New captain makes a case for friendlies

PETER SYMES will push the cause of the friendly golfers when he succeeds John Herschel as captain of the Royal Guernsey Golf Club on New Year's Day. Symes, 53, believes that too many competitions are being crammed into an already packed fixture list.

'It's just a personal feeling,' said the father of four girls and manager at the Yorkshire Guernsey bank.

The new captain says he does not wish to be embroiled in golfing politics and will not be leading any rush to drop club competitions.

But, as he prepared to take over the reins of the island's oldest and biggest golf club, he was keen to get over the message that friendly golf was important and too often the need for it is forgotten.

'We're getting more and more team matches and it bungs the course up,' said the man who has served on Royal Guernsey club committees for a decade.

He takes over at a good time.

He knows it will be a hectic, memorable year ahead.

But he knows what to expect.

Much is happening around the club.

The locker rooms are soon to be refurbished and new ones are to be provided for the women and junior sections.

The covered driving range is also close to completion.

And if he needs any tips about his golf he won't have to tap on too many shoulders to ask for help.

One daughter is dating one of the club's assistant pros and a certain David Warr, a junior contemporary of his, will be his vice-captain before moving up into the captaincy position in 2006.

'To be fair, it's a bit of a privilege to have him as a vice,' acknowledges the 13 handicap with a busy 2005 diary ahead of him.