no experience of German, I bade farewell to friends and family and headed for Cologne.
The day I left my family in Inverness it was snowing all over Britain, roads were blocked and the radio spoke only of ‘Mad Cow Disease’ and blizzards.
I was Head Pro at Inchmarlo Golf Centre, Banchory between 1995 and 2000 after doing my apprenticeship with Doug Smart at Banchory Golf Club and then Dean Vannet at Peterculter.
In 1999 I met a Spanish lass called Ana who was studying in Aberdeen. I often visited her and her family in Spain and this gave me a real desire to move to warmer climes (That's Murdo, Ana and baby Alba pictured above).
I wrote a letter to Derek Brown from Valderrama who had worked with my father as a pro at Gleneagles and he advised me to learn German if I planned to work abroad. It just so happened that an old buddy from Elgin called Derek McKenzie was a pro in Cologne and so I called him up to see if he knew of any vacancies.
Luckily, his club required a teaching pro for spring 2000 and so, with absolutely no experience of German, I bade farewell to friends and family and headed for Cologne.
The day I left my family in Inverness it was snowing all over Britain, roads were blocked and the radio spoke only of ‘Mad Cow Disease’ and blizzards.
A combination of road closures and a strike by Dutch fishermen caused our ferry to sit in limbo for 36 hours. It meant it took me five days to arrive to Germany and so I was two days late starting my new job. Fortunately the head pro saw the funny side.
Ana joined me in Germany and within a few months we had a basic grasp of the language and eventually I was giving lessons without using English at all. We had two fantastic seasons in the Rhine Valley where the warm climate and beautiful scenery really took us by surprise. But we had achieved our goal and it was time to move south.
I was offered a job on the Algarve by a contact in Germany and although not Spain it seemed to be the next best thing. The Algarve is stunning - the golf courses are very good, the beaches are breathtaking and the fresh fish, fruit and vegetables are superior to northern Europe but it is a very difficult place to make a living – especially as a golf pro.
We also discovered that the Germans had been driven elsewhere by inflated prices that only the ‘new rich’ (Irish and southern English) could afford. This was a problem for the golf academy as German-speaking golfers are the best clients in that they have the mentality that to become golfers they must have lots of lessons (great for us!!).
Ana was working as a beautician, we had made great friends in Portugal and had just got married and purchased a home on the Spanish side of the border but we both felt our future was not here and so my buddy Derek came to the rescue again!
I was offered a job with Derek at a fantastic resort called Somabay (www.somabay.com) on Egypt’s Red Sea Riviera where the Gary Player course and golf academy were the best I’d ever seen.
Ana was working in the biggest spa in the world and I was teaching every day to Swiss, German and Austrian pupils so we were both busy but also had time to enjoy the beauty of Egypt. The people were the most welcoming I’d come across since leaving Scotland and the country’s history made our experience there a special one.
We took up scuba diving, windsurfing and wakeboarding and had free time in the afternoons to enjoy all the activities on offer and so our two years in Egypt were unforgettable to say the least.
Ana joined me in Germany and within a few months we had a basic grasp of the language and eventually I was giving lessons without using English at all. We had two fantastic seasons in the Rhine Valley where the warm climate and beautiful scenery really took us by surprise. But we had achieved our goal and it was time to move south.
I was offered a job on the Algarve by a contact in Germany and although not Spain it seemed to be the next best thing. The Algarve is stunning - the golf courses are very good, the beaches are breathtaking and the fresh fish, fruit and vegetables are superior to northern Europe but it is a very difficult place to make a living – especially as a golf pro.
We also discovered that the Germans had been driven elsewhere by inflated prices that only the ‘new rich’ (Irish and southern English) could afford. This was a problem for the golf academy as German-speaking golfers are the best clients in that they have the mentality that to become golfers they must have lots of lessons (great for us!!).
Ana was working as a beautician, we had made great friends in Portugal and had just got married and purchased a home on the Spanish side of the border but we both felt our future was not here and so my buddy Derek came to the rescue again!
I was offered a job with Derek at a fantastic resort called Somabay (www.somabay.com) on Egypt’s Red Sea Riviera where the Gary Player course and golf academy were the best I’d ever seen.
Ana was working in the biggest spa in the world and I was teaching every day to Swiss, German and Austrian pupils so we were both busy but also had time to enjoy the beauty of Egypt. The people were the most welcoming I’d come across since leaving Scotland and the country’s history made our experience there a special one.
We took up scuba diving, windsurfing and wakeboarding and had free time in the afternoons to enjoy all the activities on offer and so our two years in Egypt were unforgettable to say the least.
When Ana found out she was pregnant we decided we had to leave Egypt and try to find a job in Spain where we could finally settle down. So, last June we left Somabay with many tears and headed to Alicante where Ana wanted to have the baby (near mama).
Alba was born in August and she is the best thing that has ever happened in our lives.
Recently, I finally got a job in Spain, on the Canary Island of Fuerteventura and this appears, even though it is early days yet, to be the ideal spot for us. I am Director of golf/head pro at Las Playitas Grande Resort (http://www.playitas.net/) and my job is to open the golf academy and eventually the 18-hole course here.
At the moment we have six academy holes open which are top quality. We also have three other 18-hole courses within a 30min drive so Fuerteventura could become a top golf holiday destination in the future. Here’s hoping!
Seven years on and, looking back,we’ve been very lucky with the friends we’ve made and the cultures and languages we’ve learned about but we did it and we still have very close links with our friends and families back home, and, of course,I still get to see the Rangers wherever I am!!!
Alba was born in August and she is the best thing that has ever happened in our lives.
Recently, I finally got a job in Spain, on the Canary Island of Fuerteventura and this appears, even though it is early days yet, to be the ideal spot for us. I am Director of golf/head pro at Las Playitas Grande Resort (http://www.playitas.net/) and my job is to open the golf academy and eventually the 18-hole course here.
At the moment we have six academy holes open which are top quality. We also have three other 18-hole courses within a 30min drive so Fuerteventura could become a top golf holiday destination in the future. Here’s hoping!
Seven years on and, looking back,we’ve been very lucky with the friends we’ve made and the cultures and languages we’ve learned about but we did it and we still have very close links with our friends and families back home, and, of course,I still get to see the Rangers wherever I am!!!
ANY COMMENTS? E-mail them to colin@scottishgolfview.com
Great to hear that Murdo has gone from strength to strength. I'm not suprised - he's a great lad, always friendly and helpful. As the teaching pro at Inchmarlo he set James (Byrne) off on his golfing career. I remember his first lesson as if it was yesterday! Please give him our best wishes.
Paul and James Byrne
Labels: WHERE TO GO
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Tuesday, May 08, 2007
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