Some people are born to be a captain, some people learn to be a captain and some people are motivated by personal reasons to become captain.

Brian Hutchins – although clearly a natural leader in his role as a project manager in retail construction – falls into the latter category.

The new captain at Lilley Brook Golf Club wants to represent the club for the next 12 months “to the best of my ability”, but is also motivated by personal tragedy.

“My daughter Lauren died from cystic fibrosis at the age of 21 in July 2015,” Brian explained.

“It is a great opportunity to raise money for The Sick Children’s Trust, which is my chosen charity. My target is to raise £6,000.”

You only need to chat to Brian for a few minutes to realise what a huge part family plays in his life.

In fact it was two of his sons – Matthew and James – who got him into golf in the first place.

“I was never interested in it until the boys started playing,” he said. “Then I got invited to a Westbury Homes golf day at Puckrup Hall. I teed off and that was about the only ball I hit all day!

“But after the golf finished we ate chocolate and drank red wine and I loved all that.

“After that I started to play with the boys at the nine-hole golf course at Sherdons before moving up to Cleeve.

“Thirteen years ago we all moved to Lilley Brook and we’ve been members ever since.”

The family haven’t looked back. While Brian plays off a very respectable 16, the two boys play off five, and now another Hutchins – Brian’s youngest son Joel – can be seen on the fairways in Charlton Kings having just joined the club.

Brian, who lives in Charlton Kings, was asked to be captain of the club four years ago by his friend Tom Kingsbury, but was unable to commit because of Lauren’s illness.

Now he feels the time is right.

“It’s a great club and I’m really honoured to be captain,” he said. “It’s a fantastic opportunity to put something back into the club. There are some wonderful people here. You have to be committed because you are representing the club and attending a lot of social events but it’s something I want to do.”

Brian’s vice-captain is Grant McIntosh and again there is a close family connection because Grant taught Lauren maths at St Edward’s School in Cheltenham.

Brian is full of praise for the “wonderful” ladies’ section. Their new captain is Maureen Bell – her husband Malcolm is captain of the seniors.

“They are very proactive,” Brian said of the ladies’ section. “They help us with lots of events.”

Brian is determined to play as much golf as possible this year despite his extra responsibility.

“I just want to play the best I can but I have no great ambition to reduce my handicap,” he said. “I’m a weekend golfer and just enjoy it but there is always that bit of a competitive edge. I think anyone who plays sport has a competitive edge. I won £5 the other day and it went straight into the charity box.

“It’s all about enjoyment but it’s fun to compete.”

Brian’s thoughts return to those closest to him again when he said about his new role: “I couldn’t do it without the support of my family. I work away all week and then I’m off playing golf at the weekend. My wife Cathie is brilliant.”

Cathie was there for the Captain’s Drive-in at the beginning of March – a traditional occasion that marks the start of a new captain’s term in office – and she was joined by the three boys, their daughter Sophie and her children.

“I hit a seven-iron 167 yards which I was very pleased with,” says Brian. “But the driver was poor. There were a lot of people and I only hit it 200 yards.

“I’m a left-hander and I was facing all the crowd. There was a lot of barracking!”