It’s not difficult to see why Richard Brock is captain of Cotswold Edge Golf Club.

He likes his golf and plays the game for exactly the right reasons.

He’s a decent player – he plays off 16 and admits some say it should be lower! – but first and foremost he plays the game for fun.

“I take every round as a bonus,” said Brock, who will be 58 on 30th May. “I’m thankful that I’m in the fresh air and that I’m with people with whom I can enjoy going for a walk!”

He first started playing golf in the mid-to-late 80s and apart from a brief break from the game in the mid-noughties has been playing pretty much ever since.

“I had my first lesson at Filton with the pro Andrew England,” said Brock, who lives in Wotton-under-Edge and plays right-handed even though he is naturally left-handed.

Brock played at Filton a week before he spoke to The Local Answer and having the opportunity to play on so many different courses is one of the big reasons Brock likes the game of golf so much.

“You can play anywhere,” he said. “St Andrew’s, Wentworth, The Belfry, even Gleneagles. You can play on the same courses that the greats of the game have played.

“You can’t do that at Wimbledon, Lord’s or Wembley unless you’ve qualified to do so.

“Between Christmas and new year I played at Royal Porthcawl which is where Tiger Woods played in 1995 in the Walker Cup as an amateur. I can say I’ve played on the same course as Tiger Woods although I think he went round in a lot less than me!”

Brock’s home course is Cotswold Edge, of course, and he’s certainly a big fan.

“It’s a course of two halves,” he said. “The top half is big and very generous, the second half meanders through the valley and is quite tight.

“In the Gloucester region it’s up there in the top 10, if not the top five. The greens are superb – we’ve got an excellent greenkeeper in Rob Davies and he’s forever trying to improve the course.

“Steve Garrison is also an excellent teaching professional.”

The club have upwards of 550 members so are clearly in a pretty healthy state.

Brock’s own game is in a pretty healthy state as well although he admits there are areas to work on.

“I need to improve on the chipping front,” he said, “I’m rubbish around the greens.”

And what are his strengths?

“The ability to put the past behind me and think only of the future,” he said with a laugh. “I treat every game as an enjoyment, I don’t beat myself up.”

Push him and he will admit that he would like to chip better but that’s certainly not one of his prime motivators, particularly since taking over as captain in March.

Far more important is the charity that he is raising money for during his year as captain.

“It’s Goals Beyond Grass,” he said. “It’s a powered wheelchair charity based in Cheltenham. I’d like to raise enough money to help buy a wheelchair.”