Nev has played golf all his life from a young boy inspired by his MamGu (grandma in Welsh) and his mum, who both were single figure county players. After he met his now wife, an International hockey player (and triathlete), from whom he learnt that training and practicing in elite sport are totally different concepts! he started playing regularly at the time of his London basic surgical rotation. He joined Hampton Court Palace golf club and that year in 2005, won the men’s championship knockout reducing his handicap from an initial 10 down to 5. When he moved to the Oxford surgical rotation he joined Frilford Heath golf club and started to play golf seriously, practising diligently and his handicap once again came down to low single figures. He played for several years in this 1st team scratch league, captaining the side in 2008. He won the net club championship as well as the scratch foursomes knockout twice. He was also a successful member of the Ferndown Fox winning team in 2008.
Playing Around the World
In 2009, on fellowship in Sydney, Nev was lucky to travel around the whole of Australia and New Zealand and play many of the fantastic courses out there, including New South Wales, Royal Sydney, Barnbougle Dunes, Joondalup, the Australian, Cape Kidnappers, and Jack's Point.
Club Memberships
Currently, Nev is a member of the Berkshire Golf Club in Ascot where he plays off a handicap of +1. He's also a country member at Royal Porthcawl, a club close to his heart, as it was where his late mother played.
A Historic Handicap
In 2020, despite the Covid pandemic, Nev won the Autumn Meeting shooting 66 gross on the famous Red course. This coincided with the switching of the handicap system in the UK to the World Handicap System (WHS). Through a quirky glitch in the statistics, Nev was given a handicap of +7.6—at the time, this was officially the lowest handicap in the UK!
His handicap has now stabilised to a more respectable +1, and playing off scratch was always his dream as a young boy.
Open Championship Qualifying
This achievement enabled him to play in the Regional Qualifying Tournament for the Open Championship at Hollinwell and Minchinhampton Golf Club. Although he didn't qualify, he shot respectable scores—it was a fantastic experience and one to tell his grandchildren in the future!
Golf and Surgery: The Analogies
Nev often tells his orthopaedic trainees there are many analogies between golf and surgery:
If you set up the same every time, you're likely to hit a better shot or perform a better operation.
If you stay safe and avoid the danger such as deep rough or bunkers, it makes subsequent shots easier.
However, if you do run into a tricky situation—which is inevitable in both golf and surgery—you need the tools and the ability to get yourself back on track and carry on.
