Kevin Minnear has been a major player at Gloucester Golf Club for quite a while now.

The just-turned 57-year-old is in the second year of his term as president and he is a former captain and treasurer of the club.

He also leads a committee that liaises between the club’s directors and the playing membership, so he is clearly one of the go-to people at the club.

He describes the role of president as “more of a figurehead, more symbolic”, but it’s clearly one that he is enjoying, and he has certainly enjoyed every day of his time at the club.

Minnear, a former Saintbridge School pupil, didn’t really get into golf until his late 30s.

“I started playing seriously in 2004,” he said. “I played a lot of football but my knees were knackered so I thought, ‘Why not walk five miles round a golf course?’!”

And it’s something he’s certainly never regretted. At his best he played off 11 but these days he plays off 20.

“I enjoy the social side and I enjoy the competitive side,” he said. “When I was playing off 11 I was half decent but the handicap system makes everyone competitive, it introduces a level playing field.”

Minnear, who was born in Cornwall before moving to Gloucester in 1978 – he lives in Quedgeley – played all his football for Gloucester-based club King’s, who had teams in both the Stroud League and the Cheltenham League.

“I was a left-back,” he said. “I started in the 3rds and moved up to the 2nds. I don’t think we ever won a trophy but I do remember winning the player of the year one season.”

Trophies may have been in short supply during his footballing days but he’s certainly lifted some trophies since taking up golf.

“I’ve won a few competitions over the years,” he said. “I’ve won the winter league three times, I think the first was in 2010.

“We play seven qualifiers and then go into a Champions League-type draw which is matchplay.”

To win three of those is pretty good going – Minnear reckons he also won in 2018 and 2022 – and while he can obviously play a bit he certainly stands out when he’s on the course because he is left-handed.

“When I first joined the club there were probably only two or three other left-handers at the club,” he said.

“I always felt I could say with confidence that I was the best left-hander on the course! There are a few more now but if we’ve got 550 members, I’d say we’ve only got 10 or 15 left-handers.

“Even now, when I see a left-hander it looks strange, they are always surrounded by right-handers.”

Nevertheless, he’s felt at home at Gloucester Golf Club from day one, something that is very important to him.

“It’s a very friendly and welcoming golf club,” said Minnear, who works in insurance. “We’re not the poshest, I’d say we’re more a blue collar club than a white collar club.

“We’ve got a board of directors but we’re run by the members, we’ve got an annual turnover in excess of £1 million, it’s a serious enterprise.”

And they have a seriously good golf course.

“The first 10 holes are around the bottom of Robinswood Hill,” he said. “Then the long par 3 11^th takes you up the hill.

“That’s known as Cardiac Hill but once you are at the highest point there are stunning views across to Cheltenham, the Malverns and the Black Mountains before the 18^th brings you back down the hill.”

And while the natural advantages are obvious, the golf club, who have upgraded their driving range in the past couple of years, are certainly working hard to make sure they remain one of the top attractions in the area.

“We’ve just spent a six-figure sum putting a new irrigation system into the greens,” said Minnear. “The old irrigation system was put in in 1976 when the golf course opened, so it needed replacing.

“The work took four weeks and we will see a big difference.”