MEMBERS of 45 different golf clubs from the Midlands, Wales and the South West supported Ross-on-Wye Golf Club’s annual men's Seniors Singles Open for 55+ players.

There was a start-sheet of 181 entrants, of which 165 were visitors, to enjoy the unique experience of playing the Gorsley-based club’s 'hidden gem' tree-lined course, which fully lived up to expectations.

The standard of play was a credit to the occasion, with overall winner George Brown from St Mellons Golf Club in Cardiff shining brightest on what he termed a 'fabulous day'.

Being an accomplished nine handicapper, he arrived at the 10th hole with three birdies to his credit and then delivered an exceptional one over par performance on his back nine with eight successive gross pars.

George's 41 stableford points total made him a worthy champion with a points total also matched by a fine round by David Bernstein from Long Ashton Golf Club.

Home players to feature were Danny Gear and Tim Lewis with 38 points each and for the second successive year, Colin Price with 36 points.

The course’s near perfect playing conditions received many acknowledgements and appreciations to pass-on to course manager Dylan Stokes and his green keeping team.

An abundance of volunteers and helpers, drawn largely from the men's seniors section, were required to 'make it happen', together with club caterer John Devine and his dedicated team, the Tim Hall School of Golf Pro-Shop team and general manager Hamish Mackay and his admin team.

They all worked together to add further recognition to the Ross Club's 'Brand Name' status.

The opportunity to 'help others' was again a feature, with generous support for the raffles, including 30 prizes donated by club members and managed on the day by Jenny Reeve-Tucker and Wendy Ancrum.

As a result, Ross Club men's captain Joe Sutton’s selected charity Encephalitis International saw a record-breaking £893 added to his fundraising campaign.