Scott Gillies joins the Swanston coaching team
Scott Gillies is a fully qualified PGA Professional, and he is joining us at Swanston as our Head of Junior Development, with his first lessons on Thursday 5 November.
Scott comes from North Berwick West Links, where he has coached for the best part of a decade. He joined the club under Head Professional Martyn Huish in 2017 and worked his way to Senior PGA Professional and Lead Coach, teaching golfers of every age and every level of the game.
That range matters to us. Swanston is a place where a junior picking up a club for the first time and a low handicapper chasing a score both need to feel at home, and Scott has spent years learning how to help both.
A season in Melbourne
In the 2024/25 season, Scott worked at Victoria Golf Club in Melbourne's Sandbelt, learning from Paul Wright and Andrew Cooper.
Learning as a player
Scott also played the Tartan Pro Tour while he was working shifts in the shop and on the lesson tee. Peter Arnott, one of Scotland's most highly regarded coaches, supported him through those years, and that experience sits behind how he works with players now.
How he coaches
Scott wants golfers to play better, not to own a perfect swing. He looks for the smallest changes that make a real difference, working with the way a player already moves. He spends as much time on scoring, course management and confidence as he does on technique.
He has been heavily influenced by the coaching philosophy of Hugh Marr.
Juniors
Junior coaching is Scott's biggest passion, and it is one of the reasons we are so glad he is coming. As Head of Junior Development, he will lead the junior pathway at Swanston, from a first lesson and a first handicap through to representing the club and going further still.
If you have a young golfer at home who is just starting, or one who has been playing a while and wants more, Scott is the person you want them to meet.
Welcome, Scott
Scott spent years in North Berwick's professional shop, working with members and visitors from around the world. He knows what good hospitality feels like, and he brings that same welcome onto the lesson tee.
At Swanston, coaching means being part of a team that knows your game and notices when it changes. Scott is now part of that team.
Scott's first lessons are on Thursday 5 November, and you can book now. He coaches juniors and adults, with 30-minute and 60-minute lessons.
