Confessions of a Golf Pro is a book I’ve helped edit over the past six months. Neil rang me at the end of 2025 and explained that he had done nothing extraordinary over the past 20 years despite being a PGA Professional all that time, taught thousands of golfers and been the friendly and knowledgable face behind the counter throughout.
The PGA Professional is the hero to many of us who play the game; someone to try and impress and make laugh and someone whose brains we can pick over a variety of subjects. Neil, for so many golfers, is no different.
Where did the idea come from to write a book and how easy/hard was it?
There was absolutely no intention to write a book. Genuinely. The first story I wrote was about Paul, a dear friend but an interesting chap to say the least. After that the stories started flowing out and apart from maybe four or five extra chapters later on, I had 60 within two months. My mum always loved my stories and said I should write them down. Well, I did mum!
The easy part was getting the stories down. The hard part was finishing it. So many decisions to make but the whole process has made me learn so much that I feel richer for the journey. The whole process took eight months which I think is jaw-droppingly brilliant.
How did you decide upon the format and what went into the book?
I found the formatting process quite hard – this is the tricky part of the process after the fun bit of writing which is crucial for the book to work. Once all the stories were formed we then had to cut out what wasn’t going to make the final edit and we finally decided on six parts.
What were the big things from coaching golf for 20 years that you wanted to get across?
I suppose the main one is the stigma around golf clubs for new golfers. So many people still have this image from 30 years ago of being told off for wearing the wrong socks or standing in the wrong place.
The reality now is that most golf clubs desperately want and need people through the doors. The game is at its best when it’s welcoming, relaxed and built around community…
..
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Latest from Golf Monthly…