Club champion becomes captain at Seaton Carew

Hughie Hamilton has become the first club champion to hold the post of club captain at Seaton Carew Golf Club.

The 54-year-old will lead the club in its 151st year and has said he would love to mark his 12 months in the role by winning the club championship title for a 10th time this summer.

A member of the club since 1983, Hughie drove into office in front of more than 100 members at the Teesside club on New Year’s Day – along with new ladies’ captain Melanie Downs and junior captain Oliver Hoey.

“It was a fantastic day, all quite relaxed on the tee, but it’s never easy because you want to make contact while you are being teased by the spectators,” said Hughie, who had long-term caddie Nik Proctor with him.

“It means so much to me to be captain of this amazing club. It is a wonderful honour. I will never take the role lightly and I am very proud to be following my best friend in golf and in life, Phil Cain, in the long list of proud captains,” added Hughie – who won his first club championship in 2001, has lifted the Seaton Salver four times, and was crowned Durham county champion in 2004.

Hughie’s mum Yvonne, son Oliver and nephew Fin, who had flown in from New York, were also on the tee box to see him hit his drive 241 yards.

Hughie has chosen the PFC Trust’s Rare Dementia Fund – designed to support individuals and their families affected by the disease – as the captain’s charity for 2025.

“We have raised almost £1,000 already and I was keen to carry on the good work Phil did last year for the fund because of our links to Lesley and Tommy Connor, a good friend of ours,” added Hughie. “Over the next 12 months we’d like to do what we can to help. I’d also like to see the continued progression of this fantastic and historic golf club. Seaton Carew has gone from strength to strength and there has been a lot of investment in the club.”