Greg Hughes was given a warm send-off by Petersfield Golf Club members after 31 years as the club’s head golf professional.

Club president Terry Roach presented Greg with a watch and cheque and announced that the management board would be nominating Greg for election as a life member of Petersfield Golf Club.

Greg joined the club, which was originally at The Heath, in 1992 after being assistant coach at Waterlooville Golf Club. He took over as head pro from Steve Clay - currently Blackmoor Golf Club pro - a year later.

Roach told members Greg was later responsible for designing the course at Adhurst in 1996, which superseded the old course, which he fitted into the landscape and within the budget which was set by the paying members who still own Petersfield Golf Club today.

Club archivist Sue Gray put together for the evening a display of pictures and press cuttings documenting their club pro’s golf career and achievements.  

In his professional career, Greg played on what is now known as the Euro Pro Tour and was still very active on the tournament front until the early 2000s.

He had numerous wins on the Hampshire circuit, including the Order of Merit, Hampshire Open, PGA Championship and Short Course Championship.

The biggest event he played in, alongside players such as Olazabal, Jimenez, Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood, was the Benson and Hedges International Open at the Oxfordshire Golf Club.

He sat on many committees and was PGA south region captain in the year 2000 and then in 2001.

Greg said: “This was a great honour as they were significant years in the PGA, not only the millennium in my first year but also the PGA's centenary year in 2001.”

Helping the club through Covid was an unexpected highlight for Greg, and he was a key member of the Back2Golf committee, working with fellow professionals and industry leaders whose recommendations were fed into a parliamentary committee.

Greg said: “Being a club professional is a strange job. It involves contributing, or trying to contribute, in all areas of club life, some visible, many not so much.

“The role is very personal. Golfers come in and share much of their lives with me. It may be about their round of golf or something much more important and personal. It is a privilege to be a club professional and it has been my privilege to have been Petersfield's for such a long time.”

Greg plans to enjoy some time off, and he eventually hopes to find somewhere in the area to focus on coaching and, if possible, club fitting. “Getting back on the tools," as Greg said.