A GROUP of eight golfers will require a mix of dedication, motivation and stamina this Monday (June 20) as they prepare to complete 72 holes of golf in just one day.
Starting at 4am, Solihull resident Simon Timmins will be joined by Lee Bould, Mark Brady, Steve Dent, Scot Dunsmore, Matt Ellis, Richard Gamlin and Neal Gooding as they work their way around the borough while raising funds for charity.
The Octet will defy the early start and tee-off at 4am, starting at Copt Heath Golf Club before moving on to a round at Ladbrook Park.
From there, Simon and his men will then travel for another 18 holes at Olton Golf Club and complete their herculean day back on familiar territory at Copt Heath.
However even before the group get into the swing of things, they have collectively raised over £4,500 for Macmillan Cancer Support – a charity close to the hearts of several members.
Speaking to The Observer, Simon said: “We’re all a mix of late 30s to early 50s and six of us are members at Copt Heath Golf Club so we know how to knock the ball around – most of the time anyway!
“One of the lads was taking part in the challenge anyway – all good ideas come together over a pint so we decided to join in and from there a couple more have jumped on board too.
“We’re doing this for charity and a couple of us have connections with Macmillan so it’ll be nice to know we’ve raised a large sum of money for the cause while having some fun at the same time.
“There aren’t many things you can do with golf and charity but given the days are longer this presents us with the perfect opportunity to mix our love of golf with charity.”
With a target of £5,000 set, Simon is confident they can raise the final grand before tee-off on Monday morning.
He added: “We’ve already eclipsed £4,500 and obviously still want to continue fundraising.
“We’re all avid golfers, though none of us have ever tackled four courses in one day – I think we’ll be crawling across the line at the end but it’ll be worth it.
“It’ll be an early start and a late finish but we’ve got refreshments and hydrations prepared and our JustGiving page is working well.
“From a logistics point of view it was impossible to play around four different courses, however we’re all familiar with Copt Health Golf Club and I’m sure they’ll be an element of competitiveness throughout the day.”
To support Simon’s marathon golfing effort, visit justgiving.com/fundraising/Top-Slice-Hack-Knife-Duck-Thin-Fat-Chunk where all donations are welcome.
