IAN Hutchinson swapped one club for another to celebrate his Terras testimonial.
The stalwart midfielder hosted a golf day at Weymouth Golf Club to mark his 10 years of service at the Wessex Stadium.
More than 35 golfers took to the course in honour of the popular player, with others also attending a celebration carvery.
After enjoying a decent round, Hutchinson reckons he plans to spend more time on the fairways and greens in the future.
He said: “I hadn’t played golf for a long time before my testimonial event and I was a bit worried how I’d get on.
“There was a big crowd at the first tee when I got under way and the last thing I wanted to do was scuff my shot.
“That would have been a big embarrassment but luckily it went really well and I drove the ball right down the middle of the first fairway.
“I was really pleased with my eventual total of 40 points based on stableford scoring.
“Some of the other lads, particularly Simon Browne, questioned my handicap afterwards, but I just reckon I had a good day.”
Winners included Nick Last, Jason Page, Brendon King and Gary King who scooped the team title after scoring 69 points.
Top golfer Warwick Brown secured the individual title, with Jason Page second and Des Monaghan in third place.
The nearest the pin title was won by Steve Heath, while Terras defender Roy O’Brien secured the longest drive category after hitting a monster shot.
Hutchinson added: “It was a great day and topped what was has been a good year of celebrations for me.
“I’d like to thank Weymouth Golf Club for hosting the event and also Innotec Manufacturing Limited on the Granby Industrial Estate for being main sponsors.
“I’m also really grateful to all the other firms who sponsored individual holes and my testimonial committee – Pete Pavey, Ian White, Nigel Beckett, Annaliese Wykes, Richard Wood, Karen Daubney and especially Juliet Morey who has worked so hard to make the golf day a success.”
Hutchinson said he still hopes to arrange a testimonial match at the Wessex Stadium, but admitted time is against him.
“There has been a lot of upheaval at the club this season, for one reason or another, and it’s been pretty difficult trying to arrange a game because of that,” he said.
“I’d still love to attract a big name down here and there are a few things in the pipeline but we’ll have to see what happens.
“But nevertheless, I’ve still had a great year and it’s been nice to have so much support.”
Hutchinson said he was unsure what his Weymouth future would be at the end of this season.
“I’d like to stay because over the last 10 years I’ve grown to love the club,” he said.
“But obviously that decision will be down to the manager Garry Hill and hopefully everything will be sorted in the next few weeks.”
