ROSS Golf Club’s men players have been aiming to deliver their best performances in their efforts to win two coveted annual honours board competitions.

And on both occasions, 15 handicapper Paul Vitale found himself No 1 on the final results tables to secure his attendance at the Gorsley-based club's annual prize-giving presentation evening in September.

First, the Traders Cup was the focus of attention as one of the club's longest standing majors, which is steeped in history having been initiated by the many and varied traders who once dominated the Wye Valley scene.

Played over two rounds of 18 holes medal play, the trophy rewards the best combined net handicap scorers and by his own admittance, Paul came to the occasion not entirely in the best of form.

However, having his 18-year-old talented son Isaac, an accomplished one handicapper and a product of the Ross Club's Tim Hall School of Golf Juniors Academy since he was 12, alongside him to advise proved an inspiration that helped deliver remarkable trophy winning experiences.

Isaac is also a former winner of the Traders Cup, so with 90 members taking part on this occasion, he could not have been more pleased that his father’s combined 141 net medal total was just enough on count-back for Paul to be crowned the 2026 champion.

James Flitton as runner up was unlucky to miss out despite matching Paul's 141 total.

They were followed by Ross Golf Club junior James Sayce and Tony Fletcher with 142, Richard Tullett on 145 and Paul Stone, Tim Wyatt and David Warwick with 146.

Just weeks later, Paul and Isaac were together again on the entrants’ sheet with 93 others for the annual Bradley Court Cup bogey competition.

The stroke-play format involves club members playing a match-play style game against a fixed target score on each hole, winning, halving, or losing individual holes to finish with a net overall score.

Not only did Isaac have the experience of being the previous winner of this event in 2025, but guided again by the ideas which he identified with those demonstrated by Adam Sandler in the 'Happy Gilmore' films, it resulted in Paul “focusing his attention' on processes rather than outcomes” when playing his shots.

On the day, Paul stayed calm and in control especially when under pressure to produce his best.

For Isaac, a former John Kyrle High School pupil and currently seeking his PGA qualification at Hartpury College, the occasions were more meaningfully revealing, as not only can he can look forward with considerable confidence to a promising career associated with golf in skills coaching, but as a life coach as well.

Paul's +5 net score was again just enough to win the day on count-back, and Steven Beveridge, who matched the total, was the unfortunate runner up this time.

They were followed by teenager Harvey Gunn with +4, Marcus McEvoy and Richard Clements with +3 and a host of +2s being Richard Tromans, James-David Jarvis, Simon Mills and Gary Moyle.