Golf trade and golf media people met Olympic champion Denise Lewis and a host of other friends old and new, to enjoy a fun day’s golf in North London at the end of July.
The second annual ‘Swing for Sammy’ event was held at Muswell Hill Golf Club, raising £15,000 for cancer charities. Organised by Ben Trow, son of well-known golf writer Paul Trow, the golf day was in memory of Ben’s wife Samantha, a teacher, who died 18 months ago from bowel cancer at the age of 26.
Denise Lewis, who won the heptathlon gold medal at the Sydney Games in 2000, was among 200 players who teed the ball up on a rare sunny day.
Golf trade faces included Savile Row tailor William Hunt, PR specialists Andy Tremlett and Roger Wolfe, Tim Greenwood of Greg Norman Collection and Chervo, Cornelius Bohane, former owner of Fairway to Green magazine, Bob Smith and Mark Hilton of Peter Millar apparel, Andrew Cooke of golfbug.tv, golf travel experts Lucy Kublikowski and Fred Moghadam, Garry Harris, promoter of the Jamega Tour, and Andy Boxer, Alex Mills and Dan Bates from Golf Monthly.
Journalist and presenters included Steve Killick, Peter Milligan, Pete Simm, Pat Mooney, Joe Lancaster, Alex Payne and Alex Bergin.
Celebrity support came from BBC sports presenter Rishi Persard, former French Open golf champion Phil Golding and Trick Shot King Jeremy Dale, who entertained all the players during their round on the 10th tee and performed an evening show for all present.
The best golf trade team on the day was the Kingdom magazine fourball of Matt Squire, Matt Halnan, Andy Fletcher and Joe Velotta, who came fourth overall.
Tim Greenwood meanwhile preserved the trade’s reputation by recording one of the two best single-figure scores on the day.
Afterwards Ben Trow said: “We really can’t speak highly enough of the generous support we’ve received yet again from so many people – those who took part, those who didn’t but still made donations, prize donors, hole sponsors and auction bidders.”
The bulk of the money raised will go to Cancer Research UK, but bequests of £1,000 each will be passed on to Hospice in the Weald near Tunbridge Wells, Royal Marsden Hospital, and St Mark‘s Hospital, Northwick Park (specialising in bowel cancer).
Ben Trow has been highly commended by Cancer Research UK in the volunteers’ category of their annual Flame of Hope awards.
Cancer Research UK www.cancerresearchuk.org