Members news

Local Forres Golf Club member and Scottish Internationalist, Jeff Wright, will be turning his attention to professional golf in 2020 following a successful trip to Germany for the Pro Golf Tour qualifying school. Jeff finished inside the Top 20 positions earning him full playing rights for the 2020 season.

The Pro Golf Tour is a German PGA run tour with more than 20 tournaments across 7 countries with competitors coming from over 25 different countries. Recognised by the European Tour as a gateway to the Challenge Tour, the Pro Golf Tour is one of four official satellite tours alongside the UK based EuroPro tour. The top 5 competitors from the season long order of merit will progress to the challenge tour and then play for the right to reach the highest level of European professional golf on the European Tour itself.

Forres Golf Club manager Sean Blacklaw had the following to say:

“We at Forres Golf Club are absolutely delighted for Jeff. It has always been a long-term goal for him to take the step into Professional Golf, to achieve this with full playing rights at the Professional Golf Tour Qualifying School is testament to his undoubted ability and continued commitment to making this goal a reality”.

Forres Golf Club has a reputation for developing elite level golfers with many reaching the highest level of amateur golf in Scotland and this is something which the amazing volunteer team at the golf club continues to work hard on with our junior section to ensure that every child in Forres, and the surrounding areas have the same opportunity that Jeff had. It will be great for the next, and future generations to be able to look at Jeff as a role model representing the golf club on a recognised professional tour.

We will be keeping up with Jeff and his progress on the Professional Golf Tour through a monthly blog which will be available through our social media channels and website. This will give every golfer a brilliant insight into the hard work, determination and sacrifice that a professional golfer makes when beginning life on tour.”

The season will start for Jeff in Egypt in January before heading to Morocco for February and March them returning to Europe for the main part of the season. April to September includes events in Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria and the Netherlands.

Despite being a well decorated amateur golfer the step up to a professional tour has excited Jeff who explained his plans between now and the beginning of the 2020 season:

” I am really looking forward to playing professional golf next season as it has always been a goal for me  and something that I have been working towards for a few years now. I have worked hard with my coach, Neil Marr at Meldrum House, to get my game to a level where I feel I am  ready to leave the amateur ranks and take on a new challenge.

In the coming months I will also be busy getting everything I need in place to travel and compete across Europe and North Africa, with my main focus being securing sponsorship to help me get started. On the satellite tours it is unlikely that I will make a profit for the year as the prize funds are modest in comparison to the main tours however, expenses are similar. The satellite tours are there to get people like myself started in professional golf and promote them on to greater things. That is why securing sponsorship is crucial to progress as quickly as possible to the main tours where there is money to be won.

I know of a few of the current Scottish professionals who started out on the Pro Golf Tour who now compete on the main European Tour and I aim to follow them there.”

Shona Donnelly, who leads the Moray Speyside Golf Development Group added

“We congratulate Jeff on this amazing achievement and wish him every success in his future blossoming career. It is great to see one of our own progress and we hope that his success helps to demonstrate the quality of courses we have here in Moray Speyside. This is also a great opportunity for local businesses to gain international exposure, and we would urge any potential sponsor to contact Forres Golf Club or Jeff directly”.