The host venue for this year’s Simpson Cup - kindly supported by the Sinclair Charity - is Royal Lytham and St Annes, and it becomes the first to stage the event twice (the first occasion being back in 2013). For Cardiff’s Dave Hughes, it represents even more of a homecoming, given that he enjoyed four memorable years in employment there. 

But more about that later, because his is a story worth starting from the beginning. 

Having spent his childhood in the Welsh capital, Hughes did his mechanical apprenticeship after finishing school with Audi, whilst simultaneously playing semi-professional football for his local club, Barry Town FC. But despite excelling both in his work and on the pitch, Hughes felt his calling lay elsewhere. 

“I didn’t feel particularly challenged working 9-5,” he recalled. “My father's side of the family is all ex-military, and my uncles from my mum’s side too. Enlisting seemed like the natural thing to do, so in November 1989, I joined the Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers (REME).” 

It began a 26-year career with the British Army, which has seen him posted all over the world. The first of these was a four-year stint doing military and trade training – much of which was spent in Northern Ireland during the height of the Troubles. 

“I remember my first deployment over there – we flew in a Chinook, and landed on the 18th green at Killymoon Golf Club, which was near our base. I thought to myself, ‘wow, this is cool!’,” Hughes grinned. 

“But it was a hairy time. I spent most of it around Cookstown, Dungannon and Armagh, and this was during the period of the 50-cal Sniper (South Armagh Sniper). It was really bad near the border around Newry, with bombs and IEDs going off everywhere – especially courthouses, which were a key IRA target. But our job as part of the QRF (Quick Reaction Force) was to cordon off these places, so that’s what we did – we just had to get on with it.” 

In the years since, Hughes’ military postings included Arctic Warfare training in Norway, along with being drafted into operations in places like Bosnia, Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. His military career then seemed as though it would end fittingly, when he joined the Queen’s Dragoon Guards – his local Welsh regiment. But that’s when his life took a dramatic turn. 

“It was after a tour of Iraq in 2013, and I knew something wasn’t right,” Hughes said. “I was then diagnosed with a brain tumour. And it all started from there.” 

After a six-month period of monitoring the tumour, his doctors concluded that it was growing too quickly, and needed removing. But initially, things did not go to plan. 

“The surgeons found that the tumour was not only within my brain matter, but flowering into the bone of the skull too,” Hughes explains. “So they removed a 4-inch piece of the skull, and fitted a titanium plate. But a week after the surgery, the tumour cavity filled with blood, resulting in a bleed on the brain. 

“I had to be rushed in for secondary surgery, and very nearly died. It was pretty intense,” he added with typical understatement. 

After a recovery period of 20 months, Hughes was medically discharged from the Army in late 2015, and, as someone who had previously got his handicap down to scratch, golf seemed like the natural outlet to help him re-adjust to civilian life. But his injury did not make that easy for him. 

“I’d completely lost my ability to swing the club – all I could do was practice putting during my recovery,” the 51-year old noted. “But even that was tricky. I remember I’d take the putter back, and then forget to follow through! 

“I had difficulties in everyday life too. For example, I’d go to put sugar in my tea, and leave the teaspoon in the sugar, because I couldn’t grasp it. I just had complete loss of muscle memory, and it affected my speech too. This went on for over a year.”



It was at this point that he was signposted towards On Course Foundation (OCF), and, as Hughes acknowledges, it has had a transformative effect on both his golf, and, more significantly, his career. 

“I went to my first OCF event in the spring of 2016, and it was Alasdair Barr (coach of Team GB) who helped me get my swing back,” Hughes recalled. “I’ll always be grateful for the work he did with me. I went from not having a swing at all, to being a 4-handicap and qualifying for the Simpson Cup by the end of that year. 

“I was also introduced to Mark Schorah at the OCF events, and we struck up a great friendship – he was also a mechanic in the REME. I was keen to get into greenkeeping, and it was Mark who helped me with my CV, and through the interview process. I then got a job with Preston Golf Club as Assistant Greenkeeper, and that was my big break.” 

Hughes spent two years cutting his teeth at Preston, before Royal Lytham came calling. Initially he took up a like-for-like role as Assistant Greenkeeper, but in 2019, a new path opened up for him, as he was offered the job of Workshop Manager.

During his tenure, he was part of the team that prepared the course for the British Ladies Open, and the Senior Open. With standout experience now under his belt, and a work ethic ingrained in him from his military years, Hughes’ attracted the interest of Wentworth Club, and in 2021, he was offered the role of Head Mechanic. It was one he couldn’t refuse. 

“I’d had an amazing four years at Royal Lytham, and I wasn’t looking to leave. But Wentworth was a big opportunity for me, so I put my hat in the ring, and got the job. Myself and my partner (Kerry) decided to make the move down South, and now I’m on my third BMW PGA Championship as Head Mechanic. I have to pinch myself sometimes!” Hughes smiled. 

With his career scaling new heights, Hughes continues to make steady progress on the course too, having got his handicap down to 1.3. And this year, he will be representing his country at the Simpson Cup for a fourth time, having played at Royal Birkdale (2017) and St Andrews Links (2019) since his debut at Oak Hill in 2016. 

“The Simpson Cup is the pinnacle for us OCF beneficiaries, and I’m counting down the days until we get to tee it up at Lytham,” he enthused. “Just being there is a privilege in itself. But I also remember that winning feeling at St Andrews a few years ago, and that made it extra special. All the more reason to make sure we keep the trophy on British soil when we lock horns with our American friends in September!”