Proud Megan Ashley is excited to reap the rewards of being involved in the Scottish Golf performance set-up.
The talented Perthshire golfer, a Blairgowrie member, has been selected to work and train with the women’s high performance squad.
A St Andrews University student, Megan is looking forward to reaching her full potential in season 2022/23.
She will benefit from the expertise and experience of top-level performance coaching and have access to sportscotland Institute of Sport practitioners and opportunities to compete in national and international events.
After earning selection to the squad, Megan told the Perthshire Advertiser: “I feel quite proud really and it’s always a good feeling when you see the hard work you’ve put in pay off.
“It does mean a lot to me. I’ve put in a lot of work over the years but I’ve also had a lot of help from my parents, coaches and team-mates along the way.
“This is recognition for everyone who has helped me along the way too and that is why it means a lot.”
Megan continued: “There are, of course, so many benefits to working within the squad. One of the main things I am looking forward to is working alongside the other players for sure.
“I think it is just a great chance to learn from each other and share our experiences, both from the past and as we all compete throughout the season.
“There is also a lot of experience to learn from our coaches. Our women’s coach Kathryn Imrie certainly has the experience to teach us a lot about ourselves and our golf game.”
Megan, who was flying out to Paris last weekend to compete in an R&A Student Series event at Le Golf National, will remain busy on the course through the winter months.
“Our student season is still very much under way and with our new team coach Ian Muir we really are working hard and having a great time as a team,” said Megan, who played a lot of her golf growing up at Strathmore Golf Centre.
“We begin our BUCS matchplay season where we play different universities every Sunday – it’s a really great chance to play as a team and travel to play different courses.
“I had a really fun season this year. And like I said, it’s still going.
“But I think it’s just been a great time for me to see what is possible. I have fun competing and looking back I had some great times this year.
“The Helen Holm tournament at Royal Troon is always a favourite for me and I had my best finish in that this year with a top 10.
“And we got the incredible opportunity to play at Trump International for the Scottish Women’s which was an unforgettable experience. I loved the course and while I was exhausted by the end of the week, it was totally worth it.”
Of course, there comes importance in enjoying the process alongside putting in the hard work.
“Going forward I just want to keep having fun,” Megan said.
“I want to keep playing new courses and meeting new people and if I can make the most of the opportunities and resources given to me then I’m excited to see how things go in the next year.”
Also named in the women’s high performance squad were Auchterarder Golf Club member Penny Brown and Jennifer Saxton, who plays with the Perth and Kinross ladies’ county team.
Perthshire’s representation in the Scottish Golf programme stretches across to the men’s high performance squad where Gregor Graham, of Blairgowrie Golf Club, earned selection.
His younger brother, Connor, is in the boys’ performance squad.
And picked for the performance development squad were Auchterarder golfer Daniel Bullen, Blairgowrie’s Cormac Sharpe and Muckhart member Jamie Roberts.
