James Erskine had already been doing a fine job of growing the junior section at Dumfries & County Golf Club. Now, the 41-year-old PGA Professional has an actual facility that will help him build on those sturdy foundations despite the early setbacks and challenges throughout.
The vision he had way back in 2017 is finally a reality. After nearly a decade of planning, preparation, fund-raising and floods, Erskine’s new Academy is up and running.
“I had my job interview here 10 years ago and I told them then that my goal was to make the club the No 1 centre for golf development in this area,” he reflected.
“When I first came up with this idea, the area of land we had was so poor and the first quote I got just to sort out the ground was about £300,000.
“I was determined to make it work, though. It floods quite easily here and in 2020 we had a pretty serious one. I’m not a course designer but I came up with an idea. I went down with a measuring stick to see how high we’d have to build certain areas of the facility to avoid being flooded.
“The flood water was some three-and-a-half metres, so the practice greens and the range are built above that level.
“We finally started construction in early April last year and we lost about 70 days between then and August due to the weather. It’s been a crazy, stressful 12 months but the short-term pain will be worth the long-term gain for the club. I’m just relieved it’s up and running.”
Maintaining that interest, however, is a challenge faced my many clubs, but Erskine is hoping his Academy can sustain this initial enthusiasm while aiding the transition to full-scale golf.
“You can get primary school kids into golf quite easily,” added Erskine, who provides 30 hours of free coaching to each junior member as part of his concerted efforts to bolster the grassroots.
“But it’s the progression that can be the problem. They have to then go onto a 5–6000-yard course. They’re maybe shooting eights, nines and 10s on these holes. The way modern life is, with a need for almost instant gratification, they know that’s not good, it can become frustrating and they can give up pretty quickly.
“It’s important to keep them engaged. We get loads of kids involved but there’s nowhere for them to develop their skills before they progress onto a big course. These facilities create an environment for them, and it gives us a good chance of building a better future for the game in this region.
“Every day after school the facility is only available for juniors to use. All the ball money revenue from the range, meanwhile, goes back into junior development.
“Titleist have been great supporters and have provided balls for a year. A bucket of 50 balls costs £4 and all that will be spent on development, whether it’s for juniors, women’s programmes or Get into Golf initiatives.
“By doing this, members will feel as if they are putting something back into their club. This is a great members’ facility for all levels of golfers.
“The primary aim is to grow and regenerate the demographic of the club and this puts us in a great position going forward.”
After all his hard work, and various trials and tribulations with the weather, the golfing gods looked down favourably on Erskine and provided a delightful spring day for his grand opening.
Stephen Gallacher, the former Ryder Cup player whose own Foundation does a tremendous amount of work for junior golf in Scotland, was on hand to help cut the ribbon and usher in this exciting new era.
“Stevie has always been very complimentary about the work we’ve been doing down here,” said Erskine of this mutual appreciation society.
“Given what he’s done for Scottish golf, I thought it was fitting that he should be here to hit the opening shot along with the people from the Trust.
“He’s given back so much. I don’t have Stevie’s playing skills, but I like to think I’ve given back a bit myself.”
Dumfries & County’s new facility will stand as a monument to Erskine’s tireless endeavours.
