India Clyburn is not someone short of insight into the complex business of playing golf at elite level. All those slippery snakes that need avoiding and the ladders that need ascending? She’s been there, enjoyed the good days, endured the bad, and got the T-shirt. The 26-year-old also has a new role, as England Golf tournament manager, that will grant her the opportunity to put all that know-how to good use.
Her thorough grounding in the sport began when she looked on (and looked up) to big sister Holly, a two-time Curtis Cup Great Britain & Ireland team member and winner in her rookie year on the Ladies European Tour.
With Clyburn’s own aspirations fuelled by her sibling’s success, she helped England win team gold at the 2017 European Team Championship, played alongside Leona Maguire in the Vagliano Trophy, against the Irish star when at North Carolina State, and then she added to the family Curtis Cup story when selected to play at Quaker Ridge in New York in 2018.
Having completed studies in sports management her move into the pro ranks was stymied by COVID-19. Not only the LET, but also Europe’s second-tier Access Series and the Qualifying School were hit hard. Opportunities were few and far between. Yet what was a dead end for some became a fork in the road for Clyburn. She joined Ping as a customer service rep, viewing it as a fine introduction to work life while gaining valuable industry experience.
When England Golf found itself looking for a new tournament manager at the end of last year her curriculum vitae was bound to pique interest. Lest anyone feel she hadn’t quite covered every golfing angle possible, she was even able to add “caddie” to her list of achievements, courtesy of bag-carrying exercises for her sister on the LET.
“I know the feelings of players and understand how they think. It will assist with course set-ups, understanding the challenges, knowing how to react to variables like weather and hole difficulty. I’m really excited.”
India Clyburn
“I’ve definitely grown up in the game,” she said, talking shortly after starting the new role at the Woodhall Spa base (handily, and almost inevitably perhaps, she is already a member there). “Holly led the way. She created a path for me and, luckily, I mostly succeeded in following it. I’ll be using my lens as a player in the new job. It gives me real insight. I know the feelings of players and understand how they think. It will assist with course set-ups, understanding the challenges, knowing how to react to variables like weather and hole difficulty. I’m really excited.”
Working at events across the entire England Golf network, Clyburn will cover regional and national golf, juniors through to seniors, men and women, boys and girls. She will run smaller events and assist the championship managers at marquee tournaments.
England Golf’s women’s performance manager Becca Hembrough witnessed Clyburn’s progression through the ranks and is thrilled by the appointment. “I feel really strongly about raising the profile of women working in the golf industry,” she said. “And India is bringing what so few could to this role.
“It’s not just her experiences of competing at the heights of the amateur game, but the skills and dedication it took to get there. She's also throwing a spotlight on careers in the golf industry outside of tour life. She will be a strong visible role model for other young women and girls who are following in her footsteps in the county, regional and national programmes.”
After a breakthrough victory on the LPGA this year, Clyburn’s amateur contemporary Maguire described her rise in the game as “meticulous.” In fact, her lengthy stay in the unpaid ranks meant she was a team-mate of both sisters. “She definitely took it steady,” said Clyburn. “She was very traditional. Learning her craft really mattered to her.”
Much the same might be said of Clyburn herself, and she has the CV to prove it.
Matt Cooper