Kevan Whitson has handed over the keys of the Pro Shop at Royal County Down, bringing an end to the current chapter of an illustrious career that saw the Scot spend half his life at the world-famous Newcastle venue.
Whitson reached the top of his chosen career, both on a personal level with PGA Master Professional status and as the Head Professional at RCD, a course and venue that is consistently rated number one in the world by some of the game’s leading golf rankings. It is entirely fitting that Whitson steps away from his role just weeks after a hugely well received Irish Open was staged at one of the most famous and traditional links courses of them all.
As grandstands and tournament infrastructure continued to be dismantled and removed from the property in the weeks after Rory McIlroy’s heroics and near miss, in many ways it was a fitting metaphor for Whitson’s 33-year tenure at RCD as he too packs up and calls time, and a new chapter begins with his Senior Assistant John Murray taking on the new role after years of working with Whitson.
In a career packed full of purpose and achievement, perhaps Whitson’s most notable contribution will also be measured by the many assistant professionals he brought through and trained; no less than 33 (29 at RCD) with so many going on to make their own indelible marks in the game.
“I retire at the end of October after the Irish Open, and for me that feels like a very natural marker,” explained Whitson, the 65-year-old Scot from East Lothian, who has now spent half his life in Newcastle with his wife Eileen and family.
“I’ve not known anything else other than golf club life. I had my forays into playing like most pros and certainly thought I was going to be an awful lot better than I ended up! But I quickly realised I had a passion for coaching, that has been a driving force in my career, helping other people to improve at all levels.”
Whitson recalls the excellent training he first received as a 16-year-old at The Royal Burgess Golfing Society of Edinburgh under Head Professional George Yuile. “Work ethic might come from within the family, but a good culture can be mentored by the right people. I have been fortunate to have had many good mentors. And everywhere I went since those early days I tried to bring that strong work ethic and embrace the club culture.”
Whitson could not speak highly enough about Yuile, a ‘youthful 85-years young’ who has also retained his humour and reached out to congratulate his early assistant in a recent Irish Golfer post. “Congratulations for all your successes at Royal County Down. Must have been down to your training at the Royal Burgess,” quipped Yuile.
After his time a Royal Burgess, Whitson took up the position of Head Professional at Turnhouse Golf Club in Edinburgh where his coaching methods started to gain traction, plus he got to know some of his early assistants such as Neil Manchip, who is an integral part of the Whitson story and a lifelong friend. Whitson changed the coaching culture at Turnhouse. Rather than lessons being tucked away at the end of a range, he brought them front and centre at the clubhouse. Golf World ran a feature article on Whitson’s coaching and things evolved from there.
But it wasn’t until arriving in Northern Ireland towards the end of the Troubles that Whitson made his mark. From being mentored at Royal Burgess, he would soon assume the role of mentor to so many.
“I believe there have been 33 assistant professionals who trained under me, 29 here at RCD,” says Whitson, while chatting in the casual leather seats in the Murlough Room of Royal County Down clubhouse. “It’s been a real privilege and so many of them have gone on to achieve wonderful things in golf.
“I recall RCD wanted me to start in October 1991 when my predecessor Ernie Jones took up a new role at The K Club, but Turnhouse couldn’t release me until the January. That’s where the likes of Neil [Manchip], Euan McIntosh and Alasdair Good helped me during the transition. They were great times, exciting times.
“Neil then came over with us to RCD full time. He even lived with us for six months. He helped with the babysitting – which was obviously a hugely important role! Neil has gone on to make a wonderful contribution within Irish golf as National Coach with Golf Ireland and coach to Shane Lowry.
“David Kearney followed, and he went on to become National Coach to the then Irish Ladies’ Golf Union (ILGU) among other key roles. He is also a published author and has his own successful Sigmoid Sports company. Gary McNeill was another early assistant. He is doing a wonderful job as Head Professional at Royal Portrush. Simon Thornton went on win on the DP World Tour. I remember Simon arriving in Newcastle one summer as a five handicapper. As a coach, Simon’s journey made me feel immensely proud.
“I could go through the entire list; Phil Collins, Ted Higgins, Colin McElderry, Stephen Deane doing great things in Dubai, Stephen Sweeney now coaching on the PGA Tour from his base in West Palm Beach. I don’t want to miss anyone out, but every single one of them had a passion and desire to give to the game. And if you give to this game, it’s good at giving back.
“What all these guys went on to achieve has nothing to do with me, credit must go to them for having the courage to go on and build their own fantastic careers. The nice thing for me is they have all been sprinkled with a wee bit of Royal County Down magic that stuck with them.”
Manchip first met Whitson as a junior member at Turnhouse around 1987 and their families remain close to this day. “Kev has always been a great friend, mentor and coach everyone, and for me personally,” explained Manchip. “Yes, friend, mentor and coach, three key attributes of Kevan’s as well as being a great inspiration for all things golf and life in general. He has always had a great work ethic. He is a great friend, and it’s not just Kevan, his wife Eileen too. Since I moved over to Newcastle with them in 1992, I’ve been very close with the family, and it remains that way to this day. Lifelong friends.
“From a personal perspective, he coached me from a young age and is the only coach I ever had. From moving down to Royal Dublin then going on to win the Irish PGA, playing in different tournaments and taking on various roles, Kevan has always been a great help.
“It was fitting for the Irish Open to be held at RCD this year. I’m sure there are other things lined up but to have the Irish Open there in Kev’s last year was fantastic,” said Manchip, who defeated Darren Clarke to win the 1999 Irish PGA Championship, but like his fellow Scot firmly established himself as one of Ireland’s most respected coaches.
On a playing front, Whitson admitted to taking great pride in Thornton’s journey from an average single handicap golfer to winning on the then European Tour (2013 St Omer Open) after turning pro late in the day, aged 28.
“You don’t realise how good a training you got under Kevan until later in life and your career,” said Thornton, who arrived in Newcastle in 1997 and started his PGA training with Whitson from the end of 1998.
“Any issues I had in my playing career, he’s been my go-to person, Kevan has been my swing coach since I moved to Newcastle. He keeps it very simple, and understands the person he is coaching, which means he gives you, the individual, the best advice for you.
“Any time I’ve had to ask for help or advice, he’s always been at the other end of the phone, or free to call down for a chat and a coffee. He’s still like this, and he doesn’t have to be, especially after his assistants qualify and leave RCD. But he genuinely cares about every one of the assistants and is aware it also reflects on him. Hopefully we have all made some sort of impact within the industry and he can take some sort of pride from it,” added Thornton, winner of three Irish PGA Championships and a serial winner on the Irish PGA circuit over the years.
Thornton also recognised the role Whitson played to enhance the RCD experience for visiting golfers. “Kevan and the team have helped move RCD from not only being one of the best golf courses in the world, but now boasts some of the best customer service in the pro shop and clubhouse plus the overall golf operations side of things.”
Kearney was one of Whitson’s early assistants, serving his time alongside Manchip and the Mayo native recalls many good times, plus the odd stern word from Whitson when required.
“The big thing for me was the standard was set early when training as an assistant under Kevan. It was my first job and immediately there was a duty and standard of care, not to mention the obvious coaching and professionalism he instilled on all his assistants,” says Kearney.
“That ability to ‘man the counter’ and understanding the next person to come into the pro shop is someone you needed to look after. Obviously, the bits and pieces, the many stories and craic along the way were very special. The learnings, the ticking offs on occasion, the lessons and the laughs were all part of the journey. Everything was geared to how we as a team of PGA professionals treated and looked after people. That is the big thing that stayed with me.”
Former Irish International Gary McNeill spent almost five years at RCD training under Whitson. “He was a great boss, but more than that he is a great mentor, someone you looked up to,” said McNeill, the Head Professional at Royal Portrush. “He was great with the members and that’s certainly one thing I took away when I came to Portrush. The training I had with Kevan really stuck with me.
“He’s a big personality, a very respected figure in the game. In some ways it’s the end of an era at RCD, but John [Murray] will pick up the reins and take it forward and no doubt he’ll do a great job.”
Of his own journey, Whitson recalls some from home questioning why he would choose to uproot his family to a place known for conflict rather than the beauty of his home place in East Lothian? He recalls a “beautiful August day driving towards Newcastle, the tide at Dundrum Bay was in, Mourne Mountains in the distance, it was simply stunning. At that exact time, it was hard to believe we were in a country we spent 30 years believing it was only bombs and the Troubles. That stereotype was grossly unfair, but it was the news we were fed in places like Scotland and England.”
Whitson praises his wife Eileen for supporting the move and their children Rory and Reeve were still young enough. He recalls RCD putting them up for three days in the Brook Cottage Hotel while starting their search for a new home in Newcastle. He looks back fondly on the intimidating “full council” 14-man interview committee, and of course the “infamous trip onto the links in Mr Webb’s BMW!”
Whitson could hardly have imagined the journey that would unfold at RCD after that memorable day when he and three other PGA pro hopefuls bounced about in the back of Bill Webb’s BMW Seven Series as he literally drove them down the hallowed fairways of RCD. Whitson was one of four who had flown into Belfast for final interview and Webb, the then Greens’ Convenor, was carrying out routine checks on the golf course – or simply putting in time before final interviews?
That was 1991 and Whitson was officially offered the role of Head Professional at RCD in October that year. By ‘handing over the keys’ to Murray at the end of October it will be a remarkable 33 years spent at the famous Newcastle venue and almost 50 years since first signing his PGA papers and taking up the assistant role as a 16-year-old at Royal Burgess.
Whitson went on to achieve so much in the game. He is one of a small group to become a PGA Master Professional, was awarded Five-Star Professional Award by the Professional Golfers’ Associations of Europe and presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the TGI Golf Partnership.
A verified mentor to many, no question, but Whitson’s modesty meant he even turned that notion on its head by praising his assistants rather than taking any credit. “There’s nothing better than having young people in training around you for keeping your own hunger to learn. I guess that outlook has flipped it round from me being the mentor to a place where we are all constantly learning. I would take my hat off to all the assistants and say I have learned a great deal from them all.”
“Remember, I was also fortunate to hold most of my assistants for their full training. If anything, I’ve been guilty of ‘booting’ them out when they qualified, feeling I had prepared them well for employment and to take the next step,” adds Whitson with a smile.
All told, has Newcastle got a firm hold of the Whitsons?
“I came from a beautiful place I was passionate about. I’m an East Lothian boy and look forward to going back, but Newcastle is home for us. I am also fortunate enough to have recently received a letter to be invited to become a member here at RCD, for me that’s a huge honour. I don’t believe that’s been afforded to any PGA professional in the history of the club. Eileen is an active member of the Royal County Down Ladies Golf Club, and I hope we’ll stay part of the fabric of golf in Newcastle for some time to come.”
He will have plenty to keep him busy between consultancy roles within the PGA and TGI Partnership or hold a PGA Masterclass at RCD. Or he might simply tinker with the couple of old cars he is passionate about, ride his Harley Davidson into the sunset, walk the dog more or tackle the garden. He’s also been tasked with coaching grandson Finlay to be Masters champion by 2042!
“On a personal note, I’m much more comfortable with the thought of finishing my time than I thought I would be. I look back with a lot of satisfaction. My role at RCD evolved and changed over the years and I’m ready to hand over to John and the team who will do a great job. “
I’ve reached the point where I want to have the freedom to explore and experience other things. It may be that I do nothing more, and that’s ok. I simply don’t know at this stage.”
As one chapter closes, another one begins.
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