10 minutes with… Graeme Seaton, Royal & Awesome

    The founder of the clothing brand which provides vibrant trousers talks about playing golf from when he was old enough to lift a club, making golf more fun and why the film Forrest Gump has everything.

    What’s your favourite golf course and why?

    Muirfield, which is in my home town of Gullane – it is a very well laid out course and offers fantastic golf. It’s a really special place and causing a bit of controversy at the moment with the issue of ladies members, so I think they will have to make some changes there, but it is a wonderful golf course.

    What was your first experience of golf?

    I grew up in an incredible golf town with two older brothers who all played golf. As soon as I could hold a club, at two or three years old, I started playing. My Dad is an enthusiastic club golfer and he encouraged us all to play sports and golf was very much one of them. Our local course in Gullane was about a hundred yards from our house and in North Berwick there was a really good nine-hole children’s course and they had competitions every summer for all the local kids, which was a big draw.

    Screen Shot 2016-04-06 at 16.51.52What’s the best shot that you have ever played?

    I once holed a five iron on a par five, although unfortunately it was my third shot and not my second!

    What one thing would you change about the golf industry?

    I would like to put a bit more emphasis on people having fun while they play as that is something that is forgotten about sometimes. I think some golf clubs are too stuffy and I think it’s really important that all golf clubs value the people that come and play and make sure that they have the best experience possible so they will keep on coming back.

    What do you like most about your job?

    That we get to help people have fun out on the golf course by bringing all the fun and cool stuff that we can find to different golf courses. I love the fact that we have created a really distinct brand that combines all the history and heritage that golf in Scotland has with that fun element.

    What’s the hardest part of it?

    Being really focused on what the biggest things are that can make a difference to grow the brand and get us in front of as many people as possible. We have lots of different ideas and avenues that we could go down, lots of marketing opportunities and different financial demands and it is hard sometimes to choose which ones will have the biggest impact on the business to help us to reach more people.

    Who would be your five dream dinner party guests?

    Will Ferrell, Wilbur Smith who is an amazing author, Boris Johnson – I don’t necessarily agree with all the politics, but you would certainly get an interesting conversation with him – and Clive Woodward as I’m a big rugby fan. I haven’t got a golfer in yet, so Miguel Jimenez.

    Forrest-Gump-PosterWhat’s your favourite film?

    Forest Gump. It’s an amazing story and it has everything; war, a love interest and sport.

    What are the most played songs on your iPod?

    I have a very eclectic mix, but probably Les Misérables– I’m a bit of a musicals fan.

    What would you like to do if you weren’t in golf?

    I would want to be at a leading brand in business, and help them create something that people love. I’m very passionate about marketing and did a graduate training scheme in it, so it would be something to do with that.