PGA Professional Williams draws on personal experience to champion mental health

As soon as the first COVID-19 lockdown came in, I lost £20,000 of sponsorship overnight. Suddenly from being on a high and thinking my dream was set up for the year, I was brought back down to earth.

Williams’ personal experience of mental health issues manifested themselves during Covid 19 when his plans to play full time were scuppered by the two lockdowns.

Having qualified to play on the MENA Tour in the middle east, Williams quit his job as the assistant pro at Wareham Golf Club and successfully sourced sponsorship to help him compete.

“Things were looking really good, and I was planning a really big year,” he recalled. “Then Covid hit and the companies that had said they would help me out ended up saying ‘we’re going to have to put this on hold and keep the funds in the bank’.

“So, as soon as the first lockdown came in, I lost £20,000 of sponsorship overnight. Suddenly from being on a high and thinking my dream was set up for the year, I was brought back down to earth.”

To compound Williams’ problems, his fiancée had just ended maternity leave and he was not entitled to furlough payments as he was no longer employed.

“We were there thinking ‘how are we going to get through this?’ Not just the cost of rent but day-to-day things like food and things like that.

“My mental health took a big hit. I was really stressed out, very concerned and always on edge. I’m not someone who could just sit back for those three months, which it turned out to be, and just ride it out.

“It got pretty dark. I wouldn't say I was suicidal. It wasn't that far, but it could have potentially got that far had it not been for the support I got from Faye, who is now my wife, and Joel.

“I reckon Faye probably was a single parent effectively for five to six weeks. The only saving grace was we were coming out of lockdown and golf was the first thing to come back. If it hadn’t been and was one of the other sports that couldn't restart, I would have probably been in a much darker place.

“I spoke to Joel probably two months into the lockdown. I still saw what they did online, and I had a chat with him, and he made me aware of a few things about me he'd observed. And it certainly helped just talking. There was no treatment or anything like that. It was more just talking and sharing ideas and not bottling things up, which I think a lot of people do.”

To compound Williams’ problems, his fiancée had just ended maternity leave and he was not entitled to furlough payments as he was no longer employed.

“We were there thinking ‘how are we going to get through this?’ Not just the cost of rent but day-to-day things like food and things like that.

“My mental health took a big hit. I was really stressed out, very concerned and always on edge. I’m not someone who could just sit back for those three months, which it turned out to be, and just ride it out.

“It got pretty dark. I wouldn't say I was suicidal. It wasn't that far, but it could have potentially got that far had it not been for the support I got from Faye, who is now my wife, and Joel.

“I reckon Faye probably was a single parent effectively for five to six weeks. The only saving grace was we were coming out of lockdown and golf was the first thing to come back. If it hadn’t been and was one of the other sports that couldn't restart, I would have probably been in a much darker place.

“I spoke to Joel probably two months into the lockdown. I still saw what they did online, and I had a chat with him, and he made me aware of a few things about me he'd observed. And it certainly helped just talking. There was no treatment or anything like that. It was more just talking and sharing ideas and not bottling things up, which I think a lot of people do.”

To compound Williams’ problems, his fiancée had just ended maternity leave and he was not entitled to furlough payments as he was no longer employed.

“We were there thinking ‘how are we going to get through this?’ Not just the cost of rent but day-to-day things like food and things like that.

“My mental health took a big hit. I was really stressed out, very concerned and always on edge. I’m not someone who could just sit back for those three months, which it turned out to be, and just ride it out.

“It got pretty dark. I wouldn't say I was suicidal. It wasn't that far, but it could have potentially got that far had it not been for the support I got from Faye, who is now my wife, and Joel.

“I reckon Faye probably was a single parent effectively for five to six weeks. The only saving grace was we were coming out of lockdown and golf was the first thing to come back. If it hadn’t been and was one of the other sports that couldn't restart, I would have probably been in a much darker place.

“I spoke to Joel probably two months into the lockdown. I still saw what they did online, and I had a chat with him, and he made me aware of a few things about me he'd observed. And it certainly helped just talking. There was no treatment or anything like that. It was more just talking and sharing ideas and not bottling things up, which I think a lot of people do.”

Supportive counsel coupled with the end of lockdown saw Williams refocus his career. He continued to play in PGA West region and Dorset county events before attending the DP World Tour’s Q-School in September 2022. While there, however, his mental health issues resurfaced.

“Spending 13 days in Portugal on my own in a country I didn’t speak the language really hit home after a disappointing week on the course,” he recalled. “It was then I knew it was time to end the stress and anguish I had experienced in trying to make it on Tour.”

Consequently, Williams now concentrates on coaching and retail at Wareham Golf Club following his appointment as head professional a year ago. In addition to that role, he is the head coach at nearby Milton Abbey School, an establishment boasting a nine-hole course designed by Peter Alliss.

As for promoting Myndup, Williams takes what he describes as a ‘subtle’ approach, especially when he’s coaching.

A lot of what I do involves people I teach. Quite often as a golf coach I become an ‘agony aunt’ as someone clients can relax with and detach from their stresses at home, work or maybe both.

“A lot of it is rather subtle because there's so much out there at the minute about mental health,” he explained. “I think if you can bombard people with it, they start to ignore it.

“A lot of what I do involves people I teach. Quite often as a golf coach I become an ‘agony aunt’ as someone clients can relax with and detach from their stresses at home, work or maybe both.

“I don't push it too much online or anything like that. It's more just resharing what Myndup is doing and making their journey if you like, more accessible for others.”

Away from his studio and the club, competing in tournaments often affords Williams the chance to mention Myndup to his fellow PGA pros, especially if overnight stays are involved.

“Sometimes we share accommodation or go out for meals and the conversation often takes the ‘why are we doing this’ line, particularly if someone has had a bad day on the course,” he continued. “Once you get people talking there’s often a chance to ask them how they are in themselves.

“If I think someone’s got a bit of an underlying issue, then I'll say, look, if you want somebody to talk to, I can introduce you to Joel. Some won't, probably because of pride or embarrassment.

“Another reason is the macho aspect - they don't want to admit they've got some underlying issue. That’s definitely a male thing whereas women are much more open with each other. But whatever the reaction, at least I’ve sown the seed that help is available.”