Ask Carol Lane what she’d like for Christmas and there’s every chance she’d say “a vice-captain”.

That’s because Carol hasn’t had one for close on the four years that she has been captain of the ladies’ section at Rodway Hill Golf Club.

“Definitely,” she says, when asked if she’d like one. “I enjoy the job but it would be nice if someone else came forward.

“This is actually my seventh season as captain because I’ve previously done it for two years and a year.”

Carol’s current term as captain runs until March when the club hold their AGM and whether she continues as captain or not, there’s no doubt she will remain a fixture at a club that were founded in 1991.

Carol, 68, has been a member at the Highnam club for 17 years even though she lives in Bishop’s Cleeve.

So how did she come to be a member of Rodway Hill?

“We were living in Kemerton at the time,” said Carol, “and were about to buy a house in Highnam. I played a round at Rodway Hill and really liked it, and even though the house move fell through I still joined the club.”

Before that she played at Cleeve Cloud and says: “I used to play off 13 but these days I play off 21. Rodway Hill is a much more difficult course, it’s got very narrow fairways,” before adding with a laugh, “but I do like it now!”

A couple of illnesses which prevented her from playing for a time have also been a factor in her handicap rising, but she has still been good enough over the years to be crowned ladies’ club champion which she says is her biggest achievement in golf.

She still plays a couple of times every week and says that Rodway Hill have been a “safe haven” for her over the years.

Carol lost her husband Bramwell and son Christopher in the 2007 floods – they died as they tried to pump floodwater out of the clubhouse at Tewkesbury Rugby Club – and Carol added: “Everyone at Rodway Hill was very supportive. Bramwell and Christopher were part of what makes me.”

Born in Cheshire, Carol moved to Gloucestershire some 40-odd years ago and started playing golf in 1992.

“I was playing county squash but my body was starting to give way,” she laughed, “so I wanted something that was a little less strenuous.

“Up to then I had no interest in golf; I liked squash because I could play it in my lunch hour, golf took all day!”

So which sport does she prefer?

“I’d have to say golf now,” she said. “I wish I’d started earlier. It’s the social side. I play quite a lot of ladies’ events countywide and meet a lot of people, it helps me.”

She also plays for Rodway Hill against five other teams in the Severn Valley League and with plenty of success.

“We won it for two years in a row before losing to our arch-rivals South Hereford,” she laughed.

She obviously gets to play on a good number of courses but ask her which is the best and she’ll say without a moment’s hesitation “Rodway Hill!”.

And she was due to play on her home course a couple of days after this interview.

“It’s the Sioux Hatcher Memorial Trophy,” she said. “We were both diagnosed with breast cancer at the same time but unfortunately hers was terminal. She set up this tournament before she died.”

Carol has been part of the winning team a couple of times over the years which obviously was extra special for her.

Mind you, she said she wasn’t definitely going to play in this year’s event.

“It used to be played in November but we brought it forward to October because it kept getting rained off,” she explained. “But the forecast for this year’s event is absolutely terrible so I might not play, I’m a bit of a wimp these days.”

The smart money would be on her playing because Carol Lane is clearly one very brave lady.