WATCH: One of Inverness’s youngest PGA golf professionals is ‘making his dreams into reality’
Nikita Murdoch is Kings Golf Club’s youngest PGA professional after he trained for years alongside the Professional Golfing Association.
The 23-year-old, from Inverness, first started playing golf when he was just six years old while living in Egypt with his family and fell in love with the sport.
Growing up, Nikita looked up to his dad Terry Murdoch, as he taught him the ropes of playing the game of golf.
He said: “My dad always pushed me as I aspired to play the game of golf as good as him and always pushed myself to his high standards.
“When I look back at it now I think it was really important for just coming together with my family and having that time away from whatever we were all doing at work or school.”
For years, come rain or shine, Nikita spent his days on the golf course determined to match is dad’s standards.
At 16 years old Nikita started studying for his BTEC level 3 extended diploma in golf studies and knew early on that it was something he wanted to ‘make a life out of’.
He said: “Golf has always been a constant in my life. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. I love the enjoyment and challenge of playing competitively as well as playing with my friends and having a laugh.
“I enjoy coaching, love hearing members come in after their round and let me know how much better they are at hitting the ball.”
After completing his diploma with flying colours, he decided to take on his PGA foundation degree which is a part of the Professional Golfers Association. This enabled him to specialise more in the understanding of golf business, sport science, as well as coaching juniors and elite golfers.
He said: “The course really helped improve me in such a short period of time and helped me get to a position where I am now comfortable enough to run my own business and coach.”
Nikita first saw the opportunity to take over the golf shop at Kings Golf Club and become the club’s head golf professional last year, and jumped at the chance to excel his career so early on.
He said: “I knew it was going to be a challenge running my own business as it’s something I haven’t done before, but it was an opportunity I felt I best at least give a go.
“The first time I came up to the club in Inverness after originally living in England was great as the team made me feel so comfortable and made it really easy for me to set up here.
“It was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down at 23.”
Nikita was always keen to move to Scotland to pursue his career, and ‘where better to do so than the Highlands?
He said: “I think here in Inverness we are blessed with some of the best golf courses, not just in Scotland, but the world and I am sure that Kings Golf Club, whilst new, will soon find itself in that category.”
Kings Golf Club’s manager Graham Ramsay took a chance on Nikita, which has proved to pay off just six months into the role.
Graham said: “Nikita was enthusiastic, he had the right mentality, he was very brave and ambitious in coming up to a new city, not knowing anyone and starting a company on his own as well as having to do all the human resources for his employees.
“He is stepping into the position very young, as this would usually be a role that you take on as self-employed quite further on in your golf career, which is very admirable that he is doing it so early.
“He is ahead of his time as far as that goes.”
After stepping up the ladder so early on in his career, Nikita’s dad is ‘proud’ to see his hobby flourish into a job and livelihood.
Terry said: “I am so proud of what he has achieved and I know his mum would be too. To make such a huge jump in terms of job and distance has taken great courage and determination and I have no doubt that he will have success.
“He has embraced the Highland people as much as they have embraced him - a match made in heaven!”
Nikita is Kings Golf Club’s youngest PGA head golf professional, and youngest entrepreneur to take over the golf shop, to which he is keen to make a success.
