Golf club’s 40th birthday Pro-Am event is a big hit
Funds are raised for health charity Mind
GOLFERS of all skill levels took part in a tournament celebrating decades of competitions at Waterlooville Golf Club.
Professionals and amateurs from across the south gathered for the 40th Pro-Am tournament held at the course in Cherry Tree Avenue.
The first Pro-Am competition was set to be held at the club in 1979, but poor conditions led to it being rescheduled for August 1980, when 164 players took part the contest.
Players have flocked to the course each year since, with no exception at the 40th which took place on Wednesday.
New sponsorship from Facilities Management Southern meant this year’s prizes were bigger and better than ever, with a car being offered for one of the hole-in-one shots and £1,500 awarded to the professional winners on the day.
Other events which have become a regular feature of the Waterlooville Pro-Am include nearest the pin, goodie bags, a halfway hut and hole-in-one prizes on all five of the par three holes, funded by the sponsors.
To mark the celebratory year, the club held a raffle and golfers were entertained with live music in the evening during the prizegiving ceremony.
To make the celebration even more fun for the golfers, there was a ‘wheelbarrow of wine’ competition, the name-on-a-fiver raffle, and a free club membership was up for grabs to the winner of the head and tails competition.
Funds throughout the day were raised in support of mental health charity Mind, which was chosen by Facilities Management Southern.
Mark Wycherley, secretary manager, said: ‘This year is our 40th anniversary so we were delighted to secure the support of such a generous and proactive sponsor.
‘The really great news is that Facilities Management Southern intend to support us for a few years, so hopefully this is just the start of our Pro-Am being known as one of the best for everyone involved.’