Dagenham Pitch and Putt
An interview with Steve Deeble, Course Manager, Central Park Dagenham Pitch & Putt originally published in Golf Business Quarterly.
About: Steve has been playing at Central Park Dagenham Pitch & Putt since he was nine. Now 67, he has run the facility for the past 11 years and sees it as a starting point for anyone wanting to get into golf.
Can you tell us about the course at Dagenham?
It’s 18 holes, the shortest hole is 38 yards and the longest plays about 83 yards. We actually had to bring the whole course length down to comply with competition regulations in Europe. The 18 holes must consist of no more than 1,260 yards.
We’ve hosted two British Opens, in 2016 and 2018, and then in 2019 we hosted the European Championships.
Do you have members?
We’ve got a club which we’ve had for donkey’s years. At the moment we have around 30 members.
Every Sunday the members get together to play in all different formats of the game: knockouts, pairs, foursomes and all sorts. We’ve got a handicap system so everyone can play on an even footing and it makes it fair.
Is pitch and putt a more appealing format for youngsters?
I believe it is. When a child is hitting the ball, they want to be up near that green. So, if you’re playing on a course where that green is 50 yards away, they’re going to be up there in one or two shots.
It’s giving them a chance to build up confidence and build up their skill level so eventually they can go and play big golf.
And do you see evidence of that pathway from pitch and putt to traditional golf?
Definitely, I’m seeing it now with my grandkids. I’ve got one who started playing here at three years old and now he marches up and down the course and he knows everyone.
My other grandchildren have gone on to play big golf and they’re still playing pitch and putt. They play at a really good standard, in fact one plays pitch and putt for England. I think playing this format helps you no end because it gives you that feel around the greens.
Do you see it as part of your role to introduce more people to the game of golf?
I spoke to an American journalist recently and he’s interviewed the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Arnold Palmer and Phil Mickelson, and he wanted to interview me. I was so surprised but he told me, ‘ Steve, you’re the same as them - your passion is golf, it’s in your blood’.
That’s what it is to me; golf is my passion, I want to help to bring more people into this game. We see family groups coming to play here, or mums and dads just watching their children play, so that’s the kind of environment we provide and hopefully some of those kids will then take up big golf.
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