Questions & Answers with our Golf Professional

 

Your name please?

Tony Varney.

 

When and where were you born?

I was born in Barnet, Hertfordshire in 1969.

 

Do you have any family?

I got married to Michelle in 1993. We have two children, Sam, born in 1995 & Katie, born in 1998.

 

Do you have any hobbies outside of golf?

I enjoy fishing and other sports such as badminton, tennis and football. Also get a lot of pleasure watching Sam play football on Sundays and watching Katie perform dancing in shows locally.

 

When & where did you learn to play golf?

I started playing seriously at 14 years old. I was a member at Dereham Golf Club and was taught by my father Les. I practiced an awful lot in the first two years and got down to a handicap of 4 by the age of 16.

 

At what age did you turn pro?

I joined the Professional Golfers Association when I was 18 years old and did my training at Rookery Park Golf Club in Lowestoft. Martin Elsworthy was the Head Professional and supervised me through my training. He’s still a great friend now.

 

Is The Norfolk Golf & Country Club your first experience as Head Professional?

No, my first experience as Head Pro was at Wensum Valley in Norwich. Being there taught me a lot about coaching people and also gave me an opportunity to play locally in Pro Ams etc.

 

What do you enjoy most about your profession?

There are many enjoyable aspects involved with being a golf pro but probably my favourites are coaching people and playing tournaments. Obviously a lot of my time is spent coaching people and I’ve never grown tired of it. There is nothing better than helping someone to improve their golf. Playing wise, I only tend to play locally but enjoy it never the less.

 

Have you enjoyed much success playing in competitions?

Since Sam was born back in 1993 I can honestly say I have enjoyed my fair share of success playing locally. Most notable of all was when I won The Norfolk Open in three successive years. Other successes which spring to mind are winning The Norfolk & Suffolk PGA Millennium Trophy on two successive occasions and qualifying for the final of The Lombard Trophy, which in those days was held in Portugal and played around San Lorenzo Golf Course.

 

What are your ambitions as a professional golfer?

Well obviously like any other club pro, I would love to qualify for The Open. Just the experience of mixing with the greatest golfers in the world would be awesome. However I do think I would need to practice a bit harder than I do now!

 

Do you enjoy working at The Norfolk Golf & Country Club?

I absolutely love working here. The members are always terrific and have always been very supportive. On top of that I believe the course to be one of the finest in the area all year round. The staff are great, the facilities good and its just a great place to be.

 

What is your favourite hole on the course?

My personal favourite is the 15th hole. A slight dog leg Par 5with Out Of Bounds hugging the left side of the hole. A small pond just in front of the green makes the ‘big hitter’ think twice about going for the green in two. For many golfers I expect the 5th hole would be their favourite. A nice Par 4 where the fairway has been sliced in two by a ditch running through the centre of the hole. On top of that each fairway has another ditch running alongside making the tee shot very formidable. This hole is recognised as our signature hole but can otherwise be referred to as a real ‘card wrecker’.

 

What is your first golfing memory?

Before I used to play golf and when we still lived in Barnet I can remember following my dad round Hadley Wood Golf Club. I must’ve been about 7 years old and my dad used to give me one of his irons to practice with. Trouble was, not only was the club always too long but it was always left handed, whereas I on the other hand was right handed. Not the greatest start but a great memory never the less.

 

Can you remember your first set of clubs?

Indeed I can. A rusty old set of Slazengers, with shiny leather grips and dots instead of grooves on the clubface.

 

What clubs do you use now?

For some years now I’ve tended to use Callaway irons and Titleist woods. Right now I’m using Callaway X20 irons. I’ve got two Callaway X Forged wedges and a Callaway ‘Bobby Jones’ putter. My Driver is a Titleist D2 and I have a Titleist 3 wood too.

 

Anything else in the bag that we should know about?

Well I always like to carry plenty of gloves in case of rain and maybe the odd Mars bar or two.

 

What is the best golf course you have ever played?

My favourite has to be ‘Furry Creek Golf Club’ in Canada. Imagine a golf course cut into a mountain with panoramic views over a huge Canadian lake. That’s Furry Creek. In fact it was used to shoot some of the film in the very funny ‘Happy Gilmore’.

 

Do you have any superstitions?

Not really but I do always like to write my kids initials on all of my golf balls. As well as helping me to identify my ball it also brings a smile to my face even when putts aren’t dropping or things aren’t going my way.

 

If you hadn’t been a golfer what do you think you would have done?

At school I was always very much into my sport. I remember thinking I was going to be a PE Teacher or PT Instructor. Then I discovered golf and have never looked back.

 

What is the best advice you have ever received?

This came at a time when I really needed it. I’d been practising hard and as a result thinking about too many things in my swing. Needless to say, I’d get on the course and play terribly. Then my dad suggested I only concentrate on the last twelve inches of the downswing. Well, this thought transformed my game and all of a sudden I was in contention on many occasions. To this day I’m still thinking the same thought. Cheers Dad !

 

Finally, what would be your dream fourball?

This may be a little optimistic but my favourite fourball would consist of me, obviously, my dad, Tiger Woods and Elvis Presley. Caddying would be my two kids in order that they can share the experience with me.