Bonnyville youth golfer gets pro certification

Clayton Borders, a young golfer in the Bonnyville area, is now a certified golf professional golfing, a first step in what he hopes to be in achieving his dreams out on the green.

“Getting this license doesn’t mean I’m gonna be off playing on the PGA Tour anytime soon, just that I’m eligible to go and receive training to be an instructor,” said Borders.

“But that is something I want to do sometime in the future.”

Borders hails from Idaho, but plays in Bonnyville thanks to the benefit of dual citizenship, and while he’s played across the province he’s made the town’s country club his predominant stomping grounds since the age of 13.

He first started playing golf as a way to spend time with his father, whom he called a golfing fanatic that was trained at the Arizona Golf School.

He lists Tiger Woods, Sam Snead, and Bonnyville’s own Randy Gallop as golfers he looks up to, referring to Gallop himself as “a legend I’ve been watching since I was a kid.”

Gallop, who recently retired as Bonnyville’s golf pro, also had a large hand in helping Borders’ early success in the sport.

“The first time I came to the Bonnyville club was with my grandma when I was 10, and that’s where we ran into Randy,” said Borders.

“They knew each other, and Randy said that I could pick the driving range, and I think I impressed him because he said that I could shoot for free that day.

“A couple years after that I was looking for a job, and he helped get me started at the country club.”

Until Borders can receive his instructor’s certification he’ll be working at the country club’s pro shop, and plans to receive modular training over the upcoming winter.