Thursday, September 16, 2010

Stirling University golf post for Dean Robertson

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE PGA
Former European Tour Pro Dean Robertson believes his old team-mate Colin Montgomerie has a welcome selection headache when the Ryder Cup gets underway in Wales.
Robertson, who partnered Montgomerie at the 1999 World Cup, has plenty of selection experience himself, having been Head Coach of the European Palmer Cup team - student golf's equivalent of the Ryder Cup - for the past two years.
And the Paisley-born player, who has just been appointed as the High Performance Golf coach at the University of Stirling, reckons European captain Monty might actually have an easier task than him.
"Monty has the luxury of dropping people whereas in the Palmer Cup, the team consists of only eight players so you can't drop anyone or chop and change between the foursomes, fourballs and singles," said Robertson.
"Europe has a plethora of options and I am pretty sure he will play everyone at least once on the first day. The biggest challenge he is going to have is his lynchpin player; Lee Westwood is carrying an injury. So while in the past, he has been asked to play a full series of matches, I just can't see him playing them all."
Robertson, 40, enjoyed a glittering amateur career which included competing in the Eisenhower Trophy and Walker Cup before 10 years on the European Tour, where he won the 1999 Italian Open and recorded successive top 100 Order of Merit finishes.
He has since moved into Performance Coaching and occupies the role of Head Coach for the Scottish Junior Golf Tour (SJGT) and Lothians while also working closely with the English Golf Union, Swedish Golf Federation and coaching across the South of Scotland.
In his new position at Stirling, Scotland's University for Sporting Excellence, Robertson hopes to shape the nation's best young players - without need for them to move to the USA as he did.
Robertson added: "Golf is a game to be learned - not a subject to be taught - and Stirling is the perfect learning environment. It's got brilliant facilities, the stunning backdrop of the Ochil hills and an excellent reputation, having supported players like Richie Ramsay and Catriona Matthew.
"The main difference between here and the USA for a golf scholarship is the coaches. Without being disrespectful, most of the coaches in the States are team managers whose role is to organise events; most are not experienced coaches with a pedigree in playing top-level golf.
"It's now up to me to take the Stirling programme up another notch and hopefully the talented young players here can tap into my experiences of playing at the highest level."
The University's men's team are the current British Universities strokeplay and matchplay team champions. Last week, a five-man team of Bobby Rushford, Alexander Culverwell, David Booth, Jack Macdonald and Graeme Robertson were crowned the 2010 International Collegiate Invitational team champions, surging to a 12-shot victory at Fairmont, St Andrews.
As the scholars return to their studies this week, Robertson is more than ready to help them improve even further. "For the commitment they show me, I will meet them head-to-head. Growing up, my whole life was given to the game of golf, but they should think themselves fortunate they don't have to stare at the bottom of a swimming pool for 20 hours a week - they get to combine developing in the sport they love with a University degree."
University of Stirling Sports Performance Manager Raleigh Gowrie welcomed the new addition to the International Sports Scholarship Programme.
He said: "Dean holds impressive playing records in both amateur and professional golf and is fast developing an excellent reputation as an innovative coach with fresh ideas to help develop players' games. I'm sure he will add value to our very successful golf scholarship programme operating at Scotland's University for Sporting Excellence."

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