Stephen Cooper was named among Golf Monthly’s Top 25 Coaches and coached four-time Ladies European Tour winner Rebecca Hudson during his 50-plus years as a PGA Member.
However, he rated his biggest achievement as attaining the status of an Advanced Fellow PGA Professional in 2005.
“That meant a huge amount to him,” recalled Matthew, his son. “The PGA was a huge part of his life and becoming an Advanced Fellow Professional made him immensely proud.”
Encouraged to play golf by his father, who played off one as a member at Renishaw Park near Chesterfield in Derbyshire, Stephen soon proved even more accomplished at the game and turned professional.
He began working at Abbeydale Golf Club, Sheffield, in 1970 and was elected to PGA Membership three years later. He remained at Abbeydale for two decades before spending an even longer spell at Thornock Park near Gainsborough in Lincolnshire.
Stephen served the club for 27 years during which time he continued to maintain his reputation as one of the game’s foremost coaches, proving equally at home tutoring beginners or elite players such as Hudson and former PGA Professional Paul Bradshaw.
In addition to winning multiple prestigious amateur championships, Hudson was a member of the Great Britain and Ireland Curtis Cup team in 1998, 2000 and 2002, prior to turning pro.
Bradshaw meanwhile represented England in the home internationals as an amateur and finished tied 47th in the 2004 Open Championship at Royal Troon.
Stephen retired on turning 65 in 2017 but, missing the day-to-day involvement with the game, resumed his career at Lincoln Golf Centre and continued to work there until the cancer that was diagnosed in 2024 took its toll.
Stephen, who was pre-deceased by Susan his wife, is survived by Matthew, his daughter Sarah, and fiancée Helen. The PGA extends heartfelt condolences to them and Stephen’s other family members and friend on their loss.
*Stephen’s funeral will be held at 12.30pm on Friday February 20th at Lea Fields Crematorium, Gainsborough Road, Lea, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, DN21 5PL.
A live webcast will be available to watch for those unable to attend. Please log on to https://watch.obitus.com. The user name is novu0289 and password is 815368. The webcast will be available for up to 28 days.
Family flowers only; donations in Stephen’s memory are for The Bobby Moore Fund - Cancer Research UK, Gurkha Welfare Trust and St. Barnabas Hospice. These can be made via https://steve-cooper.muchloved.com/
