Colin Pearson to spearhead

PGA One Plan for

Golf in Scotland

THE PGA has appointed one of Scotland’s leading
sporting administrators to spearhead the Association’s
role in the ‘One Plan for Golf in Scotland’.
Director of sportscotland Colin Pearson has brought
his 18-year career with the organisation to an end to
take on the role of Strategic Head of Golf Development
(Scotland) with the PGA.
The 52-year-old, who takes up his post on November
3, will bring a wealth of experience to the PGA and will
work with a number of key stakeholders including other
golfing bodies, local authorities, the Scottish Assembly
and national government to ensure the PGA is at the
forefront of golf development in Scotland.
Pearson, who paved the way for Club Golf’s introduction
in Scotland to enable all children to have tried the
game by the age of nine, admitted he was ready for a
fresh challenge having recovered from a serious illness.
“I went back to work but felt I wanted to make a
change as I live very much for the now,” he said.
“I’ve worked with a lot of sports via my role at sportscotland
and I really enjoyed my involvement with golf
over the years and this role was an opportunity to pursue
an interest in the sport.”
Pearson, who will be primarily based in Edinburgh, has
previously worked on a number of golf development
projects including the Scottish Junior Golf Programme
and Scotland’s 2009 Ryder Cup bid, which ultimately
saw the nation given the 2014 event at Gleneagles.
It is that experience the PGA will be looking to utilise,
particularly with golf’s profile due to rise in the build-up
to the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles in six years time.
“The One Plan for Scotland means I’ll be working with
other organisations like the Scottish Golf Union, Scottish
Ladies Golf Association and the Golf Foundation to produce
a plan for developing golf and obtaining the funding,”
he said.
“I want to look at the bigger picture and see what we’re
trying to achieve and how it’s best to do that.”
The PGA’s Director of Education and Training Dr Kyle
Phillpots explained the reasoning behind the appointment
and the need for a hands-on approach.
“The PGA wants to play a full role in developing golf in
Scotland and to work with other organisations in producing
one plan,” he said.
“We recognised that we needed to create this role to
enable us to do that and have someone with the skills and
background to play a full part in carrying out that aim.”