Keith's Profile
Keith Williams was born in Kington, Herefordshire in 1955. He began playing in 1969 at the local golf club and soon progressed to county junior standard. During 1972 & 73 he played regularly for the Shropshire & Herefordshire County Colts and Junior teams. Amongst his team mates were two famous names of the future - Ian Woosnam and Sandy Lyle. 
By the completion of 1973 he had became an assistant professional at Kington Golf Club but soon moved to the Monmouthshire GC in Gwent where his training included a positive introduction to the coaching aspects of golf and to playing competitive professional events. Some of his responsibilities included professional duties at Caerphilly GC in Glamorgan, but it was in the coaching and playing aspects that he excelled. Between 1974 – 76 he twice won the South Wales Assistants Championship and had high finishes in the Welsh Professional Championship and other significant events.
In 1977, after completing his PGA training examinations, he won the PGA Trainee of the Year Award and moved to the famous Sunningdale Golf Club in Surrey. Here he worked for ex Tour & Ryder Cup player Clive Clark and further developed his playing and coaching abilities. During that time many well known Tour professionals played and practiced at Sunningdale which gave Keith the chance to play, practice and coach with the likes of Greg Norman, Bernard Langer, Bob Charles, Michael King, Hugh Biocchi, John Bland and many others. He was also fortunate to play and coach with some well known amateurs such as Ted Dexter, Sean Connery, Christopher Lee, James Hunt, Roger Walters, John Davies and others.
Having had success in playing events staged in the South of England he entered and won the 1979 PGA European Tour School in Portugal and commenced a career as a Rookie Tour Player in 1980. Holding a Tour Card for four years proved valuable experience with one top ten finish in the Tunisian Open and representing Wales with his old golfing mate, Ian Woosnam, in the 1982 World Cup of Golf, in Acapulco, Mexico being the highlights of his years on Tour.
Moving to a more stable life as a club professional gave Keith the opportunity to focus on his coaching skills. For over three years he concentrated on widening his knowledge and experience coaching many good players and helping develop the talents of local juniors. His coaching opportunities widened still further in 1986 when he moved back to the West Midlands as Head Professional & Director of Golf at the famous Hawkstone Park Hotel & GC.
In the nine years he spent at Hawksone Park, Keith greatly expanded his role and influence in coaching and began to gain the recognition that is now accepted towards top coaches around the world. In 1987 he became the English Golf Union, West Midlands Regional Coach and soon followed these responsibilities with coaching junior and senior squads for the English Womens Golf Association, the Midlands Golf Union, Shropshire & Herefordshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.
He coached many talented young players and professionals including many of today’s Tour players including Sandy Lyle, Scott Drummond, Carl Petterson, David Park, David Lynn, Steve Webster, John Bickerton, John Lomas, Anthony Wall, Carl Watts, Ricky Willison, Michael Welch, Jeremy Robinson, Gary Wolstenholme, Russell Claydon, Steve Richardson, Sam Walker and others.
Keith working with Scott Drummond at the US PGA in 2004Having taken over from John Stirling as EGU National Coach in 1994, the following year he moved to The Celtic Manor Resort as Head Professional to set up and run the first ever Ian Woosnam Golf Academy. This was a great challenge and Keith was able to put into place a world class high tech training facility that led the field in Europe both in it’s technology and innovation. The Academy’s success was enhanced by his commitment to coaching all levels of player although the majority of his time was spent developing the elite players from South Wales and those on England squads.
Ian Woosnam often looked for tips to enhance his world status but others such as Phil Price, Scott Drummond, Andy Marshall, Carl Petterson, Richard Finch, Jeremy Robinson, Steve Webster, John E Morgan, David Dixon, Neil Rodderick, Nigel Edwards, Colin Edwards, Michael Welch visited for advice.
As the English Golf Union completed its own academy development, Keith made the decision to take up a more full time role at the National Golf Centre, Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire in 1998. As National Coach & Director of Coaching he played a major role in the development of training programmes throughout the EGU training system, introducing more advanced levels of Sports Science and Sports Medicine, high tech coaching philosophies including computer analysis, biomechanics, performance analysis, skills testing, Tour Professional demonstration and advice, advanced equipment analysis and supply, plus other top golfing requirements that he researched from the world Tours and innovations developed throughout the world of golf. Many county golf unions have availed themselves of Keith’s coaching skills at the National Golf Centre including Yorkshire, Hampshire, Worcestershire, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Isle of Man, Derbyshire plus many individuals have visited to gain valuable advice.
From 2000 he worked closely with the Sport England Lottery funded World Class Performance Programme for elite amateur golfers on England squads and travelled with players around the world coaching and supporting their tournament efforts. Latterly he advised on Sport Englands sponsored ‘Whole Sport Plan for Golf’.
He has also found time to help develop golfing standards in the Czech Republic. Over an eight year period he has coached both the best junior and senior amateurs and has been instrumental in helping the development of PGA coach training and standards for the country. Golf has grown almost ten fold since his first visit and in 2005 after a sabbatical of three years he renewed his coaching commitment to the golfers of the Czech Republic and still acts as their Head Coach, training their players and attending many important events such as the World Team Championships.
In recent years he has been very involved with developments via the British and European PGA’s, helping the former to rewrite its training manual for assistant professionals and working with top coaches such as John Jacobs and Denis Pugh in helping achieve this. In delivering seminars and programmes he has coached and worked with individuals such as David Leadbetter, Denis Pugh, John Jacobs, Peter Cowen,Tommy Horton, Harold Swash, Alan Fine, Karl Morris, David Ridley, Alan Thompson, Ramsay McMaster and has worked in many golfing countries throughout the world.
From 1999 – 2003 he was also the British Universities National Coach and coached teams at the Palmer Cup matches against the USA team and at the World University Championships. In 2003 he coached a European team to victory for the first time on US soil.
He has spoken and delivered presentations at many conferences and seminars including the World Junior Conference and The PGA of Europe Teaching Summit.
He regularly delivers Continued Professional Development seminars for the PGA and was responsible for the World Class Performance Plan CPD programme for the EGU.
In 2002, he won the coveted PGA of Europe 5 Star Professional Award and in 2004 was voted one of Golf Monthly’s Top 25 Coaches.
He has written and published a book titled ‘The Workshop of Golf’ and appeared in numerous video or TV programmes including ITV’s ‘Peak Performance’ documentary involving Ian Woosnam and Sky TV. Recently he completed work with Pocketshots Short Game Fundamentals with Dizzy Heights.com (see a great little teaching aid and golf instruction video download).
He regularly writes for Golf International, English Golf and Golf Monthly magazines plus other publications.
He is also one of the top featured coaches on www.saveamillionshots.com a golf community site that provides free golf tips and ideas to help you improve your golf.
He has worked with many top players perhaps most notably PGA European Tour players Andrew Marshall and 2004 PGA Champion and Rookie of the Year Scott Drummond. Scott received coaching advice from Keith for over 17 years and regularly invited him to attend major championships, two World Championships, the World Match Play and World Cup of Golf and many regular PGA Tour events.
Keith Williams is a PGA Master Professional, a member of the PGA European Seniors Tour, an Honorary Life Member of Kington Golf Club & Honorary Member of The Players Club.
In 2002 he received the PGA of Europe - Professional of the Year Award.
In 2005 he became one of the first professionals in the UK to be awarded the PGA Master Professional status for past and present achievements in golf and was asked to coach for the R & A's Development Programme.
Each year since 2004, Keith has been voted one one of Golf Monthly's Top 25 UK Coaches.
Major Golfing Achievements:
English Golf Union achievements
World Team Championships 2002 - 7th place, 2004 - 8th place
World Boys Team Championships:
World Boys Team Championships Individual:
European Team Championships: 1995/2003 positions 2nd – 5th
European Youths Team Championships: 2000/2004 positions 1st,2nd, 1st
European Boys Championships:
Men’s Home Internationals: 1993-2004, Won 9 from 11 years
Boy’s Home Internationals 1993- 2004
Palmer Cup, GB & I v USA: 1999 – Lost, 2002 – Won
Europe v USA: 2003 – Won, 2004 – Won