After 15 years in the suburbs, the island has given Goudie a new lease of life - and the coaching and golf has been spectacular.

The remote island of Islay in Scotland might be best known for whisky but the locals are now raising a toast to PGA pro Ron Goudie.

The former Epsom-based coach is responsible for developing a successful junior golf coaching programme which has injected fresh impetus to Islay Golf Club and neighbouring Colonsay.

Starting the clubgolf coaching programme has been a real community effort embracing the generosity of The Machrie Hotel, home of Islay Golf Club, with free use of their course for under-16s, while local builder, Gordon Currie, has literally proved a brick, giving his time to drain the practice area used by the juniors.

Their combined efforts, plus those of Goudie, are now bearing fruit. As it nears the latter stages of its first season of clubgolf coaching, the club has 36 juniors on its books with regular mini medals on Sundays and handicap competitions.

After 15 years in the suburbs, the island has given Goudie a new lease of life - and the coaching and golf has been spectacular.

"It's been a fantastic life-changing experience for me," said Goudie, who is attached to the Machrie Hotel and plans to also help his wife run a guest house at their new home in Laphroaig. "I'm very happy here teaching and the Machrie is a fantastic, natural and world class course. It's number 62 in the UK's top 100 courses and there's nothing like it anywhere on the planet. "The kids up here are like sponges, absolutely enthusiastic about anything they do." Goudie's coaching skills have also been utilised by the neighbouring island of Colonsay, which although it is home to less than 100 people and is only accessible as a day trip from Islay on a Wednesday in the summer, boasts a 150-year-old links course.

Now thanks to Goudie its kids are also getting some expert coaching with the 44-year-old hopping on a ferry, with a bagful of equipment to, teach a dozen children and adults Stage One of the clubgolf programme. "It's like taking a step back in time," said Goudie of the Colonsay links. "There are no greens - they just cut around a flag to create grass a bit shorter than the rest!"

Thanks to Goudie hopping on a ferry with a bagful of equipment, kids are getting some expert coaching.

Once qualified, and together with seven helpers, they have been teaching the fundamentals of the game to local children. Goudie remains a hands-on coach in the new junior programme and his experience is already helping accelerate the coaching, and his expertise will come to the fore fully when the children reach the point where professional help is needed to fully develop their potential. "Having a PGA professional on the island has made an enormous difference and encourages the parents to bring kids along," said Islay GC's clubgolf Coordinator, Keith MacDonald, who can't remember the last time the island had a resident professional.

"It's proved immensely popular. All we did was put out a few posters and all sessions were full."

The club recently held a festival for local children while more volunteers are being recruited to become clubgolf Level One coaches.

"Once we've done a year of coaching the plan is for some of the volunteer coaches to go on a Level Two training course, so that Ron can concentrate on the children that have moved on to Stage Three of coaching," said MacDonald.

"He's only been here a year but he has already made a big difference to our junior section." clubgolf is a partnership between the PGA, SGU, SLGA, Golf Foundation and sportscotland which aims to create the opportunity for every nine year old in Scotland to play golf.

To find out more about Ron Goudie see islaygolfteacher.co.uk