MEMBERS of Hartley Wintney Golf Club raised £1,800 for charity during a weekend of celebrations held to mark professional Martin Smith's 25 years of service to the club.

Smith, who is now 56, joined the club as professional back in 1990, and unsurprisingly, he cannot see himself working anywhere else.

"I have enjoyed my 25 years at Hartley Wintney," he said. "I did not plan to stay for so long when I first arrived, but I settled in the area and really enjoy working here.

"It's a really friendly club. The members have always been really supportive and it's a nice environment to work in.

"The course has improved beyond all recognition, extending from nine holes to 18 in 2000. The improvements continue, with a new second hole due to open for play at the end of this month.

"I don't have any plans to retire and I cannot see myself working anywhere else. I am excited about continuing to grow the club and push up its standing in the area."

Smith's achievements were celebrated over the course of the May Day bank holiday.

An individual Stableford event was played over Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with 188 players taking part.

David Quinn's total of 43 points was enough to earn him first place and a new PING driver, with Hardeep Sehmi one point behind him in second place. Jamie Hobdell was a further point back in third.

A total of 27 teams took to the course for a Texas Scramble competition on the Monday, with Ed Joinson, Phil Welch, Peter Lawrence and Geoff Critcher claiming victory thanks to a nett score of 56.9.

Heather Rimmer, Jonathan Shaw, Anita Hobdell and Jamie Hobdell were a very close second, shooting a nett score of 56.95.

Amid all of the action on the course, there was a social evening on the Saturday night, during which Smith was presented with a number of gifts, including honorary life membership of the club.

Smith added: "It was an amazing weekend, with more than 300 people playing over the course of it.

"It was pretty humbling to have so many people saying nice things about me and I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone at the club for the fantastic support, not only last weekend, but over the 25 years I have been here."

Smith is currently training to take part in the Royal British Legion's Pedal to Paris event, which will see him cycle the 280 miles from London to Paris in September, and the weekend raised £1,800 towards his fundraising efforts.