The spirit

Rob Smith joined the field for the 2022 Golf Monthly forum fundraising day for Help For Heroes, which raised a fantastic and vitally needed £11,000...

On a glorious day in mid-October, the 13th annual charity day for Help For Heroes organised by the Golf Monthly forum took place over the first-class links at Hayling Golf Club in Hampshire. Here, a field of almost 90 keen golfers from near and far enjoyed perfect weather and a very fine course presented in tip-top condition. Normally, wind is a key factor on Hayling Island, but happily, for two-thirds of the round, it was remarkably benign. The cloudless sky meant that sunglasses were an essential item of kit for many.

The day began with a hearty cooked breakfast in the art-deco clubhouse, with its panoramic views over the course and out to sea. Following a trip to the warm-up range, it was then out to the allotted tee for the shotgun start. The links is one of the very best courses on the south coast and a highly regarded regular in the Golf Monthly Next 100 in the UK&I. It plays to a par of 71 with three par 5s, four short holes and a superb stretch from the 6th to the 14th. Play was from the yellow tees and, while scoring was good, there were still plenty of tales of Titleists somehow magically disappearing into the gorse.