Meet the expert: Paul Barrington

“I just fell into it really,” Paul Barrington admits when discussing how he came to start playing golf at the age of 10. Due to golfing parents and an opportunity to caddie from a young age, he fell in love with the sport, and has been playing golf for 37 years. 

Being a former world trick shot champion and two-time British long drive champion, Barrington now does trick shot shows for people across the world, including many celebrities. “I’m very fortunate in that I do many celebrity occasions, and have met a huge number of celebrities including Lewis Hamilton and Chris Evans. It’s become the norm for me, and it’s great to be able to work with people like them.”

His show has taken his across the globe and says that although the travel has been “fantastic,” the gap between rich and poor in some countries had really struck him. “Especially in India and Indonesia you really see the poverty of the world. Whereas when you go to America and you have the other side of the coin with their mansions.”

Paul noted another interesting difference between countries is their golfing cultures.

“It’s strange that in Japan and the East, golf is massive but only for men. It’s the women that are caddies.” He draws a link here with the refusal of clubs such as Muirfield to let women into them, saying that this “doesn’t help the game.”

Although his trick shot shows may be the more glamorous side to his career, it seems however, that his heart is primarily in his business ‘inPlay Golf’ here in Bristol. 

inPlay Golf in Harbourside uses Virtual Reality technology to create a realistic golfing experience and allows individuals to practice their game, or learn to play in an comfortable environment.

“I always wanted to start an academy for people who have never played, or people from disadvantaged backgrounds so they can have a chance to play golf without having to deal with the stigma of not being the right sort of person,” Paul says when conveying his passion for sharing golf with others and the vision for his business.  

He also comments that although the future of golf is “in good hands with youngsters” he insists that “golf will have to change” to survive. 

“It’s going to be like the world. The bigger golf clubs will get bigger, the smaller will disappear. If you’re poor, you’re getting poorer and if you’re wealthy, you’re getting wealthier. The gap is widening.” 

He argues that the change must come from “the ethos” of clubs, and that this will involve opening their doors to those who may have not been considered previously.  

“Girls will come in jeans if they want to, boys will wear hats the wrong way round” but that at the end of the day, he says it doesn’t matter and that “If it gets people playing the sport I think it’s right.”

When asked whether through inPlay Golf, he is trying to root out elitism from the sport he humbly says, “No not at all, I think it’s just about seeing the other side of it.”

“I’ve been fortunate enough to work in every part of golf … and I look at it like I have a ‘360 view of golf.’ I can see why the 65 year olds want the course to themselves, and I can see the other side of clubs needing money and opening them up to the public.”

“I just think that getting more people swinging golf clubs is the most important thing.”