PGA board member and former tutor Nicky Lumb has been named as PGA captain-elect.
The Bristol Golf Centre-based Lumb will succeed Neil Selwyn-Smith in 2015 who takes over the two-year ambassadorial role from current incumbent Eddie Bullock in April 2013.
Lumb admitted the invitation to captain the world’s oldest professional golfers’ association had been a surprise, albeit a welcome one.
“It had never entered my head that I would ever be captain of The PGA but I am very honoured and pleased to accept,” said Lumb who is a PGA Master Professional.
Lumb has built up a reputation as a retailer first at Filton Golf Club and for the last 12 years at Bristol Golf Centre which employs nine PGA professionals and is one of the biggest golf superstores in the UK featuring a 24-bay driving range, pirate-themed 18 hole adventure golf course and Starbucks coffee shop.
He began playing golf as a junior with his father who was secretary at West Bowling, Bradford, but it wasn’t until a serious illness in his mid-20s that he decided to follow in the footsteps of his late brother Robin, and become a PGA professional.
“I had always played golf, my wife, Kathy, was a two-time Curtis Cup player, and my brother was a pro so in 1975 I followed in his footsteps,” he said.
He became a fully qualified PGA member in 1980 and after just six months as an assistant was appointed head professional at Filton Golf Club.
In 1983 he began his long involvement with PGA education and training programmes when he was invited to become commercial studies tutor going on to become a senior tutor in 1988.
The following year he became chairman of the PGA training committee – an appointment which came out of the blue.
“Keith Hockey, who was the chairman at the time asked me if I would become his deputy,” said Lumb.
“I said I would only become his deputy if he assured me he was going to stay on as chairman for ages because that wasn’t really on my radar.
“Anyway at the first meeting, he announced he was standing down. I questioned him and he said ‘you would never have accepted if I had told you that’.
His chairmanship presided over a pivotal time in the Association’s history and he was involved in the building of the new PGA Training Academy, chairing the committee overseeing the PGA training manual re-write and served on the education review committee in 1989-90 and 1995-99.
He was also a three-time member of the PGAs of Europe training standards committee from 1991-96, 1998-2000 and 2002-09 and has been a member of the PGA Board of Directors since 2001.
PGA chief executive Sandy Jones commented: “Nicky is a well-respected and innovative pro who has been a long-standing PGA board member and has also been an instrumental figure in helping develop The PGA’s education programmes both as chairman of the training committee and as a tutor.
“He has a wealth of experience and knowledge of the golf industry and we look forward to him representing the Association with distinction.”
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