Gavin Dear is just starting out on a new journey in his first year as a professional golfer on the Alps Tour.

He made his name as an amateur by winning the World Amateur Championship in 2008 alongside fellow Scots Wallace Booth and Callum Macauley. 

Gavin took some time out of his hectic schedule to catch up with ITWZ. Here’s what he had to say...

WZ: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? 

GD: I am from Scone, just outside Perth where I attended Perth Academy.  I started playing golf when I was 12, originally at a small 9-hole course called Strathendrick, outside Glasgow.

My family moved to Scone and I joined Murrayshall Golf Club and at that point got a handicap and started playing more regularly.

WZ: At what point did golf stop becoming a past-time and you realised that you might be pretty good at it? 

GD: There have been two points when I decided to take golf more seriously, and both moved me onto a new level in the sport.

The first one was when I was 18, I made the decision to go on a scholarship to Lynn University in Florida and that was a conscious effort to become a much better player.

The second was when I played in Florida last December in the Dixie Amateur, when I decided I thought I could be good enough to play at the top level in the sport and that I should really push myself towards that goal.
 
WZ: How did you enjoy your time as a scholarship player in the USA? 

GD: It has probably been the most important and best decision I have made. I wouldn’t be close to the player I am if I hadn’t taken a golf scholarship in America. Lynn University have been brilliant with me both as a student and as an alumni. It was a great experience both on and off the golf course.

I came home with a degree which I can fall back on if the golf doesn’t work out. I met lots of people from all over the world and travelled extensively across North America. The key with going to America for college is to select the right place for you and to enjoy the whole experience.

WZ: Was there a particular person or people who played a big role in developing your game when you were growing up? 

GD: My dad got me into playing the game, but from that point I enjoyed playing and worked to improve. My parents played an important role in taking me to and from the course and to tournaments.

A reason I think I enjoyed it so much, was that I was never pushed to practise or play by my parents.  I see a lot of kids being "pushed" and I think it is something that doesn’t help them enjoy the game and want to play.

WZ: Who are the key people in your golfing career now as an up-and-coming young professional?

GD: Well, still my parents obviously, but now I have created a team around me. I have my management team, headed by Brendan Taylor at Wassermann Media Group, who have really helped me in the short time that I have been a professional.

I also have my coaches Liam Barn and Ian Rae, who have helped improve many aspects of my game and continue to do so. 
 

WZ: You had great success at the World Amateur Team Championships last year – how did you enjoy winning that? 

GD: That will always be a highlight in my career, to go there and be part of a team which really put a class field in the background was amazing.

To win by 9 shots was brilliant, but it also really gave us the opportunity to enjoy the last 9 holes. The whole trip sticks out, we had a great team, two super coaches and a fantastic captain. We had fun, a good laugh, bit of sightseeing, played some lovely golf courses and a great tournament - just a perfect trip and a lovely memory to hold.

WZ: How would you credit this success?  What kind of preparation did you have for this tournament?

GD: Even though the event was only 4 days long, we spent nearly 20 days in Australia preparing and that was undoubtedly the reason for our success.

The Scottish Golf Union do a fantastic job for the teams and really give us the best opportunity to concentrate on playing and playing well.

We knew that if we played to our potential that we would be able to challenge, I don’t think any of us would have thought we could win so convincingly.

 WZ: What would you say are the key traits to a successful golfer?  Is it mental strength over physical skill or are they equally important?

GD: Wow, that’s a hard question. Different players have different strengths but you need a bit of everything to have a chance of success. You need technical ability, natural talent, a work ethic, mental strength, desire to succeed and confidence.

WZ: What are your long-term ambitions in the sport?

GD: I don’t think I have a long term ambition. At the moment I’m working hard to improve my game for next year and am looking to have a successful campaign on the Alps Tour.  That’s all I am concentrating on.

I want to be the best player I can be, and if at the end of every year I can say I’m better than the last I will be doing something right and moving in the right direction.

WZ: Transferring from amateur to pro is notoriously tough – can you tell us a little about how you have been dealing with this and pass on some tips?

GD: It is extremely tough, because you go from being at the top of the tree to the bottom again. But that’s fine, everyone accepts that and you have to work yourself up the tree.

It’s tough though because you go from having a level of funding from the Scottish Golf Union, to having to pay for everything yourself. It is difficult to find sponsors, especially in this economic climate, but also because there isn’t massive exposure until the European Tour.

Hopefully with golf becoming an Olympic sport more funding will become available to fill this void. A number of countries do have programmes in place for young pros, and these countries are extremely successful at nurturing young pros into high quality tour pros.

The Scottish Golf Union do as much as they can for the young pros, but they simply don’t have the funding to make a difference. They seem to get a lot of criticism about the subject and others which is really unnecessary.

In my position, luckily as I have mentioned before I have a management team who are helping me as much as possible, but I am also going to have to rely on some sponsors’ invites to tournaments next year, so hopefully I will have a chance of getting into some big Scottish events next summer.

RO
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