Article by Ross Parry
Tour golf may offer the spotlight, prize money and prestige. However, for assistant club professionals like Bryn Roberts, carving out a career in the game can look very different.
As an assistant professional at Abergele Golf Club in North Wales, Roberts is now teaching the next generation of golfers at the same course where he first learned the fundamentals of the game as a child.
For Roberts, it is a journey which has taken his career in the game full circle.
He said: "I grew up being in the junior lessons on a Saturday, getting taught by Stuart and Adam, who are still here.
"Now I’m teaching, which has kind of gone full circle.
"I turned pro when I was 18, started the PGA course and it was the best thing I have ever done."
The social sacrifice
Roberts’ week demands a significant time commitment. For Roberts, that commitment has meant making sacrifices away from the course, with his career often taking priority over his social life.
"My parents definitely don’t see me. That is for sure.
"I leave at seven in the morning and don’t come home, sometimes, until half past eight or nine o’clock at night. Especially in peak summer, I’m here 14 or 15 hours per day."
Roberts acknowledged the difficulty of maintaining a work-life balance while pursuing a career in golf.
"Unfortunately, with golf, it is not a quick sport. You’re out for hours at a time, so it is hard to balance a social life and be good at golf, at the same time.
"It’s hard. You either do one or the other. I think, this year, it has been more golf than anything else."
Despite the social sacrifices involved, Roberts is happy with how his career has worked out.
"I’ve made many sacrifices over the years, but it has all worked out and I’m doing something I love, so I would not change anything."
The rewards of coaching
The Welsh golfer turned professional after reaching a handicap of plus two as a local amateur player. He is now using his knowledge and experience of the game to coach the next generation of junior golfers at Abergele Golf Club, through Stuart Runcie Golf.
"It’s so rewarding. I’ve been doing the junior coaching now for two years.
"Even in that short spell, I have seen kids come on so well, moving up groups even though they shouldn’t be, due to age. But they are good enough.
"It’s part of the reason why I do this. I just like to see everyone improve and it’s rewarding."
The standards required to reach this point
Roberts discussed the standards he sets for himself in his career. He believes his high standards have played an important role in helping him get to where he is today.
"I have too high of a standard of myself, considering I don’t have the time to practice.
"But I wouldn’t get anywhere if I had quite low standards."
Roberts’ high standards have driven him to put in countless hours of focused practice over the years. He spoke of the dedication that he’s put into honing his skills away from the course.
"If I had the time, I would spend hours.
"When I was growing up and I had that time, at 15 or 16 in the summer holidays.
"I live in Conwy, so I was at Conwy [Golf Club] for hours and hours at a time, until it went dark and my parents were sat there in the car park with the headlights on the putting green and I was still hitting putts."
Roberts acknowledged that this is the level of dedication required to succeed in golf.
"That is what it takes. It’s not an easy game at all. In fact, probably one of the hardest sports out there. It’s fine margins, but it’s what the practice is for."
What comes next?
With several possible career paths ahead of him, Roberts remains unsure of exactly where his future in golf will take him.
"There are so many opportunities that I can go down. There are so many routes.
"I don’t know what I really want to do yet. Obviously, it would be nice to play full time, but, ultimately, you have to be realistic.
"I like teaching, I like custom fitting. So, if I go down that route, I’d be pretty happy as well."
Roberts still believes that playing full time as a professional is a possibility.
"There is every possibility that I can play full time. It’s just that I’ve got to put my heart into it and, hopefully, start practicing a little bit more than I have.
"But I have not really had much time this summer because it’s been a bit crazy here."
Whether his future lies in coaching, custom fitting or pursuing a full-time playing career, his journey at Abergele has already come full circle.
