South Staffs Golf Club tee up shot for national glory

Led by captain Ian Guest, South Staffs battled through nine rounds of this year's Mail on Sunday Classic event to join three other sides in the finals at the El Rompido Golf complex in Spain.

A total of 3,133 golf clubs in the UK entered the competition with South Staffs suffering heartbreak in the shoot-out for silverware when they were edged out 3-2 by Consett and District Golf Club from Durham in the final.

The appearance in Spain capped a super season for South Staffs after they claimed the Midlands Scratch League title for the first time in their history.

And now Guest and his fellow squad members – Richard Hewitt, Tom Hewitt, John Mackie, Steve Charlton, Steve Terry and Craig Bucknall – are targeting more success next year.

"The competition starts again in February and we will definitely be entering," said Guest.

"This was the fourth time we had entered and we had never got past the second or third rounds before. We won through nine rounds to get to Spain.

"We will be trying to keep the same squad of players together who all played so well.

"It was a great achievement to reach the final, it would have been an anti-climax to have lost in the semi-final and then had to play off for third and fourth place.

"The final was a great match and we were disappointed to lose but we feel we have put South Staffs on the map.

"All the other clubs will be aware of us now."

A small army of members and supporters from the club travelled to Spain, some of whom caddied for the players, while the Staffs boys were kitted out with new shirts for the semi-finals and final by Ash Desai and Wes Wilkes, of Lotus Financial Solutions, and Dougie Allen, of Midland Aerospace Partnership Limited respectively.

The South Staffs line-up of Guest, Richard Hewitt, Tom Hewitt, Mackie and Charlton overcame a strong Kenwick Park team 3½-1½ to book their place in the final.

The contest with Consett and District produced some high quality golf with Guest proud of his team's display.

"The competition was strong, we are a low-handicap team but the other sides in the final were as low if not lower," he said.

"It was a tough course and the golf was very competitive.

"The final was a close affair and the initiative swung both ways.

"My game went down to the 18th when I had an uphill putt from six foot for a birdie and my opponent had a 12-footer downhill for a birdie.

"He made his and then I made mine for the half, but if he had missed his and I had holed mine the match would have gone to a sudden death play-off between the last two players.

"But it was a fantastic experience and we had a great time.

"The event was very well organised, the weather was pleasant and we were looked after.

"Our run generated a lot of interest around the club and there have been plenty of messages of congratulations. The club really got behind us."