Gourock Golf Club’s Derek Watters has spent the last two decades putting his heart and soul into growing grassroots sport locally, opening the doors to the whole community and encouraging the younger generation to play golf.
The talented golfer became the first Scot to lift coveted Foremost Professional Championship trophy last year and has opened up about how he balances competing with his role as Gourock’s club manager.
Gourock Golf Club is widely regarded as one of the most scenic courses in the whole of Scotland, with views that take the breath away, and Derek is keen to capitalise on that.
In recent years the club has attracted cruise passengers to the course, and as the number of visitors continues to increase, Derek is keen to bring a greater share of them onto the course.
He said: “We were recently at an event at the cruise terminal with other businesses.
“We are looking at ways to keep more passengers in Inverclyde.
“We get a lot of cruise passengers coming to Gourock, like Americans and Canadians. It is very much word of mouth.
“I was talking to the new distillery [in Inverkip], anhd it would be great if we could team up to offer a trip to a distillery and a game of golf.
“People love coming to Gourock Golf Club and we have a reputation across Scotland. People come to play here for the views.
“That is something I am building on as well, we could definitely improve on it.”
Golf in Inverclyde has never been in better health, with Gourock Golf Club membership increasing and the number of juniors playing up massively by 30 per cent.
Dad-of-three Derek added: “We have also had a massive increase in the number of young guys joining as well.
“Golf is very popular with the 18 to 23 years olds.”
Derek has been the pro at Gourock Golf Club since 2007 and says golf has become a way of life for him and his family.
In that time, he has helped build up Gourock Golf Club’s reputation, as well as giving tuition to players across Inverclyde and leading local sport initiatives.
He has also helped lead pioneering projects including a Golf Memories group for people with dementia.
Derek has always been keen to make charity a big part of the club, helping to run a Pro AM fundraising event which brought in £25,000 for Ardgowan Hospice in memory of his mum Irene, who died from cancer.
He has overseen the creation of the studio, Inverclyde’s first indoor golf training and practice centre, which features a high-tech simulator.
At the same time, he has continued to play and succeed, hitting a career high when he won the Foremost Professionals Championship trophy at Oxfordshire Golf Club last year.
“I am so competitive, unbelievably so and I always like to win,” Derek said.
“My sons love golf as well and that is what inspired me to keep playing, I don’t want them to beat me!”
Derek is highly regarded in golf’s ruling body the PGA and sits on its Scottish committee.
He added: “It is a great honour to be involved in the PGA, Scotland is after all the home of golf.”
Derek, who was born in Greenock’s west end, was brought up by his dad Billy and his mum Irene.
The former Greenock High School pupil first picked up a golf club at a very young age and used to play with his grandfather Willie Watters at his local Greenock Golf Club.
He said: “My whole life has been playing golf, we all played and went to Arran on holiday to play golf!”
It became his lifelong passion, and he spent countless hours on the course as he rose through the ranks.
That legacy has lived on with his oldest son Callum, who is a promising young player, based in Dornoch.
The 20-year-old is studying to be a professional golf player at the University of the Highlands and Islands, and was his dad’s caddy when Derek won the Foremost championship last year.
Following in his footsteps are his second son Euan, 17, who loves the game, and youngest son Jamie, 15.