It’s an exciting time for Spalding Golf Club’s Tilly Garfoot as she gets ready to captain Lincolnshire Junior Girls and her own club ahead of a potential trip to America.
The 18-year-old who is in her final year of A Levels at Spalding High School first picked up a club aged two and has been training with Spalding since she was four.
She’s now playing off a two handicap and coaching at those junior sessions she used to attend.
Garfoot will captain Lincolnshire Junior Girls after she first represented the county aged 12 in 2015.
“I am very privileged and excited to be Lincolnshire Girls’ junior captain this year and see it as a great opportunity to promote girls’ golf within the county,” Garfoot said. “I have volunteered with junior golf coaching and leadership over the last few years and I am looking forward to using the skills that I have learnt to encourage aspiring talent into the county programme.
“I am also Spalding Golf Club’s junior captain this year so I am excited to work with lots of juniors to support the next generation of golfers!
“The junior coaching sessions on a Saturday morning have been a part of my life ever since I first started, as I now volunteer and help teach children who attend.
“Spalding GC had a strong junior section when I was young and so there were lots of juniors to compete against and this was really encouraging in pushing me to improve.
“I would say that I realised I had a talent for golf when I started winning some county events as this was great to be able to recognise that I was able to compete at county girls’ level.”
Garfoot has already appeared for Lincolnshire Ladies’ first team, helping them to finish an impressive second in the national finals in 2019.
She says the highlight of her career so far is shooting a personal best three under par 68 at Stonebridge Golf Club last October to qualify for the Sky Sports Junior European Final which is due to be held in Spain in November.
Garfoot is hoping to turn professional eventually and also looking to get a scholarship at a top American university from August 2022.
She said: “I would love to turn professional and aspire to have some sort of career in golf, although I am not entirely sure what this may be yet. I plan to push myself when I go to university in America, to see how far I can take my golf and then take it from there!
“I am very excited about starting my university life and I am very grateful that I will be able to play collegiate golf whilst earning a degree over the four years.”
Garfoot has come a long way after being inspired by her dad.
“My interest in golf came from my dad, as he was a keen golfer,” she continued. “Both of my parents have been amazing at supporting me through my journey of junior golf, by sacrificing their time to take me to competitions across the country and helping me gain tuition to advance my golf. I am very grateful for everything they have done for me.”
