Dumfries and County Golf Club head pro James Erksine has won a prestigious Golf Foundation award for encouraging thousands of youngsters to take up the game and inspiring more than a dozen to become fellow PGA Professionals.
The 42-year-old Scot was presented with the Sir Henry Cotton Lifetime Achievement Award for meritorious services to junior golf during the Golf Foundation’s annual awards ceremony at Wentworth during the BMW PGA Championship.
He received the award from Nick Dougherty, the Foundation’s President, who read out a citation from Great Britain and Ireland’s 2025 Walker Cup captain and former DP World Tour player Dean Robertson.
“James is no ordinary PGA Professional,” said Robertson. “He is a visionary, a mentor, an incredible champion of junior golf. His work has changed countless lives, equipping young people with the gift of golf and the skills to succeed on and off the golf course.”
Erskine harboured dreams of playing alongside Robertson on Tour when he turned pro in 2002 but switched to growing the game when they did not materialise.
“I just never cut the mustard, he admitted. “But it pushed me into coaching juniors. My father encouraged me to take up golf and I grew up in the south-west of Scotland where there are 24 golf clubs spread across a 120-mile radius. Unfortunately, there were very few opportunities for me as a junior - there was no access to professional coaching, and the facilities were poor. So, I made it my mission to create opportunities for all these clubs.”
Inevitably Dumfries and County Golf Club has benefitted from Erskine’s quest to grow the game. The club now has more than 120 junior members and Erskine was instrumental in creating a state-of-the-art practice facility and short course to which they have exclusive access after school hours.
James Erskine pictured with Stephen Gallacher at the opening of the new facility
Further afield, Erskine and his team have delivered coaching to more than 10,000 children and he added: “There's been some amazing success stories along the way. We’ve had juniors representing their country, others winning a European Tour card, and national, international junior and senior award champions.
“We’ve also created opportunities for thousands of kids in local primary schools and at least 12 have become PGA Professionals. It's great to see them start their own journeys and, like me, give back to the game that’s given me so much.”
James Caldwell, the head PGA Professional at Kilmarnock Barassie Golf Club, is a prime example.
Looking back on how Erskine encouraged him and hundreds of other youngsters to get into golf, he recalled: “James was working at Portpatrick Golf Club at the time and started coaching six or seven of us on a Saturday morning.
“That number became around 20 very quickly and, when the junior festival camps came along, there were 60 to 70 kids taking part. The group just grew and grew.”
The 31-year-old attributes that down to the way Erskine conducted the lessons and explained: “He was friendly, good fun, and made everyone feel included. You couldn't help but like him and want to go to his lessons.”
“On leaving school at 16, I spent two years working for James and was considering starting my PGA training when he was appointed head pro at Dumfries County.
“As James moved away and the PGA opportunity didn’t materialise, I moved into another area of work for a few years. Then, when I spoke to James about getting back into golf, he was a massive help in getting a PGA assistant’s job at Kilmarnock Barassie – to be honest, he’s helped me get every job I’ve had.”
Having been inspired by Erskine to get into golf and pursue a career in the game, Caldwell is following suit with the youngsters at Barassie.
“We’ve got 160 juniors here,” he continued. “But I think all the pros who were coached by James are keen on junior coaching. I think it’s something we've picked up on subconsciously because of the way James inspired us. He made it as fun as he could for the kids and I, for one, have copied his style and it works.”
Erskine is no stranger in being honoured for his work as a PGA pro. He was named TGI’s Partner of the Year in 2023 and, on receiving this latest accolade, paid tribute to those who have helped him along the way.
“Thanks are due to the many staff members, sponsors, and donors who have made it possible to deliver these opportunities – often at no cost – for more than 20 years,” he said.
“In particular, I’d like to acknowledge the Stanley Morrison Charitable Trust – Tim, Maggie, and the Trustees – whose incredible support has played a vital role in growing the sport in south-west Scotland.
“Similarly, a heartfelt thank you goes to Titleist, whose unwavering commitment to junior golf has been a cornerstone of our work. I’m truly grateful to have such a fantastic partner backing our future stars.
“And finally, to my golf club – Dumfries and County – thank you for giving me the freedom and trust to build and grow our facilities and junior programmes.”
