Dubai’s golf ambassador: Peter Cowen turns 70 on Thursday

Dubai - Peter is perhaps Dubai’s greatest ambassador for both the city as well as golf in the city

Thursday, 7th January we celebrate the 70th birthday of Peter Cowen.

Born in Sheffield, England, in 1951, the year that Ben Hogan (The Masters and US Open), Max Faulkner (The Open) and Sam Snead (US PGA Championship) won the four Majors, Peter Cowen is now recognised as one of the best golf coaches in the world.

Peter played the European Tour in the 1970’s and was a self-styled journeyman Pro whose highlights included winning the 1976 Zambian Open, and playing in The Open numerous times with a best finish of tied 36th in Seve’s 1979 Open at Royal Lytham and St Annes Golf Club. Peter also represented the Club Pros PGA Division in the PGA Cup in 1992, representing the Continent of Europe.

One of Peter’s personal career highlights was playing with Sam Snead in 1980 in Kenya. Snead shot 69-69 for his first two rounds. Peter actually led him after those rounds, and he still has the note that Snead wrote: “To a wonderful player, Pete Cowen. Regards, Sam Snead.”

In those pioneer days the lifestyle of a Tournament Professional was very different to today’s jet set stuff. Just an observation and putting this era into perspective, Seve collected just £15,000 for winning The Open in 1979, with a total Championship prizefund of just £155,000.

Peter packed up playing on Tour in 1979 and took a Club Pro job just down the road to his home, at Dore and Totley Golf Club in 1980 for nine years. Everything took off for Peter when he became Club Pro at Lindrick Golf Club, also near his home, in the late 1980’s.

Peter has always enjoyed the swing elements of the game and at the time, the club with Peter, were trying to develop young golfers. Ian Garbutt was the first youngster to show talent with Peter’s teaching and he became the youngest winner of the English Amateur Championship at the time, aged just 18, in 1990.

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