Stowe is synonymous with the game of golf, and it is remarkable to think that golf has been played within the grounds of Stowe since the 1920s and formed such an important part of the overall Stowe experience. The great P.B. “Laddie” Lucas and John Langley both honed their golfing talents at Stowe before progressing to represent and later captain Great Britain and Ireland in the Walker Cup.
HEAD OF GOLF
The Stowe Golf Programme is led by Dusan Gavrilovic.
FACILITIES
Without question, Stowe is blessed with one of the finest golf courses of any school.
Our superb new golf course was officially opened on 17 May 2020 and measures over 6,400 yards (par 70) when played as an 18-hole course. The course was designed by Jonathan Tucker, a leading golf course architect from the STRI, with consultancy advice from Andrew Hancox, Stowe's PGA Golf Professional and Head of Golf. The course provides an excellent challenge for golfers of all abilities, with green profiles constructed in accordance with USGA guidelines. We also possess a short game practise facility and three outdoor practise nets adjacent to our new golf course and this enables Stoics to hone their chipping, pitching, putting and bunker play. Our new state-of-the-art indoor teaching studio was opened in 2021 and features TrackMan Performance and GASP high speed cameras for detailed swing analysis.
GOLF SCHOLARSHIPS
Each year we award two Golf Scholarships to pupils joining our Third Form.
When applying for a Golf Scholarship at Stowe, candidates must possess a demonstrable track record of golfing achievement at a high level. This would normally include evidence of success at County/Regional level, along with being in possession of an established official WHS golf handicap. Golf Scholarships will only be awarded to candidates who are outstanding golfers or good golfers that show serious potential.
Many of our Golf Scholars have competed in major amateur events including The English Boys’ U18 Championship (Carris Trophy), The English U18 Mixed Championship, The England U18 National Champion of Champions Tournament, The R&A Boys’ Championship, The Peter McEvoy Trophy, The French International Boys’ Championship (Michel Carlhian Trophy), The German Boys’ Championship, The Lagonda Trophy and many more.
More detailed information pertaining to Golf Scholarships can be found here.
GOLF ACADEMY
The Golf Academy enables Stoics to combine golf coaching and development of the highest quality with a first-class academic education. All coaching incorporates detailed technical analysis of the golf swing using the very latest GASP high-speed cameras, along with TrackMan radar ball flight analysis. Playing lessons and on course performance sessions are also built into the programme in order for Stoics to develop their strategies when competing in high profile tournaments. A comprehensive bespoke strength and conditioning programme is also incorporated, thus allowing for a seamless connection between physical and technical profiling. In order to ensure the best possible outcomes pertaining to the delivery of coaching and development and tournament performance, the Golf Academy delivers a periodised coaching structure as follows:
Phase 1 (September - November) Competition/Performance and reflective coaching
Phase 2 (November - March) Coaching and Technical Development
Phase 3 (March - July) Competition/Performance and reflective coaching
For any aspiring sporting talent, there is always the challenge of balancing the need to gain an exceptional all-round academic education with a dedication to sporting achievement. The Stowe Golf Academy provides the opportunity to do exactly that.
TOURNAMENTS
We have a very strong fixture list against schools comprising the likes of Eton, Harrow, Radley, Wellington, Charterhouse, Winchester, Bradfield, Uppingham and many more.
We also compete in the annual ISGA World Amateur Ranking Event, the ISGA National Championship, the ISGA HG Championship, the HMC National Strokeplay Championship, the HMC National Foursomes Championship and The Gerald Micklem Trophy.
Our recent golfing achievements have been outstanding. Stowe golfers have performed at the highest level by winning every Regional competition and subsequently progressing to fly the flag in multiple National Final Championships.
Stowe is also the home of The Stowe Putter – the oldest and most prestigious Prep School Golf Tournament. The Putter was inaugurated in 1967 and since then thousands of young budding golfers have locked horns in friendly competition contesting the highly coveted trophy – a classic Andrew Kirkaldy putter of St Andrews design.
PHILOSOPHY
Unlike many other sports, golf can be played and enjoyed throughout life, and we seek to instil in Stoics a lifelong commitment to the sport with a transition from golf at Stowe to the Old Stoic Golf Society. There really is no better sport for bringing people together and with its winning combination of exercise, personal challenges, competition and social interaction; golf is the perfect tonic for good health and happiness. As well as being a great way of developing hand-eye co-ordination and spatial awareness, golf also teaches social skills and self-improvement, particularly amongst juniors. To this end, Stowe Golf follows five core values - dedication, determination, honesty, integrity and sportspersonship.