Peter House retired from full-time work some eight years ago but he remains a very busy man.

Over the past three years he has been vice-captain, club captain and now president of Brickhampton Court Golf Club and he plans to carry on in his current role for a good while yet.

When The Local Answer called, he was just preparing to meet up with club captain Ray Jones ahead of the club’s President v Captain match.

“It’s an annual grudge match,” laughed Peter. “We try desperately to beat each other for bragging rights although in a very sporting way.”

Peter, who is in his 60s, started playing golf from an early age – his dad Ron was a keen golfer.

“My twin brother Paul and I were about seven years old,” he recalled. “My dad played at Lilley Brook and we’d be up there every weekend. We’d caddy for my dad or other members.

“We’d also go looking for lost balls and occasionally knock some balls about.

“My brother joined the RAF but I carried on playing although I was never very successful.”

Peter is being a little modest there – he currently plays off nine although he was playing off eight earlier in the summer.

And that is despite not playing a lot of golf for much of his working life.

“I worked for the Fire and Rescue Service for 31 years,” he said with some pride. “When I did play golf I played society golf, I didn’t take up golf full-time until I retired in 2010.”

That was when Peter, who lives in Cheltenham and is married to Vivienne, joined Brickhampton. So why did he join the club in Churchdown?

“A few of my colleagues from the Fire Service were members there,” he explained, “but I also wanted to play on a course that wasn’t hilly.

“I knew that if I was going to continue to play golf for a significant length of time that I’d be better off on a flat course. I was also aware that the club was very friendly and has a strong social aspect.”

So what sort of golfer is he?

“I’m steady,” he said. “I’m getting there but it’s hard work. The aim is to get the handicap down to seven but I’m happy around the eight mark. I’ll be content if I can stay on a single figure handicap for the next few years.”

And he’s certainly been happy to throw himself into all things Brickhampton Court Golf Club over the past few years.

“I’ve never been happy to be a car park golfer,” he said. “I’ve never been one of those people who gets their clubs out of their car, plays a round and then puts their clubs back in the car before driving off.

“I believe if you’re going to be part of it, you should be part of it, so I always enjoy being in the clubhouse. The club doesn’t run itself, it takes a dedicated team of hardworking volunteers to make it work, I’m part of that team.”

That is part and parcel of taking on added responsibility, of course, although he says being captain is a better job than being president.

“I think it’s more fun,” he said. “It’s a great job, it’s a two-year job because you are vice-captain for a year and then captain. It culminates in the end-of-season celebrations and prize-giving and then you can walk off into the sunset.”

Except that Peter didn’t walk off into the sunset, he immediately took on the role of president.

“I spoke with Steven Creed the managing director of Brickhampton Court Golf Complex,” said Peter. “We agreed that I could make a contribution as president. I had the right background, I was successful in the Fire Service and went up the ranks; I retired as a senior officer.”

And Peter plans to be in his current position, which is voluntary, when the 850-member club celebrate their 25th anniversary in 2020.

The club was built in 1994 and opened to members a year later: “We’re looking at a week-long celebration of golf,” he said. “We’ll be holding a number of competitions and probably some open competitions.”

Peter intends to be out on the fairway during that special week and anyone playing a round with him – now or then – will learn that he is a very big fan of the club.

“The course is maturing nicely,” he said. “It’s not the longest course about but it is tricky, one bad shot and you’re in trouble, it’s becoming a very good test of golf.

“We’ve got excellent facilities at the complex including a very good driving range, and we’ve got a nine-hole course at the back which is also used for foot golf.

“We’ve got three full-time teaching professionals and it’s a well-supported club. We’ve got a very strong ladies’ section, a very strong seniors’ section and some very competent young golfers.”

And the club’s president is pretty competent too!