Appleby returns to his roots

Elliott Appleby is back at home, having landed the PGA Professional’s job at Cainhoe Wood Golf Club where he began playing golf 17 years ago.

To be fair, Appleby has never been too far away from the Bedfordshire club (formerly known as Beadlow Manor) as he’s always maintained his membership there, despite his working life taking him along various different avenues.

Golf was always a passion and he'd worked in a couple of different roles within the industry before pursuing a PGA degree qualification in 2017. It proved to be a good decision.

Appleby, 29, said: “As soon as you start the course it opens so many doors in golf. You can go down whatever route.” Asked if the course set him up for the career he’s now enjoying, Appleby’s answer is short, simple and clear: “Big time!”

Just as Appleby made a smart career call half a dozen years ago, he also enjoyed a bit of good fortune, becoming an assistant professional at Woburn. Elliott loved his time at the renowned club and immersed himself fully in the experience. “They helped me get involved with everything,” he said. “I helped run golf days, helped run charity events; I was out starting, marshalling.”

And through those formative stages he was working under head PGA professional Dan Grieve, an Advanced Fellow of the PGA. Grieve and two other PGA professionals, Jordan Bazzone and Adam Ledger, passed on plenty of knowledge to Appleby, who remains grateful for all their input. “They spent time helping me – I learnt a lot from them.”

Having fully qualified as a PGA professional himself in 2020, it was early in 2022 that he sought a new challenge. Combining his coaching skills with his fitting prowess, alongside a very personable manner, Appleby was heavily involved as AFGolf Store launched in Milton Keynes.

As last year unfolded, his long-time links with Cainhoe Wood developed as he began to do a bit of coaching on the course as well as on the club’s driving range. One thing led to another and earlier this year Cainhoe Wood’s owner John O’Leary offered him the position he’s proud to now hold.

“End of February, March-time was when I made the jump there to go there full time as coach and club professional,” explained Appleby. “I’m there five days a week, sometimes six. Two days are just full-on coaching and the other days are kind of in and around the shop, the club, chatting to the members.

“It’s going great so far. I’ve taken a lot of what I learnt from Woburn across with me. Obviously not as big a scale as Woburn, but our spin, if you like, at Cainhoe.”