Lower Sixth, Harriet Lockley has been offered a place at the University of Alabama to play golf. We sat down with her to talk about the golf programme at Millfield, what it takes to be a successful golfer and her plans for the future.
How long have you been at Millfield?
I joined Millfield Prep in Year 7 and I choose the school because I love sport and learning alike, and Millfield offered me the best of both worlds. The teachers are great, and we are lucky to have world-class facilities.
How many years have you been playing golf?
I have been playing golf since I was 6 years old. I had been playing golf a lot before I joined but being able to have lessons from the school golf professionals Karen, Ian and Stuart has taught me so much and I now play almost every day.
What makes the Millfield Golf programme special?
The golf programme is special because of two things. Firstly, the golf teaching team is amazing and is led by Karen who has a great teaching technique. She played on The European Ladies tour, so she is a fountain of knowledge and is inspirational. She is more than a technical coach to me, she helps me with match preparations, reviews my rounds and is a great person to talk too and exchange ideas.
Secondly, our facilities are fantastic. We have a new indoor Golf Centre which is world class; it has the latest technology, two teaching bays with the opportunity to hit balls from the inside to outside. A further 6 practice bays, a putting green and a GC Quad Ball Monitor. In addition to the Golf Centre, we have a driving range, a chipping area, a putting green, a par 3 course on campus and finally access to 3 local courses including Burnham and Berrow, which are championship link courses.
What does a normal day of training look like?
No day is the same as golf has many different elements. Each week, outside of a competition week I try and do the following as minimum:
· 2 lessons with Karen working on specific parts of my game
· 2 hours putting practice
· 2 hours short game practice
· 2 hours pitching and long game
· Play 18 holes
· Gym twice a week
When I have a competition, my week is normally spent playing the course and practicing specific aspects that I need for the competition.
Do you have any golf highlights?
A highlight I remember most was my first Welsh International match at the age of 12, against Ireland. I was so nervous but proud to be representing my country. On a personal front, I remember fondly winning my first major competition which was the Welsh U18 Strokeplay Championship at the age of 14 with a 1 under final round. In recent years, playing for Great Britain and Ireland against Continental Europe has been a highlight. It was amazing to wear the uniform and be recognised at that level. Finally, being selected to represent Wales at a senior level in the European Ladies Championships was a great experience, especially to play Royal County Down in the tournament.
What do you study?
I have just completed my GCSE’s where I achieved 6 x 9’s, 2 x 8’s and an A in Advanced Maths. I am now doing A Levels in maths, physics and economics and hope to go to university to study maths, economics, or accounting.
What are your hopes for the future?
I recently verbally committed to The University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa) to study and join their Division 1 golf programme from September 2023. It’s an amazing opportunity and will give me the chance to play golf every day, like I do at Millfield. I will compete against the world’s best amateurs, continue to receive professional coaching whilst studying for my degree. I am so excited!
Following university, I am not sure yet, but I would love to be good enough to be a touring golf professional and I will do my best to make that happen.
Find our more about golf at Millfield here.