Richie chips in to give Blair juniors some tips

Leading tournament pro impressed by the high standard of young players he met during visit

Three times European Tour winner Richie Ramsay thrilled young members at Blairgowrie Golf Club.

Home-grown Tour rookie Bradley Neil is always supportive on return visits to Perthshire and Ramsay’s coaching session was an additional bonus.

The Aberdonian star is sponsored by Perth-based Carbon Financial, which enjoys a corporate partnership with Blairgowrie Golf Club.

Ramsay was taking a break from the build-up to this week’s Dunhill Links Championship to pass on tips and advice to Blair kids.

“It was great to see youngsters so enthusiastic about their golf and keen to learn,” he said.

“I was playing Rosemount earlier in the day and the facilities at the club are ideal for members and visitors.

“There is an ambitious youth development programme in place and I was happy to give the kids a few pointers.”

Ramsay still has three events left this season – the Dunhill Links Championship, The British Masters and the Valderrama Masters.

Blairgowrie junior convener Neil Wilkie said: “Richie was incredibly generous with his time, spending several hours with our junior section.

“It is fantastic that the team from Carbon are being so supportive.

“Not only was Richie chatting to the boys and girls and demonstrating how to hit specific shot shapes but he also made time for one-to one coaching with every single one of them.

“He answered all their questions and recounted his junior and student years at Royal Aberdeen and Stirling University and joined Blairgowrie’s assistant professional Neil Cameron in addressing the importance of focus and planning to achieve individual goals, as well as enjoyment when playing golf competitively and with friends.

“Richie provided lots of encouragement, saying he was amazed at the quality of golf on show and that his swing didn’t look half as good as some of those that were on display from our juniors at an equivalent age.

“Personal encouragement like this from a highly respected multi-event winning European Tour Professional, former US Amateur Champion and Walker Cup player provides an incredible amount of self-belief that our juniors can achieve everything they wish for from the game of golf, if they adopt a similar mind set.

“We have incredible talent in our junior section, most recently demonstrated by 14-year-old Cormac Sharp winning the scratch event at the Alfred Dunhill Schools Golf Challenge on the Duke’s course at St Andrews.

“Encouragement like Richie’s only reinforces the thought that great things lie ahead for this current crop of very talented Blairgowrie Golf Club junior golfers.”

Picture: Fraser Band