Meet Steven McDonnell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Steven McDonnell.

Hi Steven, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
I turned professional at golf in 2015 at the age of 37 after working in business development for a large period of my career. Originally from Newcastle, I moved down south to Peterborough in the ’80s with my parents, that’s where I fell in love with the game at Thorpe Wood Golf Club.

I won the Daily Telegraph Regional Junior Championship in 1992, losing out to eventual winner Allan McDonald in the finals. I then took golf seriously in my early twenties and played to a handicap of +1 before changing my career into the world of business.

I then moved back to Newcastle in 2012, got the golf bug again, and aimed to develop golf in the North East of England while gaining experience and qualifications in all golfing areas. I joined the PGA degree course and in the first 4 years, I was a professional I worked with England Golf and The Golf Foundation generating over 150 new members to local golf courses, coached over 1500 individuals, and started up 5 junior PGA Academies at different venues.

I was the only PGA Professional to have gained ‘Safegolf’  at two different golf courses, also carried out the largest ‘golf in schools’ project the North East has ever had and now will create opportunities to give all players the ‘Pathway’ in golf they choose. In 2020, I opened ‘The Players Lounge’ at Team Valley. The venue was designed for golfers to practice and be coached 12 months of the year in the comfort of a relaxed environment. The facility has a contemporary look giving the golfer an exclusive feel when being coached. I wanted to create a unique venue for golfers that would be tailored to whatever they need to progress in their golfing pathway.

The facility boasts two large indoor teaching bays, a 20 square meter chipping/putting area with an additional 12 foot putting mat. The exclusive facility operates 12 months of the year without any disruptions from light or adverse weather conditions which means golfers can enjoy playing and practicing at all times in a relaxing environment.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I opened in February 2020, unfortunately, 1 month later COVID had struck and I was told to close for 4 months.

This wasn’t ideal – I had to change my business model when reopening in July, originally I had group sessions, custom fitting, and gym sessions planned alongside individual coaching (This no longer would be feasible due to the cleaning required after each session).

When re-opening, I changed my business model to an exclusive members club to tailor for individual coaching from beginners to elite coaching.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
When I changed my business model for reopening I was required to further develop my coaching skills. I contacted coaches around the world and managed to learn from some highly skilled coaches from the PGA in America. This gave me in-depth knowledge and allowed me to deliver coaching to elite golfers and tour players.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
It all depends on Covid, we have had a big increase in participation over the last two years due to golf being one of the safer sports/leisure to participate in. If Covid infections are still high then golf will be a very popular sport for many years.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.theplayersloungeteamvalley.co.uk
• Instagram: @StevenMcDonnellpga
• Facebook: Steven McDonnell Golf Professional
• Twitter: @stevenmcpga
• Youtube: Steven McDonnell PGA – The Geordie Golfer