The car park at Sidmouth golf club was overflowing on Monday of this week when Sidmouth seniors held their Open Competition, the premier event of their calendar, writes Charles Oram.

Senior golfers thronged to the Sidmouth course from the four corners of the known world (and beyond, since there were representatives from Cornwall and Dorset!)

A stableford format was used, with two divisions (one for handicaps up to 18 and the other for the rest).

The course was unfamiliar not only to visiting players, but also perhaps to the home contingent, because of the difficult (occasionally fiendish) pin and tee placements.

The highest score of the day (38 points) was returned by Bob Skelly to top division 2, followed by 36 points from Chris Ashley to win division 1.

In this form, Skelly’s 28 handicap will soon be a distant memory!

Bruce Harcourt came second in division two with 35 points and runner-up in division 1 was Les Pratt (34 points).

There were new golf shoes for the leading home players and the best visitors.

Regular readers will not be surprised to learn that Les Pratt won the nearest-the-pin prize (his third this month) on the last hole.

He graciously allowed a visitor from Weymouth to win the other such award on offer at hole 12; while Mike Dommett was rewarded for the longest drive on the eighth hole.

There were six prize-winning birdies on the par three’s.

Thanks go to organiser Doug Goodall and his team, and to starter Barry Jones who enlivened proceedings with his often humorous descriptions of the competitors.

Thanks also to the sponsors, Sidmouth Rotary, Sidmouth Garden Centre and Riviera Hotel ; and to the squadron of ball-spotters from the Ladies’ section.

To leap from an aircraft is one thing but to brave a hail of misdirected golf balls takes real courage!