Golf . . . from PEMBROKESHIRE SPORT

Elliot is certainly one to

look out for in golf!

One of the very talented new breed of young golfers to emerge in the county over recent times is undoubtedly Elliot Harding, who at 20 years of age has moved beyond being a scratch golfer and plays off the daunting handicap of +1, which means he has to give a shot to the course whenever he plays in a competition.

Elliot hails from Milford Haven and at the local golf club has already been club champion on three occasions, one of them when he was still a junior player. Not content with that little lot, Elliot is part of the club’s team of five which does so well in competitions – and he has represented the Welsh Schoolboys against their counterparts from England in 2009, playing in both the singles and pairs.

Following in granddad’s footsteps

That Elliot should take up golf is perhaps only natural because his grandfather, John Roberts Snr, started him off when he was only a nipper of 12 and his uncle, John Roberts Jnr, was another excellent golfer who currently plays off a handicap of 2 and has always given him every support. Small wonder then that Elliot should take to golf like a duck to water but then had a bit of a break when he was playing football with Mike Hawkridge at Milford United and then at Hakin United as a strong midfield player.

But he returned to golf with a bang when he was 14 and from a starting handicap of 45 was soon down in the early 20s – and with two years was down to single figures after a bet with granddad John that he couldn’t do it. By 2009, Elliot was down to being a scratch golfer and acknowledges the great help and advice he also received from Matthew Hearne as a coach.

Full time pro aim

Elliot has now been playing off +1 for a year and his aim is to eventually become a full time professional, and he already helps club pro Alex Pyle as an assistant in the pro shops at both Milford Haven and Haverfordwest. The next step in his development is to take the Assistant Professional’s course over a three-year period, which will include aspects like coaching techniques, rules and etiquette, plus teaching youngsters in local schools. As well as Alex and Matthew he is lucky that he also has the full support of his family, where parents Barry and Rhian are a great help, as are sisters Bonnie (17) and Ffion (14), as are the rest of the family.

Course record holder

Going back to his golfing successes, Elliot already has an impressive list of achievements far greater than one might expect from someone his age, including the fact that he holds the club record for the best round, beating the previous best of 65 with an amazing round of 62. It included two bogeys but Elliot made up for them with two eagles alongside no fewer than seven birdies – and he was delighted that he achieved the record on club captain Gareth ‘Nuts’ Phillips’ captain’s day!

Triple triumph

His triple triumph in the club’s main competition started as a junior in 2008 and beat Jason Edwards in what is always a tough stroke-play event. Then he was runner-up a year later against his uncle John, and then was successful again in 2010 and 2011 with respective victories over Lyndon Brown and Shaun Dyson. Elliot was also winner of the Dyfed Stroke Play Championship last season as he carded rounds of 70 and 71 at Glyn Hir Golf Club to win by a massive seven shots.

 Targets still sought

Ask about having a hole in one, however, and there is a chuckle from Elliot because he has yet to achieve that particular golfing feat.

            “But,” he says, “John Roberts, my uncle, took 35 years to get his first hole in one and then he quickly had two of them – so I’ve got plenty of time yet!

He is just as sensible about his own play, too:

            “My strengths are that I am a good chipper and putter of the ball – and I need to work on my driving and longer game!”

And finally . . .

It all adds up to someone who is clearly a young golfer of quality and maturity beyond his age. Chat to Elliot for a while, though, and his modesty also shines through as he is very unassuming about his talents in the game. But PembrokeshireSport.co.uk is sure that if he can maintain his current rate of progress then we are sure to hear a great deal more in the near future about Elliot Harding in the world of golf!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PHOTOS

Elliot Harding relaxes at Haverfordwest Golf Club.
Elliot working in the Haverfordwest pro shop.
Elliot driving well.

Elliot shows a good touch on the putting green.