From Brussels to the UAE: Peter Bacon’s Global Coaching Journey6 min read

For PGA Professional Peter Bacon, joining the Yas Acres Golf & Country Club Academy has been the latest chapter in a diverse international career that has taken him from the UK to Spain, Belgium, and now the UAE.

As part of the Viya Golf coaching team in Abu Dhabi, Peter brings a wealth of experience shaped by years of teaching golfers from all walks of life — from beginners finding their rhythm to tour-level players fine-tuning performance. His approach blends structure and simplicity, and his use of systems like AimPoint reflects his commitment to helping players understand, trust, and enjoy their own process.

In this conversation, Peter shares how he integrates performance systems into his coaching at Yas Acres, what he’s learned from teaching around the world, and how that experience helps him connect with an increasingly international community of golfers in the UAE.

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Q: As part of the academy at Yas Acres, how do you integrate AimPoint into your wider coaching programmes, and why do you feel it adds value for golfers of all levels?

Peter: At Yas Acres, AimPoint is an important part of our overall coaching philosophy. We integrate it within putting sessions, short-game coaching, and even on-course lessons. While it’s traditionally known as a green-reading system for putting, we also apply it to chipping, which gives players a better chance of holing more chip shots.

It provides a clear and measurable system for reading greens and understanding slopes, which fits perfectly with our broader performance coaching. We use TrackMan data for putting and structured practice plans to build consistency, so AimPoint complements that approach beautifully.

I believe it adds tremendous value for golfers of all levels because it takes away one of the game’s most challenging elements, reading greens. Putting accounts for around 40 percent of strokes in a round, even for pros and low handicappers, so AimPoint’s precision and repeatability under pressure help them save key shots. For mid- and high-handicap players, it’s a real confidence-builder. It removes guesswork, helps them learn quickly, and often delivers instant results.

We regularly see players reduce their putts per round by two or three on average, which means lower scores and, just as importantly, more enjoyment, regardless of age or skill level.

Q: Some golfers may see AimPoint as complex or reserved for professionals. How do you make it approachable for beginners or club golfers, and what changes do they tend to notice in their putting once they start using it?

Peter: It’s true that some people assume AimPoint is only for elite players, but the reality is that it’s very straightforward once you understand the basics. We break it down into simple, repeatable steps so it’s accessible to everyone from the start.

For beginners, it begins with learning to feel the slope with their feet, no complicated maths or charts involved. Within a session or two, most realise they can predict breaks with surprising accuracy.

The biggest difference they notice is confidence. They stop guessing and start trusting their reads. That naturally leads to better pace control, fewer three-putts, and a calmer, more focused mindset on the greens.

Q: From your international coaching background to your work at Yas Acres, what role do you see AimPoint playing in helping golfers not just improve their scores, but also enjoy the game more?

Peter: AimPoint brings clarity to putting and transforms how golfers feel on the greens. Wherever I’ve coached around the world, I’ve seen players at every level become more engaged and positive once they understand how to read greens effectively.

At Yas Acres, it’s not just about chasing scores, it’s about helping golfers enjoy the process of learning and performing. When players start to see their putts roll on line and drop more often, their confidence and enjoyment naturally grow. That’s what makes AimPoint such a powerful coaching tool.

Q: You mentioned you’ve had a fascinating journey in golf. Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you came to join the team at Yas Acres?

Peter: I was born into a golfing family, my father and uncle were both golf professionals, and my grandfather was a club maker, so golf was always part of life. I enjoyed it as a kid but only started taking it seriously when I was about sixteen. I qualified as a PGA professional at twenty-one and took my first job at Wensum Valley in Norfolk, where I later became Head Pro. It was a busy 36-hole facility with a great community of golfers.

After that, I moved to Bonmont Golf Club in Barcelona, which had hosted European Tour events, and later to Brussels, where I worked at the Brussels Golf Club Training Academy and then at Houdoncourt, a small club but one of the best training facilities in Belgium. I later joined Brussels Drohme Golf Club before spending two years in southern Spain running a short-game coaching business, working independently across several clubs.

One day, I came across an article by Marc Arnold (Director of Instruction at Viya Golf Golf) titled “From Burnley to Bahrain and Beyond” in The PGA magazine. I messaged him, saying “From Darwen to Brussels and beyond,” as our stories had a lot in common. A few conversations later, we were discussing ideas for the academy, and now here I am. I’ve been at Yas Acres for nine weeks, and it’s already been an eventful start. Let’s just say I’m still getting the hang of Excel.

Q: With so many expats and international players living in the UAE, how do you think your experience working and living in different countries helps you in your role at Yas Acres?

Peter: I think it helps a great deal. Having lived and worked in several countries, I understand how golfers from different backgrounds learn and communicate. I also speak Spanish and French, which has been a big advantage here.

For example, I recently gave a lesson in Spanish to a player from South America and another in French to a Moroccan golfer. Being able to teach in someone’s native language instantly makes the experience more comfortable and personal.

Many of the expat golfers I’ve met so far are British, but the international mix here is fantastic, and having that cultural and linguistic versatility really helps build stronger relationships with players.

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With a broad international background and a modern, data-informed approach, Peter is already making his mark at Yas Acres. His experience across Europe and now the UAE brings valuable perspective to the academy’s growing reputation as a destination for golfers seeking structured, accessible, and enjoyable coaching experiences.

To find out more about the facilities at Viya Golf’s Yas Links, including the new Golf Academy, the 18-hole championship course and the par-3 course, visit: viyagolf.com/yaslinks.