Michele Thomson moves to

Manchester to make fresh

start to pro career

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Former Scottish amateur champion and Curtis Cup player Michele Thomson has moved from Ellon in Aberdeenshire to make a fresh start to her professional golf career in  Manchester. She is going  to work for Scots-born Brian Connor, the PGA professional at Manchester Golf Club.

Initially, the 22-year-old has joined the staff at Brian’s successful House of Golf Centre business at Middleton, Lancashire as a teaching professional. She will start four years PGA training under Connor’s tutelage, beginning in the autumn.
Michele has not played golf since last September. Instead of competing at La Manga, Spain at the 2009 Ladies European Tour Qualifying School after a rookie pro season in which she did not win enough money to retain her playing rights, Michele has been quite happy and content, sitting at home.
Happy and content because she was not playing golf, only two years after hitting an amateur career high by winning the Scottish women’stitle at Lossiemouth and making her debut for Great Britain & Ireland in the 2008 Curtis Cup match against the United States over the Old Course, St Andrews.
Michele explained at the time:
“During 2009 I became very disillusioned with golf. After really enjoying the competitive and social side of my amateur golf career it seemed that after the experience of the Curtis Cup joining the pro ranks was the natural way forward.
“Maybe it was a step too soon, but then again maybe life as a golf tour pro is just not for me. I don’t know. I played in just seven Ladies European Tour events this year, did fairly well and at the end of the year I just missed out on securing full playing rights for 2010.
“I never felt out of place on the LET and I believe my game was good enough to make a living playing golf. But I was just not enjoying life on the tour and everyone around me was telling me if you don’t like it, don’t do it.
“My situation worsened in September when my grandmother passed away and since then I have not picked up a golf club although I am still interested enough in the news from the golf scene,” continued Michele.
“I regularly check how everyone is doing, both in the pro ranks and on the amateur circuit. But my immediate plans have nothing to do with golf. I am really enjoying the complete break, the first I have had away from golf since I was 13.”
So Michele has now taken steps to ensure a weekly wage from golf but not by playing for pay but becoming a PGA-trained professional, in theory capable of being appointed a club pro as Muriel Thomson is at Portlethen and Karyn Dallas at Kirrieuir.
“I have decided to go down this route because the opportunity down in Manchester was too good to pass up. I have known Geraldine and Brian Connor a long time and I feel like part of the family,” said Michele.
“I don't feel I have given up the pro game as a tournament competitor. I am only 22 and feel I have a lot of time to take the opportunity to play again. If I feel I have the ability to play among the best I will play. I am not going to go to an event just to make up numbers, I want to be able to go to an event and feel I can compete to win. I'm not going to play until I feel I am ready to do that.”
Brian Connor, who runs one of the biggest golf centres with first-class practice and teaching facilties and whose daughter Rachel competes as a professional on the US Futures Tour, said:
“As a family, we have known Michele for a number of years. She is great fun, very approachable, hard working and a fantastic golfer. We have very proud to have her on board the team and we know that she will enhance the House of Golf staff that we already have in place.
“Michele’s remit is to improve the services that we offer to junior golfers at Manchester Golf Club and in the surrounding area. She will also be working with House of Golf professional Scott Connor to provide ladies’ group coaching and some mixed classes.”
Michele is joining a thriving business. Brian Connor’s House of Golf has led the way in golf retail in the Northwest of England for more than 20 years. The House of Golf offers a range of unrivalled services with extensive tuition and practice facilities, situated in 240 acres at Manchester Golf Club, Middleton.