David Llewellyn said he felt very humble as he became the 86th captain of The PGA.
The 74-year-old executive head professional at Carden Park – whose career has included a stint at Thirsk & Northallerton Golf Club – succeeded David Scott at the association’s annual general meeting on April 2.
David joins a list of PGA captains that includes Harry Vardon, JH Taylor, James Braid, Sir Henry Cotton, Peter Alliss, Dai Rees, and Bernard Gallacher.
“It’s the greatest honour The PGA can bestow upon a golf professional – to ask them to be captain of the association,” he said.
“I feel very humble and even now, having known about the appointment for a little while, I still get a bit of a tingle at the back of the neck.
“My responsibility is to uphold and support the values and philosophies of The PGA, but also to pass the message on to the younger generation. That’s what our job is – to spread the word of golf and encourage the next generation to play. Whatever happens, you’ve got to keep that conveyor belt going of getting people to play the game. That’s what members of The PGA should be doing and that’s one of the things I’ll try and get over.”
In a career spanning more than five decades, David has enjoyed success as a club professional and tour player.
He turned professional in 1968, working as an assistant to Tom Colinge at Olton Golf Club in Solihull, before playing on the newly formed European Tour in the early 1970s. He was rookie of the year in 1972.
After spells at Royal Malta Golf Club, Purley Chase Golf Club, and Thirsk & Northallerton Golf Club, he returned to tour life in 1984 and won the Biarritz Open in 1988. His four-round scoring record of 258 wasn’t beaten for 32 years.
He won the Ivory Coast Open in 1985 and 1990, the Zambia Open in 1988, and the Motorola Classic in 1989.
Partnering with Ian Woosnam, the pair won the World Cup for Wales in 1987, and David competed in eight Open Championships between 1971 and 1989.
Returning to club life, he was a Golf Union of Wales coach for five years and continues to coach professional players. He becomes PGA captain 26 years after skippering the Great Britain & Ireland team that contested the PGA Cup in 2000.
He is currently the executive head professional at Carden Park, having joined the Cheshire club for a second time five years ago.
Looking back at his career, David said the role of the PGA professional had changed hugely over his time in the game, but for the better.
“In 1970, for me, education was a 10-day course at Lilleshall, seven days instruction, three days of examination, and then you passed out as a Class A professional,” he remembered.
“Look at it now. It’s a wonderful three-year education programme that covers everything. It’s business, it’s philosophy, and you can diversify. You can be a club professional, a coach, an administrator… There are lots of different areas you can specialise in and that’s where The PGA has grown.”
David will be supported in his year of office by his wife of 53 years, Bridie, of whom he said: “She’s been a rock and without her I definitely wouldn’t have managed half of what I’ve done.”
Despite continuing to play a prominent role in the game, David is excited about adding PGA captaincy commitments to his diary.
“It’s funny, when Alan White asked me if I’d like to do it, I said, ‘I’ve got to go and speak to my boss first’. Hamish Ferguson is CEO and general manager of Carden Park and he worked for The PGA for three years. He jumped up, gave me a big hug, and said, ‘that’s the greatest honour you can have’.
One of David’s proudest achievements is his long association with On Course Foundation, which supports the recovery of wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans through golf.
“It’s the most important thing I do,” he said. “I have been working with them 15 years, and I have made some wonderful friends. It’s the camaraderie and support they give each other. They’ve all been through a similar experience, and they understand how each other feels.”
David also said he continues to get a great thrill out of coaching.
“It’s the thing that keeps you going. It’s no matter if you’ve got someone who plays on tour and they win a tournament or shoot a good score, or it’s somebody who is a 30 handicap and you just get them to hit it better. That little spot when they hit a couple of good ones up in the air is what gets you up in the morning.
“When somebody comes up to me and says, ‘can you help me?’, I’ve only got one condition – that you put some effort in, work and want to improve. We can work with that.”
One of golf’s friendliest characters, David said one thing which still surprised him was that people in the game considered him a commendable choice as PGA captain.
“From a PGA point of view, it’s the epitome of your career,” he said. “It’s such an honour. One of the things that really makes you think is that other people believe you deserve it. That’s the nice thing.
“You never think, ‘Oh, I’m going to be captain of The PGA’. You get on, enjoy your life, and enjoy the game. You enjoy being part of The PGA and then you’re asked to be captain. Well, it’s incredible.”
“David has already given so much to The PGA and the wider game over many years,” said Alan White, chairman of The PGA. “To be captain of The PGA, you must embody the very best of the association, and David’s passion for growing the game and supporting fellow PGA members makes him a thoroughly deserving choice.
“His professionalism and dedication to the association make him a fitting captain for the year ahead, and I know he will represent The PGA with great pride.
“I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to David Scott for his leadership and commitment during his tenure as PGA captain over the past year.”
