Bryan Heydinger wins the Thursday Senior calendar event at Sudbrook Moor Golf Club

There was very fine tuning and a top performance from Sudbrook Moor’s octogenarian, Bryan Heydinger, in the final trophy stableford of the year, the Thursday Senior calendar.

Trophy morning dawned murky and wet and the tough got going.

Bryan drove his weekly journey of 22 miles to reach his beloved golf course before day break to meet his regular playing group.

The weather is never a hindrance to the day’s plan and the fun challenge of this Christmas trophy is to play the course with two clubs and an obligatory putter.

It didn’t deter Bryan, leaving his 11 clubs at home, and his selection of a hybrid eight-iron and a nine-wood brought him credit and a scorecard of 35 points.

Bryan scored on all 18 holes and a birdie two on the back nine boosted the running total by four points.

He avoided all the bunkers and applied his nine-wood off the tees and again on the fairways.

His newly purchased hybrid eight – a cross between a fairway wood and an iron - did just what it says on the tin, a versatile dependable club.

With only three clubs, there is no indecision and course management becomes that much easier.

Bryan is an inspiration and, as we step into a new year, he might be accurately described as an octogenarian golfer putting more life into his years.

Runner-up, and best of handicap in Division One, was Paul Johnson while Ian Batty and Les Watson finished equal third. Dick Marshall was fifth with Steve Squires and Graham Mackinder sharing sixth spot.

Over coffee and mince pies, a generous spirit prevailed and the senior captain's raffle raised vital funds for Steve Squires' nominated charity, the British Heart Foundation, with a grand total yet to be announced.