When it comes to going the distance in the golfing business world, there is no entrepreneur more willing to put in that extra something than Graeme Alexander.

Graeme, a talented businessman who has been all over the globe with a burgeoning curriculum vitae for his 41 years, has recently brought a new product to the golfing world, alongside his long-time friend and fellow Scotsman Simon Yates - one of the most successful international players on the Asian Tour.

Their friendship however was not started on the green; in fact it started on something a great deal colder and whiter - the snow.

Graeme and Simon, who were once fully-fledged members of the Scottish ski team in their youth, have teamed up to launch Graeme’s venture, The Extra 20 Yards. 

The product, which strengthens the muscles used in the golf swing, is arguably one of the most inventive and refreshing pieces of equipment to bridge the gap between the gym and the golf course. It has received high praise from PGA coaches, professionals and amateurs alike. 

Although Graeme and Simon have pursued separate career paths - with Graeme favouring university over a professional career in golf - he still remains a keen amateur golfer with a more than respectable eight handicap. 

“I never took lessons which is a great frustration now - I’m battling swing faults always!” he said, which is a comment sure to find resonance with many an amateur golfer. 

“It is not really until I came back to Scotland in 2001 when I started playing a lot more, partially because there is just so much fantastic golf available in Scotland.”

And although his attitude to business is driven, he is wise enough to view his golf as just a pastime.

“I am very happy at being an eight handicapper.  I don’t feel the need to drive my handicap down further, because for me golf is all about enjoyment.”

But for Graeme, who is from Edinburgh, nothing gives him more pleasure than to play links golf.

“I just absolutely love the quirkiness of links golf. I played with friends two weeks ago at the Glen Golf Club in Berwick and there’s 138-yard par three, and it was straight into the wind and we both hit driver, because it was such a strong wind. It was just crazy - ridiculous - but just fantastic fun!

“Those moments are my favourite, where you find yourself playing off a beach or hitting driver at a hundred yards shot. That is the essence of golf for me.”

Golf is pure pleasure for Graeme - you won’t see him down the gym trying to improve his game. In his own words, Graeme says he is a ‘gym rat’ - as opposed to a gym bunny one would assume. 

“The idea of looking at myself, while dressed in Lycra, is about as far away from my ideal as you could possibly get,” he chuckled.

And it is essentially his distaste for the gym which led to the light bulb moment behind The Extra 20 Yards.

He said: “I started thinking about, how do golfers get that extra strength and fitness without having to invest a lot of money in going to the gym?”

It struck him that rowers had indoor rowing machines, and cyclists had spinning bikes, but what equivalent was there for golfers, and especially ones who want to hit further and stronger?

“I know how much joy I get out of hitting a really long drive, and I want to help other golfers experience that,” Graeme said. 

“There is obviously a business element to The Extra 20 Yards, but there is also an altruistic objective too, so that golfers get the benefit out of it and enjoy the golf more than they are now.”

The Extra 20 Yards is going from strength to strength, and with Graeme’s experience in business - from his MBA, to working for Nestle, to co-founding a young people’s volunteer charity, to dipping his toe in the renewable energy sector - there’s no reason why it shouldn’t continue to get stronger. 

He may be an entrepreneur, but Graeme stressed it is all about being happy in what he does. 

He concluded: “It is about being involved with good businesses and interesting motivated people, and if I do that then generally I am pretty contented.”

The Extra 20 Yards is a piece of golf fitness equipment which can add distance to your drives. Visit their website www.extra-yards.com.