Golfer Connor is a swing king
Thirteen-year-old Connor Graham from Blairgowrie has been playing golf since his dad introduced him to the game with plastic clubs aged two.
He currently plays for Blairgowrie Golf Club’s junior team and Perth and Kinross County at under-14, 16 and 18 level.
This year he has been selected for the Scottish Golf Academy programme and the Scottish U16 training squad.
Connor has had significant success in the past 12 months, taking top spot at various high profile junior events.
Included were the Diversity Cup with Gordon Strachan, Celebrity am-am at the Solheim Cup, the BritishWeeWonders Championships 2019 and the Perth and Kinross under-14 coaching medal.
In addition, he was also the youngest player to ever compete in the Scottish Men’s Amateur Championships last year.
It was at the British Wee Wonders Championship a few years ago when Connor first realised he had the skills and determination to take his sport to the next level.
“I would have been about eight at the time and I think I finished third,” the youngster reminisced. “Winning the British Wee Wonders Championships twice in the last three years has been my biggest achievement to date.
“This is a very strong competition, from young golfers right across the UK.
“I finished second in 2018 and first in 2017, so it has been a good competition for me.
“I’ve played in many team sports but, for some reason, I just love golf. It’s such an individual sport and I love practising, lowering my handicap and trying to improve.”
Connor has a busy year ahead and will play the US Kids European Championships in May, the Belgium U14 Championships in July and both the English U14 Championships and Scottish U14 Championships in August.
He said: “My goals this year are to win one of the above, to reduce my handicap to scratch before I turn 14 and to be selected for the Scottish under-16 team, who play Ireland, Wales and Holland in April.
“I train hard. I normally take a Monday off, but apart from that I practise every day. I’m now going to the gym more often to build my strength and I still play other sports.”
Connor is a member of the Live Active Leisure Talented Athlete Scheme and performance squad, giving him free access to all of LAL’s venues and twice-weekly strength and conditioning sessions with Gil Stevenson at Bell’s Sports Centre.
“This has been very beneficial to me,”Connor said. “I’ve worked with Gil for a couple of years through the Perth and Kinross County Golf fitness programme and I am now working with him twice a week at Bell’s Sports Centre.
“I’m starting to notice a big difference in my fitness and clubhead speed.”
Connor is keen to encourage young people to give golf a try.
“Get down to your local club and give it a go,”he said this week.
“It’s not easy initially but if you keep going to lessons and practising, before long you will be hooked and will love the sport.”