Mannings Heath quartet clock up 182 years on the fairways

A regular four-ball at Mannings Heath GC near Horsham has a combined age of 330 and a total of 182 years’ membership at the club. Ron Barber, Alan Wild, Denis Bews and Fred Cotton are all more than 80 and had their first game as a four-ball 31 years ago. Cotton is the longest-serving member, joining the club’s Waterfall Course 60 years ago. Bews follows having been a member for 48 years; Barber is close behind with 44, while Wild joined 31 years ago.

Barber explained, “It was in the early 1920s that I first picked up a club, and the game was a lot different back then. I paid just £5 for my first lesson. One of my fondest memories is winning the Picadilly Pro-Am in 1976, I still have the trophy to this day.”

Mannings Heath, owned by the Exclusive Golf group, has two 18-hole layouts, the Waterfall Course and Kingfisher Course. Neil Darnell, head professional, golf operations and retail manager at Mannings Heath said, “It’s fantastic to have a group of golfers at our club who have seen the club develop over many years. We greatly appreciate their loyalty to the club and we look forward to welcoming them for many more years to come.”