THE new Pyrford Golf Club captain has begun his year by raising nearly £1,000 for the Shooting Star Children’s Hospice.

Paul Stewart, who lives in Ottershaw and was a sports journalist with the News & Mail, began his year as captain with a Drive-In team event in which he had to hit a ceremonial tee shot with the other players guessing where it would land.

Paul, who reports on American sports in his spare time from his job at IBM, chose the course’s  180-yard par-3 10th hole and hit his shot near the green.

“I didn’t find any of the water hazards that make Pyrford so famous,” he said.

The Drive-In featured 72 players, followed by a talk by golf author Ross Biddiscombe, who recounted stories from covering many Ryder Cups.

Paul has a six handicap and has been playing at Pyrford since 2007. He plays nearly 200 rounds a year, with weekends supplemented by early morning rounds in the summer.

He also played 14 seasons in the British Baseball League, finishing his career as player-manager of the Guildford Mavericks.

For the full story get the 5 December edition of the News & Mail