The Crail Golfing Society has appointed only the second Head Professional in its 234-year history with David Snodgrass to take over from Graeme Lennie in January.
Snodgrass, currently assistant pro at the historic club – the seventh oldest in existence – will assume duties after Lennie, the club’s first professional retires after 34 years of service.
Snodgrass (31), joined Crail eight years ago having completed his PGA Advanced training at the Hilton Park club in Milngavie, Glasgow. During his time at Crail David established a thriving junior section and came through an exhaustive appointment panel, but had the overwhelming support of the majority of the Society’s membership.
Club Captain Jim McArthur was delighted in formally confirming David as thesuccessful applicant.
“On behalf of everyone at Crail Golfing Society, I can say that we are absolutely delighted to welcome appointing David Snodgrass as our new Head Professional,” said McArthur.
“David not only understands the culture and ethos of the club but also has a superb appreciation of the wider golfing world and will bring a new energy and enthusiasm to the team to help develop the long-term vision for the Society.
“Whilst the whole emphasis at the moment is survival and adaptation of our facilities and procedures to enable us to operate alongside the virus, we are confident when the pandemic passes that we will have a team who can deliver a great tradition.
“The club also extends our gratitude to Graeme. He created club history becoming the first professional at the club and for well over 30-years Graeme has dedicated his working life to Crail and all at the club will be forever grateful.
“Graeme will be missed at Crail Golfing Society but in David his successor, golf’s seventh oldest club will continue to grow in nurturing, promoting and also enriching all that is good in our game.”
David thanked the club’s members and staff for their support and encouragement and described it as a “privilege and honour” to follow in Graeme’s footsteps.
“I am extremely indebted to Graeme for his assistance and guidance in my eight years at Crail,” he said. “The messages of congratulations have been truly overwhelming and humbling.
“I am extremely passionate about Crail GS and the local community and I am very excited for the journey ahead.
“Crail is an incredibly special club, with two amazing courses, a friendly and supportive membership and it is a dream come true to become the next Head Professional.”
Graeme’s influence at the club will forever be obvious by the Craighead Links course, the second at the Fife links. It was his friendship with Gil Hanse that secured the star course designer’s services to lay out Craighead, Hanse’s first assignment outside his native United States.
The Craighead Links opened in 1998, and Hanse has gone on to even greater acclaim with his other Scottish design, Castle Stuart near Inverness.
Graeme was appointed Crail’s first head pro in 1986 after spells at Lundin Links and Clydebank. He was captain of the PGA in Scotland in 2003, and has been a leading member of the British Golf Collectors Society for some 40-years.
