Staff
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07891 367 970

David Watt

Head Performance Coach

David has been in charge of the performance golf programme at the University of St Andrews since 2011, in his role as Head Performance Coach he delivers the coaching programme to our scholarship recipients in addition to recruiting and fundraising for these scholarships.

David has been a British PGA member since 2003 and completed his early training at Kings Acre Golf Academy under the guidance of Alan Murdoch and Claude Harmon III. Prior to this he was an R&A Scholarship recipient whilst studying Physics & Engineering at the University of Dundee. Upon graduating from the PGA training programme with distinction he moved to the west coast of Scotland to set up his own coaching company as Head Professional at Hilton Park GC, a large private members club on the outskirts of Glasgow. During this period he became involved with the Titleist Performance Institiute (TPI), becoming one of the first coaches in the UK to complete their qualification programme.

In January 2011 David moved to St Andrews to take up the position of Senior Instructor for the St Andrews Links Trust, coaching at the world-class St Andrews Links Golf Academy where he is still based. During his time at the Academy David has tried to stay at the forefront of coaching developments, being one of the first to extensively use 3D with his players via both the AMM and K-Motion systems. As technology advances he has worked extensively with Trackman, Boditrak, SAM PuttLab amongst other systems. He also has a wealth of experience in preparing players for tournament play and has coached players at events around the world, helping them with strategies and dealing with the pressures and challenges of tournament golf.

In late 2011 David began his journey with the University of St Andrews, initially with some basic team coaching before becoming the Head Performance Coach and building what is now an internationally respected and successful collegiate golf programme. In addition to writing and delivering the coaching programme to our 600 Club Scholars, David also recruits and fund raises for our scholarship programme.

David is married to Aimee and together they have two children, Theodore & Delilah.

  • “To play for the University of St Andrews Golf Team made that experience even more important to me – the combination of the traditions, the people I’ve met through the matches and the wider network, the extraordinary places we played, and the consistently brilliant competition, are highlights of my life.”
    Storm Boswick – MA Honours, 1991
  • “I decided to start supporting the University of St Andrews golf programs about five years ago. I thought I could help make a difference for these programs by financially helping you start a golf donor program. I'm very proud that you have used my funds to create a Saints Golf Website to help you get the word out.”
    Van deWar – 600 Club Founding Member
  • “The golf programme they have at St Andrews is a great option for players who want top level academics but do not want to compromise on the quality of the golf programme - it's a special opportunity to be a student athlete in the Home of Golf.”
    Claude Harmon III
  • “Living, playing and studying here in the Home of Golf is a truly unique experience”
    David Watt – Director of Golf, University of St Andrews