Review ends SGU coaching 'stigma', says happy Adam Hunter

ADAM Hunter, who coached Paul Lawrie when he became Open champion, has urged critics of the Scottish Golf Union's coaching methods to lay off after an independent review discovered there was no evidence of method coaching being used.

Hunter was speaking yesterday after being appointed as the new head coach of the Scottish under-16 boys' squad, with Neil Marr, the head professional at Meldrum House outside Aberdeen, taking on a similar role with the under-18 squad.

As part of a shake up that has followed the departure of Spencer Henderson, who moved to Turkey earlier this year to become its national coach, Kevin Cademy-Taylor, a scratch player from Northumberland, has also been appointed in a new role of performance development manager for both the SGU and SLGA.

The appointments have been made on the recommendation of Steve Paulding, who, in his capacity as performance manager, was also responsible for a review of all the SGU's coaches, from national coach Ian Rae down, being undertaken by the PGA earlier this year. The results of that review have been made known to the coaches, one of them being Hunter, who, since being diagnosed with leukaemia earlier this year, shares duties for the West (North) region of the SGU's Academy programme with George Boswell.

"It (the review] was quite daunting, but, at the same time, very worthwhile. It has shown up areas I can improve upon - I'm sure it will be the same with the other coaches as I don't think anyone is perfect - and is something I'll do independently at regular times in the future," said Hunter.

However, if some people were hoping the PGA findings would include criticism of the controversial 'stack and tilt' technique - former Kings Links director of golf Bruce Davidson was particularly vocal a couple of years back when he felt all of Scotland's top young players had developed the same swing due to method coaching - they have been disappointed. "There has been a lot of criticism of the SGU over the last few years, with people claiming that we all coach the same way," added Hunter, a former Portuguese Open champion. "This was blown out of proportion by people who should have known better. There isn't anyone among the Academy coaches who teaches stack and tilt - it was misinformation. That has been proved in the PGA review - it clearly showed we all have our own styles and methods to get the job done.

"This clears up the stigma. That has been blown out of the water for good and now we've got the perfect chance to move forward. We can now spend more time coaching than putting out fires as parents were concerned by the misinformation." While Hunter and Marr may need no introduction, Cademy-Taylor is a newcomer to the Scottish scene.However, with a wealth of experience from a variety of playing and coaching roles in England, Paulding is also excited to have him on board.

"Having undertaken an exhaustive selection process we are delighted to welcome Kevin, Adam and Neil in what is an exciting development for Scottish Golf," he said. "Each of them brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to their respective roles and ensures we will continue to enhance the support we offer to the country's best young players.

"With the new positions in place we can support our Areas, Counties and clubs more effectively, allowing us to further improve the flow of young talent coming through clubs into our Academies and on to our national squads."

Hunter, still paying regular hospital visits but winning his fight against leukaemia, added: "Steve is trying to build a performance team and it is exciting to be part of that."